Original subtitles

In Toronto's war on crime,

the worst offenders are pursued by the detectives

of the Specialized Criminal Investigations Unit.

These are their stories.

Alright, I'm just gonna need your signature.

Here and here.

And that should do it.

This isn't a big mistake, right?

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, Melissa.

There are no mistakes in Toronto real estate.

He's not wrong.

Nothing can be bought that can't be sold again.

At a markup. - Right.

And if I just want a good home?

Listen, it's nerve-wracking, I get it.

All this gobbledegook.

But it's a great little home.

You're gonna be very happy there.

Mr. Henning,

tell her, how often do we get home buyers

having last-minute jitters?

- First time? - Mm-hmm.

Well, then I would be worried if you weren't nervous.

And that covers it. How do you feel, Paul?

I mean, yeah. Good.

Lot of good memories here. But a new chapter awaits.

Japan. That's exciting.

When are you thinking about going back?

Soon as this is finalized.

It won't be much longer now, right?

No inspections, no conditions.

The funds should be released tomorrow.

Oh, excuse me.

Samantha Morgan.

Yeah?

Wow, wow, wow, wow. Wait, wait.

How is that even possible?

You checked yourself?

Yeah. Leave him to me.

Oh, hey.

I'm sorry to bother you, but you wouldn't happen to have a, uh,

flashlight on your cellphone, would you?

I dropped my keys...

I-I mean I'm sure they-they're

in the brush here somewhere. - Oh, yeah, sure.

You wouldn't mind? Thanks a lot.

Hey, I'll say. Paul?

- Have we met? - Paul Phillips.

The same Paul Phillips that lives over on Alton Drive.

Yeah, but I... I'm sorry, but how do you know my name?

I'm drawing a blank. - I bet you are.

What the hell is...

Oh, my God. Guys? Guys!

So... who do we have here?

White male. 40s.

Doesn't look like he was using the skate park.

Wounds look like a double-edged blade.

Two, three, four quick jabs.

The one in the groin would have finished him off.

And the blood trail suggests he was stabbed on the path,

dragged here

as he was dying.

I don't see any defensive wounds.

It wasn't much of a fight. - Happened fast.

Maybe he was facing his attacker

but didn't expect violence.

You think he knew him?

A stranger approaches on a dark path,

you put your guard up.

Friend approaches, you don't end up dead.

Fair call.

Hmm, no visible tattoos, no discolouration of the skin

to indicate missing watch or jewellery.

Nondescript clothes,

neutral-coloured shoes off the rack.

Blank slate.

His fingerprints aren't in the system

and there's no match for missing persons.

Doesn't come home last night,

doesn't show up for work this morning,

nobody's missing this guy.

Apparently not.

Empty pockets, no car keys, no phone, no wallet, nothing.

Simple mugging? Cleaned him out?

Well, with a mugging you take the wallet and run.

You don't drag the guy into the woods.

Well, I'd say you don't have much to go on,

but this is nothing to go on.

Report on your John Doe.

Nothing much to write home about.

- Well, that's on brand. - But there is this.

Black molars.

That's silver diamine fluoride.

Correct. Topical treatment for tooth decay,

an alternative to drilling.

Stains the teeth. - Thank you.

So, our John Doe didn't wanna get cavities.

That's not exactly a lead.

I hate to break it to you,

but I see some canvassing in your future.

Get a digital rendering made and go talk to the public.

The public.

Take a close look.

Yeah. Yeah, he came in last night.

Alright, so you've seen him before?

No, but he tipped big.

Stuck around to eat and said he just cashed in his chips?

There.

May I? Thank you.

Okay, 9:42 PM.

No calls, no texts. He's just dining alone.

I don't know. Fried chicken and sudoku?

Looks pretty good to me.

Hey, look at that.

The pen.

Right there.

He just throws it in the trash with everything else, but...

He came in with it. See?

Maybe there's a logo on it.

It's a reach, but it's something.

This path leads us to a dumpster full of old chicken,

doesn't it?

You're in luck. It was late. I already emptied the trash,

so anything he tossed is still in the can.

Could we borrow a pizza box?

Talking to the public? Garbage search?

This guy is starting to bother me.

Oh, come on. You love it.

Oh, God.

Hey.

There we go.

Samantha Morgan, Wingrove Realty.

Well, it's not nothing...

I mean, it's Paul. Why? What's happened?

- And how do you know him? - I sold his house for him.

I'm actually here grabbing my staging materials.

He cashed in his chips.

Excuse me?

Is he okay?

I am afraid he was found dead this morning.

What? What on earth happened?

Uh, we don't actually have a lot of details right now.

But maybe you can help. This image is a rendering.

Do you happen to have anything that could help us confirm

that we're talking about the same person?

I mean... that's him.

I'm 100% sure that's him. Hold on.

Yeah, that's our guy.

Do you mind if I hang on to this?

- No, of course. - Thanks.

I... I'm sorry. I'm just a little confused here.

He was on his way back to Japan.

- Japan? - Yeah, that's where he worked.

That's why he wanted to get rid of this place.

He was spending most of his time there.

Yeah, well, that explains why no one misses him.

Are there any photos of his friends or family?

Any personal items?

Usually we haul that stuff out by the truckload.

But we actually had to bring some tchotchkes in.

Yeah, there's not much character.

Did you happen to meet anyone else in his life?

No. We only met a couple weeks ago.

That deal must've gone through pretty quick.

We priced it to move. He was eager to go back overseas.

Hm. Thanks.

Listen, uh...

Everyone's signing the line here, so just curious.

Will this affect the sale?

I... I don't mean to be crass.

It's, uh, not my department.

Yeah, it's Detective Bateman.

I was hoping you could run a name for me.

Yeah, Paul Philips. Date of birth, March 23rd, 1981.

Address, 227 Alton Drive.

Search CPIC, check occurrences, see what you can find on, uh,

next of kin, emergency contacts.

Thanks.

None of the neighbours have seen this guy for months.

Anything out of the ordinary lately?

Oh, just some real estate people coming and going.

One of the neighbours, he was so irritated.

Place sold for 1.5 under market. Devalues the block, poor thing.

Yeah?

Okay. Thank you so much.

Paul Philips has a sister in Scarborough.

♪ A modern-day warrior

♪ Mean, mean stride

♪ Today's Tom Sawyer

♪ Mean, mean pride

♪ Though his mind is not for rent ♪

♪ Don't put him down as arrogant ♪

♪ His reserve, a quiet defense

♪ Riding out the day's events

♪ The river ♪

- There you go. - Thank you.

I just can't make sense of it.

- We're so sorry for your loss. - Who would do that to Paul?

Well, that's something we're hoping you might be able

to help us figure out.

Uh, but first, Lydia,

because of the circumstances of your brother's death,

we do need to confirm his identity.

Is that something you're comfortable doing?

Oh...

Oh, God.

Yeah.

Okay.

Chellas, second opinion.

What are the bruises around the, uh, stab wounds?

Well, they're from the attack.

Looks like the murder weapon had a hilt.

Why? Something bothering you, Detective?

Only everything.

It's all set up in there.

You can take your time and we'll go in when you're ready.

- Okay. - Miss Philips.

Uh, were you aware your brother was back in town?

No, um, it was weird.

He usually let me know when he was coming.

At any rate, Detective Graff and I,

we will give you a moment to yourself

because we understand this is difficult.

Did you know he'd sold his house?

He did?

Yeah, he was in a rush to get rid of it.

Took far less than he could've. How often were you two in touch?

Well, not daily,

but you know, we shared the big stuff.

- Like selling his home. - I would've thought so. Yeah.

I think I'm ready to see him now.

Alright. Right this way.

That was something else we shared.

We were both blind as bats.

Only, Paul was brave enough to have the surgery.

He had laser surgery?

Yeah. The same astigmatism, but Paul had his corrected.

Do you have a number for Paul in Japan?

Yes... but aren't we going in now?

Can you dial it, please?

Okay...

I'm so sorry. I'll be right back.

Hey, what are you thinking?

The stained molars. The silver diamine fluoride.

Dentists use it when a patient has an aversion to anesthetic.

If he can't have anesthetic, he didn't get eye surgery.

Well, maybe he's not a blank slate after all.

- Paul? - Lydia?

- You're alive! - Lydia? Is everything okay?

So who's in the morgue?

An imposter.

I don't understand.

If that wasn't Paul Philips, who was he?

Let's start with a different question.

How does one sell a house they don't own?

He had ID. I showed you.

Two pieces, that's the requirement.

Which you didn't authenticate.

I checked his photo, I looked at his face.

I mean, I'm not Interpol.

You met him two weeks ago, he came to you. Is that right?

He saw my bus stop ad.

Told me he was in a hurry

and that I should take any reasonable offer.

Nothing about that seemed suspicious?

That's a motivated seller. That's music to my ears.

Keep everything moving so fast

that nobody notices anything's off?

Like clearing a house of all personal items.

Not a single photo or keepsake

that might identify the real Paul Philips.

His name was on the title.

Oh, funny you should say.

He spelled his name wrong on the, uh, purchase agreement.

Used the, uh, common spelling of Phillips.

Two L's rather than

the one L that the real Paul Philips used.

Repeats the error a few times.

Uh, obviously... I didn't see that.

Samantha, have you heard of anything like this

happening before?

I mean, I've heard of it, but no, not to anyone I know.

Hey, who do you like in, uh, financial crimes?

Like? Strong word.

Chase is alright.

Thank you.

Title theft. Yeah, it's a booming business.

That's what you get when a starter home

costs a million bucks.

Safeguards haven't kept up to the money

and the bad guys have taken note.

Have a seat.

In this case, the, uh, fraudster poses the homeowner.

Fake, uh-- - Fake ID?

Owner overseas?

Right. Obviously.

They target vacant properties.

Unmowed lawns, junk mail piling up.

They do a title search, find out the owner's name.

Little bit of rudimentary identity theft

and they are well on their way.

Here. - What's this?

30 homes in the GTA in the last three years,

sold or mortgaged without the owner's consent.

Oh, Jesus.

Was this guy involved with any of them?

Uh...

I don't think so.

But that face rings a bell.

Um...

Move.

Uh, there was a similar scheme in Vancouver.

There was a guy who rent an apartment to 19 people at once.

Collected rent from all of them

and then left before anyone got wise.

Is that him?

- Yeah, that's the guy. - Yeah, that's him.

Vancouver Regional Police never caught him,

but they appealed to the public and they did get a name.

Timothy Fox was posing as Paul Philips, huh?

Who are you working with in financial?

Oh, well, Graff is a big fan of Chase, so we're using her.

Yeah, one more day and Fox would've got away with it,

but luckily the house is still in escrow,

so the sale never went through. - Well, that's your angle.

Somebody solved that problem with a knife.

Yeah, most of the funds at risk were the bank's.

All insured. However, the buyer's deposit...

Gotta be over a hundred grand.

That's killing money.

Go meet the buyer.

I've been looking for months.

Got outbid so many times.

Finally, an offer gets accepted and then this happens.

It's bad luck.

Yeah, is it true?

That this imposter guy was murdered?

That's what my real estate agent told me.

Um, Melissa, how much money did you put down on the house.

$150,000.

That's a big number.

Yeah, with a big loan on top of that I bet.

Um, can I ask where you work?

Harbour View Lounge on Wellington.

I'm a bartender. - Oh, yeah?

What's your favourite cocktail? Not to mix, but to drink.

I, myself, am fond of a Gin Rickey.

Well, I'm not drinking much these days.

- Oh, because you're pregnant? - Excuse me?

That's why you want more living space. Baby on the way.

And how rude do you have to be to make that leap?

Well, the leap happened earlier. From this.

Plaster of Paris.

Clay powder.

Mounting plaque.

I don't see any other crafting supplies about.

So, uh, I'm assuming it's a moulding kit for your baby foot.

That was the leap.

The no drinking part just,

uh, confirmed it.

Or did I get it wrong?

I'm four months pregnant.

Did your parents co-sign for the house?

No. And that's none of your business.

And what about the father to be?

Not in the picture and even less of your business.

- Where were you two nights ago? - Is he serious?

Well, the man who tried to steal $150,000 from you

was killed, so he's quite serious.

I was at work.

Mondays are slow, so maybe only 300 people saw me?

Would you like their names?

Let's start with your manager's phone number.

You went, uh, pretty hard at her.

I'm not getting stabby vibes. Are you?

No, but she's definitely hiding something.

She didn't even ask if she was getting her deposit back.

That money's dodgy. Let's follow it.

Yes. I was the advisor on Miss Auerbach's file.

Meaning you approved the loan?

- I processed it. - Is there a difference?

Detectives, I'm sure you understand

you've got us in a spot here.

We can't discuss the personal finances of a client

without a court order.

The finances of a single bartender

who buys a house for $1,500,000?

I know it can seem opaque from the outside,

but the industry uses something called a GDS ratio--

Gross Debt Services.

The percentage of income that goes toward housing.

- You know your stuff. - I do.

Yeah, I learned the hard way when I tried to buy in Roncy

on a cop salary.

But, uh, by my math,

to get approved for that loan,

Melissa Auerbach would have to be making over $200,000 a year?

Yeah, she's a charming lady, but, uh, that's a lot of tips.

She had all the records to back it up.

- Bank statements? Tax returns? - Yup. All of it.

And you authenticated these?

We asked for official documents and she supplied them.

Detectives, as the bank's manager, I have to insist.

Get a court order and you can look at the records yourself.

If you insist.

Someone definitely cooked the books.

Made the, uh, finances look peachy in one blink.

Hmm. - What is it?

Maybe that was Timothy Fox's mistake.

His con ran into an even bigger con.

An imposter meets a forger in a dark alley and blood spills?

Maybe it's time we run a con of our own.

You still interested in buying a house?

- Have you been looking long? - I just started.

Do I look like a deer in the headlights?

You'll get the hang of it. You just need some good help.

About that, I actually don't have an agent yet

and my friend Melissa recommended you.

Well, then.

I'm always charming, but now I'll really pour it on.

Is this the kind of place you're looking for?

Oh, I mean it's beautiful.

But, uh, I don't know.

See, here's the thing.

Our finances are a bit tricky.

I'm a gallery owner, my husband, Henry is a carpenter.

We're doing fine, but a lot of our income is in cash,

meaning it doesn't necessarily all make its way to the books.

That's between you and God.

Okay, it's just on paper

we don't qualify for much of a mortgage.

None of my business, but what you're describing,

I see it all the time.

In fact, I know someone who helps clients in your situation.

- Like a mortgage broker? - Uh, more like an advisor.

He'll help you organize your books.

Oh. I mean, we don't wanna do anything unethical.

Oh, of course not. You just want a home.

You'll make your payments, right?

- Yeah, of course. - Then no one gets hurt.

Jesse Grayson.

Let him do his thing,

you'll have the home of your dreams before you know it.

So what would you do?

My idea for a restaurant

is vegan on one side,

snout to tail meat on the other.

Okay, perfect. Offend everyone.

Appeal to everyone! That's the move, Dad.

Respect their boundaries, but all together.

And the servers would use, like, a demilitarized zone down the--

Oh.

- Who is it? - Uh, just a colleague.

Why don't you head in? I'll be right there.

Okay.

What are you doing here Grayson?

- What'd you say to the cops? - You're following me?

I had to make sure you weren't getting cold feet.

Cold feet?

I did not tell you to kill that guy.

I told you to take care of it-- - Look.

I just came here so you understand

the reality behind all this.

It's you and me now.

Us, Adrian.

Do you understand?

I didn't say anything and I won't.

Just stay away from my family.

Later, buddy.

This Grayson guy's got this pretty nice operation

doctoring people's finances until Timothy Fox comes along

with his own scheme

and threatens to blow the whole thing up.

Is that your theory?

Yeah, if Fox had managed to sell that house,

it would've sparked a huge investigation

once the real owner got home from Japan.

And that would've exposed the whole operation?

Yeah, we're thinking Grayson killed Fox

before that could happen.

Nullified the sale thinking that's the end of that,

problem solved.

That's him. We got him.

Location data from Grayson's phone.

He was at Weston Skatepark at the time of the killing.

Jesse Grayson! Armed officers! We're coming in!

Bring them in.

Alas, poor Grayson.

Uh, single blow to the head.

That's most likely what brought him down.

Follow by repeated blows...

to finish him off.

Left no doubt.

Killer drops his weapon, then...

washes up with alcohol and high tails it out of here.

Not before taking the computer.

Forged T4.

Artificially aged. Coffee ring and all.

This must be where Grayson did his work.

It's a good bet that all the clients were on that hard drive.

One of them didn't want it found.

This crime scene's a mess.

The baton was a weapon of opportunity.

Came from here.

Grayson was prepared.

Yeah, for a lifetime of not dating.

That's interesting.

Double-sided blade, quick jabs, bruising from the guard.

That's the weapon that killed Timothy Fox?

Could be.

So if Grayson killed Fox,

who killed Grayson?

Someone didn't want Grayson's handiwork to come to light.

That's why they took his computer.

Yeah, someone with enough skin in the game

to go all the way to murder.

Well, that tracks.

Grayson's services would appeal to all kinds of bad actors.

If you can get a mortgage, you can launder $1,000,000

in the time it takes to flip a condo.

Do you have his phone?

I have his call history from his provider.

- Nothing? - Well, couple of maybes.

Uh, some numbered of companies, some, uh, foreign owners,

a couple of pay-as-you-go's,

but nothing that connects to real estate.

Or criminal associates.

Um, we thought somebody of your expertise

might be able to spot something we'd missed.

How many listings are we talking about?

Alright, let me sit with it.

- Well, I think we-- - Alone.

Hey, Bob. How's the tree house coming along?

The kids want second floor and plumbing.

Let me know if you need help with financing.

Yeah, have a good night, Adrian.

Sorry. Sorry, Tamara. I had to work late.

And I should've called.

Would've been nice.

Hey.

I'm sorry.

You think she's okay in there?

Well, I offered her food.

She made a sound I... didn't recognize.

Bateman! Graff!

We were on the wrong path. - What do you mean?

It's not one of Grayson's clients.

He starts the loans, yes.

But someone still needs to underrate them.

I looked at the land title registry

and that's when I saw it.

The lending institutions.

The same ones keep coming up over and over again

and that's what Grayson's computer would have shown you.

They're all getting their dodgy financing

from Hemisphere Savings & Loans.

So our big fish isn't a gangster.

He's a banker.

Hot diggity damn.

That's a beautiful view.

Beautiful home.

Yeah, what can I do for you?

Uh, tell me, uh, Mr. Henning.

A man in your position,

is your compensation tied to the performance of your branch?

There is an incentive structure, yes.

So, if a branch does well, you do well.

That's obvious that, uh, it's doing very well.

I have a good team.

Transferred there three years ago, we gelled right away.

Uh, Mr. Henning, we're here because we found evidence

of widespread fraud at your branch.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

And we also have reason to believe

that these crimes are connected to two murders.

You care to comment on that?

I wouldn't know how. I'm... I'm stunned.

Well, that... That watch. That's a rarity.

I haven't seen one of those in years

and especially not that vintage.

Would you mind if I took a closer look?

He's crazy about watches.

- Sure. - Ooh.

That looks like someone's been playing with toxic chemicals.

Caught you red-handed so to speak.

- What? - Isopropyl alcohol maybe?

In pure form it can cause skin rashes

if you were to use it to clean your skin of what?

Blood, maybe?

Detectives, I am a banker.

I use sanitizer after every hand I shake

and I shake a lot of hands.

Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate if you directed

any other questions to my lawyer.

- Mm-hmm. - Deal.

Uh, but in terms of getting to work on time,

I wouldn't worry. See, we took your advice.

That's a copy of the search warrant

that's gone to your branch,

so we might beat you there, but either way, see you soon.

Irregularities all over the place.

Here's a student claiming $400,000 in overseas income.

Oh, this client owns three homes on $2,400,000 borrowed.

hairdresser.

Ooh. Coffee ring and all.

Oh, my God. If you tried this at my bank,

they would taser you in the face.

And then they'd file a suspicious transaction report.

Adrian Henning, we're placing you under arrest.

On what charge?

Today? Conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

But we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Mr. Grayson's network funnelled dozens

of fraudulent clients towards Mr. Henning's bank,

where they were rubber stamped for loans.

Allegedly.

The initial audits suggest it's been happening over a year.

Now, are you telling me your client--

Theo, I thought we were having lunch.

You wanna talk hypotheticals? I'm all ears.

Otherwise-- - Alright, okay. Okay.

Hypothetically speaking, your client killed Jesse Grayson

to hide his own criminal activity

at Hemisphere Savings & Loans.

Mr. Henning has denied any part in that fraud.

And if you come at us claiming

he planned to murder Jesse Grayson--

The traffic cams put him at the condo on the night.

Prints and DNA are all over the murder weapon.

You see cold-blooded intent.

Perhaps I see something else.

What would that be?

Well, if I were to say, and let's be clear I'm not,

that my client knew of a dangerous man

who was defrauding his bank

and asked this dangerous man to stop.

Oh, uh, if that's your defence,

that man would have to be pretty dangerous

for a murder charge to go away.

I forget, who was it that

brutally killed Timothy Fox with an illegal weapon?

Oh, right. Jesse Grayson.

When your delusions subside, call me.

We'll start talking in absolutes.

Thanks for the shawarma.

- Self-defence? - It's looking that way.

Prints left everywhere,

murder weapon came from Grayson's armoury.

Okay. But you know that just because it's not premeditated

does not mean it's not intentional.

Yeah, all they have to do is convince the jury

that Henning feared for his life.

Caldwell does that, he'll walk. - No, no, no.

Grayson was attacked from behind by surprise.

He ad a whole arsenal of weapons, but, uh, none in hand.

He wasn't the aggressor. - Yeah, not this time.

Exactly. That's the issue.

Grayson's a killer, Henning at best is a family man,

at worst, Robin Hood giving houses to the poor.

We need to dismantle the folk hero narrative

and put the blood back on his hands.

- Not this time. - What?

What she said.

Grayson wasn't the aggressor this time.

This whole thing started when one fraud collided with another.

If Henning in any way,

in any way, conspired to kill the imposter...

His self-defence goes out the window.

Yeah, you connect Henning to the murder of Timothy Fox.

I can put him away. - Hmm.

Back to fraud number one.

Joy of joys.

Hey.

How's, uh, how's Josh?

He's scared.

Adrian, these things that they're saying that you've done.

Make it make sense.

- I was protecting us. - Don't you dare.

Remember the other night, we were coming home from dinner

and there was that guy out front of our house.

You remember that? He was threatening us, Tamara.

He threatened to hurt you and Josh.

- What? - I need...

I need you to tell him what you saw.

Okay?

The bank's lawyers advised us not to talk to you guys.

Oh, don't worry. You can tell the bank's lawyers

that we're not here to talk about mortgage fraud.

We're here to talk about two dead bodies.

What was Adrian Henning's involvement

with 227 Alton Drive?

Mr. Henning kept a close tab on that file.

When the purchase agreement came in,

something agitated him.

Something like a guy who couldn't spell his last name?

Is it normal for him to read purchase agreements?

No. He's a manager. He doesn't handle customer transactions.

Yet, here he is going over this particular file

with a magnifying glass.

This one mattered to him. Why?

I don't know what to tell you. You make it all sound so dirty.

- It does sound dirty. - We help people buy homes.

People like Melissa Auerbach.

A bartender just trying to build a life.

Um, hey, Graff?

Henning discovered the seller was sketchy.

He looked into him, found out he was an imposter.

Yeah, he alerted Grayson, told him to take care of it.

Conspiracy to commit. - If we can prove it.

Dina, excuse me, but, um...

Henning told us that he was transferred

to this branch a couple years ago.

Do you know where from?

Um, Wellington Street branch. Downtown.

That's right across from the Harbour View Lounge.

We know someone who works there.

We get all types of money guys at the bar.

But Adrian seemed different.

Open and-and... curious. - And married.

And he never tried to hide that.

We talked about it. The ups and downs.

We talked about everything.

Melissa, Adrian Henning has been accused

of some very serious crimes.

I'm still struggling to believe that.

You don't think he's capable of such things?

Maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought I did.

I know how this sounds.

But I'm not some deluded ex. I'm not pining.

But our thing

while it lasted.

I don't know.

Adrian inspired me to imagine a different life for myself.

A bigger one.

And I didn't need it to be real, but then--

But then it became real.

Yeah, you got pregnant, he got cold feet.

Yeah.

And you weren't about to be cast aside for nothing.

I wasn't looking to punish him.

I just wanted what he promised me.

What he said was in reach.

What was that?

A home.

Counselor.

We've come across some new information and, uh,

wanted to give Mr. Henning a chance to respond.

Why is Mrs. Henning here?

Mrs. Henning has some new information as well.

We'd hope Forester would be here

so we could put this all to bed, but...

Tamara.

Uh...

Six nights ago,

Adrian, Josh, and I were walking home from the restaurant

and this Jesse Grayson fellow, he threatened us.

- Mm-hmm. - He threatened our son Josh.

And he threatened to kill us all,

so whatever my husband did,

he did out of self-defence.

Thank you, Mrs. Henning, um.

Would you be prepared to say all that again in a court of law,

in front of a gallery of strangers,

a jury of your peers, the press?

Uh, yes, because it's the truth.

Uh, Mrs. Henning, would you mind excusing us?

We have some delicate matters to discuss with your husband.

No, no, I'll stay.

We don't have any secrets. Not anymore.

Okay, uh, no secrets.

Mr. Henning, who is Melissa Auerbach to you?

Uh...

You spoke with her? - We did.

And you should know that if this case goes to trial,

she will be called to testify.

My client's relationship with Miss Auerbach

has no bearing.

Sometimes the least of our sins speak the loudest.

Mr. Henning.

Less poetry, Detective.

When your affair with Miss Auerbach ended,

you felt responsible. You wanted to help her out.

But, uh, you could hardly buy a house for some bartender

you had knocked up.

Sorry, I guess you left that part out.

When you helped Melissa and your baby,

you had to do it at arm's length.

So you put her in touch with the man who could make that happen.

Grayson doctored the papers and, um, she got her mortgage.

You could help her with the money and it'd all look clean.

But bad luck.

Melissa tried to buy the house on Alton Drive,

where the seller was an imposter.

You caught the con just in time and informed Grayson to, uh,

take care of it.

I just wanted the guy to back off--

- Adrian. - No, no.

Grayson took it too far.

Things were spiralling, cops everywhere,

and your lies woven into this whole mess.

Maybe he didn't go to Grayson's that night to kill him.

I didn't.

Maybe you just wanted him to smarten up,

shut down his operation,

and all Grayson had to do was lay low,

but not this guy.

No, he's a head case, a loose cannon.

And as long as he was alive,

everything you held dear was at risk.

Exactly. Mr. Henning feared for his life

and he defended himself.

- A decent man in a bad spot. - That's right.

Beautiful family. Good job.

Even the mortgage stuff, that's a victimless crime, right?

We're talking about real estate here.

Everyone's on the take.

You were just keeping with the flow of traffic.

That's all the jury's gonna hear, right?

Except, um.

Well, it doesn't work that way anymore.

Melissa Auerbach changes it.

Make your point, Detective.

The real victims are the point.

Right there in your own home.

Your wife, Tamara. Your son, Josh.

You leave them out of this.

Well, they're right in the middle of it, Mr. Henning,

because you put them there.

Think about every time you came home late

and you saw the pain on their faces.

Every lie, every bad excuse.

- I made a mistake. - A mistake?

No, no, no, Mr. Henning, you're a cheat.

You cheat at work, you cheat on your wife,

you cheat your unborn child out of a father

by bribing your mistress with a house!

Not a home.

Hush money!

Grayson was a threat to my family.

- A threat? - Yes!

Well, why didn't you go to the police, huh?

Sure, you'd broken the law, but isn't a slap on the wrist

better than committing murder?

I told you Grayson went too far!

No, you went too far.

It wasn't the fake documents you were hiding,

it was Melissa Auerbach's name.

That was the reason that you wanted all of this

to stay hidden forever!

You knew.

The jury wasn't gonna see some benevolent Robin Hood

giving houses to the poor.

They would see a lying banker, a cheating husband.

They would see you bashing a fallen man's skull in

until you could see his brains.

That's enough, Detective.

No, that's overkill, Counselor. That is intent.

The man was down. He was not a threat anymore.

And if you take this to trial, this all comes out.

And your family will have to live

through that horror in public.

And for what? A moment of bliss?

To have your ego stroked by a beautiful young woman?

Detective Graff!

So how much more pain do you want them to go through, huh?

I'm so sorry.

I'm no Theo Forester, but, uh, let's pretend.

Excuse me, um, Mrs. Henning, um.

But, um, how did you, uh,

find out your husband was having an affair?

Did he accidentally whisper it to you one night?

Did he tell you she was pregnant?

And will your relationship be with your husband's love child?

Welcoming?

Take your hands off me.

Please. Somebody let me out.

Just spoke with Forester.

He got a guilty plea from Adrian Henning. Second degree.

No trial needed.

I guess Henning found his heart.

Or he just looked at the numbers.

You going home, Graff?

I am.

Night.

difuze