Truth Be Told (2019–…): Season 3, Episode 1 - Episode #3.1 - full transcript
Emily.
Oh, shit!
Is there any circumstance
more terrifying
than when a child goes missing?
By now, we all know
the haunting stories
of Natalee Holloway...
the 18-year-old
who vanished during
a trip to Aruba,
and Gabby Petito,
the young blogger whose remains were
eventually discovered in a park.
The nation watched
around-the-clock coverage...
OPD!
As every parent
feared the worst.
The same story is
unfolding again.
Emily Mills!
Recently, a
16-year-old local teen
named Emily Mills disappeared.
Sun.
Hey. Hey.
Okay.
It's not her.
But what if I told you another
local teen went missing a year ago?
Her name is Drea Spivey.
Drea's mother, Charise,
is a friend of mine.
You haven't heard of Drea because
her story has never been covered
by a single news outlet.
Charise was finally
able to find Drea
by enlisting the help of
friends in the community.
I interviewed this young girl
to better understand her story.
But there's been an
upsetting development.
Sixteen-year-old Drea went
missing again almost 72 hours ago.
With every hour that passes,
the hope to find Drea dims.
This means...
Charise is forced to live
that nightmare all over again.
Just uploaded the podcast
to our new bosses at Boisterous.
I never wanted to
see Drea up here.
Another in a sea of
sweet, stolen faces.
Drea makes 11 total.
All reported missing over the
last four years in Oakland.
But only one had
come home to safety.
Why run again?
Okay. What's our next step?
We conducted over 10
hours of interviews
with Drea before she
went missing again.
There must be something in those
recordings that could guide us.
Drea, when the
Capstones found you,
you were in a drug den
and addicted to fentanyl.
How did you end up there?
This boy I
met gave it to me.
And the first time
I snorted fentanyl,
I went somewhere
else in my head.
A door opened, I
stepped through it,
and everything on the
other side was different.
I just sort of floated along,
and there was no more hurt.
I kept doing it 'cause I
wanted to go wherever I wanted.
Where would you go?
Japanese Gardens.
It's so green. I love it there.
Why?
I, had my 11th
birthday party there.
That was probably the last time
I remember being legit happy.
That was before my
mom had problems
and I had to go
into foster care.
After
a few years of, uh,
foster homes, I just
started doing drugs.
You've been sober
now for six weeks.
Do you get tempted?
Oh, my God.
Just the other day, I ran into
a friend from my trapping days.
She told me she had
the High Hunter hookup.
It would've been so
easy to meet her.
- But I didn't.
- What is that? "High Hunter?"
Oh, it's a... It's
just a new drug.
But I-I thought
about my life now,
like all the little things
being one big reason to say no.
So, I turned her
down.
I know that
probably sounds hella corny.
Hmm.
I think that sounds very brave.
Good
morning, Oakland.
Three full days have passed
since Bay Area teen Emily
Mills was last seen.
Local police departments
assured Channel 13
that bringing Emily home
is their top priority.
The PTA
meeting will begin shortly.
Do you need me to get
you something, baby?
- No, no, no. I'm good.
- You sure?
Yeah. But you
might need to step
in here if she
doesn't get here soon.
There might be a riot.
How long is she gonna
keep us waiting?
She will be here any second.
Everyone, just settle down, please.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I was on the phone
with the superintendent,
discussing protocol for tomorrow
night's Get Out The Vote event.
Now, with all the cameras and
people on campus tomorrow,
I wanted to have a conversation
about school safety.
Two girls have gone missing
in the last few days,
Emily Mills and Drea Spivey.
Some of you may know
that Drea is a student...
Um, I hate to be indelicate, but is
this really a school safety issue?
What are you saying,
Mrs. Williams?
Drea was a drug addict.
What's Ashley's
cell phone number?
What does my daughter
have to do with this?
You know what? It's okay. I'll just message her.
All I'm asking is what this
has to do with our kids.
Our kids know not to do drugs
or whatever Drea was into.
Mm-hmm.
Done. I just messaged Ashley, who
should be in choir right about now.
I pretended to be a
boy from Bellarmine.
I told her she was cute
and to meet me in the gym if she
wanted to come to a hooky party.
Y-You can't do that.
That's... That's
catfishing or something.
We're using the gym
right now, Ashley.
You can go back
to choir. Thanks.
In less than 45 seconds,
I got your daughter, who
knows better than Drea,
to meet a stranger in the gym.
What happened to Drea could
happen to any one of your kids.
Do you understand that?
Lastly, I need volunteers
for tomorrow's event.
Thank you.
My parents are just inside.
Don't worry. That meeting
will go on for hours.
Mmm, yeah. But if my dad
catches us, he'll kill me.
Or he'll just kill you...
He'd make me watch.
So, you really want me to stop?
No, I wouldn't say that.
- Yeah.
- I just...
I just wish
we had some privacy.
When can we go back to my cousins'
house? It's been a minute.
Soon.
- Mrs.
- Killebrew.
I was just keeping Trini
company during your meeting.
Well, I'm here now.
So, she doesn't need
to be kept company
any longer, does she?
Yes, ma'am.
- I'll text you.
- Yeah.
You think I scared him?
What?
Your father always gets to be
the tough one. It's not fair.
Wait, am I in trouble? Or...
Sweetheart, if I told you all the
places that your grandmother caught me
and my high school
boyfriend hooking up,
you wouldn't look at
me the same again.
Ew. Mom.
Trini, you're never in trouble
as long as you are
honest with me, okay?
All I care about is
keeping you safe,
especially with all of
this going on with Drea.
And that is why you
cannot be getting...
- Mom, I know.
- Into a stranger's car...
I told you it was
Aubrey's cousin.
And not answering your phone.
You had us worried sick, honey.
Yeah, I know.
I'm... I'm sorry. I-I
learned my lesson. Really.
Well, then you have my trust.
There's no way
you're getting in.
This is ludicrous. I
know Detective Aames.
Like you know Markus Killebrew?
Yeah, how's he enjoying
sleeping on piles
of our department's
hard-earned cash?
Ugh, finally. Aames,
could you please
tell them to let me through?
I thought I told you you're
not welcome here, Miss Parnell.
It's Scoville.
Take care of this, new guy.
Time to go.
- Did we sell it?
- I think a little too well.
Listen, I am sorry.
I don't have any more news
on Drea Spivey. I am trying.
No, they got you working
Emily Mills 24 hours a day.
You are not wrong.
Well, if you can find an
extra hour in your day,
something came up in one
of Drea's interviews.
She made a reference
to, uh, "High Hunter."
Said it was a new drug.
High Hunter? It's not
one I've heard of.
Well, if it isn't a drug,
what else could it be?
Oh, it could be a dealer.
It could be a trap house.
I'll look into it for you.
Wait, is that...
Andrew Finney.
- Andrew.
- Danny.
Front-runner to be
Oakland's next mayor.
You wanna know why we're so
pressed to find Emily Mills?
There's your answer.
But he's not even in office yet.
Oh, you beat that
law-and-order drum hard enough
in the age of "defund police," you
get a hero's welcome 'round here.
Law and order for whom?
Mmm.
Thank you.
Oh, this guy's
blowing up my phone.
Oh. You like him?
We had one
date. We'll see.
You should
get back out there.
- Oof, that part.
- Mm-hmm.
Tinder, BlackPeopleMeet,
Bumble, Hinge, JDate.
JDate.
Get you a nice Jewish boy.
All of it.
I'm not using an app.
Plus, I-I think I'm
fine alone. For now.
- Oh.
- Uh, that's new.
I mean, the old Poppy just had
to have herself some Ingram.
Right? This new you
is doing baller shit.
Mrs. Rhoades would've never
come up with a stunt like this.
What are you talking about?
I've always been this person.
- Huh?
- Uh.
I have.
Remember when Uncle Bug
brought me over to Aunt Leona's
and I had us crash that little
bougie tea party she used to hold
- in the backyard?
- I forgot all about that.
Um, it was sponsored
by the Links,
and we weren't allowed
to come and get any cake.
We sure did make a
ruckus when we came
in there banging
them pots and pans.
We made an impact.
Aunt Leona was pissed.
Why is she insisting
that we go back
to that house to
pick up Mom's stuff?
I just hate the idea of
going back to that place.
Too many bad memories.
Yeah, it has a lot of
bad memories for me too.
Not because I lived there, but
'cause Aunt Leona shut me out.
Let's just get it over with
then, so we all can move on.
That heifer's
moving to Vineyard,
- so it's good riddance.
- Oh. Well...
All the way around.
- Uh, cheers on that. Goodbye.
- Yes.
Mmm.
Hey.
Hey.
What do you think?
It's perfect.
I can't stay long. I'm meeting
with some of the other MCs,
let 'em know about Drea.
Have you ever heard
of High Hunter?
No, what's that?
It's a drug Drea mentioned.
I'm just trying to figure out what
it is and where she used to get it.
I'll keep my ears to the ground.
Aames didn't know anything.
He knows OPD ain't doing enough.
This is something we
can handle ourselves.
- Daddy...
- I mean it!
Daddy...
are you sure it's okay for
me to stay in this house?
I...
I said my name is Poppy
Scoville on my podcast. I...
- You don't need my approval to stay.
- I know.
I'm just...
trying to figure out what
my declaration really means.
Is that why you wanna do the podcast
on Drea and the missing girls?
So you can prove yourself.
Maybe.
Maybe to redeem myself too.
I
think of those girls,
I think how easily I could
have been one of 'em.
Yeah, but you're here.
You're Poppy Scoville.
And being a Scoville has
nothing to do with geography.
It's about how you
carry yourself.
Keep your head up.
We got work to do.
I'm outside the Piedmont home
of missing teen Emily Mills.
Following Emily's story is
mayoral candidate Andrew Finney.
It's a horrible situation.
Every parent's worst nightmare.
The crime in this
city has gotten out of control.
Good afternoon, community
members, stakeholders and press.
I'm Lee Hackman, and
this is my wife Sybil.
We started our company,
Questeur, uh, out of a garage
when we were across
the bay, at Stanford.
And... ...today,
Questeur is one of the largest
tech companies in the world.
And we're about to break ground
on our new Questeur campus
right here in Oakland.
That better mean jobs
for the community.
Uh, you bet.
Uh, we owe a huge thank you
to Oak Creek High School
for lending us their campus.
Over the past seven years,
this school has become one
of the top performing
schools in Oakland.
In other words, we know
where to keep an eye out
for future Questeur employees.
Superintendent Lennon,
please stand up,
so that we can acknowledge you
and all that you've done here.
All that he's done?
Just smile. I'll
key his car later.
Most of you already have
the Questeur messaging app.
But, uh, we've recently
added a new feature
that enables anyone to
easily register to vote.
And for today only,
you can use the app
to submit questions
directly to the candidates,
which I recommend you do.
Oakland is in a
period of transition.
So now, more than
ever, it's critical
that we vote as
informed citizens.
So without further ado,
please welcome Rachel McKegney,
Everett Hoagland and Andrew Finney.
They are our future, and we need
to invest in them accordingly.
While in office, I
championed Measure W.
By utilizing funds allocated
in this anti-gang initiative,
police can focus on
specific areas of the city.
And if elected, I intend
to reduce the budget
for local law enforcement.
So I urge
you to vote for me.
There's abs...
There's absolutely no reason why
a progressive candidate can't
also support a strong
police department.
Please pardon the interruption.
The faces you see before you
are all missing
girls from Oakland,
with families who
want them home.
This is Drea Spivey,
a student at this very school,
who went missing
almost four days ago,
but the search party for her
had very little police support.
We came to ask why.
Why?
Does this girl not
deserve attention?
Is it not imperative to allocate
resources to help find her?
If you feel as we do,
we need you to put pressure
on the police department
and the news media to
bring these girls home.
Bring
our girls home!
- Bring our girls home!
- Yes, bring 'em back.
Bring all of them home.
- Yes.
- Bring our girls home!
They need to be with us!
I've heard a lot of people
talking about Emily Mills.
I hope they find her safe, so she
can be returned to her family.
But my daughter is missing too.
My Drea matters too.
She's my only child, and I
need you to help me find her.
- Bring her home.
- Bring 'em home.
- Do something!
- Your daughter does matter.
And I hope she's
home with you soon.
Your questions are good ones.
But there is a time and a
place for all our words.
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
Say her name! Say her
name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name!
That was some stunt.
I know you were aggrieved that
this was foisted upon you,
but to embarrass your
school, your students
and your boss this way makes me
question your judgment entirely.
If you continue to act like
one of the school's children,
I will have no choice but
to treat you like one.
I'll do better.
Ooh.
I hope I didn't get
you into trouble.
Only the good kind.
- Eva Pierre.
- Poppy Scoville.
Markus Killebrew told
me all about you.
You think that demonstration
is gonna make a difference?
I don't know.
Right now, I'd just
settle for action.
Police, political,
tweets, whatever.
It's what all these
girls deserve.
Yeah.
We can hope.
Miss Pierre?
Poppy, this is Tanya,
one of Drea's friends.
- Oh. Nice to meet you, Tanya.
- You too.
I saw what you did in
there. I wanna help.
I ju... I'm just not sure how.
Well, uh, have you ever
heard Drea mention someone
with the nickname "High Hunter"?
Could that be her
drug dealer maybe?
I don't know anything
about him. I don't use.
Um, I should go. I have
a lot of homework to do.
I think it can wait.
I don't think you're being
honest with me, Tanya.
That's very disappointing.
She hasn't texted me
in a week. I'm scared.
Give me your fear.
Let us act on it.
I never heard her
call him High Hunter,
but Drea did have this guy
she was hanging around with.
Do you know his name?
All I know is that he was older,
and that Drea said that
he took care of her.
But you didn't like
the sound of him?
She seemed scared.
Everything she described
sounded real controlling.
The last few weeks,
she kept telling me
that she needed some
time in her happy place.
That's all I know. I-I s-swear.
It's okay. You can
go, Tanya. Thank you.
Thanks.
I hate to be the one to bring this
up, but have you considered that...
This controlling
guy is Drea's pimp?
I'm trying not to go there.
But...
I think I know where
Drea's happy place is.
You look good doing the dishes.
I look good doing a lot of things.
- Hey, baby?
- Uh-huh.
- Let me ask you a question.
- Hmm.
You think that Trini and
Aubrey are, uh...
- Oh. - Jesus
Christ, I can't even say it.
No. Trini told me
she's a virgin.
So you two talked about it?
Don't
look so shocked.
We talk about a lot of things.
How come you
never told me about it?
You never asked before.
And seeing as how you...
You can't even say it,
I was right in assuming it's a
don't ask, don't tell policy.
Damn.
So I guess
we have to invite
that knucklehead
over for dinner, huh?
- Uh...
- Look, I just want
to sit the boy down, look
him right in his eyes.
See what he's all about.
Okay.
You wanna broach that
subject with Trini...
by all
means, go ahead.
I will.
- And I won't even be nice about it either.
- Uh. Okay, big man.
Excuse me.
- I gotta go to work.
- Uh-huh.
- Love you.
- I love you, baby.
Bring me back something sweet?
Yes, I will.
It'll be me.
Oh, that's...
Hi, sir.
Where are you racing off to,
urgent meeting of the assholes?
- Oh.
- What?
Just wondering, um,
how someone with your
temperament became a principal.
I don't need
them to like me.
They need me to protect them.
That's what my high school
principal did for me.
My mom was illegal. She
brought me here from Haiti
for a shot at a
better education,
but was, uh, deported while
I was still in high school.
I didn't have anybody
looking out for me.
My high school
principal, Evelyn Varga,
she made sure that school
was a safe place, you know?
Like a refuge for me.
She made sure I
graduated on time,
and I was the first one in
my family to go to college.
Here I am.
Your mother must be so proud.
You honor her
sacrifice every day.
She passed away shortly
after being deported.
I was barely 20.
Ah. I lost my mother
too young as well.
Isn't it always too young?
Hmm.
- Hi, we're looking for a missing girl.
- Thank you.
Take a look.
Excuse me, have
you seen that girl?
Nah.
You'll have to stop
blaming yourself
for Drea going missing again.
It's not on you
or the Capstones.
I've been thinking about
a lot of things, Lil.
- My legacy...
- Is secure.
Is it?
What are you talking about?
OPD put out a list of calls
they gonna stop responding to.
Basically, 10
commandments that all say,
"Fuck you, deal
with it yourself."
So, I been thinking I will.
You got nothing to
prove to anyone.
Hmm. Said the same thing
to Poppy.
I'm happy y'all two have gotten so
much closer the last couple of months.
I can see it's good for you.
Ah, she's still lost.
And my grandma used to say,
"There always gonna be some people
who are just a little bit restless."
Georgia
grandmas know everything.
Yeah.
You got a call today
from Andrew Finney.
- The cat running for mayor?
- Mm-hmm.
Said he wants to meet with you.
Could be he saw the influence that
you have and wants to work with you.
With our history?
Capstones don't do politics.
Well, maybe they should.
Why did you fall
in love with me?
Hmm,
because there's no one
else in the world like you.
Nothing you do
will make you more
of a man than you already are.
You're the most compassionate,
authentic soul I've ever met.
And I've loved you
from the inside out.
Always.
Inside out, huh?
Have you seen the
latest dispatch
from our new overlords
at Boisterous?
Do they have a problem
with our VO sample?
No, but they'd just
love us to lean
into the "tragic
nature of Drea's life."
Look, Noa...
I think Drea is
being trafficked.
They're gonna hang Drea
and Charise out to dry.
I will control it, okay? I
know how to handle Boisterous.
It-It may mean a lot of
haggling with corporate,
but I can handle Boisterous.
We are going to have to be able
to do the story we wanna do.
These guys are asking
for sensationalist chum.
And we may not feel it at first,
but it'll be a picture here
and a sound bite there,
and before we know it,
the marketing will start
to drive the narrative.
It's how Micah lost sight
of who she really was.
Okay.
Okay.
I'll call the lawyers.
See if they can amend
the contract to give
us marketing approval.
Thank you.
Okay.
Use your legs.
Use your legs.
Okay, okay, okay. Enough.
What happened at the
Gardens with Poppy?
I haven't seen you
like this in years.
You think she's good people?
You're the one
that talked to her.
Yeah, she's... she's not
how I expected her to be.
And don't forget cute.
This man's not blind.
So what, you're thinking about
working with her or something?
I can't do this alone.
Just be careful
because that's a fucking
live wire right there.
So am I.
Let's go. Come on. Again.
Let's go, old man.
- Shake a leg.
- All right.
Hello?
Hello?
You have to
stop looking for me.
Drea?
I'm fine.
So, why don't you come home?
We all miss you
and-and-and want you safe.
What-What's going on, honey?
You wouldn't understand.
Well, does it have anything
to do with that guy
Tanya mentioned?
I owe him.
How much?
Whatever it is,
we can... we can pay off
your debt to High Hunter.
What?
It's not that simple.
Look, he's done so much for me,
so now I have to
return the favor.
What does that mean?
I don't know.
Give guys blow jobs and stuff.
Drea, that man is-is
pimping you out.
Drea?
Don't tell my mom.
She loves you so much.
She'd do anything for you.
Can that guy you're
with say that?
I got this, okay?
- Tell my mom that.
- Okay,
can you a-at least call her...
and let
her know you're alive?
Okay?
Trafficked?
How did this happen?
Could you tell where she
was? Did you hear anything?
No.
But it's not too late
for her, Charise.
We can still bring her home.
Look, Poppy's right, okay?
Now, Drea wouldn't
even had called her
if some part of her
didn't wanna come home.
My question for you is,
do you want me putting
this on the podcast?
When you agreed to let me
interview her initially,
it was a talk about her
time missing and the drugs.
But this is different.
It's up to you.
I won't air anything
you don't want me to.
If you think it... has
a chance to bring her home...
do it.
Hey.
Hey.
So...
Charise approved using
Drea's interviews
to talk about trafficking.
What'd the lawyer say about
amending the contract?
Yeah, she said,
"Boisterous is open to
discussion regarding marketing."
Pop, they'll use the
most lurid details.
The campaign will
be all about sex,
- and the girls will be a footnote.
- Not if we find them.
Have you seen the advertising
for their women's
prison podcast?
Every female inmate wears the
tightest tank top imaginable.
But that's not gonna
happen with Reconsidered.
Maybe not, but
doesn't it bother you
that it's the Boisterous MO?
Sure, but these girls'
story is way too important,
so... I'll give
the tank tops a-an eye roll
and keep it moving if it means our
message gets out to the masses.
We're not even ready to go on
air with a trafficking episode.
This pivot requires more
research. We need more time.
Drea doesn't have time!
We're already compromising.
Can't you see that?
What I see is an
opportunity to help.
Look, when I was with Alex,
I saw how our podcast
affected his daughter.
She heard every word
other kids said about her,
and that was without salacious
marketing and sensationalized copy.
If we do things
the Boisterous way,
Drea and the other
girls will be hurt
much more than Alex's daughter.
- What are you saying?
- The message doesn't matter
if this is how we're
gonna convey it.
Oh, I wish you
would just trust me!
I wish you would trust
me! I'm telling you,
I am not gonna let Boisterous exploit
Charise, Drea or any of the girls.
I'm not, Noa.
Poppy, uh, I just...
I just don't think that I'm
compatible with Boisterous.
So, this'll be my last podcast.
As a journalist,
when I came across
something horrific,
something I wanted
to turn away from,
I couldn't. I had
to confront it.
So, here it goes.
Drea Spivey is a
bright, beautiful young woman.
She's a junior at Oak
Creek High in Oakland.
Her favorite subject is biology,
and her dream is
to become a nurse.
And she is also a victim
of sex trafficking.
When people think
of sex trafficking,
their minds go to scary
men kidnapping girls
and taking them across borders.
But sex
trafficking is more often
a neighbor, a friend,
even someone on social media who
lures kids into trusting them,
only to turn around
and abuse them.
People always assume this
could never happen to them
or their kids.
But the truth is,
it is happening.
And not just in some shadowy,
forgotten corner of the hood.
It's happening in our
schools, our community.
Trafficking has been labeled
an epidemic in Oakland.
How much we are to
blame for our negligence
is a conversation for you...
and the god you worship.
What you looking for, mama?
Get in.
I know one thing:
Drea and the other
missing girls like her,
wherever they are,
deserve our love.
I don't got track marks. I
don't mess with that shit.
Smart girl.
I aim to find them
and the people responsible
for taking them away.
Sex trafficking is a
cancer on our city.
I know I can't cure it.
But I can expose it.
I hope you'll follow
me into this world,
however dark it may be.
My name is Poppy Scoville,
and I'd like you to reconsider.
I'll clean this up
and send it to ya.
I may lay a little
music over the end,
but it'll be ready
to air tomorrow.
- Oh, sounds good.
- Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
Oh, um...
I was gonna give this to you when
we got to 50 million listeners,
but you'll be there soon enough.
Oh, thank you.
It's been an honor.
- Me too.
- Yeah.
Nothing new under the sun.
- But there are new suns.
- Yeah.
Is that...
" To my
favorite Oakland girl.
Now that you have your roots,
may you never lose your voice.
Love, Noa."
Hey, Aames.
Wait, what?
Hold up, guys.
Thank you.
I don't want this to be real.
This motel's on High Street.
Guess what the nickname is.
High Hunter.
Somebody wanted to
shut her up, Aames.
I'm gonna find out who.
Oh, shit!
Is there any circumstance
more terrifying
than when a child goes missing?
By now, we all know
the haunting stories
of Natalee Holloway...
the 18-year-old
who vanished during
a trip to Aruba,
and Gabby Petito,
the young blogger whose remains were
eventually discovered in a park.
The nation watched
around-the-clock coverage...
OPD!
As every parent
feared the worst.
The same story is
unfolding again.
Emily Mills!
Recently, a
16-year-old local teen
named Emily Mills disappeared.
Sun.
Hey. Hey.
Okay.
It's not her.
But what if I told you another
local teen went missing a year ago?
Her name is Drea Spivey.
Drea's mother, Charise,
is a friend of mine.
You haven't heard of Drea because
her story has never been covered
by a single news outlet.
Charise was finally
able to find Drea
by enlisting the help of
friends in the community.
I interviewed this young girl
to better understand her story.
But there's been an
upsetting development.
Sixteen-year-old Drea went
missing again almost 72 hours ago.
With every hour that passes,
the hope to find Drea dims.
This means...
Charise is forced to live
that nightmare all over again.
Just uploaded the podcast
to our new bosses at Boisterous.
I never wanted to
see Drea up here.
Another in a sea of
sweet, stolen faces.
Drea makes 11 total.
All reported missing over the
last four years in Oakland.
But only one had
come home to safety.
Why run again?
Okay. What's our next step?
We conducted over 10
hours of interviews
with Drea before she
went missing again.
There must be something in those
recordings that could guide us.
Drea, when the
Capstones found you,
you were in a drug den
and addicted to fentanyl.
How did you end up there?
This boy I
met gave it to me.
And the first time
I snorted fentanyl,
I went somewhere
else in my head.
A door opened, I
stepped through it,
and everything on the
other side was different.
I just sort of floated along,
and there was no more hurt.
I kept doing it 'cause I
wanted to go wherever I wanted.
Where would you go?
Japanese Gardens.
It's so green. I love it there.
Why?
I, had my 11th
birthday party there.
That was probably the last time
I remember being legit happy.
That was before my
mom had problems
and I had to go
into foster care.
After
a few years of, uh,
foster homes, I just
started doing drugs.
You've been sober
now for six weeks.
Do you get tempted?
Oh, my God.
Just the other day, I ran into
a friend from my trapping days.
She told me she had
the High Hunter hookup.
It would've been so
easy to meet her.
- But I didn't.
- What is that? "High Hunter?"
Oh, it's a... It's
just a new drug.
But I-I thought
about my life now,
like all the little things
being one big reason to say no.
So, I turned her
down.
I know that
probably sounds hella corny.
Hmm.
I think that sounds very brave.
Good
morning, Oakland.
Three full days have passed
since Bay Area teen Emily
Mills was last seen.
Local police departments
assured Channel 13
that bringing Emily home
is their top priority.
The PTA
meeting will begin shortly.
Do you need me to get
you something, baby?
- No, no, no. I'm good.
- You sure?
Yeah. But you
might need to step
in here if she
doesn't get here soon.
There might be a riot.
How long is she gonna
keep us waiting?
She will be here any second.
Everyone, just settle down, please.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I was on the phone
with the superintendent,
discussing protocol for tomorrow
night's Get Out The Vote event.
Now, with all the cameras and
people on campus tomorrow,
I wanted to have a conversation
about school safety.
Two girls have gone missing
in the last few days,
Emily Mills and Drea Spivey.
Some of you may know
that Drea is a student...
Um, I hate to be indelicate, but is
this really a school safety issue?
What are you saying,
Mrs. Williams?
Drea was a drug addict.
What's Ashley's
cell phone number?
What does my daughter
have to do with this?
You know what? It's okay. I'll just message her.
All I'm asking is what this
has to do with our kids.
Our kids know not to do drugs
or whatever Drea was into.
Mm-hmm.
Done. I just messaged Ashley, who
should be in choir right about now.
I pretended to be a
boy from Bellarmine.
I told her she was cute
and to meet me in the gym if she
wanted to come to a hooky party.
Y-You can't do that.
That's... That's
catfishing or something.
We're using the gym
right now, Ashley.
You can go back
to choir. Thanks.
In less than 45 seconds,
I got your daughter, who
knows better than Drea,
to meet a stranger in the gym.
What happened to Drea could
happen to any one of your kids.
Do you understand that?
Lastly, I need volunteers
for tomorrow's event.
Thank you.
My parents are just inside.
Don't worry. That meeting
will go on for hours.
Mmm, yeah. But if my dad
catches us, he'll kill me.
Or he'll just kill you...
He'd make me watch.
So, you really want me to stop?
No, I wouldn't say that.
- Yeah.
- I just...
I just wish
we had some privacy.
When can we go back to my cousins'
house? It's been a minute.
Soon.
- Mrs.
- Killebrew.
I was just keeping Trini
company during your meeting.
Well, I'm here now.
So, she doesn't need
to be kept company
any longer, does she?
Yes, ma'am.
- I'll text you.
- Yeah.
You think I scared him?
What?
Your father always gets to be
the tough one. It's not fair.
Wait, am I in trouble? Or...
Sweetheart, if I told you all the
places that your grandmother caught me
and my high school
boyfriend hooking up,
you wouldn't look at
me the same again.
Ew. Mom.
Trini, you're never in trouble
as long as you are
honest with me, okay?
All I care about is
keeping you safe,
especially with all of
this going on with Drea.
And that is why you
cannot be getting...
- Mom, I know.
- Into a stranger's car...
I told you it was
Aubrey's cousin.
And not answering your phone.
You had us worried sick, honey.
Yeah, I know.
I'm... I'm sorry. I-I
learned my lesson. Really.
Well, then you have my trust.
There's no way
you're getting in.
This is ludicrous. I
know Detective Aames.
Like you know Markus Killebrew?
Yeah, how's he enjoying
sleeping on piles
of our department's
hard-earned cash?
Ugh, finally. Aames,
could you please
tell them to let me through?
I thought I told you you're
not welcome here, Miss Parnell.
It's Scoville.
Take care of this, new guy.
Time to go.
- Did we sell it?
- I think a little too well.
Listen, I am sorry.
I don't have any more news
on Drea Spivey. I am trying.
No, they got you working
Emily Mills 24 hours a day.
You are not wrong.
Well, if you can find an
extra hour in your day,
something came up in one
of Drea's interviews.
She made a reference
to, uh, "High Hunter."
Said it was a new drug.
High Hunter? It's not
one I've heard of.
Well, if it isn't a drug,
what else could it be?
Oh, it could be a dealer.
It could be a trap house.
I'll look into it for you.
Wait, is that...
Andrew Finney.
- Andrew.
- Danny.
Front-runner to be
Oakland's next mayor.
You wanna know why we're so
pressed to find Emily Mills?
There's your answer.
But he's not even in office yet.
Oh, you beat that
law-and-order drum hard enough
in the age of "defund police," you
get a hero's welcome 'round here.
Law and order for whom?
Mmm.
Thank you.
Oh, this guy's
blowing up my phone.
Oh. You like him?
We had one
date. We'll see.
You should
get back out there.
- Oof, that part.
- Mm-hmm.
Tinder, BlackPeopleMeet,
Bumble, Hinge, JDate.
JDate.
Get you a nice Jewish boy.
All of it.
I'm not using an app.
Plus, I-I think I'm
fine alone. For now.
- Oh.
- Uh, that's new.
I mean, the old Poppy just had
to have herself some Ingram.
Right? This new you
is doing baller shit.
Mrs. Rhoades would've never
come up with a stunt like this.
What are you talking about?
I've always been this person.
- Huh?
- Uh.
I have.
Remember when Uncle Bug
brought me over to Aunt Leona's
and I had us crash that little
bougie tea party she used to hold
- in the backyard?
- I forgot all about that.
Um, it was sponsored
by the Links,
and we weren't allowed
to come and get any cake.
We sure did make a
ruckus when we came
in there banging
them pots and pans.
We made an impact.
Aunt Leona was pissed.
Why is she insisting
that we go back
to that house to
pick up Mom's stuff?
I just hate the idea of
going back to that place.
Too many bad memories.
Yeah, it has a lot of
bad memories for me too.
Not because I lived there, but
'cause Aunt Leona shut me out.
Let's just get it over with
then, so we all can move on.
That heifer's
moving to Vineyard,
- so it's good riddance.
- Oh. Well...
All the way around.
- Uh, cheers on that. Goodbye.
- Yes.
Mmm.
Hey.
Hey.
What do you think?
It's perfect.
I can't stay long. I'm meeting
with some of the other MCs,
let 'em know about Drea.
Have you ever heard
of High Hunter?
No, what's that?
It's a drug Drea mentioned.
I'm just trying to figure out what
it is and where she used to get it.
I'll keep my ears to the ground.
Aames didn't know anything.
He knows OPD ain't doing enough.
This is something we
can handle ourselves.
- Daddy...
- I mean it!
Daddy...
are you sure it's okay for
me to stay in this house?
I...
I said my name is Poppy
Scoville on my podcast. I...
- You don't need my approval to stay.
- I know.
I'm just...
trying to figure out what
my declaration really means.
Is that why you wanna do the podcast
on Drea and the missing girls?
So you can prove yourself.
Maybe.
Maybe to redeem myself too.
I
think of those girls,
I think how easily I could
have been one of 'em.
Yeah, but you're here.
You're Poppy Scoville.
And being a Scoville has
nothing to do with geography.
It's about how you
carry yourself.
Keep your head up.
We got work to do.
I'm outside the Piedmont home
of missing teen Emily Mills.
Following Emily's story is
mayoral candidate Andrew Finney.
It's a horrible situation.
Every parent's worst nightmare.
The crime in this
city has gotten out of control.
Good afternoon, community
members, stakeholders and press.
I'm Lee Hackman, and
this is my wife Sybil.
We started our company,
Questeur, uh, out of a garage
when we were across
the bay, at Stanford.
And... ...today,
Questeur is one of the largest
tech companies in the world.
And we're about to break ground
on our new Questeur campus
right here in Oakland.
That better mean jobs
for the community.
Uh, you bet.
Uh, we owe a huge thank you
to Oak Creek High School
for lending us their campus.
Over the past seven years,
this school has become one
of the top performing
schools in Oakland.
In other words, we know
where to keep an eye out
for future Questeur employees.
Superintendent Lennon,
please stand up,
so that we can acknowledge you
and all that you've done here.
All that he's done?
Just smile. I'll
key his car later.
Most of you already have
the Questeur messaging app.
But, uh, we've recently
added a new feature
that enables anyone to
easily register to vote.
And for today only,
you can use the app
to submit questions
directly to the candidates,
which I recommend you do.
Oakland is in a
period of transition.
So now, more than
ever, it's critical
that we vote as
informed citizens.
So without further ado,
please welcome Rachel McKegney,
Everett Hoagland and Andrew Finney.
They are our future, and we need
to invest in them accordingly.
While in office, I
championed Measure W.
By utilizing funds allocated
in this anti-gang initiative,
police can focus on
specific areas of the city.
And if elected, I intend
to reduce the budget
for local law enforcement.
So I urge
you to vote for me.
There's abs...
There's absolutely no reason why
a progressive candidate can't
also support a strong
police department.
Please pardon the interruption.
The faces you see before you
are all missing
girls from Oakland,
with families who
want them home.
This is Drea Spivey,
a student at this very school,
who went missing
almost four days ago,
but the search party for her
had very little police support.
We came to ask why.
Why?
Does this girl not
deserve attention?
Is it not imperative to allocate
resources to help find her?
If you feel as we do,
we need you to put pressure
on the police department
and the news media to
bring these girls home.
Bring
our girls home!
- Bring our girls home!
- Yes, bring 'em back.
Bring all of them home.
- Yes.
- Bring our girls home!
They need to be with us!
I've heard a lot of people
talking about Emily Mills.
I hope they find her safe, so she
can be returned to her family.
But my daughter is missing too.
My Drea matters too.
She's my only child, and I
need you to help me find her.
- Bring her home.
- Bring 'em home.
- Do something!
- Your daughter does matter.
And I hope she's
home with you soon.
Your questions are good ones.
But there is a time and a
place for all our words.
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
- Say her name!
Say her name! Say her
name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name! Say her name!
Say her name!
That was some stunt.
I know you were aggrieved that
this was foisted upon you,
but to embarrass your
school, your students
and your boss this way makes me
question your judgment entirely.
If you continue to act like
one of the school's children,
I will have no choice but
to treat you like one.
I'll do better.
Ooh.
I hope I didn't get
you into trouble.
Only the good kind.
- Eva Pierre.
- Poppy Scoville.
Markus Killebrew told
me all about you.
You think that demonstration
is gonna make a difference?
I don't know.
Right now, I'd just
settle for action.
Police, political,
tweets, whatever.
It's what all these
girls deserve.
Yeah.
We can hope.
Miss Pierre?
Poppy, this is Tanya,
one of Drea's friends.
- Oh. Nice to meet you, Tanya.
- You too.
I saw what you did in
there. I wanna help.
I ju... I'm just not sure how.
Well, uh, have you ever
heard Drea mention someone
with the nickname "High Hunter"?
Could that be her
drug dealer maybe?
I don't know anything
about him. I don't use.
Um, I should go. I have
a lot of homework to do.
I think it can wait.
I don't think you're being
honest with me, Tanya.
That's very disappointing.
She hasn't texted me
in a week. I'm scared.
Give me your fear.
Let us act on it.
I never heard her
call him High Hunter,
but Drea did have this guy
she was hanging around with.
Do you know his name?
All I know is that he was older,
and that Drea said that
he took care of her.
But you didn't like
the sound of him?
She seemed scared.
Everything she described
sounded real controlling.
The last few weeks,
she kept telling me
that she needed some
time in her happy place.
That's all I know. I-I s-swear.
It's okay. You can
go, Tanya. Thank you.
Thanks.
I hate to be the one to bring this
up, but have you considered that...
This controlling
guy is Drea's pimp?
I'm trying not to go there.
But...
I think I know where
Drea's happy place is.
You look good doing the dishes.
I look good doing a lot of things.
- Hey, baby?
- Uh-huh.
- Let me ask you a question.
- Hmm.
You think that Trini and
Aubrey are, uh...
- Oh. - Jesus
Christ, I can't even say it.
No. Trini told me
she's a virgin.
So you two talked about it?
Don't
look so shocked.
We talk about a lot of things.
How come you
never told me about it?
You never asked before.
And seeing as how you...
You can't even say it,
I was right in assuming it's a
don't ask, don't tell policy.
Damn.
So I guess
we have to invite
that knucklehead
over for dinner, huh?
- Uh...
- Look, I just want
to sit the boy down, look
him right in his eyes.
See what he's all about.
Okay.
You wanna broach that
subject with Trini...
by all
means, go ahead.
I will.
- And I won't even be nice about it either.
- Uh. Okay, big man.
Excuse me.
- I gotta go to work.
- Uh-huh.
- Love you.
- I love you, baby.
Bring me back something sweet?
Yes, I will.
It'll be me.
Oh, that's...
Hi, sir.
Where are you racing off to,
urgent meeting of the assholes?
- Oh.
- What?
Just wondering, um,
how someone with your
temperament became a principal.
I don't need
them to like me.
They need me to protect them.
That's what my high school
principal did for me.
My mom was illegal. She
brought me here from Haiti
for a shot at a
better education,
but was, uh, deported while
I was still in high school.
I didn't have anybody
looking out for me.
My high school
principal, Evelyn Varga,
she made sure that school
was a safe place, you know?
Like a refuge for me.
She made sure I
graduated on time,
and I was the first one in
my family to go to college.
Here I am.
Your mother must be so proud.
You honor her
sacrifice every day.
She passed away shortly
after being deported.
I was barely 20.
Ah. I lost my mother
too young as well.
Isn't it always too young?
Hmm.
- Hi, we're looking for a missing girl.
- Thank you.
Take a look.
Excuse me, have
you seen that girl?
Nah.
You'll have to stop
blaming yourself
for Drea going missing again.
It's not on you
or the Capstones.
I've been thinking about
a lot of things, Lil.
- My legacy...
- Is secure.
Is it?
What are you talking about?
OPD put out a list of calls
they gonna stop responding to.
Basically, 10
commandments that all say,
"Fuck you, deal
with it yourself."
So, I been thinking I will.
You got nothing to
prove to anyone.
Hmm. Said the same thing
to Poppy.
I'm happy y'all two have gotten so
much closer the last couple of months.
I can see it's good for you.
Ah, she's still lost.
And my grandma used to say,
"There always gonna be some people
who are just a little bit restless."
Georgia
grandmas know everything.
Yeah.
You got a call today
from Andrew Finney.
- The cat running for mayor?
- Mm-hmm.
Said he wants to meet with you.
Could be he saw the influence that
you have and wants to work with you.
With our history?
Capstones don't do politics.
Well, maybe they should.
Why did you fall
in love with me?
Hmm,
because there's no one
else in the world like you.
Nothing you do
will make you more
of a man than you already are.
You're the most compassionate,
authentic soul I've ever met.
And I've loved you
from the inside out.
Always.
Inside out, huh?
Have you seen the
latest dispatch
from our new overlords
at Boisterous?
Do they have a problem
with our VO sample?
No, but they'd just
love us to lean
into the "tragic
nature of Drea's life."
Look, Noa...
I think Drea is
being trafficked.
They're gonna hang Drea
and Charise out to dry.
I will control it, okay? I
know how to handle Boisterous.
It-It may mean a lot of
haggling with corporate,
but I can handle Boisterous.
We are going to have to be able
to do the story we wanna do.
These guys are asking
for sensationalist chum.
And we may not feel it at first,
but it'll be a picture here
and a sound bite there,
and before we know it,
the marketing will start
to drive the narrative.
It's how Micah lost sight
of who she really was.
Okay.
Okay.
I'll call the lawyers.
See if they can amend
the contract to give
us marketing approval.
Thank you.
Okay.
Use your legs.
Use your legs.
Okay, okay, okay. Enough.
What happened at the
Gardens with Poppy?
I haven't seen you
like this in years.
You think she's good people?
You're the one
that talked to her.
Yeah, she's... she's not
how I expected her to be.
And don't forget cute.
This man's not blind.
So what, you're thinking about
working with her or something?
I can't do this alone.
Just be careful
because that's a fucking
live wire right there.
So am I.
Let's go. Come on. Again.
Let's go, old man.
- Shake a leg.
- All right.
Hello?
Hello?
You have to
stop looking for me.
Drea?
I'm fine.
So, why don't you come home?
We all miss you
and-and-and want you safe.
What-What's going on, honey?
You wouldn't understand.
Well, does it have anything
to do with that guy
Tanya mentioned?
I owe him.
How much?
Whatever it is,
we can... we can pay off
your debt to High Hunter.
What?
It's not that simple.
Look, he's done so much for me,
so now I have to
return the favor.
What does that mean?
I don't know.
Give guys blow jobs and stuff.
Drea, that man is-is
pimping you out.
Drea?
Don't tell my mom.
She loves you so much.
She'd do anything for you.
Can that guy you're
with say that?
I got this, okay?
- Tell my mom that.
- Okay,
can you a-at least call her...
and let
her know you're alive?
Okay?
Trafficked?
How did this happen?
Could you tell where she
was? Did you hear anything?
No.
But it's not too late
for her, Charise.
We can still bring her home.
Look, Poppy's right, okay?
Now, Drea wouldn't
even had called her
if some part of her
didn't wanna come home.
My question for you is,
do you want me putting
this on the podcast?
When you agreed to let me
interview her initially,
it was a talk about her
time missing and the drugs.
But this is different.
It's up to you.
I won't air anything
you don't want me to.
If you think it... has
a chance to bring her home...
do it.
Hey.
Hey.
So...
Charise approved using
Drea's interviews
to talk about trafficking.
What'd the lawyer say about
amending the contract?
Yeah, she said,
"Boisterous is open to
discussion regarding marketing."
Pop, they'll use the
most lurid details.
The campaign will
be all about sex,
- and the girls will be a footnote.
- Not if we find them.
Have you seen the advertising
for their women's
prison podcast?
Every female inmate wears the
tightest tank top imaginable.
But that's not gonna
happen with Reconsidered.
Maybe not, but
doesn't it bother you
that it's the Boisterous MO?
Sure, but these girls'
story is way too important,
so... I'll give
the tank tops a-an eye roll
and keep it moving if it means our
message gets out to the masses.
We're not even ready to go on
air with a trafficking episode.
This pivot requires more
research. We need more time.
Drea doesn't have time!
We're already compromising.
Can't you see that?
What I see is an
opportunity to help.
Look, when I was with Alex,
I saw how our podcast
affected his daughter.
She heard every word
other kids said about her,
and that was without salacious
marketing and sensationalized copy.
If we do things
the Boisterous way,
Drea and the other
girls will be hurt
much more than Alex's daughter.
- What are you saying?
- The message doesn't matter
if this is how we're
gonna convey it.
Oh, I wish you
would just trust me!
I wish you would trust
me! I'm telling you,
I am not gonna let Boisterous exploit
Charise, Drea or any of the girls.
I'm not, Noa.
Poppy, uh, I just...
I just don't think that I'm
compatible with Boisterous.
So, this'll be my last podcast.
As a journalist,
when I came across
something horrific,
something I wanted
to turn away from,
I couldn't. I had
to confront it.
So, here it goes.
Drea Spivey is a
bright, beautiful young woman.
She's a junior at Oak
Creek High in Oakland.
Her favorite subject is biology,
and her dream is
to become a nurse.
And she is also a victim
of sex trafficking.
When people think
of sex trafficking,
their minds go to scary
men kidnapping girls
and taking them across borders.
But sex
trafficking is more often
a neighbor, a friend,
even someone on social media who
lures kids into trusting them,
only to turn around
and abuse them.
People always assume this
could never happen to them
or their kids.
But the truth is,
it is happening.
And not just in some shadowy,
forgotten corner of the hood.
It's happening in our
schools, our community.
Trafficking has been labeled
an epidemic in Oakland.
How much we are to
blame for our negligence
is a conversation for you...
and the god you worship.
What you looking for, mama?
Get in.
I know one thing:
Drea and the other
missing girls like her,
wherever they are,
deserve our love.
I don't got track marks. I
don't mess with that shit.
Smart girl.
I aim to find them
and the people responsible
for taking them away.
Sex trafficking is a
cancer on our city.
I know I can't cure it.
But I can expose it.
I hope you'll follow
me into this world,
however dark it may be.
My name is Poppy Scoville,
and I'd like you to reconsider.
I'll clean this up
and send it to ya.
I may lay a little
music over the end,
but it'll be ready
to air tomorrow.
- Oh, sounds good.
- Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
Oh, um...
I was gonna give this to you when
we got to 50 million listeners,
but you'll be there soon enough.
Oh, thank you.
It's been an honor.
- Me too.
- Yeah.
Nothing new under the sun.
- But there are new suns.
- Yeah.
Is that...
" To my
favorite Oakland girl.
Now that you have your roots,
may you never lose your voice.
Love, Noa."
Hey, Aames.
Wait, what?
Hold up, guys.
Thank you.
I don't want this to be real.
This motel's on High Street.
Guess what the nickname is.
High Hunter.
Somebody wanted to
shut her up, Aames.
I'm gonna find out who.