01x01 - The Scholar's Snafu

[bunniefuu]

Oh, crap.

Darby?

Oh my God, oh my God.

Bye, babe!

Hey, Gabby.

Darby Spencer, reporting for duty

with 10 seconds to spare.

My jerk alarm decided to not go off.

What is it with you and technology?

What's the story? Same

guy, different robbery?

Yeah, third one this week.

Only this time, the owner fought back.

By the way, Detective O'Neal is here.

Great. My day just got even worse.

Ugh, my mom.

- You gonna get it?

- Nope.

Guaranteed she'd find a way to insult me

in the first 10 seconds.

At least, that's her current record.

Spencer, you're late!

All right, listen up.

This is the guy that we're looking for,

last seen fleeing the shop.

He's six feet tall, Caucasian.

He's wearing jeans and a grey hoodie.

Last sighting, he was

heading towards the alley.

We got a roadblock set

up on the other side.

Doesn't it seem weird that

he would go down the alley?

It's kind of a dead end.

Don't do it

Detective O'Neal?

I was just thinking, sir,

this guy knows the area, right?

So instead of the alley,

where he's boxed in,

he might've gone up to the parkade.

Spencer

It's a great place to

hide if he's injured,

and from there he could

access the residential building

to get away.

Spencer! You're not a detective, okay?

So quit the theorizing

and just do your job.

Roger that.

Detective O'Neal, come in.

O'Neal.

Okay, where are you?

Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!

Hey, stop!

Augh!

Stay down.

Don't move.

You're under arrest.

Nice job. Woo!

- Thanks.

- Yes.

Don't look now; Sarge is here.

Spencer!

Over here!

Ugh, here she comes

Veronica Mars. Hmph!

Spencer, Detective O'Neal tells me

- you disobeyed a direct order.

- Oh

Yeah, but I just thought that I

You just thought that you knew better.

- Like every other time.

- But I caught the guy.

Yeah, well, that doesn't matter!

You see, this is what I'm talking about.

Last month she followed a suspect home

without my authorization.

He was accused of arson

and I caught him setting another fire!

Time before that, she released a woman

being held in custody.

Because she went into labour!

What, you don't like it

when a woman makes decisions?

Okay, did you hear that?

It's insubordination.

All right, Spencer.

That's enough. You know the rules.

I'm issuing you a reprimand.

What?!

No, no, no. Sir, you you can't.

I'm set to take the

detective exam next month.

A reprimand will k*ll my chances!

Well, you should have

thought of that before

you decided to freestyle

all over my crime scene.

Now get back to work.

Detective exam!

No!

- What did you say?

- No!

If I had listened to you this morning,

we'd still be in the alley

searching through tin cans

and pizza boxes.

You couldn't solve a crime

if you committed it yourself!

And if you'd stop

taking leadership hacks

from the Don Draper

School of Management,

you would recognize that

I'm a better detective

than he'll ever be!

I quit.

What?

I quit!

Ugh.

Chase

Chase?

Hey, honey!

I was just about to shower.

You're home early. What's wrong?

That place is an incompetent boys club.

I quit.

Oh my God. You know what?

That's it, I'm taking you out.

Oh, no, I'm really not

Oh no, no, you just

stay right there, okay?

I'll be right back.

Well, at least let me change my shirt.

You look great! You look great.

Huh?

Isn't the market closing soon?

Why are you taking a shower now?

Slow day.

Why is your belt on the floor?

Um

Hey, oh, Darby, wait.

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Darby, what's wrong with you?

You're acting crazy right now.

Please don't hit me. I have veneers.

Oh my God!

Okay, Darby, look, I'm sorry, all right?

It just it just happened.

I didn't mean you hurt

you. But what do you expect?

You're never home,

you're always working.

We haven't spent quality

time together in months.

Are you trying to blame me for this?

You don't even like my TikToks.

Get out!

Um this is my condo.

It doesn't get any better in bed.

That windmill thing that he does,

that's his only move.

Darby!

Hey Gabby, it's Darby.

Yeah, I know, it has been a

long time, but I was thinking,

you know what would be

such a fun way to catch up?

Listen, could I maybe crash

on your couch for a bit?

Atlanta!

Wow, that's far.

Your in-laws? No, that's fine.

That's okay

Hey, Zane!

Darby? Where are you?

I'm in the city, but I was thinking

of driving out there.

Can I stay with you guys?

Yeah, you know we'd love

to have you here, Darbs,

but with the baby and everything

No, I get it. That's fine.

She can sleep on the couch!

But I think you

I think you know who you should call.

Do I have to?

Yeah.

Ugh

The prodigal daughter returns.

But why do you look

like a long-haul trucker?

Brand new record.

I'm glad you're here.

I've been trying to reach you for days.

My phone's vintage.

Why don't you get a new one?

I don't know,

the free phone store was closed.

Don't they pay you

at the police station?

Or does Chad still not have a job?

Trading crypto is a job.

And it's Chase, Mom.

Yes, of course, "Chase."

But how would I know,

since you never visit?

I can't do this. I've

had a really long day.

I have to go to sleep.

All right, fine. You

know where everything is.

The event starts at 11.

I have to be there early.

You can either come with

me or drive yourself.

The event?

My book reading.

That's why you're here, isn't it?

I left you like 98 messages.

Yeah, no, that is why I'm here.

The book reading.

You didn't know about it, did you?

Yes, I knew. I-I knew. It's

I'm tired, Mom.

You know, you don't

take care of yourself.

Let me draw you a bath.

Do not draw me anything.

I'm going to sleep.

All right, wake you at 7?

Not unless you wanna get tazed!

Holy Mother of Mom!

Whoa

Yikes.

Ugh!

So has the publisher

seen the reviews yet?

You leave that to me.

Focus on your big day, okay?

- Okay.

- Okay.

Oh, there you are!

I was beginning to think

that we had a gas leak.

Don't give me any ideas!

It's a little early for

booze, don't you think, Mom?

Even for you.

It's not booze if it's

paired with orange juice.

Uh-huh!

Hmm, honey, you remember

my agent, Sarita.

Sarita, Darby.

- Of course, hi.

- Of course, Darby.

It's been so long!

You two look like sisters.

- Sisters?

- Mm-hm!

Only a little. And in bad lighting.

Your mom's new Bryn Martell

thriller is being released this week!

Have you read it?

Uh

You know what?

Darby is too busy catching

real criminals to read my books.

Oh, come on!

Your mom is one of the top

mystery writers on the planet.

How could I forget?

I gotta go, but I'll

see you at the reading.

You're gonna change

into something less

- military right?

- Yeah!

Why don't you pick me out

something so we can both

look like Swedish airline hostesses?

Ow.

- Bye, Sarita.

- Bye.

Children

Okay, wow, that's a lot to unpack.

So you quit your job

You made the right decision.

Dumped that dead weight Chase.

Hey, harsh.

But not wrong.

And now you're moving

back in with your Mom?

Slow down. I am not moving in with her.

I just crashed there because

you two, for some reason,

you decided to prioritize

this little angel over me.

All right, walk me through this.

What's wrong with Victoria?

I thought you were the nice one.

What am I gonna do?

All my life, I only wanted to be a cop.

I just wanted to do

what my dad did, and

it's not what I thought it would be.

I want to help people.

I don't want to follow orders.

Does any of this make sense?

You're a lone wolf.

Do not tell her that;

it'll go to her head.

sh**t, I gotta run.

Goodbye!

Goodbye!

International best-selling author

with over 25 million copies sold,

five-time winner of the prestigious

Agatha Award for Best Novel

Stop, stop! Maybe this'll be the sixth?

Oh!

Alder Bluffs's own, Victoria Spencer.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Sarita.

Thank you all for being here,

and especially my daughter,

Darby Spencer,

who drove all the way from

the city to join us today!

And without further ado,

I am honoured to share

with you a sneak peek

of my latest Bryn Martell thriller,

"The Cardinal's Confession."

And what a perfect venue for it.

"Chapter Three.

Bryn glanced up at the

mottled light cascading down

from the cathedral's rose window "

Darby? Hey, Darby!

Hey!

I didn't know you were coming!

Oh, yeah, well, I tried

my best to avoid it,

but you know mom. How are you doing?

You must be finishing

your master's, right?

- Journalism?

- Yes, yeah.

Next stop, HuffPost!

Well, I mean, I hope. I've

got an interview, so

Nice.

God, it feels like yesterday

I was babysitting you

and we were crank-calling

the country club.

Do you remember?

I mean, you taught

me all my best swears.

Can't forget.

Um

Oh, um Uh, we'll talk after.

Yeah, sure.

Uh, hi, Dr. Cagney.

"And at that moment,

Bryn knew she had but one chance.

As the assailant swung his knife "

Wait, what?

"She ducked behind the chancel screen

and grabbed a heavy

gold candlestick "

No, please!

Kaia?

Uh, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Uh, then

"Then she felt a trickle of blood "

- What's going on?

- I, um

The university just called.

I'm being expelled!

They said I plagiarized my thesis!

What? That's ridiculous!

You're, like, one of the

most honest people I know.

No, that has to be a mistake.

No, that's what I said!

But they wouldn't listen.

They just kept saying

that my paper was flagged

and that there's a

zero tolerance policy.

I don't know. Like, this is my future.

This is everything that I've worked for.

I could look into this for you.

No, I can't ask you to do that.

No, seriously, I can.

I have some time now.

I'll go see the Dean of Admissions.

- Really?

- Mm-hm.

- You'll help me?

- Of course we will.

I know the Dean of Admissions personally

and we will visit her this afternoon.

- I'm sorry, "we"?

- Oh thank you, you two!

Thank you so much! Thank you so much!

You two are the best.

It's okay. It's okay.

What was that about? What?

I offered to help Kaia. Me.

Well, Officer Spencer,

don't you have to go back to your job?

Besides, I am good at this stuff.

Do you know how many crime stories

I have written in my lifetime?

Not the same thing.

Okay, fine, you go visit

your close acquaintance,

the Dean of Admissions,

all by your lonesome.

Fine. We'll go to the Dean together.

But after that, I'm working alone.

Thank you so much for

seeing us, Dr. Cagney.

What a beautiful painting!

It's my newest. An

original Norval Morrisseau.

You've always had such good taste.

Please, have a seat.

Thank you.

So, what can I do for you?

I, uh We

ran into Kaia Zhang today, and

she's a close family friend.

Oh, yes. What a shame.

I had such high hopes for her.

She said her thesis was

flagged for plagiarism.

What does that mean?

The university uses a

state-of-the-art submissions portal.

Students upload their papers,

where they're checked

against known cheat sites.

Could we see proof?

I'm sorry, that's confidential.

Wanda, it would go a long

way to appeasing my concerns.

You know, as a donor.

Ah

- Okay. Keep this between us?

- Of course!

As you can see, Kaia's

thesis was tracked

to a website called Termpaperfox.com.

It appears she purchased an

existing paper and modified it.

I'm so sorry.

Termpaperfox? I've never heard of that.

According to the Dean of Admissions,

your thesis is on their site, here.

Thank you.

I don't understand.

I would never do any

This isn't my thesis!

Or, it is my thesis, but

it's not the final version.

Okay, I was writing about

depression and anxiety

and how it impacts athletics,

specifically the men's basketball team.

But I deleted this part about

pre-existing mental health conditions.

So, someone uploaded an

earlier version of your work?

But why?

So it would be flagged

by the system when you turned it in.

So this was planned?

But how did they steal your paper, Kaia?

Oh my God! When I lost my computer!

Somebody took it at the

library a few weeks ago.

I thought it was just an accident

because it showed up the next day,

exactly where I was sitting.

Do you have any idea who would do this?

Yeah.

Jerome Callaghan.

He's a starting point

guard on the men's team.

I heard he was using

performance-enhancing drugs

and I wanted to cover that in my thesis.

But he completely blew up

when I tried to talk to him.

Well, I think it's time we paid

this Jerome Callaghan a social call.

This is it, the Faculty

of Physical Education.

The gym's inside.

Whoa, where are you going?

We agreed that after the

Dean, I would work solo.

You're staying here.

What?

Let's go, let's go.

Ramos, come on!

Come on, pick it up, Ramos!

Come on!

You too, Callaghan!

Jerome Callaghan?

- Yeah?

- Can I ask you a few questions?

- Who are you?

- A friend of Kaia Zhang.

How come you didn't want to

talk to her about her thesis?

How'd you know about that?

Well, she

Hey, Callaghan! What's the problem here?

This is a private practice, Miss.

No, I know.

I'm just asking him a few questions.

The door is right there. You can use it.

Thank you.

Come on, get back in there!

- Yes, Coach.

- Come on!

Here we go, guys! Move it, move it!

- There you are.

- Hey.

Finally. Look what I found.

What are those?

Performance-enhancing drugs, I presume.

I found them in Jerome's gym bag.

So you just took them?

What, you're committing crimes now?

It's just a few pills.

Besides, you should be grateful.

Looks like you came up empty-handed.

And as Bryn Martell always says,

"Always have a backup plan!"

Bryn Martell.

Sugar pie, honey bunch ♪

You know that I love you ♪

I can't help myself ♪

I love you and nobody else ♪

You come in and out my life ♪

You come and you go ♪

Leaving just your picture behind ♪

Good morning.

Oh.

I'm sorry, did I wake you?

No, I was already up.

You seem uncharacteristically chipper.

Yeah, I guess I am.

Do you want some coffee?

No, I'll get some on the road.

Okay.

I'm glad you're here,

because we have to get those

pills analyzed right away.

Do you think that the

lab at your police station

would do it for us?

Oh no. I think they're

probably really busy.

But I was thinking I

might go by the hospital.

Why would we go

Oh! Lucas!

Relax.

There's nothing between us.

We dated in high school.

Uh-huh, well, it's never too

late to make a good impression.

That's not the saying.

You can't go dressed like that.

You need to borrow a blouse.

Everyone says we look

like sisters, so

Your agent, who you pay

money to, said that one time!

Whatever.

I've got this. You can

I don't know, go back to

your sugarpie-honeybunching.

Fine.

But as God is my witness,

you will wear lipstick!

Never gonna happen!

Ugh!

Whoa, you okay there? Everybody okay?

Darby?

Lucas!

What are you doing here?

You work here right.

I, uh I was just

walking and looking at my phone,

and you know how that goes.

So good as new.

Yeah! It just needs to be sanitized.

Right.

Sorry.

When did you get back into town?

I didn't know you were here.

I drove up for my mom's book reading,

but then I stayed because

it's complicated.

Why does that not surprise me?

Hey, you used to find that charming!

Eh, sometimes.

While I have you, maybe

you could do me a favour?

Could you tell me if these are

performance-enhancing drugs?

Is this for a case?

I guess you could say that.

Yeah, they're performance-enhancing

in a sense.

They're ED meds.

As in ?

Erectile dysfunction.

Oh! Okay.

Was not expecting that.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Luckily you never did.

Inside voice

Lucas?

Hey, uh, Lindsay. You remember

- Darby Spencer!

- Yeah!

I thought you were in the city.

I was. I mean, I am.

I am.

Well, come on. We better go.

I've only got an hour and

we have to visit the florist

- and the photographer.

- Okay.

Wait, are you two ?

Getting married in the fall!

Can you believe it?

Someone finally landed the most

eligible bachelor in Alder Bluffs.

Finally!

Wow! Congratulations!

Oh my gosh.

No, now I see it now,

now that you've said it,

because you both have very

similar levels of attractiveness

and great face

bones.

So, uh, that's awesome

for you, and I'm gonna go.

But congratulations

again, and good to see you.

See you, Darby.

- Bye!

- Bye!

ED meds?

Really?

Mm-hm.

Okay, I guess that's why he didn't want

to answer any of the questions

about the drugs he was using.

Yeah.

So we're back to square one.

Oh, no, we're just getting started!

Who's Michael Fletcher?

He's listed on the team's roster,

but you didn't interview him.

Yeah, that guy.

It's just some player they

recruited out of Vancouver.

Recruited?

Yeah, sometimes the

university will waive

bad grades in order to

bring in a star player.

Your talent alone buys

you a spot on the team.

You know what? I never found him.

He was never at practice

or any of the games, so

Well, why not?

Coach Hammond said he tore his

Achilles and went back home.

Look, I already tried to follow it up,

but the coach wouldn't

give me his contact info.

- Weird.

- Yeah.

I think I know where we

might be able to get it.

Michael Fletcher? Never heard of him.

Your teammate?

From Vancouver? With the torn Achilles?

What are you talking about?

There's never been anyone on

the team named Michael Fletcher.

And who are you guys, anyway?

You know, you're suspiciously

short to be a basketball player.

I think you're lying. And she is a cop.

She doesn't look like a cop,

and I don't know a Michael Fletcher.

Show him your badge.

It's fine, Mom.

We need to find out

about Michael Fletcher!

No, we will. We're good.

- Thank you for your time, Jerome.

- Thanks.

Okay, what was that all about?

Let's just leave it alone.

Why wouldn't you show him your badge?

Did you forget it?

No, I didn't forget it!

Okay.

Darby Amelia, you have been in

a bad mood since you got home.

Have I ever been in a good mood at home?

Okay, fine.

What, did you have a fight with Chad?

Chase!

Chase "windmilled" a woman with veneers.

Windmilled?

What?

He cheated on me, Mom!

What he's a loser!

That doesn't matter. It

must be something else.

Did something happen at work?

I quit!

I have nothing now.

Are you happy?

You never wanted me to be

a cop in the first place.

Are you surprised?

Your father died in the line of duty.

I worry about you.

I worry about you every single day.

Give me a break!

You left me.

Stop pretending that you care.

Of course I care.

You're my daughter.

I am your mother.

No, you're not!

Mom, you are Victoria Spencer,

the five-time Agatha Award winner for

whatever.

I never should have come back here.

Darby

Face it, Mom,

we don't belong together.

We never have

We never will.

Not even you can rewrite that.

I have it.

Thank you.

Did you get any sleep?

Hmm, not really.

This is the world's tiniest blanket.

But it's the least of my concerns.

You want to talk about it?

What's to talk about?

She's a judgemental narcissist

who's never supported me

a single day in her life.

So uh, you're not

gonna like hearing this,

but we think you're

too hard on Victoria.

I'm hard?

Have you met her?

Darby, she talks about you all the time.

She wishes she could see you more.

She's lonely!

She's manipulative.

And she's only nice to you

guys so she can undermine me.

Why are you taking her side?

- Darby

- We're not

No, I'm serious.

You guys don't know what it

was like for me growing up.

After my dad died, my mom

buried herself in her writing,

and next thing I knew she was

off flying all over the world

promoting her books.

She completely abandoned me.

And then she'd swan in, no apology,

and try to buy her way back into

my life with some stupid gift

she bought in, like,

I don't know, Belgium.

What's the matter?

She'd buy her way in

Yeah, you were in the

middle of making that point.

I gotta go!

- Uh, dinosaur?

- Dinosaur!

Mom?

Mom?

Hmm

Ooh

"Though once a maven

in the world of mystery,

Victoria Spencer may have

finally reached her sell-by date."

Mom?

No, wait!

Mom! Mom, wait.

You had no business

snooping around in there!

I'm sorry! I wasn't snooping.

I was looking for you.

Well, you must be thrilled.

It's what you always wanted!

Your overbearing mother

being put back in her place.

That's not what I wanted.

Okay, I sometimes wanted it,

but I didn't picture it like this.

Well, now you know my career is over.

Those reviews are right:

my last novel was a dud.

I'm sure it's not that bad.

How would you know?

You've never even read

a single one of my books.

Do you have any idea what it feels like

when everybody thinks that

you're completely washed up?

This is all I know how to do,

and I haven't written a word in months!

I'm sorry, Mom.

What is it that you

wanted me for, anyway?

I had a thought about the case.

Michael Fletcher is a fake?

Yeah, how did you know?

I thought it was weird

that Jerome didn't know who he was,

so I called Kaia, she gave me

the name of his high school

turns out there never was

a student with that name.

That's so smart.

There was, however,

a student named Michael Everwood,

middle name Fletcher, who

was accepted into Alderview

last fall, but he wasn't

a basketball player,

or even a good student.

That's it.

He's the one.

The one what?

It's an admissions scam, Mom.

Oh

Think about it. Michael Everwood,

who they've renamed Michael Fletcher,

gets recruited by a championship team,

even though he doesn't play basketball?

That doesn't make any sense. Unless

The coach was taking bribes!

Exactly.

He's selling access to the university

through the recruitment system.

And he got spooked when

Kaia asked him about Michael

because it threatened

to expose his scheme.

Well, how do we prove it?

We need to get a copy of Michael

Fletcher's fake student file.

Maybe there's something in

there that links him back

to the real Michael Everwood.

Okay, you do that, and

I'll go talk to the coach.

What? No! No way. Uh-uh.

Yeah, all I have to do is convince him

that I am the mother of a student

who needs the same

arrangement as Michael.

- Okay?

- No, Mom, that's crazy!

Honey, I can handle it, all right?

Don't worry.

Okay, but

take Kaia with you and

have her wait in the car.

I want a witness there

in case the coach decides

to make this a sudden death round.

Good idea.

Hmm, I guess this is

what a coach's salary

and years of bribes gets you.

Okay, I've got my handy digital

recording device in my purse.

All right

Victoria, are you sure about this?

Relax. I am going to be fine.

Just sit tight.

And for God's sake, stay out of sight!

Dr. Cagney?

Are you in there?

Okay, great

Now I'm committing crimes.

Awesome influence, Mom.

Dr. Cagney?

Password.

Um

"Alderview."

Norval painting auction

"Norval"?

N-O-R-V-A-L.

Yes!

Nice house.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for seeing

me on such short notice.

Not at all.

You said on the phone this

was something about your son?

Yes. My son, Chase.

He's not the brightest bulb, I'm afraid.

As his mother, I would

never use the word "loser,"

but it has been floated

I get it, I get it.

Uh, I don't understand what

it is you want me to do.

Oh, well, Paul Everwood

is a friend of mine.

I do believe you know his son, Michael?

Yeah, sure. Uh, good kid.

Mm-hm.

Paul told me that you

were able to help him

get his son enrolled in Alderview.

Well

That was just a favour for a friend.

He wasn't supposed to tell you that.

Athletic scholarships

Basketball

Fletcher.

Michael Fletcher

Michael Fletcher Everwood!

Dr. Cagney?

Oh, no!

No, no, no, don't blame Paul.

I practically forced it out of him.

But I would be interested

in exploring a similar

arrangement for my son.

I would happily

compensate you for any

unusual expenses that might arise.

Oh, damn it!

You've reached Victoria Spencer.

Come on.

- Hey.

- Kaia, listen to me.

Dr. Cagney is in on it!

What?

Yeah, my phone's dying,

but I need you to get

through to my mom, okay?

Keep trying her. She

has to get out of there.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

What is it? What's wrong?

Darby She's here.

Dr. Cagney?

She's in the driveway.

Well, you can't let her go in there.

She knows my mom!

How am I supposed to stop her?

I don't know!

Okay, Kaia, I need you to do one thing.

Well, you see, my

dying husband, Octavius,

beckoned me to his

bedside and he whispered

just one word to me

"Alderview!"

Then I realized I was

going to have to use

his substantial fortune

to ensure his dying wish for his son.

Okay!

Okay?

"Okay" as in you'll get

my son into Alderview

in exchange for money?

Uh, I do have to text my partner first.

Excuse me.

Fine!

Dr. Cagney?

Dr. Cagney!

Hey, wait!

I need to talk to

you about my expulsion.

How did you even know I would be here?

This is inappropriate.

Listen, I have to graduate.

This is everything I've

been working toward.

There's nothing I can do.

I'm sorry.

Oh, wow!

Uh, yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?

It's a gift from my partner.

Some Narval something?

Oh

Hey, babe, I brought dinner!

There you are, right on cue!

Oh, Victoria!

You know each other?

Well, of course. This

is Victoria Spencer.

The author.

What are you doing here?

She wants help with her

son to get into Alderview.

Oh, her son?

Victoria doesn't have a son.

You know, this is just

a misunderstanding.

- I'm gonna go.

- Wait.

Did you bring Kaia here?

Uh

How much have you told her?

I I don't know. We were just talking.

Ugh!

Is that necessary?

Oh, you idiot! She was recording you!

What are we gonna do?

Well, I just erased it,

and that was her only proof.

Besides, everyone knows Victoria

has a very active imagination.

I think this news won't

be leaving this house,

now, will it, Victoria?

No. I promise I won't say a thing.

- But I will.

- Honey, no, stop

No, no, don't worry, Mom. I've got this.

Look what I found in Michael

Fletcher's student file.

It's a medical assessment

of Michael Everwood,

the real Michael, stating that he has

a congenital heart condition

and can't participate

in strenuous activities.

Which is a little odd for a star

basketball player, don't you think?

Hmph! So what?

All that file proves

is that I was deceived

by a bogus application.

Hey, you don't throw

me under the bus on this.

Hey the truth is you have nothing.

You have no financial

records, no documentation,

no evidence whatsoever to

prove that we accepted bribes.

Michael's never going to say a

word and the only other people

who know anything about it are

standing right here in this room, so

You sure?

You get all that, Zane?

Loud and clear.

How ?

There's nothing I can do.

I'm sorry.

As a wise detective once told me,

"Always have a backup plan."

Kaia!

- It worked.

- Aww!

Oh, that's amazing.

Congrats again, Kaia.

Okay, bye.

What was that all about?

Kaia got the job at HuffPost.

They want her to write

an in-depth article

about the entire bribery scandal.

I hope they mention

us: The Spencer Sisters.

That's not a thing.

Honey, you don't have to rush off.

I have a very special bottle

of champagne I bought in Paris.

We could share it.

Thanks, Mom, but

I do have stuff I have to take care of.

I understand.

It was good to see you.

I had

fun.

Good.

Maybe you'll come back again, soon.

I will.

Promise.

Okay

Bye, Mom.

Bye.

Bye!

Drive safe!

Did you forget something or ?

No, I was just thinking, like,

maybe a drink would be nice.

Oh!

Except a beer?

I might have one that

the gardener left behind.

Uh, but you mind pulling your

car into the garage first?

It's a bit of an eyesore.

Sure.

Brand new record.

Just over there, hon.