01x06 - So Help Me Pod

[bunniefuu]

Every lawyer has one case

that keeps them up at

night, and this is mine.

Can you tell our podcast

listeners about it?

My client, Antonia Suarez,

was wrongfully accused,

and despite my best efforts, convicted

of first degree m*rder.

She's currently serving a life sentence

for a crime she did not commit.

And where are you in the case right now?

We've used up all of our appeals.

And now, 13 years later,

I'm looking for a new piece of evidence

that can exonerate Antonia.

You're still searching. Why?

Because I believe Antonia

Suarez is innocent,

and Raya Chen's k*ller

is still out there.

Walk us through the case.

In November of 2009,

Antonia came home from work and noticed

her neighbor Raya's door was ajar.

She went in and found Raya

Chen laying on the ground,

unconscious and bleeding.

Antonia tried to help her,

and held her until Raya d*ed.

Ooh. Trick or treat.

Ooh. Somebody's popular, huh?

Ooh.

Ew! No! Agnes!

Dental floss?

Hey, where's my mom?

Police found Antonia

covered in Raya's blood.

They read her her Miranda rights

and interrogated her in English, but

That sounds like my son

Whoa!

Todd.

Sorry. Sorry, wasn't sure

what was happening in here.

What is happening

- Hi.

- Okay, right. You're Todd.

Exactly as Allison described you.

Oh, Allison? Why? What did she say?

Idiot? Fool? Handsome?

Witty? Charming.

None of those exact words, no.

Oh.

Todd, this is Lea Luna.

She and Allison did undergrad together.

Lea is the podcast host for PDX-Files.

Oh, great.

So what are we podcasting about, huh?

True crime? False crime? Crime crime?

My mom doesn't know podcasts.

Yes, I do. Now I do.

Since Lea reached out to me

about the Antonia Suarez case,

I've been listening to her podcast,

and, uh, I find it captivating. Aw.

So, can we just continue

podding and ignore him?

- Where were we?

- Okay.

The police interrogated

Antonia in English.

When Antonia was arrested, she

predominantly spoke Spanish,

very limited understanding of English.

And law enforcement

used that against her.

They convinced her to sign a confession.

And her fingerprints

and DNA were everywhere.

Well, what was the m*rder w*apon?

Todd, we're recording.

Okay. Fine.

The w*apon was never found.

And now, they are about

to transfer Antonia

to a prison in Oklahoma, which

will make it next to impossible

for her daughter Kacey to see her.

So, what is the plan?

We need new evidence to bring a

writ of habeas corpus to the judge.

With new evidence, we can prove

that Antonia's

incarceration was invalid.

So, Margaret, what would you

like to say to our listeners?

If you know anything

about Raya Chen's m*rder at the

Northwest Trinity apartments,

November 2009,

please call us.

This is our last chance

to free an innocent woman.

Great. That was so great.

I'm just gonna clean all this up,

- and I will get this episode out tonight.

- Thank you.

Hey, Mar, we got to get

over to the prison now.

Of course. Thank you, Lea.

Um, so, can I just go?

Do I need to log out

or un-pod or anything?

Um, no. No, I got it. Um, go ahead.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-mm.

Mm-hmm. Hmm-mm.

So what do you think?

Is Antonia innocent?

Oh, absolutely. I think

it's pretty obvious

to anyone who's been paying

attention that Antoni-o

is 100%, without question, innocent.

Okay. I

- I am speaking to investigator Todd Wright.

- Mm-hmm.

Uh, if Antoni-a didn't k*ll

Raya Chen, then who did?

Well, I think that's the million

dollar question, isn't it?

But I think if you look really

closely at all the suspects

Just curious. Can you

name any of the suspects?

- Oh, I can name 20.

- Okay.

- There's Jason

- Uh-huh.

Mason Grayson.

This was a huge case for your

mother very early in her career.

I mean, she poured her

whole life into this case.

Surely, you've got to know something.

Of course, certainly.

All the names and particulars are very,

very intimately familiar to me.

But, um, at the time, in 2009,

my mother was very, very

focused on her career,

and we were not so close.

Because she was doggedly pursuing

justice for Antonia Suarez

because she was a a working mother.

Mm, more like a

working-all-the-time mother,

and, uh, while she was doggedly

missing my 18th birthday,

I was having cereal for dinner

and packing for college on my own.

This case haunts your mother.

Yeah, well,

we're all a bit haunted.

Todd, are you okay? Is Mom okay?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, all fine.

So you went to college

with this Lea Luna, huh?

You did not have me

paged for dating advice.

I don't need dating advice.

I need to know what

you told her about me.

Todd, I was with a patient

who was bleeding from his ear.

And she's way too good for you.

Oh. Okay. Great. Now I'm

bleeding from my ears.

Great vote of confidence

from my own sister.

If she agrees to go out

with you no chance

just don't use that

weird fake French accent

that you do when you order wine, okay?

Just order beer. She's

super down-to-earth.

And I don't know

just don't be you.

Be more competent.

- Huh.

- And definitely don't go on and on and on

about that weather

balloon conspiracy theory.

Even if the balloons are mobile

listening stations for the NSA?

No.

Antonia, I know a

podcast may seem unusual,

and it may feel invasive,

but they have led to exonerations.

I'm still getting trolled online.

Daughter of the crazy lady

who k*lled her neighbor?

Kacey, I know that's hard.

But what if this podcast

could pull the real

m*rder*r out of the shadows?

What if it works, cariño?

What if I could walk out of here?

In time for your birthday?

Kacey, please.

It's our last chance.

What have we got to lose?

Okay, fine. Do it.

Just don't pin all

your hopes on this, Mom.

I don't want to see you

get hurt all over again.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I should be working

this case and not him!

Is there a problem with my work?

Of course not. Todd doesn't

know a thing about this case.

My point exactly!

Mom, Lyle knows the knowns

and the known-knowns.

But I am the unknown.

- I'm the one who doesn't know anything.

- About anything.

I'm fresh eyes.

I'm full of new questions

and new theories.

You and this textbook-come-to-life

have been working

this case for 13 years?

And where have you gotten?

You need fresh eyes.

Not stale eyes.

Todd, that is extremely

ill-mannered and oddly logical.

I concur, and I am up to my

own fresh eyes in current cases,

so please take this file box

and go to your nook.

Okay.

Sorry.

You are not just doing

this to impress ?

Lea.

Hey. I'll be the

investigator on this case now.

Lyle had to alphabetize his coin purse.

So, let's pod.

- What's our next move?

- Ignore him.

We need to strategize. Make a plan.

Well, for the next episode,

I wanted to focus on the

compelling characters of the case.

Here's a fresh idea.

Let's introduce Lea to all the

original suspects, aka characters.

Give her a lay of the land,

maybe a meet-and-greet,

or at least a sip-n-see.

A sip-n-see?

According to security cameras,

no one came into or out of the building

around the time of Raya's m*rder.

So I think that we

you should interview

everyone who was there

that night, starting

with her

Evelyn Wilder, novelist.

Writes British romance-y

kind of things with wrinkled

ascots and stolen ladles.

- Speak three languages.

- But she didn't do it?

She said she was

writing in her apartment,

"in the flow," wearing her

noise-canceling headphones.

- That's not an alibi.

- No.

But there's no evidence that

puts her in Raya's apartment

around the time of the m*rder.

That's an odd laugh.

And what about him?

Devin DeLeon, accountant.

Long-time resident.

- And he has an alibi?

- No. But Devin's a big cricket fan.

He claims that after

his team lost that day,

he drowned himself in vodka

gimlets and fell asleep.

And last, but not least

Olga Szabo, building super.

In my mind, it was always her.

- Why?

- She refused to speak to the police,

and she lawyered up before my

team had a chance to interview her.

Whoa.

I remember you. You're

that m*rder*r's lawyer.

- Uh, I'm recording this.

- Wonderful.

I'm listening to your sick podcast.

Raya was a beautiful woman,

and you're making her

death into a spectacle.

You moved into her

apartment after she d*ed.

Raya's apartment is a sacred space.

And for someone with such

exquisite bone structure

and delicate fingers to be taken

before their time is a travesty.

Don't make a second episode.

And I don't want to ever

see you outside here again.

Good day.

Okay, we definitely got to break in

and check that guy's

apartment out, right?

- Totally sus!

- Should we go up right now?

Absolutely not.

Not while I'm here.

And if you do but don't

I can't know anything about it.

I am going. Plausible

deniability. Do it tomorrow.

I don't know!

I do not know.

So I guess we'll come back tomorrow?

Kristy could hear

the k*ller crawling under her bed.

Oh, my Lord.

And the sailor's

disemboweled torso was stuffed

into an empty torpedo.

Good God!

Where is Lea's podcast?

Ah.

Raya Chen was bludgeoned to death

at the back of her head.

Autopsy reports say her skull

bone ruptured her cerebral cortex.

Hello.

Hello?

Antonia k*lled Raya Chen.

Stop the investigation,

or you're dead, too.

What do you mean, this can't be

her first death thr*at?

She's my mom. Moms don't get threatened.

Well, moms might not,

but lawyers and judges do all the time.

She never told me that.

- Well, she's protecting you.

- From what?

From worrying about her,

or feeling like you have to protect her.

But from a case perspective,

this means we are on the right track.

- Huh.

- Means someone's rattled.

If Antonia did it, then no one

would bother to thr*aten your mom.

Okay, 3B. This is Devin's.

I'll knock. If he's home,

I'm Brett from the

Portland Water Bureau.

He saw you earlier, but undercover.

I like it.

Okay, I am recording. Go ahead.

Portland Water Bureau!

Here to check your water!

I don't think he's home.

All right, I'm gonna check outside,

see if I can scale the

building or something.

Or we could jimmy the lock.

Do you want to hold my

stuff while I break in?

I've been waiting my whole

life for someone to ask me that.

That and "Sir, can you fly this plane?"

But this is breaking and

entering, you know that.

Yeah. Only if we get caught.

Hello?

Wow.

Oh, hey, hey, hey,

that's Raya Chen. Oh, wow.

You know, if I'm remembering correctly,

She would have d*ed right here,

right where we are standing.

Well, maybe this is the

sacred part of his apartment.

But now, we need to find out

where he keeps his mementos,

like teeth and bones,

or her delicate fingers.

Here. I'll take the bedroom.

- I'll take kitchen. Okay.

- Mm-hmm.

Oh, oh, oh, oh! Hey,

he does ride a bike.

So if he happens to be the last man

in America with a landline,

try calling my phone.

Maybe it'll match the number

that called my mom's last night.

Oh, come on. You know

that call definitely came

from some rando burner phone.

Yeah, you're probably right.

- Okay.

- So,

no landline, but I did find a package

for a disposable burner phone.

- So What are you doing?

- I think there's an envelope in the wall.

It's Ah!

Spiders. It's the spiders.

There's a it's like

Temple of Doom back there.

But there's something

hidden in that side wall.

- Wait. Really?

- Yeah.

Let me take a look.

K*llers will sometimes

keep hair, or shoes or

- What's that?

- Papers written in Chinese.

- What?

- I mean, might be Devin's,

but might be Raya's?

Well, I'd say, from the 17

layers of deathly cobwebs,

nobody's been back there

for a really long time.

I mean, maybe these are

messages, like, from her.

Well, to who?

I don't know. To her family?

Maybe she wrote down her messages,

hid it under her sink

behind some sticky paper

because she's paranoid?

Because she thought

she was being watched?

Yes! Like by weather balloons.

Wait. Are-are you serious?

Did Allison tell you to say that?

No. Like, the Pentagon

basically flat-out admitted

that low-range weather

balloons are highly effective

For short range surveillance!

I read that, too!

Oh, my gosh, how'd you know that?

Wait.

- Oh, crap. That's him.

- What's happening?

Devin. He's, um he's-he's back!

- What?

- Uh, he's back.

Okay, here. Uh, I got your purse.

Come on. Go, go, go, go.

Hey. What's going on back here?

Oh. Hey. Lea's just

backing up her recordings.

Did you know she could pick a lock?

Have you asked her out?

Uh, no, but tonight, we're

both strategically free,

so I think it's understood

that a date's happening.

Hmm. Don't take her bowling.

What? Why?

Todd, you took me

bowling on our first date.

And don't order any

beer. It makes you very

Well, not always. It's

the wheat, or the lager,

but that makes everybody

And you're a very bad bowler.

Charmingly bad. I'm actually very good.

No, you're not. Todd,

you bowled into a lady,

knocked her down. We had

to drive her to the ER.

Okay, well, those lanes

were very slippery.

Impress her. Take her

someplace well-reviewed

with dim lights and white tablecloths.

And don't wear what you're wearing.

And don't drive your car.

Oh, and don't talk about that

weird weather balloon stuff

that you've been constant

Uh, too late. She knows they're real.

The Pentagon practically

And don't be nervous.

You'll be great.

Okay. Thank you. Thanks.

Todd is worried about me?

Yeah, about the threats, the call.

Has anything else happened?

No, no, no, no. And there's

nothing to worry about.

It is part of the job.

Trust me, I can handle it.

I have been doing this a long time.

Yeah, he mentioned that you

missed some of his birthdays

because of-of work, this case.

I would never miss a

birthday. He wouldn't say that.

Mm, more like a

working-all-the-time mother.

And, uh, while she was doggedly

missing my 18th birthday,

I was having cereal for dinner

and packing for college on my own.

I just called Jack. He said he could

Oh, and, uh, Jack is

Francey's super-hot boyfriend

who's also a cop.

- Todd

- What? He is.

Jack said he can get you a warrant

to get you into Devin's apartment

if you have probable cause.

But you haven't already

been inside, have you?

We were never there.

Excuse me, Officer.

We're here to see Devin DeLeon.

We have a warrant.

That's going to be a

bit of a problem, ma'am.

Mr. DeLeon is dead.

Initially, we suspected

su1c1de, but there's no note,

and the trajectory of this fall

makes us think he was pushed.

So now you suspect m*rder?

It's early,

but my partner's taking statements

from some of the neighbors.

Uh, afternoon, Officer Kendrick.

I'm Clay with Peaceful Transitions.

I'm here, state mandate,

to hold a space for

the recently departed.

- Do you mind if I sit?

- Do what you got to do.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Dearly Beloved, we

are gathered here today

to support our earthly friend Devin

as he passes from

this plane to the next.

Now, to some,

Devin was just a random person

who rode a bicycle

with a weird temperament.

But to God

he's Devin.

And to me

he's also Devin.

YOU-BET-LINE.

Want to place a bet

on the horses or the game today?

That apartment is jinxed.

13 years ago, a woman was

m*rder*d in that same unit.

- Raya Chen.

- Yeah.

Did you work that case?

Nah, I was just a rookie

handling crowd control.

But it stuck in your memory?

All I recall is the two

senior detectives arguing

about who was running point.

Do you happen to remember their names?

Like I said, it-it was so long ago.

Ma'am.

So, looks like Mr. Chalk

Outline was a gambler.

Ah. Just checked his burner phone,

and he only used it to call his bookie.

Your number wasn't in there,

not even in the recently deleted,

so, he is not your creepy caller.

This Officer Lupo has me thinking

about the detectives who

ran the original crime scene.

I'm going to go back

and talk to Francey.

Why don't you go and talk to

the building manager Olga.

- Olga.

- See if she can tell you

anything about the other tenants

- who were here at the time of Raya's death.

- Okay.

- I'll catch up with Lea.

- Hey, Todd, Todd?

- Mm-hmm?

- Why did you tell Lea

that I forgot your 18th birthday?

I didn't. I got you that camera.

Uh, that was my 17th.

Well, then the Playtime station.

PlayStation?

- Uh-huh.

- Sixteenth.

You missed my 18th

birthday, Mom. You did.

Whatever. It's fine.

But when I became a legal adult,

you were not there.

This is terrible.

- We live in a cursed building.

- Mm.

I want to crawl under my covers

with a tub of vegan ice

cream and stay there forever.

Now I'll never be able to

rent that apartment again.

Olga, who do you think did this?

I have no idea.

I think now, whoever k*lled

Raya is still out there.

It can't be Antonia,

that poor girl in jail.

She's too sweet.

Oh, such a good heart.

Would it be possible for us to

get records of who else lived

in the building when Raya was k*lled?

- Not a chance. No.

- Ms. Szabo,

I need a statement from you.

I don't talk to police. Call my lawyer.

And you

- you want to see my records?

- Uh-huh.

- Get a warrant.

- Not even for PDX-Files?

The number one true-crime podcast

in the Pacific Northwest?

You're from PDX-Files?

Yes. Well, no, not me.

But this is Lea Luna.

Wow. My wife is obsessed

with your podcast.

Oh.

Uh, you're gonna turn down PDX-Files?

Fine. Follow me to the basement.

I'll show you the files.

But I'm not going to talk about it.

Okay?

Detective Ekert?

Black, two sugars?

Oh, Attorney Wright.

You must need something.

Hello, Francey.

We're here about the

Raya Chen case, 2009.

That was Police Chief Linton.

He got the boot in 2010, d*ed last year.

What does Linton have

to do with the Chen case?

Well, a lot of bad stuff went

down on Lousy Linton's watch.

He cut corners on

pretty much everything.

The police report said that you

and Detective Walsh were

first to process the scene.

No, it was just Walsh.

I was there for a second,

and then got called to a

robbery around the block.

There's supposed to be

two names on every report,

but Linton told us to fudge it.

A woman is serving a life sentence,

and now you're telling

me about cut corners?

- Thanks for the coffee.

- No, wait.

I need to find Walsh.

He's on death's door

himself, in some hospice.

Let him be.

We are calling every hospice in the area

- until we find him.

- Yep.

The next file belongs to

Ah. Uh, François Gagnon.

Hmm.

It looks like he lived here

In 2012, and then he worked

for zee telephone company.

So, um,

after Allison jetted off to college,

it was just you and your nom at home?

Yeah, yeah, Allison and

Lawrence were both at U of O,

and I was a freshman in

high school when my dad d*ed.

And that's when your mom

started working all the time?

Working and law school,

passed the bar, made partner,

and then became the Margaret Wright.

Hey, hey, this is Raya's file!

- Wait. Really?

- Uh-huh.

Oh, wow.

Looks like she was constantly

filing complaints with

the city's inspector.

Wait. Look at all of these.

Mm, leaky furnaces and

flies, faulty smoke detectors?

Wait. Maybe Olga was worried

that she'd get the building condemned.

So Olga k*lled Raya over

leaky furnace complaints?

No way. Olga is so not the m*rder*r.

I don't know. It could be her.

I could build an episode around that.

"Olga: Landlord or Deathlord?"

You can't just go announcing

to the world that

somebody k*lled somebody.

Oh, 'cause you've never jumped

to a single conclusion

in your whole life?

Well, I don't have a podcast.

If I wrongfully accuse somebody,

it's just me in my shower

being like, "He did it."

Okay. Well, my job is

to craft a narrative

using one suspect and then another

until we uncover the truth.

Wait. Even if that narrative is

wrong or made up or filled with lies?

Oh, you're opposed to lies?

Brett from Portland Water Bureau?

Oh, hey. Hey, hey, hey,

I will have you know

- that Brett is not a liar.

- Oh.

- He's a churchgoer.

- Mm-hmm.

And he spends his weekends

mowing lawns for old ladies.

Oh, sounds kind of sad and lonely.

He's doesn't get lonely.

- He has his lawnmower and the old ladies.

- Oh.

Maybe some commitment issues,

maybe some mommy issues?

Uh, yeah, maybe.

But he just met this girl

who makes up dark and

disturbing stories all the time.

And maybe she secretly wants

to get trapped in a basement

with some charming dude who

wants to take her out to dinner.

Like, maybe on Saturday,

7:00, Pacific Standard Time?

Um

- Oh, uh, podcast deadline.

- Uh-huh.

So why don't we just take

the rest of these files,

and then we can sneak

them back in later?

Okay.

Did you close this door up here?

No.

Uh, 'cause it's locked.

Well, do you have your jimmy kit thing?

Yeah, but the lock is on the outside.

Here. Let me look.

Okay.

Something's against the door out there.

We're jammed in.

You know what? I'm gonna call my mom.

- Ah, no! No service!

- Yeah.

Okay, uh, you know what?

There's got to be

another way out of here.

We just got to look around, and

And, oh, family dinner's tonight.

So my mom and sister will

freak out if I'm not there,

and they will definitely

send someone to find me.

Oh. Supple.

- Mm.

- Earthy.

Plummy, with

a hint of black currant.

You know, I am positive

- I did not forget Todd's 18th birthday.

- Mom, you forgot.

- I remember.

- People forget birthdays all the time.

It's not a big deal.

Allison forgot mine last year when

I was coming off of a double shift.

And Lawrence forgot

Clem's second birthday.

- Because he's working!

- See, that's bad.

He is the chief of staff

for the governor of Oregon!

- Mm-hmm.

- And I was working back then, very hard,

to help Todd through college.

Mom, nobody is scarred for

life, especially not Todd.

Where is he, by the way?

He's probably at our house

wondering where we all are.

He's with Lea, the podcast host.

Lea Luna? From the PDX-Files?

- Mm-hmm.

- My co-workers are always

talking about that podcast.

Podcasts are the death

of journalism, all right?

People would rather be

entertained than informed.

I just listened to Oh.

Did you know that a woman

in Pensacola ate her own daughter?

- Don't get any ideas.

- No, these podcasts are just horrifically fascinating.

There's the man in Idaho

with a secret family

in the walls of his vacation home.

And the grade school

teacher from Arizona!

Thank God.

Who electrocuted two husbands,

and then slowly,

methodically poisoned 27

Good evening, Mrs. Wright.

This just came for you.

Ah, thank you, Steven. Do

you know who dropped it off?

I'm not sure. Sorry.

Thank you.

- Mom, what is that?

- Oh. I have no idea.

Someone sent you a piece

of crime scene tape?

"You're next"?

Apparently so.

There has to be another

way out of this place.

You'd think someone would have stored

a giant box fan down here.

It's hot, right? Or is it me?

No, it's hot.

What's behind there?

Wait a second.

- Okay, there's no way we can fit in there.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We can't, and there's no

cell service down here,

but maybe at the top

of the dumbwaiter

And in case this text doesn't send,

I will set an alarm that

will go off every two minutes

till someone finds this phone.

Or the battery dies, and our

corpses rot in this basement,

and then we ironically become

- the posthumous subjects of my podcast.

- Yeah.

Win-win.

- Oh.

- That worked. Okay.

Now we just wait.

I have the original detective interviews

of all the tenants who were

home at the time of Raya's death.

- Mm-hmm.

- Do you want

to listen to them while we wait to die?

Sure.

Thank you so much for coming.

I feel so silly.

I mean, I-I've had threats before.

I just I didn't

want to worry the kids,

and I didn't want to be alone.

No, it just it just

means we're closing in.

Someone's trying to scare you.

Someone who knows where I live.

Jack said he can get the lab

to run that for prints tomorrow.

- Can I ask you something?

- Mm-hmm.

Do you remember what we

were doing 13 years ago?

You were Song's assistant

- and studying for your law boards.

- Mm-hmm.

And I was the receptionist

and going through a divorce.

- Why?

- Oh

Because Todd has accused me

of forgetting his 18th birthday.

Uh, 18 it's-it's

such a big birthday.

It's huge. I-I refuse to believe

that I didn't do something

for him. Maybe a

What is it?

Walsh. We found him.

He's at a hospice in Eastmoreland.

Okay, for this last interview,

we have Detective Walsh

with someone named

Germaine Gulrench.

It's okay. I can tell you're nervous.

We're just gonna ask

you a few questions.

Oh. You can tell that I'm nervous?

Wait a minute.

I know that laugh. That's that woman

who lives here, the writer lady.

Uh, Eve-alyn, Evelyn

W Wilder? Wilder.

No, this is Germaine Gulrench.

I mean, it's She just said her name.

Wait a second. I remember

Germaine Gulrench from before.

Here.

Let's see. Yes.

- This explains why we couldn't find Evelyn's file.

- Okay.

"Germaine Gulrench."

Okay. Same apartment

number as Evelyn Wilder.

See? It's her.

So, Germaine was a waitress,

and when she finally

made it as a writer,

she changed her name to Evelyn Wilder.

I don't know. It is so hot in here.

- I know.

- And I can't really think.

And it's been three hours since

Operation Dumbwaiter, and

Um, Todd?

What?

Someone's trying to cook us down here.

Okay, we got to get out of here.

Uh, help! Help! Uh, help! Help!

- Hello?

- Hello! Help!

Detective Walsh?

Thank you so much for meeting me.

That PDX podcast.

I listened to some of it last night.

I don't quite get these

armchair detectives.

But I can tell you, um,

that my boss at the

time, Police Chief Linton,

was the kind of guy who

gave cops a bad name.

Had a conviction

quota, liked to hand out

pink slips if he didn't get his way.

I had a wife, three kids.

Whatever I did at the time,

I did it for them.

Detective, the woman serving

a life sentence for this crime,

Antonia, is also a mother.

And her daughter, Kacey,

has grown up without her.

I took this case

because I believe in my heart

that Antonia was innocent.

But that belief took me

away from my own child.

I'm still on the case,

I still believe it.

So if there's anything that

you know, anything at all,

please, I'm begging you, help me.

There was a box of stuff we

picked up at the crime scene

that we never logged into evidence.

Linton told me to torch it,

but I couldn't.

What was in the box?

I never looked. If I'd have looked then,

it would have haunted me.

I don't even know where that box is.

Hello?! Hello!

Wha ?

Why is the door wedged shut?

And why is this phone

screaming at me all night long?

It's mine!

Someone locked us in

and tried to cook us!

Somebody must have accessed

the furnace remotely.

I have a question. Evelyn Wilder.

Did her name used to

be Germaine Gulrench?

Yeah. Then she became fancy

writer, and she changed it.

- Long time ago.

- Is she home?

No, she left about an hour ago.

Can you believe it?

13 years of work,

13 years of prison for Antonia

just because one man didn't

want to look in a box.

- Just unbelievable.

- It breaks my heart.

Margaret, look.

I just wanted to look

you in the eye and

say that I'm sorry.

I found it.

And I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner.

Detective Walsh, thank you.

It's the

It's the m*rder w*apon.

Come on, come How long does

it take to run a set of prints?

Jack said he would

give us a call as soon

as he knows something. How could

they hide the m*rder w*apon?

- Why would anyone want to ?

- It's what Walsh said.

They have conviction

quotas, they cut corners.

Antonia is found covered in blood,

she doesn't speak English,

so assumptions are made.

Bang. She's the m*rder*r.

And how do you simplify a case?

They get rid of the m*rder w*apon.

You wanted me?

Yeah, come on, come in. Uh,

these papers seem very similar

to the ones that Todd and Lea

found in Devin's apartment.

- What do you make of 'em? Is this

- Chinese?

Must've been close to the body.

- There's a little blood spatter here.

- Mm-hmm. Hmm.

- I think Attorney Yang reads Chinese.

- Hmm.

Feel free to read out loud.

Oh, sorry. It's just

really romantic, actually.

"May Washingdwen knew her

life would never be the same.

She stood at the cliff.

Was she really going to meet

the man who broke her heart?"

Please, keep reading.

"May took two steps forward,

Then two steps back.

She threw down the lilac bouquet

and ran into the stormy night."

Google found duplicate text

to what you're translating.

It looks like it's

some kind of story in a

lit magazine published 13 years ago

by someone named Evelyn Wilder?

She's one of the suspects in our case.

But why would Raya have

Evelyn's story in her apartment?

Maybe Raya was doing

the Chinese translation?

But Evelyn speaks Chinese.

Why would she need a translation?

That was Jack. The fingerprints

on the m*rder w*apon

match the fingerprints

on the crime tape that was

delivered to your condo.

But her prints aren't in

the system. No matches.

We need to find Evelyn

and get her fingerprints

as soon as possible.

It's Todd.

Oh, I can't read it. I

don't have my glasses on.

"Mom. Mom. Seriously. I

need $18 for a sandwich."

No. Scroll down. Scroll down.

"Evelyn Wilder used to

be Germaine Gulrench.

Evelyn Wilder is her made-up

name, her pen name or whatever.

My battery is dying.

Ouch, I hit my knee.

I'm using talk to text

hippopotamus." Oh, no, no.

"Evelyn is doing a reading today

at Matchstix Books. Meet me there."

- Hippopotamus?

- Lyle, Susan, you find out

whatever you can about these documents

and this Germaine Gulrench,

and Francey, let's go.

Matchstix Books. Let's go!

Oh, there you are!

You are filthy! Oh,

God. And you smell awful.

Sorry, yeah, but we didn't

have time to freshen up

because we almost d*ed.

Just a reminder I am

recording all of this.

Okay, just so you know,

I've had several more death

threats since you were gone,

so don't come crying to me about

I'm not competing with you

about who came closer to death.

- It was me.

- Mm.

Listen, Evelyn Wilder is

Germaine Gulrench. We already know that.

- Are they always like this?

- Okay, Counselor.

But what you might not know

is that the reason she changed her name

is because Germaine Gulrench

was a terrible writer.

The reviews of her work were

horrible. Truly horrible.

And then, one week

before Raya was m*rder*d,

new writer Evelyn Wilder was

published to rave reviews.

So Germaine stole Raya's work.

Is that what you're saying?

That's exactly what I'm saying.

And when Raya found out

- She confronted Germaine.

- Aka Evelyn.

- And Evelyn

- k*lled Raya.

I love m*rder!

I mean, solving it.

"They had fought long and

hard for what they had built."

Okay, come on. Here's the plan.

Todd, we have the m*rder w*apon,

- but I need you to get her prints.

- Got it.

- Francey, pull up those horrible reviews.

- Okay.

And, Lea, keep recording.

Don't miss a word.

"And Mildred and Algernon

watched the sunset over Belle Manor

for the first time

as husband and wife."

Thank you so much.

I'm happy to answer any questions?

Oh, I have a question.

I am fascinated with your stories.

Tell me, Evelyn, where do

you get your inspiration?

Thank you. Uh

I have been accused of having

a fantastical imagination.

Next question.

I'm sorry, can you just

clear up one thing for me?

Do you write under a pen name?

I had my name changed.

Legally, for personal reasons. Next.

And did that name change

have anything to do

with your horrible reviews

as Germaine Gulrench?

Here we go.

"The excruciatingly insecure

prose of Germaine Gulrench

leads one down a confusing

path of drivel "

Stop talking!

You have no idea what

you're talking about.

I'm talking about Raya Chen.

You'd never understand.

You're just some rich bitch who

lives in a condo with a doorman.

Which you would know

because you delivered

a death thr*at to my condo.

You stole Raya's work.

I helped her!

And then you m*rder*d her

- Oh!

- because her writing was good

and yours wasn't. And

you let an innocent woman

serve your time in prison

because you're a coward.

And I suspect you m*rder*d

Devin because he was onto you.

You bitch!

Hey! Wait.

Someone stop her.

You don't understand!

I gave her work to the world!

And you've given us

more than enough evidence

to reopen the case with

these recorded confessions.

And these prints should match

the ones on the m*rder w*apon perfectly.

And you'll have more than enough time

to write something original in prison.

I hereby move

that Antonia Suarez's conviction

be vacated with prejudice

and a new trial be set by the

People against Evelyn Wilder.

Thank you, Your Honor.

13 years.

We have to tell Kacey.

Way to go.

Mom?

My baby

We did it.

The podcast helped.

- Oh, did you get the ?

- Oh, yeah.

Thank you.

So, did you get everything you need?

I did. Yeah.

I think this is gonna be an

amazing series of episodes.

So, what about like, another date?

Sometime, you know, without the furnace

and someone trying to k*ll us.

You know, I didn't really

mind the danger part of it.

Switching things up,

fighting for our lives.

Made for pretty good material.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, let's, let's do that date

when I get back from my

next podcast in Portland.

- Maine.

- Huh

But, uh

you want to keep this

for me till I get back?

Your jimmy kit thing?

Seriously? What if you need it?

Oh, that's just my back-up kit.

Bye, Todd.

Bye, Lea.

- She was totally into me.

- Oh, my God.

And when she gets back from Maine,

- we're gonna hang out.

- Oh

- What?

- Look over there.

Happy birthday, Todd.

- Retroactively.

- Thank you.

- "Just 18 In Blue"?

- Okay.

That's what I told

them I wanted it to say.

Just "18," in blue.

But it doesn't matter.

It is your favorite.

It's chocolate cake

and vanilla frosting.

From your favorite place.

- Okay, blow it out?

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Yay!

Todd is 18.

Are you kidding me?

I am so sorry I missed it.

Okay, let's just cut the cake.

Mom, wait. Listen.

I

I didn't realize back then

how important what you were doing was.

And I'm

Well, I just

I'm really proud to be your son.

- And this actually means

- Can we stop Hallmark Carding

- and eat the cake?

- Sure.

I thought you were doing a joke.

- I thought that was a bit.

- No, no, I wasn't joking

Oh, hey, hey, hold on a second.

Lea's podcast just dropped.

Just save it

Wait, you can hear

You can put that from

your phone to my speakers?

Yeah, you have a state-of-the-art

sound system, Mom.

- Shush. Listen.

- We all remember

different versions of every story.

But maybe the most important

thing is that we remember.

We may not recall

every detail perfectly,

but in remembering,

we can keep people and memories alive.

Margaret and Francey

never let anyone forget

the story of a wrongfully

convicted woman.

And tonight,

because of them, Antonia Suarez is free.