02x06 - Blame It on the Rain

[bunniefuu]

Previously on R.J. Decker…

I didn't do it.

I would never have done it.

Emilia Ochoa was arrested
for m*rder earlier this week,

but with today's stunning development,

all charges against Ms. Ochoa have been dropped.

If you asked me 15 years ago
what I wanted to do with my life,

I would have told you I wanted to help people.

I just need to, I don't know…

- try to find that version of myself again.
- Who's Trudy?

Trudy is this cute CSU tech
Uncle R.J. is trying to vibe with.

I met your friend Trudy.
Ask that girl out. She likes you.

Growing-up in a funeral home, you
develop a high comfort level for gross.

- For gross? Oh.
- Yeah. Gross.

It's part of what steered me
to the Crime Scene Unit, obviously.

- Right?
- Yeah. You okay?

No, I'm just thinking you do have a…
a high comfort level

with-with-with a lot of things.

And, you know, for a guy who spent
time in prison, you surprisingly don't.

You know about that?

It's the other reason I wanted to work CSU.

You know, I could request background checks.

I'm kidding.

Are you having a good time?

I'm having a great time.

Me too. I am, really.
It's just a lot going on here.

It's a funny place for a first date
given all the distractions,

but no… …I'm having a great time.

Well, if you think it's distracting now,
wait for feeding time.

I mean, they… they dump chum in from the top.

And it gets all bloody and there's...

You're just gonna keep on messing with me, huh?

I'll stop.

Someday. Probably.

You know, I really… I really don't feel
threatened by mermaids.

I can do things they can't.

What, like walk?

Sure, that's what I meant. Walk. Mm-hmm.

Oh, sorry.

Oh, uh…

- Damn it, I'm sorry. I-I-I have to go.
- Right now?

Yeah, the evidence fridge lost power.

The backup generator is on the fritz,

and I need to move the samples
before they're toast.

- I'm sorry.
- Oh. It's okay. I… Do you need help?

Uh! Well, points for chivalry.

Actually, more points
for wanting to move our date

to a walk-in fridge filled with yuck,

but yeah, you're not authorized
to maintain the chain of custody.

So, thank you, though.
But you-you stay, stay. Enjoy yourself.

Come on. Um, I think she likes you.

Hi.

Everything is ruined.

Blair, I know you're upset, but we
can still make the best of this, right?

Today isn't about the weather.

Have you looked outside?

The photos are gonna be terrible.

What am I supposed to do with… this?

We might as well not even get married.

I wouldn't go that far.

No? Ava promised us a hurricane.

"This one's guaranteed to hit," she said.

- She didn't say, "Guaranteed."
- Whatever! 90%!

And… …by the way, if you guys can be that wrong,

what are you even studying?

- It's a little more complicated than that.
- No, it's simple.

Ava promised me a hurricane, and I
promised my followers a hurricane wedding.

Dramatic photos, pounding rain,
dark, angry skies.

That sky is so pleasant I could puke.

Where are you going?

To find Ava.

- ♪ Hurricane Matilda, Hurricane Matilda ♪
- Guys.

- ♪ A low-pressure trough ♪
- Guys. Guys!

- ♪ Sent Matilda to sea ♪
- Guys.

What are you doing?

Well, Matilda's a no-show,
so we're officially calling this

- a "No Hurricane Party."
- Right.

Whatever life throws at you, dude,
you got to make lemonade.

You know what I'm saying?

Okay, I'm glad you're having a good time.

Let's cool it on the "no hurricane" talk, okay?

Blair's a little touchy about that right now.

And maybe it's time to cut Patrick off.

Hey, I Ubered.

Have you guys seen Ava?

I saw her car outside,
so she's around here somewhere.

I need to find her before Blair does.

Hi, you've reached Ava. Leave a message.

- Thank you. Kelly!
- Emi, thanks for meeting me.

It was so good to hear from you.

The last time I saw you was...

Professor Holt's retirement party.
Three or four years ago.

I thought we were gonna have to cancel.
I was bracing for a hurricane.

Yeah, you and the whole coastline. We got lucky.

Yes, we did.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

I really appreciated your message
when I was going through everything.

I'd have offered to do more,

but I heard you were
with Ballmer, Simms & Gutiérrez, so…

I was in good hands.

The best.

What?

Just wondering when you got so modest.

I remember you saying back in law school

you were going to be the scariest
flipping defense attorney in Florida.

Only you didn't say flipping.

I am pretty scary, huh?

To a prosecutor, yes.

To someone who held your hair

after you were "overserved" at
Finney's Tavern one night?

You and that steel trap that you call a brain.

Glad I never had to face off
against you in a courtroom.

Reason I called you is because my firm and I

were wondering if you could help with a case.

Someone who we believe was falsely accused,

like yourself.

You know I haven't practiced in years, right?

We were thinking it might help
in a different capacity.

You know
the kind of clients we usually represent.

People who can't afford
Ballmer, Simms & Gutiérrez.

People without your cachet,
people without your connections,

people who the media aren't so kind to.

You have become the face of
how the system can get it wrong.

Uh, or at least you could become the face.

So you're thinking if I show up
at a… a press conference or two

to help draw attention to your client's case…

He might get a fairer shake.

I'd have to think about it,
not to mention learn about the case.

I'd expect nothing less.

His name is Gabriel Romero. Look it over.

If there's anything more
you want to know, just ask.

Can I see?

Okay, so that's Ava, the victim?

We paired up as research partners a lot.

Here you go. In meteorology, right?

Not exactly, but close.

She was atmospheric science.
I'm environmental engineering.

So we tested things like how roof shingles
will hold up in extreme wind.

How would you do that?

You blast extreme wind at them.

Yeah, makes sense.

Sloane, can I ask why you're hiring a PI?

I mean, I talked to a friend with the FLPD.

They're already treating
Ava's case as a homicide.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to your friend,

but statistically,
about 40% of homicides go unsolved.

I-I don't want that to happen to Ava.

I'm hoping you can improve those odds.

And are you aware of
the condition the body was found in?

I mean, it sounds like she was, uh,
she was beaten pretty badly.

Anybody in her life that maybe had a bad temper

or maybe a boyfriend that
she shouldn't have been with?

She didn't have a boyfriend.

Uh, but you could ask Heather.

That's her old roommate.
She might know something I don't.

Were they close?

Kind of the opposite.

They had a falling out and then
Heather moved into her own place.

Oh, God. You don't think Heather could
have had something to do with it, do you?

- Hey.
- Welcome.

Thanks.

Touch anything that calls to you.

Except Kevin.

The cat. He's here somewhere.

We honor his autonomy.

Of course.

You feel to me like…

A seeker.

Oh. Well, I am looking for some answers.

You're Heather, right?

I'm R.J. Decker. I'm a private investigator.

I'd like to ask you a few questions
about your ex-roommate, Ava Kwon.

What's she saying I did now?

Well, she's not saying much of anything.
She was k*lled yesterday.

Sorry, it's just… …a lot to take in.

Do you mind telling me where you were

yesterday afternoon between, say, 3:00 and 6:00?

What, you think I k*lled her?

Well, I… I wouldn't call you a strong suspect,

but I have to ask.

A-Ava's classmate Sloane, she, uh, she got
the impression you guys didn't get along.

She said you moved out.

I was right here working.
Security cameras will show it.

As for me moving out,
I'm pretty sure that's what Ava wanted.

She kept making up things to be upset about.

I left the showerhead wrong.

I parked in her parking space.

Said I stole a pair of earrings.

And none of that was true?

I think she just wanted to live alone,
so I gave her what she wanted.

I can show you the texts.

- Huh.
- "Huh," what?

The wedding you said Ava was k*lled at?

The bride, Blair, she started
a group text with all the guests.

I stopped paying attention 'cause I didn't go.

Today she's on it, asking people to "erase
those things I said yesterday about Ava.

- Better if the cops don't see that."
- Okay, sorry, what exactly did she say?

I'm looking.

It's supposed to be this
whole storm-chaser wedding.

The wedding was only a go because

Ava was positive that the hurricane was coming.

What?

When the hurricane didn't come,
Blair was pissed at Ava.

Sorry, she was upset her wedding
wasn't going to get rained on?

It's not what brides usually want,

but still, people don't tend
to k*ll over the weather.

Are you sure about that?

Because those texts that Blair's asking people

to delete before the cops see them,

they literally say she's going to k*ll her.

I barely knew Ava. I didn't even like her.

Okay, you're not doing yourself
any favors leading with that.

I just mean Ava was Ryan's friend.
One of his weather nerds.

They're all supposed to be experts,

which is why I believed her
when she said the hurricane was coming.

One of your friends
was kind enough to share with us

a few messages you sent Ava yesterday.

"You have no idea what you've cost me.
I'm going to make you pay for this.

The minute I find you, I'm going to k*ll you."

I can see why you wanted people to delete those.

I wanted them deleted so
I wouldn't look like a m*rder suspect.

Funny how trying to destroy evidence
can backfire that way.

I was exaggerating.

Would I have texted all of that
if I did k*ll her?

Why were you so angry?

You didn't get
your storm-chaser wedding, so what?

If you're not an influencer,
you wouldn't understand.

Try me.

I spent years building a following,

and I finally landed
a top adventure brand, Arctic Mountain.

And not just free products
and an affiliate code, a real contract.

- How much money are we talking?
- Depending on performance, a lot.

I promised my followers a wedding
straight out of a disaster movie,

and instead, I got sunshine and butterflies,

and I looked like an idiot.

A few of the people I already interviewed,

they all lost track of you
right before Ava's body was discovered.

You run off somewhere?

Well, yeah. I was moping.

Look.

That was taken right before the day was ruined.

Look at that dress. These nails.

Do you honestly think I went outside
and that I beat someone to death?

'Cause if you do, you should talk to
the cops who got to the house first,

and ask them if I had a single hair out of place.

It sucks that someone k*lled Ava,
but it wasn't me.

Hey. It's water.

Your fiancé, she's pretty animated, huh?

Yeah, I'd say animated is
sort of her default setting.

But like I said, she didn't k*ll Ava.

She was just mad at her about
the mix-up with the hurricane.

You weren't?

No, it wasn't Ava's fault.

- Can I show you something?
- Yeah.

Two nights ago, a little after midnight,
Ava sent us this.

Took it off the site
for the National Hurricane Center.

They're the source for things like this.

Right. I mean,
I-I see that's a hurricane, but so what?

What am I missing?

This map showed Matilda
was over the Abaco Islands.

They're part of the Bahamas,
about 180 miles east of Florida.

Along with the high-pressure ridge
that forces the storm west,

if a hurricane hits the Abacos,
it's basically a lock to hit here.

There's nowhere else for it to go.

That's why Ava jumped the g*n.

Thing is, this map is wrong.

Wrong? Wrong, how?

I mean, storms change course all the time.

They don't unhit an island.

This is the map that's up now.

It doesn't just say the storm changed course.

It says Matilda never hit the Abacos.

So, sorry, the first map, the one that Ava saw,

it showed something that never happened?

How does the National Hurricane Center
make a mistake like that?

I have no idea.

But as mistakes go, it was colossal.

All of Florida woke up yesterday to
the news that the hurricane turned, right?

But you, you-you must have missed it somehow.

I mean, if you hadn't, you wouldn't have
gone ahead with the wedding prep, right?

It's just you and your friends,
you're literally students of the weather.

How is it you didn't know the latest?

I did.

Ava called me early yesterday
and told me the storm wasn't coming.

She'd seen the new map.

But by then Blair was already doing Blair.

I-I just… I couldn't bring myself to tell her.

And I thought that
the us-getting-married part was

more important than
the getting pics for her followers.

I guess I was wrong.

The wedding's on hold till the next hurricane.

I see.

What time did you talk to Ava?

Around 9:00 a.m.

She told me she was
heading down to the NHC in Miami.

She wanted to complain
about the map in person. She was ticked.

How ticked?

Yeah, okay, I got it. Thank you so much.

Those two ain't gonna make it.

- Well, you never know. Love is weird.
- You're weird.

What do you think of the bride?

Didn't like her as a person or a suspect.

Which is unfortunate because so far
none of the wedding guests I've talked to

had a reason to hurt Ava,
let alone beat her to death.

What if it wasn't a wedding guest?

You know how the bride was ticked at
Ava for getting the forecast wrong?

Well, according to the groom, Ava was
ticked at the National Hurricane Center.

He said she went down there yesterday

to try to get someone fired
for posting bad information.

- Do we know if she succeeded?
- Yeah.

A guy named Cody Janczyk just got shown the door.

What do you say? You want a road trip to Miami?

I can't. I've got a dozen more wedding
guests coming in to be interviewed.

Plus I'm waiting on the ME's report.
But I have it on good authority

we're still not getting a hurricane,
so have a nice drive.

- Excuse me, excuse me.
- Hey.

Thirty minutes. Are you serious?

Like I told you,
best pastelitos this side of Havana.

They're not just Kayla's favorite,
they're everyone's.

Well, the guy came down here to talk to,
he could be in Havana by now.

- Nah, karma wouldn't do that to you.
- What?

You just helped a friend inch that much closer

to winning the heart of his would-be woman.

No, you did right by me,
universe'll do right by you.

- Eventually.
- Eventually.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Speaking of would-be women,
you still haven't told me

how your date with Trudy went yet.

Yeah, it was fine.

No, no, no. Don't give me no, "Fine."
Wish wants dish, son.

Of course, unless it went, you know, real bad.

No, it wasn't bad. It was just hard to settle in.

I was just… I was in my head.
I was overthinking things.

It just made me wonder
if a second date made much sense.

- That's all.
- Arj, it's rust.

You haven't been on a real date in, what, years?

Mmm? You married Catherine,
then unmarried Catherine.

Then you went to prison,
where, if memory serves, no dates.

Then you got out and you gave
everything you had to your new business.

I think you might be forgetting someone.

Emi don't count. That… That wasn't dating.

Now, honestly, I don't know what that was.

Did y'all kiss?

Come on, Wish. I mean, what didn't we do?

No, not… not Emi. You and Trudy.

No, she had a work thing that came up.
She had to split.

Well, then, trust your boy.

Book that second date, get that first kiss.

Then see how in your head you are.

Okay.

He look like a man who just
cleaned out his office to you?

No. All right. How you wanna play this?

You stay here, you watch your pastries.

If he needs any romantic advice,
I'll-I'll give you a signal.

Cody Janczyk?

- Hey, how you doing?
- Hey.

I'm R.J. Decker. I'm a private investigator.

I was hoping I could ask you
a few questions about Ava Kwon.

- Who?
- Ava Kwon.

Showed up at your work yesterday?

Got you fired for making
a huge mistake with that hurricane map?

Right. Sorry, yeah. They never told me her name.

But, uh, that map was no mistake.

Okay.

Next, you're gonna tell me
you weren't angry you got fired, yeah?

- Actually, I wasn't.
- No?

I'm sor… Is this, like,
some sort of HR thing or something?

Does the center think I'm gonna sue?
Because I'm-I'm totally not. So…

Cody, let's go! Thirsty people back here.

Look, I-I don't mind answering
any questions for you

because I got nothing to hide.

But would you mind helping me
carry these around back?

- Yeah, sure.
- All right.

Yeah, you can just stick it right here.

Sorry, you made a cake of
the map that got you fired?

Yeah, no, I-I told you the map was no mistake.

I put it on the website on purpose.

Yeah. I made bank.

Here, grab a drink.

We're having a party!

I can't believe that girl is really dead.

Yeah, she is.

She was k*lled only a few hours
after she made that scene at your office.

It's a bummer, but, uh, I never even saw her.

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Someone died, okay?

Can you make this cake make sense?

You said you made money
when you posted the wrong map. Explain.

You know about prediction markets?

I've heard of them.

It's just the latest way
to dress up online gambling, yeah?

Yeah, if you're gonna dress it up
like freaking Thanos.

Look… …sportsbooks are limited to sports.

Prediction markets, you can bet on anything.

Like, uh, is this going to be the year

some billionaire's gonna
be stranded in outer space?

Or if a new drug trial's gonna tank?

Or if a missing hiker gets found alive?

So, the business model is basically,
"Monetize human misery," is that right?

Human misery is gonna happen anyway.
You might as well cash in on it.

And that's what you did with the hurricane?

Hmm. I set up a bet.
"Will Matilda hit the Abacos?"

And since you worked for
the National Hurricane Center,

you were able to fake the results in your favor.

You-You posted a map of Matilda
over the islands and…

and you collected on your bet.

Look, the truth is, I hated my job.

I was getting fired anyways.

That part I have no trouble believing.

Gaming the prediction markets was just
claiming my severance package in advance.

Yeah, here's the thing.
You still committed a crime. Fraud.

You used your position
at the NHC to manipulate the markets.

Ava Kwon exposed you.
You still had motive to want her dead.

- No, I didn't.
- No?

No. I gambled that the center
wouldn't press charges on me

because they didn't want that type of attention.

And I was right.

They just wanted me gone.

You can set up your own little bet if you like.

"Will Cody Janczyk
get arrested for k*lling somebody?"

And I'm gonna tell you right now,
you're gonna lose.

Because I didn't.

Enjoy.

Emi. Not exactly
Ballmer, Simms and Gutiérrez, is it?

Honestly, it's inspiring.

I'll try to remember that on tough days.

Were you inspired by what you read?

Let's you and me talk.

Gabriel's already served
ten years of life without parole.

That was the deal his public defender took
to get the death penalty off the table.

Obviously, I wouldn't have settled.

Kelly, this is tough for me to get on board with.

I respect what you're doing,
but you're talking about a client

who confessed to k*lling a police officer.

I wouldn't have approached you if I wasn't
convinced that Gabriel didn't do it.

And I'd ask you to imagine
the hurdles he's up against,

because everyone reacts
the way you're reacting now.

If he didn't do it, why did he confess?

He was 18.

He was exhausted. He was worn down for hours.

And he was in bad withdrawal.

Later, when he retracted the confession,

the judge refused to accept it.

You believe he's innocent.

In my bones.

And if you knew Gabriel the way I do…

Then maybe that's what I need.

To know him.

Can you arrange a visit?

Hey. Eyes up when you're walking.

Otherwise you're gonna fall down the stairs,

break your neck, and turn into a crime scene.

I mean, that would be one way
to get my attention.

Well, thank you for saving my life.
I appreciate it.

Don't make it weird. I hear you're on
the dead meteorologist case?

- Atmospheric scientist. But yeah.
- Burrito, burrata. How's it going?

Yeah, well, I had a suspect
that didn't really pan out.

So now I'm thinking maybe
it wasn't personal after all.

Maybe it was just a mugging gone wrong.

I just got this report on other crimes
in the area the last few months.

Yeah, and?

And a lot of public urination.

Like, a concerning amount. And no muggings.

I'm bummed I had to bail the other night.

I was having such a good time.

Me too.

Would you believe, um…

Yeah, I was actually a little…
a little nervous, you know?

That was my first date in a while.

Really? You were nervous.

You think I just go out with
all the handsome PIs around here?

Well, you know, us handsome PI types,
we don't really get nervous,

so it's hard for me to relate.

But, my friend,
he has this very interesting theory

about how to get over first date jitters.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah, it's actually…

It's actually very effective.

- I'm sorry. I am sorry.
- Yeah.

- Tell me later.
- Okay.

- Yeah?
- I'm walking in

from the parking lot. You in the building?
'Cause we should talk.

Yeah.

- Hey.
- Hey.

ME's report on Ava Kwon. You need to see it.

Okay.

"Blunt force trauma, multiple impacts,
broken bones, internal bleeding."

So far, it's what we expected, yeah?

Trust me, it isn't. Keep reading.

She had water in her lungs?

Cause of death was drowning.

And that's not the half of it.

They pulled debris from her wounds.
Vegetation, building materials.

And those internal injuries?

It's like they were sustained
at over 100 miles an hour.

If the ME didn't know better,
he'd say Ava Kwon died in a hurricane.

Yet, that doesn't make sense.
Matilda never made landfall.

This is my point.

How's somebody k*lled
by a hurricane that never came?

They're cranking it up to 80 miles an hour now.

I'm trying to be tough,
but I'm not sure how much more I can...

That's how you get hurricane injuries
without a hurricane.

- A hurricane simulator.
- Yeah.

I remember my client
talking about the research she did

with Ava Kwon, so I looked into it.

Their school has a simulator just like this.

You load enough debris, you blast
enough water, you can demolish a house.

You think someone used it to demolish Ava Kwon?

It's a pretty elaborate way to k*ll someone.

I know, but it makes sense
if you think a hurricane is coming.

Use a simulator to k*ll Ava,
dump her body outside the wedding

- where you know she's expected to be.
- Matilda takes the blame.

The simulator at your client's school,
you got an address?

Detective, I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it.

This group is like a family.

No one here would have hurt Ava,
let alone lock her in the simulator.

Well, for their sakes, I hope you're right.

Meantime, I'm gonna need a list of
everyone who has access to this place.

- Can you put that together for me?
- Of course.

I feel like I'm inside
the world's biggest dishwasher.

Yeah, unfortunately,
that's a pretty good analogy.

One of the staff said these fans
get up to 140 miles an hour.

The water gets pumped in
at 1000 gallons a minute.

The whole thing goes from a breeze

to a Category 4 hurricane, push of a button.

In other words, if the m*rder did happen here,

all the evidence probably
got washed down the drains.

Detective, something you should see.

This door with the dent,
recently cleaned, both sides.

You can still smell the bleach.

But check out the vents.

That's blood. Hair too.

It's got to be Ava's, right?

Our guy wiped it down, but he missed some?

Well, if you're right,
whatever happened to her started in here.

And ended in the simulator.

Lock this whole place down.

We got our crime scene.

I saw you on the news last month.

Everything that happened to you.

It's like we're in a club, you and me.

It must seem unfair that
my situation was resolved so quickly.

No, ma'am, I-I don't think that way.

You didn't do what they said you did.

I was glad for you.

Tell me about what happened ten years ago.

The cop who died, Officer Werner, I knew him.

We, like, got into it a few times.

I was using back then.

Heroin.

Pulled smash and grabs, broke into cars,
anything to get my fix.

Him and his partner, picked me up more than once.

I said things I wish I didn't.

You threatened to k*ll Officer Werner.

Couple times.

Mostly to look tough.

Stupid.

When I looked at your files,
there wasn't anything about an alibi.

'Cause I didn't have one.

Where were you when Officer Werner was shot?

Had to guess, in an alley somewhere,
needle in my arm, million miles away.

If there was one good thing about ending
up in this place, it was getting sober.

They have programs.

I got my ten-year chip a couple months ago.

Now I try to help other guys.

Gabriel. I've told Emi,
in my words, why you confessed.

I think it might help for her
to hear it in yours.

A little before this all happened,
my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer.

She beat it that time.

The cops,
they put me in one of those little rooms,

the kind with the window
that looks like a mirror.

And they kept me up for like 36 hours.

Kept telling me I did it.

Over and over.

I didn't do it.

I knew I didn't.

I would never.

But I was tired.

And then, I-I don't know, I guess
someone told them about my mom,

because they started telling me

to think about what it would do to her,
finding out I got the death penalty.

They said if I confessed, I'd only get life.

You said your mom beat the cancer that time.

She did. Till a few months ago,
she'd visit me every week.

She's the one that hired Ms. Thornton.

She raised money from her church group.

But the cancer came back?

Next to Gabriel's innocence,
it's the biggest reason

we're fighting for a new appeal.

He might not have a lot more time to see her.

Bye-bye.

Hey, did you get this list of names
the professor sent over to us?

Everyone who had access to the simulator?

Oh, I didn't just see it.
I started calling everybody on it.

Okay, engineers, data crunchers,
plumbers, IT guys.

There's so many IT guys.

Next time I'm checking out
the weather girl on Channel 7,

I'm gonna have a whole new respect
for the team that put her there.

But still no one you-you like as a suspect?

Now we know where Ava was k*lled and how.

I'm not feeling any closer to who.

Hey, uh, don't repeat that thing
about the weather girl.

Catherine already thinks I have a thing.

You-You found this
on the floor of the break room?

Yeah, why?

Ava's ex-roommate, Heather,
she said something about missing earrings.

I gave you a copy of those texts Ava sent her.

- Do you still have those?
- Um, I should have them…

- Here.
- Let me see. Thank you.

Yeah, Ava accused Heather
of stealing her pair of earrings.

Yeah. "The gold and turquoise ones."

Okay, so Heather didn't steal 'em.

Ava lost them at work.

- What?
- This T-shirt she was wearing.

Uh…

Yeah. "Now you took my iguana shirt."
That's two items she said were stolen,

now both turning up connected to her m*rder.

Okay, yeah, I'm with you on this
not feeling like a coincidence,

but what are you getting at? What?
Do you like the old roommate again?

No, no, no, no, no,
she had an alibi for her m*rder.

What I'm getting at is
I think someone stole these items,

but it wasn't the ex-roommate,
and it wasn't a thief.

A thief would have pawned the earrings.

He never would have bothered
with the T-shirt in the first place.

Okay. But if not a thief, who?

How about a stalker?

That's definitely them.

Shirt might even be one of a kind.

Some friend of hers silk-screened it.

Yeah, and these things never turned up, right?

I know I never saw them again.

Did you ever notice anyone unfamiliar
hanging around the building?

Maybe someone Ava seemed uneasy about?

No. Look, can I ask how any of this is related?

Because your questions
are starting to scare me a little.

It's just a theory right now.

One that was suggested by the PI
you met the other day, but the pieces fit.

As you know, intimate items
were disappearing from Ava's room.

She was convinced someone
was going through her things.

And now, two of these items have turned up,

one on her person,

- one at her place of work.
- What?

We're investigating
the possibility Ava had a stalker.

Someone who got into your apartment somehow.

Some stalkers, they take items from the person

they're obsessed with as trophies, souvenirs.

Gives them a sense of control,
helps them feed their fantasies.

Oh, my God.

When she asked me about this stuff,
I was so dismissive.

I-I thought she made the whole thing up.

All that time some creep
might have been coming into our home?

I-I'm sorry, I never saw anyone strange around.

I can't help you.

- Oh. Hey.
- Hey. Thanks for meeting with me.

I know you're busy with a case.

No, no, no, I got a minute. This is
the case file you were telling me about?

- Yeah.
- The guy you think didn't k*ll a cop?

His name's Gabriel Romero.

And you said his lawyers want you to
help out on the PR side of things, right?

Okay.

I'm guessing you want me to poke around,

to make sure you can feel good
about backing this cause?

Actually, no.

I already told them I'm not doing the PR thing.

I've spent too much time
in the spotlight already.

What I want is to hire you
to find the real k*ller.

Problem?

No, no, it's no problem. It's just, um…

It's a big ten-year-old case, cop k*lling.

I thought you liked a challenge.

It's just…

What if I find out this guy really did it?

Then I'll be glad I was careful,
but my gut says he's innocent.

All right. Let me dig into this right...

Wish! Wish, uh, whatever it is you're doing,

do you have to do it right now?

Well, truth be told,
I should have got it done a long time ago.

Yeah, half these weather strips are so old,

first heavy rain we get,
it's just gonna laugh at 'em.

Huh.

All this hurricane talk got my posterior in gear.

Be prepared, Arj.

Boy Scout's motto.

Got it. Okay. Yeah, I have to go meet Mel.
Let me get back to you on this.

- Okay.
- Good seeing you.

Good seeing you.

Hey. How did it go with Ava's roommate?

Well, no insight into who
our theoretical stalker might be,

but talking to her did make me
think of another question.

What?

Someone was taking trophies from Ava's apartment.

Someone we think is connected
to the hurricane simulator.

Somehow she identified this person,

confronted him at work, and got herself k*lled.

Okay, here's my question.

How did she end up in the iguana shirt?

Say you're right.
She found our guy's secret stash that day.

Why put this shirt on?

It's a weird time to change your clothes, no?

What if he put it on her?

Why would he do that?

What if he had to?

Stalker attacks Ava. Ava fights back.
Maybe even draws blood.

- Some of it gets on her.
- Yeah, now he's got a problem.

He's got a body with his DNA on it.

- He's also got a solution.
- The shirt he stole from her.

So, he changes her into it.

Ava didn't have any DNA or skin under her nails.

The simulator probably took care of that.

But our guy,
he would still have defensive wounds.

I didn't see anyone with wounds
when we went to the lab. Did you?

No, but even if Ava scratched his arms,

all it would take is
a long-sleeve shirt to hide 'em.

You can get a court order.
Make 'em prove they don't have scratches.

Are you forgetting how many names
were on the list of people

who had access to that simulator?

There's no court order that would let us

compel that many people to take their shirt off.

Something like this, it needs to be targeted.

- What?
- No, just…

Before I came here,

I-I was at F.M. Station.
Wish was doing some work on the bar.

He was making sure
everything was hurricane ready.

I'm sorry, this is relevant, how?

That list of names we have,
I may know a way we can narrow it down.

Man, do all college kids just wander in
whenever they feel these days?

It wasn't like that when I was in school.

Well, I cut class a lot. I wouldn't know.

Most of the work that we do is independent study.

Did you guys find out what happened to Ava?

Matter of fact, we think we did.

Yeah, uh, someone had been sneaking into
her apartment, going through her stuff.

- Even took a couple of things.
- You mean like a perv?

We think Ava discovered the stolen things
here, along with the person who took them.

So, he k*lled her.

You two, scram.

Mind rolling up your sleeves, Patrick?

Why? Why me?

It's a fair question. You wanna take it?

Something occurred to me
about the day Ava was k*lled.

Almost everybody here knew
the hurricane wasn't coming.

But the k*ller didn't know that, obviously.

He was counting on the hurricane
to cover up his crime.

Someone who thinks a big storm's
about to hit might try and do some prep,

make sure they have the things they need.

That's why I had officers canvass
the hardware stores around here.

One of them had surveillance footage of
you buying batteries, plywood, propane.

No one else who had access to this place.

No one, Patrick. Just you.

And that was enough to convince a judge
to issue a court order

compelling you to let us
look for defensive wounds.

Roll up your sleeves, please.

I never meant to hurt her.

I was in love with her.

I… I didn't think anyone was gonna be here
on account of the storm.

I came in to get some rain gear.

I tried to explain it to her,
but she wasn't listening.

- Let me go, please. Please. No.
- Ava, listen!

You knew you couldn't let her go,

not after you hurt her,
not after everything you'd done.

So, you put her in the simulator.

And then you stood there,
while it finished the job.

No, please! Patrick!

You have the right to remain silent.
Turn around. Turn around.

I'm surprised that you would pick
anywhere near water after our first date.

I mean, I'll admit the mermaids
were a little unnerving at first.

But get this, I asked around after you left.

Turns out they're just women in mermaid costumes.

- Get out.
- I know.

Anyway, there's a bunch of
really nice restaurants that way,

and no sea creatures, but you can take your pick.

Okay, I accept your terms.

- Lead the way.
- Uh, actually, um…

What?

Can I kiss you first?

Uh, just to get it out of the way,
before anything else interrupts us.

Get it out of the way,
because that's so romantic.

Okay. Uh, I see the wisdom in this. Mm-hmm.

- Yeah?
- Yes.

All right. Well, now
we can eat our dinner in peace.

But does that mean, like, we're not
gonna kiss at the end of this date?

Oh, no, no, no, no,
we can pull one up from date three.

- Okay. Okay, thanks.
- Thank you.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Thank you.

It's crazy. Your friend has her own
law firm but she doesn't validate parking?

Mel. Hey. You scared me. What are you doing here?

I heard you were looking to give
a little help to Gabriel Romero.

- Did R.J. tell you?
- No.

Mel, why are you here?

Helping your friend, helping
Gabriel Romero, would be a mistake.

I'm here to make sure you understand why.