The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016): Season 1, Episode 19 - The Mystery of the Dodgy Draft - full transcript
We are especially proud of our rain
forest environment here in the gardens.
The carefully maintained climate
allows for unrivaled plant diversity.
Now, if you'll follow me, we'll discover
a very different part of our natural world.
You wanna go upstairs?
Tender tummy, huh?
You must have been a wreck
when you were pregnant.
Hey, Laura, are we gonna finish this?
I gotta get to my briefing at 1PP.
So what do we have here?
Basketball brackets.
There is no possible way
Texas is gonna make the final four.
They're seated 12.
Earth to Laura.
- What?
- I just trashed your picks.
No classic Diamond zinger?
Hey! Total invasion of privacy.
Looking at someone else's bracket.
I'm not gonna let you come
over for breakfast anymore.
And 12th seat or not, I'm
going with the Longhorns.
Uh-uh.
Duke is going to the final
four out of the east.
Mmm-mmm. You're both wrong.
Michigan State will be
coming out of the east.
They're the strongest back court in the D1.
And everybody knows, except for you two,
that the only way to go deep into the
tourney, is with great guard play.
Since when do you know so
much about college basketball?
My oldest boy, Horace,
is a blue chip high school forward
being recruited by all the
major programs in the country.
- How did I not know about that?
- 'Cause I didn't tell you.
Okay, boys.
Go and get your school
stuff, okay? Let's go.
No basketball talk till I come back.
Hey...
I'll give you 50 bucks for your picks.
Make it an even 100 and
I'll lead you to victory.
Grab Frankie, I'll meet you there.
What, you don't like that outfit?
Yeah, exactly. I'm just too
lazy to walk back upstairs.
Oh, great, 'cause you just caught a case.
- Body at the Botanical...
- Botanical Gardens.
I'm on my way.
- What do we got?
- Triva Forster, 21.
Her keys, wallet and
cell are all still here.
So it wasn't a robbery.
- Any weapon in sight?
- Does the rock count?
She went down, hit her head on it.
Likely killed her instantly.
Any other injuries, wrists, arms...
Autopsy'll tell us more,
but it doesn't look like it.
Freak accident? Trip and fall?
If you were falling, what's
the first thing you would do?
Try to stop my fall.
This woman didn't.
There's not a scratch or a smudge on her.
She was unconscious.
Could have been a neurological event.
Brain aneurysm.
There's something on the side of her neck.
What is that? Nasty hickey, or...
Some kind of burn?
That is a Taser burn, still raw.
She didn't have an aneurysm.
Someone did this to her.
I'll have the tech search for AFID.
Uh, regular people speak.
Anti-Felon ID Taser Discharge.
Oh, the confetti stuff.
That's another name for it.
There's a barcode on every little piece,
it'll help us trace back to the shooter.
And what's that on her shoulder?
Looks like chalk.
Makes sense, there's a
group of second-graders
waiting in the gift shop wondering what
happened to their teacher's assistant.
Hey, buddy.
Uh, when was the last
time you saw Ms. Forster?
When she was yelling at
a giant with a dragon.
Oh, you... you mean some sort of
reptile handler here at the Gardens?
No, I mean, a giant with a dragon.
Gotcha.
Triva's a college senior,
getting hours student teaching.
She's usually with high school kids,
but she was helping me chaperone today.
This is unbelievable.
And you were with the kids the entire time?
Yes, I led the way and Triva was at
the back corralling the stragglers.
When did you first notice she was missing?
Well, right after we got
out of the desert landscape.
I called her cell, but she didn't answer.
Was there anything unusual
going on with her lately
that might explain why anyone
would want to hurt her?
She was a really great person.
I respect your discretion,
but Triva may have been murdered.
We need every bit of information we
can get to figure out who did this.
There's a rumor at the high school
that Triva was having an affair.
With a teacher?
- With a student?
- I'm afraid so.
But that's just a rumor.
I don't suppose you know
the student in question?
I wish I could be more helpful.
Okay, thank you.
The rent-a-cops are going to
pull all the security cam video.
Hopefully, we'll get lucky.
Hopefully, luckier than me.
Uh, all I got was a second-grader
talking about giants and dragons.
I got a rumor of our teacher's
assistant having an affair
with a high school student.
Winner. Let's start there.
Shall we get lunch and head in?
- Not hungry.
- Not hungry?
Has the real Laura
Diamond been body snatched?
Oh, next of kin info coming
in. I'll make the call.
Something on your mind?
I was gonna ask you the same thing.
- Oh, why?
- Woman to woman.
All right.
Watching you this week, distracted,
disappearing to the bathroom,
eating weird, not eating.
You either have man trouble,
or you're pregnant.
I don't have man trouble.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Triva was everything to me.
I've worked two jobs since she was a baby.
Tried to give her every opportunity.
The community where we live,
you tta gork twice as hard
make sure you get up and out.
And when was the last time you saw Triva?
I coed dinner for her every Monday night.
Usually Italian.
Her favorite.
Except this week, she cancelled.
Seemed liksomething was going on.
Any indication of what?
I never was an overbeing-father type.
Maybe I should've been.
Mr. Forster, is there someone
who was close to Triva?
Someone who might know
more about what was happening in her life?
She was spending a lot of time
with another teacher's assistant.
Alexis something.
Thank you, that's very helpful.
Listen, we will do everything in
our power to find who did this.
That's our victim
on the right. Va-voom.
And the other one is Alexis, the TA.
Alexis Holden,
she appears to be a party
girl with a capital party.
We found a ton of anonymousst
saying that she had an
affair with a student.
But there's more.
One more.
- If you know what I mean.
- A threesome?
With another teacher's
assistant. So naughty.
Presumably Alexis,
who we just found out called in sick today.
Giving her opportunity to follow Triva
to the Botanical Garden.
Working theory?
Alexis falls in love with a student,
decides to make the threesome a twosome?
It's a long shot, and seriously bent.
But worth looking into.
Get Frankie and see if you
can track down the TA.
And where are we with the Taser?
The tech found AFFID.
And they retrieved a barcode.
Manufacturer says the cartridges were sold
through an online company,
we have a call-in to get
the name of the customer.
Good work.
Okay, you cannot just drop
a bomb on someone like that,
and then laa-dee-daa get back to work.
There's no laa-dee-daa.
Talk to me. How did this happen?
Meredith, we have a homicide to investigate.
- I assume it was Tony.
- Of course, it was Tony.
Who else would it be?
We thought that you and the Captain maybe...
- Well, you thought wrong.
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Did you use protection?
- Ugh, yes.
Every time.
You know, condoms are only 98% effective,
even when used properly.
Well, then lucky me. I'm top 2%.
It took Jake and
I a year to get pregnant.
I had to time the ovulation,
I had to put a pillow under my butt
to create a downward flow.
Okay, plen of info. Have you told Tony?
The news is an hour old,
I haven't told anyone except for you.
And the only reason why
I told you is because...
- I don't know why I told you.
- I'm touched.
Assuming I'm even right.
I had a blood test to be
a zillion percent sure
and I will have the results...
today or tomorrow.
Yikes.
Good luck.
Everything was finally falling into place.
Alexis Holden, 5C.
Do you hear that?
Protocol, knock first.
Knock yourself out.
Alexis Holden? NYPD!
Can you come to the door?
- We're going in.
- We should really call in for a warrant.
Exigent circumstances.
She's probably on top of an 11-grader
and that is statutory rape.
Yes, and while that might hold up in court,
NYPD standard operating procedure says...
Not that.
Not the exigent circumstances I was expeing.
Where were you yesterday morning?
I was at the doctor all morning yesterday.
I assume the doc's office will confirm that.
Who's gonna pay for my door?
- You heard what happened to Triva.
- Yeah, I saw it on the news.
It's awful.
We heard a rumor that you and Triva were...
Well...
With a student?
She means having sex, not fist bumping.
Yeah, I've heard the rumors.
With all these stories about
teachers sleeping with students,
it's just easy shade to throw.
- Is that a denial?
- I've never slept with a student.
And Triva never did either, she
was the best person I knew.
Anything going on in her
life you could tell us about?
She was excited
about the NCAA Tournament.
Her old boyfriend's playing in it.
Marco Williams went to
Fieldston on a scholarship.
Same as Triva.
And currently, he's the starting
point guard for the Milman State...
Dragons!
Marco's 6'4".
If he wawearing his team's
logo across his chest...
He'd look like a giant with a dragon.
The kid Frankie talked to
had it right after all.
That means that Marco was with
Triva right before she was killed.
Well, his team's practicing
at the arena right now.
Meredith and Frankie are right by there.
Let's meet him. I want a piece of this guy.
Looking for him now.
Mmm-hmm.
- Excuse me, tall guy.
- Yes, ma'am.
We are looking for Marco Williams.
Marco, um...
Yeah, that's Marco right there.
Thanks.
- Marco Williams?
- Don't move!
He's running.
I'll be waiting... and armed.
Police, get out of the way! I'm serious!
Move, move, move!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hands behind your back.
Carry on, folks. We just need to
borrow your start point guard.
That's all.
I'd put this right back on.
When I was eight, I saw Donald Duck
without his head smoking a doobie.
Traumatizing.
Come on. Come on. On your feet.
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 talk to an attorney.
That's how you stop a fleeing suspect.
Glory hog.
Where are you taking my player?
Your player is a fleeing suspect.
Suspected of what?
- That's a police matter.
- Homicide.
Whoopsie.
Marco Williams wouldn't hurt a fly.
He hasn't had a flagrant foul this season.
Sounds like he could be
playing some more aggressive D.
Funny.
Excuse me. This has to be a mistake.
How can we reach Marco?
- And you need to reach him because?
- I'm his girlfriend.
Hey. Come on.
You're involved with the team?
Head cheer coach, Dawn Grant.
- What can you tell us about Marco?
- He's a good kid.
And the conference's top scorer.
If he's not back by game
time, this team is toast.
Let's go.
The game starts in six hours.
I'm hopeful you'll have
Marco cleared by then.
Respectfully, council,
the success of the team is not
a factor in my investigation.
And I've got them gog to the final four.
Well, tournament aside,
if Marco is unavailable to play a
game for any non-injury reason,
the university's gonna have to cut him from
the team, and withdraw his scholarship.
- What?
- School policy, Marco.
In the current climate, we can't
afford the hint of a scandal.
I thought you were my lawyer.
Well, the NYPD alerted the school due
to the seriousness of the allegations,
but technically, I represent them.
Then technically, I don't want you here.
- Marco...
- You heard the man.
You're entitled to your own council.
I don't need council.
I would never hurt Triva. I loved her.
In my experience, the two
sometimes go hand in hand.
You were seen at the Botanical Gardens.
Yeah. We met up.
- You two back together again?
- No, it's not like that.
Triva was my best friend. When things
got to be too much, I called her.
- She kept me grounded.
- Marco, if you're innocent
why did you run from us?
When I went to see Triva, an
assistant coach wrote me up.
Coach would have suspended me next game.
The assistant told me if I could
get to the report on coach's desk
before coach saw it, he'd let it go.
I had just snuck out of his office,
and the cops started shouting.
I thought they were tournament officials,
caught me somewhere I didn't belong.
Our eye witness saw you arguing with Triva.
Yeah, we got into it...
over Phil Hooks.
He owns a few bars downtown.
He's involved with athletes,
musicians, anyone trying to get out.
Phil always made sure I had new sneakers.
- Walk around money.
- But he wanted something in exchange?
Not... not until now.
For tonight's game, he asked that I make
sure we keep it under a seven-point spread.
Poing shaving.
Ye, I figured maybe... maybe I owe Phil.
But, um, Triva said no.
Did Phil know that it was
Triva who talked you out of it?
Phil Hooks knows everything.
Okay, we'll look into him.
But I have to hold you until you're cleared.
Listen, listen, if... If
I don't suit up tonight,
then everything I worked for,
everything my mom dreamed for me,
taking me to practice every
day since I was six years old...
- It's all over.
- There are other schools, other scholarships.
I only got one more year eligibility.
Being able to start for my team,
making it to the tournament.
Lightning like that don't strike twice.
I'm done.
I told the NCAA and I'm gonna tell you.
I've done nothing more with Marco but
try to help a neighborhood kid succeed.
Mr. Hooks, we're actually here about
another kid from your neighborhood.
Triva Forster.
She was advising your number one investment,
Marco Williams, to cut ties with you.
I can't imagine you'd
just let folks walk away.
The control you have over this neighborhood?
Look, I'm no saint, all right?
But hurting Triva?
I'm about lifting up my community,
either through someone
like Marco getting out
or someone like Triva
building it up from within.
Robin Hood of the hood.
Where were you yesterday morning?
Uptown. Boys and Girls Club.
I just bought them a computer lab.
Big shot like you, you've got all sorts
of people to do your dirty work.
You got a lot of nerve, sweetheart.
Don't call me sweetheart. I'm not sweet.
She's really not.
Check my phones, talk to whomever,
give me lie detector for all I care.
You've got the wrong guy.
Of course, Tony, yes,
I'll tell Laura you called.
Oh, hang on a sec, I think I see her.
Sorry, it was just an
identical stranger. Ciao.
Um, what? Trouble in paradise?
No, no, it's just not a good
time for a personal call.
Okay, Phil Hook's alibi pans out.
Please tell me that you have
something that clears Marco.
Mayhaps, just heard back
from the Taser cartridge seller.
It was bought by a Slava
Krupski, who, weird,
also happens to be playing
in the NCAA tournament.
May not be weird at all.
Perhaps you should consult the
expert in the conference room.
Alicia, what are you doing here?
Uh, I may or may not be
under contract to a certain someone
who presides over this work place.
Unbelievable.
Hey, what do you know about
a player named Slava Krupski?
Russian. He's a forward
for Aldon University.
Major attitude.
He leads his conference in
ejections and stitches required.
- Ah!
- It's a police matter.
Krupski would play Marco's
team in the next round.
No way your boy could guard Marco.
Well, if you know that,
then Krupski knows that.
Maybe he tried to throw Marco off his
game by attacking his old girlfriend.
Wow, that's very Russian.
Krupski's team just tipped off.
I better get there.
What? You can't go barging
into an NCAA tournament game.
Well, if I don't, then Marco's
career might end before it starts,
and I'm not gonna do that to his mother.
This is great.
I can't believe it. Finally,
courtside of the tournament game.
You're welcome.
- There's Krupski.
- Yeah.
That's our ball!
Oh, he mugged him, coach!
- Hey, I need a word with Krupski.
- It's time sensitive. Urgent.
Is this a joke? He's kind of busy right now.
You have to talk to the Public
Affairs office. Excuse me.
- Plan B.
- Okay, fine, but this time I get to stay.
Alright, just give me a minute to get into
position. But do not forget your line.
Unbelievable.
Oh, no, you didn't.
Little busy ght now, Cap.
Yeah, I can see that, and so can
all of America. Put Laura on.
Tell him I'm in the bathroom.
I can see you, Laura.
He can see you.
Ugh.
We've got it under control here.
The hell you do. This is the
NCAA we're dealing with.
Yeah, and this is Laura
Diamond they are dealing with.
As I was saying, Plan B.
Enjoy the game.
I'll be in the locker room.
- Let's go, man, we got this!
- Hey, number 12!
Oh, whoa, whoa, I didn't do anything.
Relax. Listen, you want to help your team
win and get a "Get out of jail free" card?
- What do I have to do?
- Okay.
U know number 30, Krupski?
Yeah, I'm still trying to get the feeling
back in my jaw from when he elbowed me.
Perfect. Listen.
When he comes down the floor,
I need you to say something to him.
What?
Here he comes, you'll do fine. Go for it.
Hey, yo, Krupski!
You screwed me, man!
I saw that.
Kenny "The Jet" Smith. Hey, big fan, man.
Yeah, but you had that kid
drive that Russian kid crazy.
Come on, Kenny, you never bent the rules
just a little bit when you were playing?
True that.
Hey, he'll be right along.
- I'm fine.
- Easy, son. Just...
I said I'm fine!
Hello.
Tough break, Slava.
Violence is never the answer.
No comment. No autograph.
- You own a Taser.
- So what? It is not illegal.
It is if you use it to kill someone.
I don't even have it anymore.
Convenient. What happened to it?
I was messing around a couple days ago.
Zapping some of my teammates, as joke.
- It is funny.
- Hilarious.
You must be the life of
the party back in Minsk.
Coach took it. Said maybe I could
have it at end of tournament.
So your coach has had it all this time?
That's what I said.
Tough break. Guess they
needed their angry Russian.
Do I wanna know what that phrase meant?
It implied an inappropate level of
intimacy between Krupski's mother
and the Russian male population.
I once knew a Russian exchange student...
- Intimately.
- What about Krupski?
This goes further up the food chain.
- This is a joke?
- Come on, come on.
- Coach.
- You. I should call the cops.
Consider us called.
You took Slava's Taser a few days ago?
Yeah, so?
So, where were you yesterday
during the team's day off?
You know what? I have to address the media.
- So if you have any further questions...
- You know what?
We have just one. Can see your wrists?
My...
- Turn around.
- Yup.
Let's go. We've got a killer to book.
And a player to unbook.
Please tell me you found out who did this.
Well, we may have, but at
the very least we figured out
that you did not have access
to the murder weapon.
- Time for you to rejoin your team.
- Seriously?
Soon as the paper work is processed,
I'm heading upstairs right now to get it.
Oh, man.
I didn't know what I was gonna tell my mom.
She's probably already having a
meltdown with me just being in here.
I had the same thought, so
call her, tell her you're fine,
and you will see her at the game.
Detective.
Are you this nice to all your suspects?
Hell, no.
If the suspect we picked up
turns out to be the killer,
no one will confuse me with nice.
Not by a long shot.
Why? Why would I taze this
girl? I didn't even know her!
But you knew that you were playing
her old boyfriend, Marco Williams,
in the next round.
You gave your team the morning off, you
told them you were gonna go study film.
We checked with your film
guy. You never came by.
No one else saw you until after lunch.
Okay, I can explain that.
You recruited Marco in high school,
he went to go play for Milman.
That had to sting.
Hear the alumni had been
calling for your head.
Which is why I left the team
to go on a recruiting trip.
Come on, Coach. The day before
the biggest game of your career?
That's exactly when you go. When you
got something to brag about, right?
I kept it quiet because I
didn't want the team to know
I was thinking about next season.
Where was this recruiting trip?
Scranton.
It's a two-hour train ride, you can
check with the people I met up there.
Oh, we will.
But because you were kind enough to give
us permission, we checked your hotel room.
There is no Taser on the desk.
- There isn't?
- Was there anyone else in your hotel room
from the moment you confiscated that Taser
to the moment you left for Scranton?
Actually, there was someone.
- Marco's current girlfriend.
- Yup.
Sara Shaw. Cheerleader.
We met her. Bites her nails.
But aside from that,
straight A's in high school.
Per her guidance counselor, she was up
for some kind of science scholarship
to Cornell,
but dropped it to go be
a cheerleader at Milman.
That sounds like the worst
decision in feminist history.
- Where was her mother?
- Pulling her hair out, one would assume.
Hold on, why was Sara in the hotel
room of a coach from a different team?
No, Coach Stince hadn't
given up on recruiting Marco.
NCAA rules prohibit him from
talking to Marco directly, but...
they don't stop him from
talking to people close to him.
It's a little sketch bringing
her to his hotel room.
Could cause more problems than it solves.
Which is exactly why Stince made
sure Sara brought someone along.
Her cheer coach.
Dawn Grant.
Met her too. Not a fan of nail biting.
So, new girlfriend didn't like the attention
Marco was paying to the high school flame.
Grabbed the Taser from the coach,
followed Marco to the Botanical Gardens...
Where Sara's fears were confirmed.
Sara saw Marco and Triva.
And zap!
An officer will escort you back to practice.
Okay, and make sure that you tell
them to put their flashers on.
He's got a game tonight.
Thank you. Not just for me.
For Triva.
Find someone to talk to about
what happened. A friend, teammate.
Yeah.
__
Marco.
Your girlfriend would also be
a good person to open up to.
It's Sara, right?
Did Sara understand your
relationship with Triva?
Sort of. You know how it
is, old girl, new girl.
Yeah, I do.
Where is she now?
She's probably at the arena, warming
up with the other cheerleaders.
- Anyway, good luck tonight.
- Thank you.
The arena.
Hi! Are you a Milman cheerleader?
Oh, hopefully someday. I'm
an assistant for the team.
We're looking for Sara Shaw.
Oh, they're not due back
here for like an hour.
Hmm.
Uh, what is this?
- Oh, chalk resin.
- Keeps your hands dry.
I did gymnastics in high school, totally
rocked the uneven parallel bars.
- Cheerleaders use this too?
- Oh, yeah.
They do lots of tricky stunts.
Pyramids, cradle catches...
- And what's that on her shoulder?
- Looks like chalk.
That wasn't teacher's chalk on Triva's
jacket, that was cheerleader chalk.
Reynaldo can cross check the samples.
Per standard operating procedure,
we should really get a warrant...
Oh, my God!
Hey, can we borrow some chalk?
- Oh, sure!
- Bag the chalk.
Bagging away!
So, where can we find Sara now?
Oh, well, Sara was so
happy that Marco got out,
she said something about an
emergency lingerie run at Couture.
She probably walked in ten
minutes ago. Sent you a photo.
Target in sight. Moving in.
Stunning! And such a figure.
Best boobs money can buy.
- What can I get for you, dear?
- Oh.
Something really special...
like an enchanted thong.
Seems...
I've lost my boyfriend's attention.
Challenge accepted.
Your boyfriend won't know what hit him.
Good luck.
With your boyfriend.
- Though I'm sure you won't need it.
- Oh, thanks.
I don't mean to be a butt-in-sky,
but you seem really young and gorgeous...
to be having that kind of work done.
I guess it's sort of like
an investment, you know?
Actually, I don't.
You said you lost your
boyfriend's attention.
I can't let the same thing happen to me.
Okay, okay, um. How far...
How far do I go? I mean...
For example, my guy has
this ex-girlfriend...
No, my mom says that there's no
such thing as an ex-girlfriend.
They always have a way of popping up.
Well, I'm sure that's not
something you have to worry about.
Oh, sorry, bad habit.
It may be toxic.
You've got white power all over your hands.
Oh, it's... just chalk. Cheerleading thing.
So you were saying that ex-girlfriends
have a way of just popping up?
A couple of weeks ago an old flame
started calling my boyfriend.
What did you do?
Please, please, don't leave me hanging.
Let's just say she's not a problem anymore.
Wow.
How did you manage that?
I...
I'd rather not get into
it if you'll excuse me.
Okay, I have a few hot
numbers for you to try on.
I think that I will just take...
this one.
Sara, where were you yesterday morning?
At 8:00, I met up with the rest of
the girls in the hotel spa for yoga.
Before that, I was in my room.
Alone?
I have migraines. I
can't have anyone around.
Is there anyone who could verify
that you were there the whole time?
Of course, my mother.
Hey, Laura's still in with the cheerleader?
Last I checked. What up?
Sara's mom is here flipping out
about Sara not missing the big game.
She's probably the top of the cheer pyramid.
Been there.
And it gets better.
I'm actually not gonna sit down.
Her mother is the cheerleading coach?
A little fact she didn't bother
telling us when we arrested Marco.
Excuse me.
I demand to see my daughter immediately.
Madam, I told you we have to wait till
the detectives finish questioning her.
This is unacceptable.
We are supposed to be on
national television in two hours.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
I would think a science scholarship
would be the opportunity of a lifetime,
you know, like the one Sara was offered.
It was only a partial scholarship.
I helped Sara realize there
are surer bets in life.
Like cheerleading, of course.
Why didn't you identify
yourself as Sara's mother
when we questioned you at the arena?
When Sara went to college, she
was scared to be away from me.
She and I have been best
friends since she was born.
So we decided I would go with her.
To college?
Sara was embarrassed about
people having that reaction,
so we just say that I'm her cheer coach.
Which I am.
I have put so much effort into
helping that girl succeed.
Might as well see it all the way to the end.
I'm sure you understand.
No.
Sara, forgive me, but
your ample new friends...
How does a student afford
such spectacular work?
My mom arranged for the surgery.
- Your mother?
- She called them an investment into my future.
So it wasn't your idea.
Not really.
- No.
- What about being a cheerleader,
was that your mom's idea too?
She knows what's best for me.
I can be shy. I don't assert myself.
The cheerleading helps with that.
I'm guessing that's mom's
assessment, not yours.
Sara, you were gonna say something
at the lingerie store about how
Triva wasn't a problem anymore.
I don't think it was you who followed
Marco to the Botanical Gardens.
Was it?
It's okay, honey.
I know.
The mother?
Sara does not fit the profile
of man-trapped Barbie.
Sara sure looks like she does.
On the surface. But her demeanor,
her chewed off fingernails,
she's a Nervous Nellie
hiding in Kate Upton's body.
Enhanced by a $10,000 breast
augmentation financed by the bank of mom.
- All to be a cheerleader?
- Not just to be a cheerleader.
Sara's mom has been grooming
her to become a trophy wife.
For what it's worth, I think
the mom has fake boobs too.
I mean, nature does not
arc up and out like that.
Didn't I always say that?
And still with all the super bra
"anniversary presents..."
Moving on. What else do we got?
Well, okay. Here's a morsel.
You guys don't say that here?
Okay, Dawn was an NBA
cheerleader in the late '80s
engaged at various times
to three different players.
- No weddings?
- Zippity-doo-da.
So maybe Dawn figured that
if at first you don't succeed,
make your decent, intelligent daughter
follow in your misguided footsteps.
When Triva reappeared in Marco's life,
Dawn saw her daughter's
meal ticket slipping away
and decided she wasn't going
to let history repeat itself.
Mmm, it's a good theory, but
there's no evidence, no witnesses.
Hotel security camera shows Dawn
leaving the hotel at 8:00 a.m.
No sign of Sara.
Okay, so mom left the hotel.
She could've gone anywhere.
True, but Triva died around 9:15,
Dawn showed up at the
arena a half an hour later
without the Taser, she'd
have to ditch it somewhere.
Yeah, but don't forget
that Obama was in town.
So traffic was gridlocked, and there's no
subway station near the Botanical Gardens.
Which means she walked
straight up Centre street.
Stopping to buy Sara a snack along the way.
Okay, so pull footage from every
surveillance camera from there to the arena.
Maybe we catch mom in the act.
This just replaced Interstellar
as the most boring viewing
experience in my life.
I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that.
There she is.
Corner of Broome and Centre.
Uh, she bought her daughter a
breakfast hotdog as a snack?
Not likely for a mom who wants her
daughter to be a size zero to catch a man.
- You don't think she...
- I do.
And I think Laura is gonna want in on this.
Sure, I remember her.
She said she was in a rush.
Then she tells me my cart's
leaking, right there.
I bend down, look over, nothing.
How often do you change the
water you keep the hotdogs in?
Hey, there's no law saying I gotta change...
Okay, we're not the health department.
Is it fair to say that you haven't
changed the water in the last two days?
- Yeah, that's fair, sure.
- Okay, excuse me.
Seen worse.
Make me proud.
- Hey, how long is this gonna take?
- Hey, just relax.
You gotta really get in there.
Yeah, I am really in there.
Oh, gosh! That is hot.
Well, that's why they call it hotdogs.
Here wait, come on, cool off.
And now you're gonna mess up
my soda now, too? Come on!
Well, what are you gonna do? Cry?
Okay.
What?
Smoking gun.
Where the hell is my daughter?
Good news. We found some evidence
that suggest that Sara's innocent.
Good.
I'd like to see her now.
You're a tiger mom.
Always looking out for your family.
Me too.
- What's happening here?
- Well, uh...
We just went on a hotdog tour of
downtown. Guess what we found?
Interesting fact, the
water that they keep hotdogs in,
extremely high levels of sodium,
it acts as a preservative.
Lab's running fingerprints right now.
I wonder what they'll come up with.
Oh, and I noticed that you have the same
chalk on your hands as your daughter.
Wonder what that will match with.
May I?
You were the one that went up
to your elbow in hotdog water.
Way passed the elbow.
You saw Triva as a threat.
You thought all of your own unfulfilled
dreams of landing yourself a trophy husband.
You spent 20 years trying
to turn your daughter
into a more successful version of yourself.
- But she is still not you.
- She's better.
This is being blown way out of proportion.
I just went there to scare
her away from Marco.
And she fell funny and
hit her head on a rock.
And you left her there to die.
On behalf of every woman
who's trying to do it on her own,
not on her nails, not on her fake boobs,
just so-so job on yours, by the way,
and not on having to land a guy,
you're under arrest for the
murder of Triva Forster.
You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say can...
Hey, are you taking personal calls?
Well, it depends who the caller is.
Uh, it's a Dr. Buckman.
Laura Diamond.
I understand.
Yes.
You... You're sure?
Okay.
What is that all about?
Thank you, God!
Oh, my.
__
Mom's prints are on the Taser.
DEA's drawing up the charges now.
Did you call Triva's dad?
He was thankful for the closure.
At least we could give him that.
Wow!
I mean, I've heard of domination before,
but compared with your bracket
I own you.
Have you ever heard of being a good winner?
- Good winner?
- Mmm-hmm.
I know you paid Alicia
100 bucks for her picks.
Loser.
- Good day for you, huh?
- Mmm-hmm.
You closed the case, and...
you got me on bribery.
Well, I can't really take the high ground
seeing as how I paid her 200 bucks
to give you crappy picks.
Ooh.
- Nice.
- Boy is on fire, huh?
Thanks to you.
Well, I'm just glad he
got his moment in the sun.
The rest is up to him.
__
You know, I prefer talking to texting.
- Join me.
- Of course.
Oh, hey.
- You still smell like hotdogs.
- Oh, I know.
Sort of into it.
Can I buy you a drink?
Wouldn't say no to a creme de menthe.
Of course you wouldn't.
What you got there?
Accounting sent over a damage
report for the door you kicked in.
Okay, how much is it?
- Zero.
- How did you pull that off?
Two magic words.
Exigent circumstances.
Oh, Detective.
I believe we've recruited
you to the dark side.
To the dark side.
Whoa!
Yeah. Whoa.
Those stupid Chinese herbs I was taking
for sea sickness gave me a false positive.
Two false positives.
- No wonder you were ducking me.
- I wasn't.
- Mmm.
- Okay, I was.
I just wanted to be sure before I...
blew your world up.
Wow.
- Little Laura/Tony baby.
- Hmm.
That would've been cool.
- It would've?
- Sure.
I mean, I'd rather actually be making a
few bucks more than I spend each month
before starting a family.
Someday.
- Yeah.
- What?
Have kids?
- I love kids.
- I love kids, too!
I've got a pair of them.
I think that's probably plenty.
Mmm. Mmm. I don't know.
I mean, a pair is solid, for sure.
But three?
Three's the new two.
- Is it?
- Yeah, ask anyone.
Now that you're drinking again,
can I get you another beer?
Make it three.
forest environment here in the gardens.
The carefully maintained climate
allows for unrivaled plant diversity.
Now, if you'll follow me, we'll discover
a very different part of our natural world.
You wanna go upstairs?
Tender tummy, huh?
You must have been a wreck
when you were pregnant.
Hey, Laura, are we gonna finish this?
I gotta get to my briefing at 1PP.
So what do we have here?
Basketball brackets.
There is no possible way
Texas is gonna make the final four.
They're seated 12.
Earth to Laura.
- What?
- I just trashed your picks.
No classic Diamond zinger?
Hey! Total invasion of privacy.
Looking at someone else's bracket.
I'm not gonna let you come
over for breakfast anymore.
And 12th seat or not, I'm
going with the Longhorns.
Uh-uh.
Duke is going to the final
four out of the east.
Mmm-mmm. You're both wrong.
Michigan State will be
coming out of the east.
They're the strongest back court in the D1.
And everybody knows, except for you two,
that the only way to go deep into the
tourney, is with great guard play.
Since when do you know so
much about college basketball?
My oldest boy, Horace,
is a blue chip high school forward
being recruited by all the
major programs in the country.
- How did I not know about that?
- 'Cause I didn't tell you.
Okay, boys.
Go and get your school
stuff, okay? Let's go.
No basketball talk till I come back.
Hey...
I'll give you 50 bucks for your picks.
Make it an even 100 and
I'll lead you to victory.
Grab Frankie, I'll meet you there.
What, you don't like that outfit?
Yeah, exactly. I'm just too
lazy to walk back upstairs.
Oh, great, 'cause you just caught a case.
- Body at the Botanical...
- Botanical Gardens.
I'm on my way.
- What do we got?
- Triva Forster, 21.
Her keys, wallet and
cell are all still here.
So it wasn't a robbery.
- Any weapon in sight?
- Does the rock count?
She went down, hit her head on it.
Likely killed her instantly.
Any other injuries, wrists, arms...
Autopsy'll tell us more,
but it doesn't look like it.
Freak accident? Trip and fall?
If you were falling, what's
the first thing you would do?
Try to stop my fall.
This woman didn't.
There's not a scratch or a smudge on her.
She was unconscious.
Could have been a neurological event.
Brain aneurysm.
There's something on the side of her neck.
What is that? Nasty hickey, or...
Some kind of burn?
That is a Taser burn, still raw.
She didn't have an aneurysm.
Someone did this to her.
I'll have the tech search for AFID.
Uh, regular people speak.
Anti-Felon ID Taser Discharge.
Oh, the confetti stuff.
That's another name for it.
There's a barcode on every little piece,
it'll help us trace back to the shooter.
And what's that on her shoulder?
Looks like chalk.
Makes sense, there's a
group of second-graders
waiting in the gift shop wondering what
happened to their teacher's assistant.
Hey, buddy.
Uh, when was the last
time you saw Ms. Forster?
When she was yelling at
a giant with a dragon.
Oh, you... you mean some sort of
reptile handler here at the Gardens?
No, I mean, a giant with a dragon.
Gotcha.
Triva's a college senior,
getting hours student teaching.
She's usually with high school kids,
but she was helping me chaperone today.
This is unbelievable.
And you were with the kids the entire time?
Yes, I led the way and Triva was at
the back corralling the stragglers.
When did you first notice she was missing?
Well, right after we got
out of the desert landscape.
I called her cell, but she didn't answer.
Was there anything unusual
going on with her lately
that might explain why anyone
would want to hurt her?
She was a really great person.
I respect your discretion,
but Triva may have been murdered.
We need every bit of information we
can get to figure out who did this.
There's a rumor at the high school
that Triva was having an affair.
With a teacher?
- With a student?
- I'm afraid so.
But that's just a rumor.
I don't suppose you know
the student in question?
I wish I could be more helpful.
Okay, thank you.
The rent-a-cops are going to
pull all the security cam video.
Hopefully, we'll get lucky.
Hopefully, luckier than me.
Uh, all I got was a second-grader
talking about giants and dragons.
I got a rumor of our teacher's
assistant having an affair
with a high school student.
Winner. Let's start there.
Shall we get lunch and head in?
- Not hungry.
- Not hungry?
Has the real Laura
Diamond been body snatched?
Oh, next of kin info coming
in. I'll make the call.
Something on your mind?
I was gonna ask you the same thing.
- Oh, why?
- Woman to woman.
All right.
Watching you this week, distracted,
disappearing to the bathroom,
eating weird, not eating.
You either have man trouble,
or you're pregnant.
I don't have man trouble.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Triva was everything to me.
I've worked two jobs since she was a baby.
Tried to give her every opportunity.
The community where we live,
you tta gork twice as hard
make sure you get up and out.
And when was the last time you saw Triva?
I coed dinner for her every Monday night.
Usually Italian.
Her favorite.
Except this week, she cancelled.
Seemed liksomething was going on.
Any indication of what?
I never was an overbeing-father type.
Maybe I should've been.
Mr. Forster, is there someone
who was close to Triva?
Someone who might know
more about what was happening in her life?
She was spending a lot of time
with another teacher's assistant.
Alexis something.
Thank you, that's very helpful.
Listen, we will do everything in
our power to find who did this.
That's our victim
on the right. Va-voom.
And the other one is Alexis, the TA.
Alexis Holden,
she appears to be a party
girl with a capital party.
We found a ton of anonymousst
saying that she had an
affair with a student.
But there's more.
One more.
- If you know what I mean.
- A threesome?
With another teacher's
assistant. So naughty.
Presumably Alexis,
who we just found out called in sick today.
Giving her opportunity to follow Triva
to the Botanical Garden.
Working theory?
Alexis falls in love with a student,
decides to make the threesome a twosome?
It's a long shot, and seriously bent.
But worth looking into.
Get Frankie and see if you
can track down the TA.
And where are we with the Taser?
The tech found AFFID.
And they retrieved a barcode.
Manufacturer says the cartridges were sold
through an online company,
we have a call-in to get
the name of the customer.
Good work.
Okay, you cannot just drop
a bomb on someone like that,
and then laa-dee-daa get back to work.
There's no laa-dee-daa.
Talk to me. How did this happen?
Meredith, we have a homicide to investigate.
- I assume it was Tony.
- Of course, it was Tony.
Who else would it be?
We thought that you and the Captain maybe...
- Well, you thought wrong.
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Did you use protection?
- Ugh, yes.
Every time.
You know, condoms are only 98% effective,
even when used properly.
Well, then lucky me. I'm top 2%.
It took Jake and
I a year to get pregnant.
I had to time the ovulation,
I had to put a pillow under my butt
to create a downward flow.
Okay, plen of info. Have you told Tony?
The news is an hour old,
I haven't told anyone except for you.
And the only reason why
I told you is because...
- I don't know why I told you.
- I'm touched.
Assuming I'm even right.
I had a blood test to be
a zillion percent sure
and I will have the results...
today or tomorrow.
Yikes.
Good luck.
Everything was finally falling into place.
Alexis Holden, 5C.
Do you hear that?
Protocol, knock first.
Knock yourself out.
Alexis Holden? NYPD!
Can you come to the door?
- We're going in.
- We should really call in for a warrant.
Exigent circumstances.
She's probably on top of an 11-grader
and that is statutory rape.
Yes, and while that might hold up in court,
NYPD standard operating procedure says...
Not that.
Not the exigent circumstances I was expeing.
Where were you yesterday morning?
I was at the doctor all morning yesterday.
I assume the doc's office will confirm that.
Who's gonna pay for my door?
- You heard what happened to Triva.
- Yeah, I saw it on the news.
It's awful.
We heard a rumor that you and Triva were...
Well...
With a student?
She means having sex, not fist bumping.
Yeah, I've heard the rumors.
With all these stories about
teachers sleeping with students,
it's just easy shade to throw.
- Is that a denial?
- I've never slept with a student.
And Triva never did either, she
was the best person I knew.
Anything going on in her
life you could tell us about?
She was excited
about the NCAA Tournament.
Her old boyfriend's playing in it.
Marco Williams went to
Fieldston on a scholarship.
Same as Triva.
And currently, he's the starting
point guard for the Milman State...
Dragons!
Marco's 6'4".
If he wawearing his team's
logo across his chest...
He'd look like a giant with a dragon.
The kid Frankie talked to
had it right after all.
That means that Marco was with
Triva right before she was killed.
Well, his team's practicing
at the arena right now.
Meredith and Frankie are right by there.
Let's meet him. I want a piece of this guy.
Looking for him now.
Mmm-hmm.
- Excuse me, tall guy.
- Yes, ma'am.
We are looking for Marco Williams.
Marco, um...
Yeah, that's Marco right there.
Thanks.
- Marco Williams?
- Don't move!
He's running.
I'll be waiting... and armed.
Police, get out of the way! I'm serious!
Move, move, move!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hands behind your back.
Carry on, folks. We just need to
borrow your start point guard.
That's all.
I'd put this right back on.
When I was eight, I saw Donald Duck
without his head smoking a doobie.
Traumatizing.
Come on. Come on. On your feet.
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 talk to an attorney.
That's how you stop a fleeing suspect.
Glory hog.
Where are you taking my player?
Your player is a fleeing suspect.
Suspected of what?
- That's a police matter.
- Homicide.
Whoopsie.
Marco Williams wouldn't hurt a fly.
He hasn't had a flagrant foul this season.
Sounds like he could be
playing some more aggressive D.
Funny.
Excuse me. This has to be a mistake.
How can we reach Marco?
- And you need to reach him because?
- I'm his girlfriend.
Hey. Come on.
You're involved with the team?
Head cheer coach, Dawn Grant.
- What can you tell us about Marco?
- He's a good kid.
And the conference's top scorer.
If he's not back by game
time, this team is toast.
Let's go.
The game starts in six hours.
I'm hopeful you'll have
Marco cleared by then.
Respectfully, council,
the success of the team is not
a factor in my investigation.
And I've got them gog to the final four.
Well, tournament aside,
if Marco is unavailable to play a
game for any non-injury reason,
the university's gonna have to cut him from
the team, and withdraw his scholarship.
- What?
- School policy, Marco.
In the current climate, we can't
afford the hint of a scandal.
I thought you were my lawyer.
Well, the NYPD alerted the school due
to the seriousness of the allegations,
but technically, I represent them.
Then technically, I don't want you here.
- Marco...
- You heard the man.
You're entitled to your own council.
I don't need council.
I would never hurt Triva. I loved her.
In my experience, the two
sometimes go hand in hand.
You were seen at the Botanical Gardens.
Yeah. We met up.
- You two back together again?
- No, it's not like that.
Triva was my best friend. When things
got to be too much, I called her.
- She kept me grounded.
- Marco, if you're innocent
why did you run from us?
When I went to see Triva, an
assistant coach wrote me up.
Coach would have suspended me next game.
The assistant told me if I could
get to the report on coach's desk
before coach saw it, he'd let it go.
I had just snuck out of his office,
and the cops started shouting.
I thought they were tournament officials,
caught me somewhere I didn't belong.
Our eye witness saw you arguing with Triva.
Yeah, we got into it...
over Phil Hooks.
He owns a few bars downtown.
He's involved with athletes,
musicians, anyone trying to get out.
Phil always made sure I had new sneakers.
- Walk around money.
- But he wanted something in exchange?
Not... not until now.
For tonight's game, he asked that I make
sure we keep it under a seven-point spread.
Poing shaving.
Ye, I figured maybe... maybe I owe Phil.
But, um, Triva said no.
Did Phil know that it was
Triva who talked you out of it?
Phil Hooks knows everything.
Okay, we'll look into him.
But I have to hold you until you're cleared.
Listen, listen, if... If
I don't suit up tonight,
then everything I worked for,
everything my mom dreamed for me,
taking me to practice every
day since I was six years old...
- It's all over.
- There are other schools, other scholarships.
I only got one more year eligibility.
Being able to start for my team,
making it to the tournament.
Lightning like that don't strike twice.
I'm done.
I told the NCAA and I'm gonna tell you.
I've done nothing more with Marco but
try to help a neighborhood kid succeed.
Mr. Hooks, we're actually here about
another kid from your neighborhood.
Triva Forster.
She was advising your number one investment,
Marco Williams, to cut ties with you.
I can't imagine you'd
just let folks walk away.
The control you have over this neighborhood?
Look, I'm no saint, all right?
But hurting Triva?
I'm about lifting up my community,
either through someone
like Marco getting out
or someone like Triva
building it up from within.
Robin Hood of the hood.
Where were you yesterday morning?
Uptown. Boys and Girls Club.
I just bought them a computer lab.
Big shot like you, you've got all sorts
of people to do your dirty work.
You got a lot of nerve, sweetheart.
Don't call me sweetheart. I'm not sweet.
She's really not.
Check my phones, talk to whomever,
give me lie detector for all I care.
You've got the wrong guy.
Of course, Tony, yes,
I'll tell Laura you called.
Oh, hang on a sec, I think I see her.
Sorry, it was just an
identical stranger. Ciao.
Um, what? Trouble in paradise?
No, no, it's just not a good
time for a personal call.
Okay, Phil Hook's alibi pans out.
Please tell me that you have
something that clears Marco.
Mayhaps, just heard back
from the Taser cartridge seller.
It was bought by a Slava
Krupski, who, weird,
also happens to be playing
in the NCAA tournament.
May not be weird at all.
Perhaps you should consult the
expert in the conference room.
Alicia, what are you doing here?
Uh, I may or may not be
under contract to a certain someone
who presides over this work place.
Unbelievable.
Hey, what do you know about
a player named Slava Krupski?
Russian. He's a forward
for Aldon University.
Major attitude.
He leads his conference in
ejections and stitches required.
- Ah!
- It's a police matter.
Krupski would play Marco's
team in the next round.
No way your boy could guard Marco.
Well, if you know that,
then Krupski knows that.
Maybe he tried to throw Marco off his
game by attacking his old girlfriend.
Wow, that's very Russian.
Krupski's team just tipped off.
I better get there.
What? You can't go barging
into an NCAA tournament game.
Well, if I don't, then Marco's
career might end before it starts,
and I'm not gonna do that to his mother.
This is great.
I can't believe it. Finally,
courtside of the tournament game.
You're welcome.
- There's Krupski.
- Yeah.
That's our ball!
Oh, he mugged him, coach!
- Hey, I need a word with Krupski.
- It's time sensitive. Urgent.
Is this a joke? He's kind of busy right now.
You have to talk to the Public
Affairs office. Excuse me.
- Plan B.
- Okay, fine, but this time I get to stay.
Alright, just give me a minute to get into
position. But do not forget your line.
Unbelievable.
Oh, no, you didn't.
Little busy ght now, Cap.
Yeah, I can see that, and so can
all of America. Put Laura on.
Tell him I'm in the bathroom.
I can see you, Laura.
He can see you.
Ugh.
We've got it under control here.
The hell you do. This is the
NCAA we're dealing with.
Yeah, and this is Laura
Diamond they are dealing with.
As I was saying, Plan B.
Enjoy the game.
I'll be in the locker room.
- Let's go, man, we got this!
- Hey, number 12!
Oh, whoa, whoa, I didn't do anything.
Relax. Listen, you want to help your team
win and get a "Get out of jail free" card?
- What do I have to do?
- Okay.
U know number 30, Krupski?
Yeah, I'm still trying to get the feeling
back in my jaw from when he elbowed me.
Perfect. Listen.
When he comes down the floor,
I need you to say something to him.
What?
Here he comes, you'll do fine. Go for it.
Hey, yo, Krupski!
You screwed me, man!
I saw that.
Kenny "The Jet" Smith. Hey, big fan, man.
Yeah, but you had that kid
drive that Russian kid crazy.
Come on, Kenny, you never bent the rules
just a little bit when you were playing?
True that.
Hey, he'll be right along.
- I'm fine.
- Easy, son. Just...
I said I'm fine!
Hello.
Tough break, Slava.
Violence is never the answer.
No comment. No autograph.
- You own a Taser.
- So what? It is not illegal.
It is if you use it to kill someone.
I don't even have it anymore.
Convenient. What happened to it?
I was messing around a couple days ago.
Zapping some of my teammates, as joke.
- It is funny.
- Hilarious.
You must be the life of
the party back in Minsk.
Coach took it. Said maybe I could
have it at end of tournament.
So your coach has had it all this time?
That's what I said.
Tough break. Guess they
needed their angry Russian.
Do I wanna know what that phrase meant?
It implied an inappropate level of
intimacy between Krupski's mother
and the Russian male population.
I once knew a Russian exchange student...
- Intimately.
- What about Krupski?
This goes further up the food chain.
- This is a joke?
- Come on, come on.
- Coach.
- You. I should call the cops.
Consider us called.
You took Slava's Taser a few days ago?
Yeah, so?
So, where were you yesterday
during the team's day off?
You know what? I have to address the media.
- So if you have any further questions...
- You know what?
We have just one. Can see your wrists?
My...
- Turn around.
- Yup.
Let's go. We've got a killer to book.
And a player to unbook.
Please tell me you found out who did this.
Well, we may have, but at
the very least we figured out
that you did not have access
to the murder weapon.
- Time for you to rejoin your team.
- Seriously?
Soon as the paper work is processed,
I'm heading upstairs right now to get it.
Oh, man.
I didn't know what I was gonna tell my mom.
She's probably already having a
meltdown with me just being in here.
I had the same thought, so
call her, tell her you're fine,
and you will see her at the game.
Detective.
Are you this nice to all your suspects?
Hell, no.
If the suspect we picked up
turns out to be the killer,
no one will confuse me with nice.
Not by a long shot.
Why? Why would I taze this
girl? I didn't even know her!
But you knew that you were playing
her old boyfriend, Marco Williams,
in the next round.
You gave your team the morning off, you
told them you were gonna go study film.
We checked with your film
guy. You never came by.
No one else saw you until after lunch.
Okay, I can explain that.
You recruited Marco in high school,
he went to go play for Milman.
That had to sting.
Hear the alumni had been
calling for your head.
Which is why I left the team
to go on a recruiting trip.
Come on, Coach. The day before
the biggest game of your career?
That's exactly when you go. When you
got something to brag about, right?
I kept it quiet because I
didn't want the team to know
I was thinking about next season.
Where was this recruiting trip?
Scranton.
It's a two-hour train ride, you can
check with the people I met up there.
Oh, we will.
But because you were kind enough to give
us permission, we checked your hotel room.
There is no Taser on the desk.
- There isn't?
- Was there anyone else in your hotel room
from the moment you confiscated that Taser
to the moment you left for Scranton?
Actually, there was someone.
- Marco's current girlfriend.
- Yup.
Sara Shaw. Cheerleader.
We met her. Bites her nails.
But aside from that,
straight A's in high school.
Per her guidance counselor, she was up
for some kind of science scholarship
to Cornell,
but dropped it to go be
a cheerleader at Milman.
That sounds like the worst
decision in feminist history.
- Where was her mother?
- Pulling her hair out, one would assume.
Hold on, why was Sara in the hotel
room of a coach from a different team?
No, Coach Stince hadn't
given up on recruiting Marco.
NCAA rules prohibit him from
talking to Marco directly, but...
they don't stop him from
talking to people close to him.
It's a little sketch bringing
her to his hotel room.
Could cause more problems than it solves.
Which is exactly why Stince made
sure Sara brought someone along.
Her cheer coach.
Dawn Grant.
Met her too. Not a fan of nail biting.
So, new girlfriend didn't like the attention
Marco was paying to the high school flame.
Grabbed the Taser from the coach,
followed Marco to the Botanical Gardens...
Where Sara's fears were confirmed.
Sara saw Marco and Triva.
And zap!
An officer will escort you back to practice.
Okay, and make sure that you tell
them to put their flashers on.
He's got a game tonight.
Thank you. Not just for me.
For Triva.
Find someone to talk to about
what happened. A friend, teammate.
Yeah.
__
Marco.
Your girlfriend would also be
a good person to open up to.
It's Sara, right?
Did Sara understand your
relationship with Triva?
Sort of. You know how it
is, old girl, new girl.
Yeah, I do.
Where is she now?
She's probably at the arena, warming
up with the other cheerleaders.
- Anyway, good luck tonight.
- Thank you.
The arena.
Hi! Are you a Milman cheerleader?
Oh, hopefully someday. I'm
an assistant for the team.
We're looking for Sara Shaw.
Oh, they're not due back
here for like an hour.
Hmm.
Uh, what is this?
- Oh, chalk resin.
- Keeps your hands dry.
I did gymnastics in high school, totally
rocked the uneven parallel bars.
- Cheerleaders use this too?
- Oh, yeah.
They do lots of tricky stunts.
Pyramids, cradle catches...
- And what's that on her shoulder?
- Looks like chalk.
That wasn't teacher's chalk on Triva's
jacket, that was cheerleader chalk.
Reynaldo can cross check the samples.
Per standard operating procedure,
we should really get a warrant...
Oh, my God!
Hey, can we borrow some chalk?
- Oh, sure!
- Bag the chalk.
Bagging away!
So, where can we find Sara now?
Oh, well, Sara was so
happy that Marco got out,
she said something about an
emergency lingerie run at Couture.
She probably walked in ten
minutes ago. Sent you a photo.
Target in sight. Moving in.
Stunning! And such a figure.
Best boobs money can buy.
- What can I get for you, dear?
- Oh.
Something really special...
like an enchanted thong.
Seems...
I've lost my boyfriend's attention.
Challenge accepted.
Your boyfriend won't know what hit him.
Good luck.
With your boyfriend.
- Though I'm sure you won't need it.
- Oh, thanks.
I don't mean to be a butt-in-sky,
but you seem really young and gorgeous...
to be having that kind of work done.
I guess it's sort of like
an investment, you know?
Actually, I don't.
You said you lost your
boyfriend's attention.
I can't let the same thing happen to me.
Okay, okay, um. How far...
How far do I go? I mean...
For example, my guy has
this ex-girlfriend...
No, my mom says that there's no
such thing as an ex-girlfriend.
They always have a way of popping up.
Well, I'm sure that's not
something you have to worry about.
Oh, sorry, bad habit.
It may be toxic.
You've got white power all over your hands.
Oh, it's... just chalk. Cheerleading thing.
So you were saying that ex-girlfriends
have a way of just popping up?
A couple of weeks ago an old flame
started calling my boyfriend.
What did you do?
Please, please, don't leave me hanging.
Let's just say she's not a problem anymore.
Wow.
How did you manage that?
I...
I'd rather not get into
it if you'll excuse me.
Okay, I have a few hot
numbers for you to try on.
I think that I will just take...
this one.
Sara, where were you yesterday morning?
At 8:00, I met up with the rest of
the girls in the hotel spa for yoga.
Before that, I was in my room.
Alone?
I have migraines. I
can't have anyone around.
Is there anyone who could verify
that you were there the whole time?
Of course, my mother.
Hey, Laura's still in with the cheerleader?
Last I checked. What up?
Sara's mom is here flipping out
about Sara not missing the big game.
She's probably the top of the cheer pyramid.
Been there.
And it gets better.
I'm actually not gonna sit down.
Her mother is the cheerleading coach?
A little fact she didn't bother
telling us when we arrested Marco.
Excuse me.
I demand to see my daughter immediately.
Madam, I told you we have to wait till
the detectives finish questioning her.
This is unacceptable.
We are supposed to be on
national television in two hours.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
I would think a science scholarship
would be the opportunity of a lifetime,
you know, like the one Sara was offered.
It was only a partial scholarship.
I helped Sara realize there
are surer bets in life.
Like cheerleading, of course.
Why didn't you identify
yourself as Sara's mother
when we questioned you at the arena?
When Sara went to college, she
was scared to be away from me.
She and I have been best
friends since she was born.
So we decided I would go with her.
To college?
Sara was embarrassed about
people having that reaction,
so we just say that I'm her cheer coach.
Which I am.
I have put so much effort into
helping that girl succeed.
Might as well see it all the way to the end.
I'm sure you understand.
No.
Sara, forgive me, but
your ample new friends...
How does a student afford
such spectacular work?
My mom arranged for the surgery.
- Your mother?
- She called them an investment into my future.
So it wasn't your idea.
Not really.
- No.
- What about being a cheerleader,
was that your mom's idea too?
She knows what's best for me.
I can be shy. I don't assert myself.
The cheerleading helps with that.
I'm guessing that's mom's
assessment, not yours.
Sara, you were gonna say something
at the lingerie store about how
Triva wasn't a problem anymore.
I don't think it was you who followed
Marco to the Botanical Gardens.
Was it?
It's okay, honey.
I know.
The mother?
Sara does not fit the profile
of man-trapped Barbie.
Sara sure looks like she does.
On the surface. But her demeanor,
her chewed off fingernails,
she's a Nervous Nellie
hiding in Kate Upton's body.
Enhanced by a $10,000 breast
augmentation financed by the bank of mom.
- All to be a cheerleader?
- Not just to be a cheerleader.
Sara's mom has been grooming
her to become a trophy wife.
For what it's worth, I think
the mom has fake boobs too.
I mean, nature does not
arc up and out like that.
Didn't I always say that?
And still with all the super bra
"anniversary presents..."
Moving on. What else do we got?
Well, okay. Here's a morsel.
You guys don't say that here?
Okay, Dawn was an NBA
cheerleader in the late '80s
engaged at various times
to three different players.
- No weddings?
- Zippity-doo-da.
So maybe Dawn figured that
if at first you don't succeed,
make your decent, intelligent daughter
follow in your misguided footsteps.
When Triva reappeared in Marco's life,
Dawn saw her daughter's
meal ticket slipping away
and decided she wasn't going
to let history repeat itself.
Mmm, it's a good theory, but
there's no evidence, no witnesses.
Hotel security camera shows Dawn
leaving the hotel at 8:00 a.m.
No sign of Sara.
Okay, so mom left the hotel.
She could've gone anywhere.
True, but Triva died around 9:15,
Dawn showed up at the
arena a half an hour later
without the Taser, she'd
have to ditch it somewhere.
Yeah, but don't forget
that Obama was in town.
So traffic was gridlocked, and there's no
subway station near the Botanical Gardens.
Which means she walked
straight up Centre street.
Stopping to buy Sara a snack along the way.
Okay, so pull footage from every
surveillance camera from there to the arena.
Maybe we catch mom in the act.
This just replaced Interstellar
as the most boring viewing
experience in my life.
I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that.
There she is.
Corner of Broome and Centre.
Uh, she bought her daughter a
breakfast hotdog as a snack?
Not likely for a mom who wants her
daughter to be a size zero to catch a man.
- You don't think she...
- I do.
And I think Laura is gonna want in on this.
Sure, I remember her.
She said she was in a rush.
Then she tells me my cart's
leaking, right there.
I bend down, look over, nothing.
How often do you change the
water you keep the hotdogs in?
Hey, there's no law saying I gotta change...
Okay, we're not the health department.
Is it fair to say that you haven't
changed the water in the last two days?
- Yeah, that's fair, sure.
- Okay, excuse me.
Seen worse.
Make me proud.
- Hey, how long is this gonna take?
- Hey, just relax.
You gotta really get in there.
Yeah, I am really in there.
Oh, gosh! That is hot.
Well, that's why they call it hotdogs.
Here wait, come on, cool off.
And now you're gonna mess up
my soda now, too? Come on!
Well, what are you gonna do? Cry?
Okay.
What?
Smoking gun.
Where the hell is my daughter?
Good news. We found some evidence
that suggest that Sara's innocent.
Good.
I'd like to see her now.
You're a tiger mom.
Always looking out for your family.
Me too.
- What's happening here?
- Well, uh...
We just went on a hotdog tour of
downtown. Guess what we found?
Interesting fact, the
water that they keep hotdogs in,
extremely high levels of sodium,
it acts as a preservative.
Lab's running fingerprints right now.
I wonder what they'll come up with.
Oh, and I noticed that you have the same
chalk on your hands as your daughter.
Wonder what that will match with.
May I?
You were the one that went up
to your elbow in hotdog water.
Way passed the elbow.
You saw Triva as a threat.
You thought all of your own unfulfilled
dreams of landing yourself a trophy husband.
You spent 20 years trying
to turn your daughter
into a more successful version of yourself.
- But she is still not you.
- She's better.
This is being blown way out of proportion.
I just went there to scare
her away from Marco.
And she fell funny and
hit her head on a rock.
And you left her there to die.
On behalf of every woman
who's trying to do it on her own,
not on her nails, not on her fake boobs,
just so-so job on yours, by the way,
and not on having to land a guy,
you're under arrest for the
murder of Triva Forster.
You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say can...
Hey, are you taking personal calls?
Well, it depends who the caller is.
Uh, it's a Dr. Buckman.
Laura Diamond.
I understand.
Yes.
You... You're sure?
Okay.
What is that all about?
Thank you, God!
Oh, my.
__
Mom's prints are on the Taser.
DEA's drawing up the charges now.
Did you call Triva's dad?
He was thankful for the closure.
At least we could give him that.
Wow!
I mean, I've heard of domination before,
but compared with your bracket
I own you.
Have you ever heard of being a good winner?
- Good winner?
- Mmm-hmm.
I know you paid Alicia
100 bucks for her picks.
Loser.
- Good day for you, huh?
- Mmm-hmm.
You closed the case, and...
you got me on bribery.
Well, I can't really take the high ground
seeing as how I paid her 200 bucks
to give you crappy picks.
Ooh.
- Nice.
- Boy is on fire, huh?
Thanks to you.
Well, I'm just glad he
got his moment in the sun.
The rest is up to him.
__
You know, I prefer talking to texting.
- Join me.
- Of course.
Oh, hey.
- You still smell like hotdogs.
- Oh, I know.
Sort of into it.
Can I buy you a drink?
Wouldn't say no to a creme de menthe.
Of course you wouldn't.
What you got there?
Accounting sent over a damage
report for the door you kicked in.
Okay, how much is it?
- Zero.
- How did you pull that off?
Two magic words.
Exigent circumstances.
Oh, Detective.
I believe we've recruited
you to the dark side.
To the dark side.
Whoa!
Yeah. Whoa.
Those stupid Chinese herbs I was taking
for sea sickness gave me a false positive.
Two false positives.
- No wonder you were ducking me.
- I wasn't.
- Mmm.
- Okay, I was.
I just wanted to be sure before I...
blew your world up.
Wow.
- Little Laura/Tony baby.
- Hmm.
That would've been cool.
- It would've?
- Sure.
I mean, I'd rather actually be making a
few bucks more than I spend each month
before starting a family.
Someday.
- Yeah.
- What?
Have kids?
- I love kids.
- I love kids, too!
I've got a pair of them.
I think that's probably plenty.
Mmm. Mmm. I don't know.
I mean, a pair is solid, for sure.
But three?
Three's the new two.
- Is it?
- Yeah, ask anyone.
Now that you're drinking again,
can I get you another beer?
Make it three.