02x07 - Neuropositive

[bunniefuu]

Smartcuteguys.Com. That's a new one.

Hmm.

How's it going?

Eh.

You know what your problem is? You're too cynical.

I'm not cynical.

Oh, really?

Jerks, cheaters, and misogynist pigs need not apply?

What? They shouldn't.

Okay.

Don't worry. I've got someone for you to meet.

Wait, you want to fix me up?

Well, not exactly.

Terminal-cancer patient in a hospice.

He wants to report a crime before he dies.

How romantic.

Cynical.

[Sighs]

[Knock on door]

Mr. Carlson?

I'm Agent Moretti. You called the FBI to report a crime.

A m*rder.

Well... tell me about it.

It's an old one.

19...

1992.

Okay.

And, uh, who was k*lled?

I don't know.

Well, can you tell me where it happened?

I'm not sure exactly.

Okay, well, what can you tell me?

I did it.

Max: Doc. Wait up.

I am about to make your day.

I picked this up at a yard sale.

Mahler's 9th, the original stereo recording?

I've been dying to find this.

Mozart piano concertos 21 and 23, the Vienna master series.

Lewicki, you are making my day.

I told you.

Bach cello suites. Mm. I hate Bach.

Oh. Okay.

Well, you're welcome.

Daniel. Got a minute?

Yeah.

I do love a good deathbed confession.

[Laughs]

Well, this guy's name is Phil Carlson...

Worked for the city plugging potholes for 20 years.

But before he cleaned up his act, he says he pulled off a string of small-time bank jobs while on a road trip through...

Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana back in '92.

The statute of limitations would be up on 20-year-old bank jobs.

Unless he k*lled someone.

He claims he ran over a young girl.

What, during a getaway?

No, but he does know that the hit-and-run happened in one of the towns where he robbed a bank.

Problem is he was so hopped up on meth, he doesn't remember what town he was in.

Oh. Better living through chemistry.

On top of that, this guy's got terminal brain cancer.

So, the tumor could be affecting his memory or causing delusions.

And my boss doesn't want me pursuing 20-year-old leads if this guy's imagining the whole thing.

So, if you can tell me that his story's reliable, maybe I can convince my boss to let me pursue it.

We can give some closure to a family who lost a daughter all those years ago.

Let's have a look at the brain scan.

That is one big pair of Globus Pallidi.

[Both laugh]

Yeah, that's pretty big.

And that's the tumor?

Yeah. Yes, that small cloudy white mass right there.

Small but lethal.

Yeah.

Yeah, I gave Mr. Carlson five months, recommended aggressive chemo.

I thought it could buy him a little time.

So, this is a post-chemo scan?

No. Actually, we never got that far.

He, uh... he quit after three rounds. Said the chemo was making him too sick.

I ordered a final scan, but he said he didn't want to do it just to be told he was gonna die all over again.

Well, the tumor where it is, I don't see it affecting his memory or...

Or making him delusional.

Great. So, I'm good to go.

I should meet with the patient.

And since this film's a few months old I, suggest a new scan, see if the tumor's grown.

I'll do it today.

Oh. Thank you, doctor.

It was, uh, really nice meeting you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Man, I was...

I was so wasted, I didn't even really remember hitting that girl until a week later.

But you did remember once you'd come down off the dr*gs?

In Waukegan, Illinois.

You seem pretty certain of that.

I went to the Public Library there, you know, to go through the newspapers to...

See if it had been reported. But...

I didn't find anything, so...

I convinced myself that I'd imagined it.

Well, maybe you did. It could have been a false memory.

No, I...

I know I k*lled that girl.

What makes you so sure?

The sound she made when I hit her.

I've never been able to get it out of my head.

Can you recall any other details?

Long, gold hair...

Spread across the windshield and blood...

Blood everywhere.

Okay, Mr. Carlson, that's... that's enough for now.

Please.

Please find that girl's family.

I need to say I'm sorry before I die.

[Door closes]

[Crickets chirping]

[Thud]

[Keys jingle]

Mom?

Margaret: Hi, honey!

What are you doing here?

Well, that nice young Max let me in.

What? You're not glad to see me?

No, of course I am. I just wasn't expecting you.

Is everything all right?

Daniel, you worry too much.

It's a mother's prerogative to pop in on her own son if she feels like it.

I mean, it's not like you're married.

Now, if you were married...

Okay, mom, it doesn't matter what your agenda is.

I'm just happy you're here.

Honey, thank you. That's so sweet.

So, uh, do you know how long you're gonna be staying?

I thought it took at least three days for fish and house guests to start stinking.

I'm just asking because I want to... you know, I want to spend as much time with you as possible, and I've got a really, really packed schedule.

So, you know, if you can give me a ballpark number, I could maybe rearrange things.

Oh, no, no, no. You just do whatever you need to do.

I am very capable of entertaining myself.

Now, I have a question.

How come there's not a single picture of me anywhere in this house?

Mom, excuse me a sec. Lewicki.

Doc, hey.

You don't think you could have given me a little heads-up?

About what?

That my mother is here.

Doc...

I thought your mom passed.

You okay?

[Knock on door]

[Door opens]

Kate: Hey, there. Looking for Daniel. Is he, uh...

Daniel. Okay, listen. Turns out there were 13 unsolved bank robberies in the tri-state area in the summer of '92.

But the Sheriff down in Yates City found an unsolved vehicular homicide that happened within a few days of a bank job.

Well, it sounds like the right case.

Yes, but there is one detail that does not jive with Phil's story.

The victim was a boy.

That's a big detail.

Yeah, it worried me, too, until the Sheriff e-mailed me a photo.

And look at that...

Long, blond hair...

Just like a girl.

[Knock on door]

Yeah?

Oh. Mr. Carlson. You're looking much better.

Yeah, well... it turned out to be a good day.

Well, I've got some news.

I found that victim. You're gonna get your chance to apologize.

Uh, apologize for what?

The hit-and-run.

Yeah.

Um, look, I think I was having one of those false memories you were talking about, Dr. Pierce.

I never k*lled anyone.

His name was Barry Miles.

He lived in Yates City. He was only 15 years old.

You ran him over in front of his little brother.

His mom, Eileen, never got to see him graduate from high school.

I'm sorry, but didn't I say that I hit a girl?

You did say that, but what you remembered was long golden hair.

Couldn't that be the hair?

Look, I don't remember it too good now.

What's going on here?

Phil? Are you ready?

Hi. Who are you?

Uh, this is, uh, my wife.

Pam, these are the people from the FBI that I was talking to.

Did Phil tell you the news?

What news?

The, uh, new scan came back, and...

My cancer is gone.

What a load of crap.

I mean he finds out he's not going to die, so he recants his confession so he doesn't have to go to jail.

Tell you what else is bullshit the guy had an inoperable brain tumor, now he doesn't?

How is that possible?

A miracle?

It's not a miracle. It was a mistake.

Don't be so skeptical. Miracles happen.

Not now.

What?

First thing in the morning, I need to see that new brain scan.

Steve: I had the exact same thought.

It had to be a mistake.

And even though we do all of our imaging in-house and have policies in place to guard against this type of mix-up...

I double-checked. [Beep]

The tumor's gone.

How do you explain it?

Well, there was a Dartmouth football player that had terminal lung cancer.

He went into spontaneous remission.

In Phil's case, maybe the chemo had a delayed reaction.

It's extremely rare, but it does happen.

Ah. [Sighs] So, how is this possible?

It's ironic. If Phil had come in for that follow-up scan I ordered, we might have caught this reduction earlier.

Okay, but if the chemo was working, then how come Phil kept getting sick after he stopped treatment.

It must have been psychosomatic.

I mean, Phil was given a finite amount of time to live.

He viewed the end like the expiration date on a quart of milk.

And then, the closer he got to that date, the sicker he made himself.

Well, now he's probably gonna live a long time.

Yeah, in jail.

If I have anything to say about it, so thank you.

Uh, wait, actually, uh, do you have a minute?

Um, yeah. Sure. Um, Daniel?

Hmm?

Do you mind, uh...

Mm.

[Door opens, closes] Uh... look. I know that you're probably really busy.

I just didn't know when I would get another chance.

Do you want to have coffee with me sometime?

I, would love to.

It's just that if this case ever gets to trial, you could be called as a witness, so I don't know if I...

Right. Of course. Yeah, um...

Right.

Well, maybe when the case is over.

Yeah.

Maybe.

So what do you remember about the day your brother d*ed?

I...

Was walking down Main Street with Barry, and...

I guess I was right there when it happened, but it's all a fog.

Do you remember the car?

[Sighs] Blue.

Green maybe.

What about the driver?

[Sighs]

I think it was a man, but I'm...

I'm not sure.

Big help, right?

You might remember more than you think.

If your willing, I'd like to try something called cognitive interviewing.

What is that?

Well, I use breathing techniques to get you to relax, it's similar to hypnosis.

You mean you pull a watch out and make him cluck like a chicken?

No, it's not what you think. I don't even know that it'll work.

Retrieving memories isn't the same as rewinding videotape but, maybe it'll shake something loose.

Look, every year, I would go to the cops, and I would ask them if they had any new leads, but they never did.

No one ever gave a crap, so I don't need you here giving me false hope now.

I mean, my mom's right. I'm useless.

And I pulled the night shift, so I got to get to work.

Look, if you, um...

If you change your mind, uh, there's my office number.

Margaret: Surprise.

What is this, bring your mom to work day?

No, no. You better go.

Why? Because I'll embarrass you?

Yes, when my students see me talking to myself.

Why would you do that?

Because I'm schizophrenic.

Oh. Pssh. Don't be silly. Of course you're not.

Yeah, mom. I am.

I was diagnosed a few years after you d*ed.

Oh, I'm so sorry, honey.

But now I'm here. I can take care of you.

No, you can't.

Why not?

Because you're dead.

Why are you being so mean to me?

[Sighs] I'm s...

I'm sorry, mom. Look, I...

[Knock on door] [Door opens]

Jimmy: Dr. Pierce?

I, uh...

Didn't want to get my mom's hopes up, but I'd like to give that cognitive thing a sh*t.

Jimmy, one more deep, deep breath.

[Breathes deeply]

And really relax those shoulders.

Now I want you to go back to that day.

[Click]

You're on Main Street with your brother.

How's the weather?

It's hot and sticky.

And where's Barry?

He's up ahead.

What are you doing?

I'm calling to him to wait up.

Does he?

He can't hear me. He has his walkman on.

Okay, so, he crosses the street.

There's a car coming real fast.

What color is the car?

Blue. Wait, green. I...

I don't know. He can't... he can't see the car.

What are you doing?

I'm calling to him, car!

He can't... he can't hear me. Car!

He's... he's jamming out to his music.

Barry...

Barry!

Oh, my God.

Good, Jimmy.

Stay with it. Tell me what you see.

There's a lot of blood.

He's on the hood, and he's not moving.

Who's driving the car?

A man I think.

What does he look like?

I can't see his face. He's...

There's something blocking his face.

What about his hair or skin?

He's white.

Anything else?

Yes.

How's the online dating going?

Oh. Forget that. I met a doctor.

And...?

Hot. And seems to be interested.

Good.

I might be able to prove that Phil did it.

How?

The guy driving the car that hit Barry?

Jimmy thinks he remembers the guy had an anchor tattoo on his left shoulder.

What do we got?

Homeowner took a single sh*t to the chest.

Somebody cut him first.

Solved one m*rder.

Now we got another.

[Door closes] Kate: Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Carlson.

I already told the police everything.

I know. And I'm sorry. I just need to go over everything again.

Now, tell me...

Where were you when your husband was k*lled?

Out for a run.

Okay.

Did anyone see you running?

Oh, I don't know. Why?

You and Phil...

Maxed out your credit cards.

You racked up almost $50,000 worth of debt just over the past few months...

Jewelry, concerts...

Swanky dinners.

We spent the money. So, what?

So, I get why Phil would spend money that he didn't have.

I mean, he thought he was gonna die.

But what I don't understand is why you would go along with it.

I mean, you're the one who would be left with the debt and, you're a substitute teacher, so explain to me how that was gonna work.

We know that he had a big life-insurance policy.

Phil convinced me it was okay to spend the money.

He said that I could pay off the credit cards with the insurance money after he d*ed.

But then Phil decided not to die, and you would be left with all the debt, so you k*lled him for the insurance money.

What? Wh... no!

I didn't k*ll him.

Why should I believe you?

I'm the one that convinced Phil to take back his confession.

That was your idea?

Phil had suffered enough already, and I didn't want him to go to jail.

Because if he went to jail, you couldn't k*ll him.

[Sighs]

You don't understand.

Then help me out.

[Inhales deeply]

When I married Phil, he was...

Fun and sweet.

And over time, he just... I don't know...

Disappeared.

We would sit down to dinner together, and he wouldn't say a word.

Sounds a lot like your father.

Mom, please. I'm trying to listen.

When things got tough, he flew the coop.

Dad never left you.

I meant emotionally.

Telling me about how lousy your marriage was doesn't exactly convince me that you're innocent.

Just listen. The last few months, Phil changed.

Yeah, he started buying you jewelry and fancy dinners.

It wasn't just that. He got sweet again.

He talked me to me about my day, made jokes.

When I found out that he was cured...

I was sure that God was giving us a second chance.

I didn't want Phil to go to jail, and I certainly didn't k*ll him.

Okay, well, then, how do you account for this miraculous transformation?

Was it the cancer?

No.

It was the therapy.

George: I'm sorry. Everything my clients tell me is privileged.

Mrs. Carlson...

Mm hmm.

Signed this waiving confidentiality, so you can tell us anything that Phil told you.

In that case, I think there is something Phil would have wanted you to know.

He changed his mind about recanting his confession.

He was ready to turn himself in.

How do you know that?

He came to me for an emergency session the day after he got out of hospice.

Water? Water?

No.

Um, what was the emergency?

Oh, he was having headaches, thought his cancer was coming back.

He'd had a clean brain scan the day before.

I just told him it doesn't work that way.

I said, there is no 'presto, it's back' button.

I did tell him it was right that he be concerned.

Why would you tell him that?

Well, it's a central tenet of my work.

We all carry psychic wounds that can manifest in physical ailments.

In Phil's case, I believe that the guilt that he'd been carrying for almost two decades caused his cancer.

I beg your pardon?

He alleviated the guilt when he confessed to Agent Moretti.

And the guilt and the headaches came back after he recanted, so I urged him to turn himself in, and he agreed.

What kind of therapist are you exactly?

Neuropositive integration coach.

Neuropositive integration?

Yeah, I'm not familiar with that term, either.

Uh, treat the mind, treat the body.

I've developed a series of mental exercises that enhance neuron firings and blood flow in the brain.

I've had good success curing everything from ulcers to colitis to cancer.

Hold on a minute. Are you claiming you cured Phil's cancer?

No. No, no. He did that on his own with my methods.

It always has to come from the patient.

[Scoffs]

[Laughing] That's absurd.

I realize that, to some people, my methods may seem farfetched, but Phil's cure is proof that the work we did here paid off.

You didn't cure him. The chemotherapy cured him.

No, chemotherapy almost k*lled him.

I convinced him to stop those treatments.

You're a snake-oil salesman.

Daniel, please.

[Sighs]

Listen, can you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm Phil?

Yeah, initially, he was reluctant in confessing his crimes because he had a girlfriend in '92.

He said he was afraid she'd get in trouble if he came forward.

I suggested that he talk to her, tell her he was confessing his crimes.

And apparently, she was quite angry.

Kate: Listen. I know that guy was kind of a quack.

But don't you think you got a little carried away in there?

I have no time for frauds.

When my mom got cancer, she tried every alternative treatment...

Gall-bladder flushes, kidney cleanses.

She even went to Mexico to try shark-fin soup.

Everywhere she turned, there was a line of hucksters just like this clown giving her nothing but false hope.

Listen. I'm sorry, okay? I...

[Sighs]

Did not realize.

I know. Come on. Let's go talk to Phil's girlfriend.

I understand you used to date Phil Carlson back in the early '90s.

For about a year.

What was Phil like back then?

He was fun. Kind of crazy.

I guess you could say those were my wild-child days.

That seems like a lifetime ago.

Yeah.

You're married now?

Yep. Two teenage boys.

Nice. Well, your husband must be a pretty secure guy.

What do you mean by that?

Well, I think a lot of guys would feel threatened if their wife stayed in touch with an old boyfriend.

Oh, no. I'm sorry. I keep mixing you up.

I wasn't still in touch with Phil.

I mean, I haven't heard from Phil in... 20 years.

Oh, that's funny... because I thought you saw him three weeks ago.

Should I be asking for a lawyer?

Only if you have something to hide.

See, I have a witness...

Who says that Phil paid you a visit.

Told you that he was gonna be turning himself in.

See, I think when he was robbing those banks, you were helping him.

I think you saw your wild-child days coming back to bite you in the ass.

I'm not stupid.

The statute of limitations is up on those robberies.

Mm. But not on the hit-and-run. Maybe you were in the car.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Because that would mean jail time.

And even worse than that, if it came out that you left the scene of an accident.

That you let a young boy die, I don't think that would go over too big with the PTA...

Or with your husband or with your boys.

Am I right?

I didn't k*ll Phil.

I was using the spa at the club.

Angie's alibi checks out.

[Sighs] Okay.

So, Phil's wife didn't k*ll him, and neither did his ex-girlfriend.

So, who else would have motive to k*ll Phil?

You two are so cute when you put your heads together.

Would you stop it?

Would I stop what?

Sorry.

But you know what they say about a mother's love.

It's forever.

The kid's mother. She's been angry all these years.

Yeah, but she didn't know who Phil was. We never gave her his name, remember?

But Phil knew who she was, you showed him that picture told him, Barry's last name you talked about the mom, where she lived.

And if the therapist was right about Phil changing his mind and turning himself in the next day, this could have been his last chance to apologize to the victim's mother.

Maybe it was the last thing he did before he d*ed.

Eileen?

Agent Moretti. We need to talk to you.

What about?

About this.

Eileen: Can we make this quick? I've a headache.

Kate: Maybe that's because yesterday you m*rder*d someone, and you've been guzzling bourbon since then.

Sorry, honey. You got it all wrong.

We sent the Kn*fe to the lab, Eileen.

The blood on it's gonna match the laceration on Phil's neck.

Was he k*lled with a Kn*fe?

No. He was sh*t.

Well, there you go.

I'm not accusing you of k*lling him with the Kn*fe.

But you did cut him with it. So, maybe it didn't stop there.

Maybe then, you went to his house, and you sh*t him.

Lawyer.

That's okay.

But you do have me thinking I'm looking in the wrong direction anyway.

I mean, it was Jimmy who saw his brother get run down.

Maybe he's the one who got revenge on Phil.

Jimmy didn't do anything.

Yeah, but I could probably pin it on him.

You leave my baby alone!

You gonna answer my questions?

A couple of hours...

After you and that hypnotist guy came to see me, I went in the kitchen to make myself something to eat.

[Knock on door]

Yeah?

Um...

[Clears throat] Ma'am. My name is Phil Carlson.

I'm the one who k*lled your son.

You've got some nerve showing up here.

Look, I'm turning myself in tomorrow, but...

I had to come and see you because I don't know if I'll ever get another chance to tell you how truly sorry I am. I ju...

Okay, but that doesn't explain the Kn*fe wound.

He left, but I didn't hear the car start, so...

I went to the window to see what was going on.

Aah!

What are you doing?

I'm just leaving you a note.

I don't want a note from you.

Now I'm warning you. You better go!

Okay, so, you chased Phil off.

But then you went to his house the next day, and you sh*t him.

Margaret: I like her.

Yeah, she's a good Agent.

I'm talking about Eileen.

What? You mean you feel sorry for her?

Kate doesn't know what it's like to be a mother.

Remember, Eileen gave birth to two sons.

You wanted to k*ll Phil Carlson, but you couldn't because of Jimmy.

You knew you had another son that you needed to be there for.

You were just being a good mom.

I'm not a good mom. I k*lled him.

Phil?

No.

Barry.

Uh, what are you talking about?

The last time I saw him...

I was giving him a hard time about his hair.

I told him he looked like a girl, so he put on his walkman to drown me out.

And then he stormed out of the house.

If he wasn't wearing his headphones...

He would have heard Jimmy warn him.

He'd still be alive.

You're not responsible for your son's death, Mrs. Miles.

All right, but you did put a Kn*fe to Phil Carlson's neck and thr*aten him, so...

Then what?

He told me he wouldn't blame me if I did k*ll him.

I wouldn't blame you. I really wouldn't.

But then, I wouldn't be able to get you any money.

What money?

It's... it's in the note.

Please, just... just read it.

I don't want your damn note!

Please.

But I let him read it to me.

He told me how sorry he was.

And that he was writing a book about being cured of cancer and that...

The whole story revolved around the day...

He k*lled my son.

Kate: Wait. Hold on.

Phil was writing a book?

Yeah, with some shrink that he said had cured him.

Neuropositive guy.

Okay, so, the money that Phil was gonna give you, that was supposed to come from the profits of this book?

He said he thought it was only right...

That the money should go to me.

I don't want a penny from you.

And I don't want you or anybody else to write a book about my son!

Okay, look. I... you're right. I didn't see it like that. I'm... I'm sorry.

There won't be any book.

I promise.

Then he left.

If Phil was true to his word about scrapping the book, that would make Dr. Fraud pretty angry.

Angry enough to k*ll Phil?

Why didn't you tell us about the book?

The last time you were here, all you did was belittle me, why add fuel to the fire?

How did you react when Phil told you that he was pulling the plug on your project?

What are you talking about?

Phil promised Eileen he was gonna k*ll the book.

Who's Eileen?

The victim's mother.

After his session with you the other day, he went to her to apologize.

Well, if he did that, then I'm proud of him, but I didn't know anything about it.

Look, if he had told me he was quashing the book, of course I would have been upset.

Been wanting to write that book for five years, had a publisher who was interested.

Right, what you didn't have was a case study to back up your ridiculous theories, until Phil came along.

Then, you're gonna get your book published, maybe even be on Oprah.

You keep accusing me of being a fake.

But you've seen the proof. You saw the scans.

You know I cured him.

And then you k*lled him.

Why would I do that?

Because with Phil out of the way, no one could stop you from writing your book.

I'd like you to leave.

Unless, of course, you think you have enough to arrest me.

Why are you so angry about it?

Because he did it.

And now he's gonna get away with m*rder and continue to sell his bullshit cure to gullible sick people.

Daniel, he's only trying to help people.

He's just like you.

He's not like me. I'm a scientist.

When did you become so cynical?

The Daniel I remember was much more open-minded.

Mom, don't lose faith.

There's an alternative treatment.

One of my professors told me about it.

It's called ecological therapy.

Ecological therapy?

You take enzymes and vitamins to neutralize the toxic agents in your body.

You'll have to go Mexico, but it can work.

[Sighs] I'm sorry, honey. This sounds like quackery to me.

But it's not.

I've been doing a lot of research on this.

Western medicine is bullshit.

You need to stop the chemo. That's what's k*lling you.

Daniel, your father would never approve.

Forget dad! What... what's he doing?

He just hides in his office from morning till night.

He's not helping you.

Mom.

I'll go with you.

[Scoffs] What about school?

I'll take a semester off.

This is more important.

[Sighs]

I was the one who pushed those crazy treatments on you.

I'm sorry, mom.

Oh, honey. Let's not be sad.

Let's listen to some music instead.

How about some Bach?

I hate Bach.

Since when?

[Bach's cello suite number 1 playing]

There's a stage-four patient I read about.

He got treatment from a Spiritualist and went into remission.

We should go see that guy.

Honey, I've done all the hocus-pocus I'm gonna do.

All I want now is for you to hold my hand and listen to the music.

You stopped listening to Bach because it reminds you of when I d*ed?

No.

I stopped listening to Bach because that was...

The moment that I realized I k*lled you.

[Sniffles]

I never should have asked you to stop your chemo.

And what would that have done?

Extended my life by a month or two?

No, thanks.

I'll stick with my three weeks in Mexico with my son.

Besides, who even knows if I had cancer.

What do you mean?

Remember when we got back from Oaxaca and they rechecked me?

Maybe they showed us someone's else's scans.

Mom, what are you talking about? Nobody even scanned you. They gave you a Biopsy.

Oh, that's right. I guess I got mixed up.

The scans got mixed up.

I need to see Phil.

Daniel, Phil is dead.

I know that is he still at the Morgue?

No, they buried him this morning.

Well, dig him up.

I need to scan his brain.

[Knock on door]

Hi.

Hi.

Thank you for fitting me in.

Oh, yeah, no problem. I can be late to this thing.

It's just a little cocktail party at the art institute.

Oh, can I come?

Excuse me?

I can't believe I said that out loud.

No, I mean, I would, I would love you to come. I just...

No, no. I... you might be a witness.

Definitely a conflict. Forget I...

I am sorry. I just really like you.

I like you, too.

That's what makes this awkward. [Chuckles]

What?

Um, listen, Dr. Pierce has been, um...

He's been making some noise around the FBI saying that...

Maybe you haven't been completely honest with us.

How so?

Well, he was never sold on the idea that Phil was cured of his cancer, so he's decided that Phil never had cancer to begin with.

But I showed him the scans.

I know.

And you explained how a mix-up was not possible.

Right.

Right.

But he thinks that that's exactly what happened.

And that now you're just covering your butt because you're worried about a malpractice suit.

Well, he's wrong.

I know. That's what I said.

And since I am the Agent on this case, not him, that's why I told my boss that I would just come down here and sort this out.

Okay. Well, how can I help?

Well, in this particular case, it's actually rather easy to prove that there was no mix-up.

You can see Phil's name and date clearly labeled on each scan.

First scan shows the mass. And in the second, it's gone.

Okay, it's the first scan that Dr. Pierce is worried about.

Now, is it possible that it was mislabeled somehow or that it could just be someone else's?

Well, human error is always possible, but I happen to know for a fact that did not happen in this case.

How do you know at for sure?

Well, because you guys had me re-scan Phil.

And as you can see from the size and the shape, it's the same brain.

Okay. Then, um...

How do you explain this?

What's that?

Dr. Pierce is kind of like a dog with a bone.

He made us exhume Phil's body and scan him again.

Listen. I'm not an expert.

But even I can tell that this is not the same brain as the ones you've been showing us.

I mean, Phil's Globus Pallidi are puny compared to this guy's.

What are you trying to say?

I'm trying to say that...

I think you're a good guy...

But I think you made a mistake.

And if you just tell me what happened, I think I can help you.

When I first diagnosed Phil, I had no idea that I was showing him the wrong scan.

It wasn't until the new scan that Dr. Pierce suggested came back that I realized my mistake.

I thought, how in the world could the tumor just be gone?

So, I compared it to Phil's first scan.

I was looking at two different brains.

That's when I knew that the first scan had been mislabeled.

The scan that I thought was Phil's was really for another patient of mine...

Uh, Brett Carmichael.

You told someone who did have cancer that he didn't?

And now it was five months later.

So, I, uh... I called him...

But I got his wife.

He had already d*ed.

Yeah, but not the way you think. He, um...

He went back to work because I told him that he was okay.

Of course, his dizzy spells hadn't gone anywhere...

And he fell off some scaffolding.

[Sighs] So, what did you do?

Well, at first, I was gonna report myself.

And then, I remembered that Carmichael...

Had come in years before, complaining about headaches.

He thought he might have a concussion.

So, you scanned him?

Yeah. There was... there was no concussion.

But then, you remembered that the old scans were clean.

So you saw a way out of this mess.

I just...

I thought maybe falling off of scaffolding, is a better way to die than wasting away from cancer.

And... and Phil was okay. So...

So, you figured no harm, no foul.

I see why you did it.

I mean, nobody was hurt who wasn't hurt already.

Exactly.

All I had to do was dig up Carmichael's old five-year-old scan and... and re-label it.

So, it should have been over. What happened?

Phil's quack therapist calls me.

He tells me that he needs a copy of Phil's scans.

Right, for the book he's writing.

He didn't cure Phil's cancer.

I'm the one who helps cancer patients.

And you couldn't do that if they found out what you did.

Reputable scientists would have read that book and challenged the validity of Paro's claim and then demanded that Phil's brain be scanned again.

You would have been exposed.

I'm a doctor. I save lives.

I didn't want to be known as a k*ller.

Okay, so, then, you went to Phil's house, and you sh*t him?

No, no, no, no. You have to believe me. I knew the game was up.

I went to Phil to tell him face-to-face. I owed him at least that much.

Do you have any idea what you put me through, having to do chemo when I didn't need to, not to mention spending all of the damn money.

I'm flat ass broke, man.

I want to help you with that.

Oh, what, so now you're gonna try and bribe me.

No. No, that's not... no.

You know, I...

I bought this... In case the pain got too bad and I wanted to k*ll myself.

But now I'm starting to wonder!

Don't point...

Maybe I should be using this on you!

Don't point the g*n at me!

[g*nsh*t]

[Groans]

I guess we're not gonna be going to the cocktail party.

Daniel: You're leaving?

Fish and house guests.

[Sniffles]

It was nice to see you, mom.

Daniel, I forgive you for being a 20-year-old kid who thought he had all the answers.

Thanks.

Of course, that's cold comfort seeing as it's really just me forgiving myself.

Exactly.

Max: You okay, Doc?

Yeah.

Is your mom still here?

She left.

Think she'll be coming back?

Hey. You going out with that doctor?

Yeah, right after he serves 10 to 20 for manslaughter.

Ewe.

I finally meet somebody, and he turns out to be a k*ller.

And you wonder why I'm cynical.

[Bach's cello suite number 1 plays]

We want to believe that the brain is all-powerful.

That there's nothing we can't learn, nothing we can't conquer if we just set our minds to it.

But despite the brain's elegance and efficiency...

There are some things the power of the mind just cannot do.

Sometimes, when we're faced with an intractable problem.

It's not the brain that can solve it.

It's the heart.