Major Crimes (2012–2018): Season 3, Episode 13 - Acting Out - full transcript

A former child star's Hollywood comeback is killed when he's found dead on skid row. The director of the actor's current movie and his manager are prime suspects. Flynn's daughter comes to visit and asks Sharon how she handles going out with Flynn in the evening and being his boss during the day. Their response to her invite to the Nutcracker forces Sharon and Flynn to define their relationship.

After three days of shooting up...

Little Maria won't turn any more tricks,

so we decide to roll the next guy we see.

The guy fights back.

So I shoot him in the head,

take the ivory crucifix off his neck.

Me and little Maria...

carry his body to the waterfront,

and I just, well, I go back to the Jensen

just thinking about what I've done,

and there's a Bible...
open on the nightstand.



And I see Acts 3:19.

That verse is the same number as the room.

It says, "repent, then...

"and turn to God...

so that your sins may be wiped out."

So I decide to ask for forgiveness.

But first...

I stick the gun...

and the ivory crucifix...

in the vent above my head.

Ana: What the hell are you doing?!

Not one word of that is in the script!

Damn it! [Breathing heavily]

You can't make up dialogue!



Why are you telling that story, J-me?!

- Why?!
- I'm sorry?

Oh, my God, I'm gonna kill you!

- Are you talking to me?
- Who am I looking at?

'Cause my name is Miguel.

And I only tell the truth,
and you know it! Cut!

- No!
- Cut!

You don't yell cut because
you're not the director!

- I'm the director!
- J-me: Well, you know what? Pete! Let's go.

Danny, follow him!

Follow him, and somebody get me

his useless manager on the phone now!

[Door opens]

I-I'm really sorry, J-me,
uh, I mean, uh, Miguel,

uh, but before you go, Ana needs her sample.

Oh, I'm giving it to her.

[Zipper opens]

[Urinating] Right here.

No, no, no, listen, Ian... I-Ian!

Your client is in breach of contract,

and this is the last time

I'm gonna have this kind
of conversation with you!

- I'm not gonna deal with...
- Sorry, babe.

I'm the center of your little film.

You can never get rid of me.

[Laughs]

[Police radio chatter]

Sykes, who called this in?

Store owner.

First officer on the scene

recognized our victim but
kept his ID confidential.

We'll see how long that lasts.

Why? Who is he?

Are you kidding? It's J-me.

James Martin Elliott?

Better known to a whole generation

of teenage girls as "J-me."

Provenza: This bum was a child star?

Before he got mixed up in drugs,

J-me had his own television
series, records, concerts.

He was incredibly hot.

Yeah, well, now he's
barely room temperature.

Flynn: No one else recognized
this guy before we got here?

I don't know. I find that hard to believe.

Mm, track marks.

I'll bet he came downtown
for a fix and got rolled.

One dirtbag kills another
dirtbag at Christmas.

A timeless holiday story.

Flynn, what are you doing?

My daughter wants to meet me at work today.

I'm just trying to head her off.

Sir, no one admits to
seeing anything last night,

but several people say that the
victim had become a regular.

Oh, no. Is that...

Oh, my. [Sighs]

Oh, my God! Are you kidding me?!

It's J-me!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, this guy's
a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Man: Incoming!

[Helicopter blades whirring]

That's not one of our airships, sir.

Well, so much for keeping this under wraps.

All right, Kendall, get back over there

and lose that coroner's van,

then load this kid in the ambulance.

You want us to put a dead
guy in an ambulance?

Unless he's badly decomposing,

you see brain matter on the sidewalk,

he's not dead until I say he's dead.

And I want a second opinion.

- Let's get him to the E.R.
- Yeah.

All right, now... Let's go.

Uh, Sanchez, accompany our
patient in the ambulance.

And if his condition doesn't improve,

I'll meet you at the morgue.

[Whirring continues]

Taylor: How could you have
sent this guy to the hospital

and pretended he was being treated?

I'm not a doctor.

Kendall refused to sign off.

And you ordered 20 uniformed officers

to protect a floor your
patient is no longer on?

Sharon: That was my idea, chief.

I want the reporters
waiting at the hospital,

not searching for evidence.

Look, we have a limited amount of time

to control this story before
it takes off without us.

[Cellphone buzzing]

Even my wife is calling

to ask what it is we're hiding.

Hold on, hon.

Hurry this up, captain.

- [Sighs]
- Doctor.

The cause of death seems
fairly straightforward...

A subdural hematoma

resulting from repetitive
blunt-force trauma to the head.

Not drugs?

Surprisingly, no.

And look at this.

These injection sites...

Created with makeup, like this tattoo.

Acts 3:19?

"Repent, then, and turn to God

"so that your sins may be wiped out

that times of refreshing
may come from the lord."

Well, somebody went to Sunday school.

But why try so hard to
appear like a drug user

if you're not one?

Sykes: For the past month,

J-me was acting in a movie
about a homeless addict.

It was a small independent film
designed to be his comeback.

This entertainment news site, Inside P.O.V.,

has dozens of stories on him.

J-me was in rehab three
times in the past five years.

Hollywood reporters seemed to think

that this movie was an opportunity

to prove that he was
living his life in recovery.

So, James Elliott wasn't on
Skid Row obtaining drugs.

He was downtown at 2:00 in the morning

doing research for a role.

Oh, hey.

Uh...

So, I spoke with the film's, uh, UPM...

Whatever that is... and, uh,
with J-me in the hospital,

they stopped filming.

So, he put me in touch
with one of their gofers,

who just told me...

Hey, we're not gofers, lieutenant.

We're P.A.s, as in production assistants.

Okay, the P.A., A.K.A. gofer,

said that J-me blew up on the set,

stormed off with one of his
drivers in a black S.U.V.

after taking... um, a whiz
on the director's car.

Captain Raydor, this is Ian Sherman,

Mr. Elliott's talent manager.

I thought you might want to update him

on his client's condition

since he's been overwhelmed
by interview requests.

Sherman: Yeah, I-I-I've
been at the hospital.

[Sputters] It's a zoo.

I-I can't get anywhere near J-me,

and... and... and there's
all kind of speculation

- going on out there.
- Uh, let me bring you up to speed, sir.

Lieutenant Tao.

Could you please bring
Mr. Sherman into my office?

And I'll join you in a moment.

- Follow me.
- Mm-hmm.

Taylor: Keep me posted, captain.

Wouldn't want the news
getting out in the wrong way.

Yes, sir.

You all right?

Yeah, I-I was supposed to ask Lieutenant Tao

to pick through these
extras for S.I.S. officers

and then head back to work.
Is this gonna take long?

No, not at all. Just wait here.

- Okay.
- Uh, Lieutenant Provenza,

would you please join us
in my office? Thank you.

- Hey, Nicole.
- Hey, Sharon.

I guess I chose a busy day to stop by.

No, not at all.

Uh, we'll have a minute to talk.

- Okay.
- Talk? Talk about what?

I mean, what do you need
to talk to Sharon about?

Something... personal, dad, okay?

- O-okay.
- Okay.

Sharon: Uh, Mr. Sherman, this is...

Mr. Sh... Mr. Sherman, this
is Lieutenant Provenza,

who had your client brought to the hospital,

and this is Lieutenant Tao,

who understands your business
a little bit better than I do.

I consult on a TV show starring Jon Worth...

"Badge of Justice."

Never seen it.

Uh, but I-I hear it's wonderful.

- Mm.
- Oh! What is going on with J-me?!

He's not answering his cell!

When was the last time you spoke with him?

[Sighs] Yesterday,

uh, but I got a phone call at 1:00 A.M.

from the director he's working with.

She had another knockdown,
drag-out fight with J-me.

She forced him to walk off the set.

Anyway, I-I need to speak to him right away.

Pressing business matters?

Oh, and then some!

I-I couldn't buy this
kind of media attention.

Oh, if it turns out J-me was
sober during the attack,

we can ride this momentum
to a complete career reboot.

What? What?

You also manage J-me's publicity?

Oh, like...

Like I might have staged
an attack as a P.R. stunt?

- Mm.
- That's ridiculous.

What if J-me hurt his face?

[Cellphone chimes, cellphone buzzes]

Something the matter, dad?

Looks like central sent us
all the same video link.

What is this supposed to be?

I'll pull it up on my monitor.

Oh, this does not look
good, this caption here...

Very, very bad.

A video just released by Inside P.O.V.

shows former child star
James Martin Elliott,

better known to his legion of fans as "J-me,"

being violently assaulted
in downtown Los Angeles.

This was either late last
night or early this morning.

Now, take a look at this video
provided by Inside P.O.V.

Man: This is my spot!

Get out of here! Unh!

J-me: Ohh! Agh!

[Grunts]

Agh!

We will, of course,

have more details as they become available.

Uh, did we find a crutch at the scene?

No, ma'am, and the street
where that video was shot

is not where J-me ended up.

Sykes: Captain, I-I just
got a text from central

saying they recognize the assailant...

A vagrant named Diego
Mora, A.K.A. Crazy Diego.

Okay, let's put out a citywide
watch on Crazy Diego.

I'd like to find him before CNN.

Uh, who do you think shot that, uh, video?

Um, probably some paparazzo
stalking the poor kid.

Lieutenant Tao, please call Inside P.O.V.

- and see if we can get the raw footage.
- Mm.

Hey, did everyone look at
the video central just sent?

That has to be the guy who killed J-me.

J-me is dead?

[Sputtering] Is that true?!

Mr. Sherman, I'm... I'm very sorry,

but, um, I'm afraid that your...

Well, your client, uh...

Is a little bit dead, yeah.

Oh, my God.

I got to call my realtor.

Uh, yeah. Uh, look, congratulations.

You just won a free day with the LAPD.

I'm in the way.

Oh, you know what? I'm so sorry, honey.

We're in the middle of a
time-sensitive investigation.

- Maybe if you just...
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

We're sending patrol
out to pick up a killer,

and we're tracking down some video footage.

Andy, that's just legwork.

Come on in my office, Nicole.

Okay. [Chuckles]

So... [Chuckles]

In some ways, I feel a little
awkward asking your advice,

but you deal with this
issue on a daily basis, too.

Oh, what issue is that?

My husband's a great guy
and a wonderful father,

and we used to work together... no problem.

But ever since I became
the accounts manager,

which made me his boss,
we've been having problems,

and how do you handle that?

Well, I never worked with my husband.

I can't imagine.

No, but you do work with my dad.

Uh, just tell me, like,

is there some... some trick to...

to balancing your romance
with your responsibilities?

I mean, how do you go out
with my father at night

and boss him around during the day?

Oh, I don't know if I've...

Ever really, um, thought
about it quite like that.

[Knock on door]

Sorry to interrupt, captain.

Not at all.

Buzz is downloading the rest
of that video you requested.

Oh, thank you. Uh, Nicole, I am so sorry,

but I'm afraid that your father was right.

Um, we are completely,
completely running out of time.

- Sorry, sorry.
- No, I'm sorry. Let's go.

So, we'll talk sometime later, okay?

Nicole: Oh, uh, speaking of which,

my stepsons are doing
"The Nutcracker" again,

and we'd love to all go as a family.

I thought how nice it would
be if you and Rusty...

Could join us tomorrow night.

Oh, well, we would just love

to go as a group to "The Nutcracker,"

wouldn't we, Rusty?

Sure. Yeah.

Uh, thank you for asking.

"The Nutcracker" is, um...

What is it?

A ballet.

Oh, I would invite everyone,

but we only have so many tickets.

Oh, no problem.

After five marriages, I
know "The Nutcracker"...

by heart.

Captain, we've got Sherman incommunicado

in our visitor's conference center.

- Video's up.
- Okay.

I'll let you guys get back to work.

- Um, thanks again for listening, Sharon.
- Uh, lieutenant?

Oh, right. Background S.I.S. guys.

If you have anything that could
help, I'd really appreciate it.

- Oh, we will talk soon.
- Okay.

- Bye, dad.
- Bye-bye, sweetheart.

Thank you so much.

- Uh, I'll call you later.
- Okay.

Buzz: Well, the first part
is just watching the guy

wandering around aimlessly
before the attack.

Provenza: So whoever took this video

was no passerby who stumbled onto a fight.

Uh, definitely not, and you can
tell from the high resolution,

this was shot with a quality camera.

Uh, Buzz, could you,

um, fast-forward to the confrontation?

Hey!

J-me: Hey.

What are you doing here?!

Diego starts the fight.
J-me's defensive throughout.

Get out of here!

What are you doing in my spot?!

Taking my spot!

Unh! Ohh!

Agh!

Sykes: Here's where the video
Inside P.O.V. aired ended,

with Diego Mora discovering
he was being filmed.

[ Shouts]

Man: Ow, my arm, my arm!
Look what you did to my arm!

And that's it.

Julio and Amy, let's try
and talk with the driver

who dropped our victim off on Skid Row.

Mike, see if you can check with
the emergency rooms in the area.

See if anyone came in in
the early morning hours

with a broken arm or a sprained wrist.

Flynn and I will get a warrant,

go to the studio where J-me was filming,

- check out his dressing room.
- Trailer.

Trailer. [Chuckles]

Oh, my God. Mr. Show Business speaks.

[Chuckles] Um, anything else?

No, Andy, that'll be it. Thank you.

Okay. Um...

Okay.

Okay, bye.

Yeah, bye.

Buzz, um... let's look at this footage again

and see if we missed anything.

O-kay.

Look, I never actually said to Nicole

that Sharon and I were dating.

Well, if you would call her
"captain" instead of "Sharon,"

maybe some of your problems

would go away... Some
of my aggravation, too.

[Scoffs]

Ah, look.

The glamour of Hollywood...
One big RV park.

Well, this has got to be it.

Aha, looky here.

Flynn: Oh, yeah.

[Thud, glass shatters]

Man: Oh, crap, crap, crap.

LAPD! Open up!

Crap, crap, crap. What now?

God, don't shoot!

Get back, get back!

Who are you,
and why are you in J-me's trailer?

[Door closes]

Look, I'm Danny Riggs, I work here,

and J-me called this morning and asked me

to, uh, secure his valuables
while he's in the hospital.

I seriously doubt that.

Flynn: Wait a second. Danny Riggs...

Y-you're the gofer that
I spoke to this morning.

A-a-actually, we're called
"production assistants,"

- and I'm on...
- Yeah, where'd you get that shiner?

How'd you break your arm, Danny?

Were you following J-me around last night

with a camera on Skid Row, huh?!

Sit down! All right, the video, the video!

O-okay, fine!

That was me downtown filming J-me.

You knew this guy was gonna be attacked?

What?! No, no! How could I know that?!

A-Ana, the director, asked
me to keep an eye on him...

with a video camera.

Why would she want you
to do something like that?

[Sighs]

J-me was required to turn
over a urine sample every day

to prove he was clean and sober.

Last night, he refused,

so Ana thought a video of him
buying drugs off the street

would serve the same purpose.

You can't touch that stuff,
okay?! It's all personal!

Okay, how did that video
end up at Inside P.O.V.?

I sold it to them to make a few extra bucks!

Is that a crime?!

Hopefully. We're still looking around.

No, seriously, is that a crime?

Yeah, just hold on.

All this rewriting, is that typical?

How should I know?!

Okay, Danny boy, $5 Friday...
What's that all about?

Like a lottery.

On Friday, everybody on the set

writes their name on a $5
bill, puts it in the can.

We draw a winner at lunch.

Yesterday, J-me won, of
all people, 1,000 bucks.

Man, was the crew pissed.

I bet he still had that cash on
him when he drove downtown.

He didn't drive himself.

Pete took him.

Pete? Pete who?

Sykes: Could you tell us how you came to be

Mr. Elliott's driver in the first place?

Sure, um... the director,
Ana, introduced us.

J-me kind of took to me, I guess,

because he was just out
of rehab again and, um...

I've been clean for years.

Also, he was researching this movie

about life on the streets.

So, J-me was doing
research with his director,

and she introduced him to his driver.

That's interesting.

Maybe Ana and J-me's relationship

started out in a more...

- Yeah, I told him. So did he.
- personal fashion.

Didn't seem like a big
deal to either one of us.

Mike, would you ask J-me's manager

how his client got the lead
role in that film to begin with?

Mm.

So, what happened last night?

Well, [Sighs] nothing unusual, really.

Uh, he and Ana had another one

of their typical blow-out fights.

J-me stormed off set,

asked me to drive him downtown.

That's where he goes to become Miguel.

Why was he fighting with the director, Ana?

Well, I guess she wanted to
hear the lines as written.

You know, J-me's not a big believer in that.

Last night, Ana really
went off on him about it.

[Telephone ringing]

Buzz Watson.

Have you ever seen this man before?

Pete: Oh, God, Diego Mora.

Great. They found Crazy Diego.

Oh, that's a relief. Where is he?

Morales: The bruising and contusions I see

are consistent

with someone living Mr. Mora's lifestyle,

but the cause of death

appears to be acute opiate intoxication.

There were no syringes

or dope anywhere near his body.

Thoughtful guy...

Kills himself and straightens up afterwards.

A little too thoughtful.

Yes, maybe Diego had a visitor last night

after he beat an actor to
death for no apparent reason.

An actor who gets the part of Miguel

by sleeping with the director,
or so his manager indicates.

J-me's relationship with Ana

could've been something more than it seems.

Or something less. Yes, doctor?

Um, Mr. Mora had a pouch
sewn into his belt line,

and this key was inside it.

Any idea what it's for?

I've recovered ones like it
from other indigent victims.

That should unlock a bin at
a downtown community center

where the homeless keep their belongings.

If Diego's death isn't
just a wild coincidence...

Then he killed J-me for someone else.

And now we start over.

[Sighs]

It's with profound sadness that I inform you

James Martin Elliott succumbed earlier today

to injuries related to an assault

that occurred at approximately
3:00 A.M. this morning.

Central division identified
Mr. Elliott's attacker

as one Diego Mora, aged 43.

[Sighs]

I mean, it's not like I
was a big fan of J-me,

but there were plenty of times

where I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time.

Well, it may not have been
a random act of violence.

It could be that someone wanted J-me dead.

Or they got mad he was, like, some rich boy

pretending to be homeless.

The street would not put
up with that kind of thing.

That's true, but, also,

J-me may or may not have been
involved with someone at work.

Trying to date someone at work...

Tricky.

So I hear.

Ah, do I really have to go

to that "Nutcracker" thing tomorrow night?

Oh, come on, Rusty,

don't you want to see a classic ballet?

- The music is iconic.
- Uh-huh.

Like how?

♪ Bum, bum-bum, bum-bum
bum, bum, bum, bum ♪

♪ Bum, bum-bum-bum-bum
bum, bum, bum, bum ♪

♪ Da, da-da, da-da, da-da, d... ♪

Do they play it like that?

No. It's an orchestra.

Yeah.

Okay, look.

I'm afraid that Nicole has made some...

wrong assumptions about my
relationship with her dad,

and I would feel better if you
came along with me as a...

Oh, oh, like a buffer.

What?

No, no, no, I don't need a b... no!

I just don't want to get into a, um...

Any personal conversation about...

Sharon, that is exactly what a buffer does.

Look, I-I'm... I'm glad to go.

- Okay.
- But what do you think put this idea

in Nicole's head to begin with?

Tao: The key Dr. Morales
found on Diego's body

fits this lock.

There's no contraband
or perishables allowed.

The community center provides
bins for the homeless,

and it allowed access to their belongings

from sunrise to sunset.

Sykes: And I checked their sign-in sheet,

and Diego Mora was there once yesterday

just before 7:00 A.M.

Now, what would that derelict
be doing with a mirror?

Oh, people attach them inside the lid, sir,

to see who's behind them

when they're looking through their things.

Ah, the murder weapon.

Provenza: Holy Toledo.

There must be at least
a hundred $5 bills here.

And look... each bill has a
person's name written on it

in magic marker.

Just like the P.A. with
the broken arm told us.

Yeah, $5 Friday. Mm.

Sykes: Now, here's a name that interests me.

Ana is the director of the
movie J-me was working on.

Provenza: Yeah, and she also ordered

that same P.A. to follow J-me downtown.

And she may or may not
have been dating the victim.

Sharon: Yes.

A little relationship clarity

could do us all some good here.

Yeah.

I put that in the coffee
can like everyone else

and lost it to J-me.

Do I get it back now?

Why don't you explain how
you came to direct a project

starring James Martin Elliott?

Short story is, I spent
most of my teens on drugs,

in and out of Juvie and LA County Jail.

When I finally was paroled,

I wrote this script as a form of therapy,

and J-me came along, and he's a name.

So that's why you cast a
former child star from Idaho

as a Latino from South Central?

J-me had an international
following from his childhood,

and his name and his manager
helped me get the financing.

I did what I had to do to make the movie.

Did that include dating J-me?

It's not that simple.

How it started, how it developed.

Uh, we spent a lot of time together, yes,

but we were also making a film.

Sometimes when you work
closely with someone,

people can misunderstand the relationship.

Again, my relationship
with J-me was multifaceted,

and I don't really know
how to feel right now.

I'm sorry for him, I'm sorry for me,

and now I'm gonna have to start all over.

I've insured myself for that, but still.

- Insured yourself?
- So you thought there was a chance

J-me might not finish the film? Why?

Because he could've relapsed.

He didn't get clean for himself.

He did it for his comeback.

So my movie, his sobriety,

they were just doorways
he had to pass through

on the way back to all his screaming fans.

It's sad, but it's true.

Uh, this is a picture of the man

that we think may have beat J-me to death.

Have you seen him before?

I don't know. I've met a lot of people.

He doesn't look familiar.

I think we can take that as a yes.

Okay.

Ana here sends our P.A. with the
broken arm downtown with a camera.

The P.A. tells her where J-me's headed,

and she sends Crazy Diego
to beat him to death.

But if Ana was planning on killing J-me,

why would she send someone to film it?

Yeah, I was concerned about his welfare.

I don't know, but she gets to
make her movie all over again.

Our lawyers said we needed documentation

to fire him for cause and recast,

and if we couldn't get a urine sample,

then a video of a drug deal
would have done the same thing.

Flynn: First, you said you needed him.

Now it sounds like

you were ready to toss
J-me off your project.

I mean, don't get me wrong...

When J-me was working
with me, he was fantastic,

but I just got to the point

where he couldn't be trusted anymore,

so if I could've switched him
out for someone reliable,

then, yes, I was ready to do that.

We've been told that the two of you

fought over the last scene that J-me shot.

That he went, uh, I think
you call it "off script."

Yeah, what does that
have to do with anything?

We'd like to see the footage.

No.

No, I'm not giving you that take.

J-me went downtown, and he got his
ass kicked for pretending to be broke.

That's the end of the story.

I'm not gonna say anything
else without a lawyer.

Michael, that footage, the dailies,

it's digital these days, right?

Mm-hmm, right, so people on the production

can look at it on their
computers, their devices.

But it's password-protected.

Yeah, but we know someone

who we could charge with
breaking and entering

if he doesn't help us with this.

And [Sighs] this last one's

the wide shot you're looking for.

Thanks. Now get out.

- Wow, you guys are rude.
- We're what?

I'll put it on the big screen.

Man: Follow me. Right this way.

Ana: And action!

After three days of shooting up...

Little Maria won't turn any more tricks,

so we decide to roll the next guy we see.

The guy fights back.

So I shoot him in the head,

take the ivory crucifix off his neck.

Me and little Maria...

carry his body to the waterfront,

and I just...

Sykes: Nothing he's saying
here is in his dialogue.

Yeah, it's all just what he wrote

in the margins of his script.

I go back to the Jensen just
thinking about what I've done.

[Sighs]

And there's a Bible...
open on the nightstand.

And I see acts 3:19.

That verse is the same number as the room.

It says, "repent, then...

"and turn to God...

so that your sins may be wiped out."

So I decide to ask for forgiveness.

But first...

I stick the gun...

and the ivory crucifix...

in the vent above my head.

Ana: What the hell are you doing?!

Not one word of that is in the script!

Damn it! You cannot make up dialogue!

Why are you telling that story, J-me?!

- Why?!
- I'm sorry?

Oh, my God, I'm gonna kill you!

- Are you talking to me?
- Buzz, roll it back

to where, uh, he's talking about the murder.

[Video rewinding]

The guy fights back.

So I shoot him in the head,

take the ivory crucifix off his neck.

Me and little Maria...

carry his body to the
waterfront, and I just...

Hey, hey, that's just like
the murder of Mateo Perez

back in '98, '99.

Who was Mateo Perez?

About a 25-year-old party boy

whose father was a big
boss in the Sinaloa Cartel.

Perez disappeared one Saturday night.

His body washed up three
weeks later in the LA River

with a .380 slug in his head.

Yeah, but without the ivory crucifix

that his family said he never took off.

But that would mean Perez was shot

when J-me was 9 and living in Boise.

Were the details of the, uh,
crucifix ever made public?

No, ma'am.

So either J-me was psychic or...

Or someone told him that story,

and he didn't know what it meant.

Here's a picture of Mateo
provided by the Perez family

when he went missing.

Well, I'm telling you, whoever killed Mateo

could not be happy at
J-me's little monologue

that will be forever committed to film.

And Ana really didn't want us to have it.

She didn't want it to be publicized, either,

because that would alert the Cartel.

Captain,
I think I found the hotel referred to

in the monologue.

It's now a halfway house for street kids.

Tao: And he said the Bible verse

- was the same as the number of the room.
- 319.

Wait, you don't think that
that crucifix and that gun

could still be in that vent
in 319 15 years later?

We have to look, and we have
to have another conversation.

- With whom?
- With whomever saw this

and realized it wasn't
just another improvisation.

J-me wasn't killed because
he argued with the director

or had artistic differences.

He was killed because he knew too much.

[Knock on door]

Hey.

Mm, Andy.

Uh, Sykes is bringing J-me's driver

into the electronics room,

and, uh, the prints are ready,

and the video's up in interview 2

so we can show it to that director lady.

Great, thank you. [Clears throat]

Yeah, um, look, I, uh, I spoke to Nicole

when I got home last night,

and I think, well, somehow or other,

she's got the wrong idea about us.

So, what'd you... what'd you tell her?

Uh, well...

Uh, I...

I guess... well, you
know, in these situations

where children are concerned...

I think that we should
have dinner at my place

before we go to "The Nutcracker" tonight

and explain our friendship in a way

that will make it easy
for Nicole to understand.

Right. You're right.

- That's the right thing to do, but...
- But what?

[Chuckles] I don't want to do it.

Don't worry. I'll help you.

[Metal scraping]

So, you found a gun and
a necklace in a vent.

Congrats.

Now, what does this have
to do with my client?

So, Ms. Ruiz, you've never
seen any of those items?

No, I've never seen them.
I was never in that room.

What room?

Ana, let me handle this.

So, did you find my client's fingerprints

on either the, uh, gun or the necklace?

Tao: Not yet, but the
gun is being disassembled

and checked as we speak.

Ah, Mr. Sims. Thank you
for coming. Have a seat.

Have it on record that you've
never met Diego Mora.

I'm happy to help if I can.

Sykes: We've outfitted Lieutenant
Provenza with an earpiece,

and if you think of
anything that can help us,

- we'll pass it on to him.
- Mm, okay.

Provenza: Plus, we have a
recording of your client

threatening the life of James Elliott

hours before he was murdered.

By a derelict who has absolutely
no connection whatsoever

to Ana Ruiz or to the gun
or to the ivory crucifix.

All right. Then let's talk about...

Mateo Perez.

You remember Mateo, Ms. Ruiz?

Because night before last, James Elliott

all but directly identified you on film

as Mateo Perez's killer.

J-me didn't get that story from me.

And I had nothing to do
with the Perez killing.

Then where did he get that story?

You spent hours with J-me,

telling him stories
about life on the street.

That is true, isn't it?

Absolutely. That's how they
hooked up in the first place.

Yeah, yeah, we talked about my past,

but I think he was more interested

in Pete's story than mine.

[Scoffs] See, now she's lying.

Well, it really doesn't matter, does it?

S-she slept with J-me at
least four or five times.

Because once we release that video,

everyone, including the Sinaloa Cartel,

will know that the story came from you.

Aren't you little Maria?

Didn't you drag Mateo Perez's
body down to the waterfront?

Take a breath and relax.

Don't you see, this is exactly
how they want you to react?

[Knock on door]

Lieutenant, we found a thumbprint

on the slide in that .380 Colt.

We should have a match
within half an hour, sir.

You have minutes to make a
deal your client can live with.

Once we confirm that she handled that gun,

we don't need anything else.

Mr. Sims, I think we're getting close

to tying things up with Ms. Ruiz,

so thank you for your help,
and if you'd like to go home,

Detective Sykes will
escort you to our garage.

- Pete: Okay, thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

[Clears throat]

Oh, I need $5 to validate your parking

so they won't charge you $15 at the exit.

Pete: Great, no problem.

Have any more $5 bills with
names on them in your pocket?

Peter Sims, you have the
right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one,

one will be appointed for you by the state.

Tell me, Mr. Sims, did you take these bills

off of J-me's body?

No. No, J-me gave me that money as a tip.

1,000 bucks meant nothing to him.

Well, you should know

that we found the other $500 in marked bills

in Diego's storage bin.

[Scoffs] So?

You don't want to talk about J-me and Diego,

we could go back to Mateo.

One phone call from us, and
J-me's last words on film

will play on every news
broadcast in the country,

and then all that footage will go viral.

They have the Internet
in Mexico, too, you know?

The Sinaloa Cartel will be overjoyed to hear

we have a suspect in the
murder of Mateo Perez.

Sharon: But for today and only today,

we are really interested in what
happened to J-me and to Diego.

J-me's murder...

Crazy Diego killed him on camera.

For someone else.

Look...

This whole thing's gotten
way out of control.

Okay [Sighs] driving to
and from set every day,

J-me talked about how he used to get high,

and I would tell him stories

of being strung out back in the day.

He seemed genuinely interested in my life.

- But he wasn't.
- No.

No, he just wanted my stories,

then he kept pushing Ana with his whole...

authenticity routine, you know?

"Your story's real. Let's keep it real.

I want to keep it real"!

That kid had no idea what reality was!

So you had to kill him?

No. No, you got it all wrong.

You were very, very angry

when you drove him downtown, Mr. Sims.

Yeah, I was.

I tried to explain that using
Mateo's death as a story

could get me and Ana killed,

that the Cartel would come back for us!

And all he did was give
me that $5 Friday money

like, "here, get lost," like I was some bum!

And you took some of that money,

and you paid Diego to shut J-me up.

See, that's the out-of-control part.

No, I gave the money to Diego just...

just to beat him up a bit!

Then you had to shut Diego up,

so you bought some pure
heroin, made sure he shot up.

What he did with the money I gave...

He's got no self-control!

How's it my fault that he OD'd himself?!

He didn't OD himself.

We found no tourniquet, no needles,

no cooking supplies anywhere near his body.

You gave him a dose. He shot it up.

When he nodded off, you shot him up again.

[Scoffs, laughs]

Since when do you people

care about homeless drug addicts, huh?!

Oh, we even care about cold-blooded killers.

Tell us, how did J-me know that evidence

in the murder of Mateo Perez
was at the Jensen in room 319?

Julio, his collar, please.

When we release J-me's
video, do you really want

to take your chances in
lockup with that tattoo?

Buzz: Let me get in close on this.

If you still want to release
this interview to the press,

- that tat...
- Wait, wait!

[Breathing heavily]

Look, I'm not gonna say anything else

until you people tell me that you understand

that I never wanted to kill
J-me in the first place!

Okay. Understood.

[Sighs]

I was just trying to hold my life together

the best way I knew how.

I think J-me may have
told you the same thing.

[Sighs]

You are directly connected
to three different murders.

We could arrest you for all three.

Or you could have some say in the matter.

It's entirely up to you.

[Sighs]

Oh, so, his driver takes the fall,

his director goes into the
Witness Protection program,

and I'm completely off the hook?

With our apologies, Mr. Sherman.

No, no, no, I owe you guys big time!

How so?

Before you took my phone away,

I was on the verge of backing
out of buying a beach house.

Because J-me's comeback was over.

[Exhales sharply] Boy,
was I wrong about that.

But your client's dead.

Yeah, and sales of his recordings

are going through the roof!

E-every song, every
episode of his TV series,

even his concert film... It's
unwatchable, by the way...

All flying off the shelves!

J-me is hotter than ever.

So his murder was actually a...

A spectacular career move, yeah, yeah.

I can't take direct credit for it,

but as a profit participant,
I am incredibly grateful.

Just in time for the holidays, too.

Ah, you said it! Cheers to that.

Cheers.

happy holidays.

Provenza: J-me wanted a comeback.

Well...

He moves in strange and mysterious ways...

His wonders to perform.

Are you sure I can't help any?

No, no, no. We're almost done.

We'll finish when we get back.

Gosh, Dean will regret
missing a meal like this.

Someone had to take the boys to get ready.

I'm surprised my dad
volunteered to bring them.

That is what I call "the Sharon effect."

[Chuckles] I'll go get our coats.

Um...

Listen, Nicole, uh, before we leave...

I think I need to clear
something up because you've...

Well, you've got the wrong idea

about what's going on between Sharon and me.

What do you mean the wrong idea?

Uh, well, we're not really...

Okay, the truth is that we're...

Andy and I are friends, v-very good friends,

but that... that's all.

Really? No. Oh, come on.

Dad, is that true?

Yeah. Kind of.

Oh, my God.

How could...

How could you completely
mislead me like that?

Occupational hazard?

All right, look, it's simple.

You like Sharon so much that
you seemed to respect me

a little bit more, like... like... like back

when you were a kid, you know? So...

All right, did I act like
mine and Sharon's relationship

was a little bit more
serious than it is? Possibly.

Did I exaggerate the dating part? A bit.

When I said that Sharon and I were a couple,

was that a distortion of the facts?

Andy, excuse me.

Nicole, the bottom line is,
your father is just trying to be

the kind of dad that you can
truly be proud of. That's all.

By pretending to be something that he's not?

Oh, can I interrupt? Uh...

- Please.
- Do you mind?

I just... I live in the
middle of this, and...

May I just ask a few questions
so that Nicole understands?

- Of course.
- Why not?

Okay, so, t-the two of you,

you... you go out to dinner... a lot.

Sometimes.

Y-yeah, we... we go to dinner.

- Go out to dinner sometimes.
- Sometimes.

And, Lieutenant Flynn, you
take Sharon to the movies?

- Occasionally.
- Y-yeah, well, we...

- Occasionally.
- W-we go to the movies.

The was also that Dodger game in September

and the charity banquet at
the Japanese-American museum,

oh, and we're all going to the ballet

with each other's families
as a part of Christmas.

I see, but they're definitely not dating...

as far as you know.

Or as far as they know.

- Hmm.
- After you.

Well, thank you for clearing
all that up for me, guys.

Now we better hurry.

I do not want to be fighting traffic.

Uh, Nicole...

Uh... Nicole?

So, uh... You're not mad about this?

About what?

[Keys jingle]

We're not dating.

Several times a month.

[Keys jingle]