06x11 - By Any Means: Part 2

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "Major Crimes"...

SHARON: I hope you never
have to see this,

but in case I'm not there,

I want you to protect yourself
against Phillip Stroh.

Less than hours ago,

Emma told me
that she thought Phillip Stroh

was back in Los Angeles,
and now she's dead.

As the police were checking out the gate

to Emma's backyard,
I had a Sniffy in my pocket,

giving me their contacts and the picture

they were anxious for me to text them,

infected all their devices with malware,

and now I have autonomous
control of their cells.

Score!

[LAUGHS] They're practically
staring at us. Look.

Our investigation of Emma's death

led us directly
to the m*rder of Jim Bechtel.

But what's the connection

between a retired real-estate developer

and the drowning of a prosecutor?

We found a divorce filing from the s

between a Jim Bechtel
and a Gwendolyn Bechtel,

who claimed as her dependent
Phillip Stroh.

I need to take off for a few days.

Get ready for a quick exit.

- Don't worry. I have this.
- I hope so.

Half the fee depends on you
finding my mother

- before they do.
- Don't worry.

I have one of the best police
departments on Earth helping me.

MASON: That's excellent work.

We'll figure out what to do
after Stroh's in custody.

Or dead at my feet.

Dead at your feet
would be kind of perfect.

MASON: Have we made any progress at all?

Well, Jim Bechtel's daughter, Tammy,

has flown in from Charlotte

to make arrangements
for her father's funeral.

Now, I expect her here any
minute, and she should help.

In the meantime,
we have been concentrating

on Gwendolyn Bechtel. Mike.

If Gwendolyn really is Stroh's mother,

that could be a partial explanation

of why he's come back.

Maybe he just wanted to say "farewell"

to dear old mom
before he kicked the bucket.

Or take her with him when he goes.

SYKES: Uh, one hitch...

we're still trying to confirm

the checked medical records
belonged to Stroh.

I'm having a bit of trouble

contacting the Interpol officer
who called Emma.

Yeah. Buzz?

Well, our traces on Gwen Bechtel's

Social Security number are complicated.

- I'll say.

- Well, there's no death
certificate, sir,

but Gwendolyn Stroh/Bechtel's Social

hasn't been used since .

There are no credit checks,
no tax filings,

nothing... she just disappeared.

Just thinking out loud,

but if Stroh's mother had been
living in the L.A. area,

couldn't Stroh have just
k*lled her years ago?

Seriously? You bloody idiot.

PROVENZA: If Stroh already
m*rder*d his mom,

why would be hunting for her now?

- Exactly.
- Oh, good point.

And you're in charge? God.

Okay, so, you can change
your Social Security number.

- No, that's not the problem.
- Uh, yes, sir,

but the new number would
be cross-referenced

with the old number by the
Internal Revenue Service.

So if we search for one,
we find the other.

Unless...

Unless she had her new
Social Security number sealed.

In my reserve detective
training, I'm told that

this type of secrecy
is for Witness Protection.

You're in reserve detective
training? That's a thing?

And no one outside the Social
Security Administration

would have her new identity,
not even law enforcement.

Not even law enforcement?

Oh, my God, that's ridic...
Make a call or something!

PROVENZA: Well, if Stroh were
my son and I was rich,

I don't think I'd want him
to find me either.

Well, if you're on the right
track, and that's a big "if,"

Gwen's new number would only
exist on a hard copy

in the Social Security
headquarters in Maryland.

Really? Maryland?

I see. Okay.

You lot run around following the rules.

I'll go... this way.

Let's see who gets to Mama Stroh first.

SANCHEZ: A hard copy in Maryland, sir?

Even if we were able
to get a search warrant,

it could take weeks to find it.

Uh, I might have a workaround, Julio.

SYKES: What about
the Social Security office

where she filed for the change?

The Social Security Administration

has over a thousand field offices.

How are you gonna figure out
which one to search?

PROVENZA: Excuse me. Cami,

could you review for us what we
know about Gwendolyn pre- ?

Mm-hmm. A Social Security number
can tell a pretty good story

of a person's life, especially
if you can find a credit report

to go with it.

Let's do this, Julio.

Gwendolyn Hope Lyle, born in
Philadelphia, PA, July , .

Attended Penn for two years,

her dad was rich, rich, rich,

and she worked at one of his
travel agencies every summer.

In , when she was only ,

Gwendolyn married Tyler Tate Stroh,

a -year-old executive

also employed by her father's company.

Gwen gave birth to her precious
son, Phillip, in .

Oh, my God. You people are more boring

than watching televised snooker.

Her father d*ed, she sold the business,

divorced her husband,
and bought an amazing home

in Chagrin Falls, Ohio...

What?! "An amazing home"?

What are you, a bloody estate agent now?

Why can't you people treat this
like an emergency?

Do you have a higher gear than sloth?

Glacial, perhaps?

A year later, she married Jim Bechtel.

May he rest in peace.

I wonder where his daughter is.

She should be here by now.

SANCHEZ: Oh, but way back then, sir,

Tammy moved with her father
and new stepmother to Bel Air

in without Phillip,

who was left behind to attend
some fancy boarding school.

MASON: Bet there's a lot more
to that story.

Of course there's more to the story.

But none of it leads to Mama Stroh.

Gwen and Jim filed their
taxes jointly in California

only once before divorcing in ,

and then eventually,
Gwen just disappears in .

On December , .

If you can't be helpful,
at least be precise.

Ella, wake up!

Get naked! Come on.

So, Stroh's mother abandoned him?

Looks like it.

Tammy Bechtel's on the elevator.

Uh, Amy, would you give me
a hand, please?

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

Lieutenant Provenza?

Ah, that's me, and this
is Detective Sykes.

Thank you for coming, Tammy.

So sorry about what
happened to your father.

SYKES: We know this is a difficult time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, boo-hoo.

Thank you.

So, you're considering
Phillip as a suspect?

Does that seem likely to you?

Not really.

He and Daddy didn't get along very well,

but we were only a serious part
of his life for a few years,

and that was decades ago.

I don't really remember
that much about Phillip,

and I can't imagine he recalls
that much about me, either.

Then again, Phillip was strange.

Understatement of the century.

PROVENZA: You are aware
that your ex-stepbrother

is a serial k*ller.

The FBI came to my house five years ago

and told me about all the women
that Phillip had m*rder*d.

I was just shocked.

But in retrospect, there were signs,

things that I now know are
markers for people like him.

What signs?

Oh, he tried to set our house
on fire a couple of times.

My dog disappeared one day,
it never came back.

He pushed me off the slide
in our backyard.

Those aren't signs. Those are billboards.

How could they not know something
was wrong with the kid?

It's hard to give up on your child.

But now that I have girls of my own, I...

[ECHOING] Well, so,
your father got very upset.

What about your stepmother, Gwen?

[NORMAL] Daddy and Gwen, they
fought over Phillip constantly.

It got better when he went to
boarding school,

but then they would just argue about

whether or not he should
come home for Christmas

or what to do with Phillip once
we moved to L.A., but they...

Like I said, more to the story.

SYKES: Did all the quarreling
stop once you got to California?

For a while, and then about a year later,

they got into a fight
that lasted for weeks.

I woke up in the middle
of the night hearing...

hearing Daddy screaming.

And Gwen packed up and left the next day.

Did you ever see Phillip again?

No. Once Phillip moved to L.A.,

he would contact Dad occasionally.

Actually, he hounded Daddy.

He demanded to know where
his mother had gone.

So stunning, really.

She fought so hard to keep her son,

and then she just abandoned him.

Did you ever see or speak to Gwen again?

No. Not after she disappeared.

- Damn it.
- I did try to look her up once.

I wanted to send her a thank-you note.

I couldn't find her in the phone book,

and that was pretty much all
we had to go on back then.

Phone books? Travel agencies? Oy.

PROVENZA: Can we go back just one second?

You just said that you wanted to give

Gwendolyn a thank you note.

What for?

I graduated from high school in '

and an envelope arrived in the mail

with a sweet note from Gwen

- and $ , cash.
- SYKES: Wow.

- From your ex-stepmother
- [CELLPHONE CHIMES]

Whom you hadn't seen since you were...

years old. It was obscenely generous,

but no return address.

What about a postmark?

Yes, Pasadena, but I don't think
she actually lived there,

'cause my father went looking
through all the property records

where she could've bought a home

and he couldn't find anything.

Why would he do that?

Oh, my Dad...

For all his success,
he was a fairly simple guy.

He loved what he loved.

He loved me, his business,

the sea...

And he loved Gwen.

I think finding out that
she could've been...

I'm looking to see if there's
a Social Security office

- in Pasadena.
- Bechtel didn't find her,

and he was a real-estate developer.

TAO: Gwen changed her name.

Bechtel was looking for the wrong person.

She was in Pasadena during ' .

Maybe that's where she started over.

But please don't get me wrong.
I... My dad was happy.

MASON: Criminal Intelligence
could check that

faster than you guys. Tell the lieutenant

- I'm giving it a go.
- ...never, ever get over.

PROVENZA: Thank you, Tammy.
Thank you very much.

You've been very helpful.

Detective Sykes, would
you please assist her

with a statement?

[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]

Andy, hey! What are you doing here?

There's no reason you can't stay at home.

FLYNN: I promised Sharon that
I would protect the kids,

and I can't do that sitting at
home feeling sorry for myself.

Look, how I deal with this crap
is not up to you.

Ah. You're sure?

I'm sure.

Okay.

Is, uh, Nolan still on an assignment?

Uh, yeah, yeah.

♪♪

Ah, good, good.

So, it would appear that our chief

is finally gonna help us out
for a change.

So we still have to prepare searches

for every Social Security office...

Bad news, Lieutenant.

I found her first.

Oh! Enjoy your game of musical chairs.

- ...et cetera...
- BECK: Andy, um,

do you remember that we... well,

you were picking me up to go home?

Yeah. I'll go home... once Stroh is dead.

I wish you luck with that, Lieutenant.

In the meantime...

[BEEPS]

...I'll give Gwendolyn your regards.

♪♪

All right, Lieutenant.

C.I. confirmed Pasadena's
Social Security office

has some sealed files

dated from mid-December .

That's Gwendolyn Stroh. Sykes, Sanchez.

But to get a name, birth date,

and her new number, I need a warrant,

and I don't think we have enough to ask

the federal government
for declaratory relief.

SYKES: How about protecting
the life of the record holder

from one of the most dangerous
serial K*llers in the world?

Her name appears on a list of searches

that includes eight other people
that have either d*ed

or been m*rder*d in
the last months, sir.

[SIGHS] Okay.

I can try.

Uh, Chief? If I might make a suggestion,

try to be a little more enthusiastic

with our federal friends
and put some urgency into it?

We need to find this woman alive.

Thank you, Lieutenant, for your guidance.

Are you trying to lose command
of our division, sir?

No, Sykes.

I'm trying to stop Stroh
once and for all.

Now, if Mason feels
comfortable telling me

what my job is all day long,
I can do the same for him.

Oh, Gus. Rusty can't leave.

I was just telling him that,
Lieutenant. One second.

I... As long as Andy wants to stay,

I need to wait for an escort
back to the condo.

I'll get someone up here in a minute.

Here, I'll call now.

Okay, well, I was off today.

I made you some caldo de res.

It's my grandmother's recipe.

I put some brown rice in...

What? What is it?

That's... That's Phillip Stroh?

Yeah. Yeah, why?

I saw him.

- What?
- I saw him.

- Where?
- At the restaurant.

When? When did you see him?

I-I waited on him. He was my customer

the... the night Sharon d*ed.

- Did you guys talk?
- Yeah,

I thought maybe he was
hitting on me a little.

He asked if I had a boyfriend.

And what did you say?

Well, that...

I was trying to work things out,
that I wasn't sure.

But he... he... he asked a little bit

about what my boyfriend was
like, but maybe it wasn't him.

This guy had a beard.

The guy we saw from the red-light camera

in Palm Springs had a beard.

- It's Stroh.
- Yeah, now we have an eyewitness.

One second, one second. Gus...

do you recall how he paid you?

Did he give you a credit card?

No, I didn't pick up the check.

I-I got a text from Rusty about Sharon

around : , and I left
for the hospital right then.

Uh, but I can call and ask Manny

and find out if he used a credit card.

Gus, does the restaurant
have security cameras?

Uh, yes. Not at the parking lot
or the valet,

but at the bar and at the entrance.

Hey, Manny, hey, this is...

This is Lieutenant Provenza,
Los Angeles Police Department.

Now, Manny, I want you to listen closely

and do exactly what I tell you to.

- [KNOCKING]
- Come on, Karl.

I have someone else coming in minutes.

Ella, you're breaking my heart.

It's not my fault. You were late.

Okay. I'll tell you the truth.

I was with another woman.

[GASPS] How dare you.

Don't worry, it was my boss's mum.

Just had to check on her,
make sure she was all right.

And was she?

Uh, she was so-so.

But, more importantly,
she's also incredibly rich.

So this job may turn out
very well for us.

Hmm. No wonder you're in a good mood.

Oh, yes.

We are one little power-of-attorney issue

from a brand-new life.

Mm-hmm.

I am serious, Ella.

I can come out of this with a
lot of cash, maybe millions.

Sounds like you're talking about
robbing the old lady.

I don't think she's long for this world,

but no, I'm not gonna rob her.

She obviously doesn't have
control of her money anyway.

Some guy named Hunt Sanford
is signing the checks.

Doesn't sound like you're
planning anything very nice.

Listen, Ella.

No one is gonna hurt that old lady, okay?

But the world's full of not-nice things.

I mean, your parents were not very nice,

my parents were not very nice,
and who stuck up for us, huh?

Who bothered to make sure
we were safe and looked after?

- Nobody.
- Hey.

Some people get born
with a lot of chances,

and some people don't have any.

Well, which category
do you think we fit into?

And... And if we want a chance ourselves

at a life worth living,

we either have to grab chances
from other people or go without.

How much money will you have?

A least a million

and possibly a lot, lot more than that.

Look, Ella, once I have it,

uh, I'm gonna have to leave in
a hurry, and I can't come back.

So if you won't come with me,
I'll never see you again.

Don't choose this. This is a dead end.

There are an awful lot of
bad people out there, Ella,

and I can take care of you.

I can.

You're very sweet, Karl,
but for now, you have to go.

Promise you'll think
about coming with me?

I promise, but bye, seriously.

Uh, Karl?

Sorry.

I love you.

♪♪

[SIGHS]

♪♪

♪♪

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE STARTS]

♪♪

PROVENZA: You've been wanting evidence
of Phillip Stroh here in L.A.

Not only do we now have an eyewitness,

we're about to show you
Phillip Stroh himself

in L.A. on video from security cameras.

They serve crow at this restaurant?

I may need some.

Chief, that is a terrific thing to say.

I myself always, always
own up to my mistakes.

Or I get a divorce.

Buzz?

Yes, um...

Gus said Stroh was seated
about : P.M.,

so I will fast-forward the video
from around : .

[KEYS CLACKING]

♪♪

Wait, wait, what was that?

[KEYS CLACKING]

♪♪

The time code jumped ahead
about seconds.

- Oh, no.
- Uh, keep going, Buzz. Keep going.

Someone's edited the footage.

Where'd this video come from?

Assurance Digital Security,

a surveillance company used by
lots of small businesses, sir.

TAO: Secure servers, -hour monitoring,

virtually unhackable.

Fast-forward an hour, Buzz,

to when he might have left.

[KEYS CLACKING]

♪♪

[SIGHS] So much for proof.

This is proof, Chief.

Stroh is playing a game, to keep us...

Do you really believe he has
this level of hacking ability?

I can't justify adding security detail

- to this young man based on...
- Chief, Gus got closer

to Phillip Stroh than anyone
in the last three years.

We are spread very thin.

Consider how it will look, Lieutenant,

if after your first week of
commanding Major Crimes,

your expenses doubled.

Well, think about your
homicide statistics, sir,

if Gustavo Wallace ends up dead.

Yeah, and while I'm doing that,

here's somebody else
you'll probably tell me

needs -hour protection.

And that would be who?

Your warrant was approved

by the Social Security Administration.

I have the name and address for the woman

who used to be Gwendolyn Stroh

in San Marino,
right next door to Pasadena.

Well, what's her name?

[KNOCKING]

Good evening. I'm Lieutenant
Michael Tao, L.A.P.D.

You are Abigail Atwood, I presume?

We're sorry to disturb you
past : P.M...

You're not disturbing me,
Lieutenant, but I'm Julia.

Abigail is my boss.

Well, I take care of her. May I help...

Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Julia,

but it is very important
we speak with Ms. Atwood

and we ask her a few questions.

Well, I-I don't think
now's a very good time.

Mrs. Atwood has a lot...

Our search warrant says
this is the perfect time.

- Step aside, ma'am.
- All I meant was that

nighttime is trickier
for Mrs. Atwood's dementia.

And she's already had
one new visitor today,

and that sort of thing
takes it out of her.

A new... Someone was here before us?

This morning.

She almost never has company,

but I think he said he
was from her old church,

- and he just wanted to...
- Was this him?

No, no, this was a younger man.

Scott.

I-I didn't see him leave,

and last I checked, she was asleep,

so I just assumed that he scooted out.

Hold on.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

♪♪

Ms. Atwood?

Ms. Atwood?

Gwen.

Did you say "Gwen"?

Ms. Atwood, I'm Detective Amy Sykes.

I'm with the Los Angeles
Police Department.

The police?

- Oh, no.
- Yes, ma'am.

We have some questions
about your son, Phillip.

Oh... you found her, didn't you?

I knew you would one day.

Found who?

Who did we find, ma'am?

Mary Wellington.

You found Mary Wellington.

♪♪

PROVENZA: Her name wasn't
on the list of searches,

but we are trying to find out
who Mary Wellington might be.

We can try asking Gwendolyn
again later this morning,

when her caretaker says
she's more with it.

And who visited Gwendolyn's
house yesterday?

Another man, but not Stroh.

The nurse said he might've been
barely , he looked so young.

Unfortunately, Gwendolyn,
AKA Mrs. Atwood,

has staff around day and night,
so no security cameras.

Now, Stroh is known to work
with younger accomplices,

and if this accomplice knows
where Gwendolyn is,

Stroh does, too. Which means...

We need to replace the patrol
officers you left at her house

with around-the-clock
undercover surveillance.

Lieutenant, you're k*lling me.

Well, we can't bring her here.
She's not well enough.

I understand, but we are running
out of qualified officers

- to provide this level of...
- Boss, please.

Look at it this way... Stroh
was searching for his mother.

He even added cities to her first name

because it's a little unusual,

and he didn't know where she was.

Think of how much trouble we
went through to find her,

and somehow, Stroh was ahead of us.

But how? Who is taking care of Gwen,

and who's paying the bills...

The Abigail Atwood Foundation?

We're trying hard to find out
who's running it,

but all of her caregivers signed
confidentiality agreements,

and we have no criminal cause
to ask them to break them.

So you're telling me I have to
pay for another security detail,

- is that it?
- No, h-hey,

I'm not the kind of guy who just

bothers you with problems.

I also offer solutions.

Now, we can save a serious
amount of money

if Rusty and Gus are under the
protection of a single team.

- BECK: Wait, what?
- Gus can stay at the condo.

- That's not a bad idea.
- I've already cleared it with Flynn,

and it's no hardship on them.
They're dating.

- No, we're not.
- No, we're not dating.

Well, you bat for the same team, anyway.

Might as well share a dugout.

We can't compel you to agree,
but it would be a huge help.

Okay, uh, look. I just worry

that we're not... uh...

Okay. All right, if Andy
says it's okay...

Look, I-if you don't want me to...

I said it's okay. I said it's fine, Gus.

Maybe I don't need security.

Stroh said that he might
run into you again.

- You need security.
- Whatever.

Thank you.

It'll only be until this
Stroh business is cleared up.

How long is that gonna take?

Well, if my experience is any indication,

about six years.

[CHUCKLES]

SANCHEZ: It all happened a long time ago,

but there is a Mary Wellington
with a connection

to Gwendolyn Stroh. Buzz?

In , at the age of ,

Mary Wellington went missing

- from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
- [GROANS]

That's where Gwendolyn Stroh
moved with Phillip

after divorcing his father.

And Mary was never found.

We received the open Missing Persons file

from Chagrin Falls,
but there's not much there.

-years cold.
Can't imagine there would be.

And you'll notice there's
no mention of Phillip Stroh

- or the Bechtels.
- SANCHEZ: But Mary and Phillip

went to the same school and lived

less than two miles apart, sir.

So this girl could be victim zero.

I guess his thing for blondes
started at a young age.

Her parents, they gave up
the search after four years.

Hunt Sanford, Hunt Sanford. God,

you guys are so far behind me,
you'll never catch up.

But a local news station,
they played this video

every year on her birthday
until , just in case.

Buzz?

[ PIANO MUSIC PLAYS]

Dad, I'm trying to practice.

MAN: People will be watching you
at the recital, too.

Besides, I want you to remember
this moment when you're older.

Now I have to start all over.

[ PIANO MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

So, what does Gwendolyn Stroh
know about this girl,

and how do we get her to tell us?

Yeah. Yeah, all I need
is for you to keep focused

on Mary Wellington for another two days,

while I concentrate on the hunt for Hunt.

I have a suggestion.

Half my work in Missing Persons
was related to Silver Alerts...

elderly people who walk out
of assisted-living centers

and into the blue, and I know
a specialist who can help us.

It's hard for someone with
memory issues to stay on track,

so it's important not to interrupt them.

SYKES: You sure you're the right
person for this, Cami?

Why do people keep saying
I interrupt them?

- It's so irritating.
- Really?

And I'll have to avoid asking
her a lot of specifics.

But specifics are all
we're after, Doctor.

Having her recall how she felt
will unlock more memories

than discussing times and dates.

TAO: Dr. Joe, just to remember,

this is not a privileged conversation.

You're gonna have a detective

and a camera with you today at all times.

[ PIANO MUSIC PLAYS]

She played at church, too.

Youth Sundays, evening services.

She was an accomplished girl.

It's a shame what happened to her.

Can you tell us how she went missing?

It must've been upsetting...

hearing about that.

From the time he could walk,

I knew I would have trouble with Phillip.

He was smart... too smart.

We couldn't find a crib
that would contain him.

He was an escape artist.

And then, as he got older, he...

did other things.

But Mary Wellington,

who would ever suspect
something like that?

It must have affected you deeply...

...when it happened.

I don't know how I felt, really.

When Phillip first came to me about it,

he was extremely upset.

How do you know that?

For the longest time,
all he could say was,

"I messed up, Mom.

I messed up.

Messed up.

I really messed up."

I don't know what to do.

Just tell me what happened, Phillip.

We'll figure it out.

You know Mary Wellington,

the girl who plays with the youth choir?

Well, her mom didn't come pick
her up from school, so I...

So... So I decided to walk her home,

and she started calling me names.

Names like what?

Never mind. Uh, I'll call her parents,

and I'm sure that they'll understand.

No. No, she... I...

I told her off myself, and she hit me.

She hit me several times.

[ECHOING] She hit me several times.

And what did you do?

Um, Mom...

You have to believe me.

I was defending myself.

[ECHOING] Defending myself.

And a shiver went up my spine,
because I didn't believe him.

But I acted like I did

so he would tell me everything.

And then...

he showed me everything, too.

I knew instantly that Mary
had done nothing

to upset Phillip except...

probably scream.

Oh, the fire.

I stood there, wondering,
"How will I manage this?"

And then I decided the damage was done.

What do you mean by that?

Well, Mary was already dead, wasn't she?

Punishing Phillip for
the rest of his life,

that wasn't going to bring her back.

And he was only .

Disposing of her body
must have been stressful.

Yes.

But...

my husband was a real-estate developer.

♪♪

His company was about
to pour the foundation

for a house miles away.

He had driven me past it
a few days before.

I was not sure that it would work.

But the house went up, and after a while,

I stopped thinking about it.

Weren't you afraid that Phillip
would be investigated?

No.

Phillip must've chosen her
very carefully.

They weren't friends.

He never talked to her
in front of anyone.

He waited a distance from school.

No one saw them together.

The only person who ever
asked about it was Jim.

My husband, yes.

Once it was on the news,
Jim became suspicious.

He asked Phillip if he
had seen Mary that day.

Phillip did not look even
slightly guilty.

I suppose that should've
alarmed me, but...

I felt relieved.

Except for the fire.

♪♪

Is that when you sent Phillip
to boarding school?

Yes, that's why I agreed to it finally...

an all-boys boarding school.

And then, Jim's business
took us to California,

and I agreed, for Tammy's sake...

to leave Phillip behind.

But it was hard.

It was very hard letting go
like that, very hard.

Maybe it's better her memory is slipping.

I wouldn't want to remember that.

...bought us a house in Bel Air,

and Jim and I were happy for a while,

until he found out that
I wasn't flying back east

to see my family, but to visit
Phillip at his school.

We ended up divorcing,
and then, a few years later...

What?

There was a fire at the house
where we had buried Mary.

I was afraid they would find her
and that we would be arrested.

And also I-I read some
news stories from Ann Arbor,

where Phillip was going to law school.

Two girls went missing, both blond.

I knew it was Phillip.

One of his professors
was very suspicious.

And I had met another man who I loved,

and I decided that Jim had been right.

I went to visit Phillip one last time

to see if I could fix things.

Fix things how?

I set Phillip up with money...

quite a lot of money, really...

in case he needed to
get out of the country.

And then, I left him.

I changed my name.

I didn't tell him "goodbye."

Wow. No wonder he hates women so much.

The only one he ever trusted
abandoned him.

Could be why Stroh came to L.A.
to practice law.

He wanted to locate his mom.

It goes with what Tammy Bechtel told us.

I supposed that's how you
found out. Oh, never mind.

It doesn't matter anymore.

I've tried to solve too many
problems with money.

I deserve to be arrested.

May I bring some of my scrapbooks with me

and my nightgowns?

This... This will do for court,

but I shouldn't like to sleep in it.

- And that's it.
- I'd say unbalanced,

the dementia might be convenient,

but it's also real.

Guilt can do strange things to people.

[SCOFFS] Tell me about it.

Uh, I found a house inside
the -mile radius

that Gwen mentioned had
a bad fire mid- .

A lot of damage,
but the homeowners rebuilt.

Chagrin Falls P.D. is seeing
if it might be the home

where they buried Mary's body.

I just got off the phone
with the chief in Ann Arbor.

He's having his Missing Persons division

pull all unresolved cases from the ' s,

particularly those of
young, blond females.

PROVENZA: Well, I guess
we're about to find out

if Gwen's story holds water.

FLYNN: Yeah, but all of this...
Mary Wellington,

the girls from the ' s...

I'm not saying it's unimportant,

but it's just catching up

with Phillip Stroh's past.

It's not catching up with him.

Look, I vote that we leave the old lady

in the home under surveillance,

and if Stroh is hunting for her...

I hope you're not talking
about my mother that way.

Sorry, who are you?

Hunt Sanford, and Abigail Atwood,

the lady you spent all day getting upset,

she's my mother.

What the... Oh, you're kidding me!

And now she's chattering some nonsense

about fires and m*rder?

Whoa, stop right there, sir.

Abigail Atwood doesn't have any kids.

She moved in with my father
when I was only .

She took care of me then.
I take care of her now,

which is why you're gonna explain

why you upset her so much.

That's not fair!

I was on the verge of finding him myself,

and he just pops into your office?

You lucky assholes.

Well, now we're dead even again.

Okay, Hunt Sanford.

The race reboots like this.

♪♪

Don't go feeling sorry for the guy.

Yeah, Stroh's mom left him, maybe.

But she also set him up
with a ton of cash,

and if he hadn't been such a freak...

It's just... It's a little weird.

The parallels... his mom abandons him,

he looks for her in Los Angeles,

oh, and he goes to law school.

Does that sound familiar?

Did you miss the part where Stroh k*lled

three women before he got here?

I mean, unless there's a lot
you're not telling us.

All right, it's...
it's just like Mom said.

The more that I relate to Stroh,
the better I seem to...

Uh... never mind.

Um, Mom also said that whatever
it is that made Stroh

move to Los Angeles in the first place

might be what would bring him back.

Again, his mother.

Yeah, but why is he looking for her?

And what does she have to do with

all of these other
people that he's k*lled?

That's a good question, kid,

and I wish Sharon were
around to answer it,

but I'm gonna give it a go,
not you, okay?

Okay, then.

Well, then, what now?

Do I just stay here forever?

Well, I'll get you both
an escort back to the condo,

but you're gonna have to go together.

And you can't split up.

Sorry.

You hear that?

We can't split up.

SANFORD: You're taking what
you were told the wrong way.

Look, anything my mother told
you, anything, it's all fantasy.

We don't think so.

She describe a crime
committed years ago,

and her story matches up with the facts.

years ago. Are you serious?

Go talk to her tomorrow.
She won't remember you.

Half the time, she thinks I'm my father.

He's been dead for seven years.

Why do you still take care of her

if your dad passed so long ago?

She doesn't have anybody else,

and it doesn't matter
that she and my father

were never married. She's family.

[DISTORTED] Sure you're not
sticking around for an inheritance?

She has a lot of money.

Not as much as I do.

Look, if it weren't for me, my mother

would have nothing at all.
Her finances were a wreck.

She was sending money
all over the damn world.

[NORMAL] Everyone... everyone...
was taking advantage of her.

Well, what do you expect?

She's rich, old, and out of her mind.

Yeah, everybody, except you.

I work hard to keep my mother stable,

and I just left her muttering in a corner

about some girl playing a piano
and a son she never had.

Well, see, actually,
she does have another son.

What?

I knew I would have trouble with Phillip.

He was smart, too smart.

Even as a baby, we couldn't find a cr...

You're right in a way.

Abigail doesn't have a son,
but Gwendolyn Stroh does,

and that was your mother's name
before she changed her identity.

She changed her what?

See, look at the legal work.

Abigail Atwood used to be
Gwendolyn Stroh,

mother of Phillip Stroh.

Phillip Stroh, the serial k*ller?

Yeah, I feel bad for him.
That's a lot to take in at once.

TAO: Gwendolyn told us
Phillip k*lled a girl

named Mary Wellington

and confessed to helping him cover it up.

She's confused. Mary Wellington
probably doesn't even exist.

Here is a newspaper article
on Mary's disappearance.

And this contains a summary

of Phillip Stroh's crimes
against humanity

for your perusal.

Take time to absorb it.

We'll be back.

It's inside the radius described by Gwen.

The house almost b*rned
to the ground mid- .

The Chagrin Falls Police
Department found something

on the ground-penetrating radar, sir.

They're digging. Homeowners
aren't too happy about it.

We just hope that Gwendolyn's
memory served

and they're not busting up
the wrong house.

And the two girls that Gwen
mentioned in Ann Arbor?

- Any merit to that?
- Emily West,

Donna Anderson went missing
in August and November

of , respectively.

Never found.

Gwendolyn's stepson?

He's going over material we left...

Yes, please, give me
everything you know about

Mr. Power of Attorney for
the Abigail Atwood Foundation.

SYKES: He's trying to come to terms
with the fact that he shares

a mother with a serial k*ller.

We need to set up Hunt and
Gwendolyn with protection.

- Lieutenant...
- Uh, look.

Don't forget that
two-for-the-price-of-one deal.

- BUZZ: Lieutenant...
- Look, I just want to stop

Stroh from k*lling someone else
off of that hit list.

- Lieutenant.
- What is it, Buzz?

- Mr. Sanford is about to...
- SANFORD: Excuse me!

My mom really gave birth to this monster?

And that monster might
be coming after her,

which is why...

we need to arrange protection
for you and for your mom.

Forgive me if I pass.

I just read about how you let
a known serial k*ller

m*rder a judge and walk away
in broad daylight.

It says in here the D.A.

you think Phillip
m*rder*d had bodyguards.

From the District Attorney's
office, not the L.A.P.D.

I already have my own security detail,

also surveillance everywhere,
covering every single one...

Surveillance everywhere?
What kind of surveillance?

That's what I'm trying to tell you.

All of my businesses and
properties have cameras,

including Abigail's home, so we
won't be needing your help.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Cameras?

Oh, bloody hell.

Oh, sh*t, what kind of cameras?

...they store locally on
SD cards in the camera...

Locally. sh*t, sh*t! Locally!

FLYNN: Well, the staff at
your mother's house

said there were no cameras.

Because those cameras aren't placed

to monitor them.

Only in her bedroom, actually.
Ever hear of elder abuse?

I was having trouble...

Your mother had
another visitor yesterday,

someone who claimed
he was from her church,

but who we think works with Stroh.

If we can have patrol
collect those SD cards...

And the ones from your
properties as well.

We need to make sure that you're not

being stalked by the same guy.

Sure. Fat lot of good it's
gonna do you, but sure.

BUZZ: This won't be like
the restaurant, Chief.

Cameras that don't stream
aren't hackable.

No, Buzz Watson. No, they're not.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

BUZZ: If we get some decent video of him,

we can run it through facial recognition.

This is marked "Abigail's Bedroom,"

and we know he visited with her.

Oh, damn it, no. All this way...

Buzz, put it on the big thingy, please.

The big thingy? The big thingy's mine!

So, what time should I start at?

Okay, Buzz, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yes, yes, yes.

Stall for me.

Her nurse said he came around : .

Come on, come on, come one, come on.

♪♪

Let's go, dirt bag.

Turn around so we can see your face.

Let me fast-forward a little.

Here we go...

No, stop, stop, stop, no, no, no!

Oh, God, no.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

♪♪

Oh.

He looks a little familiar.

Buzz. Buzz. Try it again.

What is that?

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

More importantly...

who is that?

That's no one, Lieutenant Geezer.

[CHUCKLES]

Oh, I'm done.

I'm sorry about what Phillip
Stroh's gonna do to Hunt.

It's not my fault, really.

Not my fault.

Not my fault.

[LAUGHS]

[SIGHS]