01x05 - The Green Bike

[bunniefuu]

Hey, good morning.

You guys, can you come and sit over here for me, please?

Come on. Sit down.

Dad, what is all this?

Look, I realize it was upsetting, what happened last night.

So I pulled a few things out of Pop-Pop's garage just in case of an emergency.

Like if we're home-invaded and we're victims of a heinous act of v*olence?

What's a "heinous act of v*olence"?

It's-It's nothing, all right.

This is purely precautionary.

All right? It's nothing to worry about.

No, yeah, of course.

I mean, you got drunk, got into a fistfight, got a concussion, had a public meltdown, and...

Hilde got her bike set on fire.

Everything's amazing.

Look, I'm just saying we need to be prepared. Okay?

Okay.

Okay, we got Maglites, we got a baseball bat, fire extinguisher, uh, bear spray, crowbars, various other equipment, and, uh, an air horn.

We wouldn't need any of this stuff if I hadn't started the paper here.

Oh, that finally sunk in, Sherlock?

Maybe I should stop writing.

No. Yes.

N-No. Absolutely not. No.

No, that's exactly what these people want.

No, what we need to do is we need to be prepared, and we need to be alert. Okay?

Guys, listen to me. Like... some fear is... is good fear.

Yeah, it tells you when it's time to put up your guard.

People are always gonna tell you that you're overreacting, that you don't know what you’re talking about, and it's worse for girls.

Right? So you gotta-gotta think with your gut.

You understand? Yeah.

Okay. And if someone like Frank Briggs shows up here when we're not home...

Yeah. Yeah, I know about that.

So next time, you gotta tell us, okay?

I feel like I should ask about that, but I also feel like it's gonna ruin my day.

So can I just pretend I didn't see it?

Yeah. Yeah, totally.

Are you going back to work?

No. Yes. Uh, sort of. I have... I have a meeting.

Mmm.

Go get 'em, counselor.

Hey, can you make sure that Ginny doesn’t play with the fire extinguisher? Thanks.

Oh.

Ginny, no. Come on. Don't touch that.

Okay. Self-defense.

Hey, I heard about the fire. Are you okay?

You Liskos are so... broken.

Yeah, 'cause the Fife family seems so uncomplicated and delightful.

Yeah, well, at least we're not a bunch of losers.

You know the whole bitchy girl thing, it's just a little on the nose.

You ever think about, you know, saying something nice for once, just to keep people on their toes?

Let's go.

I'll be fine. Okay.

Jeez.

Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay. It's okay, it's okay.

All right. Don't let it get to you.

Mr. Secretary, Sam Gillis is not requesting a reward for good behavior or a... truncated...

My God.

Ah, come on.

Mr. Secretary... Okay.

Mr. Secretary, Sam Gillis is not requesting a reward for good behavior or a shorter criminal sentence, but an authorized absence from prison under escort of a state correctional officer.

Yeah, all right. Therefore, I urge you to...

Wait. What?

That's a yes. My office will grant inmate 35291 the 48-hour furlough.

Great. Thank you.

Your daughter, she's-she's quite the little reporter.

Yes, she is.

That exposé she wrote, everyone's talking about it, inside the prison, out in the world.

Well, it's big news.

I mean, a prison official abused an inmate for years, extorted his sister for prescription dr*gs, and then k*lled her.

Reforms are being implemented.

I feel like there's a reason you’re not signing that.

I want to give Sam Gillis a furlough for his sister's funeral.

I really do.

But I need you to convince him of something first.

I need your permission slips by tomorrow.

I'm not kidding.

As you know, I have no sense of humor.

If you don't give me your signed permission slips, you will not be able to go on the trip. Check it.

We got 20,000 views on that website where we posted the Richie Fife video.

In one night.

It went viral.

We're like celebrities.

I don't know if I can handle the pressure of fame.

I hope I don't cr*ck.

Ms. Parker, sorry to interrupt.

I need Hilde Lisko to come with me.

Wow.

She's such a freak.

Someone would like to speak with you.

Have a seat, Hilde.

It's gonna affect the rest of your life.

Hey.

Hey.

Why are we bringing him in?

Drug rap.

We'll probably let him go.

Have you seen it?

The video?

Frank, I know where you're going with this, and you can't.

You just can't let these things creep into your head.

Maybe it's just hard for you to remember.

It's not.

Well, it is for me.

Well, I wouldn't say that to anyone else if I were you.

I need to know. Did you...

Did you tell me to say that I saw Sam's van?

Frank. You saw Sam Gillis' van.

I know you're scared, Frankie.

But you gotta be brave.

You gotta help us find the guy who did this.

Now... is that the van that took Richie?

Maybe.

Do you know who owns that van?

Sam Gillis.

That's right, Frankie. Sam Gillis.

And you... know a few things about him.

What do you mean?

Well, like he's a little bit of a creep, right?

What do most kids in town call him? A weirdo?

Well, they say he likes to spend his time hanging around younger boys like you and Richie.

He bought you boys a beer, didn't he?

Yeah.

Well, most grown-ups don't do that. Buy beer for kids.

Now, it may have felt normal, but it's not.

He's not normal.

And no one should be protecting him.

We need to be protecting kids like you and Richie.

Make sense, son?

Okay. So, take a breath.

Look at the photo. Is that the van that took Richie?

I think so.

What did I do?

Nothing, sweetie. It's okay.

It's just that there can't be any doubt or Gillis goes free.

And he can do it again to any other kid.

Do you want that to happen?

Don't push him so hard.

All right.

It... It was Sam's van.

You sure about that, Frankie?

Yeah, I didn't see his face, but I heard his voice.

Whose?

Sam Gillis'.

He... He took Richie, and then he looked at us and said, "Run."

And then he slammed the door...

Okay, son. You did good, Frank.

I want you to look at this license plate.

I wanna see if you can remember any of the numbers on it.

Yeah, Dad. I remember the last three here.

"L-G-E."

All right, son. Good.

Hey. It's what you saw.

Then I saw it wrong.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Gillis could've taken those plates off.

And anyone, g*dd*mn anyone could've doctored that video.

Now, what we know is that Sam Gillis k*lled that boy.

I'll come back later.

No, it's no problem, Trip.

Frank was just leaving.

Sorry, Mayor, but I can't take the video down.

Can't or won't?

Technically, according to the First Amendment...

I know the damn Constitution.

Mayor, please.

Her parents trusted me to let you speak to her.

All right. I apologize.

I have been under a lot of stress lately.

You know, Hilde, this isn't just a story for Mayor Fife.

It's his son on that video.

This was very traumatic.

For all of us. For this whole town.

I'm really sorry for your loss, Mayor.

I really am.

But I think we both want the same thing, for the person who took Richie to end up behind bars.

And you don't think Gillis did it?

No. Do you?

This is crazy, having this conversation with a child.

I know.

I am almost getting used to it. Almost.

Sir, I know I might be a kid, but I uncovered the first lead about your son's m*rder in 30 years.

What I wanna know is how Penny Gillis got that VHS tape and where the hell was it when we were looking for Richie?

Why don't you ask your friend Sheriff Briggs?

Well, he assured me he never saw it.

Yeah. No kidding.

I don't like your tone, young lady.

You have no idea what you're getting into.

I feel like being called a young lady should be a compliment, but it never sounds like it is.

Why would the sheriff admit to losing a crucial piece of evidence, especially before an election?

Sheriff Briggs will never listen to me.

But he has to listen to you.

So if you could just reopen the investigation...

This thing... we put it away, kid.

It was done.

But what if it was done wrong?

What if the person who m*rder*d Richie is still out there?

What if he's walking the streets of Erie Harbor right now?

Don't take it. Don't take the deal, Sam.

It's Penny's funeral.

I have to be there.

I understand, but what they are asking you to sign, it's...

It's the only way I can say goodbye to her.

They want you to waive any charges of abuse and not hold the prison responsible in any way.

If that's what I have to do.

They still get the guy on m*rder, right?

Yes, but... So he'll pay for what he did?

But the prison won't.

And I mean pay, literally.

If we win our case against them, even if we settle, I could get you enough money to get you back on your feet when you get out of here.

I have to say goodbye to Penny.

Sam.

Look, I-I know you're in pain, but this isn't just about you.

If you waive your right to sue the prison... you make it that much harder for all the other guys in here who have been abused.

It'll just keep happening.

You can't put that on me.

It's not fair.

I wish I didn't have to... but what they're asking you to sign is totally unethical.

I think you should fight it.

We should fight it.

Yeah?

And how long is that gonna take?

'Cause Penny... my baby sister... we're burying her ashes tomorrow.

Yup!

What the hell you doing, Matty? Yeah, what does it look like?

Electrocuting yourself.

Well, it turns out we need extra security.

You want some help with that?

Did you burn Richie's bike last night?

Yeah. Yeah, and I got off on it too.

No, man, I didn't burn his bike. I'm here to figure out who did.

Report said it happened after midnight?

Wait, Holmes County sent you?

You're the investigator? God.

What do you want me to say, Matt?

Oh, my God.

You gotta do the black wires first.

All at once. Then the green, then the red.

What has city living done to you, man?

Yeah, well, I know what living here has done to you.

It's a little early, don't you think?

Yeah, it's been a rough week.

Hey.

No, I'm on duty.

Oh, hey, Daddy's gonna get mad at you?

I do so solemnly swear...

I do so solemnly swear...

... that I will not, cannot, shall not...

... that I will not, cannot, shall not...

... speak of the consumption of this alcohol to anyone, or I will acquire a venereal disease.

What's a venereal disease?

You don't wanna know.

Yeah, I think I'm buzzed.

From like, what? Two sips? Yeah.

What the hell is this thing?

Wait.

Have you not seen the movie?

No. My parents don't allow me to watch R-rated movies, so...

God, it's PG, nerd.

It's a flux capacitor.

It's a machine that allows you to travel through time.

Cool.

You turn the time circuits on. Pick your year of choice.

Then drive 88 miles an hour, while harnessing 1.21 gigawatts of power from a plutonium-powered nuclear reactor.

It's either that, or you gotta know exactly when and where lightning will strike, which is a pain in the ass.

Can I have another sip of that beer?

Whoa.

Yeah, Gillis was a weirdo.

Yeah, maybe. But he's not a criminal.

Yeah, I don't know about that.

His dad went crazy, committed su1c1de in that plane.

His mom went way off the rails. I mean, that whole family...

That whole family was railroaded by this town.

Yeah, all of them.

You know, the only thing that links Sam to that crime was your testimony and a whole bunch of circumstantial evidence.

That's not what the jury thought.

Yeah, no sh*t.

They just wanted what the rest of Holmes County wanted.

Yeah, justice.

No, to stop worrying about what might happen to their kid.

Why do you hate us so much, Matty?

Why do you look down your nose at us?

I don't.

Yeah, you kinda do.

Look, I just... I just hate what this town does to people.

You know, what it did to the Gillises?

Come on. Like, Mr. Gillis was mentally ill.

And Sam? Come on, man. He w... He wasn't a monster.

He looked out for Richie and our crew. He was like a friend.

Let me ask you something.

Say some 18-year-old misfit offers Izzy a beer in the back of his panel van.

You good with that?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

What is this? Blood?

What?

There's more.

What?

Look, I'm sorry. I just... I just need to...

I just need to ask you again.

Are you sure?

Hm? Are you absolutely sure you never saw that tape until yesterday?

Jack, I told you. No.

Are you lying to me, Frank?

Have you been drinking?

I had some whiskey earlier.

Look, I am sorry you gotta go through this again.

But the monster who did this, we put him in prison for life.

Are you sure about that, Frank?

Are you sure that you didn't...

That the way this town felt about Sam and the Yakama community, didn't have anything to do with the way things played out?

Is your daughter marrying a black man making you see smoke where there's no fire?

His race had nothing to do with it.

Can you imagine how this...

What this is like for me?

Seeing my son taken in that van like that.

Listen... you gotta take a step back.

Getting drunk isn't gonna do you any good.

It never did.

And listening to these Liskos and all the crazy stories about new evidence?

That's not gonna help either.

But you know what is gonna help? I don't know.

Moving forward with your life, Jack.

Focusing on the coming election.

The only reason I got elected in the first place is that people felt sorry for me.

No. Dead kid's dad.

Let's give him a sympathy vote.

No! Hi.

Hi, hon. Go back to your room. We-We need some privacy here.

Everything okay?

Yeah, everything's fine, sweetie. Thank you.

Hey.

Hey, look at me.

You need to move on, Jack.

Now, we barely survived losing mining and logging.

And now people are gonna be talking like there's a k*ller running loose?

Families fleeing like it's 1988 all over again.

Be a leader.

Calm people down.

Show them that Erie Harbor is a good place to raise a family.

Can you do that?

You owe it to your boy.

What's the matter?

What, you don't like it?

I... No, it's red.

Red's your favorite.

No, Dad, red's your favorite.

Mine's... green.

It's okay, it's okay. Um...

It's... I mean, it's great, Dad. Thank you. I love it.

It's the most expensive bike in the shop.

Does it come in green, Syl?

Uh, sorry, no. Just the red.

Or sky blue.

You could get a cheaper one.

I have an idea.

How about no present? What do you think about that?

Thank you so much. Have a great day.

You sound super perky when you talk to customers.

No, I don't.

Wait. Do I?

Yeah, but I like it. It's very friendly.

It's just... not the guy that I thought I was dating.

Oh, we're dating? That's official?

What? No! I'm...

Sorry! No, it's okay. It's just... I'm sorry.

I didn't mean... No, it's okay. It's just...

I mean, I guess we're not not dating.

So we are dating?

Apologies for interrupting your sexy time, but we need assistance.

Oh, my God, am I dead yet? Please tell me I'm dead.

What are you guys doing here? Um, my bike b*rned.

She's in the market for something budget-friendly, fashionable and performance-driven.

And, oh, can it have a bell?

The Chronicle's revenue is about 45 bucks minus 50% for overhead.

What can we get with $22 and 74 cents?

You know what? I may have something that you can borrow.

Let me check.

Something's been bugging me.

People keep saying that the abduction video proves nothing.

That Sam could have removed the plates before he abducted Richie.

Is that what you think he did? No.

But I don't have any way of proving it.

We don't need to.

We just have to prove that Sam's van wasn't the same van that was in the video.

But how are we supposed to find it?

It's from the '80s. It's, like, prehistoric.

We could call the DMV. Or search police auction records.

Or you could just head over to Sally's Salvage.

It's the junkyard.

Every old beater ends up there.

I'd thank you in the paper, but it might be a conflict of interest.

Come on, guys. Let's go.

Sally's not gonna let kids just walk onto her lot.

That place is dangerous.

We'll figure something out.

Thanks.

Whoa.

That's a lot of dry blood.

Garibaldi!

Good boy.

Is that Kim's dad?

Is that you, Lisko?

Mr. Collins?

That's right.

Hey, how are ya?

Like you give a sh*t.

You come back to Erie Harbor to ruin everyone's life again?

This dog belong to you?

He's more wolf than dog.

Yeah, you know my kids play around here.

It's not like I let him loose. That could get litigious.

Yeah, hicks like us, we know city words too, hotshot.

Like causation. Isn't that what it's called, Frank?

Yeah, Roger...

Penny's m*rder happening at the exact same time the Liskos move back to town.

Yeah, one had nothing to do with the other.

Oh, yeah. Sure, sure.

And there's no government plot to poison the American water supply with fluoride, red dye number 40, PCB's, rBGH's and diet cola either, right?

Roger, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Lisko shed being set on fire, would ya?

Yeah, I saw that light from my porch last night.

Then Garibaldi came home with his snout all bloodied.

So I figured he must have caught the guy in the act.

And you didn't think a follow-up call to the authorities was in order?

Hey!

Garibaldi! Come back here!

Garibaldi!

Well, let's keep moving.

Man, Kim's dad got weird.

Look how amazing it looks with your bracelet.

Whoa. Look at this place.

The court documents said the van was a blue 1982 GMC Vandura.

So... where do we even start?

It's gotta be around here somewhere.

Come on, guys.

Hey, what the hell is going on with Kim's dad?

Well, he went kind of crazy.

I don't know if it was after her mom split or if he went crazy after.

No, Kim never mentioned anything.

She wouldn't.

You left her.

You think after 25 years, she's gonna open up about her folks' marriage or her mentally ill dad?

I'm not saying you were wrong to leave, but...

All right, kind of feels like that's exactly what you're saying.

Wait, wait.

Is that my dad?

Oh, Jesus.

Hold up.

Guys, there it is.

You sure that's it?

Yeah.

What's that?

I think we need to move.

Dad!

Sylvester! Dad!

Syl! g*dd*mn it. Dad!

I might know where he's going.

There's a lake a half mile up. He likes to fish.

Syl!

Yeah, I heard about your fishing trips.

He made you into the son he never had.

What are you trying to say, Frank?

I don't know. I don't know what I saw.

I'm pretty sure Matty was right.

My dad just kept saying that I saw it. So...

I thought I did.

That might have been why he started to look into the case.

That's what he was trying to tell me.

There he is. Come on.

Wait, something's different.

What do you mean?

That's definitely not the van that took Richie.

How do you know?

The gas cap's on the wrong side.

So the van in the video wasn't Gillis'.

Sam didn't take Richie.

My dad was right. The k*ller is still out there somewhere.

Yeah. That's the one.

Why is Sheriff Briggs here?

I want you to crush that thing.

Here.

All right.

What are they doing?

Oh, no! Izzy has my camera.

Oh, my God.

What?

Dad?

Dad.

No.

It's okay. It's Matt.

Daddy, it's Matt. Okay?

I know. It's okay. It's okay.

You two! Do not move!

Run! Run! Come on!

Hey! Sheriff!

Dad.

Dad, I don't understand.

Look, I'm not mad.

It's just, why did you burn Hilde's bike? Huh?

You know he's not gonna answer you.

Yeah, I know. And I keep trying anyway.

You know, it makes me wonder which one of us is clinging onto sanity.

It was cursed.

I didn't want Hilde riding it. I didn't want anyone riding it.

What do you mean? What was cursed?

It was me.

What was you?

It was my fault.

I was the one who gave it to him.

How about no present? What do you think about that?

I may have a bike for you.

It's older, but it should still be a good ride.

You know, sometimes dads... we don't get it right.

How much does this cost?

For you, kiddo, no charge.

Happy birthday.

Thank you.

I read about what you did at the meeting, Matty.

You gotta stop.

They're gonna try and run you outta town again.

Tell him, Frankie.

Dad, I found it.

I opened the safe.

Do you believe me?

You believe me. I know you do.

So, I don't understand. Why do you want me to stop?

Come on. I'm sorry.

I really am. I'm so sorry.

You know, I'm sorry for being out of touch and sorry for never going fishing with you or calling you.

I'm even sorry that I wouldn't stop talking about Richie back then.

I...

Could you just say you believe me, please?

If it makes you feel any better... my relationship with my father is worse.

Yeah.

It was a human error.

A day nurse propped a back door open on a smoke break.

Apparently, Sylvester waited for him to turn his back.

It's, uh, that easy, huh?

This has happened twice in, like, a week.

Yes, and we are sorry.

Look, we fired the nurse, and we plan on implementing new protocols.

It'll never happen again.

Well, that's what you said last time.

Look, I want my father's release paperwork.

And we'll be back tomorrow to sign it.

Mr. Lisko, your father has specific medical needs.

All due respect, you haven't been here long enough to...

You're not equipped to handle his care.

Look.

I'm his g*dd*mn son. All right?

And that is what he needs right now.

Come on, Dad. We're going home.

I don't know how it works back in New York.

Maybe little girls can make all the trouble they want without anybody saying anything.

But here... you get taken away from your parents.

Ah, Ms. Lisko. It's Jensen.

I'm Sheriff Briggs.

I know who you are.

Are you okay? Okay.

Hilde and some of her friends were trespassing in an industrial area with heavy machinery.

She could've been seriously injured.

Isn't that right, Hilde?

Well, anyway. No charges this time, but please make it clear to your daughter that, uh, private property, trespassing, these are things we take seriously in Erie Harbor.

Thank you, Sheriff. I will make sure to talk to her.

Come on.

You okay, honey?

That must've been scary today.

Oh, honey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...

Sorry. Hey, honey, we don't...

No, we don't have to talk about it right now if it's too hard, okay?

It's not about Sheriff Briggs.

I lost the only evidence that proves Sam Gillis is innocent.

And we have no proof.

We can't help Dad or fix our family.

Honey. Hilde.

It's okay. Listen to me.

It is not your job to fix Daddy.

That is... That is on him.

But... he's not doing anything.

It's like he's... he's just stuck.

I know. I know.

But our family, we... we work out our problems together.

Okay?

How 'bout that?

Mom. Yeah?

Is Dad gonna be okay?

I don't know.

I hope so.

Hey, guys.

This is, uh, Kathryn. Frank Briggs' sister.

Hi. Hi.

You know, Hilde, Kathryn walked all the way over here because she read your paper.

And she's got something to tell you I think you're gonna wanna hear.

Here, come on. Sit down.

A memory haunts the town of Erie Harbor.

The memory of Richie Fife's m*rder.

Important people, like our sheriff, Frank Briggs Sr., have tried to erase him.

In 1988, soon after the conviction of Sam Gillis, Erie Harbor resident Al Wergeles, aka Birdman, brought Sheriff Briggs a videotape of Richie Fife's abduction.

According to his daughter, Kathryn, Sheriff Briggs watched this tape and threw it away.

Kathryn brought it to her mom, Annemarie Briggs, who kept it for decades and never had the courage to do what was right.

That is until last year, when Annemarie was battling cancer.

She gave the tape to Penny Gillis.

Annemarie did not want to leave this world knowing that her husband had put an innocent man in prison.

Penny's last wish.

To be buried in the middle of town so people can't avoid her anymore.

I miss her.

I know.

I'm sorry, Ms. Jensen.

I had to do it.

For Penny.

And for me. I understand.

Hey, Sam.

I'm so sorry.

For years, I didn't have people on my side.

But I had Penny.

She protected me.

Always.

Even though I couldn't protect her.

She said she wanted a tree planted in her name.

And with stones in the Yakama tradition.

This was her favorite kind of tree.

We used to play under one just like it when we were kids.

After what happened in this town...

nobody would look Penny in the eye.

And eventually... nobody would look at her at all.

With this tree...

I hope everyone can see... how beautiful she was.

How beautiful she is.

Hang up.

I gotta call you back.

In your office. Let's talk. No, no.

No more chats, Dad. It's over. Destroying evidence?

Kathryn is confused. I'm talking about the Gillis van.

There's no proof of any of that. You always have an answer.

How 'bout this?

I'm running against you for sheriff of Holmes County.

You're done here.