["Inner City Blues" playing]
- [guests chattering] - [Poppy] Thanks, Daddy.
Oh. Hey, Ree.
Hey, Pop.
A mother should never outlive her child.
[guest] Hey, Charise. I'm sorry.
Hey, have you and Eva spoken since that night?
[gate clanging]
[Aames] Says she got a tip Drea was at the motel.
Went looking for her.
A tip. How convenient.
What do you know?
ME said… [sighs] …Drea was strangled.
- That's a terrible death. - Yeah, there's more.
Indications of recent sexual partners. Plural.
What are you thinking?
[sighs] Two-handed strangulation isn't easy.
Takes enough time, strength, and malice
for an attacker to really think about what they're doing.
So whoever did this wanted her to suffer.
[cell phone buzzes]
[clicks tongue]
I am being pulled back on to Emily Mills. I'm gonna sneak you out the side.
Wha-- [scoffs]
Look, I am pushing as hard as I can to get more resources for Drea,
but until someone starts talking…
[stammers] …it's gonna be hard to find out any more.
Which is why we can't let up on Eva.
How does she always know the right person to talk to or the right place to show up?
That's what I keep asking about you.
[sighs]
She's been dodging me.
[Eva] I was lucky to know her.
It is such a shame. Such a shame.
Drea knew she was loved.
Remember that.
You did everything you could for your daughter.
She can't say the same about you.
If you had paid attention to Drea instead of blondie last year,
maybe we wouldn't be here.
And what did you do for Drea?
Yeah, it's easy to talk, but not so easy to act, now is it?
We all got a story about how we could've done more,
but failure to act, that's still failure.
Well… [sighs] …you're the last person I expected to defend me.
Especially after I pushed Aames to interrogate you.
[clicks tongue]
Death makes us all act irrationally.
I still have questions.
I said everything I needed to say to your guy, Aames.
Or could you not hear me through the mirror?
Hey.
I have enough on my plate
explaining to my kids how one of their fellow students overdosed.
I don't owe you anything.
Drea was murdered, Eva.
Strangled.
And I'll make sure whoever did it pays for that a thousand times over.
Don't you wanna be on the right side of that crusade?
A student lives in that motel.
It's transient housing.
I check in on her and her dad.
[sighs] Why couldn't you just tell Aames that?
- You were protecting your student. - Her family's not here legally.
Poppy, I am on the right side of this.
She told me more and more young girls have been there.
She admitted to seeing Drea a few times, including that night.
I just got there too late.
[sighs, sniffs]
- [sighs] - [Markus] Hey. [sighs]
[Charise sniffs]
Man, I feel like using.
- Oh, you've come so far, Charise. - [Markus] If you wanna go to a meeting,
I'll go with you.
Whatever you need.
[Poppy] Nothing we do on this side can bring back who we lost.
But what we do going forward may help us get back a piece of ourselves.
Do you mind if we take a look around?
We think Drea may have received some gifts from her trafficker.
Maybe one of them can provide us with an identity--
Do what you need to do.
Okay.
Uh…
[sighs]
[exhales]
Markus.
[Markus] What's up?
I used to hide things in a vent during my time away.
Privacy was a rare luxury.
Burner phone.
Drea deleted her text history.
Is this Questeur?
Aren't kids using this app to talk these days?
Oh, but Trini told me that Questeur's like Snapchat's dirty cousin.
DMs are a haven for bad behavior.
Drugs, prostitution, you name it.
Usernames are encrypted, and messages, they just disappear.
[sighs]
[sniffles]
Um…
Hey, hey.
Drea was communicating with users like "IRX4YOU, BUNNYHOP,
DJayHustle, Bottom2TopEnergy."
I bet those were her johns.
And you think one of them might have killed her?
It's possible.
[news anchor] It has been eight days since the disappearance
of Piedmont teen Emily Mills.
Oakland Police Lieutenant Daniel Fostokowski told Channel 13 News
that "not one officer in the Bay will sleep until Emily is home safe."
I know you're in the zone, Pop, but let me know if you need anything.
Oh, it's okay.
Markus is just in the other room putting together intel from Aames.
Uh, Markus can't be here full-time. You need help.
Oh, if this is you pitching yourself, you should know this is a tough job.
Producer, reporter, fact-checker.
Not for the faint of heart.
And being a city bus driver is?
Cydie, I can't take any chances on you right now. I'm sorry.
Uh, well, thanks for all your support.
[scoffs]
- [Markus] Hey. - Yeah, what's good?
[chuckles]
What's baby sis up in arms about?
- Filling in for Noa. I shut it down. - Huh.
- Any help with Questeur? - Not really.
You know, the founder, Lee Hackman, he won't budge on user privacy.
Worse than that, OPD recovered next to nothing in that motel room.
Sex and strangulation should've produced more leads.
Not if you don't care enough to find them.
I'm telling you, Poppy,
the Department's just gonna write her off as another dead prostitute.
[sighs] Well, OPD has left us with no choice
but to do our own digging at the crime scene.
I thought Aames said nobody at the motel was talking.
Not to OPD.
[adding machine clicking, whirring]
[door opens]
[blues music playing]
There he is.
I ain't dead yet.
Respect few, fear none.
Capstones for life.
- My brother. - My brother.
Come on. Rest yourself.
- We got your favorite today. - I don't want nothing.
Thanks, Herbie.
Appetite ain't been right since the stroke.
- I don't see the point anyway. - Point is they damn good.
I made the rub myself. Come on, man.
Ain't heard from you in a minute. What's going on?
The girl, Drea Spivey, the Capstones rescued a few months back,
she's dead.
- How? - Strangled,
possibly through forced prostitution. She was 16.
You did your duty and brought her home.
- Wasn't your job to keep her home. - Maybe it should've been.
Instead of being janitors and cleaning up messes,
why don't the Capstones get on the offensive?
Take a more pivotal role in the community to keep people safe.
Up the patrols and put the fear of God into this new criminal element
that's flooding this city.
- We've tried versions of this before. - Not with real support. Look.
I might have some political weight now.
One of the mayoral candidates, the front-runner
by the name of Andrew Finney, reached out to talk.
Now with his cosign,
there is no limits to how far the Capstones can reach.
"Now there rules a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph."
Times are different.
People wanna help Oakland, not destroy it.
Who's to say they're different?
You accept the temptation of asserting your power in the name of good,
the trail of blood and violence will follow.
This is the move, Agathia.
I did the same all my life.
Now look at me.
Can't even breathe on my own.
Thought I had more time.
How's your health these days?
[school bell rings]
[sighs]
When people demand to meet with their boss,
it's usually somewhere cushy. [chuckles]
Well, 1:00 p.m. is prime cutting time.
- [student 1 shushes] Act natural. - Ladies, hi.
Would you like to explain to the superintendent why you're out of class?
[stammers] I have a dentist appointment.
And you're what? Moral support? [sighs]
Both of you to my office now.
I wanna ask you some questions about Drea Spivey.
- Today, ladies. Let's go. - [both sigh]
See, I told you it wasn't gonna work. And my parents are gonna kill me.
Clearly, my request for school security needs to be a priority.
Uh, before we get to that, um,
I don't think it's a good idea to be playing detective with your students.
- One of our students was murdered. - At a motel.
That's not school property, so it's not a school problem.
So a dead student is not a school problem?
[sighs] I don't like you scaring students.
And I especially don't like the optics
of hosting services for a prostitute on school grounds.
Students can mourn on their own time.
Children cannot be prostitutes.
Children are too young to consent to sex work.
Drea is a victim, sir.
[huffs]
Mom was a Marvin fan?
She used to sing you girls Marvin and Tammi instead of lullabies.
Mmm. Thanks for sharing these.
[chuckling] Look. [chuckles]
- [chuckling] Oh. - [chuckles] Aw. I was the cutest.
- [chuckles] What? - [Leona] Take whatever you want.
I need to get rid of everything before I head to the Vineyard.
I must say, um, I was surprised that you agreed to host me,
given that you renounced the Parnell name.
Well, reclaiming my father's name is in no way a repudiation of my mother.
Easy to say with her in the next life.
I wonder what she'd have thought about your choice.
I think she'd be more concerned at how you'd feed Cydie and me
after your kids, yourself, and your damn dogs when we lived with you.
On second thought,
I think I will have… [inhales] …a cup of tea.
Where is your kitchen again?
- Uh, straight to the back. Help yourself. - Thank you. Appreciate it.
[Leona clears throat]
Something must be happening to make our family peacemaker go rogue.
[sighs]
I'm late. [clears throat]
I, uh… [inhales shakily] …think I'm pregnant.
- Des. - Oh, my G--
Nando is not gonna be involved.
Are you okay with that?
Well-- [stammers, sighs]
I always thought in order to be a mom,
I needed a partner, the right kind of house, a savings account.
I don't have any of it.
But something still seems right.
Like this is exactly the way it needed to happen.
So… [inhales]
…I guess it's okay.
But also terrifying.
Well, who needs a partner when you got sisters?
- [chuckles] - I was made to be an auntie.
I'm thrilled for you, Dee. [chuckles]
Thank you, Poppy.
A little baby. [chuckles]
Oh, shoot. I need to go.
Look, I need y'all to keep an eye on Leona.
[whispering] I don't want her snooping around my house.
[Desiree, Cydie chuckle]
[Poppy clears throat]
[manager] Yeah, I just took the police tape down.
Good. That means the room hasn't been disturbed.
Yeah, it's a mess. But y'all ain't five-o.
So if y'all wanna get in there, y'all gotta pay like everybody else.
How much?
- I'm thinking five racks. - Man, just give us the key to the room.
What you gonna do, old school?
I know your local MC.
This neighborhood has to abide by the Capstones code,
no underage prostitution.
We keeping two eyes on East 14th Street going forward.
[scoffs]
There's been a lot of new bucks that been running the blade here lately.
You see, they got paper and they don't answer to no code.
Neither do I.
So get the fuck out of here, grandpa,
before I put you in a fucking box a year or two early.
Take a walk.
- Daddy. - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[sighs]
Come on.
Do you know about the pharaoh who did not know Joseph?
And do you know what he said to the people of Israel?
He said, "Let us deal shrewdly with them."
[screams]
But the people of Israel would not endure such reckless behavior forever.
[groans] Fu--
[strains]
Come on, man. Let it go!
Fuck.
[groans]
[Markus sighs]
All right, man! You got it! Let-- [exhales]
[Markus sighs]
[door lock beeps]
[door closes]
[light switch clicks]
[sighs]
You spend much time on the blade with the OPD?
[sighs] Yeah.
Enough to sear a lifetime of images in my brain
that I wish that I could forget.
Maybe we could find Drea's old crew down there.
Somebody must've seen her before she died.
- It could help us retrace her steps. - Uh-huh, you might be right.
Maybe we could get lucky and I could talk to some of those young bucks
that Raphael was so geeked up about.
Yeah.
[switch clicks]
Hey, hey. I got something.
[camera shutter clicking]
- [Markus] What is it? - I don't know.
It's like a needle or something.
I'm gonna send these pictures to Aames.
He should know OPD maybe missed some evidence
- and send somebody out here to collect it. - It wouldn't be the first time
they missed some evidence in this neighborhood.
But I'm telling you right now, chain of custody could be a problem.
[sighs] What else is new?
[chuckles]
[Poppy] Markus.
What's up?
Isn't that the same logo from Drea's matchbook?
[Markus] Mm-hmm.
Come on. Let's go.
["Tranquilize" playing]
[Markus groans]
Oh, working girls.
Oh, we have a little interest.
Listen, I'm just gonna hang back, all right?
I don't wanna scare 'em.
[scoffs] I doubt these girls scare easily.
[chuckles]
Hi, ladies.
I'm Poppy.
- How are the fries? [sighs] - They're fine.
- Maybe I can get you another round? - We're all good over here, mama.
So why don't you tell us what you really want?
[Poppy] Direct.
Okay.
Uh…
Did any of you know this girl?
Drea Spivey.
She was found dead in a motel room.
Strangled.
I'm not trying to get you to make a statement or anything
or get on the witness stand.
I'm-- I'm just a family friend looking for justice.
She was only 16.
We found messages from Drea's johns.
Did you know any of her regulars?
- Well, I've seen-- - [sex worker] I'm sorry for your loss.
And for the shade.
We just gotta be careful about who we talk to on the track.
I understand. What's your name?
Rochelle.
But Drea wasn't part of our crew.
She kept to herself on the street, right?
But come to think of it,
there was some dude who used to pick her up.
- He was here just a few nights back. - Tuesday?
- Yeah. - That was the night she was murdered.
Do you remember anything about him?
Uh, he had one of those corny vanity plates.
Something like IRX4YOU.
Let's go, y'all. [sighs] Scared money don't make money.
Thanks.
Y'all be careful out there now.
[Rochelle] Will do.
I heard what they said.
I'll have Korpa run the plate.
[parent 1] Uh… [stammers] …this one's from Austria.
Uh, we pick a-a different ski chalet every winter.
This year was, um, Emily's turn to choose.
Uh, she wanted to do Courchevel.
It's, uh, France.
Right. Well, hopefully we can get you all back there soon.
[parent 1 sighs]
We thought these photos could go out with the reward.
Remind whoever has her that she's just a-a child
with a family that loves her dearly.
Is there any news, uh, on the case?
There's still no signs she's been trafficked.
However, we found a stripped Land Rover at a Fruitvale parking garage.
The VIN number's a match for Emily's.
There was some blood on the driver's seat.
I'm sorry to say,
that was also your daughter's-- your stepdaughter's.
- Oh, God. Um, i-i-is there a-a bathroom? - Yeah. Uh, just--
- Uh, hallway, to your left. - Yeah.
[parent 2] Was there any other evidence to identify whoever took her?
Not yet.
We're losing our chance at bringing her home, aren't we?
As long as there is a chance, I will keep looking, okay?
Joana, in traumatic cases like these,
sometimes the family needs a few days for the shock to settle down
and for the memories to-- to kick in.
What kind of memories? [breathes shakily]
Is there anyone who might wish you harm?
A work colleague, an old acquaintance, an especially bitter ex?
No one comes to mind beyond Victor.
Victor?
I assumed that Peter mentioned him earlier.
No.
Victor Ignas was Peter's business partner in a tech start-up about eight years ago.
Peter got out. Sold his shares.
Let Victor run it on his own.
To great success?
Straight to bankruptcy.
He hasn't spoken to Peter since.
Okay.
[alarm chirps]
[sighs]
- Hey, baby. - [sighing] Hey.
- How you feeling? - [groans]
Oh. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?
Let me get that for you.
You look like a helpless little turtle.
- [chuckles] - Hmm?
I mean, a majestic Amazon woman preparing to bear my child,
making me the luckiest man in the world.
- You may proceed. Thank you. - [chuckles]
Now rest those dogs, I know they're barking.
- Yes. - [chuckles]
- [groans] Thank you. - You're welcome, baby.
[sighs] God.
We had a heartbreaking premie today.
This poor mother, she went into early labor
after her husband shoved her into a table.
- [scoffs] - She wouldn't even press charges.
Baby, like we said before, you-- you don't need to go back to that place.
- Markus, please do-- don't. - What? What?
I mean, we finally have enough money for you to quit. Let me spoil you.
No, I need-- I need my own life and my own career.
You need that right this second?
Markus, when we split and I was a single mom with no income?
- Mm-mmm. I'm not doing that again. - [sighs]
It's never gonna happen again.
That's what people say when things are good.
[scoffs]
All right, I understand. I do.
That being said,
I have been entertaining these lurid fantasies of canceling dinner.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. [chuckles]
I was looking forward to that lasagna of yours.
Even if you do make it with that nasty-ass hippie cheese that doesn't melt.
I just got home. You were-- [exhales deeply]
M-Me, what? [chuckles]
Aubrey's gonna be here in an hour. Trini is gonna be so mad at us.
- Oh, my gosh. - Stop worrying about it.
Look, just, we'll throw some settlement money at the problem.
- [scoffs] - Priority and Postmates that shit.
- [laughs] - Trini's never gonna know.
[groans] Make yourself useful. Toss a salad, something.
[scoffs] Yes, dear. [grunts]
- [speaking indistinctly, chuckling] - [Markus laughs]
So, um, who forgot to cook this time? Hmm?
[inhales sharply] Blame pregnancy brain,
- it's-- it's a thing. - [chuckles]
- I'm not complaining. - And what's his excuse? Hmm?
[Zarina] Uh--
- Tone. - [chuckles] Sorry, Daddy.
It's all right, baby.
To tell you the truth, the day's been weighing on me.
I'm helping Poppy investigate Drea Spivey's murder.
- [sighs] - Mm-hmm.
Have you found any leads?
Did you know her, Aubrey?
W-We had a few classes together way back
but drifted once she started hanging with that drug crowd.
- Mm-hmm, mmm. - Look, I-- [sighs]
I get how important independence is at your age.
But independence in Oakland can require a deal with the devil.
[Zarina] That's right.
- And he always collects. - Mm-hmm.
[Aubrey] Don't worry, sir. Trini here is the smartest girl I know.
- Big brain would never do anything-- - Cool?
I-I was gonna say reckless.
- Mmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. - [Markus chuckles]
- She's always been like that. - [Markus] Mm-hmm.
She's our perfect number one.
- Number two's got a lot to live up to. - [Markus] And he does.
[Zarina] Mm-hmm. [chuckles] Oh, but you know that, Aubrey.
- [Aubrey] Yeah, of course. - [Zarina] Isn't she great?
[Aubrey] She's the greatest. She's the best.
[clicks tongue]
[sighs]
[Drea] It started taking more and more for me to reach the Garden,
like the more I needed to escape, the further away it seemed to be.
[Poppy] An elusive Eden.
What did you need to escape from?
[Drea] I remember one time I saw the Japanese Gardens again.
I was so relieved.
But when I finally reached them, they were--
Everything was brown and dying.
I couldn't breathe.
When I stopped tripping, I was covered in sweat, vomit.
[inhales deeply] No one around.
They had just left me there.
Maybe there is no Eden for someone like me.
Maybe we can't be saved.
[knocking]
Mom, knocking doesn't count if you don't wait for a response.
Oh, too late. I've already breached the fortress.
- Now onto the citadel. [laughs] - Okay.
Get me in this bed, child.
- [Trini] Fine. [sighs] - Ooh, wow. Goodness.
Dinner went well, right?
[grunts] Sure.
Well, I think it went great. That boy is clearly crazy about you.
- Yeah, he is. [giggling] - [gasps, laughs]
How could you tell?
- Did he say something? Like, what was it? - Uh-- He didn't need to.
It's the way that he looks at you, and doesn't care who sees. Oof.
- [giggling] Stop. - Oh, sto-- Come on.
- [giggling] I can't. - [laughing]
No, I u-- [giggles]
I used to actually, like, feel him, like, watching me at school.
- You know? Not in a creepy way but… - Mm-hmm.
And, um, I-I assumed he was looking past me, at someone else…
- Hmm? - …someone-- someone more, you know?
- But-- But there was only me. - Mm-hmm.
[chuckles] And then finally, one day I snapped at him,
and I asked what the problem was,
and he said his only problem was figuring out how to stop being intimidated
by me long enough to ask me out.
[chuckles] Can you imagine? Him intimidated by me.
Mom?
[sighs]
Agatha Christie once wrote,
"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world.
It knows no law, no pity.
[Poppy] It dares all things
and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."
Yet, despite the best efforts of mothers like Charise Spivey,
tragedy can still befall their children.
And there is no more painful tragedy than that of indifference.
Four days ago, teenager Drea Spivey was murdered,
her throat violently throttled
in a shambolic motel room.
We've all been through Reconsidered enough times
to know how this is supposed to go.
First, I set up the case, the whodunit.
Then I talk about our victim, humanize them for you.
Lay their corpse bare.
And in this case, explain why you should care
about a dead prostitute.
Why you should invest time in her story.
But the truth is…
there's no such thing as a child prostitute.
Who killed Drea Spivey?
I don't know that yet.
But I do know whose fault it is she was even in that motel room.
Drea's death is our fault.
Drea's death is the fault
of anyone who chose the comfort of willful ignorance
over the cacophony of the harsh realities of our world.
There is nothing stronger than the bond between a mother and her daughter.
And when that bond is rent asunder…
we all suffer.
["You're All I Need To Get By" playing]
[Poppy] There are ten Drea Spiveys lost in Oakland right now,
all at risk of being exploited into sex trafficking.
That's ten, ten Charise Spiveys
with their hearts beating outside their chests.
[Charise crying]
[Poppy] Let's not dare turn a blind eye to their plight again.
[sniffling]
[sobbing]
[thunder rumbling]
[song fades]
[Eva giggling]
[Eva, partygoer giggling, moaning]
It's a fucking sauna in there.
Mmm. This rain feels almost as good as you do.
- [laughs] Oh, does it? - Mm-hmm.
We're kind of on display.
We can fix that.
- Oh, yeah? - I live close.
[laughs] I'm down. As long as you tell me your real name,
'cause I know that Bottom2TopEnergy isn't it.
[chuckles] It could be, Alicia.
My name's Eva.
Well, that was a very bold move, Eva, using your handle on a dating app.
[laughs]
- It worked, though, didn't it? - [chuckles] Obviously.
[cell phone chimes]
[knocking on door]
- Eva? How did you find me? - Can I come in?
I was just about to leave.
Where? Do you have a lead?
- Maybe. - Can I come with?
[sighs] Eva, you're not a journalist, nor an investigator.
- And I'm not a babysitter. - And?
And I've been burned before.
Eva, what are you doing here?
The superintendent shut me down from asking questions at school or…
[scoffs] …even acknowledging anything's wrong.
All the memorials around town, they're all for Emily.
It's like Drea didn't even exist.
I need to act.
You are.
With those bright, young minds you mold.
Well, what use are their minds if I can't keep their bodies safe?
I've tried so long to protect my students, but it wasn't enough.
What a fucking fool I've been.
It doesn't sound foolish.
And yet, Drea's still dead.
Seeing her killer won't change that.
But if I could just look into his eyes, understand his monstrosity.
I c-- I would know what I failed to warn my girls against.
You stay to the side and silent.
Don't make me regret this.
Dr. Pascal?
I'm Poppy Scoville.
Markus Killebrew. Eva Pierre.
Am I being served?
Look, I already told Corinne
I'm not changing my alimony agreement again.
Actually, we're here to talk to you about Drea Spivey.
[Markus] Yeah.
You might know her as your hooker.
Get off my property.
Oh, I hope Laurel has better manners than you.
And how do you know my daughter's name?
I'm a principal.
I hear all the county dirt.
- Stories about troubled students, uh… - Laurel's not troubled.
Well, certainly not now that you had her DUI cleared.
[scoffs]
[Eva] That wouldn't look good on college applications, now would it?
How exactly did you get her DUI cleared, Doctor?
Money isn't always enough.
Harder to get pills these days, huh?
It would be a shame if the medical board had any reason to look into this.
Look, I don't know what this is, but I have never seen that woman before.
Hmm.
Here's the problem.
That license plate out there, it says otherwise.
Here's a pro tip, Mr. IRX4YOU.
If you like to hire underage prostitutes,
then you might want to invest in a less flashy vanity plate.
Or at the very least, choose a different Questeur username.
Lucky's underage?
Her real name is Drea Spivey, and she was.
Drea is now dead. She's murdered.
And you were the last person to be seen with her.
Oh, hey, i-it wasn't me. I would never hurt her.
Well… [stammers] …I suggest that you start cooperating.
Think back. Tuesday, that ring a bell?
Where were you around midnight?
Work.
Work. I had-- I-- I had an all-nighter.
I-I had an office emergency. I got there at 9:00 p.m.
I didn't leave till the sun came up. I-- My admin can confirm everything.
Look, my parking garage has cameras. I need a key card to get in the elevator.
I'll give you anything you need. Oh, God. Thank God.
[breathes heavily] I'm so relieved.
My ex would've bled me dry if I was a suspect in this.
How was Drea when you left her?
When I left, I realized that I'd forgotten my tie.
So I went back to the room.
And then when I was there, I heard her-- [sighs, stammers]
She was pleading with some guy named Trey.
Pleading?
[Dr. Pascal] Yeah. She was saying that-that she-she didn't wanna go on
and that she had paid up.
He said that she still owed him.
And then there was a loud crash and I heard whimpering.
And what did you do?
[inhales deeply] And then I turned around and left.
You didn't think to help her?
- Hey, I didn't know she was underage. - [Markus sighs]
But you still knew she was a person though, right?
[sighs]
So, how we working that, uh, pimp angle?
[scoffs] We?
Don't you have some kids to look after?
- Or are they all just tools for blackmail? - Markus.
Uh, it's okay. I gotta head back to campus.
What the fuck was that?
You told me you were gonna keep her at arm's length.
She showed up at my house with this rehearsed plea.
- And that bullshit worked? - No.
- Then what are you talking about? - Then she had this reaction.
- [sighs] - I've seen flickers of it before.
She's still hiding something.
And I need to keep her close until I figure out what it is.
And in the meantime?
That is not the principal I know, okay?
She's a loose cannon.
[stammering] An effective one.
Yeah, this time.
Markus, that man paid for sex with a child,
- a child he left in imminent danger. - Poppy, I know that. I know that.
- Aames, listen. - [sighs]
We found Drea's last john, uh, uh, Bruno Pascal.
- Yeah. - He has an alibi for time of death
but get this.
He overheard a confrontation with her and a-a-- a Trey.
Could be her pimp.
Okay. Okay, thanks.
What's up?
There's a James Benjamin III in the system, goes by Trey.
- Huh. Bet. - Aames is pulling his last known address.
- [cell phone chimes] - Whoa.
[Poppy] That was fast.
[Markus] What's up?
It's the same guy from the Gardens.
Drea could have been right there with him. Shit.
Come on, let's go.
[Poppy] Thanks.
[inhales sharply]
Lukather Shreveport Scoville.
[Shreve] Andrew Finney.
I was pleased to receive your call.
We all need to work together to restore Oakland.
Is that what you think this is?
I wouldn't work with anybody who pulled a stunt like you did at my event.
The Capstones needed to take action for our young girls.
The same young girls you'll be tasked to protect should you be elected.
I know what my tasks are, Shreve.
To restore law and order,
not this vigilante justice that you pulled at the event.
The Capstones need to take a step back. Permanently.
Be good soldiers.
Let the higher-ups handle it.
- [Lillian] What's on your mind, baby? - [Cydie] Nothing.
Just-- [sighs]
I hardly remember Elinor as is.
And everything I do learn makes me feel like I'll never measure up to her.
Never make her proud, not like Poppy and Des.
I understand.
You know, Elinor was the architect
behind so much of what your father lives and breathes.
God, I hear her influence every time he talks about his plans for the Capstones.
Makes me wonder if he ever truly carved out a place for me.
I never thought about what that must be like.
[chuckles] I never wanted you to.
I don't begrudge Elinor one moment of her too-short life. Trust.
I'm just tired.
[huffs]
You know, there's one really strong memory I have of my mother.
I was little, sick with a horrible cough.
And Shreve was off God knows where.
I was coughing so hard, my throat was rubbed bloody raw.
We didn't have insurance, so no one wanted to see me.
But my mother got the idea to take me outside.
[chuckles] It was freezing cold.
Bay cold hits different.
And I was crying, screaming, coughing.
A mess.
But she wrapped me up.
Told me stories all night…
[clicks tongue] …until finally, my lungs cleared.
By the time Shreve came home in the morning,
it was as if nothing had ever happened. But it did.
I never forgot it.
That wasn't Elinor.
That was me.
I know.
You make me proud all the time.
You too.
- Give me a hug. - I don't wanna hug you.
- Please. - All right.
- Thank you. - [laughing]
[both laugh]
I love you.
I love you more.
[Aames] All right. Got a telephonic warrant.
You guys hang back.
This Trey character's got a long, violent rap sheet.
Once threw boiling water on one of his girls.
- [knocking on door] - Oakland PD, open up!
- Hey, here to see Trey. - Hey, mama.
You on your hoe stroll?
[chuckles] I think you lied to me, Rochelle.
And who said you were worth telling the truth to?
You work for Trey, just like Drea did.
Ain't nothing about me like that weak-ass lil girl.
[Aames] Okay. Is Trey inside?
Whatever you think you want with Trey, rethink it.
Wait.
That's Drea's necklace.
What did you do to her?
- You fucking with the wrong one, bitch! - [Aames] Hey! Easy, easy, easy.
- Easy. Come on. - I will fuck you up.
- [Aames] You're coming with me. - I'm gonna beat your ass.
- [Aames] All right. Easy. Calm down. - [Rochelle] Get off! Get off of me!
- I will get her ass! - [Aames] I'm gonna put you down.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Don't you think we should wait for Aames? - I'm just gonna look around.
- Yeah, of course you are. - [Rochelle yelling] Oh, my God!
[Aames, Rochelle chatter]
[sighs] All right, well, Trey's not home. You better hurry up.
- I mean, he'll be here any minute. - Okay.
Come on.
- [breathing heavily] - Yeah. Now, do doggy style.
[person giggles] Okay.
[laughing]
[chuckles] We're about to get busy up in this camp.
You ready for me to break your back?
These girls look like they're still in high school.
- [Rochelle laughs] - [Aames] Get in the car.
- [Rochelle] Trey is gonna fuck you up. - [Aames] Mind your head.
[chuckles] I can't believe I skipped crew for this.
- Bad girl. - [laughs]
- Trini. - [Trini] I like that.
- I like that, I like that. - [laughing] Very bad girl.
[Aubrey laughing]
[breathes heavily] No. No, no, no, no, no, no.
[Markus] Come on now. He's on his way back.
Are you listening to me?
What's wrong?
Just wait outside.
- What? - Wait outside, Markus. Please.
Poppy.
[Markus sighs]
What the fuck?
[Trini laughing]
["Troubled Mind" playing]