01x05 - Death Becomes Him

[bunniefuu]

[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]

♪

♪

♪

[DOOR CLOSES]

[WOMAN LAUGHS]

[KEYPAD BEEPS]

♪

[SIGHS]

[KEYS RATTLING]

[SIGHS HEAVILY]

[CAR ALARM BEEPING]

[BAG THUDS]

[EXHALES SHAKILY]

[ALARM CONTINUES]

♪

- [METAL CREAKS]
- [SCREAMING]

[BODY THUDS]

♪

SAM: A meeting at an underground garage

in the middle of the night?
Did he say what it was about?

Nope, but he sounded
scared and desperate.

What if it's a conspiracy?
Like Watergate.

Or Deep Throat!

Oh, how cool would that be?

How much coffee have you had?

Well, I'm up a 4:00 in the morning,

so... a lot.

But it's got to be something big, right?

Or... Or why all the cloak and dagger?

What do you think it is?

You know, there's two things
I've learned in life, Sam.

Nothing good happens after 3:00 a.m.

And it's never what you think it is.

♪

[TIRES SCREECH]

♪

Must be our guy.

♪

[ENGINE TURNS OFF]

♪

Can I, uh... Can I see some ID?

♪

Okay.

Hey.

[SIGHS]

♪

[GASPS]

[GRUNTING]

♪

Todd Garlin.

This is my brother, Hugh.

Thanks for coming.

Why are we here, Mr. Garlin?

Uh, because I need your help.

Someone's trying to k*ll me.

You have any idea who?

Yeah, a hitman.

Why is a hitman trying to k*ll you?

Because...

...I hired him to.

I don't understand.

Why would you hire someone to k*ll you?

Two months ago, I found out

that I had terminal pancreatic cancer.

I didn't want my wife and kids

to put up with the burden
of caring for me.

Life insurance doesn't pay out
if you commit suicide, so...

So you hired a hitman to do it for you?

Yeah, he specializes in making the deaths

look like accidents.

Problem is, I just found out
that I was misdiagnosed.

Turns out, I'm not gonna die after all.

Not from cancer anyway.

Well, can't you just call off the hit?

I didn't want anyone to trace it
back to me,

so I found someone on the dark web.

I have no idea who he is,
what he looks like,

or how to stop him.

A lot of these people online
claim they'll k*ll for money,

but they're scammers. They're
teenagers pulling pranks.

N-no.

This one's real.
He calls himself "Azrael."

As in the biblical Angel of Death?

Yeah. H-He's legit.

A week ago, a falling air
conditioner almost crushed me.

Three days ago, a car nearly hit me.

I've been hiding out from him
in this cheap motel,

but he must've found me. He made
my balcony railing collapse.

If I hadn't fallen on that convertible...
I'd be dead.

Look, I don't know where else to turn.

I need you to find him
before he kills me.

♪

EDDIE: All right.
Let's start at the hotel.

Who else knew you were there?

TODD: No one.

What about your family?
Your brother? Your wife?

No. Oh, no, my wife?

No, she doesn't know anything about this.

Wait, a hitman is coming for you,

and you haven't told your wife?

How could I tell her?

She just found out I'm gonna live

and now I could wind up dead again.

Well, where does she think you are?

At the Peterson Clinic in Kansas,

making sure my scans are clear.

How'd you get to the hotel?
Took a bus? Taxi? Lyft?

No, I drove. But I wasn't followed.
I made sure of that.

You may not have been followed,
but you probably were tracked.

Where's you car now?

It's back at the hotel.
It's the silver Forester.

All right. We're gonna need the keys.

We're gonna take you back to our office.
You're gonna be safe there.

You and my assistant, you guys are gonna

try to track down your hitman online.

Sam and I will go to the hotel,
see if he left any trace.

♪

There's a lot of glass.

You're sure this place is safe?

All entrances and exits are secure

with trip alarms and cameras.

If someone's coming, we'll know.

There's no trace of an Azrael
in the Perdition boards

or in the Burn Web archives.

Yeah, I-I know. I looked, too.

He went dark right after I hired him.

Maybe we could trace the money.

How did you pay him?

Bitcoin, with zero-coin add-on.

Dude...
- Yeah, I-I-I know.

But in my defense, it was
supposed to be untraceable.

MONICA: Is this the guy?

[STUTTERS] Who are you?
How'd you get in here?

You said this place was secure!

That's Monica.
That's Ms. Swift's assistant.

- She's part of the team.
- Oh.

Why is she wearing mouse ears?

Death is coming for you.

What is that? A threat?

- It's just how she talks.
- And dresses. It's creepy.

As a survivor of multiple
near-death experiences,

you're a perfect subject.

- She's a psych student.
- Subject for what?

A test that measures personality traits

and how extreme stressors,
like almost dying,

can reveal who you really are.

Uh, my whole world's upside down.

I'm not sure I really know who I am.

All the more reason to take the test.

♪

SAM: He survived that?

What, does this guy have nine lives?

He's going through them fast.

Well, then we need to move faster,

before the hitman tries again.

We need to get into that room,
take a look at that balcony.

What's our angle?

David Addison. Safety Inspector.

And I'm Madelyn Hayes. We're
investigating the accident.

♪

Careful. It's a pretty steep drop.

♪

[SIGHS]

I fell off a balcony once.

Vodka.

Luckily, I landed in the pool.

You ever have a near-death experience?

I was a cop, so yeah.

What was the scariest?

Actually, my closest call
came when I was 15.

I was surfing Pipeline,

and I nearly drowned
after a three-wave hold down.

My buddies found me unconscious,

floating face down in the water.

I had to be airlifted to a hospital.

Terrifying.

What happened?

I lived.

[SCOFFS]

♪

Looks like someone used a welding torch

to weaken the steel, rig it to fall.

The guy was thorough.

Oxidized the metal edges
to make it look like

a pre-existing structural defect.

But the hitman had
to find a way to make Todd

come out to the balcony
and lean on the railing.

Well, Todd said he heard a car alarm.

I mean, that seems random.

How would he know that
would draw Todd out?

Are you kidding? Have you seen Todd?

It doesn't take an actor to get
inside his paranoid mind set.

I think the hitman could be
pretty confident

that he'd come check it out.

If we can identify which car he set off,

maybe we can ID him.

MONICA: "Whatever plans you make,

there's always something unexpected

that will interfere with them."

Strongly agree.

Interesting.

"People's misfortunes result
from the mistakes they make."

Strongly disagree.

Sometimes, they result
from a random misdiagnosis

that destroys their entire world.

Huh.

What?

What does it say about me?

We have to get through all the questions

before I can delve into analysis.
- Ah.

Todd, it's for you.

Todd, could you recognize
the car alarm if you heard it?

TODD: Yeah. I think so. Why?

Hey, Berto, pull up sound files
for car alarms,

see if you can narrow down
which type of car it came from.

BERTO: On it.

Do you think the car's still here?

No idea. But Todd's car is.

And I'm betting the hitman was
using it to track him.

[CAR ALARM BLARES]

No, it was...

It was less blurpy, more tooty.

Okay. How about this one?

[CAR ALARM BLARES]

A bit too brassy.

Who knew there were so many car alarms?

[CAR ALARM BLARES]

Warmer, but it was more
of a squawky waaank.

Ugh, nothing but candy wrappers
and old bottles back here.

Find anything down there?

[RIPS VELCRO]

Yeah, found this.

It's attached to the car's
electrical system.

Is that a tracking device?

Not like any I've ever seen.

[CELLPHONE RINGS]

Yeah, Berto, what do you got?

BERTO: Narrowed down the car alarm.

Chevy, manufactured between 2013 to 2018.

Blue Spark.

[CAR ALARM BLARES]

That's it! That's the one.

That's great work. All right, hang tight.

All right, let's see if the
hotel had video surveillance.

[ALARM CHIRPS, HONKING STOPS]

So you're the people
who keep setting off my alarm?

No. Why? Did it go off before?

At like 3:00 in the morning.

Did you see the railing collapse?

Yeah, it scared the hell out of me.

So you were out here?

Did you see anyone else
in the parking lot?

Just a guy standing by a pickup.

When the railing collapsed,
he got in and drove away.

You happen to see what he looked
like or the make of the truck?

Didn't really get a look at him.

But it was a black Silverado pickup.

♪

Black Silverado?
That's not much to go on.

Yeah, and the hotel surveillance
stopped working

during the Clinton administration.

But your hitman did leave
something behind.

This was attached to your car.

We think this is how he followed you.

So if we can find out who made it,

we may be able to track down
a point of sale.

Trace him from there.

Oh.

I can help with that.

♪

SAM: I think this is the first
time since I've met you

that your hands weren't shaking.

Yeah, I've always been

more comfortable with machines
than with people.

I work in quality control.

You heard of MegaTech?

They make that heart monitor watch?

Yeah! The Aorta Recorda.

And the Smarty Pans,
the Intelli-Brella...

Anyway, that's where I work.

I take things apart for a living,

unlock their secrets,
find their vulnerabilities.

You're a reverse engineer.

You pull things apart,
figure out how they work,

and all their flaws.

Once I identify the problem,
I know how to fix it.

[CHUCKLES]

Wish I could do that with my life.

Took facing cancer to see some things.

Like how I've been
a lousy husband and father.

What makes you think that?

I overheard my family talking,

saying what a disappointment I was.

Ouch.

But, you know, finding out
you were cancer-free,

didn't that feel like
you had a second chance?

Yeah, it did.

It made me determined to be a better man,

turn things around.

Don't you think being honest
with your wife

would be a good place to start?

[SCOFFS]

And tell her what?

That I thought I had terminal cancer,

then I found out I didn't, but by then,

I'd hired a hitman to k*ll me
and now I can't call him off?

Yeah, that'd be a lot to take in.
- Yeah.

[CHUCKLES]

Todd, if there's a way,
we'll find this guy.

♪

Well, not from this, you won't.

Whoever fabricated this really
knew what they were doing.

Custom components...

definitely not store-bought,
which makes them untraceable.

♪

If we can't trace the parts,
maybe we can trace the skills.

♪

Who'd have the knowledge
to build something like this?

Any luck?
- EDDIE: Nothing.

There's no video surveillance
in the area around the hotel.

And there's over several thousand

black Silverados registered
in L.A. County alone.

Yeah, how many of them are owned
by electrical engineers?

♪

Avery Rush.

This is the 10th black-
Silverado-owning engineer

that we've checked out,
with a dozen to go.

There has to be a better way.

Shoe-leather's part of the job.

Yeah, I prefer how we did it on my show.

Cut to my character finding
where the bad guy was.

♪

Eddie.

Acetylene torches and a welding mask.

Maybe this guy's been doing
a little balcony work.

Doesn't look like he's around.

♪

♪

Eddie, look.

♪

Photos of the balcony railing.

♪

And plans to make it fall.

♪

- We should go.
- I thought we were here to negotiate.

No, this is not the type of guy
you want to negotiate with.

We know who he is. Now we call the cops.

- [WHIRRING]
- [GASP]

Aaah!

[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]

♪

Wha...

- [BARS BUZZ]
- [COIN LANDS ON FLOOR]

It's electrified. High voltage.

[STERNLY] Do not touch it.

[SIGHS]

♪

I have no bars.

Me neither.

It's like the signal's being blocked.

It's a Faraday cage.

We had this in one of my episodes,

where they used the metal grates
to block all radio signals.

This guy's a pro.

And if that warm cup of coffee
is any indication, he's nearby.

We got to figure out a way out of here.

How?
- I don't know.

There's gotta be a switch, a trigger,

something that's gonna turn off
that electrical field.

AVERY: There isn't.

It's very well constructed.

Somewhat of a passion project of mine.

Who are you people?

We're not here for you.

We... We represent a man
named Todd Garlin.

Th-The guy who hired you to k*ll him?

[SUCKS LIP]

Doesn't ring a bell.

Sure it does.

Air Conditioner Todd, Balcony Todd.

All we're saying is
if you know a Todd Garlin

a-and he did hire you to k*ll him,

he just wants to terminate his contract.

[WHISPERS] Bad choice of words.

This guy, Todd, or anyone else
know the two of you are here?

Yeah, plenty of people,
and if we don't check in,

they're gonna come looking for us.

I'll cancel the hit.

Great. That's great!

[LAUGHS] Yeah. But I can't let you leave.

Wait. Come on! We'll triple your fee!

Where's he going?

He's gonna go check my SUV.

He's gonna figure out who we are

and he's gonna come back here and...

A-And let us go?

[SIGHING] Oh, I was trying
to be optimistic.

He can't afford to let us go.

Now that he's been exposed,
he's gonna come back here,

he's gonna torch this place,
and he's gonna disappear.

You think he's actually going to k*ll us?

Yeah, and I don't know
what to do to stop him.

So this could be it?

♪

I'm sorry, Sam.

Shut up.

Sam?

Uh...
- Hey, if we're gonna die...

What are you doing? Take off your belt.

I-I don't... I don't think
this is the right time.

Just stop talking. We're doing this.

♪

I am not going down without a fight,

and I'm definitely not dying

in some dank garage in the Valley.

Fabric and leather are non-conductive.

We need to get the g*n.

♪

Be careful...

Slowly...

♪

Okay, so close.

Almost.

I think that g*n takes more than a C cup.

♪

Ooh! You got it!

Slow.

Hurry! He's coming.

♪

Clever. [CHUCKLES]

But not clever enough.

[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]

[SCREAMS] [GRUNTING]

[CRACKLING STOPS]

[LOCK DISENGAGES]

♪

[CLATTERS]

♪

Go! Go!

♪

♪

Looks like Avery Rush was a victim

of his own engineering.

You're gonna find more evidence inside

linking him to at least
a dozen contract killings.

Cyber's been trying to track
down Azrael for years.

How'd you find him?

Our client suspected
he was on the guy's hit list.

He hired us to track him down
before he can complete the job.

Who's the client?

Right now, he'd prefer to stay anonymous.

But I'm pretty certain I can convince him

to give you a statement.

Thanks.

Oh, and speaking of statements,

how'd you like me to characterize this

in my report?

I believe...

these are yours.

♪

How long were you guys
in that cage anyway?

♪

I don't know how to thank you.
I'd be dead without you guys.

Well, you can start by going home

and having your second chance.

Thank you guys, too.

Good luck, dude.

Hey, we had your Forester
towed over here.

Checked it over. Clean and ready to go.

It's parked out front.
Still got the keys?

Uh... yeah. Thanks.

Well, I guess this is it.

Wait, but we haven't finished the test.

Sorry, Monica.

I can't wait to start my life over again.

Bye.

- I'll do the test.
- [DOOR CLOSES]

You know all this talk
about near-death experiences,

and we, actually, almost died today.

This has me thinking about all the stuff

I still want to do that I haven't done.

Yeah, like what?

Climb the pyramids?

I've done that.

Hot air balloon over Europe?

I've done that, too.

So what haven't you done?

I have a list.

What about you, Eddie?
What do you want to do?

Is there some big wave
off the coast of Tahiti?

No, actually, I don't surf anymore.

Not since that day.

Well, there has to be something.

You know, don't you have a bucket list,

a goal, a dream?

Used to.

♪

[CELLPHONE VIBRATES]

It's Todd.

Hey, Todd.

Did you forget something?
Everything okay?

TODD: No.

I-I realized I'm about to go home,

about to restart my life.

I know I need to tell Lisa
the truth about everything,

but I-I don't know how.

I've spent so much time
focusing on dying,

I-I haven't figured out how to live.

How do I become the husband
and the father I want to be?

[LINE CRACKLES] You just do.

You just need to be present.

Wh... Give them presents?

What?

No, I said, "be present."

There's some weird noise on the line.

That's EMF frequency interference.

[CRACKLING CONTINUES]
Yeah... hear... too.

I don't know where it's coming from.

Get out of the car.

Get out! Now!

[expl*si*n]

♪

Given the severity of the blast,

your injuries were relatively minor.

You're lucky you got away
from that car when you did.

So I'll live?

We still have a few more tests to run,

but yes, you'll live.

Thanks, Doctor.

Hey, what the hell happened?

I thought my hitman was supposed
to be out of commission.

- He is.
- Then how d...

Your hitman didn't plant that b*mb.

We swept your car

when it was brought to the office.

It was clean.

The b*mb was planted after
Avery Rush was in custody.

Are you saying that someone else
tried to k*ll me?

Sure looks that way.

Do you know anyone
that might want you dead?

Just me. Before. Back when I was dying.

Anyway, this is like "Final Destination."

Maybe I was really supposed
to die of cancer,

and this is God's way
of fixing his mistake.

God doesn't plant car bombs.

Someone's after you.
We have to find out why.

What am I supposed to do in the meantime?

Go into hiding?

What if they try to k*ll me again?

I'm like a sitting duck here.
Might as well be dead.

♪

That's not such a bad idea.

What?

[WHISPERING] For Todd to be dead.

That way, no one would be
trying to k*ll you.

You'd be safe, and it would buy us time.

Wait, you want to fake his death?
- It's perfect.

We did it on an episode of "Hot Suspect."

It keeps our witness safe
until we catch the k*ller.

Really?

A fake death helped catch
a fictional k*ller?

That's amazing.

Maybe if I'm dead, people will
stop trying to k*ll me.

This isn't an episode of "Hot Suspect."

You know what it takes to fake
a death in the real world?

Cops, doctors, the hospital...

They all have to be involved.

Eddie, what do cops,
doctors, and hospitals

all have in common?

They're committed to saving lives.

Don't you want to save Todd's?

♪

Fake his death?

Do you have any idea what you're asking?

Yeah, I know exactly what I'm asking.

Chris, I'm just trying
to keep the guy alive.

Look cops, doctors,

aren't they all committed
to saving lives?

No, they're committed to keeping
their jobs and pensions.

This was her idea, wasn't it?

That obvious?
- Mm-hmm.

Along with the stupid speech

about cops and doctors saving lives.

But I got to admit,
I see the logic in it.

You do?

It might give us a chance to figure
out what the hell's going on

without putting your client at risk.

So you'll help us?

Yeah.

And she is right about
the saving lives thing.

But whatever you learn, you share.

Done. What'd you find at the b*mb site?

CSI found the detonator.

b*mb was triggered remotely
by a cellphone.

Cellphone?
- Mm-hmm.

I pulled warrants to get tower logs

from every wireless carrier.

With any luck, we'll be able to pinpoint

where the detonation call came from.

Sam, if we do this,
I'm gonna need to tell Lisa.

I can't have her and the kids
thinking I'm actually dead.

She needs to be okay with this.

Will you go to her?

She loves you.

She watched everything that you're in.

She'll listen to you.

[CHUCKLES]

LISA: So, you're saying my husband, Todd,

sent Sam Swift to talk to me?

How does he even know you?

Actually, we just met.

In Kansas?

I'm sorry, Lisa.

Todd's not in Kansas anymore.

I can't believe after
everything we've been through,

he would lie to me like this.

Todd loves you and the kids.

I think this was just his misguided way

of trying to be noble.

[SIGHS] You said you...
you stopped the hitman.

S-So who is trying to k*ll him now?

We don't know.

That's why we need to fake his death,

to give us time to find them.

Did Todd have any enemies
that you know of?

He didn't have a lot of friends,
but nobody hates him.

Have you noticed anything
weird or out of the ordinary

around here the last couple weeks?

There was an Escalade I didn't recognize

parked across the street a few times.

I could've sworn there was someone in it,

but the windows were blacked-out.

Now, please, I need to see Todd.

♪

I am so sorry for all I put
you through with the illness,

all I put you through after.

Lisa, I swear, when this is all done,

I'm gonna be the husband and father

you always wanted me to be.

[GRUNTS] Ow.
- Sorry.

No, no. No, it's good.

Just got word from Detective Rollins.

The hospital staff says we're good to go.

It's time to die, Todd.

Can't you just say, "He died."

Release a statement or something?

We got to make it convincing
in case our k*ller's

hanging around the hospital,
waiting to see what's happened.

So how exactly are you
planning to k*ll me?

MAN: Blue team to ICU. Blue team to ICU.

First, the hospital staff
will make it appear

that you've succumbed to your injuries...

Then you'll be transported
to the coroner's office.

And then, as far as most
of the world is concerned,

Todd Garlin...

will be deceased.

[GASPS]

Congratulations, you're dead.

Now, let's find out who k*lled you.

It's been two days.

I was really hoping not
to be dead by now.

Dude, enjoy it.

No bills, no responsibilities,
no spam callers.

Have you finished analyzing the test?

I'm still crunching the numbers.

But I'll add impatience to the data set.

A-Any thoughts so far,
any clues telling you who I am?

I mean, you said all that stress
would bring out the real me.

Sounds like it has.

Hey.

- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Is there any news?

Yeah, the warrants came in
for the cell tower phone logs.

Great, so we can cancel my funeral.

Y-You know, Todd, it's this afternoon.

We just... We need time
to search the logs.

This is ridiculous.

There wasn't even supposed
to be a funeral.

Yeah, I-I-I'm sorry.

You know, we didn't know Lisa's
friends would plan one.

And we wanted to stop it,

but it would have looked suspicious.

After all I put her through,
I should be there.

She knows it's not real.

But it's gonna seem real to her.

She'll be looking at my coffin,
mourning me,

thinking next time
I'll actually be in there.

Yeah, but right now, you're not in it.

But that's my point. Even if
I was dead, I'd be there.

I promised her I'd be there.

I bet my k*ller's there, gloating.

I just hate her having
to deal with this alone.

♪

What?

♪

TODD: I'm cousin Larry from Harrisburg.

[CLEARS THROAT] I'm cousin
Larry from Harrisburg.

Well, you're walking like Todd
from Los Angeles.

I don't know how else to walk.

You're an old man.
Imagine your knees hurt.

What if I'm a spry old man.

Okay, uh... How about this?

I said your knees hurt,
not that you have to pee.

All right, just forget it.
Just don't make eye contact.

Don't mingle.

And don't touch your beard
or it'll come off.

Look, that's Jane from HR.
I thought she hated me.

That's Lisa's friend Meg.
I know she hated me.

Well, they're here, right?
So maybe they didn't.

Maybe they're hate-mourning.

By the way, this is
a surprisingly good turn-out.

All right, look around.

See if you see anyone out of the ordinary

or shouldn't be here.

Oh, my God.
- What?

It's Dave and Marty.
My freshman roommates.

No, no, no, Todd. You can't. You can't.

DAVE: He had his head in the sand.

I can't remember a time
he wasn't working.

Was a lucky guy, though.

Lisa's a great- looking woman.

Careful, Marty, you're not divorced yet.

Do you hear that?

I'm dead less than a week,

and Marty's already trying
to bang my wife.

All right, come on.
You can kick his a*s later.

Crowd looked bigger from
back there, didn't it?

Todd?

Oh, wow. I thought...

You sound exactly like Todd.
You must be related.

Uh, I'm Cousin Harris from Larryburg.

This is my wife, uh... Pamela.

Pamela. It's so nice to meet you.

Cheryl Axelrod, CEO of MegaTech,
where Todd works.

Worked.

Sorry, it's just so hard
to believe he's gone.

Well, I'm sure it would
mean a lot to Todd

that you came to pay your respects.

And I bet he'd be surprised as hell.

Will you excuse us?

I told you to find someone who stand out,

not someone who stands out.

You want something out of the ordinary?

It's pretty weird that Axelrod
would be here.

She hardly knew me.

Well, maybe you meant more to the company

than you thought.

♪

[SIGHS] 1,300 calls
within a 5-second window

on just one of these cell logs,

and so far, none of these names
connect to Todd.

So how's your dead guy doing?

Uh, he's going a little stir crazy.

Being dead is k*lling him.

I faked my death once.

Who were you running from? A g*ng.

A girl. She wouldn't leave me alone.

When I was, like, 14, this girl,
Khloe, was sweating me.

So I had a friend of mine
tell her that I was dead.

You literally ghosted her.

Yeah, I guess I invented that.

Baby Boy, order us a pizza.

We could be here for a while.

I told you not to call me that.

I don't think we're gonna
need that pizza.

Look where this call originated.

HUGH: And if he hadn't
pushed me into that tree,

I would have drowned.

So I not only have Todd
to thank for my life,

but also for the metal plate in my leg

since that fateful day...

♪

I really miss you, big bro.

You always looked out for me.

And I plan to return the favor tenfold.

I promise to be completely there
for Lisa and the kids.

♪

Hey, cut it out.

You'll smear the great
makeup job I did on you.

Sorry. It's just very moving.

Who's the pro-wrestler with Lisa?

That's Walter Bunch,

head of corporate security at MegaTech.

We've never even spoken.

What's the head of security
doing at your funeral?

Wait, Todd... I mean, Larry.

[INDISTINCT TALKING]

Lisa.

[GASPS] Oh, my God.

What are you doing here?
You're supposed to be dead.

I had to come see you.

I was worried about you, honey.
How you holding up?

This is all so surreal.

Lisa, the guy you were just
talking to from MegaTech.

What did he say?

Well, he acted like he was
offering his condolences,

but I think he just wants
the company laptop

and files from the house.

He said you were working on
sensitive projects.

And he was concerned
that I hadn't called him back.

That is, like, the definition
of "too soon."

Yeah, I thought so, too.

- [CELLPHONE VIBRATES]
- Sorry.

[CELLPHONE BEEPS]

Hi, Eddie.

Hey, I hear voices. Where are you?

A-At the funeral.

What? You're supposed to be with Todd.

I am.

You took him to his own funeral?

What are you thinking?
You could blow his cover.

Forget his cover. I blew the case open.

Eddie, I got a lead.

Yeah. Well, so do we.

You know, the call
that triggered that b*mb.

It was made by someone
inside Todd's company.

Yeah, someone who drives a black Escalade

with tinted windows.

I think I know who k*lled Todd.

You really think Walter Bunch
tried to k*ll me?

SAM: Lisa said it was definitely
his car outside your house.

And the call that triggered that b*mb

was made from a cellphone
inside MegaTech.

What exactly does Bunch do
at the company?

He's Axelrod's hatchet man.

He protects the company's interests.

Well, apparently,
that included your laptop.

What's on it?

Same stuff that's on the servers.

Normal work stuff.
I could log in and show you.

Wait, wait. Don't use your real name.

Remember, you're dead.

Yeah, everything's there,
just the way I left it.

Except... Wait, that's weird.

Some of the reports I wrote are missing.

What were they about?

Major security flaw in
the MegaTech Smart Detector.

It's a Wi-Fi-enabled smoke alarm.

And what was the flaw?

Uh, it can be hacked

and turned into a listening device.

I tested one by installing it
in my house.

That's how I found out

what my family really thought about me.

That's awful.

Yeah, it was.

But my brother made me see it as a gift,

a chance to fix things with
my family, to really...

Wait, wait. Hold on, Todd.

Let me get this straight,
you're saying that

the smoke detector could be hacked

and turned into an eavesdropping device?

It was a huge problem.

The company already sold
five million units.

I sent my report to management.

They said they were gonna fix it.

And what would happen if
the news of that flaw got out?

Well, the company would take a big hit.

Stock price. PR.

Heads would've rolled.

Including the CEO's?

Axelrod had been on thin ice for awhile.

Something like this, the board
would've canned her for sure.

Potentially costing her millions.

That's why they were at the funeral,

to close out the cover-up.

Yeah, but I wasn't gonna tell anybody.

Maybe they couldn't take that chance.

♪

Cheryl Axelrod.
I am such a huge fan, Ms. Swift.

Oh, yes, I noticed.

You've been following my posts
since "Hot Suspect."

I hate to trade on that,
but it's the only way

to get a meeting with such a busy woman.

Are you kidding?

When I heard Sam Swift wanted
to get inside the mind

of a tech titan for an upcoming role,

I was all in.

So what's the movie?

Oh, it's a thriller about
a corporate conspiracy,

a cover-up, and a k*lling.

Starring me and a smoke detector.

What is this?

This is a little chat about
Todd Garlin's m*rder.

- I'm calling security.
- Walter Bunch?

Because that would be great.
W-We want to talk to him, too.

Why did you have Bunch
surveilling Todd's house?

Are you suggesting MegaTech
is responsible for Todd's death?

I mean, he realized
the smoke alarm was a wire tap.

That created a problem.

We fixed that problem
with a security patch.

So why did you bury his report?

Why'd you go after the laptop, the files?

Because if word got out,
it would've been disastrous.

So I'm guessing him dying was
just wildly convenient.

Was the fact that Todd passed
away an advance to us? Yes.

Did we k*ll him? No.

We may be sons-of-b*tches,
but we're not murderers.

Well, someone here is,

because the call that blew up his car

was placed at 2:53 p.m. Thursday
from this building.

♪

Well, neither Mr. Bunch nor I

were in the building at the time.

Well, we need the security
footage from the lobby

to see who came in when.

We don't do cameras.
We have body scanners.

Like, at the airport?
That makes you a naked ghost?

We don't care about faces.

Our system is designed to make sure

people don't leave
with proprietary materials.

We'll need to see the scans.

Not without a warrant.

Do you know how many followers
I have, Ms. Axelrod?

How do you think they'll feel
about the MegaTech brand

if I start posting everything I know?

♪

Next time I fly, I am opting
out of the body scanner.

That is way more revealing
than I thought.

I don't know how the hell
we're gonna ID anyone.

I can't tell one person from another.

Pretty sure that's a woman.

Yep, and that's a dude.

- Wow.
- I know, right?

Wait, see that?

What?

It's a metal plate.

Todd's brother Hugh told us a story

about a metal plate in his leg.

Something from an accident
when they were kids.

Look at the time stamp.

That's five minutes before
the b*mb detonated.

What if Hugh was trying
to k*ll his brother?

And made the call from Todd's work

to cover his tracks.

That way, if anyone looked
to see where the call came from,

it would point to someone
from his company.

Why would Hugh want to k*ll his brother?

I don't know,
but it can't be a coincidence.

As far as Hugh's concerned,
Todd was dead.

No, wait.

Todd told Hugh about
overhearing this family.

So Hugh knew about the smoke detector.

And he told his wife about faking
Todd's death at Todd's house.

Under the smoke detector.

What if Hugh was listening?

He would've known Todd's still alive.

♪

Todd's not answering.

♪

Todd! Where are you?!

Sam!

♪

Someone tried to k*ll me? Again?

Well, the good news is, the doctors say

you're gonna make a full recovery.

What was it this time? It was a gas leak.

Still trying to figure out
where it came from.

I know exactly where it came from.

- Your furnace.
- No, that's brand-new.

There's no way it was equipment failure.

Of... Of course it wasn't.
I know that unit.

It's Wi-Fi-enabled and very hackable.

W-Wait a minute, who tried to k*ll me?

Everyone thought I was dead.

Not everyone.

We think Hugh knew.

Hugh? N-No. No.

It's the way it's breaking, Todd.

He's a science teacher.
He's got the technical know h*...

You need to leave. Both of you.

Look, I know how hard this is,

but can you think of any reason
he might want to hurt you?

Get the hell out!

♪

♪

[LOCK DISENGAGES]

♪

Lisa, you here?

Got your text.

Lisa didn't send you that text.

I did.

Todd.

♪

What the hell?

What's going on?

You tell me, Hugh.

Why'd you do it?

[SCOFFS]

[g*n c*ck]

I want the truth.

♪

The truth, big bro,

is that you've been a ghost
in your own life.

Who was there to help Noah with math,

or show Kyle how to throw a curve?

You? No. You were too busy working.

Who was there to console Lisa

when she learned that you were gonna die?

You? No.

You were too consumed with your illness

to actually be there
for your wife or your family.

So, what? You were just gonna step in?

I stepped in years ago.

Did you ever ask yourself
why I never got married, Todd?

Why I never found someone?

Hmm? Because I knew Lisa
and the kids needed me.

They're more my family
than they are yours

- at this point.
- I don't understand.

You were the one telling me
to fix things with them.

I've been telling you that forever.

But with all that's happened,
I finally get it this time.

I understand. I'm changing.

[CHUCKLING] Please.

I never heard that happening.

♪

What, you were eavesdropping?
On us? On me?

You are who you are, Todd.
You'll never change.

You don't know that.

I've got a second chance
with Lisa and the kids.

No, you dying was my second chance.

- You'd k*ll your own brother?!
- You had cancer.

You even hired a hitman
to finish you off.

It was your time.

Then, it was gonna be my time.

♪

And now you'll be doing time.

Nothing like a little confession
to clear things up.

Especially when it's streaming
live to the LAPD...

Technology's a b*tch, Hugh.

CHRISTINE: Hugh Garlin,

you're under arrest for attempted m*rder.

Todd, y...

[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]

You'll never change.

Wanna bet?

♪

Come on.

♪

This is Detective Rollins' card.

She wants to take your statement
when you have a moment.

Hugh...

Just so hard to believe.

What's gonna happen to him?

Well, he did try to k*ll you. Twice.

Yeah, but he's still my brother.

I don't want him to be in prison
for the rest of his life.

Well, then, let
the district attorney know.

They'll take that into account.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

So guess this is finally over?

Or it's just beginning.
What's next for you?

Well, I have 87 vacation days stored up.

I thought, maybe, I'd take some time off.

Lisa has always wanted to go
on a road trip with the kids.

Rent an RV, see the Grand Canyon,

go where the road takes us...
What do you think?

I think that you've
identified the problem

and know how to fix it.

[CHUCKLES]

Todd. Good.

I have your test results.
They're revealing.

You know what, I'm good.

I don't wanna know what the test says.

That's not what the test says
you would say.

It's okay.

I know who I am.

♪

Thanks again. For everything.

♪

Wait!

What's your diagnosis?

That's confidential.

I think he's gonna be okay.

[SIMON STEADMAN'S "THE LUCKY ONE" PLAYS]

♪

What are you doing here so early?

Waiting for you.

That sounds ominous.

You know, spending all the time
with Todd got me thinking.

The things we care about most in life,

we sometimes let drift away.

Oh, so it is ominous.

Come into your office.

I have something to show you.

♪

♪ Just need a voice to say
the time is right ♪

Well, that looks just like
my old long board.

It I your old long board.

That's, uh... That's impossible.

I gave mine away to my neighbor
in Venice years ago.

Yep, and he gave it to his son,

who gave it to his girlfriend,

who sold it to her drug dealer,
who put it in a barn.

It's had quite the chain of custody.

♪ Just like a love you cannot fake ♪

[CHUCKLES] I'm amazed
it's still in one piece.

The surf shop cleaned it up,
said it's in great shape,

very sea-worthy.

♪

It seemed like surfing
meant a lot to you.

I just thought maybe...

you might want to get back on the board.

♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪ I'm on my way...

What?

I'm sorry. Did I do something bad?

I really...
- No. No.

It's, uh...

It's great.

- ♪ I need to bother everyone ♪
- It's great.

♪ I'll find the strength...

You think you might go out?

You know, uh, maybe I will...

one of these days.

Well, let me know when you do.

You might get to see me in a bikini.

♪ Yeah I'm gonna be

- Surf's up.
- ♪ I'm gonna be the lucky one ♪