Original subtitles

A murder board, we call it.

Lots of pieces of evidence

that hopefully bring you to a conclusion.

But let me back up.

So I said to Jim, "Honey, I respect your job,

"you respect my job,

"but we have to keep our date night sacred."

So do you know what he had to say?

Rebecca!

Do you have a phone?

Call 911!

A heart attack.

Not something you'd see on a murder board, right?

Over the next four years in St. Ben,

there were some seemingly unrelated deaths.

A car accident, a fall down the stairs.

Nothing that would've seemed criminal.

Then a man went missing,

and that brought us in.

Okay, we are gonna find Chuck Westerly.

My pop, Jim Quinn,

St. Benedict Chief of Police.

State police are lending us a diving team.

Bill, you're running point on this one.

You bet, Jim.

Bill Duncan, my pop's best friend.

And take Wyn with you.

Detective Wynton Russo.

I've known him since kindergarten.

Meanwhile, we need a full forensics workup on his boat.

Frankie.

On it, Pop.

Yours truly, Francesca Quinn.

And I stayed on it, Wyn and me.

We connected all the seemingly unrelated deaths

and came to a conclusion.

Hey.

Well, you're in early.

Made progress on the drowning?

This is bigger than the drowning.

Megan Quinn,

my high school English teacher who married my pop,

soon to be known as the St. Ben killer.

So, are we completely riveted-?

Megan. - To what you're-?

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say or do

can be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you.

Do you understand these rights as I have said them to you.

But our conclusion was just the beginning.

My wife has been arrested,

which is why I am resigning from the police force

effective immediately.

Detective Russo will answer any questions

regarding the case.

Who's next in line?

Megan Quinn is being charged in six homicides

over the last four years.

That'll be all for today.

Thank you for coming.

You were great out there.

'Cause I knew you were beside me.

Hey, you two.

Carl?

Carl Wiseman, my high school sweetheart.

Successful writer.

He'd come back to write about Megan and the trial.

Hey.

What are you doing in town?

Came back to cover this whole thing.

It's good to see you, Frankie.

And I compared

the water samples in Mr. Dunbar's lungs

with the water samples in the lake,

and when they didn't match,

I knew he'd been drowned and moved.

We began to look

at suspicious deaths in the community, and.

Started to see connections around the school.

And it was around this time

we realized someone was accessing our files.

And we discovered that to be Detective Bill Duncan.

Detective Duncan's actions

led us to take a closer look at Megan Quinn.

The people who should be on trial here

are my stepdaughter, Frankie,

and her secret boyfriend, Wynton Russo.

Megan was convicted,

but her life wasn't the only thing

that got destroyed out of all of that.

Wyn and I thought we'd be happy with Megan locked up.

But a lot has changed in the past year.

Hey.

Sorry.

Who you texting?

You, actually.

In the middle of my party.

So I read your novel.

So what'd you think?

You can't publish that.

What, you don't buy the narrative?

It's not the narrative, Carl, it's my life.

And yours.

And Wyn's?

Couldn't help but notice the bracelet you're wearing.

Mo anam cara;

My soulmate.

Wyn gave that to you, right?

It's a good detail for my next draft.

Hello?

Hello?

Carl?

Some night, huh?

Body in the club? - Yep.

Someone cut the power, but we just got it fixed.

Murder weapon's gone,

but coroner says it was probably a hunting knife,

eight inches.

Hey Wyn, hold up.

Deceased is Carl Wiseman.

Okay.

Frankie's in there.

She's the one that found him.

So I was wondering-

Wondering what, Beatrice?

Well, before I got assigned to St. Ben,

I heard that you and Frankie-

Were together?

We were.

And like you said,

it was before you were assigned here,

so that would classify it as ancient history.

I'm sorry, I...

I had a weird night.

I was asleep when you called.

Why don't you take the lead with her, Bea?

I got you.

Hey Frankie.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Can you tell us what happened?

The power was out, I figured the storm,

so I went to get my phone and.

I'm sorry. - It's okay.

How'd you get in?

We both had keys.

We'd rented the restaurant for a birthday party for Carl.

Party was tonight? - Yeah.

How many people were here?

Around 50.

We'll need all those names and numbers.

What time did you leave?

It was around 9:00.

And what time did it begin?

8:00.

Short party.

I'm not exactly sure when it ended.

I left early.

We had to fight, me and Carl.

What about?

"Love, Comma, Murder."

His new manuscript;

That's the title.

Why were you fighting about it?

It's autobiographical in ways that made me uncomfortable.

Okay Frankie, I have to ask- - Alibi?

I, I went driving.

I was alone;

No one to verify that.

Got home after 11:00, decided to call Carl,

and realized I left my phone at the party.

I thought you stopped wearing that.

I did.

I started again.

I'm sorry, Allison.

Do you know who she is?

Josie Neusted, pharmaceutical rep from the Twin Cities.

It's all in my report.

What am I supposed to do, Frankie?

Well, if you wanna file for divorce, you have cause.

We have two kids.

19 years, we've been married.

I, I just- - Hoped you were wrong?

How could this have happened?

We all have secrets.

Things we hide.

Even from the people we trust.

And love.

So you think everyone

keeps secrets from the people they love?

Don't you?

When I met your stepmother-

Ex-stepmother.

Megan.

On our first date, she actually said,

"Secrets are how to keep a relationship alive."

You never told me that.

Yeah well, can you blame me?

I mean, she was laying it out right from the start.

Of course, I thought she was talking about

secret shopping trips or, I don't know.

Anyway, what she said on that first date came back to me

when you and Wyn walked me through

the secret she'd been keeping.

Two years, two years.

Think I'd be able to talk about it.

You are talking about it.

Still bothers me that I never suspected.

I mean, what kind of cop?

The kinda cop who trusted his wife.

Top you off, Jim?

Thanks, Sally.

Another Americano, Frankie?

Tempting, but I'm working on knowing my limits.

That sounds like great advice for all of us.

Speaking of secrets, did you hear that Sally and-?

Wyn.

Yeah.

Who told you?

Sally.

I guess she didn't know that Wyn and I.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's goin' anywhere.

How you doing, honey?

You know, pretty terrible.

Sheryl Wiseman called.

She wants to meet me at the office.

Carl's sister.

You think she-? - Wants to hire me?

Yeah, I do.

You wanna know what I think about that?

That I'm too close to the case to investigate it.

And Wyn isn't? - Yeah.

Yeah, I told him that already, but he didn't listen.

And I guess you won't either.

Did I get the time wrong?

I'm early.

You look good, Frankie.

So do you, Sheryl.

I don't, but you're sweet to say so.

Come on in.

Here, take a seat.

I know you think you should stay out of it

because you and Carl were engaged,

or because you and Wynton used to be together.

But that's exactly why you should be involved.

Because you're invested.

Or maybe you're not.

Carl said you probably weren't

gonna go through with the marriage.

He did?

At his party.

He said you were really upset about the new manuscript

and what it implied.

He was so in love with you, Frankie.

I know.

Were you?

Gonna break things off with him?

Does it matter now?

I guess not.

But either way, can I hire you to find out who killed him?

No.

I'll do it for free.

Thank you, Frankie.

I'll be in touch, okay?

Yeah, I'd already been working on Carl's murder.

But it helped to have a client,

along with three suspects.

Kara McRae, Carl's ex-wife.

Pam Gelbaum, Carl's agent that he'd fired

right before he was murdered.

Christopher Bell, Carl's former protege

who showed up uninvited to Carl's party.

It's open.

Guess my pop called you.

Sheryl hired me.

I'll be heading to the Twin Cities

to interview Pam Gelbaum and Christopher Bell.

Both had motives.

Both were cleared by hotel security camera footage.

They were in their rooms at the time of the murder.

Did you get an alibi for Carl's ex?

Kara McRae was hosting a fundraiser

for KM Foundation in Minneapolis.

Multiple eyewitnesses.

Yeah, she's rich, she could have hired a hitman.

Carl was home by 10:25.

Neighbor walking his dog verified this.

Someone lured him back to the restaurant half an hour later.

Kinda thing a hitman would do.

D'you ever find Carl's phone?

No, but we know that he was texting a burner

with an unlisted number.

You subpoenaed the contents of the text?

We only got Carl's part.

The burner was encrypted.

You mean the kind of thing

that a professional killer could pull off,

as well as cutting off power to the restaurant

so that no security cameras would capture the murder?

But what would be Kara's motive?

Wyn knows the answer to that.

Jealousy.

Carl had divorced her.

And was engaged to his high school sweetheart.

Yep.

Kara said she never heard of you.

She didn't even know Carl was engaged.

She look like she was telling the truth?

I spoke with her on the phone.

She flew to Europe the day after the murders.

And that wasn't suspicious.

What do you want, Frankie?

You wanna join forces?

He tell you about the last case we worked together?

Of course, the St. Ben killer.

But Frankie, you're a material player in this.

I was a material player in that.

So was Wyn, who's also a material player in this!

Frankie, we're doing all we can to solve it.

You just have to trust me.

I just have to trust you.

You're throwing that back at me now.

Come on, Frankie, I didn't- - You should go.

Wyn.

You wanna tell me what that was about?

During Megan's trial,

she tried to cast doubt on me and Frankie

by outing our relationship.

Lovely.

We're lucky it didn't hurt the case.

We shouldn't have kept it a secret.

Anyway, after Megan's conviction,

Frankie thought it would be best if she left the department.

I couldn't help but notice

it was the same time Carl moved back into town.

I had reason to believe

it wasn't just platonic between them,

so I confronted her, she denied it,

and she said, "You have to trust me."

So when you said that back there-

Thought I was mocking her, yeah, but I wasn't.

You didn't trust her.

So Frankie's not wrong about you being connected.

You know I knew Carl, I already told you that,

but I haven't had anything to do with him in a long time.

And we are going to catch his killer.

Francesca. - Hey Pop,

I'm working this divorce case

and I need someone to handle surveillance.

You free for a few days?

So Sheryl hired you.

She did.

I'm on my way to the Twin Cities.

What do you say?

Whatever you need, honey.

Thanks, Pop.

Morning.

Hey.

You wanna have Sally's for coffee?

We've got a new 1082.

Sandman? - Yep.

All right.

And you heard nothing, Mr. O'Connor?

Well, like I told the officers,

I'm usually a light sleeper,

but with Paula and the kids away,

I guess I musta crashed really hard.

I notice you have an alarm system.

Right.

I usually put it on before I go to bed.

Guess I forgot.

Do you remember what time you fell asleep?

Around 10:00, maybe?

I was watching a movie

and then I fell asleep in my recliner.

Listen, I've been reading the paper about this Sandman guy

who robs people while they're at home sleeping.

You think this is him?

Could be.

You know one weird thing?

Whoever it was stole some of my family photos.

Hi, Kara in?

Yes, do you have an?

Wait, you can't do that!

How's it going, Kara?

I'm Frankie Quinn.

Miss McRae, I am so sorry.

It's cool, Janine.

I'll call Bill. - Thanks.

So do you know who I am?

Sure.

Then why'd you tell police you'd never heard of me.

Because I hadn't.

Obviously I know who the St Ben killer is

and Carl's connection to her,

but Carl never mentioned

that Megan Quinn had a stepdaughter

who'd been his high school sweetheart.

Carl liked to keep secrets.

I'm sure you know that.

So you're claiming

you had no idea Carl and I were engaged.

No idea.

And you were at a fundraiser the night that he was killed.

I was. - What time did it end?

Around 9:00?

You still coulda got to the restaurant by 11:20.

Yeah, except I went straight home.

Can anyone vouch for that?

My head of security.

Here he is.

Uncle Bill?

Frankie's dad and I were close.

Until we weren't.

You happy someone here knows you?

Bill.

Let's go, Frankie.

You're throwing me out?

Bill asked nicely.

But if you'd like to be thrown.

Don't you care about who killed Carl?

That's what the police are for.

Should I call them and tell them that you're trespassing?

Frankie.

My dad know you're working as a bouncer to an heiress,

Uncle Bill?

Give me some credit, Frankie.

I'm a little more than that.

And you know your old man hasn't talked to me

since what happened.

But I don't blame him.

Or you, for that matter.

But it is good to see you.

While you're throwing me out.

Doing my job, same as you.

You do realize that your boss has something to hide.

Who doesn't?

But I didn't kill your fiance.

And I'm sorry that he was taken from-

Save it.

I'll see you.

This is Pam Gelbaum.

Hi Pam, this is Frankie Quinn, Carl Wiseman's-

Frankie, of course.

How are you?

Hangin' in there, thanks.

Listen, I'm in the Twin Cities on some business,

and I know this is last minute,

but would you be free to talk?

I'm booked 'til 6:00, but do you wanna do dinner?

Good for me.

I'll text you the address.

See you tonight.

Every house he's hit, the Sandman's stolen family photos.

In addition to thousands of dollars

in jewelry, cash, and goods.

I know, but why bother with the photos?

Usuals.

Wyn.

Wyn, you paying?

Sorry.

You okay?

Yeah, fine.

Just a lot on my mind.

Right.

Well hey, if you, um, if you ever wanna talk.

Got your number.

My professional opinion?

She'd like you to ask her out again.

Listen, while we're waiting on forensics

for the probable Sandman burglary,

what do ya say we go meet with Kara McRae in person?

You know, I have a contact in Minneapolis.

Hi, Christopher Bell.

You know what to do.

Hi Christopher, this is Frankie Quinn.

We met at Carl Wiseman's party.

If you can give me a call, my number is 3-1-05-5-50-1-9-1.

Thank you.

Sorry, didn't mean to startle you.

Beatrice Knutsen. - Ella Huntsman.

This guy, I know.

Good to see ya, buddy.

You as well.

Thank you for welcoming us to your jurisdiction.

Yeah, it's the least I can do.

He tell you he got me special commendation once upon a time?

Yeah, well he did,

with the help of a forensics investigator.

How is Frankie, by the way?

You two ever figure out you were made for each other?

Yeah, it's late.

We, we should get goin', huh?

Okay.

Follow me.

Can I help you?

Detective Huntsman, Minneapolis PD.

We need to speak with Ms. McRae.

Lemme see if she's available.

That wasn't a request.

Is she back this way?

Bill?

Well, deja vu all over again.

Your better half was here a couple hours ago.

My-? - Frankie.

She had the same look on her face when she saw me.

Detective Huntsman, Knutsen, Bill Duncan.

He used to be on the job.

We need to talk to your boss about Carl Wiseman.

You're a little outside your jurisdiction.

That's what I'm here for.

Minneapolis PD.

Fine.

But she'll tell you the same thing she told Frankie.

She has an alibi.

And you're looking at him.

Then I guess we'll be talking to you both.

Frankie.

I wasn't sure you'd wanna meet with me.

Because Carl fired me?

I was at his birthday party, wasn't I?

Besides, he never put it in writing,

so contractually, I'm still the agent for all his work,

including his soon-to-be published final novel.

What novel?

"Love, Comma, Murder."

It's about a woman in love with two men-

Yeah, I know what it's about.

That's a first draft.

Well I know, but since what happened to him,

there's a huge demand for his work.

WeHo Press are re-releasing all of his titles in hard cover

for the first time since the original printing.

But they don't have the rights to "Love, Comma, Murder,"

so I'm gonna stage a bidding war for them.

Thank you.

Everything here is great.

And this is on me.

And as I told you when you called,

I went straight home from the benefit around 9:00.

And you were with her for how long?

All night.

Bill lives at my place.

For my security?

And you also have security cameras there?

Sure.

But the drive gets written over every week.

Guess you'll just have to trust me.

Is Duncan a dirty cop?

Not so much dirty as weak

and easily manipulated by a very bad woman.

I knew I knew his name.

He's the cop who was spying on your investigation,

feeding intel of the St. Ben killer.

Copped a plea to get outta jail time.

That's him.

The irony is that was her biggest mistake.

Once we figured out what Bill was doing

and who he was doing it for,

we started looking at her as a suspect.

Wasn't easy for Frankie.

You know, she grew up with him,

called him Uncle Bill and everything.

So is this just a coincidence

that Frankie's working the Wiseman homicide?

Carl Wiseman was Frankie's fiance,

and his sister just hired her.

So I guess that answers my earlier question

about the two of you.

Although it does raise the question,

are you the guy to be finding Wiseman's killer?

Was hoping we could all do that together.

You mind if I stay another night?

I got a sofa with your name on it.

Thanks Ell, but that works.

I'll call you in the morning?

Yeah, talk then.

Beatrice, pleasure.

All mine.

We could get you a rental.

I can stay, Wyn.

The Sandman is obviously still active, so, you know,

we shouldn't both be away from St. Ben.

So why did Carl fire you?

He didn't tell you?

He thought I passed up an opportunity

for him to be published by Rooney & Austin.

It wasn't true, of course.

Where'd he get that idea?

He seemed to develop some trust issues.

You know anything about that?

Frankie, I know you read "Love, Comma, Murder."

I'm assuming you were or still are in love with another man.

How was yours?

Mine was delicious.

You're the second person

to check in today from St. Ben.

Frankie Quinn?

She's a colleague.

Nice.

Well, the room next to her is available.

Would that work for you?

Sure.

All right, and there you are.

Thank you.

Hi again.

I counted;

This is the 19th voicemail I've left since, you know.

Anyway, I'll give you what you seem to want.

This'll be my last message.

I, I do love you.

But if you don't trust me, well, anyway.

I, I hope that whatever you're doing, you're happy.

Hello?

Hey!

Wyn?

Someone broke into my room!

I got him. - I'll cut him off.

Stop, police!

Freeze!

Christopher Bell?

How'd you get in Frankie's room.

I have my ways.

What were you doin' in there?

She called me;

She wanted to talk.

I told you to call me on my cell,

not break into my hotel room.

I saw from the caller ID that she was staying here.

I didn't trust her. - Why?

Carl was committed to blurbing my first novel.

His endorsement was critical to my deal.

And when he pulled it,

my publishers became far less committed to my work.

What, and you think I told Carl to stop supporting you?

Yeah, I do.

I was looking for the blurb on your computer.

He never sent.

My computer's password protected.

Yeah, is it, though?

I never saw Carl's blurb,

and I certainly didn't tell him to pull it.

Yeah, right.

Why not just confront Frankie

of your suspicions of her at the birthday party?

Well I didn't suspect her then.

When did that start?

Like I said, when I got your message

and I saw from the caller ID that you were in town,

I realized it must be because you found out

that my book was coming out after all.

I didn't know that.

Now, maybe you think it's immoral, or motive for murder,

but I have an alibi.

The security cameras in my hotel.

You know, Detective, it dawns on me

that it would make for a great publicity angle for my book

if you were to have the Minneapolis PD arrest me.

You're under arrest.

Come on.

Not gonna lie,

it felt good to be working alongside Wyn.

Good that we had each other's backs, at least for a minute.

And then the clerk saw my ID,

and they saw that I was from St. Ben,

and they mentioned that someone else from St. Ben

had just checked in.

And then you asked to be put next to me.

Maybe it was the only room available.

And I'm supposed to believe that?

Not really.

Would you believe that it was

the clerk's suggestion? - No.

It, it was.

It was.

We can go confirm that right now.

Yeah, yeah? - Okay.

All right, all right, I believe you.

You know, I'm glad you're next door,

because when someone breaks into your room,

I'm there to rescue you.

Sounds like a plan.

Hey listen.

Thanks for hearing me out this morning.

And I appreciate you pushing me.

But you know what I'm gonna say now.

That I should go back to St. Ben tomorrow.

And you know what I'm gonna say now.

That if you didn't get involved,

I'd still be in St. Ben.

And it is impossible for you to deny the truth of this.

So you'll say nothing,

and just stare deeply into your wine glass.

Tomorrow comes early.

That it does.

Night, Wyn.

♪ I'm the biggest pretender

♪ You should go

♪ You should go

Okay, thanks.

I'll see ya in a few.

Morning.

Hey.

I'm meeting Ella in a half hour.

You mean we're meeting Ella.

So, I did a public records deed search

to find out where Kara McRae lives.

Ella can pull her driver's license.

Well sure, but I'm glad I did this,

because guess what.

Do I have to?

No, I'll just tell you.

Kara McRae doesn't own property in Minneapolis.

So she's in the suburbs.

Well that was my first thought,

but then I checked to see

who owned the foundation building across the street.

And?

Owner is Lucian McRae, her billionaire daddy,

who also owns the McMansion at 212 Crestview Drive.

Wanna guess who lives there?

Kara McRae.

Found some old society page photos of her out the front,

but also this.

Father's selling her house.

And he's selling the foundation building.

Looks like all is not well in McRae land.

Maybe, but I'm not sure

how all this is connected to a homicide.

Me neither.

But like they say in my favorite movie.

Follow the money.

Morning, Beatrice.

Hey Jim.

Been a minute.

I was just across the street at the post office.

I saw you coming in, thought I'd pop over and say hi.

Mornin' folks.

Sorry, it's been busy.

What can I get ya?

Usual, Sally. - Wyn too?

No need, thanks. - Jim?

I'm already sufficiently caffeinated,

but I will take one of your scones.

Coming up.

Wyn okay?

Yeah, he's just outta town.

Aren't you working two cases?

Yeah, he's on one of them in Minneapolis.

Frankie's in Minneapolis.

I'm aware.

I got your coffee.

Thanks, Jim.

Take care, Sally. - See ya.

Did I hear that Wyn and Frankie are in Minneapolis together?

Yeah, yeah,

it's just, it's just a work thing.

I know you and Wyn- - It's fine.

Enjoy your scone.

Hi. - Hello.

Nice to get the band back together.

So your intruder, Mr. Bell, made bail this morning.

He turn it into a publicity stunt?

Guy's piece of work.

And I've got history with him.

Five, six years ago,

he worked for my cousin Chet

who wanted me to arrest him for attempted extortion.

Christopher Bell was the computer guy

at Chet's security company.

Yeah, he hacked my key card and laptop.

Yeah, he's good.

Anyway, he claimed he found a way

to hack the feed from security cameras to the hard drive

and alter security footage.

He told Chet to pay up or he'd start telling customers.

Bell had no record.

That's because they didn't arrest him.

There was no evidence.

It was just his word against Chet's.

But I made it clear there'd be no extortion.

Bell's alibi for the night of the murder

was the hotel security camera.

Excuse me.

So are you going after Bell?

Lucian McRae first.

Hey, do me a favor.

Upload the hotel camera footage

to the Minneapolis PD server.

Ella's got an IT whiz here

who can see if it was tampered with or not.

On it.

So, can we talk about the Sandman?

Yeah, what's up?

I was reading back over the statements

in the Sandman burglaries from last year,

and four outta the five victims

reported they fell asleep early.

Like with Mr. O'Connor yesterday.

I know it's not much, but I thought I'd see

if the same was true for the first victim, Rhonda Harper.

That's a good plan.

'Kay, I gotta jump.

I'll call you later.

Hey, Beatrice is uploading the footage.

Good.

Onto Lucian.

Is it cool if I leave my truck here

while I ride with you guys?

Frankie, you're gonna have to sit this one out.

Come on,

I'm the one who brought you this Lucian information.

You did, but Wyn's right.

When we find out who killed Carl and bring it to trial,

you'll be glad you didn't hand the defense

the angle of the fiance

who was inappropriately influencing the case.

Thanks for making time for us, Mr. McRae.

You're the police, what else would I do?

Fair enough, sir.

Detective Russo and I are looking into

the murder of Carl Wiseman.

Horrible business.

I adored Carl, but I'm not sure how I can help.

Well this may sound odd,

but can you tell us why you're selling your daughter's house

and her foundation property?

The foundation my daughter founded is floundering.

As is my daughter.

I've grown tired of the aimless extravagance.

Three months ago, I cut off her allowance

in an effort to force her to make something of herself.

But as fate would have it, she now has a fallback.

Sorry to bother you, Ms. McRae.

Yeah, we hate to interrupt your absorption of sunlight.

You bring your trunks, detective?

Excuse me.

Actually, Bill, we need to talk to you too.

And I need to deal with an intruder.

Look familiar?

I'll be right back.

Don't worry.

Won't jump in without you.

Frankie.

Are you attempting to get arrested for trespassing?

I think the doorbell's broken.

Ella told you to sit this one out.

Well technically she told me

to sit out the Lucian interview.

How'd that go?

Frankie.

Wyn, I'm a licensed investigator

with a client who hired me

to find out who killed her brother.

I'm not going anywhere.

And if that means you have to arrest me,

then go- - Stop.

Come on.

Okay, why don't we drop the introductions

and any further pretense.

Ms. McRae, Detective Huntsman and I,

we met with your father about an hour ago.

He said he cut you off financially,

but you're not sweating it,

'cause you have a fallback plan as Carl's next of kin.

No, she wouldn't be his next of kin, they're divorced.

Well, that's what he told you and everyone else,

but she never signed the paperwork,

which certainly gives you motive.

I just never got around to it.

You didn't know

that she'd been kicked off the gravy train?

Did you know that daddy won't be giving her

a cent from the sale of this house?

That looks like a no.

You might wanna update your resume, Uncle Bill,

and start looking for a new place to live.

Carl was successful, but he wasn't a billionaire,

and I suspect she'll burn through his estate fast.

Am I under arrest?

Right.

Thought so.

Bill?

Frankie's right, Bill.

That woman will drop you without a second thought,

so why lie to protect her?

I wasn't lying about the security tapes.

They're wiped.

You've got more to say, don't you?

Come clean, and we'll try to keep your name outta things

until you've found a new gig.

She asked me to stay at a hotel that night at the benefit.

I thought maybe she wanted some privacy.

Wouldn't be the first time.

But before going to bed, I realized I forgot my insulin.

So I came back.

I got my own entrance over there,

so I figured shouldn't be a big deal.

But I get here, and the house is dark.

Check the garage, her car was gone.

What time was that?

Midnight.

I go back to the hotel.

When I show up for work the next morning,

she tells me to wipe the security tapes

and not to look at them.

But you did look at them, didn't you?

She got in after 2:00 am.

That's enough time to get to St. Ben and back.

Yes it is.

Thanks, Bill.

I should have said something yesterday.

And listen, Frankie.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I didn't know Carl very well,

but he recommended me for this job.

Whoa, how did that happen?

You don't know?

Your stepmother introduced us.

Megan?

When?

After her conviction.

You visited Megan in prison.

Bill, when was the last time you made contact with her?

That visit.

You can check the prison log if you don't believe me.

Why did you go see her?

She asked.

And I saw no harm.

She's a psychopath who murdered six people.

None of them were innocent.

That's up for the law to decide.

What did Megan want?

You really don't know?

Know what?

She wanted to introduce me to someone,

a writer who needed my help

with a book he was writing about murder.

Carl.

He didn't tell you.

Can't say that I blame him.

But yeah, your fiance was a weekly visitor

at the Correction Center for Women.

According to the warden, Megan's been a model prisoner.

She runs the book club,

and yes, Carl's visited her dozens of times,

but our other person of interest

has visited her a couple times too.

Christopher Bell.

Time to bring him in.

Harding.

Take Bookman, pick this guy up, and get him in here now.

Bell's first visit was five months ago.

The second was the week before Carl's murder.

When's the last time Carl visited Megan?

Last year, September 15.

That's around the time he moved back to St. Ben.

Carl didn't tell you he talked to her.

I need to call my father.

Yeah, I knew.

Carl told me.

You're kidding.

Well he said it was for, for research, for his book.

Why didn't you tell me about this?

He asked me not to tell you about it,

said he'd talk to you about it.

Well, he didn't.

I'm sorry, hon.

But he also said he was done seeing Megan.

Said that he didn't feel he could trust her.

Well how'd he figure that out?

Hang on, Jim.

Huntsman.

Thanks.

Bell's in the interview room.

I gotta go, Pop. - Francesca.

I'm sorry.

I know.

I'll talk to you later.

Yes, I went to see Megan Quinn.

Why?

My novel is about a serial killer.

I went there asking for advice on my manuscript,

and she gave it to me.

What was her price?

Couldn't it just be for the pleasure of reading my work?

Chris?

You don't mind if I call you Chris.

Actually I- - You remember

when we first met?

You forgot?

My cousin Chet wanted me to arrest you for extortion

over you altering security camera footage.

So imagine my surprise when Detective Russo tells me that

your alibi for murder hinges on security camera footage.

Our IT guys are taking a closer look

at that hotel camera security footage right now,

the night Carl was killed,

which gives us a reason to hold you.

Maybe you think that'd be good press?

But all our cells are full downstairs,

so we'd have to take you to county and put you in gen pop.

Might get some insights from the guys in there too.

What was Megan's price?

She wanted me to crash Carl's birthday party.

And stab him to death. - No!

She just wanted me to show up

and come back and tell her what I saw.

So I did.

Did she give you her insights?

You didn't like them?

They were useless.

Yeah, even Pam agreed.

Pam Gelbaum?

My agent, yeah.

Since when is she your agent?

She signed me after we met at Carl's party.

Mrs. Harper? - Yes.

I'm Detective Knutsen.

I was here a while back after the break in.

Yes, Detective.

Have you caught the Sandman?

Not yet. - Shoot.

Well, I don't care about the jewelry,

but I'd sure like to get back those photos that he stole.

Do you have a few minutes to talk?

I'm retired, Detective.

I have all the time you need.

I just brewed this.

It's Sally's dark roast.

Do you go to Sally's?

Only every day.

I had no idea how important local roasting was

until Sally explained it to me.

But you didn't come here to talk about coffee.

I was going back over your statement,

but the officer never noted

what time you went to bed that night.

Now, I realize it was a long time ago.

No, I remember it well.

Or rather I don't, if you get my drift.

I'm not sure I do.

Well, I can't tell you exactly what time I went to bed

because I fell asleep with the TV on, which I never do.

And, well actually,

I fell asleep with my coffee cup in my hand, and.

Where did you fall asleep?

Well, let me show you.

In my defense, that is not red wine.

I was having a cup of decaf coffee

from a special roast sample Sally gave me.

Here we are talking about coffee again.

Do you remember what time you started watching TV

or what you were watching?

The Mariners game.

They were tied with the Rangers when I fell asleep,

so that should give you a good idea.

You know, I thought I'd have trouble sleeping

after the break in, but I really haven't.

I guess my age has finally got up to me.

When we had dinner, Pam said nothing about repping Bell.

The security footage is her alibi too.

Maybe Pam and Bell are in it together.

How long for your IT guy to go through it?

A lotta bytes, hopefully a day or two, he says.

We need to check Bell's story with Pam.

And with Megan Quinn.

I can go talk to her.

No, we have the history with her.

My my, the agents of my reckoning.

So do we, do we begin with hellos,

or shall we dispense of banal niceties?

Let's.

No gold band on that finger.

Did something happen to your ever so romantic secret-?

Megan- - Frankie.

How's your father?

Happily divorced.

How I have missed that sharp tongue of yours, my dear.

I'm not your anything, Megan.

Why did Carl Wiseman stop visiting you?

Dear Carl.

You know, I've had thousands of students over the years,

but only one of them went on

to become a very brilliant and successful writer.

Please don't take that as a slight to you two,

my praise of Carl.

We'll survive.

You know, I wondered whether or not you would.

Survive.

Please.

Take it easy,

there's nothing more dangerous here than a story.

He was discovered by his fiance, Francesca Quinn.

That must have been harrowing, Frankie.

I mean, surely you must realize that

you're the reason Carl broke off contact with me.

He returned to St. Ben to reunite with his first great love.

I did tell him she was spoken for.

But I guess that's all past tense now.

How'd it feel, Megan,

when your beloved student who'd been visiting you for weeks

suddenly broke things off?

Wynton.

How did it feel to see Frankie engaged to another man?

Answer my question.

Quid pro quo.

I felt like a fool.

Your turn.

As you both know, I never had any children of my own.

Although I did consider all of my students my children,

which included you both.

And Carl.

The year cancer took his mom,

he wrote to me from college

and said that he was gonna be all right,

because he still had me.

Did you know that, Frankie?

Well now that you do,

you might imagine how I felt

when he said he wouldn't be seeing me ever again.

He broke my heart.

Prison logs say that you were visited twice

by Christopher Bell.

Dear sweet Christopher.

He asked me to read his novel and give him some notes.

Except he didn't really take very kindly

to what I had to say,

and he hasn't contacted me since.

I guess as the jilted protege,

he is a suspect in Carl's homicide?

You know, it's funny.

He just seems so pathetic and ineffectual.

But if I have taught you two nothing else,

I have taught you this:

Who among us isn't capable of murder?

Detective Ella Huntsman.

Sounds like a fictional detective's name.

Well, it's real.

Which makes it perfect for fiction.

Ms. Gelbaum,

I'm helping Detective Wynton Russo of the SBPD

on the Carl Wiseman homicide.

Okay.

I understand that you represent Christopher Bell,

and that you signed him after Mr. Wiseman was murdered.

Detective Ella Huntsman does her homework.

So how did that go down?

You signing Mr. Bell.

Well, I knew of Christopher through Carl,

but we never met until that night at Carl's party.

Neither of us was invited.

Carl was upset with me, and Christopher was upset with Carl,

which made Carl upset with Christopher.

It's an emotional field we're in, Detective.

I can kinda relate.

I'll bet.

Anyway, there we were, two party crashers.

So I suppose you could say we bonded over chutzpah.

Christopher already had a publisher for his novel.

He got that without an agent.

My guy's a hustler.

He gave me his manuscript to read.

I devoured it that night and signed him in the morning.

Before or after Detective Russo told you Carl was dead?

After.

Does that make me look more guilty?

Sounds like Mr. Bell and his agent

are both still very much on the board.

Along with Kara McRae.

Why do I feel like

we've only gotten further from figuring this out?

Because we have.

I think my room service is here.

I'll call you in the morning.

You're not room service.

Nope.

Can we talk?

Think we've proven we're capable of that.

Would you like something heinously overpriced

from the mini fridge?

I'm fine.

Seeing Megan was-

Awful.

A reminder of something I was saying to a client

just the other day.

We all have secrets.

Even from the people we care about.

You have a secret you wanna share?

Do you think I stopped loving you?

Frankie, you were going to get married.

Was I?

You had a ring.

I also had a bracelet.

Hold on.

There's plenty of food, if you're-

You broke up with me, Wyn.

And you broke my heart, Frankie.

I will tell you again,

and you can trust me or not.

There was nothing going on between me and Carl

at that point.

And yes, when you told me that you couldn't trust me

and you ended us,

Carl was just there.

And we fell back into what we had in high school.

And it was nice and easy.

And I needed easy.

And then he proposed.

And I said yes.

But I shouldn't have.

Because I didn't wanna marry him.

Because I didn't love him.

Not like that.

Carl figured that out.

"Love, Comma, Murder,"

the reason why you got in a fight at his party?

I read the manuscript last week.

Of course you did.

That fight was barely even a fight.

It was more just me feeling awful

because I'd broken his heart.

Like I guess I did yours.

No, it, it wasn't only you.

Carl, he got the ball rolling.

After you left the department,

he sent me, "The Foolish Policeman," with a personal note.

Dear Wyn, Frankie thinks this is based on you.

Smart girl, Carl.

Why didn't you tell me about this?

I don't know, a little piece of me didn't trust you,

and this made it worse.

He sent these in the coming weeks.

This one, the last one.

Frankie and I are in love.

Be a man, step aside.

I read that and I drove over to Carl's to confront him,

and you were there.

Having coffee, nothing more.

Doesn't matter if you were together or not.

Carl, he was in my head.

But this isn't Carl.

I know you think he's a sweet guy-

No no no, the handwriting.

It's close, but it's a forgery.

I'm a forensics expert.

I know Carl's handwriting.

He did not write these notes.

Someone was...

Someone was trying to break us up.

Detective. - Hey, Tommy.

You call Detective Russo?

Wyn says it probably wasn't the Sandman

because he's not home.

Neighbor heard the crash, called 911.

Looks like they didn't take

any of Wyn's most prized possessions.

No, just the TV, I think.

But um, there's something you need to see.

Hey, you're early.

There was a break in at my place last night.

The Sandman?

A change in his MO.

Listen, Ella just called,

and she wants to meet with just me at the precinct.

Is she trying to cut me out?

You know what, I'll ask her myself.

I said just you.

Frankie, can you please wait outside?

Sure.

What's going on, Bea?

What's going on?

I'm being framed for Carl's murder.

I have to take him back to St. Ben.

I'm sorry.

Beatrice! - Frankie.

Bea's just doing her job.

What just happened?

Beatrice asked me to call him in;

She had a warrant for his arrest.

Based on what?

There was a break in at Wyn's place last night.

In the midst of the search, Beatrice found some things.

What things?

You need to let this play-

Ella, what things?

The blood matches Carl's.

Wyn's prints are on the handle.

And the cell phone Carl was using,

and the burner he was texting to the night he was killed.

No, no, no, no, no.

I'm sorry, Frankie.

I'm as shocked as you are.

He wouldn't do this.

He couldn't.

He's innocent.

I'm gonna prove it.

There is no way Wyn did this.

I know, Pop.

I mean, just forget for a second that he has a moral code

and murder isn't part of it.

He's too smart to hang onto evidence of a crime.

He would've destroyed both phones.

And melted down that knife. - Agreed.

You coming back to St. Ben?

No, I'm gonna work a few angles here.

What do you need me to do?

Get back to St. Ben.

Call Mickey Cole on your way.

Yeah.

Detective Huntsman.

Can you let us into Wynton Russo's room?

Okay, this.

This proves Wyn is being-

All this proves

is that someone is trying to break you and Wyn up.

Creating a motive for Wyn.

Revenge.

You and Wyn split when?

A year ago.

And I know you're gonna say, well, why wait?

Why not kill Carl then?

That is what I was gonna say.

The engagement.

Maybe the killer was waiting for the stakes to be raised.

That's pretty shaky.

But even if so, why wait another week

to plant the evidence at Wyn's house?

Well they needed him to leave town.

No way they could stage a burglary with him home.

That's a lotta leaps with zero evidence.

Not zero.

These books.

Right, yeah,

we'll run the handwriting analysis.

No, no, no, they're hardcover.

They haven't been out in hardcover for years.

Okay, see this?

That mean something?

When an author publishes, they get a bunch of copies,

all numbered as part of their contract.

So that would mean this is the 71st?

Yeah.

But doesn't that make the case that it came from Carl?

Except Carl made a point

of never having his own books in his house.

So maybe he kept them in storage somewhere.

Yeah.

With his agent.

She usually this late?

Frankie Quinn.

And Detective Ella Huntsman, together in my office.

The plot thickens.

We need to talk to you about this.

Okay, come on in.

Have a seat.

Hang on, you're the one who bought this?

Bought it?

Yeah, I remember the number.

I sold it to someone using a pseudonym.

Sold it?

Okay, I'm confused.

How did you get the book?

No, how 'bout you just tell us who bought it.

Someone emailed me, asked if I had a hardcover edition,

and offered $1,500 cash.

1500 bucks?

That sounds like a lot.

Not for an out-of-print first edition.

Anyway, they sent me the cash and I sent the book.

So you have the name and address of the buyer?

Let me find the address.

As far as the name, well, like I said,

it was definitely a pseudonym.

How do you know that?

The name was Will Shakespeare.

Got the address.

Hey, Beatrice. - Jim.

This is- - Mickey Cole.

Detective Russo's attorney.

I hope you haven't questioned him yet.

I haven't.

We're ready when you are. - We?

This is my paralegal.

Why don't we start the night Carl Wiseman was killed.

I had to call you a few times on your phone

from the crime scene

after he didn't answer your police radio.

As I said that night, I crashed early.

What time did you go to bed?

Around 10:00.

I fell, I fell asleep on the couch, actually.

Did you have a lot to drink with dinner?

Detective.

Are you trying to impune my client's character?

I'm trying to understand

my friend's physical and mental state

the night a homicide took place.

Mickey, it's all right.

I had a glass of wine with dinner at Carmine's,

just a block down from my place.

Anyone to corroborate that?

Yeah, yeah, my date, Sally Gibbons.

I'll do the police thing.

Then I saw someone I'd seen before.

The hat threw me at first,

but then I remembered where I'd seen him.

Standing behind Megan Quinn in the prison.

Police, anyone home?

Hey!

Ew!

Stay down!

Easy, Frankie.

He threw a fish at me.

Well, we got him.

Harlan Trent.

You're in big trouble, Harlan.

Wasn't resisting;

She didn't ID yourself as PD.

Yeah, no, I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about you

being the personal assistant to a felon.

How do you think the warden's gonna feel

about you bringing packages to Megan Quinn?

I didn't do anything illegal.

Mr. Trent, murder is a crime.

Murder?

The author of those books you bought, Carl Wiseman?

He was killed.

And we're looking at you for it, Harlan.

Or should I call you Will Shakespeare?

No, no, no.

Okay, yes, I got some of that guy's books

and brought them to Megan.

And what?

Mailed them off for her.

Mailed them where? - A PO box.

In St. Ben?

Yeah, but I don't even know who they were going to.

I'll get the warrant

to find out who owns the PO box.

I'll meet you at the post office.

You made good time.

Didn't need to wait on a warrant.

What's that smell?

Harlan Trent hit me with some fish.

Tommy, why don't you go see if Sally's over there?

Wyn said he was having dinner with her

the night of the murder.

So? - All right,

let's go check it out.

Sally?

Hey Tommy.

Detective Knutsen needs to talk to ya.

Okay.

I'm just gonna put this in the back.

Sure.

Where's Sally?

Throwing some trash out back.

Did she see us go into the post office?

Yeah, she was just here.

It's Sally's PO box.

She's gone.

I need a BOLO on Sally Gibbons,

and I need uniforms and SWAT at her house.

What's her motive?

My first question when we catch her.

Her house.

That's where I'm going.

I'm coming with you. - Negative.

This is forced entry, cops only.

What about Wyn?

Frankie- - You know

he's not a part of this;

You have to release him.

Look, I'm not saying give him his gun and badge back,

but just don't let him sit in a cell, Bea.

Yeah, they're processing him now.

Are you comin' here?

I stink like fish.

I'm gonna have a shower and get changed,

and hopefully by then, Beatrice will know more.

And have Sally in custody.

That too.

Thanks, Pop.

Okay, talk soon.

Things were coming together.

We were getting to a conclusion.

And I needed a shower.

How was your shower?

Refreshing.

You look kinda sweaty;

Help yourself.

I'm fine where I am.

How'd you find out about the PO box.

By being good at my job.

Why'd you frame Wyn?

You tell me.

Thought you were good at your job.

Speaking of the detective, he called.

Left a voicemail.

You're gonna call him back.

Tell him to come here.

Tell him you're afraid.

Now.

Put it on speaker.

Hey Frankie,

I just called you.

Hey, I'm at the barn.

Can you come here?

Yeah, I'm actually nearby.

Is, is everything okay?

I'm scared, but I trust you.

Sally's there.

Sally!

And so, of course,

we were ending where this had all started.

Janet.

Where's Harlan? - Sick, maybe.

You've got visitors.

I like visitors.

Surprised to see me?

Maybe you're confused

because you read the article in yesterday's paper.

I was arrested.

At the St. Benedict's police department,

we do things by the book.

That's a pun, Megan, by the book.

'Cause that's how you did your work.

Excuse me?

Did you clip out the article of my arrest

like you did for the article of Carl's murder?

I'm not following you.

There's a new article out today about Harlan Trent.

Your accomplice.

My what?

I know your options were limited,

but you didn't pick the most reliable partner there.

Harlan lied to you, Megan.

And it was that little lie,

done really just to save face,

that undid the methodical, painstaking months of work

you put into constructing your plan.

Because in fact,

Harlan bought "The Foolish Policeman" from Pam Gelbaum.

I couldn't find "The Foolish Policeman,"

so I emailed the agent,

but I told Megan I got 'em at a bookstore.

And Frankie knows this

because she saw the printing number on the inside cover,

and she confirmed with Pam

that she sent the copy of the book to Harlan's home address.

Harlan brought the books to you

and you forged the nasty messages to Wyn.

Then you had them sent to me

as if they had come from Carl.

And your plan worked.

You came between Wyn and I.

You destroyed us.

I mean, you must have fantasized for years

about how to get back at us,

just waiting for the right opportunity.

And when Carl told you he was moving back to St. Ben,

that opportunity began to take shape.

What is it you think I did?

Well first, you had Harlan fall in love with you.

He collected the books;

He brought them to you.

You'd seen Carl's handwriting for years.

His school papers, the letters he wrote you.

You wrote those notes to Wyn.

I don't see how you're gonna be able to prove this.

Harlan loaned me some books;

I returned them to him.

We'll get to the proof later.

The fact is, Megan, the plan worked.

Your accomplice reported on our breakup

by sending you short stories about detective Will Rust

and Private Investigator Faith Queen.

All the mail sent to you here at the prison

is read and scanned by the warden.

He printed everything for us.

So you think Harlan wrote those stories

and mailed them to me.

No, not Harlan.

No, your other accomplice.

The one who murdered Carl,

Sally Gibbons.

Sally who?

Must have been really satisfying to break us up.

Maybe not as satisfying as you thought it would be.

Yeah, you probably still had

Carl's betrayal gnawing at you.

It must have really hurt

when Carl's protege, Christopher Bell,

came to you for guidance.

Yep, we figured it was when Bell first visited you

that you got your inspiration

to take your revenge to a darker level.

Which is where things always go with you, Megan.

Sally, well, she provided the money for the books

with the Sandman burglaries.

All her victims were customers that she drugged

with sleep medication in her special roast decaf.

I thought I'd have trouble

falling asleep after the break-in, but I really haven't.

And the same thing happened to me

the night Carl was killed.

But it wasn't because I drank Sally's special roast decaf.

It was important that I was fast asleep

the night of Carl's party,

while Sally texted Carl on the burner, pretending to be me.

She met him at the restaurant and stabbed him,

then put my prints on the murder weapon.

Then you just had to wait for Wyn to leave town

so Sally could stage the evidence at his place,

staging another break in.

Robbery's one thing, but murder?

That's another level of devotion.

The kind of devotion that a child might have for a parent.

But you don't have kids though, do you, Megan?

We know Sally's obsessed with family.

We found all the photos

which she stole from her Sandman victims.

It always bothered me.

Why steal those?

But it made sense when we found all the records

of the search she did for her birth mother.

That search began a year after her adoptive parents died.

She reconnected with you

three weeks before Wyn arrested you.

Sally was devastated to lose her mother.

So devastated, she would do anything for you.

She told me.

After she confessed to killing Carl, with no remorse.

Sally's being charged

with six counts of breaking and entering,

burglary, conspiracy, and first degree murder.

No.

Please, you cannot do this.

I'm the killer.

But you got your daughter to hold the knife.

They'll be tried together, Sheryl.

Thank you, Frankie.

Thank you so much.

Of course.

And thank Wyn.

I will.

Talk soon.

Sheryl says thanks.

So.

So.

Yesterday when Sally had the gun on you, and you said-

I trust you.

I figured you'd know something was wrong.

Yeah, you figured right.

So do you trust me?

You know the answer to that.

Yeah, I do.

I do.

We'd come to a conclusion,

but also what felt like a new beginning.

And I was all right with that.

More than all right.