♪
[motorcycle roars]
♪
♪ Who can it be knocking at my door? ♪
♪ Go 'way, ♪
♪ don't come 'round here no more. ♪
♪ Can't you see that it's late at night? ♪
♪ I'm very tired, and I'm not feeling right. ♪
♪ All I wish is to be alone, ♪
♪ Stay away, don't you invade my home. ♪
[phone rings]
♪ Best off if you hang outside, ♪
♪ Don't come in, I'll only run and hide. ♪
Hey, it's about time.
[phone clatters to the ground]
What's your problem?
[grunts in pain]
[screams]
♪ Ahhhhh
[motorcycle roars away]
♪ Who can it be now? ♪
[crash sounds]
Who Dunnit?
Not only is that the question that has fueled the second
most successful fiction genre in all of history,
but it's also going to be the basis
of your midterm next week.
[sighs]
So, if crime fiction is number two,
what is number one?
Lacy?
Um, sorry, what was the question?
What's the most popular form of genre fiction in the world?
Um, romance? Right?
Good job.
Right, now, by using methods of deduction, Lacy,
why would you deduce that out of all the people
in this room, that I asked you to answer that question?
I don't know.
[door creaks open]
Sorry, am I interrupting?
No, no you're not.
Ladies and gentlemen, the man who created this class,
also known as my father,
emeritus professor Graham Winslow.
I'm sure you all know him from your Atticus Keller books,
which I'm sure he will be more than happy
to sign for you after class.
First of all, let me talk to you about your midterm,
just really quick.
Bud here will be crafting your midterm mystery,
and he's gonna have a full array of suspects, 'mkay?
And it's going to be up to all of you to discover...
Lacy?
Who dunnit?
That's right. Who dunnit.
Have a good day, people.
Hey, Lacy.
Hey.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, why?
I just got the feeling that maybe you're worried about
that frat guy you've been seeing?
How do you know about Rex?
Elementary, my dear Lacy.
[laughs]
[clears throat]
I mean, the last two weeks you've been coming to class
with a smoothie from the smoothie shop,
which is right next door to Theta New Zeta,
which is a fraternity for the pin that you can't seem
to keep your hands off of,
which showed up around your neck around the same time
that you started bringing the smoothie to class,
and for the first time ever in my class,
you've not been able to keep your head out of your phone.
Which tells me that you're anxiously awaiting
some response from this Rex.
Am I correct?
Very Sherlock of you, Professor.
Thanks.
Yes, Rex and I were supposed to meet last night
and he didn't show up.
Have you checked the fraternity house?
Rex is a non-resident.
He lives in Tamblyn Dorm.
[sighs]
Well, you know what, everybody's sick around here.
I mean, maybe he just has the flu
and turned his phone off.
Maybe.
Look.
Your paper on the red herrings in the works of Agatha Christie?
Absolutely phenomenal.
Seriously, like, great.
Would you like to help Bud craft the midterm mystery?
[laughs in disbelief]
Sure.
All right, great.
Meet us at Holly's at 9:00 AM?
See ya then.
Yeah, well, then...
Ah, here she is.
Hey, sweetie-pie.
Hey, Dad.
Mwua!
So what are you doin' here?
Need an ego boost?
Oh, is she always this cruel behind my back?
Only to your face, sir.
Oh, good one, good one.
I like this teaching assistant better than your last one.
Honey, I wondered if you're free for supper tonight.
Uh, well, that depends.
Are you cookin'?
Always.
All right, then I'll be there.
I'll see you later.
All right, bye.
Nice to meet you, Bud.
Take care.
♪
Eldon.
Hey, Amy.
Hey.
Since when did the facilities manager start cleaning windows?
Apparently something got swiped from Life Science,
so now we're adding external security cameras.
Hey, how's your dad doing?
Heard he's on campus today.
Yeah, yeah, he was.
Uh, you know it's been a little tough on him
since my mom passed, but... he's good.
He's good.
Thanks for asking.
Hey, how's your son?
Uh, well, um... he's, uh, getting' bigger.
And sicker.
We've got him in this experimental program
out in Boston, so...
Oh, Eldon, I'm sorry.
[sighs]
Well, listen, I won't keep you from doing your job.
[drill whirrs]
[laughs]
Talk to you soon.
See ya.
Bye.
So, to sum it up, Professor Morales,
you have a key code entry on every door,
you've got a state-of-the-art alarm system,
you got these cameras that are recording everything
that goes on in here,
and then they feed it to your private server
in your own office.
Just as I reported to your captain, Detective.
Yeah, but, see, there's no sign of a break-in.
And those cameras,
they didn't record anybody carrying anything out.
And yet, there has been a theft.
Of a plant.
My team and I have been working for five years
to genetically engineer crops
that are resistant to climate change.
One of our plants could potentially be worth
millions of dollars on the open market.
Okay, well then I would like a list of everybody
who has access to this lab.
I'm gonna need names and numbers.
And what I really want is the last two weeks
of everything these cameras caught.
Travis, I'm not sure I understand.
Why do you want the footage going back two weeks?
Because, if this thief is like most,
then he or she cased the joint before they pulled it off.
And like, I know that going over two weeks of footage
is not very glamorous, so I'm sorry about that.
You still happy about becoming a detective, Claire?
I am.
This is exciting.
A "locked room mystery."
Like "Murders in the Rue Morgue".
You lost me, what is that?
Don't you read crime fiction?
[laughs]
No, I got enough crime fact in my life.
I don't need to read about it.
Good point.
Yeah.
So, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe
is basically the first detective story.
It features a crime committed in a locked room.
Like this crime.
Okay, and how did it end?
The killer was an orangutan.
A what?
Orangutan.
An orangutan?
[laughs]
Well, I don't know, maybe we should have forensics sweep
for orange hairs, huh?
[laughs]
Come on, no more monkey business.
Hmm.
Looks like Claire Tate.
What's that?
Oh, nothing.
She just reminded me of a former Mystery 101 student of mine.
Ah yes, my favorite class of yours.
I got the midterm on my calendar,
I'll be sitting in.
Well that's great,
except for the fact that you like to give hints
to the students, and although you're my boss,
you can't do that.
I don't know what you're talking about.
[laughs]
Here it is.
What's that?
I got that 29 years ago,
when my predecessor asked me to become
Chair of the English department.
What are you sayin'?
I need to start thinking about who I'm going to recommend
as my replacement, and I wanted to know if you're interested.
[panicked] Come on, Rex.
Pick up.
(Voicemail) Hi. You've reached Rex Hanford, leave a message.
[panicked breathing]
[knocking]
[panicked] Rex?
It's Lacy.
Rex?
[panicked breathing]
[phone dings]
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
[shrieks]
Insurance scam?
Or she sells the super-plant that she's been growing
to make more money than she'll ever make as a professor.
Now, according to her, these plants are worth
millions of dollars to the agro-business companies.
And she told you that?
Yeah.
Not exactly a smart move if she's the culprit.
It's kind of a good move.
Make it look like you're helping the detective, hmm.
And my daughter?
She's great.
Claire's learning fast. Asks great questions.
You did a good job.
[laughs]
Thanks.
Remember guys,
your Huck Finn papers are due on Friday, all right?
Have a good day.
[sighs]
[phone rings]
[clears throat]
(Voicemail) Hey, it's Lacy. Leave a message.
Hey, Lacy, this is Amy calling you back.
Um, I'm available for the rest of the day
if you want to call me,
or I can just see you tomorrow morning.
Okay, thanks.
Bye.
Professor Miller asked me to consider
being the department Chair today.
Yeah, of course he did.
You know anything about that?
Well, he mentioned it to me.
I uh, told him it was a terrible idea.
Obviously, he didn't listen.
Ha, ha.
You know though, I don't know.
I'm kind of freaked out about it.
I don't know if I'm ready for all that.
Well, you know what your mom would say.
Yeah.
She'd say "never walk away from a challenge."
Challenge, yeah.
I don't believe that you ever do.
Well, you guys taught me well.
Yeah.
And uh, speaking of your mother and challenges...
check that out.
Is that what I think it is?
Check it out.
Is this a new Atticus Keller manuscript?
What a keen sense of deduction you have.
[laughs]
Dad, this is great.
I thought you stopped writing.
Yeah, well, I believe I would have,
but uh, that last day with your mom,
she took hold of my hand and she said
"now you listen to me, buster.
"You will have three months to mourn and then you've got
"to get back to writing."
I promised her that I would.
Yeah, she always knew what you needed.
Yeah, she certainly did.
Now, I need you to give me some feedback on this thing
before it goes to the publisher, what do you say?
Yeah, absolutely Dad, of course.
I would be honored.
Thank you.
Uh, but Dad, I've got a really, really busy week.
Do you mind if I read it over the weekend?
Of course.
We can't have our prospective chairperson
of the English department be shirking her school responsibilities, can we?
[laughs]
[laughs with mouth full]
No.
[sighs]
Lacy's late.
She's never late.
Mm-mm.
Never ever.
She texted me yesterday,
and she said she got a weird message.
What was the message?
I don't know, I don't know.
I called her back after class, but she didn't get back to me.
I'm just gonna call really quick.
Yeah.
(Voicemail) Hey, it's Lacy. Leave a message.
Straight to voicemail.
Hmm.
Hey, Lacy, it's Professor Winslow.
Um, could you just give me a call back when you get this?
Thanks. Bye.
[doorbell jingles]
Hey, hey, hey.
I paid that speeding ticket.
I hope so.
How's it going, Bradley?
Officer Tate, I told you it's Bud.
And it's Detective Tate now.
Oh, nice.
But you can call me Claire.
Claire, I want you to meet my mentor,
the brilliant Amy Winslow.
Hi, Amy.
Good to see you, Claire.
I know Claire.
Nice to see you too.
And you are?
Travis Burke.
Detective Travis Burke.
My mentor, and the most brilliant detective
at the Garrison police department.
[laughs weakly]
There isn't a lot of basis for that statement, Claire.
Why do you say that?
Well, because he's clearly new to the force.
Why would you say that?
Oh, um, your shoes.
My shoes.
Yeah, yeah.
There's red mud caked on the seam of your shoe
from Scarlet Ridge.
And the only people that ever go to Scarlet Ridge
are the people that stay at the Scarlet Ridge Inn.
Like I said, she's brilliant.
I'm gonna assume that you're a professor
at Elmstead College and your specialty is crime fiction.
Okay, hold on, how'd you know that?
Well, because Claire is a graduate from Elmstead College,
and Amy knows Claire, and Claire knows her crime fiction.
Yesterday she was, uh, quoting Edgar Allen Poe's
"Murders at the Rue Morgue."
Right.
We have a locked room mystery at the college.
Which we can't talk about.
It's nice to meet you.
You too.
It's good meeting you.
Bye, Claire.
I wonder if Lacy's gonna be in her Modern American Novel class
later on in the day.
Hmm.
And so, I think DeLillo is saying
that everything is connected,
and that things which seem maybe mundane or small
at one point can have really huge implications
if we just pay attention.
(Voicemail) Hey, it's Lacy. Leave a message.
It's going straight to voicemail.
You know, I hate to be an alarmist...
No, no, no, I mean first, she doesn't show up
to her meeting, then she doesn't come to class,
and now she's not answering the phone
when her favorite professor calls.
It's very un-Lacy like.
Yeah, it is.
Think maybe we should call her boyfriend?
Rex Hanford?
Yeah.
Okay.
[phone vibrates]
Is that her?
No, unfortunately.
Hey, Goldie.
What's up?
Yeah.
Yeah, no problem.
Just tell him to hang tight.
Okay.
Bye.
Professor Miller didn't show up to his
turn of the century Lit class, so I need to sub.
Are you okay to run down this Rex on your own?
Yeah.
Okay.
Thanks.
- See ya. - Bye.
The key to understanding Nathaniel Hawthorne
is to know he believed that sin and guilt and evil
are all unavoidable aspects of being human.
Ow, we are out of time, people.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you.
Hey.
So, did you find Rex?
Negative.
I talked to a couple of his frat buddies,
they said that he spends his Tuesdays
at the Elmstead Current.
I'd go by, but I have a tutoring session.
Uh, no, I can go by there.
No problem.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I need to talk to Rex Hanford.
Uh, what do you want with Rex?
I was just hoping he could tell me where his girlfriend is.
Lacy Daniels.
And I was also told that he works here on Tuesdays?
Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't.
Meaning?
He's Rex Hanford.
Future Pulitzer winner in his own mind.
You don't really like him that much, do you?
I'm the editor of the paper, Professor.
I just need to like his work.
[knocking at door]
Lacy?
It's Professor Winslow.
[knocking]
[screams]
I'm sorry!
Oh, Eldon, you don't have to pick that up for me.
Oh...
Is this what I think it is?
Yeah, yeah, it's my dad's new Atticus Keller manuscript.
Oh wow, how is it?
I'd love to read it.
Can you get it back to me before the weekend?
Are you kidding me?
No problem.
Thanks.
Yeah, enjoy.
Hey, hey, Eldon?
Um, there is... there's this student who lives here
that I'm having trouble getting a hold of.
I've texted and I've called
and I'm just a little worried about her.
Do you think you could just open the door and do, like,
a health and wellness check?
Uh, I'm not supposed to...
I know, I know.
Like I said, I would never ask you to do it,
but I am super worried about her.
Well, I suppose a quick peek won't hurt.
Yeah, yeah, just a quick little peek.
[knocks at door]
Facilities manager. Hello?
Lacy?
Looks like she's not home.
[phone shutter snaps]
And um, did you notify campus security?
I don't really think that campus security is equipped
to handle a missing persons case.
[laughs]
Probably right.
See, the problem Amy is that I can't file a report
until someone's been missing for 24 hours.
So, you said she had a boyfriend,
Rex was his name?
Yeah, yeah, Rex.
I tried to get a hold of him, but...
My advice... try again.
If she's still missing tomorrow, you call me.
[clears throat]
[knocking]
Rex.
[knocking]
[door creaks open]
[phone ringing]
Hey, Detective Burke?
This is Amy Winslow.
Listen, I have another missing person,
and this one's definitely in trouble.
The detective seemed upset.
Well, he should be upset.
Maybe in the future, he'll listen to me.
No, I mean he was upset with you.
Why would he be upset with me?
For contaminating a crime scene.
Oh.
Okay, so you're taking this seriously?
That's how I take serious things.
Seriously.
Okay, well then, you should know
that I found this in Lacy's room.
That smudge?
Lacy said she got a message.
Maybe that message was written with lipstick.
Maybe the same lipstick.
Not everything is a coincidence
like in one of your crime fiction novels, Amy.
Excuse me?
Let police do the police work.
[laughs weakly]
Gladly.
Thank you.
[knocks at door]
Knock, knock, President Hawkins.
Ah, detectives.
Detective Travis Burke.
Detective Claire Tate.
Hello.
So, did you find Professor Morales's plant thief?
No, no, not yet.
Not yet.
Actually, we're here on a different matter.
One of your professors seems to think that two students
have gone missing,
Rex Hanford and Lacy Daniels.
Missing?
Now listen, I'm sure that it's nothing.
I'm sure it's kids just being kids.
But, what I was hoping
was that you could call their families for us
and just see if maybe they went home?
Well, yes, of course.
Please, have a seat.
Hey, um... What are we doin' here?
I did some digging,
and Rex's ex-girlfriend lives here.
Let's see what she knows.
[doorbell rings]
Can I help you?
Hi, we're from the English department,
and we were just wanting to talk to...
Brittany, sure.
Brittney.
And what was her last name again?
Summers.
Brittany Summers.
That's right.
Hi, I'm Brittany.
Do I know you?
Uh, not exactly.
My name is Professor Amy Winslow,
we're with the English department.
I just wanted to ask you a couple questions
about your ex-boyfriend.
Rex.
What about him?
When was the last time you saw him?
Well, the last time I saw him was when he made
the catastrophic decision to be
with the little reporter rather than me.
The reporter?
Lacy.
They work at the school newspaper together,
and I'd rather not talk about him.
Bye.
Yeah, bye.
Wow, what a charmer.
And I'm wondering why Josh Green,
the editor of the Current,
acted like he didn't know who Lacy was.
That's a good point.
Security camera footage arrived from Professor Morales
at Life Science labs.
Took her sweet time on that, didn't she?
Detective.
Claire.
Oh, terrific.
Professor.
Did the president call their parents?
[laughs]
All right, you need to let me do my job.
Ha, happily, as soon as you start doing it.
[phone rings]
Tate.
All right, I don't know...
Where?
Okay.
Someone found Rex.
[distant police radio]
Rangers Randolph and Williams found the body.
And you are sure this is Rex Hanford?
Well, his face is banged up,
but it's a match for his drivers' license.
Cause of death?
ME said a broken neck.
C'mere.
What? Oh.
- That's not all that's broken. - Uh-nuh.
What do you think, Detective?
I think that Rex might've ended here,
but he started up there.
Yup.
Detective!
Friend of yours?
No.
That's Amy Winslow.
She was my crime fiction professor at Elmstead.
What is she doing here?
Playing cop.
Claire?
On it.
Amy, you really need to-
He's dead, isn't he?
Is Lacy with him?
Not that we know of.
How did he die?
Amy, you know I can't talk about this.
Right.
Sorry.
What do we do now?
We're just going to sit here and wait for someone
that can talk about it.
Detective.
Professor.
Uh...
Bud, get in the car.
Yeah.
We're following.
[engine starts]
What is she doing here?
Professor?
Did he go over?
Yeah.
His motorcycle did, too.
Look, this is a closed crime scene.
You're not welcome here.
Professor Winslow, I'm Chief Tate.
Hi, you're Claire's dad, right?
Yeah, I was one of her teachers.
You can call me Amy.
Amy.
I understand from Detective Burke and my daughter here
that you're wanting to involve yourself in this.
Well, I'd prefer that you let police handle things.
Oh, uh, well, uh, no disrespect, sir.
But I'm involved in this because one of my students is in danger.
Okay?
And if you guys are gonna handle this,
that's great, that's actually what I want, okay?
But, I just, there's...
[sighs]
Don't you think if he would've lost control of the bike
that the skid marks would've started way back there?
Not there.
But they don't.
This is not an accident.
This is a murder.
Hey do you think maybe we should just go?
No.
I wanna find out what their plan is to find Lacy.
So?
We're going to officially report this as an accident for now.
It's a good idea.
Yeah.
Cause then the killer will think he outsmarted you.
There is no direct evidence that there is a killer.
Think about it, guys.
Rex gets a threatening message on his mirror,
which Lacy probably got too.
And now, Rex is dead.
Did he have a cell phone on him?
We're looking for it,
it probably fell out of his pocket during the fall.
Okay, well, look.
Can you now just entertain the fact that Lacy is missing?
Can we maybe just, I don't know,
maybe you wanna cross-reference the lipsticks
to see if they match?
We're already doing that, okay? Thank you for your help.
I'm gonna go.
Okay, can I go with you?
No, you cannot go with me.
Why?
Because you're not a police officer.
Well yeah, but I could be like a consulting detective,
you know?
Like Sherlock was to Scotland Yard...
[unimpressed] Sherlock Holmes.
Okay. Look here.
You, you are a teacher who teaches
about pretend detectives.
So no. You can't join me.
Hang on a minute, Travis.
Professor Winslow is the one that alerted you
of these missing kids, right?
Yes, sir.
And a liaison who knows the campus
wouldn't be a bad thing to have.
Yes, sir.
Speaking of liaisons, Captain Tate, sir,
You know, I'm actually writing a thesis right now
about fictional cops versus real cops,
and I'd be happy to lend a hand too,
if that's all right.
The security footage drive arrived from Professor Morales
at Life Science labs.
Someone stole a plant worth millions out from under the eyes
of the security camera.
There is a lot of footage.
Maybe Bud could help me.
Fine.
In the meantime,
I'll talk to the president about alerting the school community.
Bud.
I'll see you at Lacy's, Detective.
What?
I'll see you at Lacy's.
[car doors slam]
[sighs]
So, what are you looking for?
[sighs]
I don't know.
I'll know when I find it.
Well, if I can help you in any way...
You're a liaison, Amy.
[sighs]
You know, I'm assuming that you've never read
"Who's Body" by Dorothy L. Sayers so...
you haven't, have you?
No.
No, I thought so.
Uh, but there's this, there's this great example of the trope
of this really disgruntled policeman who's so upset
with this amateur sleuth for invading his turf,
and it's just, it was kind of relatable,
but it's great, and I think you should,
I think you should read it.
I think you'd like it.
Yeah?
Yeah.
How's it end?
Well, it ends with the amateur sleuth solving all the crimes
and giving the cop the credit.
[laughs]
I'm not trying to step on anybody's toes here.
Okay?
Really, I just, I feel like there's
this questionable character who's connecting to Rex and Lacy
that I feel like you should take a look at.
I'm all ears.
Yeah?
So there's this girl, Brittany Summers,
and she actually used to date Rex before Lacy,
and she's just... unpleasant.
That's not a crime, Amy.
[laughs]
No, no that's not a crime.
But she did tip me to a fact I didn't know about.
So, Rex and Lacy were both reporters
for the school newspaper,
which is only pertinent information
because when I was at the school newspaper's office today,
I talked to the editor, Josh Green,
and he acted like Lacy's name meant absolutely nothing to him,
like he didn't know who she was, and I just,
I feel like that's weird.
[sighs]
Where's the newspaper office.
I can take you there.
Let's go.
Okay.
Garrison PD.
Are you Josh Green?
[panicked] Yes.
Do you know Lacy Daniels?
Who?
Lacy Daniels.
She's a reporter here, when is the last time you saw her?
[panicked] I don't, I don't know. Why?
There's two students missing.
She's one of them.
I... haven't seen her in a few days, really.
All right.
[heavy breathing]
I'm sorry I scared you.
Here's my number.
You call me if you hear anything, all right?
Yeah...
That was awesome.
Thanks.
He's hiding something.
See, a reporter should have asked me
who the other missing student was, unless you already know.
Ahh.
May I, may I?
Oh, yeah, sure.
Thanks.
What are you hiding, Josh?
Here.
He's on the move.
[engine starts]
You wait here.
[gasps]
Oh, shh.
[terrified] What?
[whispers] It's safe. Come on.
[relieved sigh]
All right, I'm gonna go look, okay?
Okay.
What are you doing?
I'm gonna look.
What?
She's alive.
[knocking heavily]
Hi, Josh.
Professor Amy Winslow, you remember me?
[whispers] Yes.
Is Lacy here?
Uh...
Professor?
Hi.
Lacy, can we come in?
We?
We need to talk to you, Lacy.
Alone.
[crying] No... He's... that's not, he can't be...
It's okay.
I'm so sorry, Lacy.
[sighs]
[sobbing]
[whispers] Lacy, the detective and I
need to ask you some questions.
Is that okay?
Thank you.
Okay, Lacy.
I'm sorry for your loss.
When is the last time that you saw Rex?
Saturday.
We were supposed to write a story together Sunday night,
but he never showed.
I called, texted, nothing.
That's why I was so worried in class yesterday.
And can you walk us through what you did after class?
I came home,
[sniffs]
and somebody had broken in, and wrote a message on my window.
And that's the message you called me about?
Was it "back off?"
Uh, yes...
How did you know?
Rex had the same one on his mirror in his room.
Lacy, do you know who might've written it?
Maybe.
A story Rex and I were working on was about someone
hacking the math department server,
stealing tests and selling the answers.
That's a crime.
Do you know who it was?
We had a good lead.
Brittany Summers.
We need to see if she owns any purple lipstick.
Did she find out that you were onto her?
Um, we contacted her on her burner cell to try to get a buy.
Rex had me be the buyer.
We didn't think she knew Rex and I were together.
But she did.
Suddenly she didn't have anything to sell me.
Said it was all a practical joke.
How did you...
How did you end up here?
Well, when I went to Rex's room,
when I was on the phone with you, professor, Josh showed up.
He was looking for Rex too.
He was upset with Rex, but that was nothing new.
Why is that?
He hated Rex.
Josh was always accusing Rex of trying to take over the paper.
Is that why Josh was angry at Rex?
He said he owed him a story.
The math test story?
No, a different one.
The story was about a tenured professor
who'd stolen a student's work and published it.
What professor?
Rex wasn't ready to say.
He called the person "Professor M."
And Josh....
Josh saw the warning on the mirror.
I told him about mine, he said I was in danger,
and that he had this cabin, his grandpa's,
where I could be safe.
Now I know it sounds so stupid now,
but, like, I was so freaked out and, and now Rex...
[cries]
It's okay. You're safe.
We do need to call your folks
and let them know you're okay, though.
Where were you Sunday night, Josh?
I was uh, at the office, waiting for Rex,
who never showed.
Waiting for Rex about what?
Some big story he said he had.
And was anybody else there?
No.
Why?
Okay, Josh, why did you bring Lacy here?
For her safety.
I mean, she was in danger.
How long have you been in love with Lacy, Josh?
[laughs]
I don't, um...
Was it before or after she started going out with Rex?
What does that matter?
It matters, Josh.
Because here's this handsome guy,
he's a star journalist breaking all the stories,
and then he sweeps Lacy right out from underneath you.
Hmm-mm.
And Josh, what are you going to do about it?
Nothing.
Come on, man.
I didn't do anything.
Wrong.
You lied to a police officer in the middle
of a missing persons investigation.
That is an obstruction of justice,
which is why you're under arrest.
[sighs]
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you
in a court of law.
You have a right to an attorney...
I agree, it's a wonderful way to end the evening.
You have a good night, bye.
All right, that was President Hawkins,
and he's relieved that you are safe, Lacy,
so let's keep you that way.
I'm gonna post an officer outside your dorm
until this is all settled, okay?
Okay.
What I need from you is Brittany's burner phone number.
Hey, Claire?
Can you escort Lacy back to campus, please?
Sure, see you tomorrow.
Okay.
It'll be okay.
Come on.
Thanks, Claire.
Tomorrow?
Oh, yeah, well, we went through several hours of footage,
but we didn't see anyone take a plant,
so I told Claire
that I could get back at it with her tomorrow,
I mean, if that's okay with you, Detective.
Appreciate your dedication, Bud, to police work.
Protect and serve, sir.
Need a ride home, boss?
I can give you a ride home if you like,
if you need a ride.
Uh, yeah.
Yeah.
I got it.
All right, see you tomorrow.
Bye.
Uh, you ready?
Yeah, sure.
Okay.
Well, thanks for the ride.
You're welcome.
Hey, and thank you for the lead on Josh.
It was solid.
Oh, yeah.
You really think he killed Rex?
I don't know.
I mean, either he's trying to play hero for Lacy,
or, he has more sinister motives.
Hmm.
But what I do know is I've been in town for one week,
I've already got a homicide investigation.
It's like I never left Chicago.
[laughs]
I bet you probably left Chicago
to get away from all the crime, huh?
Yeah, yeah, partially.
Was the other part an ex-wife?
That's not a wild guess, is it?
The skin above your knuckle.
The what?
[laughs]
The skin above your knuckle
on your forefinger of your left hand
is just slightly paler in tone.
How did you see that?
You're good.
You know, a missing wedding ring is a key feature of
"A Study in Scarlet."
What is that?
It's my favorite Sherlock Holmes story.
Wow, you really don't read any crime fiction, do you?
I really don't.
None?
None.
Oh!
I'm thinking maybe I should start.
You should.
Yeah.
[sighs] Okay. Well...
Hey, Amy.
Yeah?
Tomorrow.
I have to interview all the Professor M's
at Elmstead College.
Potentially, if Rex ended someone's career, then,
makes sense it'd be someone who'd want to end Rex's life.
Hm-mmm.
And having a familiar face there with me,
you know, it might make people be a little more compelled
to tell the truth,
to be a little more honest than they would be if...
I was wondering...
Oh, me?
You.
Oh.
I mean, if you're not teaching, you're probably teaching.
No, I'm not, I don't teach on Wednesdays.
I would, yeah, I would love to go.
Great.
Well then, tomorrow, I'll meet you...
We should meet up.
Okay. Where?
Uh, the English department building?
'Kay.
At 9:00?
Yeah. 9:00.
Okay.
9:00. English building.
Uh, I'll see you then.
Okay.
Great. All right.
I'll get outta here.
All right, bye.
Bye, and thanks again, that lead was very helpful.
All right.
Bye.
[rain patters]
[door bells jingle]
Hi.
Hey.
Oh, it's a mess out there.
I know.
The usual?
Yeah.
Oh, and an extra coffee.
You uh, you meeting someone?
Detective Burke, but I'm gonna meet him at the school.
Oh.
And coffee for the cute detective, now.
I get it.
[laughs]
There's nothing to get.
Okay? It's just work.
Mm, nope.
I saw the sparks between you two.
[laughs]
You saw sparks?
You saw nothing of the kind, okay?
But we are complete opposites.
Right.
Amy, are you familiar with the phrase "opposites attract?"
Mmhmm.
It's a cliché.
Well, clichés are things that happen
so often they get called clichés.
Doesn't make 'em any less true.
On the house.
Thank you.
Mmhmm.
Have fun.
It's work!
Hey there.
One of those for me?
[laughs]
Hey, what are you doing here?
Ah, I was looking for Professor Miller.
See if you told him you want the job.
Oh, uh, well no, you know what, I actually think he's sick.
Yeah, I had to sub for him yesterday.
Oh, I see.
And uh, what are you doing here?
You don't, uh, you don't teach on Wednesdays.
Hey.
Hi.
Um, uh, Travis, this is my dad, Graham Winslow,
and Dad, this is Detective Travis Burke.
Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.
I gather this is who the second coffee's for?
Oh, um, uh yeah, I got you a coffee.
Thanks.
And how do you know my daughter, Detective?
Um...
Your daughter's helping me with a thing.
What thing?
Police thing.
What police thing?
Dad, he can't tell you about all of his police things.
But he's telling you?
Uh, well, uh...
Sir, if I may, your daughter has a gift.
She has a keen insight into criminality,
and an ability to observe things which is off the charts.
Which doesn't come as any surprise,
considering who your father is.
It's an honor, Mr. Winslow.
Thank you, Detective.
That means a lot, considering your profession.
And I trust that you'll make sure my daughter
doesn't do anything dangerous?
Sir, I wanna give you my word.
Your daughter will be absolutely safe, I promise.
Okay.
Shall we?
Yeah, we should.
Bye, Dad.
Yeah.
Talk to you later.
- Okay. - Yep.
All right.
Hey, nice to meet you, sir.
You bet.
Pleasure.
'Kay.
So you went with M's as both first and last names.
Mmhmm.
Yeah, you cover the bases, but just tenured professors.
Right, yeah.
[inhales]
...that covers.
Jameson Mook...
Mook.
Well, I gotta be honest with you.
Professor Miller is innocent.
I mean, that man is like the sweetest person
on the whole entire planet.
Okay.
But you know I gotta, I gotta cross my I's and dot my T's.
[laughs]
Uh, Morales.
Yeah, I don't know about Morales.
I just, I think it's...
It's a little bit fishy that she's a part of
two suspicious activities that have taken place on campus.
I just, I don't like coincidences.
Yeah.
Any coincidence is worth noticing.
"You could throw it away later if it's only a coincidence."
Miss Marple.
Marple? Marple?
Is she tenured?
You don't know Miss Marple?
You should talk to her.
You can't talk to her.
She's only the most famous
female fictional detective of all time.
She said that about coincidence.
Well, good.
Glad that Miss Marple and I agree.
Mm.
Hi, I got a message from the president's office to be here.
Yeah, Mark, have a seat.
This is Detective Travis Burke.
How you doin'?
Hi, good.
Mark Cutforth. Physics.
Ivy Mittner. Sociology.
Uh, Steve McDonough.
History.
Jameson Mook.
Theatre.
Hello again.
Professor Morales.
So, have you found the culprit?
Uh, well actually, this is about a different matter.
Um, I'm not sure, did you get the email from the president
regarding the unfortunate accident of Mr. Hanford?
Yes. Just awful.
Was he a student of yours?
No.
He wasn't.
No.
Possibly in a freshman seminar.
I honestly couldn't tell you.
Okay, that's fine, but did you know him,
maybe because he's a reporter at the "Elmstead Current"?
I don't think I've ever talked to a reporter before, so...
No.
Yes, right, he did an article a couple of years back
about a production I directed.
It was an all-female Macbeth that was...
Uh, not that I recall.
Yes.
Would you care to elaborate?
Do I need my lawyer?
No, no, Sarah, not at all.
Look, we just understood that Mr. Hanford was looking
into a professor and had some potentially damaging information
that he was planning...
Damaging?
That sounds bad.
Well, you don't mean just a bad play review?
So, this is a fishing expedition.
But, if he's deceased, it should be a moot point, no?
[laughs weakly]
Can you answer my question?
He was a work-study student in my lab.
I thought he was a communications major.
That is immaterial.
We are forced to employ work-study students
regardless of course of study for janitorial services.
This young man worked six hours a week.
And did he know about the stolen plant?
And how did you know about the stolen plant, Amy?
[inhales awkwardly]
Professor Winslow is consulting for the police department.
And finally, last question.
Have you published any major papers in the last six months?
Of course I have.
Yeah.
Sure.
I have, yes.
Oh, certainly.
No, not in a...
Well, it's been years.
All right. Thank you.
Now, we're still very much working on your case, Professor.
I should hope so.
Good day to you both.
Good day to you.
Thank you, Professor Morales.
What?
So, when did I go from liaison to consulting?
Oh, well I needed you to sound more important
for Professor Morales.
[laughs]
So, consultant.
What do you think?
Well, I think that we can definitely rule out
Jameson Mook, the theatre director.
Agreed.
Yeah.
And, um, I mean obviously we need to look into the papers
that the rest of them published.
But it sounds like you've got a "but" there.
But... I think that we need to take a closer look at...
Morales, right?
Uh, no, I was actually going to say Steven McDonough.
The history professor?
Mm.
Why?
Well, because when you asked "do you know him,"
he's the only one that hedged.
He said, and I quote, "not that I recall."
Ooh.
All right.
And what about your boy here, Professor Miller?
He was a no-show.
Yeah, uh...
Well, if you want I could just run you by his house.
I want. I'd like you to do that right now.
Okay.
Is this a campus owned house?
Yeah.
[doorbell rings as Big Ben]
That's quite a bell.
[laughs]
He didn't show up yesterday, so I had to sub for him.
[doorbell rings like Big Ben]
Hey, will you call the facilities manager again?
Yeah. Yeah.
Thanks.
Hey, Eldon.
This is getting to be a habit.
We haven't formally met yet.
I'm Detective Travis Burke.
Eldon Parnell.
It's nice to meet you.
You joining the force, Amy?
[laughs]
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I'm just a liaison.
This lady knows crime.
At least the pretend kind.
Oh, speaking of which,
I'm tearing through your dad's book.
Yeah?
Is it good?
Oh, best ever.
So, what's up here?
Well, that's what we're hoping to find out.
Yeah.
Do you mind letting us in?
That's what I do.
Thank you.
[knocks at door softly]
Professor Miller?
This is the police.
We're entering your home.
The bedrooms and the home office are up here.
I'll, uh, stay down here unless you need me.
No, that's fine, Eldon.
Thank you.
He's not in there.
This is his office.
Professor Miller?
What are you doing in here with the lights off?
Here, let me...
Amy, stop.
Touch nothing.
Is he?
Sorry.
Look at his hand.
Pills...
I don't understand.
"I have gone to be with my Florence..."
Who's Florence?
His wife.
I just saw him on Monday.
He seemed to be fine.
He even told me he was coming to my midterm mystery.
[sighs]
I don't know, but then, he was also talking to me
about the fact that he wanted me
to become Chair of his department.
So I don't know, Eldon,
maybe he was trying to tell me something.
[sighs heavily]
He was married to her for over half a century.
Maybe he just...
Wanted to be with her.
Hey, Eldon. Thank you.
Let me know if you need anything.
All right, appreciate ya.
Thank you.
The medical examiner's gonna do an autopsy,
which is standard in these kinds of deaths.
So, if there's any next of kin
that needs to know about the funeral...
He didn't have any children.
He used to say he had hundreds of kids every four years.
[tears up]
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
I get it.
I'm sorry.
[phone rings]
Um, I need to take this.
Excuse me.
Yeah.
Yeah?
Hey.
Brittany Summers just bit on the text we sent
about buying test answers.
She'll do an in-person meet.
You ready to go back to college?
Thanks for meeting me.
Do you have the money?
Um, do you have the exam?
No, I just like sitting in cars with girls
who ask stupid questions.
Sorry, I just...
I mean, you don't exactly look like a hacker.
My brother taught me how to code when I was in 4th grade.
When I didn't look like this.
Money?
Wait, so did knowing code help you hack
into the math department?
Are you seriously asking me that?
Well, did it?
Yes, obviously.
That's how I got the exam that you said you wanted to pay for?
$300 now.
You said $200 in the text.
Yeah, that was before you became annoying.
Thank you.
Bye.
[clears throat]
Hello.
Who are you?
Detective Travis Burke.
Hi, Brittany.
Remember me?
What's going on here?
Claire, would you like to make your first arrest
as a detective?
What's going on is we recorded our whole conversation.
You're under arrest for hacking and digital theft.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Do you recognize that?
Should I?
It's your shade.
You know what else?
It matches the shade of the lipstick
put on Lacy Daniels' window.
This lipstick's worn by
a hundred girls at Elmstead, at least.
Right.
But, you wanna know the funny thing about lipstick?
See, when you transfer from the tube to your lips,
you also transfer your DNA back to the lipstick.
So that forensics test that I just ordered.
Am I gonna see a match?
So what if you do?
Is it a crime to write on a mirror?
"Back off" of what?
What do you think?
I think that Rex is gonna write an article
about this little side business that you've got going on.
Or, he was hitting on me, and I wasn't interested.
Where were you Sunday night, 8:00 to midnight?
I need a lawyer.
All right, Brittany.
Obviously, you're a very intelligent person,
you got a lot going for you.
But you know what else you got?
A tape admitting that you stole an exam
and were trying to profit from the theft.
Now, I don't care what lawyer you hire,
no one can make that disappear.
So, do you understand the consequences?
Now, if you answered my questions Brittney
then I'm gonna be inclined to tell the DA
that you were very helpful.
So, you wanna try again?
Fine.
Sunday night, I was at the Sig Kappa house,
in my room, studying.
Okay.
Is there anybody there that can vouch for that alibi?
Yeah.
Some of the other sisters, I guess.
Names and numbers.
[typing]
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Amy?
Hi, Tabby.
What brings you to my department?
Well, I just had a quick question for you.
Steven McDonough just published a big paper
in the American Bulletin of History on Nixon, right?
Yes, a fact he likes to remind me of daily,
and has left me many copies, so please, take one.
Thank you.
Before this, he published a paper back in 2002,
but why the long drought?
Steven's a good historian, but he's an abominable writer.
Except for that Nixon piece.
He teaches European history,
I mean, why is he writing about Nixon?
That would have been inspired by the student Andy Buck.
He was a Nixon nut.
Was.
He died last spring break.
A boating accident.
And now with Rex Hanford...
What's that got to do with anything?
Andy and Rex were best friends.
Hey, uh, guys.
Brittany's sorority sisters cannot confirm her alibi
between 8:00 and 10:00 PM,
which the MA says fits the time of death.
Is the evidence from Rex's room here?
It's there.
Thanks.
Why?
Well, I think I know why Steven McDonough
didn't recall knowing Rex.
What are you doing?
All right.
Huh.
See, almost word for word.
Word for word.
Except, of course, the author.
That's incredible.
Nice work, Amy.
Yeah.
Hey, what does this mean?
Well, it means that someone else had a reason
for keeping Rex quiet.
[knocks at door]
Uh, excuse me?
Hey, Steven.
We've got a few more questions for you.
About Richard Nixon.
Can you sit down, please?
Uh, look.
I have a dinner engagement.
Sit down, Steven.
Where were you Sunday?
Sunday?
Yeah.
Steven, Sunday is the day after Saturday,
it is the day before Monday.
What were you doing Sunday?
Uh, I'd had lunch that day with some colleagues.
And something I ate didn't agree with me,
so I went to bed quite early.
What time?
Uh, 6:30, 7:00.
6:30, 7:00.
Do you live alone?
At the moment.
Yeah, I figured.
So there's nobody there that can vouch
for this early bedtime story?
No, I suppose not.
Look, what is going on?
Amy, why don't you tell him what's going on?
Yeah, sure.
Want to you take this for me?
Thank you.
Open it to page 11, please.
Can you read the top for me?
The Nixon Story?
By?
Steven McDonough.
And if I were to read this,
I could deduce that you are the author, not Andy Buck,
who wrote this a year ago?
Now, look.
Let me...
What did you do when Rex Hanford confronted you
for publishing the essay of a dead student?
Hang on.
When I asked you if you knew Rex Hanford,
you told me "not that I recall," and yet...
Yes...
Steve, I got a whole bunch of emails
between the two of you dated last week.
Amy.
Can you please read him the emails for me?
Absolutely, Detective.
All right, so last Friday, Rex sent you an email that says
"We need to talk about Andy Buck,
"I'd like to get your side of the story."
Two hours later, you reply "What story?"
An hour later, he replies "The Nixon Story."
Then you say, "I can explain how Sunday at 8,"
he replies "Sure. See you then."
Well, obviously he was in that accident,
so, so we never met.
How did you know that?
You said you went to bed between 6:30 and 7:00,
and if you were supposed to meet him at 8, eh, right?
It doesn't make a lot of sense,
unless you knew he wasn't going to show up.
No, I... Look.
I... I admit there are some irregularities with this,
but last time I checked, plagiarism isn't a crime.
No.
But murder is.
Murder?
Steven McDonough,
you're under arrest for the murder of Rex Hanford.
He spends the night in jail, he'll wanna talk.
[laughs]
I'm gonna report to the chief.
Okay.
Report what?
Oh, he arrested Steven McDonough.
McDonough confessed?
No, not yet, but he thinks he will after he spends
a night in jail.
Once he does, he's gonna release Josh.
So, does this mean that movie Night of the Living Dead
is over?
We still need to find out who stole the plant.
Right.
But I mean, you can leave if you want.
Oh, no, no, no. I'd love to stay.
It's showing me how boring
and tedious actual police work can be.
It's good for my thesis.
But, um, do you want to maybe go get some dinner?
Good idea.
Hey.
Hey, Dad.
I got the email about Professor Miller.
Do you want some coffee?
[sighs]
[coffee pours]
[sighs]
Thanks.
[whispers] I was with Detective Burke, Dad.
I found him.
I'm so sorry.
Hey, hey.
At least he passed in his sleep.
[inhales deeply]
What?
What is it?
Yeah.
Yeah, he did die in his sleep.
But he died from an overdose of sleeping pills.
What?
Yeah.
He left a note and everything.
I guess he just didn't want to be away from Florence.
Why didn't he say anything to me?
I could have helped him cope with being a widower.
[sighs]
This makes no sense.
I saw him last week.
All he talked about was this app he got to help him
with his arthritis.
You dictate everything and the computer does the typing.
What?
Yeah, he thought that I could use it for my writing.
What are you saying, that he couldn't type?
His arthritis was brutal.
His hands were more like claws.
Right, right, I know that, but are you saying
physically he couldn't type?
Because that doesn't make any sense,
because he typed his suicide note.
Wait a minute, I need to call Detective Burke.
Good, good.
You let him handle this.
Well, okay, I'm kind of in the middle of it too.
Honey, now look.
It's Professor Miller we're talking about here.
Okay?
There's been one dead,
and this could be a second murder.
Yes, yes.
Which is why you let the professionals take the ring.
Come on.
Amy, Amy, you and I are used to dealing with mysteries
that live on the page.
This is different.
This is dangerous.
Tell me you understand that.
[sighs]
Thank you for getting here so quickly.
So the ME just finished Professor Miller's tox screen.
Sleeping pills didn't kill him.
He had a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Fentanyl?
That's...
The painkiller that kills.
No fentanyl in the medicine cabinets,
no opioids of any kind.
What are you looking for?
No prints.
It's wiped clean.
Wait a minute.
That proves it.
That proves that Professor Miller didn't type that note,
and whoever did wiped the typewriter clean.
Travis, this is a murder,
and it's gotta be connected to Rex.
You said it yourself, no coincidences.
The ME said that Miller died Monday night, so...
Let's see what Steve McDonough was doing Monday.
All right, yeah, thank you Claire.
So, McDonough has an alibi for Monday night, apparently.
He was having dinner
with the Chair of his department at his house.
We'll see about that,
I just happen to be very good friends with her.
You are?
Yes, I am.
Nice.
Okay.
[phone rings]
Hello?
Hey, Tabby, it's Amy.
Hey.
Did I get Steve McDonough arrested?
[laughs]
No, I think he did that all on his own.
Uh, listen, could I ask you a question?
Were you with Steven McDonough on Monday night?
Yes, he cooked for me.
The man's quite a gourmand.
Okay, do you know what times you were there?
Five courses...
I left just shortly after my office hours, so 6:00?
Got home around midnight?
[sighs]
Okay, all right, thanks, bye.
Well, there's his alibi.
That's all right, Amy, that's all right.
You know, this doesn't change his motive,
or his lack of alibi for killing Rex.
So I just need to find some evidence that connects him
to the murder.
Hey, Travis, check this out.
[clears throat]
Yeah?
We've got it.
You got what?
The plant thief.
And Travis, you were right.
It was Professor Morales.
Bud noticed a small,
two minute gap in the timecode on Saturday.
At first we thought maybe it was a glitch,
like something that happened every day at the same time.
So, we went back and checked, but no.
So then, we brought in Russ.
Good job, Russ.
What'd you find, Russ?
Well, somebody clipped two minutes out of the footage
and they threw that file in the trash,
which they then emptied.
But it wasn't hard to find.
I ran a basic recovery program and got the file back.
But if Morales took the plant herself,
then why would she give up the evidence that proves
that she did it?
Because she thought she had the perfect locked room mystery.
Yeah, but what's her motive?
Money.
It's like Morales told Trav here.
That plant could be worth millions
to a multinational Agro business.
He's right.
Thank you.
Don't ever call me Trav.
Never again, sir.
We got another arrest we gotta make.
Good work, Russ.
This is absurd.
I was moving the plant before the cleaners came in.
I did that weekly.
You have absolutely no basis for this.
You're gonna hear from my lawyers.
What's going on?
Well, turns out the victim was the culprit.
Just like in the first Atticus Keller book.
Hmm, yeah.
I'm gonna go question her.
Yeah, uh...
Good luck.
Hey, congrats.
Thanks.
Uh... I'll call ya.
I mean, you know, I'll call you about the...
when I find out about the confession...
I'll call you later.
Yeah, yeah okay.
[clears throat awkwardly]
The great mystery writers are much like magicians.
What do I mean when I say that?
Jake.
Uh, they use misdirection.
They use misdirection.
What's misdirection?
It's kinda like this right now,
I've got you guys all paying attention
to my right hand cause it's doing something crazy over here,
so much that you don't pay any attention
to what I'm doing with my left.
But the second time you see the trick,
you start to understand what the magician is doing,
and that's what I tell my students,
I say, when you're nearing the end,
always go back to the beginni...ng.
Always...
[whispers] Always go back to the beginning.
Bud, take over.
Wha...
Where, where are you going?
I have to take care of something.
Hi.
Hey, are you looking for Travis?
Uh, actually, no.
I was looking for the drive with all the security footage on it.
It's in evidence holding.
Oh.
But, Russ made us a copy.
It's right here.
Do you think that I could borrow that for a couple hours?
That should be fine.
Travis said you're a consultant, right?
Yeah.
Well, we're a little short on workspace right now, so...
Don't worry about it.
I can just take it back to my office and I'll bring it back.
That should be fine.
Okay, great.
Do you want a copy of our log notes, too?
Yes, I would love that.
Thank you, Claire.
[phone vibrates]
Hey Dad, what's up?
It's your worrywart father checking in on you.
Oh, I'm fine.
I hear from Tabitha that Detective Burke made an arrest.
Yeah, more than one, actually.
Well, that's a relief.
Can I get some details?
You know what, Dad,
I'm just in the middle of something,
but I can come over later for dinner.
Then I can fill you in.
I'm already making my five-alarm chili.
I'll see you at 6:00.
Yeah, sounds good.
Love you.
Love you, too.
Okay...
Eldon?
Hang on.
Rex?
I finished.
Oh.
[laughs]
Hey, Eldon.
Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.
No, um.
What's up?
Finished your dad's manuscript.
Oh, that's nice.
[clears throat]
How was it?
Well, your old man faked me out.
See, Atticus Keller got the killer locked up,
but there were still two chapters left.
Oh, so he locked up the wrong guy?
Exactly.
Yeah.
But you knew that, cause there were still two chapters left.
I should have.
But the suspect seemed so perfect.
He had a motive.
Big time.
And no alibi for the time of murder.
You know it.
But the suspect wasn't a nice person, either.
[nervous laugh]
No, he wasn't.
And the irony is... the real killer was a nice guy.
Someone nobody would suspect.
The thing is, he had a motive too.
Just not one anybody ever thought of.
How's your son doing
with all those expensive cancer treatments, Eldon?
[door slams heavily]
I knew you'd crack it.
Eldon.
I, um, I...
I'm gonna need your cell phone, Amy.
Well?
Well what?
You're not gonna do that whole "last chapter detective" thing?
Morales had offered to help your son,
but when you went to visit her last week,
she told you she struck out.
No dice on the help.
You were angry and desperate, and so you came up with a plan
that would cover your son's medical expenses
and get revenge on Morales.
Am I right?
You know you are.
Never pictured you the vengeful type, Eldon.
Seeing your kid dying in slow motion changes a person.
But what you didn't know is that guy in the corner of the lab
on the day you had your blowout with Morales
fancied himself the next Woodward and Bernstein.
He started tailing you.
Rex saw you steal the plant.
[camera shutter clicks]
And saw who you sold it to.
Rather than go to the police, he came to you,
to squeeze you to give up the people
you sold the stolen goods to.
Leave me alone.
Can I get a quote at least?
Look, this story's gonna happen with or without you.
College reporter takes down big business
for corporate espionage.
Rex might've won a Pulitzer after all.
He promised to keep you out of it,
but you didn't believe him.
Would you?
You set a meeting with him.
You shoved him off and made it look like an accident.
But it was murder.
Did you know about McDonough?
That he had a reason to want Rex gone?
I guess I got lucky, for a second,
until Professor Miller.
I knew that wasn't suicide.
I just couldn't figure out how it was all connected.
And then I realized.
It was so simple.
His office window looks out on the Life Science building.
He saw you walk out with the plant on Saturday night,
didn't he?
I ran into him on Monday,
after you saw me installing those cameras.
He wanted to know why Life Science made me work
in the middle of a Saturday night.
Poor guy.
He had absolutely no idea what you were doing,
but you knew that he would as soon as it got out
about the theft.
And then there was Morales.
You had to make sure that she took the fall for your theft,
even if it meant that two people had to die.
Pull off over there, just past the caution tape.
How are you gonna explain my death?
You're like all those detectives you teach about.
You returned to the scene of the crime,
because you couldn't let it go.
You were checking out the edge, you slipped.
You fell.
Give me the keys.
Give me the keys!
[screams in pain]
[grunts]
Where is it?
[panicked breathing]
Amy! Amy?
[panicked breathing]
Amy!
[panting heavily]
Amy! Come on.
I can do this all night.
[panicked breathing]
Eldon, stop.
Eldon.
You don't want to do this.
Stop it.
Stop! Stop!!!
I just need you to remember why
you love my dad's books so much, Eldon.
Remember what you told me?
Do you remember?
You said that, you said that you love
that there were no bad guys,
there were just complicated people that did bad things.
And I kind of feel like this is one of my dad's books,
you know?
Because you're not a bad guy.
Eldon, you're a good guy.
You just got caught up in a desperate situation,
and things got complicated and you made some bad decisions,
but I know why you did it.
Because you love your son so much you'd do anything for him.
But killing me is not going to save him.
[police sirens]
Freeze!!!
Travis!
Freeze!
No, no, it's okay!
Hands where I can see 'em!
It's okay!
Are you okay?
He's surrendered.
Aren't you?
Are you surrendering?
[crying] Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Let's go.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you
in a court of law, Eldon.
You have the right to an attorney,
if you can't afford one,
one will be appointed to you by the State.
Do you understand?
Hey.
Are you okay?
I cannot believe that...
I can't believe that was Eldon.
I expect that you're going to explain everything to me
in a little bit, yeah?
Yeah, yeah.
How'd you know I was here?
Your dad.
He called me, said that you were really, really late for dinner.
How did you find me?
GPS on your phone.
Are you okay?
I'm so glad you're here.
I finished it.
And?
And... well, Dad, you know I love all of your books, right?
Oh no, but...
But... but... I will have to say that this one is...
hands down my favorite.
[laughs]
I loved it.
Honey, that is the best news I've had since last week
when Travis called to tell me that you were safe.
Oh, we're calling him Travis now, are we?
Well, uh, yeah.
Had him over for dinner last night.
You what?
Yeah.
Why would you have him over for dinner?
Well, always good to get a policeman's perspective
on crime fiction.
Dad, he doesn't read crime fiction.
Yep.
And he doesn't read your books.
I realize that.
But, uh, he's still a very nice man, huh?
[sighs]
I know where this is going.
No.
Come on, Dad.
Honey.
All right, people.
It's about that time.
Let's get started.
Uh... Um...
[door squeaks]
So, unfortunately, Bud and I have been a little busy,
but I do have a treat for you all.
This year, the midterm is going to be administered
by a very special guest.
Oh, hi.
Emeritus Professor Graham Winslow, everyone.
[applause]
Oh, please, please, please.
[laughs]
Take it away, Dad.
Thanks, sweetie.
Okay, gang.
Here's the scenario, let's get started here.
Hey, what are you doing here?
Oh, President Hawkins said that I could audit your class.
I mean, I'm a little nervous, now I gotta take a midterm.
[laughs]
I wouldn't be nervous,
my dad's gonna give everybody an A anyway.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Even the guy who's never read his books?
[whispers] Oh, I heard about that.
He caught you.
How's it feel to be guilty?
Uh, like I want a lawyer.
[laughs]
Uh,
[clears throat]
excuse me?
The back of the classroom there.
Is there something that you have to say to the rest of the class?
No, sir.
Sorry, Dad.
So, as I was saying, um, let's talk about the dead body.
[laughs]
Are you seriously gonna audit my class?
Yeah.
I mean, how else am I gonna learn from you, Professor?
Oh, I mean, you could always bring me in to consult
on another case, Detective.
We'll see.