02x03 - The Ides of December - Part 1

[bunniefuu]

I just have one question

for you, Emily Lane.

Who are you, really?

So, if Violet wants to go back

to work at the Mistletoe,

you've proven to me

she's safe with you in her life.

Hackers?

Well, one particular

group of hackers.

It's time to pick a user name.

Well, go on.

What's the name?

Chimera.

Happy h* h* h*, crew!

It's Harrison Crane, coming

at you live in Fletcher's Grove,

where a local gallery

is about to throw a tribute

to artist Angela Wells,

who disappeared

from the art scene 55 years ago.

Most of her work was lost

in a fire, in her studio,

on Christmas Day, in 1968!

And now, I'll be among the first

to witness a newly-discovered

self portrait.

And because the artist famously

avoided the public eye,

never allowing herself

to be photographed,

this painting will finally

answer one of the art world's

what did Angela Wells look like?

As if that's not enough

of a reason to get excited,

Angela's only living relative,

grand-daughter Moira Wells,

an artist in her own right

will feature her own work

at the exhibit

while also promoting

her first book,

a tribute

to her grandmother's legacy.

And all of this

is thanks to the generosity

of one famous dude

Famous Ray!

Well, uh, merry Christmas.

And to celebrate

our grand opening,

I just want to personally

invite you all to take part

in the online voting stage

of our inaugural

Christmas-themed

art competition.

The winner will have their work

featured on a Christmas card

that will be sold in every store

in Fletcher's Grove,

including my own:

Famous Ray's Furniture Emporium!

There's Brooke. She didn't

tell you what she wanted?

Just that it was a surprise

and that I was gonna love it.

Hey, Brooke,

what's goin' on here?

Are you taking part

in the competition?

Why not?

I used to paint in college.

I find the human form

both alluring and grotesque.

Which brings me to you, June.

Excuse me?

I want you to be my model.

Mrs. Claus

is the perfect subject

for a Christmas-themed

art competition.

-What? Why me?

-Oh, well

because you have the exact look

that I am going for.

And because you're reliable.

No offence, Emily.

-Wow.

-None taken.

-Brooke, I really don't

-Oh, red is your colour!

Now, sit up straight, girl,

because we are about to make

Christmas card history!

Okay, I just

You owe me.

And try and make it quick.

I gotta go open up

the shop, but um good luck.

Eeh!

This is great!

I'm scared.

Hey, Sam.

Oh, Emily.

I can't tell you how nice it is

to have Violet back

at the Mistletoe.

Not so nice for me, though.

I'm a server down,

during the holidays.

Sorry about that, Sue!

There he is!

Ha-ha-ha!

Oh!

How you doin'?

-Good to see you, man!

-You too, partner!

Emily, this is Reed Donley,

my mentor

and my first partner

on the force.

-No way!

-Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Sammy was just a fresh-faced kid

outta the academy back then.

Look at ya now!

-I'll let you two catch up.

-It's so nice to meet you, Reed.

Oh, my pleasure.

Bye, Sammy.

She seems nice.

-It's so good to see you.

-Thanks, pal.

-What are you doin' in town?

-Oh, just a security detail.

I'd rather be sipping Mai Tais

on a beach somewhere, but

my messed-up kidneys

have put a real damper

on my retirement plans.

Dialysis ain't cheap.

I'm sorry to hear that.

That's okay. Do me a favour

and don't tell anyone, okay?

I've only told

a few close friends.

I'm not looking for sympathy,

but I could use an extra man.

What's the job?

Babysitting a bunch of paintings

for the auction house

over in White Rock.

I mean, I could do it alone,

but it's probably

gonna be an overnighter,

and I just don't have

the stamina I used to.

It's a cash gig.

I hate to say no to you,

but Violet leaves soon

for Christmas with her mom,

and I just want to get as much

time in with her as I can.

'Course. Forget about it,

forget about it.

Family first, always.

I got another guy I can ask.

-Okay.

-It's good to see you though.

Here, coffee's on me.

-Thank you.

-Coffee would be great.

Lunch would be nicer, but

You're late.

I was expecting you an hour ago.

-Reed?

-Hey, buddy?

Felt bad saying no

to you yesterday,

so I brought you breakfast.

Hey, Reed,

no sleeping on the job, buddy!

Reed! Reed!

Reed, Reed, Reed, Reed!

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

It's not Christmas

if the snow don't fall ♪

And I'm still standing

here three feet small ♪

It's Christmas time ♪

I love being the

single mom of two furry cuties,

but that doesn't mean

I don't get lonely sometimes,

usually around the holidays.

Was your brother ignoring you?

You need a little attention?

Oh, yeah,

I need some attention too.

My relationships

have a habit

of being few and far between.

It comes with the territory

when you've lived

a life like mine.

Of course, there was a time,

back before the start

of my long history

of questionable decisions

when I was sure my first brush

with love would last forever.

Guess who?

-Aaron!

-Don't sneak up on me!

-Sorry.

-I couldn't wait to tell you.

I'll be spending

Christmas break with you.

Oh, it'll be so nice

to have company, but

how come?

My parents decided

last-minute to spend Christmas

cruising the Pacific Coast

with friends.

I'm sorry.

I'm not.

A Christmas without snow?

No thank you.

I totally agree.

I said stay out of my way!

Hoo!

Zeke is such a jerk

and he never gets in trouble.

When your dad's a state senator,

you can get away with anything.

If the teachers

won't do anything about it,

then maybe we should.

Want to work on

a little project with me

over the Christmas break?

Wow, these are beautiful.

-Thanks for opening up, Vy.

-I just lost track of time.

-That's what I'm here for.

-What's all this?

-Meet Piper.

-She's a local artist.

Oh, well, I don't know if

I would call myself an artist.

-Don't sell yourself short.

-These

These are stunning.

I was actually bringing

my portfolio to the bookstore,

when I decided to pop in here.

I'm looking

for a little inspiration

for my next painting.

She's entered in the Christmas

art competition.

That's wonderful.

I mean, you really have a gift.

Thank you.

-Well, I should get going.

-Can't be late.

So, what's happening

at the bookstore?

Moira Wells

is doing a book signing.

I'm a huge fan.

-Sounds like fun!

-Maybe I'll drop by.

You should.

All right, Merry Christmas.

Bye!

Merry Christmas.

Don't tell me you're

also a Moira Wells fan.

No, no, but the more I learn

about her grandmother,

the more impressed I am.

Can you imagine going

your whole life

without ever having

a picture taken?

Well, she did die before

camera phones were a thing.

That's a good point.

Even so,

Angela Wells

could probably teach me

a few things about

flying under the radar.

You gonna take

your coat off, or?

You know I can't

resist a good book signing!

Call me if there's a rush!

Mm-hm.

You're the best!

Thank you.

That was the medical examiner.

She confirmed the slug

that k*lled your friend

came from his own weapon.

-He's an ex-cop.

-I know.

Listen, I'm happy to keep

you in the loop, Wilner,

but this is a White Rock crime.

I'm aware

I'm out of my jurisdiction.

It's your show, Detective?

-Meadows.

-Mike Meadows.

Reed said the job

was looking after some art?

Yeah, some rich

New York recluse died

and his private collection

is here to be auctioned off.

Well, most of it anyway.

Some of the pieces

are on their way to a gallery

in your neck of the woods,

part of

the Angela Wells exhibit.

Was anything taken?

I checked the registry

with the auction house.

Apparently all the pieces of art

are accounted for.

No sign of tampering.

Well,

that'll need to be confirmed.

After the death

of my adoptive parents,

I felt compelled to seek out

my birth mother,

which led

to the life-changing discovery

that the Angela Wells was,

in fact, my grandmother.

It's it's

my uh

priv privilege,

maybe even my calling,

to finally share her

incredible story with the world.

And while

I intimidated

-It's quite the turnout, Noah.

-Gotta hand it to my brother.

It was his idea

to bring in live events.

Too bad

Fred couldn't be here for it.

Oh, I don't think he minds.

It's always been his dream

to spend Christmas

in London with Morgan.

Through hours of research

and long conversations

with my birth mother,

Angela's daughter,

I learned that Angela

was a beloved and respected

figure in the art community.

Angela loved her craft.

Despite literally being

a starving artist.

She couldn't even afford

proper painting supplies,

which is why

she made her own brushes

using the trimmed ends

of her hair.

A few of those original brushes

will be on display

at the Angela Wells exhibit

opening in just a few days.

Is something wrong?

It's nothing.

That can't be good.

-I'm sorry.

-I I'll need to postpone.

Something unavoidable

has come up.

-Uh, all good, Moira.

-We can reschedule.

We just

need you to vouch

for the Angela Wells portrait.

This is it.

Thank God it's safe.

Hey, what's that on the ground?

By the crate.

Looks like

a cloth of some sort.

Hey, can we get this bagged,

please?

Thanks for your time,

Miss Wells.

I'm sorry that took so long.

Why can I never

go to a bookstore

without leaving with books?

It's an illness.

You okay?

My dad called.

Uh one of his old

cop friends was k*lled.

What?

That's terrible.

He's pretty shaken up about it.

They used to be partners

back in the day.

Wait

is his name Reed?

-Yeah.

-How did you know?

Come in.

Hey.

Violet just told me about Reed.

Just wanted to check

and see if you're okay.

He asked for my help

and I said no.

If I had been there

Don't do that to yourself.

You have any suspects?

Not yet.

Someone cut the line

to the security camera

at the auction house,

so I've been reviewing footage

from all the other cameras

in the area,

and I figured if

What's this?

What?

Wait he was

at the art space yesterday.

So what's he doing skulking

around the auction house

in White Rock

at 11:30 last night?

-Come on, man.

-I didn't k*ll anyone.

Look,

I'm just an art influencer.

Who just happened to be

wandering around

less than a block away

from where a man was k*lled

while guarding

a truck full of art.

-Okay, fine.

-I'm cooperating, okay?

I I got a tip from a friend

at the auction house

that the art

was arriving that night.

I wanted my followers

to get an exclusive look

at the Angela Wells portrait.

I thought maybe I could

charm the security guards

into giving a sneak peek.

Turned out they're not a fan.

-They wouldn't budge.

-So you got into it with him.

-Are you kidding?

-He was armed. I I left.

That was the end of it, okay?

What?

Meadows.

I need a word with you.

Why would you bring

a suspect in on my case

without my approval?

Departmental cooperation.

Look, I need to be in on this.

Reed was my friend.

-I get it.

-I do.

But you are too close

to this, Wilner,

and that's how these

mistakes happen.

What mistakes?!

Going after a content creator

without more evidence.

This will be all over

social media now.

Okay, maybe I jumped the g*n

But nothing! I kept you

in the loop as a courtesy.

That is over now.

This is a White Rock case,

and if you interfere

with my investigation again,

I will have no choice

but to report you.

Understand?

I've been

so caught up in work and Sam

and the upcoming holiday

that I've barely thought about

Chimera the last few weeks.

I can't risk

becoming complacent,

even if it does

somewhat feel like

I'm only feeding

my own paranoia.

So, Violet, you and Kyle

first Christmas as a couple?

Any plans?

We'll be sending each other

Santa and present emojis

from opposite ends

of the country.

He's going away with his family.

Aw, I'm sorry.

I've actually never had a

boyfriend over Christmas before,

and now that I do, I won't be

able to see him in person.

It's like whatever the opposite

of a Christmas miracle is.

Hey, Vy.

Thought you could use

a little midday cocoa boost.

-You thought right.

-Thank you.

He's a keeper!

Oh, if you think

this is something,

wait until you see the Christmas

gift I got for you.

All I can say is prepare

to be blown away.

Oh, that works out,

'cause I also got you

a really cool Christmas present.

-Ooh, did you?

-Okay.

-Yeah, so

-get ready for that.

-No, you get ready.

-You get ready more.

Ah yes, I forgot

how annoying young love can be.

I'll give you mine just before

I leave for the holidays

so you have a little something

to remember me by, okay?

-Bye, Emily.

-See ya.

So

what's this super

special Christmas gift

you have for Kyle?

I'll let you know

when I find it.

-Hey, Sam.

-You just missed Violet.

-Oh, let me guess

-Kyle?

They're very cute together.

-How's, uh

-how's the investigation going?

I'm almost certain Harrison

Crane is involved somehow,

but White Rock got territorial

and shut me out.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Hey, know what, I'm actually

headed to the art space

to check out the new

Christmas card prospects.

Harrison's there. I could keep

my ear to the ground for you.

-What are you doing?

-Winking.

You're just making a weird face.

It's not a weird face,

it's a wink.

-Uh, that's how you wink?

-What, how do you wink?

-See?

-Normal.

Ah, I've missed this.

-What?

-You know, just

this.

Seriously though, I want you

to stay away from Harrison.

If he did k*ll Reed,

he's dangerous.

It's a frozen

moment in time ♪

Hey, ladies!

Oh!

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

No peeking till the big reveal.

Sorry.

-June, you look

-Don't say anything.

Oh my God, quit fidgeting!

-This is taking forever.

-Yeah, well, you can't rush art.

Says who?

Someone with a lot of time

on their hands, apparently.

I will be right back.

No, no, don't leave me.

The more you squirm,

the longer this is gonna take.

Hello again!

Looks like

you found your inspiration.

-Hey! I did.

-From your store, actually.

-Oh, thanks.

-I'm flattered.

Hello, everyone.

Just thought I'd check

on my future competition.

-Excuse me.

-Yeah.

Moira?

Moira?

Hi, I'm I'm Piper.

We met at

That's right, yes.

You were at my Chicago opening

last month and my book signing.

You're not stalking me, are you?

No, no, of course not.

Um, it's just that you mentioned

you might like

to take a look at my work

My schedule's packed this trip,

you understand?

-Of course.

-Yeah, another time.

Mm-hm.

Interesting.

Moira was clearly joking

when she called Piper a stalker,

but her first reaction

to seeing her?

That was real fear.

So what is she afraid of?

If it isn't the great

Moira Wells!

-Harrison!

-I heard you were in town.

Mm-hm! As if I'd miss

the unveiling of your new show!

-You know I love you.

-Love you more, darling.

I've gotta go get on a live

in a few minutes, but uh,

call me and we'll get drinks,

if there's even

a good bar in this town.

Why do I

get the feeling

there's no love lost

between these two?

I don't believe it.

Moira Wells and Harrison Crane

in the same room together?

You two seem so close!

-Please.

-Two million followers?

More like two million paid bots.

With all of

the hype surrounding

Angela Wells and her mysterious

self-portrait,

I can't help but wonder

if it isn't connected

to the m*rder of Reed Donnelly.

Why are you

asking me about this?

Well, because you know

your town history,

and Angela Wells lived here

for the better part of her life.

Okay, that makes sense.

But there's not much

to tell you.

She rarely made

public appearances.

Here.

Angela Wells' masterpiece:

Christmas Eve

in Fletcher's Grove.

If this painting hadn't

survived the fire,

she'd probably be

completely forgotten.

It's nice she's getting

some recognition now.

I agree. I was hoping

to raise her profile myself,

but information on her life

has been tough to come by.

Raise her profile how?

Okay

All right, I've been working

on a book of my own,

a history of our little town.

-No way, that's amazing!

-Yes, thank you.

But it looks like my

Angela Wells research is flawed.

Everything I dug up pointed to

her peers being jealous

of her talent,

but according to Moira,

she was a leader

of the local art community.

I guess I should thank her.

She saved me

from looking like a fool.

Uh okay, I gotta go,

but hey, um,

if I promise to buy a copy of

your book when it comes out,

would you let me take a peek

at your research?

My first pre-order.

It's a deal.

Two coffees.

Thank you.

Anything else I can get you?

Maybe something off

of the new Christmas menu?

-What's the, uh

-Yule Log with a side of snow?

-Yeah.

-Meatloaf with mashed potatoes.

To be honest,

it's basically the old menu,

but I changed the names

to make it more Christmassy.

Uh, just the coffee.

-Same for me.

-Thanks, Sue.

All right, then, yeah.

What's on your mind?

I called a friend of mine

at the medical examiner's office

and got a peek

at Reed's autopsy report.

Turns out he had been struggling

with a painkiller addiction

from an old injury.

I had no idea.

He probably

thought you'd worry.

And not just worry,

I would have tried to help him.

I owe the guy my life.

What do you mean?

I was maybe

three months on the force.

There was an armed robbery call.

I didn't see the sh**ter

coming up behind me.

Reed shoved me out of the way

and took a b*llet

that was meant for me.

That injury forced him

into early retirement,

but not once did he ever say

anything to me about it.

And then the one time he asks

me for help, I turn him down.

Now he's gone.

-No.

-It's not your fault.

I'm not gonna

let him down again.

I'm gonna find

who did this to him.

I thought you were told

to stay away from the case.

I was.

As a cop,

my hands were completely tied.

Were tied?

As in past tense?

I took a leave of absence.

I am officially

a private citizen.

Noah's right.

Moira's book doesn't line up

at all with Noah's research,

but his sources appear sound.

Is it possible

she's the one that got it wrong?

Or maybe

she's stretching the truth

to protect

her grandmother's legacy.

I wonder how Sam is getting on

with his investigation.

Working outside the law

may cut through some red tape,

but it comes with

its own set of problems.

Doing the wrong things,

even for the right reasons,

can lead down

a very slippery slope.

Check it out.

School's database

with backdoor access

to every student's record.

Who showed you how to do this?

Self-taught.

Wow, if I wasn't

an already an honour student,

you could change that

with a few keystrokes.

I can make it go

the other way around, too.

You want to lower our grades?

Not us.

I'm talking about Zeke.

Oh

Maybe let's switch

these B's into D's.

I bet his dad

wouldn't be too thrilled.

Are you sure nobody

can trace this back to us?

-No chance.

-I was careful.

-Okay, what's next?

-You tell me.

But I don't think that

we should mess with anyone

who doesn't deserve it.

What?

It's just

even when you're bad,

you still care about people.

It's one of the things

I love about you.

What are the other things?

Don't laugh, but I think

being here with you

is one of the best

Christmases I've ever had.

Me too.

I want to stay

in this moment with you ♪

Hmm, looks like

the Angela Wells exhibit

is going ahead as planned.

Wait.

Is that?

What are

you up to, Sam?

What are you doing?

Shh

Like I said,

I hired Reed,

but left it to him

to hire any additional team

he felt he needed.

But you don't

have any names?

He tried to bring someone

in named Benny Cresh,

but he had no real experience,

so I told Reed

he had to let him go.

He wasn't happy about it,

but he did as I asked.

And there was

nobody else?

Not that I'm aware of.

Okay, that's it for now.

If we have more questions,

we'll be in touch.

Oh, what a waste of time.

It's looking more and more

like a random attack.

Sorry.

Don't be.

I'm, uh

not used to being the one

skulking around in dark corners.

Stick with me, kid.

I got a lot to teach you.

Um

I should probably

get June's coffee to her

before it gets cold.

Yeah, I'm supposed to

meet Violet at the diner

for breakfast.

The name

Moira mentioned?

The security guard?

Benny Cresh.

If Reed hired him

and then had to fire him,

that may not have

sat well with Benny.

I was thinking the same thing.

It's all good.

Okay, love you too.

Let me guess

Change of plans?

Mm-hm, yeah.

That's the price

of having a cop for a dad.

Even if he's not technically

a cop right now.

Men like your dad

don't know how to stop.

It's a

it's an admirable quality.

Speaking of men

what would be the perfect

Christmas gift

for a new boyfriend?

Something special to commemorate

our first Christmas as a couple.

Well, the fastest way

to a man's heart

is through his stomach.

On my first Christmas

with husband number one,

I prepared a feast of oysters.

It was so romantic.

-Aw, that's so

-Until the salmonella kicked in.

We learned a lot about

each other that night.

Now that I think of it,

the marriage

never really recovered.

-So I won't do that, then.

-Great.

Ahem

I couldn't help but overhear

your dilemma, Violet.

Where did you even come from?

The perfect gift for that

important person in your life

is the gift of music, movement.

It's the gift

of dance!

Uh, I'm sorry, what?

-This is gonna be good.

-Please, somebody record this.

Nothing expresses

confidence and charisma like

interpretive dance.

-Okay, I get it.

-Thanks, you can stop now.

Once the dance train's

left the station,

it's full speed ahead!

Ah!

Thanks for agreeing

to do this.

Yeah, no, I get it.

If you talk to him

he'll know you're a cop,

and then it might get

reported back to Meadows.

Ah, this is just

out of an abundance of caution.

I don't think he'd make me as

a cop if I didn't want him to.

-Seriously?

-Your whole vibe is cop.

Agree to disagree.

We can try this your way.

Oh

All right,

I think that's him.

Got it.

Excuse me, Benny?

Benny Cresh?

Who wants to know?

-I'm a security recruiter.

-I'm looking to fill some shifts.

Reed Donnelly

recommended you?

Before, of course.

He was such a good guy.

Did you know him well?

Spent some time in the trenches.

Military?

-Rehab.

-Ah.

When we got out,

we took care of each other,

but he did a better job looking

after me than I did myself.

Is that why he hired you

for that art truck job?

Who'd you say you were, again?

We're all friends

of Reed's here.

Who's the cop?

All right, look.

I know Reed hired you and then

fired you shortly after.

He never fired me.

Reed talked to his employer

and they said that they'd

changed their mind

about wanting extra help,

but he kept me on and paid me

out of his own pocket.

He was like that.

Did you see

what happened to him?

No, he was fine

when I left around midnight,

but I thought he was gonna

not give me the job

because I couldn't

stay any later,

but he told me he had

a friend that he could ask.

So, nothing out of the ordinary

happened during that shift?

Some guy in a hipster suit

tried to talk his way

onto the truck,

-but I sent him packing.

-You sure that's it?

'Cause if there's anything

you haven't told the police,

it's gonna be bad for you.

Like Christmas behind bars bad.

Nothing else happened, okay?

-Thank you, Benny.

-Look, we just care about Reed.

Just want a little

peace of mind.

-I get it.

-I miss him too.

I noticed what you did back

there when you mentioned prison,

trying to scare him

into making a mistake.

Can't get anything

past you, huh?

So, what now?

We wait and see if it worked.

I can't believe neither of us

brought snacks.

I could k*ll for a pretzel.

It's a stakeout, not a picnic.

At least get me up to speed

on the case so I can be helpful.

You know that's

against the rules.

Sam, the whole point of you

taking a leave of absence

is so that you wouldn't

have any rules.

Right. Guess I'm not very

good at not being a cop, huh?

That's why I'm here.

Just your average mystery-loving

Christmas shop owner

with a curious nature

and a good head

on her shoulders.

I don't buy

you're as inexperienced

as you'd like me to believe.

Here.

Thank you.

That is everything I had

before I got frozen out.

It's not much to go on.

Meadows seems convinced that

his m*rder was either random

or connected to his struggles.

You don't agree?

Reed was shot

in the back of the truck.

Someone wanted access

to that art.

And it likely wasn't

an armed robbery

or they wouldn't have needed to

use Reed's own g*n to k*ll him.

What is this?

A cloth I found

behind a crate on the truck.

I'm not sure yet

if it's connected to the case.

What do we have here?

-What? Come on, Benny.

-What are you thinking?

Benny, it's fine.

I had two people

come to my work today!

-Buddy

-One of them was a cop!

This does not look like

a friendly conversation.

No, it does not.

I knew Harrison

had more to do with this

than he was letting on.

Look

who Harrison has with him.

Moira Wells.

Interesting.

Looks like we have a lead.

You were a big help today.

Thank you.

I can take this from here.

This isn't me

backing down.

I just find myself more curious

about how Moira

factors into all this.

It's starting to feel like

she has more secrets

than her grandmother.

Thank you.

Another great turnout, Noah.

Yeah, she does know

how to draw a crowd.

I'll say that much for her.

Thank you.

Can you make it out to Piper?

Sure.

I have to tell you,

I find your story so inspiring.

I was also adopted

and so I really

Thanks so much.

Thank you all for being here.

I'll be taking

a five-minute break.

Excuse me, Emily.

Excuse me

Pardon me.

I said I need a minute.

-I read your book.

-Thank you?

I wasn't going to, because

I didn't want it to influence

my own work, but after hearing

your version of Angela's life,

I figured my own research

was all wrong anyway,

so why not give it a read?

Is there a point to this?

You refer to her

full given name here

as Angela Bette Wells.

"Bette."

Which I've only ever

seen once before

in an art history magazine

published over 20 years ago.

-So what?

-She was a private person.

-You don't understand.

-That was a misprint.

I came across

her actual birth certificate

in the course of my research,

and her middle name is Beth.

With a T-H.

So I made a small

printing error.

I'll fix it in later editions.

You got a basic fact wrong.

How much more of this

is inaccurate?

How dare you.

I don't have to take

this from you. I'm leaving.

Fine, go. And I'll be

moving all these books

to the fiction section.

Attention everyone, the signing

has just been cancelled.

You'll be hearing from my agent.

Sorry.

Maybe I have more

of my Uncle Glenn in me

than I thought.

Don't apologize.

It's the most exciting book

signing I've been to in years.

-Hey Dad.

-Hey, kiddo.

You seen Emily?

She's not answering her phone.

She went out for a few minutes

about an hour ago.

-Ah.

-Right.

Uh, hey, while you're here,

can I ask you a question?

About you and Mom.

Of course.

Your first Christmas together,

back when you were just dating,

did you get her

anything special?

Socks.

You're not serious.

Socks?

-No, not just any socks.

-They were the warmest, fuzziest,

most comfortable socks

I could find.

She loved them.

Uh-huh

I think I'm starting to form

a picture of why things

didn't work out between you two.

It sounds like she's dehydrated.

Try to get some water into her,

and if she's still not feeling

better, then we'll reassess.

Take care.

Brooke, are we almost done here?

This would go a whole lot

faster if you would stop

running off willy-nilly

for hours at a time.

-I have appointments.

-My patients need me.

Right now, I need you more,

so sit down and let me work.

Ah!

Don't even think about it.

Piper!

You left the bookstore before

I had a chance to say hey.

-Oh, sorry. That was rude.

-Oh, no, not at all.

I I saw that Moira

signed your book.

Did she write something nice?

Well

she

got my name wrong.

Maybe she misheard you?

Guess what your boy

just got for Christmas, peeps?

An exclusive VIP invite

to a gallery c*ck party

thrown by Moira Wells herself,

which includes a sneak peek

of the Angela Wells portrait,

which means all

you art freaks out there

will be right there with me

when we see her face

for the first time!

Ha-ha!

I shouldn't

approach Harrison

without Sam's okay,

but he's right here

and I do have a long history

of doing things I shouldn't.

-Are you Harrison Crane?

-That's right.

I am a huge fan of your channel.

Are the rumours true?

What rumours?

About you and Moira Wells,

that you're, like, BFFs.

I hear you've been seen

all around town together.

Okay, I did dine with

Miss Wells last night,

but only because

we found ourselves

in the same restaurant.

There's like three

in this entire town.

I don't want my fans thinking

my critiques are transactional.

That cloth

I've seen one recently.

It's the same colour.

-Mm, I don't think so.

-This is my own design.

I'm considering

selling it on my channel.

Really? Strange, I could

have sworn it was identical.

Did I mention

it was found in close proximity

to a m*rder*d security guard?

Show me.

All right, now explain to me

how its twin ended up

at a crime scene.

I paid the guard off to let me

on the truck for a sneak peek.

Come on, man, hurry up.

Yes, yes.

Wow.

I used the cloth to prevent

exposing the painting

to the oils on my fingers.

With the added benefit of not

leaving any fingerprints behind.

I I was not

thinking about that.

As I keep telling you,

I am not a k*ller.

I must have dropped the cloth

when the guard grabbed me.

Why'd he grab you?

I tried to get

a photo of the painting.

He saw me reach for the phone

and then he stopped me.

After that, I left.

That's the whole story, I swear.

Then why'd you meet up

with Benny again last night?

-How do you know about?

-Just answer the question.

He dropped me a DM

saying it was urgent.

I thought maybe he wanted to

sell me a shot of the painting,

but turns out he was just

scared I was gonna rat him out

for letting me on the truck,

which I guess I just did.

Irony.

So, okay,

so that's it?

That's that's all

this has been about?

Just getting more clicks

on your channel?

Do you have any idea

how hard it is to maintain

high subscriber count?

It's a cutthroat business.

No, I don't mean that literally.

I am not a violent person.

The worst part of all this

is that every other attendee

at Moira's VIP party

is going to have a chance

at getting

the exclusive before me.

I might be worth seeing

who's at that party.

Hey, could you

get us on the guest list?

Are are you kidding?

I had to bribe Moira

with dinner and drinks

just to get my own name on it.

You two are on your own.

I think I know who to ask.

Sure, no problem.

I'll make a call.

Leave it with me.

That's it? I thought

it was an exclusive event.

Oh, oh, it is.

But I'm the guy who owns

the event space

and you are one of

my most valued customers.

Well, thank you.

I'm also gonna need

an invite for Sam Wilner.

-Ah, my, consider it done.

-You're the best, Ray.

I pride myself

on my customer service.

Uh, you and Sam?

Just friends.

-None of my business.

-Got it. Okay.

Trusting a guy

like Ray could be a mistake,

but he's got connections,

and I don't have

anyone else local

I can turn to for information.

Uh, actually, while I'm here

What do you know about

underground hacking groups?

I'm writing a book

on the subject.

Of course you are.

Now, did you have

any particular groups in mind?

Uh, no, just more of

a general request.

There are a few I'm aware of:

Spectre Frame, Lazarus Group,

Chimera, Anonymous

Chimera

It's the second time

I've heard that name recently.

Are you and Sam working

on this book together, are you?

Uh

did Sam ask about Chimera?

Uh

Well, I'm I'm not at liberty

to discuss other clients.

So, you admit he's a client?

Uh

If Chimera

is on Sam's radar,

then there's a chance

that he's also on theirs.

He has no idea the risk

he's inviting in,

not just to me,

but to the entire town.

-Hey, sorry I'm a bit late.

-I

Wow, you look, uh

Yeah, you too.

Um

Oh, here.

Thanks.

There's no

denying things have been

warming up between Sam and me,

but is any of this real?

Or is he letting me get close

so he can learn

more about my past?

-Ready?

-We should

Yeah, wouldn't want

to miss the big unveiling.

-Bye, boys!

-Don't wait up.

You're quiet tonight.

Just got a lot on my mind.

Hey, you two.

-Noah

-you're here?

Oh, she sent me the invite

before our big blowup.

I'm telling you, something isn't

right about that woman,

and I figured where better

to go for answers

than straight

into the lion's den.

Excuse me.

What was that about?

Moira,

please be reasonable.

No live streaming.

I see that phone come out,

you will be removed.

Can I have everyone's

attention, please?

A reminder that no pictures

or recordings are allowed.

Even now Angela doesn't

like being photographed.

You're not wrong, Ray.

Tonight, each of you will

join me in celebrating an artist

who valued privacy

over celebrity,

whose work was largely lost

to time and tragedy.

You all know "Christmas Eve

in Fletcher's Grove,"

but this new discovery

is even more breathtaking.

My friends,

I'd like to now introduce you

to a very special woman:

my grandmother, Angela Wells.

Isn't she wonderful?

Harrison, what's wrong?

That's not it.

That's not the painting

I saw on the truck.