Clarice (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Ugly Truth - full transcript

CLARICE: Previously on Clarice:

RUTH: Two dead women
floated down the Anacostia River.

Those women were whistleblowers,
and they died trying to tell a story.

So how come the autopsy
says natural causes?

I didn't have anything
to do with that.

Someone else got to the
coroner. Someone with power.

Have you heard about
the Black Coalition?

I respect deeply what the
Coalition is doing, but it's not for me.

MAN: [over phone] You
really screwed it, Marilyn.

No, you said no
one would get to me.

MAN: What does Starling know?



She says they found
evidence in my house.

This is all because they connected
the women you dumped to me.

MAN: You said she gave
you something I would need.

Get me whatever the FBI
knows. And I'll get you both out.

There was a man.
Can't remember his face.

- I'll find him.
- I'd like to retain you.

Thank you for the trust.

[Flies buzzing]

REPORTER: [over TV] Nearly
ten months after going missing,

the body of 14-year-old Cody
Phelps was found in a suburban home

in Alexandria,
Virginia, this morning.

Alright, the only people
permitted in this room

are the people actively
working the Phelps case.

- Yes?
- Yes, sir.



- Yes.
- Yes, sir.

I want a timeline for the
day Cody went missing.

Tell the Rapid Start supervisor
to get his ass down here.

Tell him I want any
particulars on my desk

the second they
become available.

Call the crime lab. Tell them
we need a rush turnaround

on any DNA pulled
from the scene.

Let's get AV set up. Every
news outlet is all over this.

We've got to be up to
speed on what's out there.

Let's stay on our toes, people.

REPORTER 2: The country
held its breath for Cody

when he was abducted
last year, just months after...

- Has anyone seen Starling?
- ViCAP's new motto.

We should have new jackets made.

We should be in
Alexandria by now.

- This family's waiting.
- Yeah, I know.

Let's, uh, stash this stuff

before we get the eyes
of the nation on us, okay?

REPORTER 2: Cody was the
man of the house for his single mom

and sister when his
abduction rocked the nation.

Now the search ends with a new
question: "Who did this to him?"

- Where is Starling?
- Still on leave. It's only been a week.

AG signed off on her early return.
She wants her out front on this.

- Very high profile.
- For a 7C?

Cody Phelps was
abducted a year ago.

There's no active killer.
It's basically a cold case.

Also, he's a kid who died.

Do we think she's
okay? Starling?

After Felker? A week seems soon.

CLARKE: Also, define "okay."

You know, Starling is good,
but has she ever been okay?

Are you okay, Agent Clarke?

- Sorry, sir. I was out for a run.
- Right.

Well, listen,
whatever the AG says.

I feel like you come
back when you're ready.

Well, my people pulled
coal out of the ground

in West Virginia for
the last 100 years.

When we say we're
okay, we're okay.

Have you found a new therapist?

- Still working on that.
- It's not optional.

Understood. Uh,
sir, when there's time,

I'd appreciate hearing where
we're at on the River Murders.

- [Knock on door]
- ESQUIVEL: Boss.

I told Alexandria PD to keep
their hands off the scene,

- but the longer we wait...
- Right. Let's go.

- Starling.
- It's him.

It's him. It's the guy,
the guy from Woodhaven

- with Marilyn Felker, the one who...
- No, no, no, no.

- That... That's not...
- It is. It is. It's him. I know.

I have been seeing his
face in my head for a week.

I've been trying to
figure out how to...

So you found him.

- Can I ask how you know this guy?
- Joe Hudlin.

I have a meeting with him
today. This is background.

- What kind of meeting, boss?
- He's an attorney, alright?

His firm is handling
my divorce. He's not a...

- [Sighs] He's not.
- Clarice says he is.

Look, she says this
guy put hands on her.

Alright.

Then I need you to
run Cody Phelps for me.

- You alright to do that?
- Yes. I'm fine. Of course. Yes.

Alright. You and Esquivel
take Starling to the scene.

Tripathi, you and I will stay behind.
I'll keep my meeting with Joe Hudlin.

- You can jump on his tail then.
- Try to get some DNA

at the meeting. We can
compare it to what Mapp got

- from Clarice's fingernails.
- Who am I, James Bond?

It's weird, though, huh? Hey,
where... How do you know this guy?

[Sighs] Murray, there's
a dead kid in Alexandria.

Yeah.

[Siren wails]

[Police radio chatter]

[Flies buzzing]

[Camera flash whines]

[Camera flash whines]

CLARKE: The homeowners
were doing renovations.

We're guessing that once air
got into the wall, the flies got in.

The exterminator came, figured
something crawled inside the wall,

died, an animal of some
kind. So they broke in, and...

Well, here he is.

[Police radio chatter]

[Flies buzzing]

Nine, ten months decayed.

Killed right after he was taken.

And stashed in a wall.

Or tucked away.

For protection.

I don't know. Looks like a womb.

Looks like someone
tried to protect him.

If he'd been protected, he
wouldn't be here right now.

Postpone. Why?

The Coalition meeting doesn't
have to be tomorrow night.

- We need more people.
- 11 people is a lot.

Against the whole
Bureau? It could be 12.

- I still want you to join.
- Close the door.

Get 11 scared people who
already feel invisible in a room,

show them they're not alone,
and 11 is essentially everyone.

- [Paper rustles]
- Watch.

I'll come to the meeting
to support you all, but...

- [Telephone rings]
- GARRETT: I'll take it.

Mapp. Hey.

Hey, we're sending a DNA
sample from Cody Phelps to the lab.

Can you run it through your
database, see if there's a match?

Cody Phelps. Send me your stuff.

Okay.

CLARICE: Single blow to the
back of the head. He died instantly.

MAN: Sorry, ma'am.
It's an active crime scene.

- WOMAN: He's my little boy.
- No. No.

Ma'am, if I could
just have you wait.

- WOMAN: I have waited.
- Please wait. Don't...

- You need to let me see him.
- I know, you have to see him.

But before you do,
I need you to know

that Cody didn't feel any pain.

It's not much
comfort, but he didn't.

WOMAN: [Crying] Oh, my boy!

My beautiful boy! [Sobs]

Give the prior owners of the
house to the Rapid Start guys.

- You have them...
- I think homicide has those.

Well, then get them,
dumbass. This isn't siesta time.

- Is he worse than usual?
- Clarice.

My database was a bust.

Krendler has a picture
of the guy on his desk,

- the guy from Woodhaven.
- What? He found him?

No. Krendler knows him somehow
or something. He doesn't believe it.

He doesn't believe
it's the same guy?

- Let's talk when we can.
- Okay.

Listen, the lab's
doing a feasibility study

on mitochondrial DNA,
maternally passed chromosomes.

So I checked their cold
cases, and there it was.

- What?
- A match.

We got a match.
A different victim,

a boy in Northwest
D.C. 12 years ago.

Traces of the same DNA
you found on Cody Phelps.

Clarice, some monster... some
monster killed two little kids.

♪ There's power in the blood ♪

♪ In the precious
blood of the Lamb ♪

Mitochondrial DNA found at the
Cody Phelps scene is a match to DNA

found on a murder
victim from 12 years ago.

Bobby Larkin, abducted
in Northwest D.C. in 1982,

found two days
later hidden in a wall

in the basement of
an abandoned house.

Mitochondrial DNA?

It's a type of DNA
that yields better results

- if a sample is old or degraded.
- But it's not just the DNA.

Both victims were
14-year-old boys,

both died of hammer
blows to the occipital bone,

and not a regular hammer.
It has a triangle-shaped head.

It is the same wound,
the same, uh, entombment.

We'll look into
it. Thanks, Mapp.

Sir? I want to be on this.

Mapp, I know you found it,
but Cody Phelps is ViCAP.

I do not need another
turf war with your boss.

It's not about turf. I
grew up in Northwest.

I know the neighborhood
and the people.

I don't know.
Connections are sketchy.

They're 12 years apart. The
kids are two different races.

ESQUIVEL: Hey, I
have something here.

The house where Cody was
found had no previous owner,

not when he was hidden
there. It was a foreclosure.

It had been sitting around
empty when Cody disappeared.

An abandoned house, just
like the victim in Northwest D.C.,

if you need another connection.

See, it's not all
in her head... sir.

Are we worried that
Krendler's in bed with this guy?

Right now, the only thing I know
for sure is that the guy on his desk

is our only lead in
the River Murders.

I know what I saw, but I can't
make anyone else see it. It's hard.

Oh, my God. I'm sorry.
It's your first field case.

Okay, I got BSU searching
for anything with a hammer.

I want to start with Bobby
Larkin's mother, Fran,

and the house where
Bobby's body was found.

Okay.

Was it a nightmare? Seeing Cody?

No.

Seeing the mother
is the nightmare.

Paul. I think my most
important question for you is,

who do you want to be?

- Excuse me?
- In this divorce.

Whomever you thought you
were is about to meet a new guy.

- What's the new guy like?
- In my experience?

Heartbroken, angry.

Angry at their own
helplessness, really.

- Huh.
- Some have a hard time opening up.

I'll start. You believe your
children should be with you

because of questions
around Mandy's sobriety.

Our investigator thinks
we're in pretty good shape,

- based on what he's dug up.
- Dug up?

Well, you know, Mandy's lobbied
or consulted for half of D.C.,

so there's, uh, stuff.

Excessive drinking
at Christmas parties,

missed meetings at Brookings.
The DUI is, I'm sorry, helpful.

Not for my family, it
wasn't. And it was years ago.

Again, who do you want to be?

The nice guy or the guy
who looked out for his kids?

[Sighs]

Was there infidelity?
On either side?

No.

Not that I'm aware
of, but... I'd say no.

We have testimony
regarding at least two parties

at Mandy's old firm
where she had passed out.

We've secured a witness who
will testify that he and Mandy

had a physical relationship
during those periods.

His testimony will be that
Mandy was so out of it,

- she didn't remember him the next...
- Stop.

- You're not gonna sandbag her.
- Okay. Okay. That's fine.

You know, Joe, I'm not sure I...

[Sighs] I need to
think about this.

Well, like I said, it's
about who you want to be.

[Camera shutter clicking]

[Camera shutter clicking]

CLARICE: Hello, sir. I'm
Special Agent Starling.

- This is Special Agent Mapp. We...
- What do you want?

- We're looking for Fran Larkin.
- She's not here. At a friend's.

- Do you have their number?
- No.

No, sir. That's not gonna do.

I hear you, but we need
to speak to Ms. Larkin,

so how about you take us
to her now? How about that?

Alright. She's next
door at the neighbors.

Sorry to barge in on you folks.

Thank you for taking
the time, Mrs. Larkin.

I grew up right near here.
That Ethiopian place on U Street,

- that's my grandma's.
- Really? Well, look at you now.

TERRENCE: You say
there's new evidence?

- About Bobby?
- That's right, Mr. Larkin.

Um, Terrence isn't my
husband. He's my brother.

I've been living with Terrence
ever since... that year.

Fran lost her husband
shortly before Bobby died.

FRAN: Forklift
flipped on the job.

Bobby and I were just getting it
together, the two of us, and then...

Thank you.

- CLARICE: You knew Bobby, too, Mrs...
- Oh, Kern. Marybeth Kern.

We've been neighbors for years.

- What about you, Mr...
- No, I never did.

MARYBETH: I taught
at the high school.

I actually used to
drive him some days.

Marybeth has been
a good friend to me.

I lost my first husband when my son
was around the same age as Bobby,

and I just knew how
horribly alone she felt.

- Babe, will you get her a tissue?
- Yeah, I'll get one.

Why are you interested now?

All the police ever said
was Bobby was in that house

selling drugs or... or
buying drugs or something.

But he wasn't like that.
He was driven and kind.

And smart. Oh, it just...
It never made sense.

Here you go.

Cops probably killed
Bobby themselves.

They're always busting
kids' heads over nothing.

Probably they did it
and stashed him there.

Sir, there's new DNA evidence
that can help us find out

who did this to your family.

So we're asking for DNA
samples from each of you.

- You think I...
- ARDELIA: No, ma'am.

These are elimination samples.

- Hell no. I'm not giving you nothing.
- Terrence, you will.

- Of course.
- Me too, if it will help.

Thank you. Thank you
for giving one damn.

Thank you for giving
one damn about my child.

You're the only one.

Ma'am, I promise
I won't be the last.

CLARKE: [over phone]
So, what's he doing?

I don't know. He's been in his
office all day, so I guess lawyer stuff.

- So why are you calling me?
- Because it's weird, right?

The picture on the boss'
desk, how hard he pushed back.

- Who are you investigating?
- You know him better than I do.

- Apparently.
- Don't do that, Murray.

Don't blind-eye this thing.

Look, I want him to be straight,
too, but you can't sit there and tell me

that, empirically,
this walks like a duck.

It's his lawyer. He
wants his family back.

Don't tell me
you don't get that.

I'm sorry.

That was, uh...

[Sighs] It's a missing
kid, you know...

I get it. I'll see
you back there.

[Receiver slams]

CLARICE: And you're sure
the results will come tomorrow?

Okay. Thanks.

That was the lab
confirming they got

the DNA-elimination
swabs for Bobby's mom,

her friend, Marybeth
Kern, and Uncle Terrence.

I keep looking at all this stuff

expecting something
new to magically appear.

It will. It's there.

Okay, they were killed
by a blow from a hammer,

- so we're looking for a male.
- Sexist.

It's the mess. Female
killers are typically more tidy.

They plan the clean-up
with the killing, right?

- Right.
- Also...

the way the victims were
carried, in the fetal position,

- like a... like a parent.
- A father.

A father figure, an uncle.

That Terrence was a ball of rage.
He sure didn't want to give up his DNA.

Yeah, why would he? He thinks
the police killed his nephew.

- What do you think?
- I'll tell you what I know.

There's a candlelight vigil for a
white boy in Alexandria tonight,

and the police never even
cared who killed Bobby Larkin

- and threw him away.
- [Knock on door]

- Hi, baby!
- Oh, my God.

[Both laugh]

- ARDELIA: Hi, Grandma.
- [Laughs]

- Hi, Miss Mulu!
- Oh!

Who is this crazy
doctor who attacked you?

Ardelia told me what
happened. [Sighs]

I would have killed that
crazy woman myself.

- Just hit her with my good pan.
- See? She likes you better.

Grandma, I told you, I
can't have dinner tonight.

- I'm working a case.
- Oh, I know. Your first field case.

- Her first field case!
- [Both laugh]

So, you need strength.
You need a plate.

You won't know I'm here.

Honestly, we're
right in the middle of...

You need a plate.

[Singing in foreign language]

Oh! [Chuckles] This really
sneaks up on you, this tudge... tej?

- Tej.
- Tej.

- Tej.
- [Laughs]

It's smoother than that
Appalachian moonshine

you make us every Thanksgiving.
That stuff puts me on the floor.

CLARICE: Well, the only way I
get all the good info on Ardelia

is when you're
hammered, Miss Mulu.

- Oh. [Laughs]
- Drink up.

- [Laughs]
- And here's to the FBI

finally letting my
girl shine in the sun!

Sprung from the
cold-case dungeon.

[Laughter]

See? I told you you
can rise yourself.

- You don't need a Black Coalition.
- Later, please.

She's talking about
organizing, going to court.

That would just make her a
target. The system's rigged.

Rise quietly and then make
change when you have the power.

Otherwise, you end up
as bad off as her father.

You go see your
father this week?

[Sighs] I don't know
if he even hears me.

He can hear you. He may not
be able to tell you, but he can.

Don't give me the big pity eyes.
At least my father's still alive.

[Laughter]

Wow. You are brutal.

REPORTER: [on TV] A large
crowd gathered this evening

for a candlelight vigil in
memory of Cody Phel...

Did you do the old
addresses on the Phelpses?

- Huh? Did you know they used

to live about a block
from the Larkins?

- Hey, hey.
- You want me to tie

- your shoes for you, too?
- Look, look, I don't know

what's been going on with you
lately, whether it's this thing with Cody

or whatever's
happening with Krendler...

You're right, Chiquita.
You don't know.

What happened to
Cody is we were too late.

But now his mother needs answers
so she can actually sleep again.

She needs to know
she didn't flub the one job

given to her as a mother,
to keep her kid alive.

She's alive. She needs us.

Can you wrap your
head around that, killer?

[Pager buzzes]

The lab got a DNA
match. We got a suspect.

- That woman is out like a light.
- [Laughs]

- I can totally sleep on the couch.
- That couch?

- Please.
- [Laughs]

- Come on.
- Good.

- [Both groan]
- [Both laugh]

How did your dad get hurt?

You told me someone
hit him, but you never...

He was a labor organizer.

Mulu says there was
a dispute at the port.

No, I know. I mean...
was it the police?

- The police beat him?
- Mm-hmm.

I don't even remember his voice.

When I was four, I used
to love feeling his stubble.

Now I like to visit a day or
two after they shave his face

so I can still feel it.

- Oh, is that weird?
- [Both laugh]

Am I weird? [Laughs]

No. No.

I can't believe you
never told me that before.

You? Yours? What don't I know?

My last memory of my dad...

was the night
before he got killed.

Took me on his rounds.

My mom was losing it.

She was always on the edge.

Always angry.

But this night, she was scary
and screaming at him to get out.

My daddy just swooped me up.

We drove all over
town all night long.

[Chuckles] We got Coke floats.

[Both chuckle]

It felt renegade,
against the rules.

But he was the rules.

He was the law.

He seemed to have the
keys to every door in town.

He was important.

That was the night
he gave me this.

Probably the best
night of my life.

Funny how we only
keep the good memories.

Like the photos we like.

Yeah.

Yeah.

[Pagers vibrating]

[Groans]

Ooh!

CLARKE: [on phone] The lab got
a match on one of your DNA swabs.

God. You were right.

- Was it Terrence?
- No.

A woman, Marybeth Kern.

Our report said she's
a friend of the family.

Got the background
check on Marybeth Kern.

- Mulu get home okay?
- Mm-hmm.

So, her first husband was
Gerry Kern, a construction worker.

And they had a son, Gerry Jr.,
less than a year after the wedding.

- So shotgun wedding.
- Maybe.

Marybeth said she lost her
husband when the son was 14.

Died? Divorced? Shoes
off my couch, Starling.

Sorry. Um, no, he just left.

Marybeth moved to D.C.,
but the son, Gerry Jr.?

He just drops off the face of the
Earth. No sign of him after D.C.

But Marybeth's DNA was found
on both Bobby and Cody's bodies.

How did it get there
if she didn't kill them?

Marybeth had no worries at
all about giving up her DNA.

Does she want to get caught?

It's mitochondrial DNA. That's
passed through the mother.

- They were mistaken IDs.
- So the DNA could be Marybeth's

- or it could be her son's.
- So where is he now?

[Ringing]

This is Agent Clarke.
Leave a message.

- [Beep]
- Clarke, answer your phone.

- [Camera shutter clicking]
- Hudlin's headed into Lockyer.

This is not it. This is not it.

Are you... are you
asleep? You're awake?

Bring these back. Two hours
I waited for this. Two hours!

[Cellphone rings]

Mobile grooming.

ESQUIVEL: [on phone] Yeah,
your pal here is about to lose his job.

- What's he doing?
- Going mad with power.

CLARKE: Go, go, go!
I'm... I'm surrounded.

I've put up with his
little racist digs, but I...

- TRIPATHI: Let it go.
- I'm gonna hit him, okay?

I'm gonna hit him really
hard, and then I lose my job.

Hey, I'm not saying don't
punch him. Just not today.

- It's a missing-kid case.
- I know that.

Murray's little sister got taken from
their front yard when she was 13.

Murray was 16. He
was the only one home.

Some precinct guy
a bunch of years ago

said that he thought he saw
her in one of those movies once.

That's the only lead
Murray's ever had.

- So when he's looking at porn...
- He's looking for her.

- [Sighs]
- Well, um, in other news,

you're not gonna believe
which building I just saw

- Joseph Hudlin, Esquire, walk into.
- What?

- Lockyer Labs.
- Get out.

So, Hudlin's involved with
the clinical trial somehow.

Keep it between us for now.

And, uh, for Murray,
look, do what you gotta do,

but if you tell him that I
told you about his sister,

I'll shoot you in your sleep.

May I ask why your husband left?

- No.
- No, it's okay.

Uh, Gerry always
resented the responsibility.

He said, uh, we
weighed him down,

me and... our boy.

CLARICE: And your son?

- Where is he now?
- I don't know where he is.

He went with his father.

- [Dogs barking in distance]
- I don't know.

For God's sakes, babe, can
you go quiet those dogs down?

- [Clears throat]
- Uh, ma'am, may I please

- use your restroom?
- Yeah. Yeah.

It's just down the hall.

And then you moved here.

- Mm-hmm.
- When did you remarry?

After that.

So, you say you knew the
Phelps family, Cody Phelps.

Oh, sure. Oh,
God. It's just tragic.

What happened to
little Cody is just awful.

The Phelpses, they moved away...

Gosh, I don't know how
many years ago now.

So your son never
knew Cody or Bobby.

- My son?
- Yeah.

Um, no. I...

Just you and your
husband here, Mrs. Kern?

Just me and him, yep.

Do you have any pictures of
your son that we could have?

No.

I... He went with his
daddy. I don't have...

Even a childhood picture?
We have folks who can...

No. No. I... I don't think so.

I'm sorry. What does all of
this have to do with my son?

Mrs. Kern, remember
when I took your DNA sample

back at the Larkins'?

It matched DNA found at
Cody's body and Bobby's.

Mi... mine?

It's possible it could
also be your son's.

You see, ma'am, mitochondrial
DNA is the same from mother to child.

I killed them.

I killed those boys.

[Voice breaking] I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

[Sobbing]

No, Marybeth, you didn't.
Who are you covering for?

Marybeth, where is your son?

[Sobbing]

Mrs. Kern, one more time.
Where's your son? Where's Gerry?

Gerry! Gerry,
baby! Gerry! Ger...

Is he in the garage?

I don't know what
he does out there.

[Dogs barking]

Mr. Kern?

Mr. Kern?

Tell me where you are, Gerry.

[Grunts]

- You leave us alone!
- Who, Gerry?

Your new wife or
you and your mother?

- Shut up! She doesn't know!
- What happened, Gerry?

Did Bobby find out
about you and your mom?

She told me not to tell anyone.

I had to tell someone.

They were just boys,
Gerry. Why tell them?

Because they were
just boys without fathers.

- ARDELIA: You're
worried for them?

You didn't want them to have to do
the things your mother made you do.

She told me that I
drove her husband away

and that she needed
a husband, so...

Someone needed to...

Someone needed to stop us!

You needed to stop us!

And there was
nobody there to stop us!

[Handcuffs click]

[Sobbing] I was 14.

CLARICE: When a child is sexually
abused, a whole part of them dies.

And the kid tries to
survive in there somewhere.

When Gerry Jr.'s
father left them...

My husband left me.

His mother only had
her grief and her anger...

- I wasn't a wife and...
- And her son.

And Gerry Jr., he was
always my little boy.

- He was always my little man.
- She'll say she was so lonely,

that she needed to
hurt the man who left.

She hated the father more
than she loved her son.

GERRY: I was 14 years old.

CLARICE: And the child will
try to make anything normal.

And my mom kissed me
like I was her husband.

[Scoffs] And a
child needs friends.

Gerry Jr. made friends
with neighborhood boys.

I'm so sorry.

- With Bobby Larkin...
- You found my baby.

- And Cody Phelps.
- Thank you.

There was no one there for me.

CLARICE: He told
them his secret.

And then he panicked.

[Sobbing]

He made them keep it.

Good Lord. What
parents can do to their kids

and still not believe
they're doing it.

Outstanding work. I just
got off the phone with the AG.

She couldn't be happier.
She said, "More like this."

Wants press.

I found the case, sir,
that led us to the killer.

If it weren't for my work,
neither case would be solved.

I'd like my superiors
and the AG to know that.

I'll see to it. Well done, Mapp.

- Well done.
- [Telephone rings]

Krendler.

Paul. Joe Hudlin here.

Hang on.

- That felt real, right?
- [Chuckles]

Right? [Laughs]

I just wanted to make sure we,
uh, didn't have a misunderstanding.

No, I... I think I
understood you. [Chuckles]

I just don't think this is
the direction I want to go.

Oh. I'm not sure you
did understand me.

It's very intimate.

I have a lot of information
about your wife, your family,

their schedules, the
comings and goings.

I can get you
your kids, but, uh,

I need something
from you, though.

What's that?

Pull your team off what went
down on the Anacostia River,

the three dead women.

I think you got the wrong man.

Somebody falsified
a coroner's report

in order to cover up the murder
of a suspect in your custody.

No one is aware
this has happened,

but if somebody's
told to look into it,

they'll find it really
looks like it was you.

You'll never get your
kids after that kind of thing

and you'll never
get them from prison.

I've got the right man, Paul.

That's why I found you.

I'm very, very serious
about getting you custody.

Talk soon.

- [Receiver clicks]
- [Dial tone]

[Sighs]

- [Gasps]
- Please don't stop.

Shut up. You didn't
see that. [Chuckles]

Ready for the meeting? Tonight.

What's wrong?

I think I need to pull
back from the Coalition.

I need to stick to my original
plan, make change from within.

Who said that was the
right path? Clarice Starling?

My father.

Well... tell him I disagree.

Starling, is this your guy?

Oh, you gotta be kidding me.

We couldn't snag DNA, but he
had a meeting at Lockyer Labs.

So he might be tied
to the clinical trials.

Starling. I looked
into Joe Hudlin.

I met with him and did due
diligence. He's not your guy.

But, sir, he was there when...

- Boss, I saw him walk into Lockyer.
- Circumstantial.

US Attorney told
us it won't hold up.

We're backing off
the conspiracy thing.

We're backing off?
The River Murders...

The River Murders are
solved. They're in the books.

Wellig and Felker. The
conspiracy is not ViCAP's mandate.

Finding Cody's killer was a huge
win. Let's do what we do, guys.

Sir, Joe Hudlin was there
when I was almost killed.

- But no one can confirm that.
- I can confirm that!

You came back early.

You need more time off, I'll
write it up, whatever you need.

Hey, you can stay and
find another Gerry Kern.

Good work today.

Everyone.