-[bell dings] -[birds squawking]
[bell dings]
[knocking]
No. I'm not going anywhere with you.
And if I ever find you here again, I'm calling the cops.
Wait. Please.
This is everything that has evermeant anything to me.
'Cause I don't knowwhat's gonna happen to me after this.
[rock music playing]
Tell me what you know.
There's been a breakin the Richie Fife case.
Did the old lady spill her guts?
Hey, don't call her that. It's not appropriate.
Yes, ma'am. Did the old librarian spill her guts?
Not exactly.
It needs to be your legal name.
Sorry.
[Trip] Carol Collins did confess. But the word is, the pieces don't add up.
[Hilde] What do you mean?
[Trip] I'm not really sure.
Since Frank Briggsis in charge of the case now,
he won't allow me to see it.
[Hilde] In order to find outwhat really happened,
we need to see that confession.
So how do we get ahold of it?
[footsteps approaching]
[lock clicks]
Hey.
What are they gonna do with her?
Well, they know your mom'snot a flight risk.
So... she can come home with you.
And then my dad's gonna decidewhether it's worth it
to try and dig up evidenceto support her confession.
My guess, he won't.
What about the fact that she's been livingunder a false identity?
[Frank] It's complicated.
In any case, she needs a lawyer.
And you need a Xanax.
I love you.
Great timing.
[sighs]
Awesome.
Yeah, I know you saidnot to expect too many changes,
but, uh, is there anything we could doto make my dad's stay more comfortable?
I'm turning you into a tree frog.
Ribbit.
More serious, like you mean it.
-Ribbit!-[chuckling] That's it.
That's what I'm talking about.
All right, w-well, thank you, Dr. Harwood.
No, really, I appreciate it. Thank you.
-Wow.-[Bridget] Whoa.
What?
Nothing. No, it's... it's just, uh...-No. Uh, fancy.
Mm-hmm.
Ethan said he wanted to talk later.
Oh, my God. It's the RDT.
Okay, I don't even wanna knowwhat that is.
- Relationship defining talk.-Relationship defining talk. It's...
It's the thing. It's the thing that you dowhen you're taking it to the next...
-Level.-Yeah.
Okay, could you guys just, like, make this any more uncomfortable?
- I don't think so.-[Bridget] No, I don't think so. [laughs]
No, I think she's right. I... I don't think we can.
-[door opens]-Dad. Dad, I need you. Whoa.
- Okay. I'm changing.-Oh, don't! Oh, it... No, we love it.
Dad. Carol Collins wrote a confession, and I need you to help me get it.
What?
Okay, look, look, look. I... I'm gonna need you to wait here.
Not fair. It's my tip.
Yeah, I know, but...
Look, it's not likel'm gonna scoop you, Hilde.
It's just I doubt Frank's gonnagive up the evidence without a fight,
and, you know, we may say some thingsthat I don't want you to hear.
Mostly so your mom doesn't kill me.
Okay?
[birds squawking]
-Okay.-All right.
- Don't punch him this time.-All right. I'll try.
[chattering]
[Frank] Yeah?
Is it true?
You know, did she do it?
[sighs]
-Well, how's Kim?-She's fine.
For someone who just found outher mother's a complete stranger.
W... [exhales]
[chuckles]No, I can't give you any more details.
Come on, man. I'm not asking you to say anything.
Just, you know, just let me read her statement.
"Come on"? No. It's in evidence.
I gotta keep a clean chain of custodyuntil the trial.
-J-Just make a photocopy.-Matty.
Come on. What, you're just gonnabend the rules for Kim?
[chuckles]
No, I just... I just wanna let it go.
Me too.
[chuckles]
Yeah.
Hey, Matty. Matty, wait. Look, I'm sorry.
You know, I'm sorry about everything.
You were my best friend.
And I... I should've stood up for you.
Well, you still can, Frank.
Yeah, I mean, you can do the right thing, right here, right now.
No one knows this casebetter than me and Hilde.
[sighs]
Let me see it.
I can't.
I can only share evidencewith the prosecutor and one other person.
Well, who's that?
Sam Gillis' lawyer.
Thanks, Frank.
I still can't understandwhy Frank couldn't just give it to Dad.
As Sam's lawyer, I have a rightto see all evidence relating to my client
before the retrial.
But there is no retrial yet.
Wow, you don't miss anything, do you?
Well, he slipped it to me a little early.
Okay, this guy is like the worst cop ever.
I don't even know how he's still employed.
Oh, right. He's a white guy.
Uh, hello?
Okay. You cannot, under any circumstances, write about this.
Or even tell anyone. It would jeopardize Sam's case.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. I'm gonna start strategizing.
Just one request.
Aybe-may on't-day in front of the ittlest-lay.
On't-day at-whay?
I'm sorry. Who taught her pig Latin?
-She did.-She did.
Okay, please just promiseyou don't read that in front of her.
No, I won't.
Okay. I love you. Let me know if you need anything.
-All right, will do.-[kisses]
Hey.
Mom and Dad are tryingto protect you from scary things.
So let's watch an animated movie
where both the parents diein the first ten minutes.
Dad, I know a place where we can read thisand no one will bug us.
[squawking]
Welcome to HQ.
This is where we work on our stories.
And I think Izzy kisses Ethan here.
Pretty cool, right? Izzy found it.
[kids laughing]
[young Matt]This freaking house is freaking awesome.
[chuckling] Oh, my God.
You know, you cover enough stories, you stop believing in magic.
What do you mean?
Oh, nothing, sweetie.
It's a great hideout.
You ready?
Yeah.
Are you?
You know, this... this story is...
it's... it's the end of my childhood.
You know, I was only 11.
And you're only nine, Hilde.
But my teacher says I'm precocious.
[chuckles]
Which is probably just another wordfor "annoying."
[chuckles]
Yeah, well, you're still not a grown-up.
Everything I've done since we got here...
was just to try and figure outwhat happened to you.
It's why you became a reporter.
And it's probably why I'm one too.
Yeah, well, that's true.
Dad, the story of your life...
is also kinda the story of mine.
[Carol] On January 31st, 1988,my brother, Zeke, came to town.
He asked me to meet him at the arcade
where Richie and his friendsused to hang out.
[Hilde] Did you see Zeke there? On the day of the abduction?
[Matt] I didn't knowl should've been looking.
[Carol] My brotherhad just been released from prison.
He used to steal cars.
One time he even roped me into itand we got caught.
He told me his plan.
- He needed a driver and a car.-[engine starts]
[tires squeal]
I didn't want to have anythingto do with it,
but he convinced meit wasn't a kidnapping.
It was a rescue mission.
A friend of the family hired himto grab Richie
and get him away from his abusive father.
You either get on board or I blow upthis phony life you built here.
When I refused, he saidhe'd hire another ex-con to help him.
I'll get Tommy to do it.
So I agreed to drive the vanand try and protect Richie.
-[tires screech]-[car door opens]
[Richie] Hey! Ow!
[kids screaming]
[young Matt] Get off Richie! No!
[Carol] In the end, I got out of the van and I went home.
I never saw Zeke or Richie again.
I just assumed Richie was safewith a friend of the family.
Someone who loved him.
Hey, look, how aboutwe take a break? Huh?
-Yeah?-Mm-hmm.
[kisses] Cool.
- Yeah, let's get back to the house. Yeah?-Yeah.
[piano playing]
[piano playing continues]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[tempo increases]
[piano playing ends]
-Wow.-[both laugh]
That was...
How did you do that? Why didn't you tell me you could?
I mean, when did you...
I... I didn't really wanna makea big deal out of it.
Usually, uh, scares people away.
[both chuckle]
But, yeah, I just... I just wantedto play for you before I leave.
Wait, what?
[sighing] Yeah. I, um...
I-I just found outthat my parents are getting separated.
Oh, my God. Ethan, I'm so sorry.
My mom's moving to San Francisco.
[chuckles] And nowl need to decide who to live with.
I mean, if I stay here with my dad, I get you but I also get him.
And I don't think I can do that anymore.
Yeah, you know, the night it happened, Richie actually wanted to leave.
Come on, Matty.
I made him stay and... and ride longer...
and I was telling him, "Just one more jump, one more jump" and...
- [young Frank] Matty! Whoa.-[Richie] Come on, Matty, you got this.
-Oh, my God.-[young Matt grunts]
-[Richie] Ooh.-[young Frank] Are you okay?
- Good, 'cause that was freaking awesome.-It's definitely gonna leave a mark.
-[laughing] Oh, my God.-Oh, my God.
-That was awesome!-That was nice.
[Matt] And that's when my bike brokeand that's why we had to walk home.
Come on, grandma, today.
So I can... I can't help thinking thatif I hadn't have done that...
well, then we'd be halfway home by then.
Dad... you're a reporter.
Look at the facts.
I mean, you weren't inthe wrong place at the wrong time.
It wasn't random. It wasn't a crime of opportunity.
Zeke was going to get Richieone way or another.
And somebody hired him.
What about that guy?
Yeah, I know, I know.
So Carol Collins lived her whole lifeknowing that her brother took Richie
while Sam was locked up for it?
I wish I could say this isthe only time it's happened, but...
There has to be more to the storythan what Carol's saying.
The only way to save Samis to find that van.
Prove what Carol's saying is the truth.
Then that's what we're gonna do.
I came to talk to her.
Yeah.
I don't think you're tellingthe whole story, Mrs. Collins.
Well, I suppose this meansthat you've read it.
Sam did nothing wrong. How could you do this to him?
I had a daughter to raise.
They would've taken her away from me.
So I let, uh, Sheriff Briggs...
convince me that Sam was a bad guy.
And that it was reallyonly a matter of time
before he'd hurt someone else.
My God, Frank. He's a boy.
He's a grown man who groomed our kidswith beer and drugs
so he could take one of them.
[Carol] But what if he didn't do it?
[stammers] He really doesn't seemlike the type to me.
Those people.
That family.
That is the type. Textbook.
Textbook.
Textbook what?
You mean Indian.
I didn't say it, you did.
Look.
Widow checks out on her kids.
Sam dropped out of schoolin the tenth grade.
I've arrested himfor drunk driving twice already.
It's no... no surprise that it escalated.
Trust me.
Erie Harbor is a better place
without the Sam Gillis'sof the world in it.
Uh, what if he didn't do it?
What if he's innocent?
You.
You were the bad guy.
You knew thatthey put an innocent person away.
And I'm gonna make sure it's not forever.
Where's the van?
Where did Zeke go after the kidnapping?
-[young Matt] Richie!-[young Frank] No.
No! [screams]
-[Zeke] Come on!-[Richie] No!
[tires squeal]
[Carol] As I was driving,
I was trying to figure outhow to get Richie out of the situation.
-[Richie] Help!-[Zeke] Hey!
Let me out!
Don't worry! We're taking you someplace safe.
No, no!
[Zeke] Hey, take it easy.
- Let me out!-Look, kid, you gotta calm down.
You're gonna be all right.
[Zeke grunts]
Zeke!
-He stabbed me.-Wha...
Maggie, help me!
Richie! Richie!
The little shit stabbed me.
-Grab the knife.-Oh, my God!
Pull it!
Come on!
-[Zeke grunts]-[young Carol shouts]
My hand.
God. Richie.
No, no, no.
- He stabbed me and he jumped me.-What did you do?
-I was trying to calm him down.-Oh, my God!
We have to get him help.
Maggie, he's dead.
No. [stammers] We're calling the police.
Maggie, we killed him.
Get him in the van. We gotta get him to the hospital.
And I'm going to grab Richie's things.
We have to help him, Zeke.
-[door closes]-[engine revs]
[tires squealing]
Zeke!
[Hilde] So Zeke just left you there?
[Carol] By the time I got home,
the search partyfor Richie had already begun.
So, I couldn't get throughto the Sheriff's Department.
[busy signal beeping]
No.
[busy signal beeping]
God.
[rings]
Hello.
[Zeke breathes heavily]
Hello?
You were right.
[gasps] Where are you?
I need a hospital.
It's a lot of blood, Maggie.
Is Richie okay?
Stop it, Maggie.
You gotta tell me. Tell me, please.
Tell me Richie's okay.
He's dead.
-Where are you?-[siren wailing in distance]
Some pay phone. I gotta get the hell outta here.
No. No, no. Zeke?
[grunts, pants]
No, you stay... you stay right where you are.
Zeke?
- Do not get in that van. Don't drive.-[door closes, engine starts]
Zeke?
[engine revs]
Zeke?
Are you sure it crashed?
[tires screech, van crashes]
[crying] I'll never forget that sound.
And I drove all overlooking for an accident.
And it was never even in the news.
It's like it just...
It just disappeared.
What time did Zeke call you?
I don't know. It was... It was during the Super Bowl.
What part of the game was on?
I don't know. I've neverreally cared for football that much.
But wait. Um, I do rememberthat The Rockettes were on.
It was halftime.
I'm sorry, Principal Collins.
Sam didn't deserve any of this... but neither do you.
Dad, we may have something.
I need your phone.
[sighs] Sure.
[phone vibrates]
-Hilde?-Hey, Trip.
Hey, partner.
What are you up to right now?
Oh, nothing, you know,
just preparing to get my ass whippedby Frank Jr. tomorrow.
I need a favor.
What do you need?
Phone records from the dayRichie Fife was taken.
From 1988?
-[horn honks]-Yeah.
That's gonna be somewhere between a "no"and a "hell no."
Well, did they pull any pay phone records
when they weredoing the original investigation?
Uh, yeah.
They were looking to seeif the kidnapper made a ransom call,
or if Richie got away and called home, but they never found anything.
Maybe it's because they didn't knowwhat they were looking for.
What if I gave youa specific date and time?
I'm on it.
[phone clicks]
Hilde's trying to get justice for you.
In whatever way she can.
I don't know if I deserve it.
[young Matt]Can I have another sip of that beer?
Whoa.
When I saw the bruises on Richie's arm...
I gave him that knife.
I wanted him to be ableto protect himself from his dad.
But if I hadn't, he wouldn't have stabbed that guy.
He might still be alive.
Sam...
I'm getting you out of here.
[Trip] Get this.
Of all the pay phones in the county, only one shows an outgoing call
during the '88 Super Bowl halftime show.
It's from a pay phone over on Route 8.
[Hilde] There it is.
Well, if the van crashed in the woods, it would have to be up here.
Right? I mean, he... he was heading outta town.
And it would have to be closebecause... Carol heard the crash.
Did she say how quickly she heard it?
Or how loud it was?
Did she say it...
What is it?
Hilde, wha... what is it?
[Hilde] Hmm.
A piece of metal, maybe. Like from a van.
What?
The tree must've grown around it.
What if they never found the vanbecause all this time it was in there?
[Sheriff Briggs]Look, it's not gonna happen, Matt.
Come on. We've waited 30 years for an answer.
And now you think you've found one
just because some kidwith an overactive imagination
followed a bunch of bread crumbs?
What is it, huh?
What? You're scared to drag the lake?
Hey, what if she is right?
With zero evidence? Not a chance.
But there is evidence!
The call from Zeke. The phone records.
Now, wait a minute.
How do you even know anything about that?
[Frank] Drag the lake, Pop.
You showed 'em Carol's confession.
After all these years, I'm just trying to make things right.
Can we do that, please, Dad? Can we do that?
I'm not gonna chase a little fantasythat you have cooked up here.
You're afraid we're right.
And if we are, that means you did something wrong here.
The truth iswhat makes everything work right.
That's what my dad says.
It's bigger than me. It's bigger than you! It's bigger than all of us.
That's adorable.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
I got real work to do.
Hey, sweetie. Hey, hey, hey.
Let it go. [kisses]
Look, guys, Sam is ina life-or-death situation in that prison.
The only way to get him outis to get Trip elected.
This is the most important storywe've ever done.
That could be us one day.
Never being able to go outside again.
Or see your family.
We have to tell the story the right way.
The key to Sam's innocenceis at the bottom of that lake,
but the sheriff doesn't care.
So, we have to make sureeverybody else does.
[Hilde] Thirty-one years ago, Richie Fife went missing.
Thirty-one years ago, everything changedfor the people of Erie Harbor.
Thirty-one years ago,
Frank Briggs Sr. put away Sam Gillisfor a crime he didn't commit.
All so that he could become sheriff.
But at what cost?
An innocent man lost his freedom.
A town closed its eyes.
A family rebuilt its shattered homeon top of a false foundation.
Richie Fife's disappearancesplit the town in two.
Those who wanted to find the truth...
We're not backing down!
And those who were willing to accept a liejust so they could sleep at night.
But once you close your eyes...
it's not just the thingsthat you don't want to see that you miss.
It's everything.
[no audible dialogue]
The kids in this towntrusted the adults to do what was right.
Our eyes are open, and all we see are two choices.
The truth...
and more lies.
Open your eyes and do what's right.
[Frank] Sheriff Johnson...
you beat me.
What?
Congratulations.
-Are you kidding m-me?-[laughs]
You won, and it wasn't particularly close.
Are you gonna shake my hand or what?
Sheriff.
Sheriff-elect.
I wanted you to know, my first act once I'm sworn in...
is gonna be to drag that lake.
But if you wanna reconsider,
make it yourfinal act of good faith as sheriff,
I don't know, maybe save your pension and your ass.
-[Izzy sobbing]-[floor creaking]
Iz, you okay?
Ethan's moving.
[sighs]
[chuckles]
- [Bridget] All right.-[Matt] All right, that's good.
All right, come on, get in there.
No. Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
Thank you. All right. What do you think? Right here?
-Yeah, right there.-[knocking]
-I'll get it.-That's good.
Hey. Can I come in?
-[door closes]-[Matt] Hey, Frank.
Hey, what's going on?
Matty...
we found the van.
[motor idling]
Please don't go.
[chuckles] I'm here.
I mean ever.
Well, I'm not gone yet.
[Izzy chuckles]
Hey, you know, all this, Hilde... this is all 'cause of you.
[whirring]
[metal bangs]
-Hey, Trip.-Hey.
Moment of truth.
Dad, something's wrong.
[Mayor Fife] Sheriff!
Sheriff!
[Trip]Mayor, wait. You can't go back there.
Hilde! Hilde!
Where's my boy?
[spits, coughs]
[coughs]
[pounding]
Come on! Come on!
Dad.
What if Richie's still alive?
[bird squawking]
-Oh, my God. Nerds.-What are you doing?
I thought you just finished the story.
- Please don't say it's only the beginning.-That's only the beginning.
[Matt] Yeah, well, I was gonna saysomething along the lines of,
"A good story is never over," but yeah, sure, we can... we can go with that.
Dad, look.
["Gimme Shelter" playing]
Let's go.
[music continues]
[music distorts, stops]
[frogs croaking]
[music resumes]