Elementary (2012–…): Season 6, Episode 13 - Breathe - full transcript

Previously on Elementary:
I am happy for you--

your decision
to become a parent.

So, how are you gonna feel
about having a kid around?

I mean, I would not expect
you to co-parent or anything.

The baby would be
my responsibility.

For you, Watson,

I'd make adjustments.

When she told me of her plan
the other day,

I was very surprised.

But when you know her
as well as I do,

it makes sense
her being a parent.

The child
that she raises

will be very, very lucky.

(footsteps approaching)

Sorry. I was, uh...

I was taking some measurements.

I'm reexamining

a suspicious
hunting accident

in Georgia's
Oaky Woods in 1933.

Yeah, I figured.

But the murder took
place in the woods,

so what's with
the dollhouse?

I mean, you only use this
to restage crime scenes.

Well, I did,
but you'll notice

it is a house
of horrors no more.

I removed all
of the dead dolls

and cleaned up all
of the blood and viscera.

Okay.

Thought it might make
a good impression

to have it on display
during your home visit tomorrow.

As opposed to
the bear trap,

which I will store
posthaste.

Thank you-- on both parts.

But the caseworker is just
coming here to discuss plans

to, you know, make the house
more baby-friendly.

So there's really no need
to put out toys.

Still, no harm, is there?

We'll have to do something
about those.

What, the locks?

No, the grids
they're hanging on.

A curious infant could pull them
down upon himself, no?

Yeah, I guess.

You know, I think we're
mainly gonna talk

about child-proof locks
for the cabinets

and drawers-- you know,
things like that.

Well, it's funny
you should mention that,

because I've been reviewing
those products,

and I find them all lacking.

I think any child raised
in this home

would be able to
circumvent such measures

in no time-- don't you?

(cell phone rings)
Hey, Marcus.

We'll be right there.

BELL:
Victim's name is Leland Frisk,

head of Frisk Relocations, Inc.
(sniffing)

Say your company's opening
a new office in another state

or transferring an employee
from one city to another.

Guy like this
arranges housing,

family cars, new
schools for the kids.

Cleaning crew found him.

MLI puts the time of death
between 8:00 and 10:00.

Sciacchetrà.

Like "Chaka Khan."

Is that also a wine?

No.

Sciacchetrà is a dessert wine,
produced exclusively

in Italy's
Cinque Terre.

It's not terribly common
in the States,

but it's not
impossible to find.

Its aromatic notes should
include honey, dried fruit.

What it should not smell like
is almonds.

Someone laced it with cyanide.

Presumably not the victim,

or else you wouldn't
have asked us here.

Along with the vomit
around the victim's mouth,

one of the glasses
back there was wet.

It was the only one that matched
the glass Frisk drank from,

so CSU dusted
it for prints.

Thanks.

Uh, looks like someone
tried to wipe it clean,

but we managed to
lift two partials.

So we're gonna run 'em,
see what we get.

So Frisk probably knew
the killer.

He or she brought
their own glasses.

After Frisk was dead,
they emptied theirs,

put it back on the bar.

Cyanide poisoning
is a painful way to go.

Every muscle in the
body seizes up,

and the victim dies
of cardiac arrest.

Do you have any idea why someone

would want
a relocation expert dead?

There's more to show you
out here.

And it might change the way
you think about Mr. Frisk.

The doorjamb's busted.

So someone broke in here
after Frisk was dead,

looking for something.

Check out what's
in these files.

'Cause they are not
what you'd expect

from a
relocation expert.

Well, I'm guessing

that's not this guy's wife.

And this man is not
a licensed pharmacist.

If you ask me,
it looks like Leland Frisk

was a serial blackmailer.

Could be one of his clients
had enough,

decided to get out
from under his thumb,

they poisoned him,
then busted in here,

took what he had on them.

I disagree.

A lot of the names
on these files

are familiar to me

from news stories
over the years.

Each one of them was,
at one time or another,

suspected of having
a business rival

or another inconvenience
assassinated.

None was ever charged.

I don't think Frisk
was a blackmailer.

At least not primarily.

I think those files
are insurance policies.

To dissuade his clients
from betraying him.

Most of those have something
to do with relocation work,

but a lot of them contain
blackmail information

dating back
to the '80s.

Which means...

The dead man in that room

is one of the most prolific
contract killers in history.

♪ ♪

This is Byron Pruitt,
CEO of Lake Huron Canning.

He was questioned in 2004
about the disappearance

of his mistress, Noreen Cullen.

This is Rueben Del Mar
the Fourth,

heir to Utah's Del Mar
Auto Service empire.

He was long suspected
of ordering the murder

of his father,
Rueben Del Mar the Third.

And the list goes on.

GREGSON:
And you think Frisk

pulled off all
these hits

under the cover of a
relocation business?

Most of his work
was for corporate bigwigs,

so it was the perfect front.

He got paid
on the company's books

as a short-term contractor,

and he had reason
to travel wherever he needed.

So, Marcus has been reaching out
to law enforcement

in these cities
all morning.

Now, these files
may not be enough

to convict
in every case,

but now that police can connect
these people with Frisk,

and we know
how he got paid,

it could help close
a lot of cases.

That's the Incubus.

It's a
suffocation device.

You place it
over the victim's

nose and mouth,
pull out the plunger.

Forms a vacuum seal,

suck all the air out
of their lungs.

It's quick, and it's quiet.

And it leaves no evidence
of a murder weapon.

Well, at most,

a subtle ring of, uh,
broken blood vessels

around the mouth, but, um,
if the bruises are detected,

most M.E.'s don't know
what to make of them.

Okay.

So, who do we think
hit the hit man?

Well, Frisk's files
were numbered,

so we know that one of them
was missing.

We figure the killer
took his or her own

so that it couldn't be used
against them.

We got the name
of Frisk's assistant

from his building manager.

Marcus and I are going
to pay her a visit.

Hopefully she'll be able to
identify which file is missing.

And you?
One of the people

that Marcus spoke to
was an FBI agent

who works out
of the New York field office.

She's been working two of the
murders. She's on her way here.

I figured I'd stick around
and talk to her with you.

AGENT:
This is amazing.

I was only ever
onto two of these,

and I wasn't even sure
it was the same guy.

How did you connect
the two you were onto?

This guy here,

Pat Mercer-- he ran
a dirty hedge fund.

About a year ago,
one of his analysts

turned whistleblower,
and right after she did,

she was shot dead
on the street near her home.

Looked like a robbery,
but she was cooperating

in a federal case,
so it landed on my desk.

Witness reported
seeing a tall,

Caucasian male
with a goatee

hurrying away about half a block
from the scene.

That describes Leland Frisk.

Obviously not a lot to go on.

Till about three months ago.

Gordon Harper...

was forcing a hostile buyout
of a small chemical company

when its president supposedly

took a leap
out a 40th-floor window.

Detective in the 16th
gave me a heads-up.

People there recall

an unfamiliar janitor there
that day.

A tall, Caucasian male
with a goatee.

So Frisk manages to stay a ghost
for over 30 years,

then he's spotted twice

in nine months.

Just an old hit man

finally slowing down?

AGENT:
Good a guess as any.

Whatever it was, I have
something to run with now.

Enough to put the screws
to both Mercer and Harper.

Funny thing is,

I was just starting
to look at the books

of both companies
for any commonalities.

You gotta think
I would've come across

this relocation service
eventually.

WATSON: Maybe that
explains the timing

of Frisk's murder.

One of his clients
became aware

of the investigation,
and knew that Frisk

could use his blackmail files
to take them down with him.

We're gonna need the names

of anyone who knew
what you were onto.

Anyone in your office,

anyone you interviewed
at those companies.

You're thinking my investigation
tipped Frisk's killer?

If it did, I'll sleep fine.

That guy had decades of blood
on his hands.

Trust me, no one's shedding
a tear for Leland Frisk.

But whoever killed him
has hired a hit man

at least once,
and murdered him.

I'd say he's one more person
we need to get off the streets.

Wouldn't you?

I'll get you a list.

Sherry Lennox?

Marcus Bell, NYPD.

This is my colleague,
Mr. Holmes.

You work for Leland Frisk,
is that right?

I was just about
to leave for work.

Did something happen?

None of this makes any sense.

Leland helped situate people
who were moving to new cities.

He wasn't an assassin.

Respectfully, Miss Lennox,
we're pretty sure he was.

You're telling us
you had no idea?

If I had, do you
really think

that I would have kept
working for him?

HOLMES: Can you tell us
your whereabouts last night

between 8:00 and 10:00?

My son and I were at my
sister's in Marlboro.

I'll give you her info.

I promise,
you're not gonna find anything

about murders for money
on there.

BELL: We just want to see your
copies of Mr. Frisk's files.

We think the killer
took one from the scene.

So, if we can spot a client name
that's in your data

that wasn't at the office,
there's a good chance

that client's our killer.

How long have you
worked for Mr. Frisk?

Oh, God, um...

over 15 years.

Did you interact much
with his clients?

It varied.

I mostly arranged his travel,
paid the bills.

I spoke to some of the clients

on the phone, but
others, he gave them

his direct number.

I just assumed that they were,
you know, VIPs.

People he wanted to give
more personal attention.

You might be right about that.

I'm guessing one of the
clients' names was Cal Medina?

He's been in the news
a few times.

Owns a drug company that's
gotten heat for its practices.

I'm familiar with the name,

but he doesn't develop
new drugs.

He simply buys the rights
to existing, much needed ones

and jacks up their prices.

Medina's name
is in your client list,

but it wasn't in the info
at the office.

I'd have noticed it.

Uh, Leland did
some work for him

back in 2014, I think.

He was one of the clients that
Leland handled personally.

Do you think he
killed Leland?

Hi, Marybeth.
It's Joan Watson.

Yes, I was just wondering
if we were still

doing the home visit today.

You were supposed to be here
about 30 minutes ago.

Well, there must be
some mistake.

Well, either way,
can we reschedule?

What do you mean, "no"?

Who's she?

It's all right.
She's with us.

Bodyguards? So that
answers my question,

"You meant that
Cal Medina?"

Yeah, since he's
been in the news,

he's gotten a lot
of death threats.

I'd surround myself
with security, too.

Yeah. Only you
wouldn't have to,

because you wouldn't
try to get rich

by exploiting sick people.

I've never even heard
of Leland Frisk,

let alone hired him
to commit murder.

The words sound laughable
coming out of my mouth.

Actually, I agree.

Denying you knew him
does sound silly,

because we found a fingerprint
at the scene of his murder

that matches one of yours
we lifted

off a coffee mug
from your office.

You've been to my office?

Yeah. Your employees
were super nice.

I got the sense they
don't like you any more

than the public does.

So, then this is all
based on a fingerprint

you obtained with the help
of people who hate me.

HOLMES:
Actually, it's not just a
fingerprint. Not anymore.

You'll also have
to explain this.

Sciacchetrà. It's the same wine
used to poison Frisk.

HOLMES:
Also the same producer

and batch number as the bottle
that we found at the scene.

Mr. Medina
has a case of it.

So, is it
a personal favorite?

I hear it can be cloying.

This murder you're trying
to pin on me,

when did it happen?

Last night, between
8:00 and 10:00.

Good. I was here.

And if we said "two nights ago,
between 11:00 and midnight"?

First rule of negotiating.

"He who speaks first loses."

I was here entertaining
a guest last night.

And though I can tell
you don't believe me,

you'll have a much
harder time ignoring her.

Assemblywoman Liz Kirkland
is one of the few

politicians in the state
whose polls consistently

rank her as trustworthy
and likable.

BELL:
She backed Medina's story.

Said she was with him all night.

You don't believe her.

Considering the money
his company's

given her campaigns,

she's in both Medina's pocket
and his pants.

Makes sense
she'd lie for him.

Still, she makes a good witness.

I also got a text from the lab
while I was in there.

Turns out the second
partial print on that wine glass

isn't a match for Medina.

That's not necessarily
a surprise, right?

You guys are still running
elimination prints.

Could turn out to be

someone on the building's
cleaning staff.

Don't get me wrong.
Medina makes my skin crawl.

But a second fingerprint
and Ms. Kirkland's testimony?

No way will the D.A. want
to take this to court.

Then we'll just have
to get him for

the other murder
he had a hand in.

The one he hired
Leland Frisk

to commit in 2014.

We don't even know
who the victim was.

We don't know
who the victim was yet.

You're suggesting
that we identify,

and then solve an unknown murder

that an expert hit man
got away with four years ago.

I am. Yeah.

That is for Marybeth,
my caseworker.

The agency is rejecting my
application for adoption.

Why?
Because I missed
two appointments.

The home visit
that I thought was yesterday

and a parenting class last week.

They said that it shows
I don't care enough about this.

All right.

Not ideal,
but we'll put together

a new list of agencies
and start over.

Learn from our mistakes
and move on.

"Learn from our mistakes"?

Gary, these were your mistakes,
not mine.

You're managing
the schedule.

You gave me the wrong
date for the home visit,

and you never even told
me about the class.

Whoa, whoa, Joan.
You're a busy woman.

We both knew that going in.

What is that supposed to mean?

No, it-it means that you can't

really say
who's to blame for this.

Ultimately,
it's your responsibility

to stay on top
of things.

If you didn't trust me,
you should have confirmed

the dates directly
with the agency.

I did trust you.
Check your notes.

See what they say right now.

No. Joan, I'm sorry.
That's not how it works.

I'm not gonna pull an assistant

off other important work
to dig out your notes

while you sit here
and wait.

You're not our only client.

And besides,
depending on what it says,

you might need a chance
to cover yourself.

Listen, Gary,
I don't want to sue you.

Okay, I just want you
to call the agency

and tell them that these
were your mistakes.

Keep them from dropping me.
Make this right.

I will make it right--
by helping you start over.

Joan, it's a difference
of a few months.

You've waited this long.

It's not the end of the world.

WATSON:
First, dollhouses;

now Mystery Date.

Are we having a sleepover?

Unlike our typical usage
of Mr. Silhouette,

today he is employed in the role

of victim rather
than killer.

It is an interesting challenge.

How does one solve a murder

that one can only know happened
through inference?

Cal Medina hired
contract killer Leland Frisk.

Ipso facto,
there must be someone

Medina wanted Frisk to kill.

I would include the possibility
that Frisk failed,

but given his track record
and the efforts

that Medina went to
to eliminate evidence,

I think we can
rule that one out.

"Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

September 18th
through the 20th, 2014."

The place and window of time

in which our mystery murder
occurred.

The records that Marcus
and I were able

to obtain from Frisk's
assistant, Miss Lennox,

included his travel
while under Medina's employ.

So you're reconstructing
what he was doing then

so you can figure out
who he wanted dead.

Precisely.
I take it you're familiar

with the term,
"orphan diseases"?

Uh, yeah. They're conditions

that only affect
a small number of people,

so there's not a lot of money
to be made in treating them.

They're called "orphans"
because no one wants

to take responsibility for them.

Even the name is Dickensian,

which I suppose
gives it points for honesty.

If corporate America
had its way,

we'd only take care of our sick
when there was money in it.

It is repugnant.

And being a walking embodiment
of that repugnance,

Cal Medina found himself
a niche in orphan drugs,

aka the medicines used
to treat orphan diseases.

In the summer of 2014,

Medina's company,
Calculus Pharmaceutical,

acquired the rights to

trifloxazole,
an antibiotic

used for chronic
bacterial infections

associated with cystic fibrosis.

I remember this.

Back then, it was cheap
and readily available.

Which enabled Medina to buy low.

But after he
bought the rights,

he raised the price
to almost $1,000 a pill.

You're right-- it's gross.

Cystic fibrosis
is genetic.

I mean, children
are born with it.

They spend their whole lives
vulnerable to infection.

They don't have a choice.
They need the drug.

Which is why enough people
still buy the drug

at that price
to make it profitable.

And if you can't afford hundreds

of thousands of dollars
a year in medicine,

well, you just shouldn't
have been born sick,

should you?

Now, the question is:

Did anyone need killing

in order to facilitate
Medina's profits?

Thus far,
I've only identified that

as the most promising area
in which to look.

Marcus, meanwhile,
is assembling a list of deaths--

suspicious or otherwise--
in Pittsburgh

during the dates in question.

I've also yet to determine
why you didn't tell me

about your home visit
being canceled.

Your caseworker,

Marybeth,
she applies her eau de toilette

with a heavy hand.

She didn't come here yesterday.

So, is something wrong?

Of course I know the fault lies
with your lawyer and not you.

I know you too well
to imagine otherwise.

Well, the problem is,
it's "he said, she said."

And the adoption agency
has been working with Gary

for a long time,
so they're gonna believe him.

And if he's worried
about me suing him,

he's had plenty of time
to change his notes

so that everything looks right.

I don't understand why you were
so hesitant to tell me.

Because I know you.

You're gonna want
to go nuclear on the guy,

and I haven't even decided
what I want to do yet.

What's to decide?

We're us.

If we wanted to,
we could break into his place,

and then find proof
that he was at fault,

and then share it
with the agency.

So far, so good.

If we hurt his reputation,

we could hurt
his other clients,

and I'm not sure
I'm willing to do that.

Maybe I can live with
being set back a few months.

It's not just that you haven't
decided what you want to do.

You didn't trust
that I'd follow your lead.

No, it's not... (sighs)

Look, when I told you
I was going to adopt,

I promised you that I was
gonna do it by myself.

But then you were
talking the other night

about getting
the house ready,

and it sounded like...

...you felt you needed
to co-parent.

And I don't want you to feel
that kind of pressure.

'Cause I do so poorly
in high-pressure situations?

This is gonna change things
for me a lot.

But if I feel like it's gonna
change too much for you,

then I'm worried I'm not gonna
go through with this.

And I-I want
to go through with this.

Does that make any sense?

I will abide by your wishes
with Gary,

whatever they may be.

Even if it's for me
to stay out of it.

Just you?
HOLMES: Yeah.

You got something on that
name I asked you to look up?

Peter Romano?
You're thinking that's the guy

Medina had
Leland Frisk kill?

Peter Romano was
a researcher

working in the area
of cystic fibrosis.

In early 2014, he
claimed he'd identified

a new treatment for the
same bacterial infection

that Cal Medina was about
to corner the market on.

But Romano never lived to
publish what he'd found.

Instead, whilst attending
a medical conference

in Pittsburgh that September,

he was found dead
in his hotel room.

Well, I reached out
to Pittsburgh PD.

According to them,
the cause of death

was accidental
asphyxiation.

Romano had ordered
room service.

The M.E. found

french fries lodged
in his windpipe,

and there was no sign
of foul play.

Now, the case detective
gave me his number,

said you could call him
if you needed anything.

Won't be necessary.
The M.E. got it wrong.

That was quick.

Peter Romano was
suffocated first.

The french fries were jammed
down his throat postmortem.

It's very, very subtle,

but note the bruising
around his mouth.

That's the mark left
by that weird weapon

Frisk had at the office.

The Incubus?

You were right.

Peter Romano
was assassinated.

Shouldn't affect
the third quarter.

This is the man

that you hired
Leland Frisk to kill.

His name was Peter Romano.

Romano had developed
a new treatment

for cystic fibrosis.

If he'd lived
to share it, no one

would have to pay the
thousand bucks a pill

for your drug, and
you'd be out of luck.

Uh, pardon us, will you?

I want you both to remember
my face right now.

I want you to remember me
memorizing your badge number.

Well, you're welcome to it.

I told you my name
before, too,

but you probably
weren't listening.

It's Marcus Bell.

MEDINA:
And I'm going to call my lawyer

and have him destroy you both.

I see your sommelier
is changing the wine glasses.

Did you ask him
to do that?

Are you joking?

Is that what you care about--
our table service?

Well, it's long been
an axiom of mine

that the little things are
infinitely the most important.

Just humor me-- did you?

They brought us
Chardonnay glasses,

and we are drinking
Pinot Noir.

Why does it matter?

Well, I'm not sure that it does.

Before you run us out of town,
could you give us

a list of the restaurants
that you frequent?

What am I supposed to see here?

Uh, among other things,

more appropriate
glasses for sciacchetrà

than the ones used
to poison Leland Frisk.

WATSON: Frisk's office
had dessert wine glasses,

but whoever poured
the sciacchetrà

used standard ones
instead.

Cal Medina is, amongst
other things, a wine snob.

He would never have stood
for the use of such glasses.

You ever consider maybe Frisk
picked the glasses,

and seeing as Medina
was there to kill the guy,

he just kept his mouth shut?

You ask that because
you haven't met Cal Medina.

BELL:
That said,

we did consider it.

And we think the truth
goes even farther.

We don't think Medina
was there at all.

We found out who the other
print on the glass belongs to.

It was a waitress from one
of Medina's regular spots.

The glass we found
at Frisk's office

was stolen from that restaurant,
with Medina's prints on it.

In other words,

Medina has an alibi
for Frisk's murder

because he was framed.

By who?

This is security video

from that restaurant,

taken three days
before Frisk's murder.

That's Medina in the top left.

The waitress clears the glasses
from his table

and brings them
to a bussing station.

GREGSON:
That's the victim, Frisk.

HOLMES:
It is.

You're saying the hit man,
Leland Frisk,

poisoned himself,

and then framed
Cal Medina for it?

Why?

We have no idea.

BELL: Once we figured out
what your boss had done,

we wondered
how he got his hands on

the same batch of sciacchetrà
that Medina had.

Medina's place is
guarded like a fortress.

Didn't seem likely
he stole it from there.

So we asked Medina
where he got his.

The cashier at the wine store
remembered you

stepping up to the counter
just minutes

after Medina
bought his case.

You wanted to make sure
they gave you

the exact same wine
they just sold him.

HOLMES:
You were following him.
You helped Frisk

set up the frame.

Which means you lied to us.

Probably about
a lot of things.

For starters, you obviously knew

a lot more about Leland
than you let on.

And if we're right, it was
part of your job to make sure

we looked at Medina.

So, if you want
to help yourself,

it's time to start
telling the truth.

Why did Leland want to frame
Medina for his murder?

That's not what he wanted.

At least not at first.

What he wanted was for Medina
to get arrested

for ordering
Peter Romano's murder.

The thing is...

Leland didn't kill Romano.

He never even worked
for Medina at all.

We found a device
in Leland's office

we're pretty sure was used
to kill Romano.

Looks like an oxygen mask

connected to
a bicycle pump, right?

Leland built that himself
a few weeks ago.

He wanted you to find it.

He knew it would help you think
what he wanted you to think.

(machinery whirring)
BELL: That Medina
hired Leland

to kill Romano in 2014

and that Medina
killed Leland

three nights ago
to cover it up?

Why did Leland have it out
for Medina at all?

Think I can
answer that.

Your son suffers from
cystic fibrosis.

Correction:
uh, yours and Leland's son.

Hayden was diagnosed
when he was three,

and Leland
cared about nothing else.

He made sure Hayden
had the best doctors.

He researched everything.

When the cost of
the drug went up,

he took care of that.

But it was hard.

Then, a few months ago,

he read something online
about Peter Romano.

Uh, a rumor
that Romano had found

a less expensive treatment

but died
before he could publish.

I didn't understand why,

but to Leland,
it seemed suspicious.

And somehow he got his hands on

the police report
from Romano's death.

He recognized the work
of another killer.

And he understood
implicitly who stood

to benefit from the hit:
Cal Medina.

That's when Leland told me
what he really did.

That he, uh,
killed people for money.

I couldn't believe it.

But then he showed
me his files, and...

After that,
he became obsessed with Medina.

He read that Medina's own board

hated that they were
price gouging.

One of the execs who resigned
told a reporter

that the entire company
would stop doing it

if Medina was gone.

So Leland spent months

trying to prove
that Medina was guilty,

that he paid someone
to kill Romano.

Imagine he
would've gone after

Medina himself.

But Medina's security
was too strong

because he'd already received
dozens of death threats.

That's when the
FBI happened.

One of Leland's
former clients called.

Uh, an Agent, uh, Kerner,

asking about some work
that he had done.

It seemed that she knew
about another job, as well.

So, if she found the payments
to Leland from both companies...

They'd have him.

His time to get Medina
was running out.

So, he couldn't
kill Medina,

but he could kill himself
and frame Medina,

and then hopefully achieve
the same outcome.

Medina would go
to prison,

his board would remove him
as head of the company,

and the drug for your son
and other kids like him

would become affordable again.

Well, now
that we know

what Leland
was attempting to do,

I wish it had worked.

Marcus called.

The D.A. is not gonna press
charges against Sherry Lennox.

As far as the police
and the FBI can tell,

she told you the truth.

She did not help Frisk
commit any murders.

What is all this?

This is Leland Frisk's obsession

during the final months
of his life.

His research on Cal Medina,
and the murder of Peter Romano.

Sherry let me
have all of it.

Attendee lists
from the convention

that Romano was visiting;

employee names from the hotel
where he was killed;

and Medina's phone, banking

and credit card records
from 2014.

Wow. How'd he get all this?

Sherry couldn't say.

It's possible
that a contract killer

of Frisk's longevity

developed some hacking skills
along the way.

Or, being well-versed
at blackmail,

it's possible he compelled
someone to help him.

Anyway, he was
unable to identify

Romano's actual killer

or prove that Medina
ordered the hit.

So I thought I might spot
something that he missed.

You want some help?
I mean, it's not every day

we try to help a hit man.

Well, I was struck
by the same thought.

Leland Frisk was,
without doubt, an evil man,

but towards the end
of his life,

he attempted to do
one noble thing,

and I, for one,
would like to see it done.

Was he being noble?

I'm just saying, I mean,

getting rid of Medina
would have helped

a lot of people,
but it's possible that Frisk

was only thinking
of his own son.

Does it matter?

Frisk's insurance files,

though abhorrent,
do speak to a man

who spent decades looking back
over one shoulder,

never able to shake his past.

Never able to forget
a single heinous act.

It is possible that such a thing
could lead a man to take stock.

(doorbell ringing)

You expecting someone?

I invited a guest,
in order to put an option

in your hands with regards
to your attorney.

This is you staying out of it?

Actually, it is,
because the choice

of what to do with what
I'm about to provide

will be entirely yours.

Yours and King Wilhelm's.

King who?

Your Majesty, this is

Dr. Joan Watson.

Dr. Watson,

may I introduce His Majesty

Wilhelm Gottsreich
Sigismond von Ormstein,

Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein
and Hereditary King of Bohemia.

Please.

This is an actual king?

Yes, albeit a king
without a kingdom,

since Bohemia ceased to exist
over a hundred years ago.

It's a familial title now,
along with some retained wealth,

neither of which
he would still have

were it not for my father.

I knew that the king
frequently visited New York,

uh, thanks to
the great many

courtesans that he favors here,

so I asked for a moment
of his time.

And this has to do with Gary?

Gary, an attorney

of questionable
character.

It will.
If I may, I'll get right to it.

Oh.

Are you familiar, Majesty,

with the practice
of one adult

adopting another adult,

for the purpose
of passing lineage?

I confess, I am not.

Forgive me for saying so,

but I suspected
you might not be.

The notion, I believe,
is self-explanatory.

There are rarely
age restrictions

placed upon adoption,

and so one adult becomes
the legal parent of another.

It's come to my attention
that your son

is familiar
with this practice.

According to my research,

Prince Havel has,
to date, adopted

18 men and women, for fees
of 100,000 euros apiece,

in exchange for bestowing
your family name upon them.

Really?

I'm afraid so.

As we speak,
there are a dozen and a half

newly minted dukes and duchesses

using their titles to gain
entrée to some of Europe's

most exclusive circles.

And Gary was the attorney

who arranged

all of those adoptions.

I see.

I'd always envied

your father his
sons, Sherlock.

Oh, don't get me wrong.
I know things were never easy.

But neither you nor your brother
was an idiot.

My son is an idiot.

Very well.

I have always relied
on the counsel of the Holmeses.

I see no reason that
today is different.

What do you propose I do?

Well, actually, Your Majesty,
I believe that's a question

best posed to my partner.

There you are.

Agent Kerner said you asked her
to meet us both here?

I did. Thanks
for coming.

I think what I have
in mind will require

the assistance of both
the NYPD and the FBI.

What you have in mind?

Give him a minute.

It's usually worth it.

Last night,
I had an epiphany.

Watson and I were discussing

the insurance files
that Leland Frisk kept.

It occurred to me,
the impulse that inspired him

to keep those files
couldn't be unique.

What if other hit men
took similar precautions?

Okay, but what are we supposed
to do with that epiphany?

We're gonna finish
what Frisk started.

We're going to incite a hit
on Cal Medina.

BELL:
Cal Medina.

This is
Captain Gregson.

I called it.

You called what?

Well, it's just,
the captain and I

were debating whether
you'd show up here

with or without
a lawyer.

He figured
you were too smart

to talk to the cops
by yourself.

I said lawyers
usually want

to keep their clients
from talking,

so I bet you'd show up
without one.

I was right.

You think I enjoy the
sound of my own voice.

I don't disagree.

But my lawyer is
very good at his job,

and so I enjoy listening
to his voice, too.

And I assure you,
he'll be here shortly.

Listen, before we get too
far off on the wrong foot,

the reason we
brought you here

is because we owe
you an apology.

Our investigation
revealed

that you didn't kill
Leland Frisk

and you didn't hire him
to kill anyone else.

We were wrong
about all of that.

Of course you were.

The thing is,
that's not

the only thing we have
to apologize for.

(chuckles)
We almost got you killed.

Excuse me?

Uh, follow me.

We'll explain.

Any chance you recognize
the man facing us?

I do not.

Well, his name
is Tad Linsky,

and the reason we thought
you might know him

is 'cause he's
the guy you hired

to kill Peter
Romano in 2014.

Now, when we discovered

Leland Frisk's body,
we also found evidence

that he'd taken steps
to prevent any of his clients

from outing him as a hit man.

It occurred to our colleague,

Mr. Holmes, that other hit men
had to have the same concern.

They'd have to keep
their ear to the ground,

keep tabs
on old clients,

in case one of them
ever decided to give them up.

So, with the help of the FBI,

we leaked word to CIs
in every major city

and put it out
on the Dark Web

that you were looking
to cut a deal.

Made it sound like
you were about

to give up the name
of Romano's killer

at any time.

Then we sat back,

waited to see who showed up
to kill you.

We figured we weren't
putting you in too much danger.

Leland Frisk was one of the best
at what he did,

and he couldn't figure out
how to get a shot at you.

Sure enough, Mr. Linsky
took the bait.

Drove all the way
from Scranton

and started
surveilling you.

We had our guys pick him up.

When they did,
he had a gun in his car

that ballistics matched
to five unsolved murders.

He went for a deal quick.

And he's already given you up.

I think I'll wait to speak
to my lawyer now.

About that.

The two other people
you see in there

are from Pittsburgh PD
and the FBI.

Since you didn't
commit the murder

that we were
investigating you for,

it's up to them who gets
first crack at you.

Looks like
the Feds won.

We'll let your lawyer
know when he gets here

that you've been
taken into custody.

(handcuffs clicking)

Joan.

I-I wasn't sure I was
gonna see you again.

Well, if you play
your cards right,

after today, you won't.

What's that
supposed to mean?

It means that I'm here
to talk to you

about another client of yours,
Prince Havel of Bohemia,

and how you've been helping him

sell adult adoptions
to make money.

According to Bohemian tradition,

the passage of title
through adoption

is not recognized
unless explicitly

sanctioned by the king.

And given how meticulous
you insist you are

about details, I'm guessing
you knew that already.

The problem is, the king
did not give his sanction.

In fact, he was not aware
of the adoptions at all.

How the hell would you know
what King Wilhelm of Bohemia

was or wasn't aware of?

Well, as it happens,
he's a friend of a friend.

Now, this is a letter
to me from King Wilhelm,

promising to wait
for my call

before he decides what
to do about this.

One way or another,

he is going to undo
those 18 bogus titles.

But there are two ways
he can go about it.

"You need only say the word,
and I am prepared

"to disown my son,
Prince Havel,

as punishment for the disgrace
he's brought upon me."

To be fair, I think he was
thinking of doing that anyway.

Now, if he disowns his son,
he automatically disowns

all adopted grandchildren, too.

Now, that would be the
best option for you,

because it leaves
you out of it.

The other option
is he keeps his son

but rejects all new titles.

Now, if he does that,
it's a safe bet

that all 18 adoptees

will sue Prince
Havel for fraud.

You will be named as
codefendant in the lawsuit

and buried in legal fees
defending yourself.

Did you ever even check
your notes

to see who made those mistakes?

So, why don't we do that
together now?

I heard on the radio in the cab
that Cal Medina was arrested.

Yes. Thanks to the news,

the, uh, board of directors
has already removed him as CEO.

If all goes well,

then Sherry Lennox's son
and thousands like him

might be able
to afford their medicine.

So the hit man with
a heart of gold got his way.

He did.

Heart of gold or not.

How was your attorney?

He called the adoption agency
with me right there in the room,

and he took full responsibility
for all of his mistakes.

And then he gracefully bowed out
of representing me.

Was the agency satisfied?

Everything's back on track.

They're working
with my new lawyer.

No lost time; just the
appointments I have to make up.

What do I smell?

King Wilhelm sent over a
token of his appreciation.

It's a traditional
Bohemian feast.

Larded beef in
cream sauce,

bread dumplings and
braised cabbage,

schnitzel,

some sort of
fried cheese.

Hmm.

Some of it sounds good.

Look...

I've never felt any pressure
from you that I co-parent.

But your idea
that I take no responsibility

in raising your child is naive.

It's not that I think
you're not capable

of raising a child on your own--

of course you are-- but...

short of us dissolving
our partnership,

I'm not capable
of not being involved.

N-Not as the child's father,

but as its mother's friend.

I mean, I'd lay down
my life for you.

So, if you succeed
in adopting a child,

I'll lay down my life
for him or her.

It's... it's as simple as that.

Have you thought about what you
want to be called by my kid?

I mean, assuming I get one.

I was thinking "Uncle Sherlock."

Yeah, well,
I've been called worse.

I'd also settle for "Detective."

My child is not calling you
"Detective."

Well, "Uncle Detective," then.