01x07 - The Gross Clinic

[bunniefuu]

Previously on American Gothic...

Madeline: Alison's weeks from the election...

Jenny Windham, Channel 12.

The police have just linked the DNA of the Silver Bells k*ller to a member of your immediate family.

... and Cam is sober.

My sobriety starts over today.

No one wants to think their child is troubled.

Jack: This one got strangled, like what Silver Bells does.

Madeline: He needs help. Now.

Alison told me every detail.

Why would she...

That's part of our arrangement.

I'm sorry if you thought it was more than that.

Christina, my name is Detective Brady Ross.

Garrett Hawthorne is a suspect in the Silver Bells murders.

Garrett: Hey.

The blood on the belt is a match for Mitchell Hawthorne.

Alison: It was Dad.

He came to my clinic a few weeks ago.

He cut his hand and needed some stitches.

I saw him again a few nights later.

Uh... He must've been...

I don't know, he must've been stalking me.

We started spending time together, and he took me to the woods.

Was it him?

No, it was his father.

Linda: The dr*gs should be wearing off.

(groans)

(monitor beeping steadily)

Am I okay, Doc?

I'm, uh...

I'm not a doctor.

We have a few questions.

Reporter: After 17 years, Boston finally has some answers.

We now have irrefutable evidence tying deceased Hawthorne Concrete CEO Mitchell Hawthorne to the Silver Bells murders.

The killings, which began on June 22, 1999, haunted the city for the next three years.

(sighs)

17 years ago the city was rocked...

Your turn.

... by a series of murders that left its citizens with too many unanswered questions.

Madeline: Tell us what you told the police.

14 years ago, I found a few things in Dad's stuff.

Rope, belts.

They looked just like what I'd seen on the news.

And you didn't tell the police?

Would you believe it?

Any of you, if you saw it, would it make sense to you?

I thought there must be some kind of explanation, right?

But the next day, David Morales was k*lled by Silver Bells.

So I confronted Dad about it, and he blew up.

The more he yelled, the more defensive he got, the more I began to suspect that... it was him.

But before I left, I told him that if I ever heard of another Silver Bells m*rder, I would come back...

... and I would expose him.

Year after year of no killings, it felt like...

Confirmation.

You didn't think you should tell us?

Tessa...

You left us alone in a house with a k*ller?

I didn't have any proof.

(Door opens)

(footfalls approach)

Time to change bandages.

We'll need a few minutes.

Cam...

I need a favor.

♪ ♪

Alison: I can't reconcile it in my mind.

I can't.

For the rest of our lives... for the rest of my daughters' lives... we'll be living under this shadow.

Ending the campaign will take some of the spectacle away, but...

Naomi: Ending the campaign?

Let me run some focus groups before you make any decisions.

Thank you for keeping the faith.

(door opens, closes)

I was just heading out.

I'll call you tomorrow.

(sighs)

I'll be in the guest room.

(door opens)

(door closes)

Brady: Tess, I'm really sorry.

I am so, so sorry I couldn't make it to the hospital.

It would have been nice, since you're the reason he got stabbed.

I made an assumption about him, based on the evidence, and I know I should have waited for the bigger picture and, uh, I'm sorry, Tess.

Look... how about I ask the lieutenant for some time off?

You know, now this case is closed, maybe we should spend some more time together, and we can maybe work on some of our trust issues, you know...

I feel like we need that.

Do you know how early you have to wake up for hot air balloon rides?

No.

Really early.

The winds are most stable in the hours right after sunrise.

I was obsessed as a kid.

Too much Jules Verne.

On my tenth birthday, my dad surprised me at 5:00 a.m. and took me to the airfields.

I got that as a souvenir.

It's a nice memory, babe.

My tenth birthday was June 22, 1999.

Before he surprised me, my dad was murdering his first victim.

Was my dad real?

Was Mitchell Hawthorne just a character that he played to seem normal so people wouldn't suspect he was a k*ller?

Or was he just a normal guy with this... this desire...

Tess. Tess.

Maybe it's not a bad idea if we go and speak with Dr. Larson.

And we can talk about getting you back on your medication, just for a little while.

(sighs)

(door opens and slams)

♪ ♪

(phone ringing)

Thank you for all your man-hours on this case, everyone.

As we get everything off to the warehouse, remember we are filing chronologically, not alphabetically.

Take your time, get it right.

♪ ♪

I was worried about what you were gonna say.

But you were smart.

Well, I figured this way, people would stop asking questions.

Don't second-guess this.

It's best to let your father take the fall for everything.

(engine revs, tires screech)

♪ ♪

(car horn blares)

(turns engine off)

_

(beeps)

(siren chirps)

You just left the first Silver Bells m*rder house doing 80 miles per hour to your in-laws'.

Explain.

My wife mentioned to me that her dad woke her up at 5:00 a.m. on June 22, 1999.

How could she possibly remem...

It was for a birthday hot air balloon ride. Just... bear with me here.

(sighs)

Brian Long's security system was disarmed at 3:48 a.m. the night of his m*rder.

Mm-hmm.

Which gives Mitchell, at most, one hour and 12 minutes to k*ll Brian, pose the body, clean the crime scene, and make it home in time for Tessa's birthday.

Okay.

Even if he took the fastest possible route home, that leaves him only 32 minutes for the m*rder and cleanup.

32 minutes seems doable.

Does it?

Yeah.

For a super meticulous m*rder by a first-time k*ller?

Well, not so meticulous.

He left this little piece of ivory at the crime scene.

Yeah. Okay. Apart from the one tiny clue that's never gotten us anywhere, it was a super meticulous m*rder.

(sighs) All right.

So what's your working theory here, Matlock?

Somebody framed your father-in-law?

By putting his blood on a m*rder w*apon and throwing it into a tunnel 14 years ago?

Well, I'm not saying it makes sense.

I'm saying I want to run it down till it does make sense.

Well, I'm going with you.

Someone's got to play Scully to your Mulder.

You are too close to this.

Tom: It shouldn't end like this.

You're one of our best clients.

Stick it out with us while we discuss some rebranding.

Please.

(sighs)

(phone beeps off)

Sixth client lost this week.

(sighs)

I get it.

My campaign...

This is... No.

This is not just your crisis.

The company's going to take a bath.

We need to think about how we're going to handle this financially.

What it means for the girls.

Private school.

We can weather this.

But we need to do it together, and that means you and me and no one else.

We agreed we could sleep with other people.

Sleep with other people.

Not text them "I love you."

I never did that.

She did.

Texted you.

When we were at your mom's.

I deleted it.

Should I even fight for this marriage?

What you should do is go and take advantage of our arrangement.

Just have a little fun. Blow off some steam.

You don't need her anymore.

The campaign is over.

Nothing has been decided yet...

It's over.

She's extending it to stay in your life.

End it.

Uh, Christina?

You don't know me, but Garrett sent me.

You must be the brother I helped, if that detox story was even true.

It is. And thank you for that.

Okay.

Now that he can't stalk me, are you taking over for him?

Garrett wants to see you.

He wants to explain himself.

It's all a big misunderstanding?

If... I mean, if you could just give him a chance...

He is insane.

You're insane. Your family's insane.

Must be in your blood.

Don't ever come near me again.

(sighs)

(bell ringing)

Man: No, for real, I'll get you next time.

You know I'm good for it.

Hey, man.

Looks like you need something to take the edge off.

♪ ♪

Why...

(breathing shakily)

Hi. This is Tessa Ross.

I need Dr. Larson's next available appointment, please.

Yes.

Tomorrow is great.

G... great. (Exhales shakily)

I'm sorry, can you hang on a second?

I'm getting another call.

Principal Gates, is this about...

What?

Researcher: What about child endangerment?

Focus group: No.

Researcher: What about obscenely debasing a national landmark?

Would that be worse than association with a serial k*ller?

They said it depended on the landmark.

But, ultimately, no.

The serial k*ller dad is worse.

And it just... goes on like this?

We did find that having a serial k*ller father is better than being a k*ller yourself.

But it's still considered worse than bestiality.

So Conley could pleasure his dog and still b*at me?

The data does support that, yes.

Schedule a press conference for tomorrow.

I'm dropping out.

Sophie: You're in a living nightmare.

(rock music playing)

You need this.

♪ ♪

(knocking at door)

Cam? Cam?

God. Jack, you stay right there.

Tessa: Cam!

Oh...

Tess, I am so sorry.

You're going to rehab right now.

Or you're gonna lose your son.

♪ ♪

Let's go to my house, okay?

(indistinct chatter)

Sophie: What are you talking about?

I want Tessa to take care of Jack while I'm in here.

No way. I'll keep him.

He was abandoned at school while we were getting high.

Cut yourself some slack.

Your father is a k*ller. You're being publically tormented.

I need help. So do you.

And Jack needs to be with stable people.

I'm his mother.

I have rights.

Not if I call Child Protective Services.

Hmm.

Come here, baby.

I love you.

Jack: I'll be good.

(grunts)

(sighs)

Oh, I've always lived in this neighborhood.

And when this house went for sale, I just knew.

I had to have it, you know?

So it didn't bother you that it was the scene of the first SBK m*rder?

Well, I'm kind of a true crime aficionado.

With an emphasis on Silver Bells-ology.

Um...

So you wouldn't mind if we borrowed your home to recreate a few m*rder scenarios?

As long as I can help.

Fine.

You can be our official timekeeper.

Okay.

I've got 32 minutes to break in, k*ll you, pose you and clean up.

Really like you guys.

Your platelets probably made a huge scab where the Kn*fe went in.

I have an appointment upstairs, and Jack just wanted to say his version of "Get well soon."

Garrett: Oh. I got this off one of the nurses. Thought you might like it.

Not really.

(chuckles)

Okay, well, why don't you try squeezing him?

Garrett's voice: Ouch. You're crushing my pancreas.

Ow.

You're crushing my pancreas.

(Snickers)

You can record your own message if you press the left paw.

Why is he with you?

(quietly): 'Cause Cam's in rehab.

(sighs)

Okay.

Do you know if he was able to...

He went by Christina's clinic, yes.

Rough neighborhood, apparently. Lots of dealers.

(sighs)

Don't blame yourself for that.

You can blame yourself for not telling us about Dad.

You know, Tess, I tortured myself about that decision.

For years. Um...

Wondering if I made the right call...

I still wonder.

When I think about everything I missed...

(exhales)

I did what I believed was the right thing to do.

For everybody.

Why don't you go to your appointment?

He can stay with me for a while.

Are you sure?

(chuckles)

Yeah, we'll be okay.

I'll just be upstairs, okay?

(Jack grunts)

Jack: I've been to the hospital twice this week.

I still haven't seen a single dead body.

All right, you know what?

Let's get this out of your system.

♪ ♪

Doctor: When we open the skull, notice the cerebral hypoxia.

Student: The subject drowned, correct?

Doctor: Correct.

Note the oxygen deprivation's effect on the brain cells.

Naomi: I can't talk you out of this?

You would have made a great mayor.

(sighs)

What'll you do next?

Not sure.

I could find a way to stay in Boston.

Yeah, the weather's not great, but...

I do love the people.

You'd stay in Boston?

If I had a reason.

Tom confronted me.

He said he knows all about us, that...

(sighs)

... I just add a little spice to your marriage.

I think it's more than that.

I think you do, too.

But at some point you have to make a choice.

Brady: Bell.

You got to get rid of the fingerprints.

Shut up, you're dead.

Done!

31 minutes, 42 seconds.

See?

Sixth time's a charm.

The timeline works.

Yeah.

Let's go home.

The timeline's possible, but barely, I mean... that's what? 18 seconds to spare.

All right, well, then you're missing something simple like maybe the... the clock on the security system was wrong.

No, no. The 3:48 a.m. break-in time is similar to all the other murders. It's not that.

That was a new security system.

The Realtor told me that the Longs upgraded to a state-of-the-art system right after the break-in across the street at the McEwans', even though the burglar didn't steal anything.

But he didn't take anything because the police caught him?

No, no.

He bypassed the alarm, moved some stuff around, and got interrupted by the dog.

Neighbors started to call him the feng shui bandit.

Do you remember exactly what this bandit moved?

It was weird stuff.

The curtains were retied, dining room table was slightly off kilter.

The chairs around it had all been rearranged.

So that one chair was separate from all the others?

How'd you know that?

(sighs)

Do you think that burglary across the street...

Wasn't a burglary.

It could have been Silver Bells' first attempt.

He... he's trying to set the scene just right, get a perfect tableau for posing his victims.

He just didn't count on being interrupted by a dog.

Oh, that's crazy... but it totally makes sense.

I wonder if the gnome saw it.

The...

The gnome from outside?

It had a motion-activated bird-watching cam in it.

It was pointed right at the McEwans'.

Linda: I think that footage is still in evidence.

Right, but we only looked at the night of the m*rder.

We didn't look at the night of the burglary across the street.

So, how married are you exactly?

Very publicly married with two kids, as you know.

And yet you still somehow find the time for...

CrossFit, I'm guessing?

You have no shame, do you, Jennifer?

What's "shame"?

(reporters clamoring)

Reporter: Madeline, do you have a statement?

(car alarm beeping)

What the hell is going on?

Alison invited us here.

Why did you invite the press here?

I'm announcing the end of my run.

There's no way I can bounce back after what Dad did.

We didn't know.

We're victims, too.

They're taking everything good about the Hawthorne name and stripping it away.

And we're giving them exactly what they want.

Defeat.

Mom, it's over.

(gasps)

You have an obstacle in front of you.

You can go over it or around it, but you cannot let it stop you.

You have everything I ever wanted at your fingertips, and much of that is because of me.

My decisions.

My sacrifices.

You will not squander this for either of us.

Brian Long.

Michael Reid.

Camillia Morgan.

Anita Sandoval.

Samuel Altbrook.

David Morales.

Those are the victims of the Silver Bells k*ller, and I sympathize so deeply with their families.

Their loss is incalculable.

I wish, desperately, that I had known who my father really was so that I could have stopped him.

I failed in that regard.

But I didn't k*ll anyone.

(reporters muttering)

My great-grandfather had one single prized possession: a theater program autographed by one of the greatest actors of that period, Edwin Booth.

A man respected and beloved for who he was and what he did, despite the fact that his brother m*rder*d the president of the United States.

(reporters muttering)

I am the daughter of Mitchell Hawthorne, but I am no more to blame for what he did than Edwin Booth was for what John Wilkes Booth did.

We do not live in biblical times where children were punished for the sins of their parents.

This is 2016.

We stand or fall by our own virtues and our own failings...

... so I won't quit this race.

(reporters gasping, muttering)

I can't.

I care too much about Boston and its people, its schools and its streets, its homes and its hospitals.

I know I can affect positive change in this city, and I won't stop until I do exactly that.

Reporter: What is your strategy moving forward, Alison?

Reporter 2: Alison, do you still think you have a sh*t at winning this?

Reporter: Have you reached out to any of the other families?

Reporter 2: Is your family supportive of your decision to stay in the race?

(door opens)

You look terrible.

I'm glad you...

Your brother said you had an explanation.

I'm sorry.

That's not an explanation.

I felt guilty... for what my father did...

... and I wanted to know what happened to you, how your life turned out.

So I found you... and I followed you.

You cut your hand.

Yeah.

Chopping carrots?

(whispering): No.

You're out of your mind.

No, I just wanted to know that you were okay.

That's all.

I didn't know that...

I never thought that you... you would...

What?

Trust you?

(sighs)

Sleep with you?

s*ab you and leave you to die?

No, mean something to me.

I thought you'd be a housewife with a husband and two kids in... in the suburbs somewhere, and I could just take you off my list of questions about everything.

Then I found you and... you're open... honest.

You're strange... fragile.

Beautiful.

What we had...

... was real.

Tell me everything.

That is everything.

You're sure you're not leaving anything out?

No.

(whispering): You're good... but your pulse increases just a little when you're lying.

Last chance.

Talk to me.

Bye.

(door opens)

(door closes)

(panting)

I got it from Uncle Garrett.

Can we play with it? (giggles)

Please, please, please?

If you can get it.

(sighs)

(indistinct chatter)

I am happy you changed your mind.

Theme of the day.

(gasps)

Oh.

(laughs)

You got me all wobbly.

It's the first time I ever did it with heels on.

You should get back out front.

My wife has big news.

♪ ♪

See?

The bear didn't sink through the pool cover.

You won't, either.

It's okay.

Go ahead.

(splashing)

(screaming)

Oh, my God.

I'm coming, girls.

Oh, my God. Help me.

Jack, help them. Help them!

Oh, my God.

(grunts)

Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

Oh, my God!

(panting)

What happened?

I went... I'm so sorry.

I was watching them, and I got distracted.

It's okay.

We're all okay.

But I think we should go home now.

Huh?

Come on, honey. Come on.

Why didn't you call for help?

It was science.

I wanted to see how oxygen deprivation affects your brain.

What is wrong with you?!

It's a facility in Maine... for kids with behavioral issues like Jack's.

Yeah, I get it. It's a junior loony bin.

(sighs heavily)

What the hell's in our genes, Tess?

Tom: You're part mermaid.

(giggling)

It's true.

But, see, you won't grow your tail and your gills until you turn 14.

(giggling)

I know some scary things happened today.

And, um, scary things happen sometimes.

But I want you to know that I will always be here for you, okay?

There is no one I love more than the three of you.

♪ ♪

(phone buzzes)

Female voice: You have one new message.

Larson: Tessa, it's Dr. Larson.

I got the results back from your blood work.

Found something interesting.

You are pregnant.

Congratulations. I know you've been trying.

Contact my office for any referrals you may need.

Take care.

Jack's voice: Squeeze me again, and I'll strangle you.

Wonderful news.

We've received over $80,000 in donations in the last six hours.

You've completely reinvigorated your campaign.

I... called a friend in Hawaii who's running for senator and gave you a glowing recommendation.

You can start on Monday, if you want.

You're f*ring me?

Officially, you're resigning to pursue other opportunities.

You were right.

I... I had to make a choice.

Alison, this campaign is still gonna be an uphill battle.

I'd rather lose the race and keep my family than the other way around.

Well.

I'll be sure to show you a copy of my resignation letter before I release it to the press.

You don't have to.

I insist.

(sighs)

You wanted to discuss something?

I'm done, Mom.

I can't keep staring people I love in the eye... and lying to them.

Of course you can.

You know what's at stake.

But what if I do want to tell the truth?

What would you do?

Is that what happened with Dad?

He wanted to tell the truth...

... and you k*lled him?

(whispering): Oh, Mom.

Oh, my God.

You think if you come clean, you get the girl back.

That started under false pretenses.

Your lives are connected by m*rder.

She stabbed you.

It's not the height of romance.

So, tell the truth.

You'll lose her anyway...

... and the whole family would crumble.

You'd have nothing...

... and you'd upend their lives all over again.

But maybe that's worth it to you.

The records say the footage from the gnome was transferred to a thumb...

A thumb drive.

Ross, no matter what's on the tape, it was good police work... but in all likelihood, it's Mitchell's face we're gonna see, so be prepared for that.

(sighs)

I am.

Linda: That must be SBK's car.

(Linda sighs)

That right there, that reflection.

That's the k*ller getting back in the car, right?

Yeah, the light changing is consistent with a door opening and closing.

That's the passenger door.

Maybe he moved over?

No.

Car takes off as soon as the door shuts.

Someone else is driving.

Linda: So, that's how Mitchell Hawthorne did it all so fast.

Brady: The Silver Bells k*ller wasn't one person. It was two.