01x05 - The Messenger

[bunniefuu]

The one day of the week... No lectures, no office hours, no obligations of any kind...

Max: Doc...

The one day that I... I get a little solitude, you know, a little "me" time, a chance to do some actual writing.

Haley twisted my arm.

Your arm is mine to twist, not Haley's.

Did he even say what this was about?

[ Applause ]

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

Daniel, it is my honor to inform you that you have been awarded this year's Davenport Prize for exploration in science.

[ Applause ]

I... I swear, I knew nothing about this.

And, as I'm sure you are aware, this award is not just about the laurels you bring to yourself and the university.

It's also about the $50,000 check that goes along with it.

Woo!

To Daniel Pierce.

[ Cheers and applause ]

[ Cork pops ]

[ Camera shutters clicking ]

[ Dramatic music plays ]

Daniel.

How could you blindside me like that?

You are making me look bad in front of the Chancellor.

The man put you up for this prize, for goodness sakes.

Just one handshake. That's all I'm asking.

Kate.

Please tell me you're here about a case.

Yes, I am, but this...

Paul: Ms. Moretti, I agreed to allow Daniel to consult with the FBI so long as it didn't interfere with his academic duties.

And right now you are interfering with...

Actually, I'm here to talk to you.

To me?

Yeah, listen, a jogger was found sh*t in the back in the national forest preserve.

We're having trouble making an I.D.

There's no wallet on him, no match on the fingerprints.

What has this got to do with him? and Dean Haley's course on spiritual iconography was one of the best classes I ever took.

I'm flattered you remember.

Anyhow, I'm hoping you could take a look at the tattoos, let me know if there's anything about them that could help me I.D. the victim.

I confess I've always been something of an armchair Detective.

Paul, you couldn't possibly. The Chancellor.

I just tell him that it's a m*rder investigation, right?

Come on, Daniel. You'll need to keep him entertained while I'm gone.

Help me.

Wh... Uh, Dean Haley, uh, actually, our victim may have suffered some head injuries, so I do need a brain specialist to review the X-rays.

You couldn't possibly spare Daniel, uh, just for an hour?

I'm sure the Chancellor will understand.

This is very exciting.

[ Retching ]

[ Spitting ]

Oh. [ Sniffs ]

Probably a little too much bubbly at the reception, I think.

Okay. Um, let's see what we've got here.

Well, the angel appears to draw from Christian influences, but... these eight wings... probably represent the eight arms of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction.

Ah. Uh-huh.

Which would make this simian figure representative of Hanuman.

The Hindu monkey god.

And I'd say these numbers represent the book of Ruth... chapter 1, verse 16.

"Thy people shall be my people."

The words Naomi spoke when converting to the faith of her mother-in-law.

So, you probably want to make inquiries at a local Hindu temple frequented by converts from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

You might want to inquire at a local methadone clinic.

Why do you say that?

I think it's a pretty safe bet your victim here was a junkie.

"Monkey on my back" is a common term for heroin addiction.

1:16 is probably a sobriety date, which a lot of addicts tattoo on their bodies.

If he got sober with the help of methadone, maybe somebody at a clinic would recognize him.

Of course, I don't want to... contradict the expert.

[ Retches ]

Kate: I'm here about your son, Mrs. Baker.

What's Jared done now?

Well, he's listed you as his emergency contact on his intake form at the 7th street methadone clinic.

Your son's body was found yesterday in the forest preserve.

It appears he was m*rder*d. I'm... very sorry.

Thank you for bringing me the news in person.

I always thought I would get a call in the middle of the night.

You were expecting this?

I tried everything... therapists, rehab, a clinic in Switzerland.

But when he turned 21 and came into his grandfather's trust, he had money for all the dr*gs he could possibly desire.

When was the last time you saw him?

Four months ago, maybe five.

Okay.

And do you know where he was living?

With some kind of religious cult.

It bled him of every last cent he had left.

[ Voice breaking ] He said he found the voice of God and was finally getting clean.

Some good the voice of God did him.

Kate: It's called Haven House.

Looks like some sort of commune.

It's all centered around this kid...

Kyle Jensen.

16 years old.

They say he talks directly to God.

And your victim gave all his money to this wacko cult?

Almost $500,000.

What?!

That's the way it works.

Everyone who joins gives every dime they have.

[ Laughs ]

It's a haven, all right, for anybody with money in the bank and no brain in their skull.

I swear, it... it... it... it staggers me.

Millennium after millennium, no matter how many of these charlatans are unmasked... people keep shoveling gold into the pockets of the next crook who claims to speak in the name of some nonexistent Santa Claus in the sky.

It's unbelievable.

I thought you'd be interested.

Do you want to tag along?

Try and stop me.

[ Alarm chirps ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Hi. Are you here for Kyle?

He'll be talking to everybody in just a couple of minutes.

We're with the FBI.

The FBI? Is there something wrong?

We'd like to talk to whoever's in charge.

Well, nobody's really in charge.

Um, this is Tom and Sandy's house, but they're in with Kyle right now.

Could this wait till he's finished?

He really likes to tell us what God said to him while it's still fresh in his head.

Any chance we could listen to the Word of God while we wait?

Everyone is welcome.

Behave yourself, Daniel.

Tom: It's wonderful to see all of you here.

So many new faces here today.

I'm Tom Shelby, and, uh, this is my wife, Sandy.

Hi, everybody.

And, uh...

These are the two boys I was lucky enough to get in the package deal when I married her...

[ Laughter ]

Greg and Kyle.

Uh, now, as much as I'd like to believe otherwise, I know you didn't come to hear me flap my jaw, so I'm gonna shut up and turn the floor over to Kyle.

Hmm. [ Applause ]

Thanks, Tom. Um...

God picks the craziest times to tap me on the shoulder and start talking.

Today, it was while I was doing the dishes, and I want to apologize to my mom for the pitcher I dropped when I checked out.

[ Laughter ]

Today, God talked to me about doubt.

And how important it is for us not to be scared of it.

He said He gave us doubt so that we'd always be trying to figure out how things really work, you know, and how we can make them better.

Now, there are people in this room who have no doubt.

And that is a beautiful thing.

But God also talked to me about how being too sure of anything can be dangerous.

And there is somebody here who has only doubt...

Who doesn't believe at all.

But I'm really glad he's here.

[ Sandy sighs ]

Jared was such a beautiful person.

When was the last time you saw him?

About 6:00 just yesterday morning.

He... He went out on his jog.

And you didn't wonder why he didn't come home last night?

No. Everybody here is free to come and go.

Okay.

Nikki: I was worried, actually.

He said he'd been seeing his old friends from K-town, where he used to score.

I... I was scared that he might be going back to dr*gs.

Did he mention any of these old friends by name?

Mm. No.

Shane.

Who?

[ Sighs ] Shane Flannery.

Um [Clears throat] he used to live here.

Well, turned out, he was kind of a fanatic.

He didn't think we were doing enough to protect Kyle.

He thought we were letting in the scum of the Earth...

Addicts and prostitutes and all kinds of sinners.

That's who comes in need of God's healing.

Shane threatened to burn us all alive in the house.

Jared asked him to leave, and when he refused, Jared threw him out.

Yeah, and when he left, he was ranting about Jared paying for his sins.

Okay. Well, we'll certainly look into it.

Jared Baker signed over his entire trust fund to you.

Half a million dollars.

What'd you do with the money?

Everything we take in goes to the shelter, the food bank, or the school in Afghanistan.

Did Jared ever question how you were spending his inheritance?

I... I don't know what you're insinuating.

If you're implying that we had something to do with...

Tom, it's okay.

People give us their money because of the first thing God ever said to me.

"I only ask for one thing… Everything."

"But in exchange, I give everything."

Nikki: I came here with nothing...

Just a coke habit and a lot of fear...

And these people took me in like a daughter.

And God kept his promise.

He gave me everything.

Even the man that I'm going to marry.

Tom: You need to find Shane Flannery.

If he did k*ll Jared Baker, he might k*ll somebody else.

Kate: Yes. Shane Flannery.

Uh-huh. I'm e-mailing a photo and a description.

I want every man on it we can spare.

Great. [ Cellphone beeps ]

I'm gonna stick around. I want to talk to Kyle.

About what?

I'm just curious about something.

Kyle?

Do you have a minute?

Sure.

How did you know that I was a nonbeliever?

Did, uh, God tell you that?

[ Chuckles ]

I could just see it in your face.

It takes work not to believe in God, and the effort shows.

I think it takes a lot more effort to believe in something you can't see.

Are you kidding?

How could anybody look at something so perfect and beautiful and delicious and think that it got that way by accident?

Well, there's a scientific answer to that, Kyle.

Earlier versions of the raspberry weren't so beautiful and delicious, so they couldn't attract enough birds to spread their seeds around.

I know how evolution works.

I love Darwin.

He was the first person in history to look behind the curtain and see how God actually makes it all work.

When did God first start talking to you?

[ Chuckles ]

When I was 12.

But you're not fooling me.

I know you think I'm either totally full of it or just plain crazy.

And so did my parents, at first.

W... What does it feel like when you're hearing God's voice?

It's beautiful.

Everything kind of disappears.

It's like I'm asleep and awake at the same time.

Do you get headaches when that happens?

Feel nauseated?

Yeah. How did you know?

Just a hunch.

Well, anyway, it's totally worth it because I also get this amazing, like, euphoria.

Hmm.

Headaches, nausea, euphoria, voices..

These are classic symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy, which could be caused by a tumor.

I... I don't understand.

He has a check-up every year, and his doctor has never said anything.

Did you ever take him to a neurologist?

There was no reason to. He's in perfect health.

I'm sorry, but he's not.

This kind of tumor can also press on neighboring areas of the brain.

It can be life-threatening if it's not treated, of Kyle could have a seizure while he's driving.

I'd like to bring him in for some tests.

And if they show what I think they'll show, he may need surgery.

Well, I... I could bring him in tomorrow when...

Kyle: Mom, wait.

Are you saying this condition is what's making me hear God's voice?

It's not God, Kyle.

It's a neurological abnormality.

Well, if it is, God must have given it to me so He could have a way to talk to me.

I'm not getting rid of it.

This could be a fatal condition.

Being alive is a fatal condition.

Kyle.

I'm not doing it, Mom.

Mrs. Shelby, I understand Kyle's commitment to his beliefs, but he is still a minor. You can compel him to get treatment.

Dr. Pierce, we'll discuss what you've said.

We'll talk to Kyle about it.

But we are not gonna force him to do anything against his will.

Daniel: This is child abuse!

They're not forcing him to get tested because they don't want the goose to stop laying the golden eggs.

[ Chuckling ] It's what I've always said... Religion.

And, you know, if it's not about blood or oppression, it's about money in the bank.

That is a gross generalization, not to mention totally offensive.

I mean, what about the Dalai Lama or... or Martin Luther King?

Or the Inquisition or 9/11 or Giordano Bruno?

Who?

Oh, they didn't teach you about him in Sunday school? 1592...

Giordano Bruno makes the wild, satanic claim that the Earth revolves around the sun, so the Holy Fathers pray to God and are told that this wicked man must die.

They clamp his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and they burn him alive, which must have been the right thing to do because God told them to do it.

Look, yes, that is a horrible story, but Haven House isn't burning people alive.

You made a snap diagnosis after talking to that kid for five minutes.

You don't think that that might be your prejudice against religion talking?

I... I didn't make the condition up.

It's what Joan of Arc had.

What?

Joan of Arc had temporal lobe epilepsy.

It's why she thought that angels were talking to her.

Oh, did you examine her, too?

It's the conclusion of medical historians based on her description of her own experience.

And we all know what happened to her.

Yes. She became a great leader. She liberated France.

She was b*rned at the stake at age 19.

She was a deluded girl whose illness led to her disaster.

She was a hero.

At a time when women had less power than farm animals, she led an army.

I used to carry her medal when I was a kid, and I still light candles in church for her on Sunday.

You still go to church?

Yes, Daniel, I do.

And I pray, too, if you want to know.

Why?

Because I believe in God.

It comforts me to talk to Him about my problems.

And does He answer you back like He does with Kyle?

Okay. You know what? I do not have time to get into a theological debate with you.

I need to find Shane Flannery.

Which is exactly what our friends at Haven House want you to be doing.

How do you know that Jared Baker didn't just get pissed off one day that his entire trust fund was going into their pockets, so he tried to get it back, and they offed him for it?

Because the I.R.S. is all over places like that.

Oh, and nothing ever gets past Uncle Sam.

All right, fine, if it would make you feel better, I will put in a call to the I.R.S.

But my money is on Shane.

Ethan: I was exactly where you are, Dr. Pierce.

I was positive a place raking in that kind of cash had to be a scam but...

I've been tearing their books apart at the seams for two years.

And I got to tell you, it's legit.

We're talking about millions of dollars. Where is it all going?

Well, about 2% goes to administrative expenses, which is as low as it gets in nonprofit-land, and some goes to local charities...

Food bank, Meals on Wheels, shelter.

Biggest chunk goes to the school in Afghanistan.

[ Cellphone rings ]

Moretti.

Isn't it possible they're fooling you?

That... That they're cooking the books?

I'd like to think, after 20 years in this place, that I'm a pretty hard guy to fool.

[ Cellphone beeps ]

CPD just found our suspect.

Thank you.

Kate: Mr. Flannery, did you thr*aten to burn down Haven House, send all its residents to hell?

I spoke the truth.

I said that God would bring the fire of His vengeance down on that house.

Did you specifically thr*aten to k*ll Jared Baker?

It was God who delivered His judgment on that heretic.

Okay. Where were you last Tuesday morning?

Across the street from Haven House, guarding the chosen one...

I was there all night.

Can anyone verify that?

Only God, Who will purify all the sinners in that house with the fires of His vengeance...

Starting with those who trample on the seventh commandment.

Okay, I'm a little rusty on my commandments, but I think I remember which one the seventh is.

Now, who in the house was committing adultery?

That lying whore Nikki.

She's engaged to Kyle's brother, so why was she rutting like a sow with the dead man?

Okay, so, you're saying Nikki was rutting like a sow with Jared Baker?

It was after midnight.

I saw the light go on in his window.

She came into his room and took him in her arms.

Maybe Kyle's brother saw what I saw.

Maybe God entrusted him with the fire of His vengeance.

[ French accent ] He is not the k*ller.

Have you ever met a Holy Warrior who sh*t his victim in the back?

Normally, they burn their victims or crucify them or ritually drain their blood.

She's chasing the wrong cat.

I was sent to help you catch the right one.

What do you mean, "sent"? Who sent you?

God, of course.

Messenger of God.

French accent.

Late medieval, homespun tunic.

Great.

I'm hallucinating Joan of Arc.

Enchantée.

Evil is in the eye of the beholder.

Especially if that beholder is Shane Flannery.

So, you admit that you were in Jared's room that night?

Yes, but not for anything sinful.

Jared needed my help.

At 2:00 in the morning?

My room is right next door to his.

I woke up. I heard him crying.

I was worried, so I went and knocked on his door.

Do you think that your fiancé might have seen you knock on his door?

No. Greg... Greg's room is downstairs in the back.

Jared was in a terrible state.

He told me he had been seeing his friends in K-town and that he was worried he might slip.

So we prayed together. I held him.

He read that the wrong way and made a pass at me.

I told him I would never betray Greg, and I went back to my room.

Why didn't you tell us any of this before?

I told you that I thought Jared was having a rough time.

I didn't tell you the rest because Greg loved Jared.

It would have only upset him, and for what?

Hey. I heard you guys were back.

Did you find Shane?

Kate: Yes.

But we don't think he did it.

Daniel.

We're not really supposed to discuss an open investigation.

Well, what were you talking to Nikki about?

Does she know something?

Kyle, I...

Okay.

Dr. Pierce, can I talk to you for a minute?

Not about the case.

I'll be in the car.

What's on your mind?

A while ago, God told me I wasn't gonna be alive for very long.

I guess He's saying the same thing you are.

You know I don't believe in God, Kyle.

But if a gut instinct is telling you you're not well, you should listen to it and get treatment.

I'm not doing that.

I just want to know how long I have so I can...

You know, make plans.

Your condition isn't always fatal.

And there's no way to predict how long it'll take any illness to cause someone's death.

So, science doesn't have all the answers?

I suppose not.

That's okay.

Neither does God.

He spends most of His time trying to figure out why we do the crazy things we do.

That's why He made brain scientists like you...

To help Him figure it all out.

Hey. Sorry to interrupt. I need to get back to the office.

What's going on?

CPD found a witness in K-town who said they saw a guy roughing up Jared Baker a few days ago.

We're looking for him now.

Listen, um...

Call me anytime about your health or... just to talk.

Thanks.

I'll do that.

[ Bach's "Partita No. 6 in E minor" plays ]

Daniel: How could such an intelligent, level-headed kid be so medieval at heart?

Not to mention Kate.

Daniel, that man whose music you're playing was a devout believer.

Bach lived 300 years ago. Science was in the cradle.

Isn't science just another kind of faith with its own scriptures and its own dogmas?

[ Music stops ]

Science is based on fact.

It must be exhausting to be so cynical all the time.

It's not cynicism... It's reality.

And, of course, we all know what a firm grip you have on reality.

Oh, that's very funny.

I think you're jealous of people with faith.

You wish you could find that kind of solace and comfort.

[ Music resumes ]

[ Off-key chord plays ]

Listen to that treble.

[ Telephone rings ] Hmm? Like a chicken screaming for its life.

I've seen you looking longingly at a satin-finish ebony grand in the Steinway showroom downtown.

Yeah, well, that particular satin-finish ebony grand costs as much as most cars.

Daniel, you just got a check for $50,000.

You can buy anything you want with it.

That would be an insane indulgence.

You've done crazier things.

You really think I should buy it?

Hey, Doc. Kyle Jensen's mother is on the phone.

She sounds pretty upset.

Sandy: [ Voice breaking ] Kyle runs up and down those stairs 20 times a day.

He must have gone into one of his trances and fallen.

[ Sighs ]

Why would God choose a moment like that?

Dr. Goldsby: Mr. and Mrs. Shelby...

Kyle suffered a major head trauma in the fall, causing his brain to bleed.

In a way, the fall may have been fortunate because the scan revealed something we might not have caught until it was too late.

Kyle has an invasive tumor in his left temporal lobe.

It's possible the fall dislodged it, which is what's causing the severe bleeding.

Lord in heaven.

[ Sighs ]

That's what you told us yesterday.

We should have listened to you. We should have...

We should have brought him in for tests.

I need to operate immediately to relieve the pressure from the bleeding.

If we can remove the tumor, we will.

Kyle made it clear that he didn't want to do anything that might cut him off from God.

You can't leave a dislodged tumor inside your son's brain.

I'm just thinking of what Kyle would want.

You might as well sh**t him in the head!

Daniel.

Sandy: Dr. Pierce is right.

[ Crying ] I know Kyle may be angry with me, but I am not going to lose my son.

We'll prep him for surgery.

Doctor, did... did Kyle have elevated prolactin levels when he came in?

No. They were normal, but need to get started, so...

What was that about?

Elevated prolactin would mean that Kyle had a seizure in the last couple of hours, but he didn't.

So he didn't fall because he went into a trance.

Maybe he figured out who k*lled Jared.

And someone pushed him.

Kate: Did any of you see Kyle fall?

I was in the den, reading, and... and, uh... heard a crash and ran into the foyer.

Jake and Tina came to my room and told me what happened.

I was making dinner, and I heard Tom yell for help.

When I saw him on the ground, all that blood, I...

[ Cellphone rings ]

Excuse me.

Moretti.

Why's she asking all these questions?

Nobody in the house would want to hurt Kyle.

Are you sure about that?

Kate: Daniel.

They found the guy who b*at up Jared in K-town.

We got to go.

What about Kyle?

Well, the family will call us if there's any news.

No, I mean about protecting him.

Somebody tried to k*ll him. They may try again.

You... You got to put a guard on him.

Daniel, I'm not gonna be able to get approval for a guard on a hospital room 24/7 just because we have an unsubstantiated theory.

[ Sighs ]

Well, I'm staying.

All right.

Aaron: Are you saying that I k*lled Jared Baker?

Witnesses saw you two get into a shoving match a few days before he was m*rder*d.

Look, I do outreach for the V.A.

And we get a lot of these vets living on the street around here.

So, yeah, it pisses me off when these jackasses come down and try to scam these guys out of their SDI checks.

Jared Baker was scamming veterans?

Passing out pamphlets, hawking some church that's about donating every cent they got...

So I tossed his pamphlets and told him to take his scam elsewhere.

And then when he didn't get the message, you got physical.

After he took off, I felt bad about the whole thing, so I fished one of the pamphlets out of the trash and took a look.

And guess what... I was right.

It's all a big fake... At least the school in Afghanistan is.

That place does not exist.

How do you know that?

Picture in the pamphlet.

Schoolkids in front of a big lake?

School's supposed to be in Maimana.

I was stationed in Herat, a stone's throw from there.

There's no lake in that valley, just sand.

This picture?

Yeah.

See the writing on the blackboard?

That's Farsi.

In Maimana, they speak Arabic.

I called a bunch of guys who served over there.

Nobody ever heard of an international group operating a school anywhere near Maimana.

You report this to anyone?

Just Jared Baker.

Wait. Jared knew?

Next time he came down to K-town, I told him exactly what I just told you.

How did he take it?

It shook him up. He said he wanted to report it to somebody, so I told him he should start with the I.R.S.

The I.R.S. gave Haven House a clean bill of health.

Last-minute vacation, Ethan?

We removed the tumor and stopped the bleeding.

[ Sighs ]

But there were complications.

Kyle suffered a ruptured aneurysm.

He's in a coma.

[ Sobs ]

Oh, my God.

Will he be all right?

The situation doesn't look good.

Could he die?

I think you need to prepare yourselves for that possibility.

I'm sorry.

[ Crying ]

Can we see him?

Sure. I'll take you in.

[ Sighs ]

It is a pity...

N'est-ce pas?

They call you "The Messenger," right?

Well, I want you to deliver a message to God.

I thought you don't believe in Him.

I don't.

But you do, so I want you to tell Him from me that I think He's an assh*le.

That is blasphemy, Daniel. It is a sin.

No. No. No.

A sin... A sin is giving a brain tumor to a... to a kid who's never done a bad thing in his life.

A sin is letting whoever k*lled Jared Baker run free while that boy lies dying.

Does…? What does…? Does God enjoy this?

Watching mothers sobbing their eyes out?

What is that, His thing?

Is that entertaining to Him?

What are we? Is that what we are…? Some sort of entertainment?

Give Him the message. T... Tell Him. Go on. Tell Him... Tell Him...

Tell Him to go to hell.

Ethan: That audit is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

What about your knowledge of the seven cash deposits made into your account, each in the amount of $9,900, just a squeak below what the bank would be required to report?

I won that money playing poker.

I see.

And with your poker winnings, you decided to buy yourself a one-way ticket to the Maldives, a country that just happens to have no extradition treaty with The United States?

I always wanted to go there.

Jail is nothing like the Maldives, Ethan.

There are no crystal-clear waters, no palm trees, no waiters fetching you brightly colored drinks.

I want full immunity.

That's not gonna happen.

But if you give me the name of whoever bribed you to falsify this audit, I'll ask the judge to let you plead down to receiving improper benefits.

You'd get off with six months.

This offer expires in 10 seconds.

Nine...

Eight...

Three...

Okay, okay, okay.

I took a bribe.

Who from?

[ Monitor beeping ]

[ Knock on door ]

Mr. Shelby, could I speak to you in the hallway?

Tom: What's this about?

It would be best if we spoke outside.

Anything you have to say, you can say in front of my family.

I'm placing you under arrest for the m*rder of Jared Baker.

What are you talking about?

That's insane!

You have the right to remain silent.

No, let go of him!

Sandy, don't.

I'm coming with you.

No. Stay here with Kyle.

I can stay here with Kyle. Greg, take your mom.

No, everybody stay here, please.

God knows the truth. He'll set everything right.

Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?

So, how do you... How do you know Tom did it?

Picked up the I.R.S. auditor on his way to the airport with a one-way ticket to the Maldives.

Said Tom bribed him for a clean audit.

You were right. Tom was pocketing all the money.

Okay, but why k*ll Jared?

Well, Jared was on to the scam.

Tom found that out the night before the m*rder.

Look, we got to get going. I'll tell you all about it in the car.

W... W... You're sure that no one else is in on it?

Until you're sure, I'm staying with Kyle.

Why would I k*ll Jared? I loved him.

We got a warrant to search your house, including your safe, and we found records of the cash payments you made to the I.R.S. auditor.

I swear to God I never gave him anything.

He told us about how you did your research on him when he first started the audit.

You knew that he had alimony, gambling debts.

You knew that if you offered him a bribe for a clean audit, that he'd take it.

He's lying.

We also found the incorporation documents for the shell organization that runs the fake school in Afghanistan.

What are you talking about? The school is real.

The State Department has no record of a foreign charity operating a school in Maimana.

We send them almost $1 million a year.

No, you send almost $1 million a year to an account in your name at the Bank of Kabul.

From Kabul, it's transferred to the ever-popular Cayman Islands.

Now I know why you were so eager to put us onto Shane Flannery.

No. I would never do that.

You were raking it in like crazy, until Jared Baker found out that the school was fake.

And he called Ethan over at the I.R.S.

Ethan called you and said you had a problem.

And then, according to Ethan, your exact words were...

"I'll take care of it".

I guess you did.

I need to find Tom a lawyer.

Sandy, let Greg make the calls.

You need to rest.

She's right, Mom. Let me take you home.

No. I can't leave Kyle.

I'll be right here. I'll call you the second he wakes up.

I'll stay, too.

Thank you, Nikki.

Sure.

And thank you, Dr. Pierce.

Dr. Pierce, if it's all right...

I'd like some time alone... to pray.

Of course she wants time alone... because as soon as you leave the room... she is going to k*ll the boy.

Nikki, if it's all the same to you...

I'm gonna stay.

Look at her.

The soul of piety and devotion.

But doesn't it bother you how eager she has been to get everybody out of the room?

The boy was very curious as to why you were talking to her.

Maybe he had asked too many questions... and she pushed him.

And think... think of that tax man flying off to the Maldives.

Of all the countries in the world, why would he choose a romantic tropical island?

Unless he wasn't planning to go there alone.

Yes, she is very beautiful, no?

Just the perfect type of woman a lonely tax man would dream of running away with.

That's still not proof.

What?

N... Nothing.

It's hardly enough to get her b*rned at the stake, but it's more than the British had on me.

Nikki: Please, Dr. Pierce, I'd really like some time alone with Kyle.

[ Sighs ]

What are you going to do?

[ Monitor beeping ]

[ Beeping, flat line ]

What? W... What is that?

Why is it making that sound?

[ Flat line ]

He's gone.

Wh... What are you talking about? No. He's breathing.

This monitors neuroelectrical activity.

Kyle's brain-dead.

Oh, my God.

I… I... I have to call his parents.

[ Flat line ]

Oh, sorry. I must have, uh, knocked this out by mistake.

[ Monitor beeping ]

[ Stammers ]

[ Beeping ]

Moretti.

Tom isn't the k*ller.

It's Nikki.

What?

She says she loves Kyle.

But when he d*ed, she didn't even look at him.

She just took off like a bat out of hell.

Oh, my God. Kyle d*ed?

No, no, no, no. That was just pretend. Wha...

Daniel, what are you talking about?

It was all Nikki. k*lling Jared, pushing Kyle down the stairs.

She's been waiting to get him alone so she can finish the job.

You've got to stop her before she leaves the country.

Do you have any proof of this?

N… N... No, but...

Okay, then we need to put a tail on her, find out where she's headed in such a hurry.

Right.

[ Door opens ]

Hey, need a hand with those?

Ethan: I already told you the whole story.

The problem is that Nikki Atkins is telling us a different version.

And in hers...

The Afghan scam, framing Tom Shelby, murdering Jared Baker...

That was all you.

She says you blackmailed her into going along with it.

[ Chuckles ]

You're making that up to trap me.

We picked her up at a bank with two sacks full of cash.

Her next stop was the airport.

She had her boarding pass all printed up.

Yeah, see, except she was not going to the Maldives.

[ Sighs ]

It was all her.

The scam, everything.

She k*lled Jared.

[ Sighs ]

I met her when I started the audit on Haven House.

I actually let myself believe... it was about more than business.

Once she was sure that she had me, she told me about her scam, offered to cut me in 50/50 if I made the audit come out clean.

How'd she get the con going to begin with?

She heard about this place where morons signed over fortunes and... didn't ask questions.

She showed up, pretending to be a lost little lamb, hooked up with the older brother so she could be on the inside.

What about the school in Afghanistan? Where'd that come from?

She scanned some pictures from National Geographic, put together a website, and e-mailed Tom, asking for his help.

Seemed like we pulled it off.

Until Jared Baker started asking questions about the school in Afghanistan.

Yeah, after I talked to Jared, I called up Nikki, and I told her we had a problem.

Next day, Jared turns up dead.

I called her, and I said, "What the hell is going on?

No one's supposed to get hurt."

She told me to keep quiet and to get out of town.

So I went home, and I got my bags.

You guys picked me up.

And that is the entire story. I swear.

Just one problem... It's your word against hers.

I might be an idiot, but I am not stupid.

Check the lining in my suitcase.

There's a flash drive with some sound files on it.

One thing you learn when you work for the I.R.S.

Your whole life is the value of keeping good records.

Nikki: They aren't buying that Shane k*lled Jared.

Oh, baby, calm down.

Okay. We're going to be all right.

I've got the room all booked on the most beautiful beach in the Maldives.

Kyle: Nikki, what's going on? Who are you talking to?

Nikki: Hey. I... I got to go.

No, I think Kyle heard me. Okay.

I love you.

I'll see you at the airport.

Kyle wanted to know why you were talking to us.

That's why he knocked on your door.

Kate: But he overheard too much, and that's why you pushed him down the stairs.

Do you think I don't know that a sound recording can be manipulated?

Do you even know that you're doing Satan's work?

Please, God, I pray that You will forgive these people for their blindness.

I pray that You will show them the truth.

While you're at it, you might want to also pray for a judge who doesn't believe in the death penalty.

Dr. Goldsby: It's a miracle, really.

Kyle's awake and eating chocolate pudding like there's no tomorrow.

How much tissue damage?

Some swelling.

He'll need to take it easy for a while, but he should make a good recovery.

[ Elevator bell dings ]

That message you sent God must have done the trick.

Sometimes He needs a kick in the pants.

People make amazing recoveries all the time with no help from some nonexistent deity.

If He doesn't exist, then why would you send Him a message?

Because I'm a stark, raving lunatic.

Look, we are closing Haven House.

But we're keeping the broken promise, opening a school in Afghanistan.

I know it's what God wants.

You're still hearing a voice even after the operation?

Not an actual voice in my head like before.

But I still hear God every second...

The way anybody can if they just listen.

Here.

Maybe this will buy a few books for the new school.

Wow!

That's a lot of books.

Does this mean you believe in God now?

Absolutely not.

But I believe in you.

I got something for you, too.

Kyle, what kind of present is that?

I think Dr. Pierce will appreciate it.

[ Chuckles ]