#Truth (2019) - full transcript

Mark posted this.

Yes.

He doesn't even name Kenneth.

I've been getting calls and
texts all day from people.

Calling me a slut.

What about Kenneth?

He is the Pastor.

But is it true?

Look, it's not that simple. I
mean, the way Mark, did that,

it makes me sound like a whore.

No, no. It makes you
sound like somebody who got



wrapped up in the wrong person,
decided to break up with an

asshole who wanted
to be vindictive.

- Fuck him!
- Okay.

- Fuck!
- Alright!

Look, just walk me through it.

With Mark or
with Pastor Little?

With Little. We already know
Mark's an asshole.

I came to him after
Mark and I broke up.

Just because he told us to
always come to him

with anything.

So

I told him how
I was feeling, and that's when

he started counseling me.

Coming to the house.



Took me to a few
dinners, and then it happened.

And I know... it was wrong for me
to get caught up, but I

just... needed comfort.

Hey, you are not
the first person who

thought that the pastor had

their best interests at heart,
and you will not be the last.

I don't wanna be the first, and
I don't want to be the last.

But I was stupid.

No. How long
as this been going on?

Months.

Then a week ago, Martin,

the Assistant Pastor, came to
me and told me that I had to

stop seeing him.

That I needed to
respect the First Lady.

Because he knew
that you two were

- Yes. Yes.
- Yeah.

Okay.

But he didn't know
I was pregnant.

- Lanie
- And when I told Kenneth...

He stopped returning my calls.

And then, he sent...

Martin and told me
to get rid of the baby.

I've never been
talked to like that in my life.

Like I was trash.

I never wanted
any of this to happen.

Hey, hey. Lanie. Lanie.

It's okay.

Okay.

You plan on keeping the baby?

No.

I took care of it.

But that's when I started asking
questions about him.

You know, was I the only
woman that he did this with?

To?

And?

No.

There were others.

- Yeah.
- Two women that I know of.

There's also rumors about some
shady dealings he's got going on

at the church.

They're just rumors though.

Drugs, or some money scam.

But the women are real.

He's the fuckin' devil, Stewart.

Damn. Damn.

I wish I still had my
job at the paper.

So that I could investigate him.

Right now they're just waiting
for me to resign so they don't

- have to fire me.
- Well what about your friends?

I mean don't you have
somebody that you can call?

They're all trying to
stay away from me now.

Look, this could all go away if
you just

I don't know if
you just ignore it.

- Daddy knows.
- Oh my God.

He called me a whore.

He said I should
have known better.

I mean, what about him?

- He's the man of God.
- Hey.

Listen.

This may not be what
you wanna hear right now

but you're strong Lanie.

Okay. You're strong enough to
get through this.

Why do people always
think that strength is enough?

Lanie. Lanie.

You are the reporter Just tell
me what the fuck to do.

Do not let these men
get the best of you.

- Don't let them break you!
- I have been going to this

church since I
was five years old.

I cannot go back there.

- God, I wish I was...
- Hey, hey, hey. No.

Don't you ever say that.

Ever. Don't you ever say that.

So Kenneth...

just keeps...

getting to do this to women.

Leaving them...

to pick up the pieces.

Then Mark just gets to shit on
me to feel better about himself.

I mean, can you get any of these
women to admit to the affairs?

Who's going to believe 'em?

Who ever believes women?

When they talk about
men who do crap like this?

- Someone.
- Someone?

Oh, that's just fucking great.

Hey, someone believed the story
about my ex wife

which got me fired from the only
time I ever had a job at a

newspaper. 8 years I had...

...had a child. Inside of me.

And now I don't.

When Daddy called me a whore, it
felt like the whole world was

against me.

I never loved anybody
the way I loved my Daddy.

Until the Reverend.

And now...

Everybody's gonna hate me.

No. No.

Look, Lanie. It'll be alright.
I...

Uhh. Need a damn drink.

- Oh, alright.
- Listen Walter, please.

- Mhm.
- The paper's gonna have to...

...so will you. Just didn't...

...it would've
worked out if hadn't...

You'll be fine.

And I still
claim I'm as tight...

Hmm.

Oh. C'mon Lanie.
Get over this already.

Hey. This is Lanie Cooper.

Leave me a message
and I'll call you back.

Have a blessed day.

Hey Lanie. What's the deal
with all these text messages?

You know... Listen. I gotta,
uhm, I gotta go by the newspaper

and then I'm gonna,
I'm gonna come by.

Talk to you
over there, alright?

Lanie, don't...

Alright. I'll just come
by and talk to you.

Ugh.

Yeah?

Hey, it's Patrick.

I know you were coming to the
paper to clear out your office,

but the boss is here and he's
gonna be around all day.

I gotta call you back.

Stewart, we should talk now.

Look, Manifort's trying to give
you a shit assignment

for your last article because
he knows it'll piss you off.

Tell him to be editor-in-chief
and stop being so goddamn petty.

You know what, it doesn't
matter. Shoot me an email,

and I'll write it. No
matter what it is.

Look, man. I can't apologize
enough for getting you fired.

- Yeah, I'm good.
- I just...

Okay. The event
is on Crenshaw. Some old

school cats are talking
reparation...

I don't give a
fuck what it is. I'll write it.

Later.

Lanie.

Lanie.

Lanie.

Lanie!

What's with all those messages?

Lanie?

Lanie!

Lanie.

Lanie. No!

Lanie! Lan... Lanie!

Lanie. Lanie!

Lanie, what did you do?
What did you do!?

My God.

Wake up! Wake up!

Fuck!

This is one of the best articles
I have ever read about

the truth.

Once you set
it into motion,

it will eat through any lie.

Any hidden agenda.
Any distortion.

911, what's your emergency?

I just found my cousin.

Thing is,
it's probably a suicide.

- Right.
- See if anybody's acting

strange. Just don't make it look
obvious. Alright?

I'll check in
after I talk to him.

You're Stewart, right?

Yeah.

You said that she
sent you a text.

Yeah.

Yeah she sent me a text.

Uniform says he
didn't see a cell in here.

Uhm...

What did the text say?

Said that she was sorry.

She didn't have
anything to be sorry about.

Sorry... for what?

I mean I guess she was having an
affair with this pastor.

Really wrecked her.

More than I know.

So when you came in...

you looked on the table, this
article...

was the only
thing that you found?

Yeah, I wasn't
looking for her phone.

Just saw her.

Yeah. Yeah.

This you?

Yeah.

I'm very sorry
about your cousin.

Thank you.

Can I have her parents number?
I think that we should call.

Mmm. Yeah.

Is there something
you ain't telling me?

Uncle Donald...

Lanie told me that she came you.

Talked to you about Little.

Told you about the baby.

You called her a whore.

When she told me she
was, uh, pregnant...

...look I didn't know
what to say to her.

You knew not to say that.

C'mon.

Don't come telling me man...

what I should or what I
shouldn't have said.

You shouldn't have said that.

She told me what she was doing
with that son of a bitch...

I...

You know how many preachers

take advantage of... of... of...
women like Lanie?

My baby.

He had no right to
use her like that.

I came here to ask you not to
have the funeral at the church.

It's the only
church she's gone to.

Okay, okay but you...

- you can't.
- I can ask someone else

to do the funeral
like Pastor Johnson. He...

baptized her and
watched her grow in the church.

He's retired.

Yeah, but that's alright.
He'll come back for her.

He... he loves her.

You cannot do it there.

Don't tell me! Don't say that!

Don't.

Because I will.

I am not going
to let that bastard

keep her from being
tended to by the only church

she knows, man.

Don't tell me that.

Okay. Alright, well just listen.

Just... don't let him do it.

Well, Mrs. Cooper I found him.
He's back here.

I'd like you to come
speak at the funeral.

- Cause you two was close.
- Yeah, yeah. Of course,

Mr. Patterson.

Stew.

I'm sorry about Lanie.

You know, I loved her so much.

Talk to you later, Uncle Donald.
I'll go say goodbye to Auntie.

Do not let that motherfucker
come to the funeral.

What the fuck?

That's what
happens to assholes, Mark.

We ain't got no ice.

Asshole.

This is Stephanie. Who is this?

Hi, Stephanie.
This is Lanie's cousin.

Stewart Cooper.

The reporter
that got fired?

Yeah.
Yeah, that's me.

How did you find me?

Uh, well, you kind of said
it. I'm a, I'm a reporter.

Are you doing a story?

Uh, no
I just uh...

Look, I don't...
I hate to ask you this,

Stephanie, but were you
involved with Little?

What? Involved?

Yeah, did you have
uh, did you have an affair?

What does this have to do with
me or Lanie?

Well, uh, Lanie told me that
she talked to you and another

- woman.
- Who was the other woman?

Uh, see uh, I didn't
tell her your name, so I just

feel like I maybe should keep
hers confidential too, you know.

Are you serious?

Yeah, but listen, if it
wasn't you who she spoke to, I

apologize for-for calling. That
was completely out of line.

We did talk.

- But.
- I don't want my business in the

street. This kind of thing
taints you, you know?

Yeah. Yeah, I do. I do. Listen,
Stephanie, do you think maybe we

can uh, meet up?
Talk a little bit?

Talk to you? A Reporter?

Yeah, yeah. But this is...

I just want some clarity.

For what?

For, for me. I just wanna know
what he did to drive Lanie to do

what she did to herself.

He didn't do
anything. Kenny is a good man.

I-I don't want to do
anything to hurt him.

Wait, so, you're just okay with
him stringing women along?

Talk to Kenneth, not
the women. Goodbye.

Do I love you? Of course.

You just have to

Understand?

Yes. This isn't simple.

And I've got a
wife. A church to lead.

I'm scared of what would happen

if I told people
how much I love you.

I don't want you
to hurt your career.

And I don't
want you to hurt the people who

believe in you. I just

What?

I think maybe we should... stop.

Stop?

Yes. Because you need to focus.

You need to focus on
what's in front of you.

If I don't have you with with
me, I'm lost Elaine.

And what we have is special. If
it could be any other way...

I wanted, but I didn't know I
was falling in love with you.

This
hurts me as much as...

I love you, too.

Lanie was always troubled.
Seemed like

nothing ever
went right for her.

She fell in love too
quick. Jumped without looking.

It's so hard out here to
find someone who can just love

you, sometimes
that's what you have to do.

Everything in life is hard, J.

Doesn't mean you gotta break
some fucking fool make

you make even more
foolish decisions.

You
talking about us?

I'm talking about everybody.

Well, that's what they said
about us when all our shit

happened.

You cost me my job.
And Natalie's future.

You'll get another job.

Yeah, and I'll slowly
re-build what I lost,

but that's the thing, I gotta
slowly rebuild what I lost.

I said I was sorry.

So, did I.

Get on the line,
there on the other side. Go ahead, try.

We had been
together since high school.

You had never
done anything like that.

I started talking
and I couldn't stop.

You see, that-that's the thing.
You-you never mentioned

the part that he was my best
friend. Somehow that

never made it into your story.

Of course, Patrick's husband
never said that either when he

blurted it out at Manifort's.
(imitates a drunk)

"I cannot believe that Stewart
would punch his wife."

I never
thought he would do that.

Yeah, well, people always do
things that you never think

they'd do.

I deserved it,
okay? I know that.

I knew it the moment I lifted
my hands. Just like my

old man used to say.
"If you don't think the

second before your
life changes, you can't complain

about the thousands of
hours after it's changed."

Hey, you
think you can watch Natalie on

my days? I don't want to drag
her into all this mess.

What mess?

Ah, I've got to write this
stupid article.

Looking for a job.

And I've got
to figure out what I'm

going to say
at Lanie's funeral.

Sure.

Okay, so what I want
you to do is stand right

there. Ready? And...

Liz Williams?

Yeah.

Stewart Cooper.

Lanie's cousin. You called
Stephanie last night.

I did.

She called me right after she
hung up with you.

So then you know why I'm here.

I am not going to talk
out about that man.

No matter what kind of
son-of-a-bitch he is.

Why not?

Your cousin made her choice.
A bad one, but her choice.

Yeah. Being with him.

Killing herself.

That's a lot of sympathy
you got going there, Liz.

None whatsoever. Look, she laid
with a married man.

I did, too.
You wanna feel better about

yourself, take him for a
little something.

Make him pay
a bill or two.

You
don't kill yourself.

Okay, just so I'm clear. He's
got a Mercedes. He got you this

lovely car, I presume. That's
what you think you got out of

him?

Yep.

And he pays my rent when I need
him to. And he puts groceries on

my table for my boys.

Well, if you
felt that way

why'd you go to Lanie and tell
her about you and Little?

Lanie came to me.

What?

Yeah.
She came to me and Stephanie.

After she saw our names in
Reverend Little's phone.

Now think about that? She
creeped through his phone,

like she was the wife.

She came to us all
hysterical and shit, telling us

to leave him alone. Threatening
to blow up our spot, if we

didn't.

No, we did not go to her.

She got caught in her
feelings and couldn't get out.

You fuck him, you don't
fall in love with him.

He fucked you up so bad that
you can't have sympathy for my

cousin?

Let's see
he had two legs, a dick,

two arms, and a face.
You can change the name, but,

the shit
he did was what all men do.

Eventually, you just choose
not to hurt anymore.

She knew from her ex-boyfriend
that it would eventually all go

bad. So I'm

So I'm not. It ain't that I
don't have sympathy.

I'm just mad. Mad that
she wasn't stronger.

No, that's alright. Okay.

No, you know what?
Let me call you back.

Detective.

Mind if I come in?

Yeah, sure.

So, what's this about?

Mark Evans.

What about him?

He is going to press
assault charges on you.

Did he tell you what
he did? Why I hit him?

He said that he walked
into the backyard,

you hit him. Then you left.

Yeah, but did he tell
you what he did?

Why don't you tell me?

Sometimes you think
people that you love can see

your faults, but
they rarely do.

They just do
what they can to get you back.

Like screwing someone.

Someone you'd
never think they'd screw.

Lanie decided
to screw someone many people

respect, listen to, and value.
Because that's how leeches

operate. They don't suck the
life out of you. They devour it.

Lanie found herself so incapable
of forging a meaningful

relationship with anyone that
she stuffed herself with the one

person we all admire. And then
he goes on to talk about how

they met. Blah blah blah.

Social media brings
out the savagery in people.

You're telling me.

Yeah, but you let yourself get
pulled in by punching him.

Is that why you're here?

No. I'm here because

I have an open investigation
into your cousin's death.

Or at least until it's
officially ruled a suicide.

You think some shit went wrong?

I-I don't know.

I mean, we haven't found
her phone. Did she lose it?

Did she throw it away?
What happened to it?

You asking me?

The guy that got to her house
before anybody else

because you got a text
that nobody else did?

Why is her phone so important?
She fucking killed herself.

Maybe the reason is
on the phone.

You're not a psychiatrist.
You're a cop. Do some cop work.

(chuckles) Okay.

Well, maybe Mark found it, and
then he threatened to expose

something that led
her to do it.

If he did?

If he didn't put that
belt around her neck,

then he dies of
a guilty conscience.

Yeah, well. A lot
of good that does Lanie.

Or maybe you took
it, and if so, why?

I got a whole lotta stuff on my
mind right now. Last thing I'm

thinking about is stealing
somebody's phone.

Her family is devastated.
I'm not too far behind.

Understood. Understood.

You know, you may want
to talk to Evans. Keep

him from dragging you through
the mud with a lawsuit.

Thanks.

You have any thoughts on
him harming her?

No, listen. The guy's an
asshole. He's not a

murderer.
Unless you count the... post.

It's just
cyber bullying at the most.

It's not a crime,
but it should be.

Did you see it coming?
Your cousin.

No. You know, I

always told people that uh, what
made me a good journalist was

that I could see shit coming,
see between the cracks.

Second time in my life I've
ever been blindsided.

Thank you for the
water. (clears throat)

Cyber bullying at the most.

It's not a crime,
but it should be.

What's stopping
me from fucking you up?

Cop came
by, told me that you were

thinking about pressing charges.

If you do that, how you see
this thing ending for you?

You fucking
sucker punched me.

Shouldn't have posted what
you posted about Lanie.

Come on,
man. She made me feel like...

Before you
finish that statement

Think about where she is. Think
about where you are.

What the
fuck are you here for?

Wanted to give you a
heads up?

Why?

Maybe to prevent you from suing
me. It's just a thought.

Okay. What?

The preacher might
be looking to harm you.

Why?

The way Lanie told it to
me is that he loved her a lot.

And after he
read what you wrote,

he wanted to
come after you.

If that's true, what do you
think is going to happen

now that
she's killed herself?

Maybe he realized he
shouldn't fuck his flock.

Or maybe...

he feels broken, thinks it's
all your fault.

Decides to come
after you after all.

Well, if he wants to lose
some money, let him.

I'll sue his ass, too.

Just
giving you the heads up.

Why?

Maybe I'm hoping you two will do
what no one else would do.

Kill the two motherfuckers

responsible
for my cousin's death.

(laughs)

And this coming
from the same guy

who punched his own wife!

Fuck you, Stew.
You're a piece of shit, too.

Yeah. I've been
told that before.

I'll let
you know how that funeral goes.

Yeah, you do that.

I'll tell you
where to send the flowers.

You fucking
punch someone else?

He had it coming.

Remember when

you had to go to counseling
to try to keep your job?

A lot of good that did
'cause I don't have my job.

Yeah, but remember

what the counselor said
about your anger issues?

Alright, Patrick, yeah.

You bottle shit up inside
and then you explode.

Or, you don't let shit seep out,
and you still explode.

We are talking about one
incident. How the fuck do you

analyze somebody's life
off of one incident?

Because your one
incident is now someone else's,

"Oh my God! He punched
someone again?!"

You know when Lanie called me,
told me about her ex and this

preacher guy, I thought to
myself, "Why the fuck are you

bringing this to my door?" I
really thought that she would

just cry, get over it, and drown
her sorrows with some other

shitty dude.

What, are you crazy?

You were her best friend and
family. She comes to you, man,

it's end of the road time.

I just
didn't see it, man.

Because you're going through
your own bad shit.

You lost your job, your
wife. Almost lost your kid.

You weren't the right person,
but she didn't see that.

What, you got a new phone?

Yeah, yeah, I got uh, tired of

all the scumbags calling
me on the other line.

Look, look, I
gotta tell you something.

Do I
want to hear it?

Bill gave
your column away.

Said you
didn't respond quick enough.

Are you kidding me? My
fucking cousin killed herself!

What is wrong with this guy?
He's a fucking idiot!

Look, you didn't
want to do it anyway.

No, it's good. It's... I'm working
on something else anyway.

What? What?

Yeah, I can't talk
about it now.

But
it'll be out soon.

Alright. Are you okay?

Yeah.
Yeah. I'm alright.

Alright, call me if you
need me.

So who the fuck would do this?
It's fucking sick.

We live in a sick fucking world.

There's another one with the
location on it. Burbank.

Nah. Too easy.

Especially since the first one
wasn't sent with the picture.

Yeah. Just check into it.

Kenneth. I need...
for you to keep your

head above water right now. If
somebody's trying to torment

you, damnit, take it
That's part of your calling.

We don't need
a spotlight on this.

Spotlight? Someone's using a
dead woman's cell phone to send

me messages. That
doesn't concern you?

It scares the hell
out of me. But it also scares me

every time you stick your
dick in someone new.

What about the
shit you've done and still do?

We're not talking
about me right now.

Right.

That's right. Okay. I'm cool.
Just find out who is doing this.

So, how exactly did you
find me in the first place?

Social
media. People finder.

And why are you back?

For Lanie.

Then we don't have anything
to talk about.

Okay how
about for you?

Oh, you don't
even know me.

Liz, I'm a journalist. I
know a lot of women like you.

What's
that supposed to mean?

Everything that you
said to me comes from a

person who was hurt a long time
ago and is trying to cover it up

with bravery that doesn't
crawl into bed with them

when it's time to go to
sleep at night.

Doesn't sit in the shower with
them, doesn't get in the

passenger seat when
you're going to work.

It's a fucking fake bravery to
cover up some fear.

Being hurt. Being used.

And you deserve
not to feel like that. But it's

never gonna go away,
you know why?

Why?

Because you keep inviting it
into your heart and then the

fucked up men follow. And then
more fucked up men follow them.

You don't know me.

I know me, and I'm a
fucked up man. So is Little.

You think his wife knows about
you? Or Lanie? Or Stephanie?

Do you know how
hard it is to raise a kid in LA?

If I have to give Kenneth
Little some head and some ass

but it takes care of my kid,
then he's gonna get some head

and some ass. His wife knows
what she signed up for.

Gotta love
that Christian charity.

Praise Jesus.

LIZ (RECORDING) Do
you know how hard

it is to raise a kid in LA? If I
have to give Kenneth Little some

head and some ass but it takes
care of my kid, then he's gonna

get some head
and some ass.

(distorted voice on recording)
If I have to give Kenneth Little

some head and some ass but it
takes care of my kids, then he's

gonna get some head
and some ass.

His wife knows
what she signed up for.

LIZ (distorted voice on recording)
If I have to give Kennth

Little some
head and some ass

some head and some ass but it
takes care of my kids-

If I have to give Kennth Little

some head and some ass,
but it takes care of my kids-

Then he's going to get
some head and some ass.

His wife knows what
she signed up for.

Social media.

You said this would never come
into our home or into our church

(sighs) I couldn't see
something like this coming.

You said it wouldn't come into
our home or our church.

Get
in front of it. Fix it.

I will.

If you don't, you'll be
a disappointment to God.

These are tests, Kenneth.
Don't fail them.

I'm sorry, Katrina.

You say that every time. That
means you're a liar.

How you gonna explain this to
your drug dealing friend Dizzy?

Diz.

It's Kenneth. I'm I'm sorry to
have to tell you this,

but we're gonna have to stop
seeing each other.

No, Rhonda it's not what
I expected, but I can't

risk being with
anyone until this is over.

Sharon... Sharon. Stop. What do
I think God thinks about this?

I'm
waiting on him to tell me.

You got no idea who posted that?

No. No. The police said
her cellphone has been missing

since the day they went
to the apartment.

This is evil!

Yeah.

Is it true?

Kenneth. One second please.

Kenneth. Hi.
Can I come see you?

No.
No, no, no, no, no, no. No,

I don't want us to
end like this.

Kenneth, please!

I know, but I'm just... I'm just
asking if I can come see you.

He doesn't think it'd be smart
if we see each other any more.

How
does that make you feel?

How in the fuck do you think it
makes me feel?

Yeah.

Yeah. Ok, thanks. Bye.

Hey, Mark?

Yeah.

Can I talk to you for a
second?

Okay.

Uh, I just got off the phone
with one of our members.

I need to talk to you about
something you posted about

your ex girlfriend.

I got off that site, alright? I
was being harassed.

Did you see this today?

(distorted voice recording)
If I have to give Kennth Little

some head and some ass, but it
takes care of my kids

Drew.
That I can't explain.

Let's-let's talk in the office.

It might be time for you
to look for another job.

Hey.

Hey.
I have to go view Lanie's body.

Can
you come with me?

Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Uncle
Donald. When do you need to go?

DONALD Doctor had to come
over and sedate Clara.

Yeah.

Somehow she claiming that uh,
all this here is her fault.

How?

She saying she
didn't raise Lanie right.

Should've toughened her up
when she was a little girl.

She always was too sensitive.

Lanie said she was an empath.
In touch with the universe,

Uncle Donald.

Never believed in that shit.

Wasn't for you to believe.
Everybody got something

that belongs
to them and them only.

The times I lived
through. Come on.

Racism everywhere you look
people looking down on

black men, can't get yourself a
good paying job.

I didn't have enough time for
being in touch with the

fucking universe. Barely had
enough time to be in

touch with me.

When she was a little girl
she used to uh,

say she wished
she could marry butterflies

because they were so beautiful.

Who in hell wants to marry
a goddamn butterfly?

Did you talk to Pastor
Johnson about doing the funeral?

I
didn't ask him yet.

Why not?

Guess I just ain't ready to
admit that she's dead yet.

We tried to have other kids, you
know.

Never took.

So we spoiled her.
Spoiled her rotten. Gave her

everything except uh, strength.

She was very
strong, Uncle Donald.

Strong people
do not kill themselves.

It takes a lot of strength to
stare into the end of your life.

Pastor.

Hey.

It's getting worse.

And when I ask you to
consider me and how you make me

me feel, you tell her that
you will always love me.

"Never leave me.

But, the bigger question is
were you ever there?

I should have known
better than to believe you,

but you knew my
heart was vulnerable.

KATRINA
Who's doing this?

I think it's
the boyfriend.

What?
What is this becoming?

I can handle this. One of the
pictures that was sent is near

the location of his
apartment building.

When did you find
out about the boyfriend?

This morning.

Okay, go talk to him.

If it's money he wants, find a
number that makes him happy.

If it's jealousy, make him
realize he's asking for the

wrong thing.

Okay.

Katrina.

The board
wants to meet with you.

(sighs) Who called
the meeting?

Pastor Johnson.

After you talk to
the boyfriend, if you

don't think it's him, talk to
the cousin, Stewart.

I'll let you know
what I find out.

Fuck.

Kenneth, you do understand
that when you took over this

congregation, we put
everything in your hands.

I do.
I completely understand.

Well, son,
the level of disappointment from

everyone around this table
is so high right now.

Pastor Johnson, brothers
and sisters, I'd like you to

know that I completely
understand, and I would like you

to know that uh, I never meant
for any of this to happen.

Your name's
attached to two women, Kennth.

Two that we know of.
Are there more? Hmm? And what

else have you done that uh, we
should be aware of? What will

the damage control be? And
will there be lawsuits?

These questions are
endless.

I understand.

(clears throat) I can answer
these questions, Pastor Johnson.

And my suggestion is to let me
get in front of this. In front

of the media. Jimmy Swaggart.
Jim Bakker. Bishop Long. They

all did the smart thing and
got in front of the problem.

Not behind it.And...

Kenneth,
we don't even know what the problem is!

Not the true problem! Do you
have a sex addiction?

No, sir.

And what does Katrina
have to say about all of this?

That's
what we'd like to know.

She
stands behind me.

That makes what
you do alright?

No.
It does not.

There are women
out there who trust you to deliver

the word, to lead
them to salvation.

Not with what's between your
legs, but with your heart.

With your soul.

Amen.

Yes. And I'm only...

Human? Please don't say that.
There are too many fallen

people in the bible who blamed
their misdirection on being

human. We're all human.

Understood. Understood.

I still believe the best thing
to do is to move forward.

No.

We can get ahead
of this, Pastor.

No. No!
Not until we clear this up.

Well, I... That's
what I'm trying to do, sir.

(talking at same time)
And not until we understand

the full magnitude of what's in
front of us.

Oh, Kenneth. Oh my god. The
amount of money that you have

brought into this church
has exceeded...

It's beyond our wildest hopes.

I wish
you'd keep that in mind, sir.

Unfortunately, until we get this

cleared up, you have
to step aside.

No.

Pastor Johnson, that would not
be the wise thing to do.

Take some time-

This church is in
the black because of my work.

Sir! Sir! I do not think
that you're giving this...

We've already
voted. It's done!

Later. Maybe later we'll

re-convene, and we'll
have a true discussion.

Oh, hey,
I need you to write the obituary.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah,
I can do that.

I never should have called her
what I called her. I just

hated that she let herself get
caught up with anyone like that.

Yeah, well,
Lanie never expected it either.

Hello?

Hey, uh, you mind
if I take Natalie to lunch?

Oh, yeah, sure. It'll be good
for her to see you.

Thanks.

You weren't able
to keep me this week?

Had some other business
I had to attend to.

Hmm.

How's it been staying
with your mom this week?

She loves it. You know
she's always complaining

about splitting up the week. So
she gets a kick out of having me

for this long.

You will be back soon.

Good because you
have my favorite blanket.

You're right, I do.

Thank you for that.
It's been keeping me very warm.

You know, I've been rubbing
my feet all over it.

Ew!

Promise you. It smells great.

Do you love mama?

I do.

Then why aren't you
together?

Sometimes... sometimes

relationships they
just, they don't work.

Well, I'm not gonna ask why
'cause I know you

wouldn't tell me.

No. How is school?

Sucks.

Okay.

I'm sorry about Lanie.

I know she was
your favorite cousin.

She was. Yeah, thank you.

Do you think
you could've helped her?

If she would've told me. She
never told anybody

about anything.

Well, if you ever think of
hurting yourself, you're gonna

tell me, right?

Yeah. Will do.

Alright. I'm done
doing a bunch of stupid stuff.

Good.

Almost.

I think.

Mama!

We brought you tacos!

That was so sweet of you.

It was Daddy's idea. Bye.

See you later, baby.

You used to bring
me tacos all the time.

(chuckles) You know, it's crazy.
She actually enjoys tacos almost

as much as you.

She does.

Yeah.

Yeah. She probably got
most of my good traits.

Oh, yeah?

Only yours? None of mine?

She got your anger.

'Cause that's a good trait.

Sometimes. I always
felt protected around you.

You got irrational, but I
always felt safe.

Why Ben?

Stopped feeling safe.

Safe? Or wanted?

Wanted.

Well, look at you. You survived.

The whole Ben and
Stewart debacle.

My life didn't
completely hinge on you and Ben.

I wanted you to be my forever,
but you got consumed with work.

Seemed like we were
never enough for you.

Most of what I did... was so I
could be enough for you.

Journalist life
is bullshit. I knew it.

I got consumed with
my job just...

When did you stop seeing Ben?

Okay, it's it's still going on.

We're not

seeing each other. Regularly.

Okay.

Just, Stew...

I-I'm sorry. I don't I don't

want to get in trouble for
what I already did.

I'm sorry.

How the fuck you
gonna be sorry when

you're still doing it?
Makes no fucking sense!

That's all crazy.

What the hell? (laughing)

Then you jumped
off of the garage

and you broke your leg, and I'm
yelling. You only...

did that
because you were mad.

Okay, first of
all, okay. Okay, first of all

LANIE First
of all, first of all.

You shouldn't
have called me a sissy.

First of all, you shouldn't
have let me jump first!

Well, nah. I wanted to see some
of that black girl magic.

Can you fly?

Jokes on you.

Man, man. I never hit a
woman before in my life.

You get caught up, and you move
without thinking sometimes.

Sometimes.

She did sleep
with your best friend.

Those are facts.

But you shoulda
whupped his ass and not hers.

I just fucking let
my emotions get away with me.

Yeah.
Welcome to my world.

What are you talking about?

You never
did anything that stupid.

Mm. Nah, but just
date bad dude after bad dude.

Who's a bad dude?
You think Mark is a bad dude?

Mark is
lazy. Always dreaming.

But so far he's a good dude.

Yeah, so. Maybe he'll
be the dude that keeps you from

dating other bad dudes.

Hope so.

Think to call me before you do
anything stupid next time.

Okay.

So, what'd your job say?

I'm suspended.

Which probably
means I'm fired 'cause I got an

asshole boss who doesn't
like me very much.

You?

Yeah.

What?

Yeah. Problematic.

You know what's kinda funny

is you've always
been one of those "the truth

will set you free" type dudes.
And this time, it trapped you.

You should've just left
when you found out.

Yeah. Yeah, you know,
it's sometimes easier to

write about that guy than to
be that person, you know?

I'm a very
good writer.

Hmm.

Maybe not that good in person.

What's that? You owe me some
money that I forgot about?

Oh my god. Are you serious?
You just walk around with that

in your purse?

Yeah. Look.

You have a problem.

This is one of the best
articles I have

ever read about the truth.

You're really fucking, you're
really gonna hold me

to something I wrote
when I was in college?

Yeah. Look, Stew,
what you did is going to

follow you for the rest of your
life. It's gonna haunt you.

So, now would be a good
time to remind yourself of what

to do when you're
faced with the truth.

Nah, I've never hit
a woman before in my life.

The great thing about the truth
is, once you set it in motion,

it will eat through any lie, any
hidden agenda, any distortion.

Let the truth fly and it will
devour anything in its path.

Hopefully to the good.

You were an over-writing
son-of-a gun.

Yeah, shut up and
enjoy the writing.

(chuckles) I love you.
Sorry I wasn't there for you.

Appreciate that.

Mark, if you're calling
about the funeral,

you're still not invited.

You been posting this shit?

What? The post
about Lanie? No.

She didn't have too
many friends or anybody that

would do some crazy
shit like this.

If you don't know how mad or
crazy a person has to be to do

some shit like this, I suggest
you speak to someone who

feels wronged.

You don't feel that way?

I... no. No, why? 'Cause you're a
heartless fuck who took a shit

on my cousin and left?
No. No, thanks.

If it is you,
I'm going to fuck you up.

You'll try. And you'll fail.

If it's not you,
then who's doing it?

(sighs) I mean,
ask yourself. Am I the only

person who thinks
you're a piece of shit?

No.

Good luck figuring it out.

Truth.

CUNNINGHAM
Reverend Little.

Jason Cunningham.
Los Angeles Register.

I'm
really not that important.

Well, when someone
of your stature is connected to

a suicide, I beg to differ.

Whoa whoa whoa.
I'm not connected to a suicide.

Elaine
didn't let me know she was

planning on taking her own life.

Were you having an affair?

She was going
through a difficult time.

A breakup with her boyfriend
Mark Evans. She was an

emotional woman that may have
thought some things that

weren't necessarily
true, and that's all I'll say.

What about the other
woman whose post went viral?

Did you have an affair with her?

Are you focusing on a
poor woman tragically taking her

own life, or are you more
concerned with whether or not I

had an affair?

I'm
focused on what ever is news.

Well, sometimes you should
concern yourself with someone's

soul.

Like you did?

Have a good day, young man.

I'll take that as a yes.

Off record?

I've got reporters
getting in my face.

That guy had
to come from her cousin.

Lanie's cousin doesn't work for
the newspaper anymore.

He's here.
I gotta go. Yo. Are you Mark?

Nah. I
don't know any Mark.

I saw your Facebook page. Come
on, man. You're Mark Evans.

Who are you?

I'm
Lainie's Assistant Pastor.

Why'd you send
those messages?

I wrote a post. It
was a mistake, okay?

So you decided to shake Lanie
up enough that she would

commit suicide, and
you call that a mistake?

You know, I'm tired

of people telling me what I did
wrong or didn't do wrong.

Well, your
indiscretions have put my pastor

in a precarious situation.

Fuck your pastor.
Like he fucked my girl.

You know why that happened?

Because you didn't think a man
of God would hit you.

Hey, and don't even
think about going to the police.

'Cause nobody even
saw me here.

Besides, I'm a high profile
church member and you'll

just be seen as the douche that
you already are.

Do
yourself a favor.

Clean your shit up. Write an
apology on your page.

Take some of the blame.
Then move out of LA.

Move?

Yeah.

Move. Do
overs are good for the soul.

I'll be checking on you.

MARK
Motherfucker.

Yeah.

It's Patrick.

I'm getting good traction on
your cousin's story, but in its

current state, it won't get
past page 3 in the local

section. You got anything?

(clears throat)
Uh... Mark Evans, her

ex-boyfriend, he uh, he told me
that she was pregnant, and that

she had to have an abortion
after a guy, Martin, who's at

the church, told her it was
the best thing to do.

That's Pastor
Little's assistant, right?

Yeah.

That's great.
Anything else?

Yeah. Uh, the detective
covering the case, his name is

Ford. Demetrius Ford. He can-he
can fill you in with whatever.

I don't know.

Got it.
Stewart. Why didn't you call me

with this info before, man?

Listen, when we first sat down
then it was gossip.

Now, it's news.

Tell
Manifort I helped you out, okay?

Let's get your cousin
some justice first.

Yeah.

Katrina. Katrina. Katrina!

It's obvious you fucked with the
wrong person this time.

Yes.

Most important, you have no idea
who could be doing this.

Meaning?

That just goes to show how many
people you've fucked over.

Katrina, you will
have many years

to tear me apart. But right now,
I need you to help me out.

We can go back and forth with
this shit all day and night.

You
don't need to worry about me.

You need to worry about what
Dizzy is going to think.

I have been thinking about what
Dizzy is going to think, okay?

I got that motherfucker's
money tied up in the church.

I fuck up his money, he has my
head on a plate. So, I have been

very, very clearly thinking
about Dizzy's bitch-ass!

Oh, so now you mad? You
should have been mad at yourself

a long time ago. Because you
don't know how to keep your shit

in your pants.

Well, if I had, I
never would've met you.

Or maybe you forgot that.
And maybe you forgot

about those fucked up
projects that you come from.

Huh?

Now, you wanna ride this first
lady train? Cool. But help me.

Don't push me. 'Cause we all
got our secrets.

That was the past. Now?

We got an errant preacher,
a pissed off dead-ass

ghost, and a drug dealer you
laundered money from to deal

with. So, I'll push you to keep
you from waking up with

a gun in your face.

Do I know who's
sending these messages?

No. No, I think I have an idea.
Uh, we have to wait till

they slip up, then we'll follow
them as thoroughly as we can.

Can this person
be charged with it?

Depends on how severe it is.
All said and done.

This woman's life is being
cheapened and used to make

statements that night be
inaccurate. Now this may be

seen to some as being a hero,
but truthfully

It's
tragically undignified.

Hey, are you Stewart?

You are?

Martin Jarrod.

I know you.
Gimme one minute.

Come on in.

Thanks. Nice
house for a journalist.

Yeah.
Inherited it.

Working?

Ah, no. No,
actually, uh...

just looking at a video of the
detective who's (clears throat)

covering my cousin's
case. Have a seat.

It's kinda late to be visiting
people, don't you think?

Yeah. Your cousin's death has
turned everything on its ear.

No. I'll say it fucked
up a lot of people's lives.

Trying to be respectful.

Yeah. Why are
you knocking at my door?

Honestly? Someone is
sending messages to Pastor

Little that are very nasty.
And they're claiming to be your

cousin.

The morbidity of
that is beyond the pale.

It's terrible. I
saw the one post where they used

the woman's voice, and I was
thinking, who could ever do

something like that?

Really?

Hmm.

That woman
told me she talked to you.

She did, I um, I went to
visit her and Stephanie

after I found
out about Lanie's death.

She told me that
both of those women were also

having an affair with the
Preacher. So, I just wanted to

know if they said anything to
her before she killed herself.

Did you learn anything?

No.

Did you tape anything?

Uh, I wasn't
really in journalist mode.

Is that one of Little's
women, on the recording?

Could be.

Chickens coming home to
roost, huh?

Your boss is a fucked up dude.
How does it feel to work for

somebody like that?

It's rough.
He leaves behind a mess,

then I have to go out
and clean it up.

Like when you told
my cousin to get an abortion.

She told you that.

Yeah.
Yeah, she did.

It really wasn't
a hard conversation to have.

I just wanted to make sure
she was looking out for herself.

You know, to understand
that she shouldn't think

of herself as special.

She didn't think of
herself as special.

How mad are you, Stewart?

Are you mad enough to

send messages to someone that
you think wronged Lanie?

You mean like
messages like a little fifth

grader? No. I'm mad enough
to want to fuck him up.

Like you did your wife?

Ah. (chuckles) Research.

Yeah. Yeah, that's um, um I
did that. That's me.

Hey, if you
hit a woman, then you'd

more than likely do something
else crazy, right?

Hey do you know Mark Evans?

The boyfriend? I
had a conversation with him.

You
know what he did?

No. What did he do?

He went on social media.
After he found out that

Lanie and the Preacher
were sleeping together and wrote

this horrendous post.
Crushed Lanie.

That led her
to hang herself?

No. After that
she sent me a bunch of text

messages I guess telling me that
she was thinking of taking her

life, but I didn't respond
to any of those text messages

'cause I got a whole bunch of
shit I'm dealing with. So I

didn't really have the bandwidth
to take her shit on and

before you ask me if that's
what led her to hang herself,

I'm gonna tell you that the
answer is no. I think what set

her off was how you fucking
callously told her to abort her

child to protect your
punk ass boss.

All in all, she had four shitty
men in her life who drew up

the map, built the road
that led her to putting a belt

around her neck and
taking her own life.

That's one way of
looking at it.

Yeah.

Was
she overly emotional?

Wouldn't anybody
be that was fucking a preacher?

What are
these messages?

Messages?

The ones that you said
were being sent.

Oh.

Character
assassinations. Of a good man.

You believe that?

I do.

Maybe a prison sentence
with no one coming to visit

me but him makes me bias.

But I'm not the only
one who sees him that way.

A true man of God.

Yeah.

So uh, what were you
in prison for?

Oh, drugs.
Violence. Things of that nature.

Now you're an
enforcer for the Lord.

I'm just a seeker
of the truth.

Okay.

You don't believe me?

No, I believe you.

I just want to know how far
you'd go to get to it.

There's not a limit
that I would go to to get to the

truth. However painful
or how rough.

Am I
supposed to be scared?

Concerned.

Give me a minute.

Sending another message?

No. Uh, you do
realize that I'm a journalist,

right? So to send a message
from my phone would be totally

stupid.
It's traceable.

I'm actually wondering why
Detective Ford hasn't tried

to trace the messages back to
where they came from.

I mean,
you-you did talk to him, right?

No.

Trying to
keep this as quiet as possible.

I just want all this to go away.

That's understandable. But you
really should talk to Ford

about
tracing those messages.

What makes you think
I want to talk to Ford?

Well, I just uh, I just sent
over our conversation.

I was recording it. I don't
really like to be concerned.

What the
fuck you say?

Obviously, it's not
admissible in court.

Unless something were to
happen here. Then you'd

have to prove that
it wasn't premeditated.

So, you do
like sending messages?

Only when it benefits me.

You know what's crazy about
having a reputation like mine?

People make
you go see a therapist. Yeah,

and then the old therapist sits
there and they try to pinpoint

what your problem is. And my
therapist thinks that I have an

issue with anger. I mean, I can
usually keep it in check, but

uh, every now and again it gets
away from me.

You can test it if you want to.
Question is, how do you

see this thing ending?

Lanie told me that you
didn't mean to hit your wife.

My guess?

You fooled her. That
anger in your eyes has always

been there. And it
ain't going away.

Thanks for the idea
about tracing the messages.

But, I'm suspect as to
why you would offer the

idea to trace the messages.

My cousin deserves the same
thing you think your preacher

deserves. But you have to be
a cop to trace messages, huh?

Oh, you'd be surprised the
powers the church has.

Mm... Actually,
I wouldn't be. You know,

preachers always have their way
and just get away with it. Pope

helped the Nazis. Preachers do a
lot of things in the name of the

lord.

His name is Kenneth Little.

You think I
don't fucking know that?

Thank you for your
time, Stewart.

You're Pastor Little, right?

Yes.

Your secretary told
me that you'd be out here.

I'm Detective Demetrius Ford.

And I'm here
to talk to you about... Martin

Uh, Martin
Jarrod. My Assistant Pastor.

Yeah. Him.

Talk about what?

And you thought it
was okay to just go to this

man's house and threaten him?

I never threatened
anyone. At any given time.

Right. You were just,
"concerned."

I am concerned.

My pastor is being harassed
and intimidated.

Then he should be
coming to me.

Not sending
you out like a junkyard dog.

Would you be willing
to show me these messages?

I... erased them.

Look, I'm a man of God. If I'm
not having someone praise me or

becoming overly involved, then
someone is threatening me. But

if God ain't ready for me to
leave this Earth, then I'm not

going anywhere.

Are these threats from women
that you've been

having affairs with?

No.

Mark, come on.
Open the door.

Get the fuck away
from my door, Stew.

You're gonna want to
hear what I have to say.

Nah, I'm good.

There's a guy. Name is Martin
Jarrod. He works

for the Preacher. He...

What's he look like?

Uh, he's uh,

kind of buff, very angry.
Light skin. Bald headed.

Yeah. He came by
the other day. Asked me a couple

questions and left.

So why is he coming to me asking
questions about you?

Yo, come on in.

Honestly,
this is the messiest suicide I've

ever been involved in. But
what pisses me off is that it's

getting messy because of people
like you two that don't let me

do my fucking job.

Detective.
This is a house of the lord.

Oh

And we're not
doing it on purpose.

Then stop doing it.
Just keep your dog

on a leash. Or, tell me what is
really going on.

People are letting their
emotions get in the way.

Then you should keep
yours in check. And let me worry

about everybody else.

Have
a nice day, gentlemen.

You as well, detective.

And may God be with you.

Always.

Where the fuck did
he come from?

The bitch-ass
cousin was recording me when I

went to go meet with him.
Sent him the fucking

conversation. Now I'll deal with
his ass when this is all over

with.

No. No. If the
cops are coming through that

door, we need to do whatever
we can for them to go away.

Look, Kenneth

Dizzy called me this morning. He
told me to do whatever I need to

do to make this shit go away.
So, it goes away.

Is that why you
erased the messages?

I didn't erase any goddamn
messages. I just didn't want

Ford to know about them. I just
got one right before he came.

What'd it say?

Leave the church
before I play our conversations.

I taped a lot of them.
Now look I know it

wasn't smart, but I sent a text
back offering money to make it

go away.

Well, before you pay anybody, I
may have figured this out.

You think
you know who it is?

Yeah. The cousin.

No shit?

Yeah, but I need to see it from
all the angles first.

Alright.

Why the fuck is
this bouncing back to me?

Because I'm setting you up.
Secretly I'm hoping that you

kill him or he kills you.

You said that before.
It sounded stupid then,

it sounds stupid now.

You know what,
you're right. It's a dumb joke

that I just found funny. It's a
nervous thing. Look, it's 'cause

I have friends at the church.
And they hear things, and you

know what? They're afraid 'cause
Lanie said that they're into

some real shady dealings.

What does that even mean?

Shady motherfuckers do shady
shit. And then they'll do

whatever they can to keep it out
of the spotlight.

All of this shit is falling
on me because I got

fucking trigger fingers!

I gotta piss.

You don't have to
tell me that.

That Martin fuck told me to
move. Basically threatened me.

Said the same thing to
me. Told the cops about it.

Look, why don't we sit down with
them? Get them off our backs.

If he's doing all this shit
because he's mad at me about

my post, what makes you think
he's going to come to his

senses?

You got another idea?

No

Okay, so, then, let's see if we
can talk to them. Look, I

want this shit off of me just
as bad as you do. Besides, the

focus needs to be on Lanie.
Change people's opinion about

her.

Yeah,
you're right.

Man, I'm sorry I
even posted that shit, you know?

Yeah. Well. Remorse for your
actions post tragedy sometimes

can be viewed as bullshit. You
probably want to work on that.

Martin look,
I can get you the location of the

woman's phone. But only if it's
being left on.

Just get me what you can. I need
to make whoever understand they

need to stop
playing games.

Understood.

But yo, the church is
going to let Little stay?

After all this shit?

You know how
much money he brings in to that

little fucking church? Money is
the most important thing to

church folks. That's why God had
to constantly say it was evil.

He'll stay,
but this shit has to stop.

How much to trace
this number?

For you, 500.

Get it to me in six hours,
and I'll get you fifteen.

Done.

Hello?

Pastor. Yeah, this is Stewart
Cooper. Lanie's cousin.

I wanted to talk to you about
what happened with Lanie.

Stewart, you know as much as I
do. It was a suicide.

Yeah. I think we're both clear
on that, but here's the thing

I don't understand. Why
won't you come forward?

You know, about the affairs.
About being a horrible shepherd

to the faithful.

Are you writing an article?

I no longer have
a job in journalism.

Right.

Yeah.

That's right. Fired. You know
before you hit your wife

Lanie said that you were
and impulsive, hothead,

that never thought things
through. She told me that your

parents were always worried
about what kind of

trouble you'd get into.

She did?

She did.

And I told
her to bring you in, see if you

needed some counseling. But
before I knew it, you hit your

wife. Not the smartest thing.

Stewart, Lanie loved you, but
she saw you as a flawed

human being.

That's because
we're both fuck-ups.

Let me
give you some advice.

(chuckles) What
kind of advice?

Get in front
of this and tell the truth.

Before it gets too deep.

Listen,
I don't know if you know this,

but the Register is planning to
write an article about you. An

exposé. It's not going to be
pretty. Especially after they

find out some of the shady shit
you're probably doing.

Stewart, don't call me again.

I figured you say that.
(sighs)

Lanie, you were right.

What shady shit are you
into, mister preacher man?

What the fuck, man?

You lying motherfucker. Where
the fuck is the phone?

Come on, man.

I said, where's
the phone?!

I don't know!

Get off of me!

I'll break your
motherfucking arm!

Dude, get off!

You dumb, son-of-a-bitch!
You really

didn't think I'd
fight back?!

You're Mark Evans, right?

Hey, Patrick.

Martin Jarrod was killed.

Oh my god,
Patrick, when?

An hour ago.

Holy shit.

Cops are saying it was
Lanie's ex.

This just
became page one.

Tell Manifort I
want to write the story.

Yeah, he did the same thing
to me. I told the cops.

Detective.

Are you here to
accuse me of helping Mark kill

the Assistant Pastor?

News travels fast.

Yeah. Yeah, that's
why they call it news.

Neighbors at Mark's
apartment describe a guy that

looked like you coming
by yesterday.

Before he stabbed Martin Jarrod.
This was after Mark said you

came to warn him about the
Preacher, in case you were

thinking about lying.

Warn him? No, I didn't.

I didn't go over there to warn
him. I went to tell him to take

the post down about Lanie
down. That's all.

Oh,
so he's lying?

If you
killed somebody, would you tell

the truth if it made you look
guiltier than you already are?

True.True.

My only
concern is my cousin.

Speaking of.

We found her
cell phone over at Mark's.

He was the one sending those
messages from her phone?

Looks that way.

Wow.

Not everything
is how it looks.

Did you think
it would go like this?

What-what
do you mean?

Stop playing
games, Stewart.

After the first two posts I
traced the phone

And a couple
messages came from a cell tower

right over this hill. And at
first, I didn't say anything

because the Preacher and Mark,
they deserved some shit in their

lives. And you were
doing right by your cousin.

But
murder isn't doing right.

Let's say that
what you're saying is true.

Did I
put a knife in Mark's hand?

Send anyone after him?

Well, I guess they'd
say the same thing about Lanie

committing suicide.

My
thoughts exactly.

Question is as a journalist
are you good with it,

what you did?

You know,
you're supposed to be telling

the truth, not tearing
people's lives apart.

A cop goes to a
woman's house tells her that

her boyfriend kidnapped some
innocent girl. Raped her. Left

her in some terrible place in
the woods to die. Is he ruining

her life by telling her that? Or
is he just giving her the facts

of the case?

Anything else?

Nah.

I gotta go pick up Little. He
was the last person that

Martin spoke to on his cell
phone before Mark got

attacked.

It's a hell of a
story, huh?

Not front page
stuff, but pretty damn close.

Cyber bullying.

Hello? Hold please.

Kenneth.

Who is it?

Dizzy.

Dizzy. My man, listen, I've been
meaning to call you, bro.

I heard
there's a news truck out there.

Uh, news, listen,
man, that's uh, that's not

nearly as bad as it looks.

Rev, what
did I tell you would happen if

you did something to fuck up my
money flow?

I chose your church
because it was small and

yo ass was green. Now, the
spotlight being on you may cost

me three or four hundred grand,
nigga. Money you dirtied up with

your bullshit. Now what would
you do if you were me? Huh?

Oh, now the cat got your
tongue? Let me tell you

something, boy, watch how you
move in these streets. You and

your bitch ass wife can get
touched, you hear me?

I'ma get at you.

Let the truth fly and it
will devour anything in its path.

Hopefully, to the good.

Nat can't stop crying.

I'll go get her.

Well, I told her

that we couldn't make you late
for the funeral. So if-

When we had
lunch two weeks ago, she made me

promise to tell her if I was
going to hurt myself. Because of

Because of what happened to
Lanie. I didn't have

the heart to tell her that I was
already hurting inside.

I
think she knew.

Yeah. She's a
smart kid. Smarter than me.

With all this shit floating
around in my head, I couldn't

listen to Lanie when she needed
me the most.

Stewart you didn't know Lanie
would do what she did.

I knew what I was doing.
I just feel like if I had owned

up to the wrong that I did to
you, I would've handled the

situation differently.

I'm sorry.
For everything.

You don't have to say that.

This anger, I let it consume me.
I'm kind of afraid if I don't

get past this shit.
It's gonna eat me alive.

Let me go
get Natalie.

Wait.

I know this may not be
the best time.

I lied about Ben. When you asked
when I stopped seeing him.

I never saw him again after
that first time.

I was
just so damn mad at you.

That's okay.

It's okay. I just hate that what

happened to Lanie had to happen
to make us get here.