Forever (2014–2015): Season 1, Episode 18 - Dead Men Tell Long Tales - full transcript

A deep sea salvage operator is killed after he finds gold on a sunken ship, the very ship Henry once sailed on in 1814 and on which he died the first time. Adam returns and thinks one of its treasures holds the answer to their immortality.

A toast.

The meek may inherit the earth,

but the brave will get the sea.

Well, we've had our differences,

but we've also just taken the haul of a lifetime.

Take a night, enjoy it.

But remember, keep your mouths shut.

The most dangerous part of a treasure hunt

is after you find it.

Every person who has lived long enough

has something in their past that must be forgotten,



a moment when they've failed,

or when they simply went right instead of left,

and that simple choice changed their life for the worse,

so we cover it up and forget.

But deep down,

we know it will come back to haunt us.

No!

Yes!

You look like a man, whose ship has just come in.

The antique maps I bought have just arrived,

and I know a very interested collector.

Ah, John Thomson, excellent find.

Thomson was one of the first cartographers

to favor accuracy and detail.



Over artistic flourish, yes, Henry, I know.

Well, did you also know that the Thomsons and the Morgans...

Had a long-standing feud over a rocking chair,

which ended in a bloody duel.

Henry, I've been your son for almost 70 years.

I've heard all of your stories.

You're exaggerating.

Oh, really?

All right, you stump me. Let's choose a category.

Your notable deaths, just name a year.

Very well.

1843.

A powder-keg explosion on a Hudson Bay Company ship.

Well, who could forget that?

1857.

Avalanche. Your second.

This time was the Klondike, I believe?

It's happened, hasn't it? I've become boring.

Boring? No, no, you're not boring.

You just need some new--

- Jo! - Hey.

Henry was just telling a story.

Oh, good. Anything exciting?

Apparently not.

Well, I have something that might float your boat.

Rick Rasmussen, sea captain and owner of Medford maritime.

His specialty, finding and salvaging sunken vessels.

Let me guess, the harpoon killed him.

Yes, very good, detective.

You see this massive barb?

Double flue style, dates back to the early 1830s.

We'll have to cut it out.

If we remove it, it'll damage the body.

Surprise, surprise.

Your partner knows all about antique harpoons.

Partner,

I guess we are partners, aren't we?

What?

Look, I-I'll hold, you cut.

Like Starsky and Hutch, Riggs and Murtaugh.

"Lethal weapon"?

You were right, Jo.

Rick Rasmussen died of exsanguination

caused by a harpoon to the chest

sometime between midnight and 1:00,

but there's more.

Subcutaneous hemorrhages,

diffused bleeding on the epicardial fat,

and bubbles in the blood vessels,

all point towards decompression sickness.

The Bends?

In my opinion, captain Rick Rasmussen

was recently at sea, most likely on a salvage.

Question is, what did he find?

Gold. They found gold.

Lucas, please.

Oh, come on. I've been waiting all morning for that moment.

We found gold

wedged between the captain's lower back molars,

as if he'd bitten on a coin to test its purity.

Pure gold, 24-karat, unalloyed.

Lucas, please.

Sorry. Sorry.

Gold. Well, that's definitely motive for murder.

Now we just have to find it.

Medford maritime's warehouse.

This is where Rick kept everything he salvaged.

Property manager said he last saw him here a few days ago.

He found all of this in the ocean?

There are an estimated 3 million shipwrecks in the ocean.

Each one an aquatic time capsule.

There.

There's the recent additions.

Oh, look at this. Silverware, china plates.

A lamp.

I wonder how long it's been since anyone's seen this.

Are these shackles?

What kind of ship was this?

The Empress of Africa, a slave ship.

Henry, how could you possibly know that?

This is incredible. They found your ship.

Incredible, indeed. It makes no sense.

I assumed the Empress sank off the Caicos Islands,

but Rick discovered the wreck here,

1,000 miles north - of where it was supposed to be.

But wait a minute. Wait a minute.

- H-how did it get there? - Oh, I don't know.

Henry, what is it?

I've thought about that night for two centuries --

every moment, every detail.

I've heard about all of your deaths countless times

from syphilis to smallpox,

but getting this story out of you is like pulling teeth.

Now, what is it?

There's something you're not telling me.

This slave ship, - the Empress of Africa...

belonged to my family.

They tell me you speak English.

Can I trust you?

There is a key

that unlocks your chains and this door -- one key.

I can get it to you.

Do you understand?

Tonight, unlock the others, then this door,

then make your way to the armory.

It's just down that passageway.

Do you understand?

Yes.

I vowed to put an end

to everything my father had ever built.

Freeing those slaves aboard the Empress

would have finished the job, but I failed.

I never made it back with the key.

No, no, no, Henry, you can't blame yourself for this.

300 people died, Abe.

Their blood is on my hands.

My immortality is not a condition, it's a curse.

A curse? Henry, you're a doctor.

You're a man of science. You don't believe in curses.

I believe that 99.9% of everything

can be explained scientifically.

There's no fate, no magic, no curses,

except for one -- my own.

Now, wait, wait. Now, hold the phone.

You said it yourself.

You don't really know what happened.

How did the Empress get to the coast of New York?

What are you suggesting?

I'm suggesting that there's more to the story.

And it's time that you found out

what really happened to that ship.

Gold? What are we talking about here, pirates?

Well, it's modern salvage and recovery,

but the rules of the high seas are still the same --

finders keepers.

So, how much are we talking about here?

Ah, forget about it, boss. Could be in the millions.

We searched Rick's warehouse, but still no sign of the gold.

There's a memorial for him tonight down by the docks.

Apparently, it is the place to drink

if you're a treasure hunter.

Okay, guys. - go talk to some pirates.

I know that, uh, personality-wise,

Rick fell somewhere between

a barracuda and a great white.

But I want to thank y'all for coming to celebrate...

a real son of a bitch.

Hear, hear.

Excuse me, George Speece?

- I'm Detective Martinez. - Yeah?

You used to be - Rick Rasmussen's partner.

Detective, everyone in this bar works salvage and recovery.

Most of what we find was stolen at one time or another.

I'm sorry. We don't talk to cops.

- Let me guess -- he doesn't talk to cops. - Yeah.

Yeah, I got that - from half the people in here.

Other half don't know anything.

We're wasting our time, Jo.

Just because people aren't talking

doesn't mean we can't find out who was on that ship.

What do you see, Henry?

The young man sitting at the bar.

His hands, to be precise.

Those jellyfish stings

match exactly the ones we found on Rick's body.

He was on the ship.

Yeah, maybe, but that doesn't mean he killed --

- Henry? Wh-- - Excuse me, sir.

We're investigating the murder of captain Rick Rasmussen.

We wondered if we could ask you some questions.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't really know anything.

Oh, I do apologize. I didn't ask your name.

- It's... - Davey, but I don't really --

Davey, you're here at Rick's memorial.

Surely you can tell us something.

Listen, where I work, we don't --

No, of course, you don't talk to cops.

We understand. Can I ask you something?

How did Rick find the slave ship?

I wasn't on Rick's ship.

Henry, what the hell are you doing?

Notice the largish gentleman near the door

with the second-degree burns to his face.

Solar intensity over the northwestern Atlantic

was at a 12-month high last week,

And his eyes didn't leave Davey

from the moment I started talking with him.

I suggest we go outside and wait for him and Davey to leave.

All right, we'll - take care of it. You stay here.

Your eyes -- they're different colors.

It's called heterochromia, a genetic trait.

You're full of information.

Can't help it.

Scotch, please.

You're a diver.

Diver by trade, bartender by necessity.

You have decompression sickness,

I'd say a mild case from a recent dive.

What were you after?

Enjoy your drink.

Let him go, Chappy.

Why'd they talk to you?

You told them about the gold, didn't you?!

They already knew. I didn't say a word, okay?!

You got to believe me.

Excuse me? Sorry to bother you.

Which one of you murdered Rick Rasmussen?

Don't. He's a cop.

Come on, we got to run. Let's go.

Freeze, NYPD!

On your knees, hands up!

You -- you're not going anywhere.

Right there.

Stay here.

You know what that means, Doc?

Don't leave the bar.

He got excited. He likes shipwrecks.

Some more than others.

Okay, we've got our crew --

Davey, Margo, and Chappy.

What's our working theory?

They found gold on the shipwreck.

One of them got greedy, broke into Rick's office,

They got in a fight...

and harpooned our captain.

Okay, let's put 'em in the box. Hit 'em hard.

Lieutenant, may I sit in on this interrogation?

I do have experience with the nautical world.

Fine. But follow their lead.

You got greedy, Chappy.

You got greedy, and you killed Rick for that gold.

That's not true.

He was gonna split it with us.

You don't have to split anything if you steal it.

You know, I could see

a big guy like you handling a harpoon.

Why would I kill him?

Rick was the only one that knew where the gold was.

Now nobody does.

Mr. Chappy,

how did Rick find the Empress of Africa?

He didn't say.

I didn't ask.

Davey, Davey, Davey.

You look like a guy who's seen his fair share of fights.

Tell me -- - did Rick put up a good one?

I didn't do it.

Rick hid the gold for a reason.

He didn't trust you.

He was a paranoid old man, but he trusted me.

I was the only guy who had sailed with him before.

The others -- Margo, Chappy -- they were the new guys.

He didn't trust them.

Davey, you're a diver.

What was the condition of the shipwreck,

Could you tell why it sunk?

No, not after 200 years.

You were new to Rick's ship.

Must have been tough,

trying to break into the boys' club.

I could do what any man can.

Like kill one with a harpoon?

Why?

Why would I?

Just one question, Margo.

You and Rick were the deep divers.

You spent time together.

Did he ever tell you how he found the ship?

He had a map.

A map. Did you see it?

No.

He mentioned it once, under his breath.

All their stories line up, boss.

They found the gold, Rick hid it,

and they were waiting for his call.

I think we should go back to the warehouse

and see what else we can dig up.

If I may be so bold, I'd like to propose a new line of inquiry,

focusing on the shipwreck and this new issue of a map.

Dr. Morgan, putting you in there

might not have been the best idea.

This is a murder investigation.

- We're not looking for a map -- - But the ship is important.

- We have to find out -- - Dr. Morgan?

Thank you very much for your help.

We'll let you know when we need you again.

If there's a map,

that means someone - must know about the Empress,

and now I'm forbidden from questioning the crew.

Wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting something?

Those divers brought that ship to us.

There's literally - a warehouse full of clues.

Are you suggesting that we break in

and conduct our own search?

No, I'm suggesting we go to Katz's and get a sandwich,

and then we break into the warehouse.

Never pull a job on an empty stomach.

Good point. Let's go.

Abraham! Over here.

This guy, Rick's, got some incredible stuff.

When's the estate sale is what I want to know.

What is that?

Oh, my God.

He was shot.

Oh, God. Look at those teeth.

It can't be.

Quick.

I should have brought my gun.

They're all antiques. They wouldn't have worked.

Damn it!

God, he's trashing the place.

Those are fragile artifacts. We have to stop him.

As a fragile artifact myself, let him be.

He's here illegally.

So are we.

Stop!

No, no, no. Henry!

NYPD!

Stop!

Hands where I can see 'em!

Hands up!

Henry?

What the hell are you doing here?

I don't believe this.

I'm glad we had that sandwich first.

All right, I covered for you.

Reece thinks we went to that warehouse together,

and Abe was omitted from that report.

Thank you.

Henry, what the hell is going on with you?

What were you doing in that warehouse?

Examining the artifacts

that Rick recovered - from the Empress of Africa.

I still believe that hidden among them

lies the clue to his murder.

That ship has been at the bottom of the ocean for 200 years.

This is obsessive, even for you.

I prefer... passionate to obsessive.

Your hang-up with that ship

is deeper - than Rick Rasmussen's murder.

What is it?

When the Empress went down,

300 souls died with her.

What happened aboard that ship was a crime.

Aren't we supposed to investigate?

I appreciate that, Henry.

I really do, but we have a murder to solve today.

I need you here in the present.

You know, I admit -- you got me breaking into

Rick's warehouse, so what?

Uh, it's 30 days in jail? I'll take it.

And what happens when we test your blood

against the samples we found on Rick's body?

Yeah, you know we can arrest you on a murder charge right now?

I went to see Rick 'cause he owed me.

We were partners, friends before that.

We found the Empress and decided to go after it.

What happened?

Empress was deep.

We weren't equipped for it.

And then we lost a diver.

The man died.

Was it Rick's fault?

You're damn right it was, and I said so.

Bastard thought - I'd lost my stomach for it,

and he cut me out.

Then you went to collect it, Rick said no,

you got in a fight, and you killed him.

That makes sense.

Rick and I were friends a long time,

went on a lot of dives,

saved each other - on more than one occasion.

I didn't kill an old friend

with a harpoon that we found off Montauk when we were 16.

All right, you knew where the Empress was.

Why didn't you go after it yourself?

I told you, it was too deep.

Rick had to spend millions reoutfitting his boat.

- What about the gold? - I don't know.

Old sea dog must have found some financier to bankroll him,

like a Wall Street guy.

Those are the real pirates.

Talk about a cold case.

We found these remains in our victim's warehouse last night.

They were from a 200-year-old shipwreck.

Let's find out what happened to him.

200 years old.

Guess there aren't any aye-witnesses?

Okay, I'm done.

Looks like our subject was murdered,

Shot in the head with a musket ball.

The filed teeth implied that he was from West Africa,

therefore a slave aboard the ship.

Oh. At least they gave him a decent burial.

You're right. Why was he in a coffin?

A dead slave would have been cast overboard,

but this man was cared for --

His death treated with dignity.

Dr. Morgan. A word.

Something went missing, a key.

Do you know anything about that?

Of course not. Are you accusing me?

You may be the owner's son,

but out here, I'm judge and jury.

Make one wrong move...

And what?

Sir, we need the Doctor.

There's a slave with fever.

Damn it.

Well, allow me to see him. I can help.

Remember what I said, Doctor.

Henry?

Are you in the present?

Yes, of course.

What of george speece?

Well, we're still running down his alibi,

but between us, - I don't think he's our guy.

He did turn us on, however, to another suspect.

Who?

A financier.

Rick's bank records confirmed

that he spent the last eight months

reoutfitting his ship to the tune of $1.7 million.

Where did that money come from?

Well, the invoices were paid

by a company called the Lagos Group.

It's owned by Isaac Monroe.

Maybe he knows about the gold.

He's giving a speech tonight at the Explorer's club.

Do you know it?

Of course.

Founded in 1904 by Adolphus Greely

and Marshall Saville.

Are you a member?

I, uh, have a subscription to their magazine.

Great. Let's go, I need you.

Oh, we'll have to change.

It'll likely be a black-tie affair.

Not for us.

It would have taken us 10 minutes

to make ourselves presentable.

You look fine.

Hey, this must be the diver George told us about.

He died on one of Rick's salvages,

and that must be our financier.

If everyone will please take their seats,

we are about to begin.

Excuse me, Mr. Monroe?

I am Detective Martinez. This is Dr. Henry Morgan.

If you don't mind, I'll be with you in a moment.

Wait, we're investigating Rick Rasmussen's murder.

We believe his death is connected

to something he salvaged from the sea on your behalf.

I hate this, I really do.

W-- sir, we need to talk.

Ladies and gentlemen, Isaac Monroe.

I hate public speaking.

Wish me luck.

Why, he's a little full of himself, huh?

Ladies and gentlemen, to be honest with you,

I'm not much of an adventurer.

I've been known to get lost in my own office.

I refuse to sleep in a tent.

Meaning, I'd be useless on an expedition.

I'm just the money guy,

so instead of me telling you

how much this particular find means to me,

allow me to put my money where my mouth is.

$7 million in gold recovered from the Empress of Africa,

a 19th-century slave ship.

And tonight, it is my pleasure to announce

that all the proceeds from this expedition

will be donated

to the Walker Institute for history education.

Did he just give away his motive?

I think he also winked at you.

You lied to us, Mr. Monroe.

You do have a flair for public speaking.

I said I didn't like it.

I didn't say I wasn't any good at it.

I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me.

So you think I killed Rick Rasmussen

for the treasure I just gave away?

Philanthropy aside,

the gold that you donated belonged to Rick.

It belonged to me

and everything else recovered from the Empress of Africa.

He handed the gold over to you?

That's correct, per my contract with Captain Rasmussen.

Dr. Morgan? Dr. Henry Morgan?

That's me.

If this is about my suit,

I would have dressed properly, but --

There's a call for you, sir.

Excuse me.

You still want to take me in?

No, that won't be necessary.

A few hours alone with you under the lights --

that's more interesting than this party.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Monroe.

Hold on.

That came off all wrong.

I was just...enjoying our little chat is all.

Sir, I'm working.

And when you're not working?

I'm a cop. You are a suspect.

You're thinking twice about that date with me now, aren't you?

What date?

That's not an answer. That's a question.

Good night, mr. Monroe.

Night, detective.

Hello?

I hope you're enjoying yourself, Henry,

despite being so underdressed for such an occasion.

What do you want?

To celebrate the discovery of the Empress of Africa,

your ship.

How did you know I was on --

History fascinates me...

...especially yours.

Henry Morgan, born 1779,

presumed lost at sea,

Empress of Africa, 1814.

resurfaced 1815.

Committed to an asylum in the same year.

The ship was your first death, wasn't it?

Yes.

I didn't take you for a slaver.

I wasn't.

I was trying to free them.

And the weapon you were killed with?

The captain's flintlock.

Why?

We're looking - for the same thing, Henry.

A way out.

It's the same pistol, isn't it?

Yes.

That pistol is worth more than all the gold in the world.

Why?

Why, Adam?

Henry?

Who were you talking to?

No one.

You can go.

Isaac's alibi actually checked out.

The guy was giving a speech at the Louvre

the day Rick was killed.

Flew back on his G5 that night.

What's he after?

My guess -- you.

Come on, Jo.

What are you gonna do?

Are you gonna have dinner at your desk again?

Go have fun.

You deserve it.

Hey, got a package for you.

Looks cool.

Nice gun.

Yes.

I, uh, requested it from the Explorer's Club.

It was found on the shipwreck that Rick discovered.

I know.

You know?

Yeah, I read it on your Explorer's Cub journal here, right?

They did a whole photo spread and everything.

Kinda cool.

You read my magazines?

Sometimes.

Well, thank you, Lucas. That'll be all.

You know, the flintlock pistol took over a minute to reload,

and its accuracy was only 15 feet.

Kind of a lame gun, honestly.

Yes, well, how interesting.

I mean, how much of a tool

would you have to be to get shot by that?

Right? You could just duck down

or, like, jog away at a moderate pace.

Look, uh, Lucas, I need to be alone.

I do have work to do.

What? What work? I can help.

I don't even know - what we're following here --

the 200-year-old slave ship or the dead sea captain.

You know, I-I-I don't think

that Holmes and Watson had this problem.

Sherlock Holmes?

Have you been talking about partners this whole time?

Oh, my god. Yes, doc, yes.

That's what we've been talking about.

Okay, so you're the doctor, so you're obviously Watson,

and I'm the slightly odd but hot mad genius,

so that makes me Sherlock.

Heterochromia.

He has different-color eyes.

What?

Brock Healey, the diver who perished nine months ago.

He has a genetic abnormality.

Okay, fine. You're Sherlock.

I have to tell Jo.

What? Okay, b-but -- but I'm still Watson, though, right?

Thank you.

Detective Martinez.

Jo.

Did you find the place okay?

I did, yeah.

You sent your limo, so it made it easy.

Where are we going?

I thought I'd cook, actually.

Come on in.

Where's Jo? I need her.

She's on a date, believe it or not,

and there's no way we're interrupting that.

What is it?

Brock Healey, the diver who died searching for the Empress,

he had heterochromia.

Different-colored eyes.

One green, one blue, just like Margo.

It's a genetic trait. They're siblings.

This isn't about gold.

It's revenge.

Margo killed Rick for getting her brother killed.

Ping her phone, find her.

I hope I'm not being too forward, dinner at my place.

Mm, don't worry.

I brought my gun.

Really?

No, not really.

Good.

Tonight, you don't need to be a cop.

I've dreamt of having this view since I was a kid.

It never gets old.

Where are you from, exactly?

Up there, 116th Street.

I probably shouldn't.

I think I can get you home safely.

Right.

Limo back to the real world after the perfect date, huh?

Yeah, did sound like the -- the rich guy, didn't I?

Sorry. I was trying to hide that.

Oh, well, I'm a detective, so...

That's right.

Now, how did you put it?

Let's -- let's get back to the perfect date.

Isaac, are you about to make a move?

Jo, please. We just met.

I never make a move on the first date.

Marvin Gaye, huh?

Now, how did he get on there? This is not my playlist.

I'm a detective, remember?

Oh, that's right. It is my playlist.

And I'm considering making a move.

What? What is it?

Do you mind if I just --

Oh, Yes. It's...

Last ping from Margo's phone

came from a tower located at 74th and Park.

That's Isaac Monroe's building.

I need to call Jo.

He financed the dive.

Her brother would still be alive if it weren't for him.

Her phone's off.

Next right, take Park.

What are you doing, Martinez?

Take a breath.

You just met him. He was a suspect in your case.

Okay. You have to go now.

Isaac?

Isaac?

Margo, drop the knife!

Mr. Monroe, this is the NYPD. Please open up.

Oh, man, Marvin Gaye?

What does that mean?

Doc, please. There's like a 70% chance

they're in the middle of... you know.

On a first date?

Yeah, this could be an epic mistake.

Mr. Monroe!

In my opinion, that is not sex.

Drop it! It's over.

What?

You brought your gun on a date?

So, this woman, Margo,

she blames me - for her brother's death?

You and Rick Rasmussen.

When Margo read about your donation in the paper,

she connected you to the shipwreck.

She believed it was you that forced Rick to dive deeper.

Mr. Monroe, you've had a rough night, but try to relax.

There's nothing to worry about now

thanks to detective Martinez here.

Detective Hanson, - may I have a word with you?

Perfect end to the perfect date, huh?

Sorry. We don't have to do it again.

Are you kidding?

You saved my life.

There's no way you can refuse me a second date.

Okay. Another try, then.

And this time, no gun.

Dr. Morgan.

Sir.

If you have a moment, might I ask you a question.

Shoot.

The Empress wasn't Rick's obsession, was it?

It was yours.

You knew its location.

You'd found a map.

It was handwritten, this map,

By one of the sailors aboard the ship.

His name was Ejiro.

He was a scholar, a teacher.

But on board the Empress of Africa,

just another slave,

along with 300 others,

Locked in the belly of the ship.

Do you know what happened to them?

Well, the story is a little vague,

but one of the crew members was shot by the captain

in the ship's hull.

Get him out of here!

A key fell from the dead man.

Soon after, they rose up, freed themselves,

and took control of the ship,

but it was, uh, damaged beyond repair.

Amazingly, they made it up north,

and when the ship finally went under,

they escaped to free soil.

Only the map - and their story survived.

They lived.

They made it far enough north to live as free men,

and 200 years later,

one of their descendants could find that ship,

tell their story -- our story --

all because someone dropped a key.

For 200 years, I thought I'd gotten them killed...

But I was cursed because of it.

In my completely unscientfic opinion,

you are not cursed, Henry.

And now I think this conversation.

needs another bottle -- '84 Rieti.

A great alienist once told me.

That we must face those moments we choose to forget.

Only by confronting our fears

are we able to grow, to change,

and to be able to face our next.

Well, Henry, do you have it?

Yes.

Why is it important, Adam?

Do you know what a Pugio is?

A roman dagger.

I was stabbed with one in the stomach 2,000 years ago.

Excruciating way to die.

The great curse for the immortal

is that time ceases to exist.

I think that's what I miss the most,

feeling like every minute, every second

could be your last.

The gun, Adam.

Something different about it, isn't there?

I believe that the only thing that can kill us

is the weapon that made us this way.

Intriguing, isn't it?

Sadly,

my dagger was lost, but when I had it,

I still never summoned up the courage to test my theory.

Be a sport.

Let me know if you work up the nerve.

Abraham?

Yeah.

The, uh, clock on the mantel,

It's ticking.

Did you have it fixed?

It's always ticking.

I wind it every day.

You okay, Henry?