The Equalizer (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Hunting Grounds - full transcript

This equalizing
you're doing,

if you don't stop, I
have to come after you.

I'd be disappointed
if you didn't.

Previously onThe Equalizer...

You like me? How can I like
you when I hardly know you?

I'm not too keen
on private citizens

opening their own branch
of law enforcement.

How's your aim
these days?

You're gonna set a trade
with the guy who's hunting you?

Who's to say he
doesn't draw you in,

and then arrest you
when your guard is down?



Why would I do that?

District Attorney Grafton.

I still wonder how you managed

to unravel a
decade-old conspiracy

single-handedly.

Guess I owe you one.

So, then, at least the files
have to... Uh, Madam D.A.

The answer's "no comment," Harv.

I haven't even asked
my question yet.

Well, see? I saved
us both some time.

Now, if it's about
the Mendoza case,

the press will get a
statement tomorrow.

Not here about Mendoza.

Just wondering if
you had anything



to say about the rumors.

Which rumors?

About the vigilante
helping people.

Doing what the cops can't.

Not only is it true

but whispers are growing
louder. NYPD has a file on her.

Still no ID.

If word of this goes wide...

It'll undermine public
confidence in our police.

Not to mention your image.

It'll be an issue
for your reelection.

My mother said,

"Every problem holds the
key to its own solution."

I don't follow.

What better way to demonstrate
the firm hand of law and order

than bringing a
vigilante to justice?

Get me

everything the NYPD has on her.

Aunt Vi!

Not sure what's going on here,
but it looks like trouble.

Oh, it's good trouble. I
decided to try one of these

online dating sites.

I'm helping her
with her profile. Okay,

how's this? "Artistic,
free-spirited woman

"who loves good conversation,
a nice glass of wine, travel

"and spontaneity
looking for a partner

in fun."Oh, your daughter's
nothing less than brilliant.

You sure you want to do
this? I mean, you can't trust

what people say about
themselves on those sites.

You don't know who
they really are.

Oh, and people at singles
bars are so honest.

Gender. Looking for a man.

Oh, no, no. Why limit it?

Baby, I was at
Berkeley in the '70s.

You kids didn't
invent free love.

Ah! You know
what? Go, Aunt Vi.

Okay, how serious
are you thinking?

True love or a
hit it and quit it

kind of deal? Hey.

You gonna be the one getting hit

if you don't quit
talking like that.

And not too much info,
Berkeley.

There's no such thing
as privacy online.

We don't want some creep knowing
our phone number and address.

You're such a cynic.

You know, you could use a
little bit of that free love

yourself. I'm late
for a meeting.

Uh-huh. I love you all.

Bye.Bye.

Her name is Nia.

She's been missing for days.

You two are roommates?
And best friends.

We met at a bus
stop in the rain.

Just started yapping.

She's different. She's
one of those people

who wears their soul on
the outside, you know?

When's the last time you
saw her? Five days ago.

She left for work
but never got there.

She work most days?

Two or three jobs at a time.

She's saving up
for nursing school.

You file a missing
persons report?

I tried.

But people like us,

we're invisible
until we break a law.

In my neighborhood, folks
don't call the cops.

We just know it won't
do any good. Yeah,

I know what it's like
not to have the police

take you seriously.

Been through that, myself.

But you are not invisible here.

So,

can you think of anyone

who might have a
grudge against Nia?

Anyone who might
want to hurt her?

Yeah.

She told me about
some Latino guy

that was following her who
she owed some money to.

She ducked off into
a store and lost him,

but she was still
pretty freaked.

Did you get a name?

Benny.

He was tall with blue eyes.

: And I
think he might've hurt her.

Getting real tired of having
this conversation, Mike.

Where's my money?

What the hell is your
problem?

This is not
the talking part.

People don't really
like you, Benny.

Made you real easy to find.

Nia Edwards. You
were following her. Why?

Nowtalk.It's... It's my job.

To hurt people?

No, I work for a payday
loan company. Eastway Pay.

They hire me to
pressure delinquents.

Oh, that's funny. I have
a similar skill set.

When's the last time

you saw her? Uh, Tuesday.

No, no, no, no,
Wednesday. Wednesday.

Same day
she went missing.

Missing? I don't know
nothing about that.

Look, I never even spoke
to her. She bounced.

I went after her, but she
jumped into some dude's car.

Where? It was over there

on, um, Herkimer.

Come on,
Nia. Where are you?

Never thought
I'd see the day

you were swiping
right. And you won't.

Dee's got my aunt on this dating
app. Can you believe that?

Yeah. If I was single, I'd
be on, like, ten of them.

Dating is a numbers
game, girlfriend.

It is.

And my number is one.

It's-it's just you,

my Harry McBeary.

Okay, that's not a
name we agreed upon.

I mean, Aunt Vi doesn't
need this. Heck,

I could set her up
with a nice guy.

I set you two up, and it
was love at first sight.

Well, for him. For her.

Oh.

Don't listen to this man.

He pursued me like
his hair was on fire.

You sent me flowers

every day for a month.

It was a credit card snafu.Oh.

No, alpha guys
don't need to chase.

We just put out our pheromones
and wait. Okay, alpha.

Well, your pheromones
were Axe body spray

and printer toner before
I got a hold of you.

Yeah, I think
you mean denim and sweat.

Okay, I got it.

Looks like a gray Camry.

That's Nia.

She got in willingly.

Check the plate.

It's blank.

Must have a
PhotoBlocker coating on it.

It prevents cameras from
reading it. ROBYN: Hmm.

That's one creepy red flag.

Darn.

I got to pick Dee up
from school. She's having

one of those
inexplicable half-days.

Hey, McBeary,

can you poke around
the NYPD database

and see if you can find any
crimes involving a gray Camry

with unreadable plates?

Not a name we agreed upon.

Guess who drove through
the drive-through

without hitting a
pole!

You know, that's supposed
to be the norm.

Guess who got a date.

Ooh! Let me see.

Mm-hmm.

I told
you he was the one.

Looks totally distinguished,

right? Right?

Chase Lammens? Aunt Vi,

you can't really want to
date a guy who has a boat.

Plays his cards right, he can
be "O Captain! My Captain!"

We need to
get into your closet

and see what you're
working with.

: Yeah,
let's go. Nothing too

frisky.

Hey, Harry. What's up?

Hey. You need
to get back here.

Right now.

So, what'd you find?

Nothing good.

Search triggered a second
missing persons case.

Another woman got into a car

with an unreadable
license plate.

Only one week after,

she was found dead.

And whoever murdered her

caused facial trauma
and then used makeup

to cover up her bruises.

It was such an odd detail,
we crossed-referenced it

through the whole
tristate area, and...

Ten more murders popped up.

Rob, this isn't just a
missing persons case.

We're dealing with
a serial killer.

How are we the first
people to see this?

Crimes happen
all over the place.

You know, various jurisdictions

don't centralize their cases.

Same age, same race.

Somebody should've
put this together.

Yeah, the killer knew
what he was doing.

Choosing victims from
marginalized communities.

Places where turning a blind
eye gets you a promotion.

Aside from
being found beaten

and choked, bruises
covered up with makeup,

coroner's times of death
indicate that their murders

occurred exactly one week after
their respective abductions.

If this pattern holds true...

We have less than 48
hours to save Nia.

Yeah.

That's not enough time.

We need help on this one.

Your cop friend?
Are you sure? Well,

he's a proven
asset. One we need.

Hey, Harry, run a name for me.

Chase Lammens.

L-A-M-M-E-N-S.

All right. What's he
have to do with this?

Rob?

Rob!

You're right.

We should've seen this sooner.

Yeah, you should've.

But we both know
these neighborhoods.

Cops don't look too close.

What matters is what we do now.

Nia's still out
there, but the window

to save her is shutting fast.

We need the full weight
of the NYPD behind this.

I'll take it to my captain.

See if we can get
some resources.

I'll also pull cold cases
from all the jurisdictions.

Maybe there's something
else we missed.

Well, move fast.
Clock's ticking.

Where are you going?

Talk to the families
of the other vics.

Try to get some answers.

Well, I should come with you.

No. Not here.

You show up at their door,

the only color
they'll see is blue.

They won't talk to you the
way they'll talk to me.

Captain, there's
a clear pattern here.

And a potential minefield.

Do you really want
me to announce

the department overlooked
a serial killer

in communities of color over
circumstantial evidence?

In this political climate?
We'd be crucified.

You don't even know if
this case is connected

to these others. What if it is?

Sir, we have a responsibility.

Right now, there's a man serving
time for one of these murders.

What if he didn't do it? What if

the real killer's out there,
and what if he doesn't stop?

How's that story gonna
look when it comes out

and they find out
we did nothing?

All right, you
want a task force?

I need more than a
PhotoBlocked plate.

Now, you find
something, anything

that links this girl
to those murders,

I'll get you whatever you need.

Oh. And, uh, one more thing.
That project of yours,

the vigilante? The D.A.'s
making her a priority.

You're gonna have to share all
your notes with their office.

I know she's gone,

but I still feel her every
time I walk past her room.

Like she's watching over me.

Thank you for that.

They say grief is the
final expression of love

that we have to offer.

Thank you all for coming today.

Mrs. Howard?

Yes? I was hoping I
could talk to you.

About your daughter.

I said about all I'm gonna say.

It's been a year since
they found her body.

I'm sick of y'all cops

acting like you're
gonna help but never do.

I'm not a cop.

And I am here to help.

The date she
disappeared was her birthday.

Did you know that?

24, right?

Told her to take the day
off, but she didn't listen.

Never did.

I know the type.

Did she drive to work that day?

No, she didn't have a car.

She was saving up, but I
doubt she would've used it.

She rode her bike everywhere.

The last text she sent

said someone had
punctured her tires.

Said she was gonna walk.

Did you tell the police that?

Because I didn't read
that in the report.

I told 'em. They didn't
think much of it.

Well, that points to the
abductor knowing her schedule.

Even which bike was hers.

I knew that was important.

Mrs. Howard,

I know what you've
been through.

And I'm gonna do everything in
my power to catch the person

who killed your daughter.

So if there's
anything you think of

here's my contact info.

It's completely confidential.

Just leave a message, and
I'll call you right back.

Okay. But,

but you never told me your name.

It's better that way.

Hey, Harry.

The killer was definitely
watching the vics.

Probably got to know 'em first.

Right. Which is why Nia was
so ready to get into the car.

You know,

one of the first things I did

when cultivating
an asset at the CIA

was to rent a place near them.

I could watch them,
arrange bumps.

Yeah, okay. I'll get a
list of property managers

with month-to-month
apartments in close proximity

to Nia and Kayla's place.

See if you can narrow
it to vacancies

in the last three months.

Yeah. You got it.

I got to go. Let me
know what you find.

How'd it go? I ran
into some politics.

If I can't connect Nia to
these others, we're on our own.

And you wonder why
I do what I do.

Speaking of which, you're
on the D.A.'s radar.

She's made you a priority.

Am I a priority to you, too?

Right now, all I want to do is
find who's killing these girls.

There's a man, Deshawn
Sanders, serving time

for one of the murders.
The victim was his fiancée.

If he's not our doer,

he may have something to say.

Ask him if there was anyone
new in his fiancée's life.

I think our victims
knew their killer.

You come around now?

Ask me about my fiancée?

Maybe you haven't looked around,

but the case seems
pretty closed to me.

Did you kill her?

Sure.

Ask any of the guards.

Not a single innocent
man up in here.

I'm asking you.

No.

I didn't kill her.

Then tell me what happened.

I was supposed to
take her to work,

but I was sick,

so she decided to walk.

A week later, she's dead

and I'm a Black
man with no alibi.

That's what happened.
Witness said

she got into a sedan
with an unidentified man.

Could a friend have
been giving her a ride?

She was a homebody.

She didn't have any guy
friends. So you'd say

it's unlikely she got into a car
with someone she didn't know?

No way.

Which is exactly what
the prosecutor said

when he pointed at me in court.

Look, I understand...

You understand.

Do you?

What it's like

to have your fiancée murdered?

Your dreams shattered?

And to be told that you're
the one that killed her.

My family, her
family all thinkin'

that I murdered the
only woman that I love.

Tell me again

you understand.

Thank you. Uh-huh.

Anything? DANTE: Just that
your theory might be right.

The killer may have had
a passing acquaintance

with the victims.

I think he went even further,

embedding himself
into their lives.

Someone took a short-term
rental across the street

from Nia's place.

Paid cash in advance.

Landlord never saw him.

I'm here now.

Whoa. Hold up.

If the guy's there, we
need to do this right

and get him in cuffs.

Well, then, I guess you
better get here quick.

You waited.

You made a convincing argument.

Look, we both want
Nia back safe, so

best chance at that
is to work together.

Whoa. Hold up.
What are you doing?

What's it look like I'm doing?

We don't have a warrant.

Good thing I'm not a cop.

I can't legally
enter the premises.

Sure, you can.

You're witnessing a break-in.

And look at that.

The intruder's armed, too.

Better see what's going on.

Nia.

Wha...

He got away.

What's worse is I didn't
get a good look at him.

You used me.

As a shield.

I was controlling
the target area

so neither one of us got killed.

I knew you were wearing a vest.

You're
unbelievable, you know that?

You gonna keep bitching
at me about getting shot

or you gonna help
me? Nia's not here.

Got to be keeping
her somewhere else,

but this is definitely
where he stalked her from.

He was packing up, clearing out.

Look at these.

Now look at those.

Out of all the pictures
on this laptop, those are

the ones the killer
thought of to print.

So...?

So he chose ones
that are conservative,

flattering.

As if...

His feelings toward
women are conflicted.

He's hurting them, but at
the same time, reveres them.

Jibes with the fact
that none of the vics

were sexually assaulted.

And the postmortem makeup

points to guilt and shame
about what he's done.

All these items are vegan.

Detox pills, probiotic shake.

It's almost as if

he's trying to purify himself.

So not only is he conflicted
about what he's doing

but who he is.

Who are you?

You're proficient in profiling.

You with one of the alphabets?

Ex-FBI? Intelligence?

I just like reading a
lot of crime novels.

How long we gonna
play this game?

I guess somebody called
in those gunshots.

You need to go.

Now. Nia's still out there,

so I'm gonna need to know
everything your team finds.

And you're gonna need to
put some ice on that later.

I tried to pick
your killer up on camera,

but there aren't any
around the apartment.

Not very many in the
neighborhood, either.

Makes areas like that
good hunting grounds.

I also ran that
name you gave me.

Chase Lammens.

Guy's vanilla.

No priors? No red flags?

Uh-uh. Owns a boat.

Divorced twice. I
mean, other than buying

cat sweaterson Etsy,

guys seems pretty harmless. Why

why we looking for him?

Rob, tell me you
didn't run Vi's date.

I didn't run him.

Harry did.

Oh, wow.

Just ran a simple
background check.

Thought I was paranoid.Hey.

Sometimes the bogeyman is real.

You think it'll never
come to your doorstep

until someone you love is dead

and you're the only one
who cares to find out why.

Don't forget my lineup.

Keep moving. I'm
gonna put a part

down the back of your head.

Who you?

A friend of your father's.

Who you?

I'm Stefon, his favorite son.

Oh, yeah?

He tell you that? No.

But if you met my
brother, you'd understand.

You and Kyle go get
your backpacks ready.

Okay.

How'd you get my personal num...

You know what? Never mind.

Your boy's beyond cute.

Give him time,
he'll wear on you.

But thanks.

You look tired.

Eh. I was up until
about 3:00 a.m.

processing the scene.

But I never miss the hour
before school with my boys.

How do you do it?

Separate home from work?

When I come in at night,

before I hang up my
keys, I look at them,

feel the weight in my hand
to remind myself I am home,

to remind myself to be present.

When I hang them on that peg,

I put away whatever I
dealt with that day.

And until I pick them
up again, I am here,

and only here.

You have kids?

Nice try.

Tell me you found something.

Anything that'll get us to Nia.

Forensics from the laptop
belonged to some elderly man

with a proclivity
for stuffed animals.

So the killer either stole it

or bought it from a pawnshop?

There's something else.

The computer's camera
light was disabled,

but there's evidence
the camera was active.

He was watching us.Maybe.

The rest of the place
was scrubbed clean,

but I had my guys look
through the dumpsters.

Found this.

More of his deep dive into Nia.

That's credit data.

I'll be right back.

What? Wait.

Daddy, Kyle won't let
me play on his VR!

He's been on it all morning!

Go to your rooms
and work it out.

Don't come out until you do.

What?

I didn't say anything!

I just talked to Mrs. Howard.

Her daughter also had a
payday loan from Eastway Pay.

Just like Nia.

That's how the killer's
targeting victims.

He'd have their picture, all
that personal client data.

He'd know their habits,

where they spend
their time and money.

He could do a deep dive and find
specific women who trigger him.

But the victims were from
different jurisdictions.

Info couldn't have come
from local branch computers.

The killer'd need to access
the corporate system.

So either he hacked in, or
more likely, he works there.

I'm headed to the
corporate office.

I'll meet you.

No. Not this time.
If we're right,

we need to do this by the book.

It's our best shot
at finding Nia.

Hey, sweetness.

Oh, Mom, you mind

giving me a ride to school?

I thought Aunt Vi
was taking you.

She didn't come back home
from her date last night.

Wait. What? Yup.

Guess they must have
really hit it off.

And she hasn't called?

Whoa.

Okay, what's the big deal?

That's not like her.
Something must be wrong.

Voice mail.

You have access to
her dating profile.

Pull it up now.

Okay. I think you're tripping.

I'm sure she's fine.
You don't know that.

Something could've
happened to her.

She could have got
into an accident

or abducted, anything.

Ugh.

I'm sorry I'm late.

You ready, Dee?

See? Mom thought
you'd been abducted.

Abducted? Really?

Oh, sweetheart, you need to have
more faith in people, or else

you're never gonna have any fun.

So, good date? Was he nice?

He was charming, actually. We
had a lot of really good wine.

Talked all night
and...

I fell asleep on the couch.

Fell asleep. Huh.

You know what? Your
imagination is just

as lively as your
mom's. Get out of here.

Dish with you on
the way to school.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Just work things.

Glad you had a good
time last night.

You're right.

All ten had loans with us.

Who would have access
to their private data?

Accounts are assigned
by geographic district.

Only a few people would
have access to all of these.

Does the system log
who's been in them?

Only one person
accessed all ten.

Jay Ackerman, one
of our business VPs.

Are employee cars registered?

Maybe for garage security?

Yes.

What kind does
Mr. Ackerman drive?

Looks like a 2015 Toyota Camry.

Don't move!

Hands up!

Show me your hands! Don't move!

We got him.

He had pics of all the
vics on his computer.

Any sign of Nia?

Searched his house,
she wasn't there.

This guy have any priors?

A domestic assault
charge by his wife

that was dropped, although we
did find a few grams of coke

in the trunk of his car.

You still there?

It's not him.

What?

Our killer would
never use drugs.

And he would never marry

because no woman would
measure up to his ideal.

Yeah, slow down. I haven't
even questioned the guy.

And I need to be
there when you do.

Absolutely not.

Come on. This is no time

for bureaucracy. Nia
is still out there.

We're running out of time.

Then let me do my job.

You're in a lot of
trouble, Mr. Ackerman.

Come on. You think
I don't own a TV?

I know how this works.

You want to charge me
for the coke, have at it.

I'll get probation and a drug
diversion program.

Hmm. Possession of cocaine is
the least of your problems.

I'm not stupid, and
you don't scare me.

Then we've both
misjudged each other.

Let's talk about the
girl you abducted.

What girl? I didn't
abduct any girl. Yet

you had pictures of
her on your computer.

As well as ten other women

who were abducted and murdered.

No. Wait. I don't know
anything about any of this.

I think you do.
Where's the girl?

No, wait. I'm-I'm
telling you the truth.

If you're telling me the
truth, then why does your car

have PhotoBlock on
the license plate?

PhotoBlock? Where's the girl?!

No. I... I...

I am not saying anything else.

I want to speak to a lawyer.

Dante.

Swing and a miss, huh?

You were watching
me? Well, yeah.

You wouldn't allow
me in the room.

I need you to ask him something.

Well, maybe you didn't
hear, but legally,

I can't ask him
any more questions.

You can ask him if he's hungry.

Play good cop, offer
him something to eat.

Sell him on that burger
joint across the street.

Got good burgers
across the street.

Can I get you one?

Yeah. Sure.

Are you convinced now?

Because the killer had
vegan food in his apartment?

All the evidence
points to this guy.

An orgy of evidence. When
does that ever happen?

Someone is trying to set
him up to take the fall.

We had the right place,
just the wrong guy.

We need to go back there, see
who had access to his computer,

who could've set him up.

I just arrested a guy.

And if you don't listen to me,

you're gonna have another
autopsy for your file.

We have six hours left.

I can't ditch my arrest based
on tea leaves and your gut.

I'm sorry.

Which vendor did
you say you're with?

Vonner-tech. Can I just
say, I love your brooch.

Oh, thank you. It
was my mother's.

Oh, beautiful. I don't think

people wear brooches
nearly enough anymore.

Totally agree. What
passes for fashion

these days, right?

So, you were saying,
with your current system,

only the user can
access their hard drive?

Yes. I mean, no.

Upper-level IT managers
have administrative access.

Would they be able to
access the drive remotely?

Yes, they would be able to as
long as they have their company

laptops and...

Hey! Security!

Just sent
you the lone address

for Carter Jacobs.

House belonged to his father.

I'm guessing there
was trouble at home?

You'd be right. Carter
had a child services file.

Give me the Cliff Notes.

Dad... no surprise...

Was abusive, which explains why

his mom left when he
was ten years old.

Case psychologist points to
severe abandonment issues

as cause for his acting out.

Animal abuse, setting
several fires.

But by age 15, he drops
off the state's radar.

There's no records or
arrests as an adult.

Any pics of the parents?

You should have them.

Who does the mom remind you of?

This is all about the mom.

Abandonment triggers
the violence,

but the love for his mother
fuels reverence for the victims,

and shame for
ending their lives.

Hence the postmortem makeover.

Exactly. Thanks, Harry.

Detective Dante.

I found him. The real killer.

I didn't think you'd come.

Had to. If you're right,
Nia only has hours to live.

Or less. Carter knows
we're coming now.

We do this my way. No time.
Nia might be in there.

Damn it.

Cover me. I'll check upstairs.

Who the hell are you? NYPD.

Where's your warrant?

We have reason to suspect

your son's a serial killer.

You really want to talk warrant?

I don't know nothing about that.

He's not here. Where's Carter?

Where's the girl? None
of your damn business.

You need to control this bitch.

Where is Carter?

What are you doing?

I'm speaking the only language
an abuser understands.

Let him go. Put down
your weapon now.

Where is he?

What is this place?

If you don't tell
me and a girl dies,

I will come back here and
bury you in a hole so deep,

nobody will never find you.

It's a playground,
by his old school.

But it's been closed for years.

Why would he be here? He's been

obsessed with the
place ever since

his mom didn't show
to pick him up.

She left him, she promised
to come back and get him?

He waited there
every day for a week

like a stooge.

One week.

Damn it. Wait!

Come on.

This is Detective Dante.

I've got someone I
need you to pick up.

Nia.

It's okay. Kayla
sent me to find you.

I'm gonna shoot the lock
open and get you out of here.

Okay. You're all right.

Get this off of you. Let's
get it off.

You're all right. You're okay.

You're okay. You're
okay.

You're all right. You're
all right. You're okay.

It's okay. It's okay.

It's okay. You're fine.

Don't worry.

You're safe. It's okay, baby.

Nia, I know the
last thing you want

to do right now is
answer my questions,

but we need to get that
man off the streets

so he can't hurt
anyone ever again.

I know it's
painful, but think back.

Is there anything he did or said
that could help us find him?

He... he barely talked at all.

And when he did, he just
kept saying the same thing

over and over.

"Look me in the eyes."

He'd say it.

And then he'd hurt me.

We'll talk more tomorrow, Nia.

Right now,

just be with your family.

Nia!

God...

Thank you.

Thank you for seeing us.

Hold up.

We need to talk next moves.

We disrupted Carter's
pattern, his methodology.

That's gonna have dire
consequences on his psyche.

Yeah. And now he's
out there, unmoored,

looking to kill again.

And thanks to you, none of the
evidence on him is admissible.

If he was standing right
here, and I put cuffs on him,

charges still wouldn't stick.

All because you
lead with your chin.

You're pissed. I get
it. But we have to...

"We"? There is no "we."

Not after what you
did back there.

Putting a gun to
that man's head.

That girl is the only reason
I'm not arresting you right now.

This was a mistake.

No more cooperation,
no more quid pro quo.

Whatever this partnership was

it's over.

So awful what happened to Nia.

How's she doing?

She's got a road ahead of her,

and knowing Carter's still
out there doesn't help.

We'll find him.

There's something else
going on. What is it?

Things ended bad with Dante.

He says I compromised the case.

But what was I supposed to do?

Wait for the cops
and let her die?

I mean, this whole case reminds
me of when my dad was killed.

How I waited, helpless,

for somebody, anybody
to lift a finger.

But to them, he was
just another Black man,

carjacked in a bad neighborhood.

Just like these girls.

Not worth looking
into. Old wounds.

I get it. That's why

this case hits so close
home. And you know what?

Dante wouldn't even
know about this case

if you didn't bring it to him.

So he doesn't approve
of your methods?

So what? When was

the last time you cared about
what anyone thought of you?

But you do care. Rob, this guy's

more than just an
asset to you, isn't he?

He's a good man,

but he's too busy
being good to be great.

Don't tell him, but it
wasn't until my first big

blowup with Harry
that I realized

how much I cared about him.

That's when you knew?

I knew you fell for
me first.

It's not the time, babe.

Oh. I'm sorry.

It's the encrypted app.

It's Carter.

"You've taken something of mine,

now I'm going to take
something of yours."

How did he get your info?

Carter ran
that grief group

that Mrs. Howard attended.
He saw us talking.

He must have gotten my
number from her somehow.

Rob, your family.

They are totally firewalled.

There's no way he knows
my real identity.Okay.

Then who is he talking about?

The apartment.

He was watching us.

He saw us together.

Dante.

A vest won't save you this time.

I knew you'd come.

Drop the gun, or
I will kill him.

Okay. I'm putting the gun down.

No need for anybody to get hurt.

Kick it here.

The boys?

At their mom's.

I don't hurt kids.

Kids need to be protected.

You're right.

They do. We wouldn't even

be here if someone
had protected you.

The hell do you know?

I know your father was abusive
to your mother, and she left.

She told you she was
coming back for you,

but for whatever
reason, she couldn't.

Didn't. Not couldn't.

Didn't!

And that makes you angry.

Makes you hurt people.

I also know there's a
reason you had that group.

Because you needed to
listen to their pain

'cause it's your pain, too.

So I'm asking you, please,

let him go,

put down the gun, and I will
get you the help that you need,

that you deserve.

Get me help?

What, do you think I'm stupid?

You're lying!

Just like her!

Look me in the eyes.

Look at me! No.

Do it, or I will waste him.

I know you care about him.

You're not gonna kill him.

Not while I'm not watching.

That's why you made them
look you in the eye.

You need to see their
pain when you inflict it.

Otherwise, it's meaningless.

Turn around and look at me!

Last chance, Carter. Let him go.

: Look at me! No!

What did you do?

I gave him a chance.
He didn't take it.

You okay? Leave.

Okay...

: Leave!

District Attorney Grafton.

You wanted to see me?

I wanted to congratulate you
on the Carter Jacobs case.

I also wanted you to know that,

in light of all the new facts,

Deshawn Sanders will have the
opportunity for a retrial.

Good to hear.

Did have a few
questions, though,

about what happened...
Specifically,

why the bullet that killed him

wasn't from your gun.

I also found the statement given

by the killer's
father concerning.

The woman who was accused
of assaulting him sounds

an awful lot like the
vigilante you've been chasing.

It was.

She also helped save the girl.

Detective, I don't
have to tell you... No.

You don't. I've seen her
methods. She's a danger,

to herself and the people
she thinks she's helping.

She needs to be stopped.

So we agree.

It would appear that she
has a connection with you.

That gives you an edge.

If you'd be willing to
use it to bring her in,

this office would happily look
past any previous cooperation

you may have given her.

And with our support,
a collar like that

could make a person's career.

Do we understand each other?

Yes, ma'am.

I believe we do.

Before I hang up
my keys, I look at them,

feel the weight in my hand
to remind myself I am home,

to remind myself to be present.

I'm home!

Hey!

Hey, Mom.

What's up?

Man, something smells good.

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