Major Crimes (2012–2018): Season 5, Episode 1 - Present Tense - full transcript

The Major Crimes squad investigates the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl, who vanished while volunteering at a homeless shelter, while Buzz cracks open the decades old cold case file on the murder of his father and uncle. Andy Flynn considers selling his house.

[Laughing] Stop.

Gabe!

[Laughs]

[Indistinct conversations]

Mom, stop! [Laughs]

Say hi! [Laughs]

Thank you for coming.

Thank you, thank you.
We are going to find her.



First place. That's right,
first-place swimmer.

Ta-da!



Oderno: She hasn't even
been gone 48 hours yet.

Watch Command
didn't take the report seriously

because just eight months ago,
Amanda ran away from home

after having an argument
with her parents.

Let me guess.
The fight was over a boyfriend?

Oh, you must be psychic.

Yeah. Parents don't like
the age difference.

Gabe Young is a graduating senior,

and Amanda, she just turned 16 today.

Yeah. Well, let's hold off

lighting the candles on her cake
for a minute, okay?

And the boyfriend is where?

Oderno: Uh, supposed to be
camping in Joshua Tree

this weekend with friends.



- Joshua Tree?
- Yep.

Did you check to see
if he's actually there?

That's where the phone showed up
when I pinged it,

and Watch Command figured,
based on her history,

Amanda was probably with him.

Oh. So, as always, when it comes
to this part of the town,

the police are very late.

Jane Wolf, meet Lieutenant Provenza,

Detective Sykes, and Detective Oderno.

Jane runs Care First,

where Amanda volunteers
helping homeless people.

When she disappeared Friday night,

Care First brought together
our staff and clients

and kids from Amanda's school
to help her parents

do a grid search of the area
she was last seen

since you people can't be bothered.

One of Care First's clients
discovered what appears to be

evidence in this dumpster over here.

What's going on, Tao?

Tao: We have a purse
identified as Amanda's.

Her cell...
‭turned off, battery removed.

Sanchez: Plus Amanda's
Care First volunteer badge.

Lanyard's torn, sir.

And those are the, uh, hygiene packets

that Amanda was passing out
when she went missing.

15-year-old girl approaching
strange homeless men

at night in downtown L.A.

Not by herself.

Gabe, her boyfriend, was helping her,

till they had an argument
about him missing her birthday

for some camping trip.

And you know about this argument how?

Jenny Stratton, my Outreach Supervisor.

I make sure all teenage volunteers

work in tandem with adult employees.

Friday night, Amanda and her boyfriend

were out with David and Tucker here.

We passed out the hygiene packets,

and we videoed
‭all the people getting help.

We post all our video
to the Care First website after.

To encourage donors, you know?

Anyway, uh, the last thing
I shot Friday night was, uh...

[Chuckles] No problem.

Now can we go?

You're not driving me anywhere.

Mandy, I'm only out here because of you,

and now you're starting all your typical

little-girl bullsh...

I stopped filming when I realized

it was a personal conversation.

Conversation or a fight?

Only an argument, really.

It ended fast,
‭and Amanda just kind of ran off.

Alone?

Uh, I guess Gabe followed her for a bit.

We thought, you know,
they'd either make up

or Amanda would come back
and ask for a lift.

Oh, one of you guys sometimes
takes her back to her house?

She's been a little on the outs
with her parents.

She doesn't like to call them.

It's no biggie for us, though.

Yeah, never a big deal

when grown men drive teenage girls home.

Buzz: Mind if I download video
off your cells?

Unless you want us to get a warrant,

in which case, we take your phones

and get them back to you when we can.

- Oderno.
- Yes, sir?

Contact the local authorities
in Joshua Tree.

Have them trace Gabe Young's
phone to his location.

Sykes, interview
our young witnesses here,

and then contact Gabe Young's parents.

Uh, now, Amanda's mother
and father are where?

In my office. They've done
nothing wrong except...

Flynn, I want Mr. and Mrs. Pond
downtown right now.

And, oh, oh, thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Wolf.

You've been very helpful!

So, um, uh, Jenny,
where is the homeless man

that found Amanda's stuff?

We're handling this for him.

The Admiral's nervous
about dealing with police.

Um, maybe I can help him with that.

This way, ma'am.

We should check all of Amanda's
social media platforms.

And it would be great
if we could access this phone.

Well, she's only turning 16.

Maybe her parents have her password.

It's, uh...

9-5-6-6.

We [sighs] check her cell
on a regular basis

because we pay for it,
and because that horrible boy

once sent her a text that...

[Sniffles] My God.

Finding her phone, that's...

That's bad, isn't it? Is it bad?

Did she take her phone with her

when she ran away a couple months ago?

No, but this, it's different.

Something is... It's wrong.

Have you located
her boyfriend yet... Gabe?

We're working on it, Dr. Pond.

I just have a few more questions.

Great.

Rather than looking for my daughter,

let's just sit here and chat.

Other than the argument
you had with Amanda

about her boyfriend... He turned
18, by the way. Last April.

So if he's...

If he's been intimate
with my daughter since then,

that's statutory rape.

Okay. We'll look into that.

But aside from Gabe Young,

did Amanda have any other issues
with you or your wife?

Sure.

Bella's a doctor. I'm an architect.

Never mind that we were buying
her a car for her birthday.

We were a part of the evil 1%.

To make us a little nuts,
she started volunteering

to help all those... vagrants.

Did one of those homeless men
hurt my little girl?

Does that seem more likely to you

than Amanda running away
with her boyfriend?

I have no idea.

For the first time in a year,

I'm actually hoping that she's
with this Gabe kid.

I mean, 'cause what's
the alternative, right?

My God.

You don't think that Amanda's...

Is that why we're here instead
of Missing Persons?

- You think that Amanda's...
- No!

No. No.

Oh, my God.

Please let her be at Joshua Tree.

Please.

[Crying] Please.

Please!

Provenza: There's really
not much here to go on,

but I had Cold Cases send up the records

of your father and your uncle's
murder investigation.

It's been 30 years, though, so...

Thank you, Lieutenant.

I know how long it's been.

[Door beeps]

So, what's going on in...

in whatever we end up
calling this place?

Tao: This monitor has
Amanda Pond's Facebook page.

She hasn't posted since last Thursday.

We're also running video
from the subway system

through facial-recognition software.

And so far, nothing's showing Amanda

entering or leaving any station.

Lots of cool stuff on the way.
What do you think?

Uh, I think I feel like
one of the dinosaurs

watching the meteor from afar.

[Door beeps, opens]

Julio found our homeless guy.

The Admiral: There is no true
one way forward.

No, we... we blend our lives
together because privacy...

Flynn: Looks bad for the girl.

She didn't Uber, she didn't get a cab,

and she wasn't robbed.

And if she's not with this boyfriend...

Um, if we get out of here tonight,

you want to stop and get some dinner?

Something we need to talk about.

Oh.

Nothing too serious.

Hold that thought, sir, one second.

Captain, Lieutenants, meet The Admiral,

who located Amanda's purse
and phone, ma'am.

Glad to work with you, Captain.
Long live the resistance.

Report... I found the girl's bag
while dumpster-diving

because that's where the messages are.

He cried. He didn't mean it.

They say you hurt those you love?

Designated heartbreak.

You saw who dumped her bag? ‭No.

But I am a vigilant soldier
and recognized her belongings.

And she [clicks tongue]
a lovely princess,

so kind, she invited me

to stay at her house,
especially when it rained.

Amanda invited you to her house?

Many times, but it was
indefensible by land.

Look, Captain, I've divulged all I can.

Is there a, um,
service reward of any kind?

How about a sandwich and a shower?

I can't shower,
but who says no to a sandwich?

Tuna melt, perhaps? Monte Cristo?

Ooh, pimento cheese on rye... grilled.

Oh, my gosh. Amy?

Um, according to his mom,
Gabe is an angel...

wouldn't hurt a fly.

Charles Manson's mom
said the same thing.

For what it's worth, Gabe has no record,

and he's been texting Amanda
from Joshua Tree.

Tao: No, he hasn't.

Park rangers just located
our happy campers.

Seems like Gabe
handed his phone off to friends

while he drove off to party in Tijuana.

Looks like he's having fun in Mexico.

Fortunately for us, on this photo posted

by someone else's phone,
he tagged all his bros.

Two of them have
their location services on.

We know exactly where they are.

Let's put an end to this little fiesta.

Lieutenant Provenza, alert the FBI.

We may have an international
fugitive on our hands.



But also, if I moved to Silverlake,

I would take 40 minutes off my commute.

I know, but selling your house?

It's not just about being closer to you.

I'd be nearer to my daughter
and her step-sons.

Look, I know that we have been
taking things very slow.

Any slower and we'd come to a dead stop.

Sharon, look, I understand

that moving in together is a big deal

and that you would like some
time to alert your children.

Oh, hello.

One down. Two to go.

Rusty, I thought you were off
to Palm Springs with Gus.

Yeah, well,
that's not happening anymore.

Why?

It... It's ridiculous.

Uh, we were at the Grove.

We were shopping for these...

these hiking boots that he wanted,

and then suddenly...

he's holding my hand... in public.

And so I pulled my hand away,
then I don't know what happened.

He just got really mad and he walked off

and then I-I went after him for a second

because he doesn't have a car,

and now he's not returning
my text messages, so...

But why did you pull your hand away?

Why did I pull...

Because, Mom,
I-I was extremely uncomfortable.

What? You're gonna say I'm wrong?

No, but which feeling is worse...

Gus holding your hand

or you sitting here alone without him?

Okay.

All right.

Well, this... this summer
has just been great.

My relationship is in crisis,

I finally have the perfect story
for my next "Identity,"

but Buzz won't cooperate,

and now I'm missing out
on Palm Springs and...

I'm probably ruining
your evening together.

- No, no. Not at all.
- I am... I am so sorry.

No, I just... Pretend I'm not even here.

Um, have a nice night. Excuse me.

Hey, nice haircut.

[Sighs]

He doesn't like it.

[Door closes]

I worry that Rusty and Gus
found each other too soon.

Well, you can't time love.

Your table awaits, my dear.

I mean, a person might walk away
from their boyfriend,

but they just don't disappear.

Well, maybe Gus took
a bus to Palm Springs.

Or he just went home.

But where did Amanda go?

Provenza: She didn't make it to Mexico.

Or, at least,
the Federales didn't find her

when they turned Gabe
and his crew over to the FBI.

What's his timeline... Gabe?

Gabe Young crossed
into Tijuana at 2:00 a.m.

Saturday morning
with a group of friends.

Border Patrol had video.
There was no sign of Amanda.

Gabe and his buds partied

until they were all picked up
by the Mexican authorities.

His pals are in the conference room

sleeping off monster hangovers.

Tao: Our print shed just got the car

Gabe and his friends took to Mexico.

So far no trace evidence of blood,

but they did find Adderall,
so we have that.

Illegally acquired drugs...
better than nothing.

Lieutenant, Julio, interview 2.

Uh, Lieutenant?

Would you mind looking
through the old murder book

on my father and uncle?

I think there may be some stuff missing.

Shouldn't be.

Put her down. Let me check.

Thanks.

[Door opens]

Oh, I'm sorry. Did we scare you?

Wake up, Mr. Young.

Dude, oh, God, that was,
like, so unnecessary.

[Chuckling] Well, we agree with you.

Um, let's skip the formalities,
shall we?

You've already been read your rights.

We just want to know
‭where we can find Amanda Pond.

How the hell should I know?

Well, she's your girlfriend, right?

I mean, you were with her Friday night.

Yeah, but I bailed. I went down to TJ.

I've been there all weekend.

I have witnesses.

Why does everyone keep, like,
asking me where Amanda is?

'Cause she's been, like,
missing since Friday night,

last seen, like, arguing with you.

You were seen, like, following her.

And then you lied to your parents

about where you were
and ran off to Mexico.

Look, dude...

He's not a dude. He's a lieutenant.

I'm a detective.

We work for the L.A.P.D.

and we need to establish
some hard facts,

and we're having trouble doing
that because you're such a liar.

I'm not a liar.

You lied about going to Joshua Tree.

Yeah, I lied to my parents.
That doesn't even count.

I don't know anything
about where Amanda went.

And I couldn't really check in
on her when I was in Mexico,

because I didn't have my phone.

You keep playing this game.

Oh, my God! ‭Dude, I'm telling you...

Hey. Lieutenant.

Detective.

And we know that you fought with Amanda.

[Scoffs] We didn't fight.

We have it on video, Gabe.

That was... Come on.

Yes, yes, we fought,
and she was mad about how

I was going to go to Joshua Tree
instead of her birthday party.

Oh, uh, didn't you just say
you only lied to your parents?

You didn't go to Joshua Tree.

Your phone went to Joshua Tree.

You gave it to a friend,
and then you ran off to Mexico,

which is where criminals go
when they want to hide.

I didn't run off.

I gave my phone to my friend

because my mom can check
where I'm at online.

And I didn't want her to know
I was in TJ.

God!

Is that where Amanda is?

Did you take her body to Mexico?

Her body?

What?

Her... body?

[Vomits]

Creative stalling?

It looks a little less
thought-out than that.

Yes, Buzz Watson, Major Crimes.

Can we have building maintenance
up here, please?

Thanks.

You think you feel bad now?

Wait till you hear what the homeless man

who saw the two of you fight told us.

"We only hurt the ones we love."

And then we throw
‭their purses and their phones...

into dumpsters.

What are you guys talking about?

Admiral of the fleet.

Do you mean, uh,
one of those homeless guys

that Amanda lets stay at their house?

Stay at her house?

Careful, Gabe.

We can check that out with her parents.

If they don't back you up...

The Admiral did say he'd been
invited to stay at her house.

He also said he worked
for the resistance.

Dr. and Mr. Pond never
mentioned anything like this.

Gabe: It's, uh, not the house
they're living now.

It's their other house.

Uh, I don't remember
the address exactly,

but I know how to get there.

Their other house. Damn it!

Amy. ‭I'll pull their property records.

Andy, get signed
consent forms from the Ponds

allowing us to search everything
they own, rent, or lease.

On my way.

Since you don't remember the address,

why don't you draw us a map?

[Rock music blaring]

Darren Pond bought this house
in '92, moved out in '99,

kept it as a rental property ever since,

but it's been supposedly vacant
for the past 10 months.

Doesn't sound vacant.

Julio, take the back.

Okay, uh, uh, Sykes, you and Oderno...

What?

Oh, hey!

[Chuckling] Hey, uh, how are you?

I hope you don't mind.

We were just gonna do a standard
safety check on the...

L.A.P.D.! Stop where you are!

No, Buzz, no.
No, you stay right here, Buzz.

Mike, Mike.

Schwartz, get in your car
and go after them, huh?

♪ Now you say I got a loose wire ♪

♪ I got a loose wire ♪

L.A.P.D. Hope you're all decent.

Provenza: Kick it in.

L.A.P.D. Don't move.

Hang on! Hang on, don't kill me!

Don't kill me.

Amanda?! Amanda Pond?!

I ain't armed. Don't kill me.

Amanda? Amanda?

Amanda Pond!

Amanda?

[Tires screech, horn blares]

♪ I got a loose wire ♪

♪ My mama don't see it ♪

Aah!

♪ She don't see it ♪

[Tires screech]

♪ She don't see it ♪

♪ No, no, she don't see it ♪

[Horn blares]

♪ No, she don't see it ♪

♪ No, no, she don't see it ♪

Sanchez: Lieutenant!

I found this
‭on the side of the house...

her, uh, hygiene packet.

Buzz, give me your camera.

Amanda! Amanda!

Amanda!

Take this.

[Grunting]

Damn it! I can't get in this way!

Tao: Yes, Lieutenant Mike Tao,
Major Crimes.

Roll paramedics
to 4032 Devon Drive, Westwood.

While you're at it, Mike,
call the coroner.

Might as well get it all done at once.

Have you tried calling the motel

that you and Gus were going to stay in?

Oh, my God. He better not be there.

If he checked into Palm Springs
by himself,

then I am checking out.

Well, more often than not,
when someone runs away,

they end up going home.

I can't just stop by his apartment, Mom.

Isn't that, like, stalking?

Well, you could slip a note
under his door.

That's a little bit better than texting.

- A note saying what?
- I don't know.

Honey, you will think of something.

Sorry. Got to go.

Bye.

Provenza: Well, this is
a little hard to explain.

Of the three homeless men

that Amanda was apparently
letting stay here,

one ran from us, got hit by a car,

and he's in the hospital with Sykes.

One's too high to help.

And the last one over here

is having something
of a nervous breakdown.

But he swears Amanda
‭gave him access to this house?

Uh, yes, ma'am.

And he's got a key, but also an alibi,

as did the guy who was running away.

All the people living here
were working night shifts

at jobs arranged for them
through Care First, ma'am.

I have Oderno asking Ms. Wolf, you know,

all background information
she can provide on them.

And what about Amanda's parents?

What do you want to do about them?

At the moment, nothing.

This is the entrance to the basement.

Maybe it was used
as a speakeasy back in the '20s,

but for some reason,
they tried to cover it up.

Kendall, anything else down
there other than her body?

An I.D.? A weapon?

No, just some old toys that have
been down there for a long time.

On the body, no signs
of a struggle and no drag marks.

She wasn't killed here.

She wasn't shoved under the
house from the outside, either.

Well, this trapdoor
‭has to be the access point,

but it was covered up.

So whoever put Amanda's body down there

knew about this space
and knew that it was safe

to enter this house at night.

Time of death?

Rigor's gone,
complete lividity, minor decomp,

so anywhere from late Friday
night or early Saturday morning.

Petechiae and massive bruising,
but no ligature marks.

There's only a tiny trickle of blood

coming from her right nostril,
but otherwise...

Oh, wait.

What's that?

Dr. Morales: Someone performed
a tracheotomy.

Only semi-successful.

Obviously.

She was strangled,

and then the killer tried to revive her?

Technically strangled.
Her windpipe was crushed.

From the bruising, I'd say
smashed in with bare hands.

- Signs of sexual assault?
- No.

But her ribs are cracked
like someone gave her CPR.

So, what? The killer had
a case of, uh, instant regret?

Or some stranger came along
and tried to revive her.

And then took her body to a house

belonging to her parents

and then dumped Amanda in a secret room

underneath the hidden trapdoor?

I-I don't know
how this information fits in

with your established pattern of facts.

I am just telling you
that someone realized

the girl needed
an alternate path to breathe

and tried to create it.

Doctor, if there's
a tracheotomy and CPR,

did someone also do mouth-to-mouth?

Ah. Well, they may have.

Oh, wow.

What?

Her mouth has been swabbed.

Okay. We're looking for someone

who could perform
an emergency tracheotomy

and also knows how we test for DNA.

Her mother is a doctor.

Detective Sanchez, it is time
to do our notification.

And please tell the Ponds

we will want to talk to them
again tomorrow.

Provenza: Her parents
don't need to be suspects.

Doesn't everything
we've already learned tell us

that lover-boy Gabe
fought with his girlfriend,

Amanda, and then smashed her
in the windpipe,

dumped her body at her childhood home,

you know, just to give

a good what-for to her mom and dad.

But does he know
‭how to perform a tracheotomy?

All right, well, none of the guys

Amanda was helping is a vet,

so no obvious
emergency medical training.

And our runner was only wanted
for passing a worthless check.

$90. Guess he took that more
seriously than we did.

So, we're back to the mom.
She's a doctor.

She and the husband forgot to
tell us about their other house.

And they were pushing
the boyfriend at us really hard.

Mike? Anything?

Maybe.

All these toys come from the crawl space

in the Ponds' home long
before Amanda was even born.

It doesn't look like
‭the killer touched any of them.

And this Game Boy...

I don't know who owned it,

but I did find a good thumbprint

inside the lid of the battery case.

And?

And it's from a guy named Ethan Yum.

Went to prison a few years ago
for illegal sale of firearms.

Passed through Care First

on his way back
to his downtown apartment.

Before that, Mr. Yum was
a county lifeguard for 12 years,

so he would have
‭emergency medical training.

Plus, a bonus arrest
‭for sexual battery of a minor

while she was his foster child.

Sounds like an ideal guardian.

Provenza: May I suggest, Captain,

that since he has a history
of mishandling weapons,

that we wait to invite
Mr. Yum for a visit

until he's outside of his apartment?

Agreed. And no one fight Mr. Yum.

If he's going to exhibit
signs of a struggle,

we want it to be from Amanda,

not from any of us.



[Knocks on door]

- Hey.
- Hey.

I'm sorry, too.

Uh, not for getting mad,
but I... I walked away,

and I should have stayed there

and had it out with you
right then and there.

Okay, okay, so, is that what
we're about to do right now?

Are we just gonna have it out?

N-No. No.

You wrote a great apology.

You drove across town.
You slipped it under my door.

It just shows
what kind of a guy you are.

It's just kind of hard to read

that you're still so freaked out
about being gay.

That... That is not
what I said... at all.

It is.

It is.

It is.

But...

I really missed you.

Well, I-I really missed you, too.

But let's... let's...

not go beyond saying that it...

that we feel anything more than that.

Okay? Please.

Okay. I won't say it.

Hey, uh, you think your mom
would mind if I, uh...

Gus, I-I can't wake her up

to ask if you can spend the night.

No, no, no, no, no.

She has overnight company a lot.

Yeah, but she also pays the mortgage.

That is a conversation that I
don't even know how to begin.

Okay.

How about we get a bite to eat?

At 1:00 in the morning?

You have someplace else to be?

Palm springs.

Tao: Mr. Yum finally
‭stepped out of his apartment.

We're heading him
into number 1 right now.

You need any help with that?

No, I'm good.

Did you figure out what was missing

from the murder book
on my father and uncle?

Oh, um, just a few pictures
of the crime scene

before the bodies were taken away,

a few autopsy photos.

You don't need them
to review the investigation.

Oh, I'm... I'm not just reviewing

the investigation, Lieutenant.

I'd like to find a way
to reopen the case.

But where did those photos go?

Who gave you the murder book?

Flynn: He didn't resist or invoke.

Yeah, but he didn't
seem surprised to find us

standing around his car, either.

Can't we remove all those
volunteers in the hall?

Ms. Wolf would only replace them
with journalists.

Ethan: That girl who reported me

for trying to have sex with her?

Wanted to ruin my life

because I wouldn't let her
stay out all night.

And then in court, she took
the whole thing back, crying.

Lying slut.

She was your foster daughter.

Eh, there was a reason
somebody threw that kid away.

The money from the state
hadn't have been so good,

I would have thrown her away, too.

I've heard of people like you.

Becoming foster parents to put
extra change in your pocket.

Listen, everybody's got their reasons.

And, yes, the money don't hurt.

And by the way,
what was I being paid for?

To take care of a bunch of needy brats.

Yeah, well maybe you got
even with those little brats

last Friday night.

Sykes: Your print was found
on this Game Boy

next to the dead body
of a 16-year-old girl.

Does that look familiar to you?

Wow. Sure.
There was one of these around.

Kid brought it in.
Think his name was Kevin.

Game Boy was a gift from the dead dad.

Then it turned into this whole thing

because, uh, one of the other
foster kids stole it from him

when the county moved him out.

Kevin cried...

Mike, can you put a battery
in this, see if it works?

It's old. But I can try.

[Chuckles]
What, you want to play a game?

No. I want to check the scores.

DTY. Why is DTY important to you?

Sharon: My oldest son had one of these,

and there is a space
where you can type in

the top three highest scores.

And on this device,

the initials DTY
occupy all three spaces.

Tao: DTY is probably the person

who had the Game Boy the longest.

And it was found in your
basement, near Amanda's body.

Does any part of this story
sound familiar to you?

Darren: [Sighs] Yes.

Um, uh, years and years ago,
we had a, um, foster child.

A boy.

Came to us when he was almost 6,
and stayed till he was 10.

He even called us Mom and Dad.

We loved him.

Went through nearly
the whole adoption process,

but, uh, we called it off before...

God, I...

What happened?

I got pregnant,

which we'd given up on.

So, suddenly we were having
a baby of our own.

And this boy you loved...
called you Mom and Dad...

you just send him back to County?

Huh.

The adoption process was only
three-quarters of the way done.

And unfortunately, they don't give you

a lot of time to say goodbye.

We followed Children's Services policy,

and we packed his stuff
when he was at school.

And when he got home,

we gave him a hug,
and they drove him away.

We forgot about his toys
in the basement.

And then we thought
sending them on would be...

It was very, very upsetting
to all of us.

We, uh, ended up moving
into a new house ourselves.

Starting over.

You hid the door to your own basement

in your own house because...?

Basement wasn't up to code.

We didn't have the money to fix it,

so we just sealed it up as best we could

and ended up renting it.

Until about 10 months ago.

We were planning to remodel and sell it

to pay for Amanda's education.

May I ask you, why are you
dragging this all back up again?

Because of where the killer
left your daughter's body.

Okay.

This foster boy that you gave back,

were his initials DTY?

Yes.

Dawson Tucker Yale.

Did you say Tucker?

Yeah.

- That name mean something?
- Yes.

It's on a consent form
from a cellphone I downloaded

at the crime scene.

[Door opens]

May I have your attention, please.

We have an important announcement.

Ms. Wolf will, uh, make an announcement.

[Clears throat]

Everyone, the, um, Ponds
would like to share

a few words of thanks to you all.

Oh, my God.

Tucker, is that you?

Hi, Mom.

Dad.

I thought you'd never recognize me.

You can prove premeditation?

Provenza: He knew
where to put Amanda's body

because he had lived in the house.

He knew Amanda
‭had homeless men staying there

who were gone at night
because he helped them get jobs.

He knew about the fight with Gabe.

But he had no idea Amanda
was gonna walk away

from her boyfriend and ask him
for a ride home.

In advance.

Therefore, not planned.

How about this, then, Amala?

Your client tells us
the whole miserable story,

and if it suggests
manslaughter, then okay.

If not, you withdraw the statement,

and I'll see you in court,

where we could end up
discussing how Tucker here

might look with a needle in his arm.

Fine.

Everything he says after this moment

is purely hypothetical
and cannot be used against him.

We speculate, nothing more.

Tucker, did you kill Amanda Pond

in retaliation
‭against your foster parents?

No, I didn't.

Look, I admit to being scared
after they sent me away.

I was hurt. I cried for months.

And after they let me go,

I was shifted to eight different homes,

some of them not so nice.

Some not-so-nice things happened, okay?

So I became a murderer. Come on.

How many versions of this story
have we heard before?

I worked my way through school,
graduating magna cum laude,

and, until last August,

I went to the Keck School
of Medicine at USC.

There's our tracheotomy.

You said "went." Is that past tense?

They expelled me. For plagiarism.

[Scoffs]

I forgot to properly footnote
some sources.

It was an honest mistake.

When was that?

Last October.

A couple months later, I went
back to Care First for a job.

Social work.

I thought I could figure things out.

You went back to Care First.
You were there before?

[Chuckles]
A lot of people don't know this,

but at the age of 18,

the foster system is done with kids.

If your guardians are nice,

they'll keep you around till
you get a job, go to college.

But...

That didn't really work out for me,

so I ended up living
at Care First as a client.

And when I screwed up my life,
I went back for a job.

Hobbs: Do you assert
your presence at Care First

had nothing to do with Amanda's
work there as a volunteer?

She never even stepped foot
into that shelter

until after I'd been there
for two months.

I didn't even know who Amanda
was until after her...

Till after her father came
and picked her up one day.

My father.

My dad.

You know, he didn't even recognize me?

[Chuckles]

Mom came, too, a couple times.

She blew right past me.

And, yeah, I gave her
a ride home a couple times...

Amanda.

I'd listen to her complain
about how awful her parents were

all the way
to the driveway of her house,

her really big, really nice house

with a big yard and a little
doggy in the window.

The other house that you
had lived in with the Ponds,

you knew Amanda had homeless men
staying there, as well.

Yes. Yeah.

She tried to hide it
from her parents, but I knew.

People on the waiting list of Care First

could get to sleep
in my bedroom, but not me.

Tucker, you had driven Amanda
home before without incident.

What happened last Friday?

She wanted me to drive her
to her boyfriend's house

to apologize.

Instead of going home.

I tried to talk her out of it.

Why would she not
want to go home, you know?

Why wouldn't she want
to go home to that...

beautiful house, parents who loved her?

They chose her instead of me.

So, no, I was taking her back to them.

And when she saw that I was trying

to drive her back to the house,
she started yelling.

She...

[Sobs]

I just wanted her to go home.

She tried to get
out of the car, and, uh...

that's when things got out of hand.

And after things got out of hand?

I tried to save her.

I did.

But I couldn't.

I couldn't save her.

[Sighs]

Guess he's the type
who holds onto things.

Maybe because no one held onto him.

Provenza: When young Mr. Tucker
stops crying,

it's going to be 11 years
for manslaughter,

8 years for kidnapping.

Consecutive. No parole.

What the hell are you doing in my chair?

Rusty: I-I need... I need your advice.

My advice is, get out of my chair.

Okay. Look, uh, I have a problem.

No, you have no problems.

That girl up there? She had problems.

- You have challenges.
- Excuse me.

Lieutenant, I think you took some photos

out of the murder book
before you gave it to me.

And I'd like them back.

No. You wouldn't.

I would, though.

Buzz, it's not necessary.

Please. I can handle it.

I can.

I was just thinking of you.

And I appreciate that, sir. I do.

[Drawer closes]

And your challenge is...?

I-I want my next "Identity"
to be about how

a traumatic event in childhood

can affect a person's whole life

and how they deal with it
when they grow up.

And... And Buzz's story
would be perfect.

But he doesn't want me to tell it.

Give him a second,
and then go over there and...

ask him how he is.

So, how long does it take to get
approved to be a foster parent?

What? Uh, why?

Are... Are you thinking of doing that?

Yeah, why not, Sykes?
There's an obvious need.

Ye Gods.

Single. Male. Guns at home.

History of anger management.

Well, I've had lots of therapy, Tao.

And I've got to be better
than Mr. Yum-Yum, yeah?

Well, I guess you couldn't be any worse.

Hey.

What are you doin'g?

Looking pictures of my father.

And.?

Its, not just I remember him.

How would you like to be remembered.?

I know its feels like spend
a long time coming.

But before you, ah...

...put a sell sign on your house.

and moving to some place
in Silver Lake...

Maybe we just discuss, alternatives.

Well, you got no arguments beyond that.

- Ok.
- It's a, ahm.

What others alternatives are in moving
in together right away?

Well, whatever discuss it over dinner.

I mean, I want to ask
you wait another hour

But, ah, after we order?

Oh, I think that fore.