The Postcard Killings (2020) - full transcript

The owner of the flat discovered

them late Wednesday night.

It's him.

Yeah.

The owner of the flat

discovered them

late Wednesday night.

Come on,

it's gonna go.

- It's a really good one.

- Sylvia!

So loud in there.

Are these free?

They're all yours.

Football fans on trains

are the worst.

Yeah.

I'm Pieter.

I'm Mac.

And this is Sylvia.

On a tight budget, huh?

Scrapbook.

Nice tats, man.

Thanks.

I'm almost done

with both sleeves.

Like a living canvas.

They're beautiful.

My wife appreciates art.

Oh, Jesus!

Thank you.

Get up.

I've been

trying to call you.

I want to see Kimberly.

Hey, what time is it?

9:00.

You look like shit.

Oh, fuck.

Oh, I feel like shit.

Get ready, I'll

order you something to eat.

Oh, okay. God damn it,

I'm not hungry. Stop.

Fine. I won't get you

anything to eat.

Fuck. Valerie.

Get off! No!

It doesn't help.

I need to see her.

You shouldn't.

Okay?

Just trust me.

Then I want to see

where it happened.

Give me a minute.

This is highly

unconventional.

I don't give a damn.

I want to see it.

Just cut the tape.

It is still

a crime scene.

Yeah. I've been

a cop for 30 years.

I know how to

walk through a crime scene.

Okay.

I'm afraid you'll have

to wait downstairs.

We have dusted

for prints, but...

It's been rented

by hundreds of people.

You've questioned everyone

in these buildings?

Yes.

No one saw

or heard anything.

There were two

glasses in the sink,

only the victims' prints.

No one saw anything,

no one heard anything,

and there was

no forced entry...

My daughter

knew the killer.

She's a cop's kid, she would

never let some stranger in.

We need to check

their credit cards,

social media, everything.

Find out where they were.

It's all in motion.

Where's the blood?

Their blood

was completely drained.

The victims

were on the bed.

The male victim's eyes

were held open with pins.

His lips had something

attached to them.

The female victim

was in his arms.

The arms were severed

below the elbow.

The left upper arm was inserted

into the male victim's mouth.

Why do you think

he posed them?

Because he's extremely sick,

I'd imagine.

But he was

saying something.

A highly organised crime scene

like this is done for a

specific reason.

The couple that was

murdered in Madrid,

are there similarities?

A few.

Were they staged, Inspector?

I can't say.

At this stage, it's not clear

whether or not

these are isolated incidents.

We both know this is not

the MO of a random killer.

America's

an arrogant country.

I hope

I don't offend you.

No.

Where are you headed

actually, man?

Working my way north.

You?

Erm...

Same. No real plans.

We should all

hang out together.

Pick a place

to get off.

Come on,

it'll be fun.

Venture into

the unknown.

Let's get some drinks and then

we can discuss it. Vodka?

What else?

I can't believe you almost

invited him to come with us.

I just didn't think,

okay? I'm sorry.

Hmm.

Like obviously, I'd much rather

spend every second with you.

You only.

Hmm.

I just thought he was

a bit strange,

didn't you, Mr

Randolph?

You know what?

I did, Mrs Randolph.

You remember

when she was eight...

Karate class?

She loved that class.

Hmm. You mean

she loved making you proud.

You couldn't just

let them go to Hawaii

or the Caribbean

for their honeymoon?

No...

You had to be the hero,

buy her

the big Euro adventure.

That's one of the reasons

it didn't work out,

you always had to be

the one she loved the most.

Why did you have to

send her here? Hmm?

Why?

Why did you have to

send her here?

Why? Why!

I just... I feel like

I'm going crazy.

I'm so sorry.

How did this

happen to us?

One bottle of vodka,

and three cups...

I guess one cup then.

I...

I feel like

I'm abandoning her.

No. You're not.

I'm here, okay?

This is what I do.

You'll...

You'll let me know everything,

right, no matter what?

Of course I will.

No, you won't.

I heard

everything, Jacob.

Someone mutilated

our daughter.

Find him.

Over two weeks

after the gruesome murder

of a young American couple,

the Metropolitan Police are

refusing to confirm reports

that a journalist,

Charles Hardwick,

received a postcard

with information

on the killings days before...

Sir.

Get your

hands off me.

Give me half an hour, I'll...

I'll call you back, thanks.

Would you get

Mr Kanon a coffee?

Sorry about that.

I'm sure he's just

trying to do his job.

Yeah.

Well, we're all trying to do

that. Why don't you take a seat?

It's been over two goddamn weeks

since my daughter's murder.

You've been

avoiding me,

and I know that

you have new leads.

Absolutely, we do,

but nothing I can share with a

member of the public,

however close they are

to the case.

How about

a fellow cop?

This postcard that I

hear about on the news,

when I should be hearing from

you... What does it say?

You know

I can't tell you that.

Is that it? Is that what

you're gonna tell me?

That's everything.

Okay.

The questions that I have

that need to be answered?

I will find

the answers myself.

I don't recommend

you do that.

You had

your chance.

Floor

minus three. Doors open.

Hey.

Hi, can I help you?

I'm waiting

for him actually.

Me?

Charles Hardwick?

You received

a postcard, right?

You're on

private property.

My daughter is dead.

And you received a postcard from

the person that killed her.

I'm not at liberty

to talk about this.

Look, sir,

all I wanna know is

if anyone in Madrid

received a postcard?

Do you have kids?

It's okay,

I'm good.

I've been told that it's

breaking the law if I discuss

the details.

How many kids

do you have?

One... Baby girl.

There is nothing more special

to a father than a daughter.

A Spanish reporter

got a postcard

of the Prado.

The victims,

apparently,

they had their lips...

Severed.

I'm sorry,

that was our last flight.

We have one leaving

tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.

Yup, you have told me

this now numerous times.

Listen to me.

This is a police matter.

An emergency. You have

to get me on a plane.

Sir, please, I've told you

that was our last flight.

I know. It's your job to

be helpful, right?

Be helpful.

Do me a favour,

and get on your computer

and find me

a connecting flight.

I don't even care

where it connects from,

I just can't have it be

tomorrow. I need it to be now.

All other flights

are full. I'm sorry.

I need

to get to Madrid.

What part of that

do you not understand?

Sir, you need

to calm down.

I am calm! Can someone

just get me a fucking flight?

Is everything

okay, madam?

Perfect.

Sir, you

need to come with us.

Yeah.

Thank you

for your help.

Hi there. Can I see

your passport?

Yup.

Torturing yourself,

Detective.

I do understand

how hard this is.

Really?

Do you?

See, I don't think you have

any idea how hard this is.

Go home

and mourn, sir.

"Go home"?

I'm not going anywhere

without my little girl.

I am sympathetic, Mr

Kanon, I assure you...

"Detective Kanon".

It's Detective Kanon.

And the last thing I want is

your sympathy.

Your daughter's

personal belongings.

Now please, think

about what I said.

Reports suggest the couple were

backpacking through Europe.

They had been staying

at the Cathedral youth hostel

in Munich for a week.

Early speculation indicates

that this is the third

in a series of brutal murders.

Hey!

Detective Kanon.

There's still

a restaurant in Munich

where you can drink a cup of

coffee and smoke a cigarette.

You look like

you could use both.

This must be

a very painful time.

Did you find

her hands?

No.

But there were...

There were body parts

that didn't belong?

Let me guess,

there were no liquor

bottles at the scene,

but the victims,

they had high levels

of alcohol in their system.

They were

probably drugged.

We found traces

of cyclopentolate.

It's an agent

in eye drops.

And they were a young...

A young, married couple?

Crazy people often obsess

about youth and beauty.

But they don't all

mutilate their victims.

This bastard, he's very

selective about his targets.

Certainly his actions

don't fit

with existing profiles.

The postcard,

then the photograph.

What photograph?

I wish

I could tell you.

Is there a photograph

of my daughter?

Yes.

Is she alive?

I need to see it.

It's already been

marked as evidence.

It's part of

the London investigation.

I'm sorry.

The eyes. They don't

belong to the victims.

Jesus!

Detective Kanon, now

I have someone to question.

You're wasting

your time.

He's moved on.

Ms Lombard,

you are now part of

an ongoing investigation.

It is a criminal offense to

reveal what is on the postcard.

Understand?

Each day your mail

will be opened

by a police officer,

morning and afternoon,

starting tomorrow.

Okay.

Okay?

Police

sources have confirmed

that an American journalist

living in Stockholm,

received a postcard

this morning.

Good night,

Ms Lombard.

Night.

Ms Lombard.

What?

What do you want?

My name is Detective Kanon,

and I just want to ask you

about the postcard.

If you're a detective,

talk to the detectives.

Please, they're gonna

send you something else,

and by then,

they'll be dead!

Please, I just

want to help.

I'm leaving you

my card.

Er...

Well...

Well, maybe it's fate,

running into him twice.

Well, he's seen us now. So,

we don't have much choice.

Hey, man. How bizarre

bumping into you!

And you thought

you'd ditched me.

No, God, we just... We got

off the train last minute.

You were at the bar.

So... We left a note.

No note.

Mac, I assumed

that you...

No, I left it

to you.

You Americans

crack me up.

Come, let's go for drink,

life's for the living.

So, er, how long have you

been here for, man?

A couple of days.

Yeah? Us too.

Where are you staying?

By the, er...

Stortorget.

You?

Oh... Just a place

back there.

The Six, fancy.

How do you know that?

I'm stalking you.

Ah, the bag.

The first murders

were eight days apart.

Munich was exactly

16 days after London.

It could be a pattern.

Which means there are

undiscovered victims out there.

We're working closely

with the joint task force.

This is a Europe-wide

investigation.

You do understand that this

would explain

why my daughter's hands are

still missing.

Detective Kanon...

Did you hear

what I just said?

All our units have been

provided with the profile.

Your profile

is wrong.

Look, this killer's brand

of murder is very specific,

extremely hard

to profile.

People like him can be

charming, dynamic.

I have worked

cases that are...

I'm sure you are

a hotshot detective,

but we don't conduct ourselves

like the American police.

What the fuck

does that mean?

Shoot

first, ask questions later.

I don't give a rat's ass

what either of you think.

You've got exactly four

days to prevent a murder.

It's not personal. I do

sympathise, of course,

but your

objectivity has...

Fuck!

Tilda, I have a human interest

piece on the killings.

No.

Wait, please.

I...

The reporter

I interned for in Chicago,

he did a similar piece

and it out-sold

everything that year.

So, you found it okay?

Yeah.

People are helpful and thank God

they speak a little

bit of English.

Why didn't you tell me about

your daughter last night?

Because it's hard.

It's not something

I want to open with.

What do you

want from me?

I want to know what

was on the postcard.

What do you

want from me?

I've been thrown into this mess,

and nobody is telling

me anything.

Look, I write

a weekly piece

at a newspaper about

being an American

living in a strange

country.

Why would

something like this

happen to

someone like me?

I'm sorry, I know it's

hard being on the outside.

And I feel like that too,

and... And I want to help.

So, I, erm... I contacted

this Spanish journalist

and that guy Hardwick

from The Guardian.

But you know, it doesn't

make much sense.

I mean,

there seems to be

no connection between

what we do as journalists.

You know,

one covers politics,

one covers finance,

one culture.

And the postcards?

Well, what do

we have?

In Madrid, it said,

"Till death

do us part."

In London,

"Watch the innocent die,"

in Munich it said,

"Feel the pain, see the truth."

And here,

"Love will never die."

And every sentence is always

followed by an ellipsis.

"Dot, dot, dot".

A continuation.

Yeah.

He announces his arrival in

a city with the postcard.

Selects a couple...

Young, newly married,

happy...

You like herring?

It's the worst decision

I've ever made.

I was trying

to be polite.

Why did he say

she wasn't with him?

They're very

independent people.

She likes to fly,

and he likes trains.

Here he comes.

Mac, Sylvia,

meet my wife and the artist

behind my tattoos, Nienke.

It's a pleasure

meeting you both.

He kept your

existence very quiet.

Well, in my

husband's defence,

it sounds as if

you two ditched him

before he could

reveal very much.

Touche.

Would you like

another drink?

Maybe

something stronger?

Yes, we would.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

Okay, let's go.

Tequila!

Have you guys

been to Bjorkskar yet?

Is that the island?

Yes.

Part of the archipelago.

This time of year,

it's really something.

Desolate, moody.

It's just a short ferry

ride. You should come.

The finger in the

wound I recognise,

but the woman's hand...

No.

The Incredulity

of Saint Thomas.

It has been depicted

by many artists.

This is by Caravaggio.

Thomas the Apostle,

skeptical of Jesus'

resurrection.

You see here,

he is testing the wound

to see if it bleeds.

"Unless I see the nail marks

in his hands"

"and put

my hand into his side,"

"I will not believe it."

Hence the phrase,

"Doubting Thomas."

Saturn Devouring His Son,

by Francisco Goya,

exhibited in London.

Postcard said,

"Watch the

innocent die."

This, The Incredulity

of St Thomas,

on display, right there

in that building.

Why didn't you bring this to

the Stockholm task force?

Because they're

by the book,

and you seem...

You seem open

to possibilities.

Whoa, stop.

I've seen him before.

This woman is

moving off with him.

That's not a "him."

It's a "them."

Go back,

to the day before.

Stop.

There they are.

Come on.

Pick up

your goddamn head!

Forty-odd cameras and not one

of them picked up their faces!

Seriously, you must

take it easy on yourself.

You've gotten us somewhere,

and that's a good thing.

Detective Hoglund promised me

she will include you in all

intelligence going forward.

Big fucking deal.

Tomorrow, at this time,

another couple will be dead.

Look, have them

cross-reference passports.

Any couples that have been to

Madrid, London, Stockholm, here,

it can't be that hard

to find them.

The European Union operates a

freedom of movement agreement.

We still

have porous borders.

Are you telling me

there's no fool-proof way

of registering people's

comings and goings?

With terrorism

and the refugee crisis,

some countries have reinstated

temporary controls.

But generally

speaking, no.

You have to let me

see all the files.

You want me to retire

immediately, huh?

No, I don't.

I want to

help you catch them.

Sylvia?

Did you lose

a little thing?

That's my hat.

Where did you get it?

It's your

so-called note.

Give it to me.

Yeah.

You weirdo.

You know what?

A gift.

You're not gonna

get it back though.

Going to keep it.

Twenty-six, and

twenty-three. They're Dutch.

He gave

his passport information

to rent an apartment

on Kindstugatan.

According to the owner,

they arrived

separately from Germany.

At the airport,

we have evidence

she changed sterling

into Swedish krona.

He has two recorded offences

for drug possession.

She works at

a tattoo parlour,

and has spent two years at

the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.

What's that?

It's an art school.

Welcome.

We got jobs to do.

The owner says they

haven't been here all day.

This hat...

It's Kimberly's.

Detective

Kanon, I'm so sorry.

The ears...

They're from

the Munich murders.

Yeah, you may be right.

Somewhere, there are

undiscovered victims.

This is

Antonio Canova,

Psyche Revived

by Cupid's Kiss.

Let me guess,

exhibited at...

Here in the National

museum in Stockholm.

And it represents Cupid

waking Psyche's lifeless corpse,

and reuniting

the torn apart lovers.

"Love will never die."

Hmm.

So do you think that the ears

are supposed to

represent the wings?

I guess so.

I also think that...

Madrid is a sculpture.

This one,

Rodin's The Kiss.

I mean,

look at the lips.

They don't actually touch, like

they were interrupted...

"Till death do us part."

Yeah.

Messages

on the postcards...

Death, pain, I...

I get it, but...

- But love?

- I just...

I don't understand

what they're trying to say.

Er, that love

is deadly,

that love is painful?

I...

I think they're trying

to destroy joy.

I'm... I'm sorry. I...

I forgot

for a moment.

It's okay.

I just want

to bring her home.

I fell asleep, God knows

how. I feel like...

I haven't

slept in weeks.

I get dressed

and go to the office,

just so that I don't

sit at home feeling useless.

I think that "useless" is

exactly how we're

supposed to feel.

Hey, I got to go.

I will keep you posted.

I promise, okay?

Okay, see, this is footage from

a storefront security camera,

one block away

from the ferry terminal.

So, we slowed it down

and had it enhanced.

Have you got the keys?

No, you have the keys.

I have a key.

Erm, hi, we are checking

out of room 418.

Let me get

your bill ready.

Mr and Mrs Randolph.

Mmm-hmm.

"Mr and Mrs Randolph."

I love

the sound of that.

Hmm?

Police! Police!

What is going on?

Can you tell us

what's happening?

Can somebody please tell

me what's going on?

Can you tell us

who they are?

Yeah, that's Pieter

and Nienke, from Amsterdam.

Wait, why?

Did they do something?

Is that why

you brought us here?

Fuck!

Jesus Christ!

You took a ferry with

them to Bjorkskar.

That happened there?

You were with them?

We have you

on surveillance footage.

Yeah. Yeah, we were with them.

We... We took a ferry,

we planned to

explore and stay over.

But then Mac wasn't

feeling well, so we left.

So you left

on the next ferry?

There's something about being

sick in a foreign country,

you know, it's like,

double worse.

You just want to be at

home in your own bed,

eating room service.

We went back

to the hotel.

I had chicken soup

and I barely touched it,

and Sylvia had

burger and fries.

Yeah, we got the ferry back.

I have a receipt.

Mac always makes fun of me

because I save everything for a

memory book.

I can show you.

It's with my things.

We will check.

She seems

genuinely distressed.

I agree.

He seems unsettled.

Should just

play along,

empathise with her.

She is

a clever girl.

I can see

her wheels turning.

I wonder,

how you liked Madrid?

Madrid?

I don't understand.

Are we

making you nervous?

Well, I mean, yeah. You know,

I've seen these movies.

You know,

Americans thrown in jail

in a foreign country

for something they didn't do.

There's no way these kids

are responsible for

what I saw five weeks ago.

No. I've never even

been to Spain.

Look, we landed in Rome.

We spent a while there,

then we got a train to Paris

and rented a little apartment.

Do we have proof

they were in Paris?

Anyone can rent an apartment

and not stay in it.

He's right.

What was

that, Pierce?

He said you're right.

Ask her

about the details.

Yes.

Ask her about the details.

Make her be specific.

We ate at the same

restaurant every day,

Le Comptoir.

If you get me my bag,

I can show you the receipts.

Like I said, I'm a

bit of a collector.

Yeah,

we'll have it checked.

She is lying.

Perhaps...

No.

She's too polished,

it's rehearsed.

You've got to push her

harder, trip her up.

Let me in there.

Detective Kanon, please,

we have a process.

Your process sucks!

So where did you

travel to from Paris?

Luxembourg,

which I did not expect

to like, but we did.

The exhibits, the

museums, Notre-Dame...

Not the

Notre-Dame,

but, beautiful.

It is possible, I mean,

maybe it is not them.

No. They would have you

believing that up is down,

that black is white.

That girl...

That girl,

she killed

my daughter.

I will stake

my life on it.

Show me receipts

from the museums you visited.

I'm really tired.

Please,

have a look.

Okay.

I love museums.

See?

Forum d'art

in Luxembourg.

I still don't know

how any of this

is relevant to what

happened.

Hey, I am really trying

to be helpful here,

but can we

please go now?

Once again,

you arrived to London.

And then?

From London,

back to Luxembourg,

then Czech Republic,

and now we're here.

And everywhere you went,

you paid with cash?

You must admit

that's not common.

Do you know what credit card

companies charge in fees?

It's the only way to travel and

not come back

to a mound of debt.

A prepared answer

for everything!

Each of us lost

our parents young

and we both got

a small inheritance.

Being alone

in this world,

it's made us

very, very close.

Can we go now?

Everything

they say checks out.

Sylvia and Mac Randolph, 22

and 19, reside in Los Angeles.

They have proof

of being in places far away

from when and where

the crimes took place.

They could've stopped in Paris

on their way from Madrid.

But we can't

prove it.

Well, hold them

until we can.

But why would they go to London,

where passports are required,

or book a hotel

like the Six,

if they're trying to stay

under the radar?

To make it appear as if

they've got nothing to hide.

Their luggage

contains no match

for the clothes

in the museum footage.

At least

hold them overnight!

I can't hold suspects

more than 12 hours

without a formal arrest,

which I can't make

without sufficient evidence.

Best we can do is order them

to remain in Stockholm

as persons of interest,

mark their passports

and keep them

under surveillance.

I mean, have you ever

seen a file so thin?

It's like until four years

ago, they didn't exist.

Interpol is coordinating

with the US.

If there is something

out there, they'll find it.

Listen,

I had this case once.

The beautiful daughter of

the most celebrated architect

in Germany, beaten to death.

Her father hunted down

the guy who did it

and shot him 12 times.

Later, after the whole

thing calmed down,

he shot himself.

Well...

I'm not real sure how you

want me to respond to that.

Getting justice

won't be the end.

You see, the problem is

every time I close my eyes,

the image

that I see

is my daughter

laying on a cold slab.

And that's never

gonna go away.

I have to go now.

Safe travels.

Wait.

Think of her smiling.

How did you

get this?

Don't ask.

It is like I am bashing

my face into a wall

over and over again.

Hey, it's okay.

No, Val.

It's not okay.

I am telling you,

everyone has a history.

Everyone.

But these two,

there is just nothing.

It's like they're

goddamn ghosts.

Maybe I can

call in a favour.

Jacob?

You still there?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm here.

I have some influence

with the DA's office.

Thanks for

doing this, Bill.

People keep asking what

they can do to help, and...

There really isn't

anything. But I thought,

just maybe,

you might.

Does the name Simon Haysmith

mean anything to you?

You mean the guy

who defrauded some of

the richest men on Wall Street

for, like, 300 million?

Yeah, that's him. Yeah.

The Feds spent a fortune in

taxpayer dollars

preparing to prosecute him.

They didn't have

the case they wanted,

so they squeezed his employees,

his accountants, attorneys...

But none of them

said anything, so,

one of the biggest white-collar

criminals in history

was about to walk away.

What does this have

to do with Kimberly?

Well, they were just about

to drop the charges

when out of nowhere, the

case was just given to them.

Bank account numbers

in Brussels, Cayman Islands,

and so on, and so on, and so on.

Somebody gave him up?

Who?

His son.

The son of a bitch's son.

Kid detests him,

wants him destroyed.

Are you telling me

that Mac is Haysmith's son?

Yes, I am.

Do you have any idea

why he gave him up?

No, not from the little bit

I've been able to access.

The real story is behind a

shit-load of

redactions in that file.

Witness protection.

Was he a minor

at the time?

Yup.

That's why the Bureau has kept

tight-lipped about everything.

And how old

was he then?

Fifteen.

And the wife?

No mention.

And where's Haysmith?

Doing life at Osborn.

Well, can you

get in to see him?

Oh, I'm trying.

Did you

sleep at all?

You know when you look

in someone's eyes

and you know

they're lying to you?

They're guilty.

I've never been more sure

about anything in 30 years.

They've discovered

a fifth couple.

Outside Amsterdam.

Artist's studio, a bit

away from everything.

The targeted journalist

was away on assignment.

You know what

I'm gonna ask.

At least

now you know.

Yeah, at least

I know.

She collects them.

Receipts. She collects

other people's receipts!

Museums,

ferries, restaurants.

Physical proof

of places

they were

supposed to have been!

The artist must be

prepared to sacrifice

everything,

even life itself.

No weakness!

"Art is a wound

turned into light."

Room service.

Come in.

How are we tonight?

Very well,

thank you.

Okay, so

they confirmed

the room service order was

placed from outside the hotel.

Apparently it's more

common than you'd think.

I need to see

a detailed map.

Use my computer.

I got to pee.

Excuse me.

Mac and Sylvia Randolph.

Detective Kanon,

do not go to that room.

No, they crafted

their own alibi.

You have no idea what's

staring you in the face.

Do you think

he saw?

Not sure.

We'll take

care of it.

Police! Police!

They're gone.

We've marked their passports.

They can't go far.

They can go anywhere

they damn well please.

Jacob!

Jacob, I'm sorry.

I don't know

how much you read,

but it's not just

some tabloid expose.

It's about your loss and your

strength in the face of it.

Do what

you have to do.

I don't have to do anything.

I'm not going to submit it.

They got away.

What?

Good night, Dessie.

Jacob.

I'm going to bed.

I mean, who knows if

Haysmith will agree to see me.

I just can't sit at home

doing nothing anymore.

Valerie...

It's probably locked.

Right?

Yes.

Okay, should I try

the back?

You know, breaking and entering,

that is 10 to 15 minimum.

That's all?

Wow, this place is massive.

Just another empty room.

Wait, wait, wait, slow

down. What is that?

I don't know but there's a lock

on the outside. It's weird.

Hello? Hello?

I have called

the police!

Oh, shit,

I got to call you back.

We're always having

trouble with squatters,

what with the house being empty

for nearly four years.

And if it's not them,

it's the press...

You know, what with

what happened here.

Will you forgive me?

Please forgive me.

Of course.

Let me make you a coffee.

Oh, you're so sweet,

thank you.

I'm your new

neighbour, Nancy.

Oh, Valerie.

So nice to meet you.

I didn't really call

the police, by the way.

Thank God.

The boy, Simon Jr, was

friends with my son, Evan.

He was a sweet child.

Very smart, good at sports.

He came over here sometimes,

to do his homework.

And then something

changed, around...

I don't remember exactly,

maybe when

he was 10?

What changed?

He kind of

went quiet.

I knew something was wrong,

but it didn't make any sense.

Not then, at least.

What do you mean?

Well, Simon Sr was on two

boards with my husband,

a big philanthropist and an

active member of the church.

His wife, Irina, was

a stay-at-home mom.

Oh, she was beautiful.

She looked a bit like

Melania Trump,

with those big

Slavic eyes.

She used to be a model, I

think, from Russia originally.

Mmm, more wine?

Oh, I shouldn't.

If you want the whole story,

you most definitely should.

Thank you.

She loved to bake pies.

Around Thanksgiving, she would

bake five different kinds.

They seemed to be

the perfect couple.

And then

she killed herself.

Oh, my God. How?

Hanging.

The kids found her.

Oh, "kids." Simon...

Simon had

an older sister, Marina.

Ah.

Their father

was so strict,

the kids were always,

"Yes, please" and

"Thank you, ma'am."

He pushed them to be

the best at everything,

forever dragging them to

some art exhibition or lecture.

Didn't seem to

want them to have any fun.

Never, ever

went on holidays.

One time, Marina dripped

ice cream on her top.

And Simon Sr

took her inside the house.

And when they came out,

she wouldn't speak,

wouldn't say a word.

Did you find out

what happened?

I found out later, he

had beaten her so hard,

she had welts on

her backside.

My neighbour

was cruel...

He demanded perfection

from his family,

especially his children,

and if they didn't achieve

his high standards immediately,

he would

whip it out of them.

I told my husband

I had suspicions,

but he just told me

to mind my own business.

Do you know

where they are now?

Haven't seen Marina since she

left for boarding school,

and I think Simon was taken

by Child Protective Services.

It's a break in the pattern.

Not a married couple, fewer

days between murders,

and no real

signs of violence.

Actually, Mr Melitz and Mr

Riniker were recently married.

Belgium was one of

the first countries

to allow

same-sex marriage.

This is where

it happened.

We found this postcard

at the CNN offices.

Wait, was there

a photograph with it?

No photo.

"It has come full circle."

The handwriting

looks different.

No photograph.

No unconnected body parts.

Gay couple...

You think

it's a copycat?

How could the Randolphs

have left Stockholm undetected?

Look.

Bouguereau's

Dante and Virgil in Hell.

Bill's got me in to see

Haysmith. I got to run.

Valerie...

Yes, yes,

I'll be careful.

Bublitz sent the photos,

and also

the crime scene photos

of Amsterdam.

Look.

Wait, wait, go...

Go back.

That's my

grandmother's ring.

That's my

daughter's hand!

I'm so sorry.

That's my

daughter's hand.

No.

I'm sorry.

My daughter's hand...

Got 15 minutes, ma'am.

Forgive me

for staring.

You're the first

good-looking woman

I've seen in a very long time.

Do you have a mind

to match that face?

A mind brilliant enough

to get me out of here?

We're building a case

to launch an appeal.

I found a number

of inconsistencies

in the evidence

provided by your son.

Did they tell you

he defiled a de Kooning?

Those two had everything.

Everything!

You cannot buy the kind

of education they had.

Respect for money

is important to you, isn't it?

Of course.

Listen to me

very carefully.

The sins of the father

this is not.

Care to elaborate?

Oh!

We have 15 minutes

together, Ms Kanon,

can we please not spend it

talking about

these ungrateful

bastards?

Let's talk about

politics, art.

Let's talk about the late

works of the Cubists,

how the Expressionists

were a reaction to fascism.

Or how being sent to boarding

school affects your child?

What happened

to your daughter?

There seems

no trace of her.

We're looking for cause.

Why would Simon Jr

make up stories about you?

Did you know your senses get

heightened in this place?

I don't know why.

Perhaps it's all the noise,

followed by

the silence.

A father's duty is to

teach, and I did just that.

I taught them culture,

ethics, morality, discipline.

Is that right?

Oh, you're just like her.

Devious little bitch.

Young girls

need to be just that.

Young girls.

You'll find them together.

You can't

keep them apart...

Except by force.

That's something

you're very good at.

Oh, are you

judging me?

Oh, I think

a court already did that.

Well, society is

full of wrong decisions

made by decent people.

Take me, for example.

I met with you

because I actually thought

you might be able to help me.

Well, that was a huge error

of judgement on your part.

So I take it you won't

be handling my appeal.

Enchante, madame.

Enchante.

It seems the majority of

Haysmith's rage was...

Was focused on the girl.

So, Marina gets sent away

to boarding school,

and Simon stops at

nothing to get her back.

That is

one hell of a brother.

Unless...

Unless it's

more than that.

What do you mean?

Valerie said that Haysmith

called Marina "a devious bitch",

but he also said

something about

young girls needing to be

young girls,

and that it would take force

to keep them apart.

Christ.

Mac and

Sylvia Randolph...

They are Marina

and Simon Haysmith.

What?

I mean, our suspects that we've

been chasing across Europe,

they're not married,

they're not...

They're not husband and wife,

they are

brother and sister.

Head of

Saint John the Baptist.

What?

Head of

Saint John the Baptist.

A fitting tribute

to that sadistic bastard.

We have to make sure

that everyone knows,

and most importantly, why.

He took beauty and made

it cruel and ugly.

Will they even let him see,

do you think?

I want him to see

the destruction, Marina.

I want him to hurt

like we did.

Hey, hey.

I'm here.

I'm right here.

We have fucked with

his notion of perfection.

That'll get inside his mind

like no incarceration can.

I know I shouldn't,

but I almost feel...

They're playing out

their story.

Look, The Kiss,

the pain of lovers torn apart.

Saturn Devouring

His Son,

the father that

destroyed their lives.

It all makes

horrible, twisted sense.

Love, pain, death...

Completion.

Yeah, but the last postcard

still had an ellipsis.

They're not

finished yet.

The message they're sending

is that their love is valid.

They are angry at the world

for not accepting them.

I think the murders in Brussels

were exact and purposeful,

not random.

Why?

Because other forms of love,

for centuries forbidden,

are now accepted by most,

but not theirs.

To feel powerful in the

face of powerlessness.

Yeah, exactly.

What if we took that

away from them?

How do you mean?

That article you were

going to write about me...

My name is Dave Bennings and

I'm with my brothers,

Brian and Jesse, and our

partner, Peter.

Simon, babe,

come here.

"Over the last

two weeks,

"I've had a front-row seat

to the investigation

"of the serial murders

"dubbed 'The Postcard Killings'.

"They've dominated our

headlines,

"but the media

analysis is wrong.

"As odd as it sounds,

"these crimes are not driven

by bloodlust or cruelty.

"Instead, they are

a cry for understanding..."

"I've had a front-row seat via

Detective Jacob Kanon,

"the American father

of one of the victims.

"He's an

outsider here, like me,

"but he will not let

the grimness of this world

"distract him from

his commitment

"to find justice for

his daughter.

"Because unlike

the killers' family,

"this father's love

is 100%..."

"It is obvious from

the brutality of the crimes

"that the killers had a

horribly abusive childhood.

"The words on their postcards

have been kept guarded,

"but they reveal

a rage

"and passionate commitment

to the validity

"of their own struggle...

"And that struggle

is their message.

"And that message

is justice..."

"But now we have heard

you, and you can stop.

"This has been difficult

for me, and frightening,

"but Jacob has shown me

"what it means

to be really good.

"A good detective,

"a good father,

"a good man."

We make her

our final piece.

She makes

everything complete.

Maybe we

should stop.

Get a car,

disappear.

No.

Maybe we

should split up?

We're not splitting up!

I want to

live a normal life.

That's what we are doing,

creating a chance for that.

Artists were judged

in their lifetimes,

just as we are.

My God, do you really

care about this?

All I care about

is losing you.

We shouldn't

have to hide anymore.

I went to the police

so that we didn't

have to live like this.

"Thank you, Ms Lombard,

"for telling our story with the

meaningful heart it deserves.

"The curtain is

pulled back."

I don't

understand.

Iron Curtain.

Mother was Russian.

Irina Smirnova, she, erm,

was born in St Petersburg.

She moved to the US

with her parents

after the Soviet Union

collapsed.

My guess is

they're travelling

under the name Simon

and Marina Haysmith again,

using their

Russian passports.

Which would explain

how they left Sweden.

And how they

passed across borders.

If we checked,

I'll bet Haysmith is using

a bank account in Brussels.

Or what if Brussels was

not to throw us off,

just to redirect

our thinking.

No, look, we know

that they're heading northeast.

They cross the border on

the other side of Helsinki,

they're damn near

in St Petersburg.

If they make it to Russia,

they're virtually untouchable.

No extradition treaties.

Jesus. Why can't we

catch a break here?

A postcard turned up at a

newspaper in Paris this morning,

and in Hamburg,

and in Budapest...

What did they say?

All the same.

"Now we are reborn."

With a "dot, dot, dot"?

No, just a single dot.

I'll loop in Hoglund

and Interpol,

see if we can trace

the email.

There's a manhunt

across Europe.

In the meantime

sit tight, my friend.

Not a

chance in hell.

I'm going back

to Munich.

Understood.

You do

what is expected.

I'm going to

do what's needed.

I know you know

how to use this.

Only you can determine

if you should.

How far

to the Russian border?

Around three hours.

There's only one road.

Is it them?

Yeah, it's them.

Dessie!

Dessie!

Morning.

We knew

you'd figure it out.

It was Mac's idea to mention

the curtain being pulled back.

Our mother was the one

good thing in our lives.

She tried to

protect us from him.

But monsters

will remain monsters,

no matter what you try

to do to tame them.

For centuries, artists have

killed things in a moment.

We reinvented that.

When you wrote about the

intensity of our rage,

it was

so perceptive.

You were lucky

to have each other.

My father wasn't

a good man either.

If I'd had a brother, it

would have been easier.

That man deserves

to rot in hell.

Who can say how we feel

is "unacceptable"?

Love is love.

I like you.

So why don't you

let me go?

Hey, stop, stop!

I wouldn't...

Mac, this is good.

Mac, stop the car.

Listen...

Sylvia, listen,

please... Let me go!

Shh.

Please.

I'm so cold...

It won't take very long.

And I promise, you won't

feel any pain.

Okay?

We good to go?

Perfect.

There they are.

Modigilani's

Reclining Nude.

"Art is a wound

turned into light."

Look, you drink this, you

won't feel any pain. Okay?

Come on.

Come on.

Christ!

Fuck you!

Do you think

that you can stop this?

Now, one more time.

Step away from her.

Hands where

I can see them.

Your daughter

was lovely.

Shut up.

She had the longest

fingers, so graceful.

You didn't know

my daughter.

You don't get

to talk about her.

But she

talked about you.

She talked

about you a lot.

She said she wished kids had a

say in their parents' divorce.

Our father

was nothing like you.

But your mother...

It must have really hurt

when she died, huh?

He took

everything from her,

till there

was nothing left.

Marina,

we okay?

No!

No!

No! No!

You're not gonna

go after them?

Nowhere

for them to go.

Marina,

are we going home?

Yes. The sun

never sets there. Never.

We'll be accepted.

No one can

hurt us again.

Hello.

Hey.

I was worried I wasn't

gonna get to see you again.

Ready to go?

Yes, I am.

Let me carry that.

Your countrymen will be

reading the salacious details

over their cornflakes.

Somehow just compounds

the tragedy of it all.

Haysmith has enormous amounts

of blood on his hands.

And really,

no family

connection at all?

They were

adopted at birth

three years apart,

from two different states.

According to

press reports,

he had this attorney

on retainer.

Was very specific

on what he wanted.

Sign, please.

Looks, background...

Early genetic engineering

at its finest.

Exactly.

Seemingly, he was

impotent in more

than just the

emotional sense.

Damn, you know...

Simon and Marina, they

could have gotten married,

lived happily

ever after,

and my daughter

and all those others...

They would

still be alive.

Ah.

Everything is arranged,

car to the airport,

a plane to take you

to London so that you...

Well, you know,

bring her home.

Yeah.

You're a good man.

Thank you

for everything.

And you'll let me know

when they find their bodies?

It was nice to have you

with me on my last case.

What will

you do tomorrow?

Fire my dog walker.

Don't end up like me.

Find a new

beginning.

We raised

a great kid.

She was happy.

Well, at least

we got something right.

I think

we got it all right.

Till we didn't.

"We"?

You probably don't

want to, but,

people are coming

back to my place...

Oh... I will see

you there in a bit.

Oh, kiddo.

I'm gonna

miss you so much.

Yeah?

Haysmith?

Yeah?

You got a call.

Thanks.

Hello? Hello?

Hello?