♪ ♪
[coughs]
♪ Who can it be knocking at my door? ♪
♪ Go away, ♪
♪ don't come round here no more. ♪
♪ All I wish is to be alone, ♪
♪ Stay away, don't you invade my home. ♪
♪ Who can it be now? ♪
♪ ♪
[coughs]
[inhales]
[coughing]
[gasping]
The papers were what was believed to be an early draft
of Mark Twain's most famous novel, Huckleberry Finn.
But the bitter irony is that after analysis
the chapters were found to be forgeries.
Professor Mac McKinnon had murdered his
Elmstead College colleague, Professor Nicole Ford,
for nothing.
McKinnon is currently serving 30 years
at the Washington State Eastern Correctional Facility
because We Know Whodunnit.
You know, I really dislike these shows,
especially when you know the people involved.
And the fact that the chapters were forged,
I mean, that's brutal.
Well, fake Mark Twain writings are all too common.
Which is ironic, seeing as that Mark Twain
is actually a pseudonym.
That's right.
Hey, did you know Nicole and Mac?
Yeah.
Yeah, I worked with them for years.
We were friends.
I wasn't teaching at Elmstead
by the time they joined the faculty.
I knew them through Amy.
Hmm.
You know, Mac always claimed he was innocent.
Do you believe him?
Well, I know that they said they had physical evidence
but I know Mac and he did not do it.
Well, that was as sensational as I remember it.
It happened a couple years ago
so why are you watching it tonight?
Because I'm talking to that writer tomorrow,
Ella Quincy?
Hmm.
Yeah, she's writing a book about the case
so I just kinda wanted to freshen up on all the details.
I will say this.
I've been a cop for a while and I have never seen anybody
use strychnine in an asthma inhaler as the murder weapon.
That was very original.
That is just the thing I'm looking for
in the next Atticus Keller novel.
You should steal it.
Well, you know, artists do that sometimes.
Speaking of which,
I heard there is a waiting list for your reading on Tuesday.
Well, I should hope so.
You guys have your reservations, right?
- Ooh. - Huh?
Do we need reservations?
Amy, did you make a reservation?
I forgot.
Oh, come on.
Are you kidding?
We're not gonna get in.
No...
[laughs]
Of course we're coming to your reading!
Front row centre.
That was very good.
Honey, woah. That was good.
You know, I didn't know much about your predecessor-
Detective Clawson?
Yeah, yeah.
I just know that he's definitely no Travis Burke.
What, he didn't let you tag along and help him solve crimes?
[laughs]
No, that is not what I meant.
No, I'm just saying it- it didn't seem like he had
the kind of passion that you do for the job, that's all.
Yeah, I didn't know the guy.
We only overlapped for like two weeks.
I do know that he was very happy to retire.
Yeah.
Alright.
Hey, Amy, um... after your dad's reading on Tuesday night
I was gonna grab a bite to eat.
Would you like to join me?
Yeah, of course.
Yeah, we can ask Dad while we're here, if you want.
We could, yeah, but I was kinda hoping it would be just us.
You mean... You mean like a date?
Yeah.
I mean, you know, if you want to name it, sure.
I mean, just for clarification purposes.
Of course. Yeah.
Ok.
Ok. Yeah, I'll see you on Tuesday.
Tuesday it is.
Goodnight, Professor.
Goodnight, Detective.
Partners.
The most famous fictional detective of all time,
Sherlock Holmes, he had two partners.
One, Doctor Watson, who we all know is the complete opposite
of Sherlock in every single way,
but then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
wanted to give the great detective another partner.
This time an academic, James Moriarty.
He was also known as Sherlock's arch enemy.
I'm going to read you guys something.
"A criminal strain ran in his blood,
"which, instead of being modified,
"was increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous
"by his extraordinary mental powers."
Extraordinary mental powers.
Who else does that remind you of?
Anybody take a guess?
Mr. Newman.
Sherlock Holmes?
Exactly.
Sherlock Holmes.
Let me show you guys this.
This was an etching from the original printing of the book.
Holmes, Moriarty.
How similar do they look, right?
So Moriarty was the second partner of Holmes.
He was also his mirror image, so similar yet so different.
Yeah.
Alright, looks like time is up so your essays
on the necessity of a partner in detective fiction
are due in a week, everybody.
Have a great day.
Bye.
What's up, Newman?
How's it going, Bud?
- Good, how are you? - Good.
- Good to see you. - You too.
Hey, Blake.
How's it going?
Good, Professor.
Busy, you know, running the book store.
Right. Right.
Oh, carpel tunnel?
Yeah, my physical therapist gave me this.
Writing does a number on my tendons.
So you're writing. That's good.
Yeah. Yeah, actually Bud's been sort of mentoring me
on my novel.
Oh, mentoring is a bit of an exaggeration.
Oh, come on. You're the one who told me
to switch from literary fiction to thriller.
I did do that.
And he read three drafts.
That's also true.
Mentoring, yeah.
And so I wanted you to be some of the first to hear
I just got a publishing offer.
Woah, nice!
Blake, that's wonderful! Congratulations!
Hey guys, I'm missing the party?
[laughs]
- Hey, Dad. - Hey, cutie.
How are you?
Great.
Dad, you remember Blake Newman?
How can I forget?
He set up my reading for Tuesday night.
We were just celebrating the fact that Blake
just sold his first novel.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Who's the publisher?
Uh, Dain Press, they're smaller but...
Oh, no, I know them well. Very respectable.
What's it called?
Uh, Murder While I Smile.
It's a quote from Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, Richard III, I know it well.
Crime fiction, huh?
Oh, you bet, sir.
And my dad was a huge fan of yours.
He introduced me to the Atticus Keller books.
[laughs]
Well, I'm sure that he's quite proud now
that you're being published.
I'm sure he would be.
He passed away just over a year ago.
Sorry, Blake.
That's ok.
It's just... he'll never get to read my novel, you know?
Well, can I read it?
Are you serious?
Yeah, I just happen to have a copy.
Oh, yeah...
Bud?
I'll get you a fresh one.
You better.
Great. Thanks.
I'll read it tonight.
Well, he seems like a wonderful young man.
Yeah.
Yeah, he's in my modern novel seminar.
Studying to get his PhD in and then he left
a couple years ago to focus on writing.
Seems to have paid off.
It has, yeah.
I'm going to meet that writer, Ella at her rental
so I will talk to you later.
You bet.
Love you.
Love you too, hon.
Wow, Ella, this is a lovely rental.
How long do you have it for?
A week.
It was a great deal.
Yeah.
So, I have to get my fan girl moment out of the way.
I've read everything your dad's written.
Oh, me too.
You know, he's reading from his new Atticus Keller book
tomorrow night at a local book store.
Oh, I know.
I arranged this trip to coincide with that.
Ah.
But don't worry,
I didn't ask to interview you because you're his daughter.
Ok.
You want some tea?
Yeah, yeah. That would be great.
I'd love some.
Is mint tea ok?
Yeah, that's fine, thank you.
So, is this your first book?
Yeah, I was an English major in college.
What college did you go to?
Oh, uh, a little school back east.
Should we get started?
Sure. Sure.
You know, I can't help but ask you
what made you want to write about this?
Well, a few months ago I saw it featured on that show
We Know Whodunnit.
Oh.
Have you seen it?
Yeah.
Yeah. Pretty over the top.
Mmm.
But as an aspiring writer I thought it was powerful
that writing would lead to murder.
You don't mind if I record this, do you?
Sure, go ahead.
[clears throat]
Can you tell me about the Mark Twain incident with Nicole?
Yeah, sure. I'll tell you what I know.
Mac was a Twain scholar and Nicole had found
what seemed to be an early draft of the initial chapters
of Huck Finn at an estate sale, I believe.
But she wasn't a Twain Scholar?
No, no, she wasn't.
She taught creative writing.
But those chapters could have gotten a lucrative book deal
for anyone.
Yeah.
If they had been real.
True.
[laughs]
Uh, so why did Mac need them so desperately?
Mac was up for tenure at the college
and he needed to publish or he would lose his position.
And this all came out in a fight which you witnessed?
Yes...
Amy: It was pretty crazy, I mean, they were both very upset.
I didn't hear exactly what was said
but Mac did come to me afterwards and he said
that he lost his temper over the Huck Finn chapters.
And had Mac and Nicole had a history of being at odds?
No, quite the contrary. They were close.
Did you ever think that he'd be capable
of doing something like this?
No.
Never.
You know, I tend to believe you just based on your work
with the Garrison Police Department.
[laughs]
Well...
But for full disclosure I am writing this book
because I believe Mac McKinnon is innocent.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.
Can I ask you what makes you think he's innocent?
Oh, um... it's just a feeling.
Feeling based on what?
I should probably keep that confidential for the moment.
Oh, sure. Sure.
Uh, so have you spoken to Mac?
He won't meet with me.
Oh, well um, I could try to reach out to him,
see if I could change that if-
Yeah, that'd be terrific!
Yeah?
Ok, well I should do it now before I forget.
I'll just um, contact the correctional facility,
see what happens, right?
Well, thanks for talking to me.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Thank you.
Uh, who are you talking to next?
Uh, Howard Clawson.
He was the detective on the Ford case but he's retired.
Yeah, I know him.
Uh, look.
This might seem a little weird
but would you mind if I tagged along?
Sure.
Yeah?
Oh, hey, Mr. Clawson.
Enjoying your retirement, I see.
Technically I'm semi-retired.
I do private security now.
Amy Winslow.
Did I hear you helped Travis Burke a time or two?
I did a little consulting.
Where were you when I was on the job?
[laughs]
Thank you so much for talking to me, Howard.
You don't mind if I record this, do you?
No, go for it.
So um, how did you get assigned to the case?
Dwight Merrill, Nicole's husband, came into the station.
Dwight and Nicole were separated,
she was a no-show at the appointment
with their divorce mediator.
Howard: When I called her, no answer.
I called the department in Elmstead.
She missed her morning classes.
He wanted me to file a missing-persons report.
I suggested he look for her at home.
He asked me to come along.
If she was there he didn't want to get in trouble
with the mediation, since he moved out.
And that's when you found her?
Yeah, in bed.
Paramedics thought heart attack.
She had no family history of heart disease
so I ran a tox screen and it was strychnine.
We looked for how it might have gotten into her.
Howard: We found traces of the poison
on the valve of her asthma inhaler canister.
So someone injected it into her canister?
That's right.
Did you consider Dwight Merrill as a suspect?
Of course.
But he had an alibi.
He was at his brother's house about an hour away.
And what lead you to focus on Mac?
Well, we heard about that fight.
How desperate McKinnon was for those papers.
Save his career.
So we went to question the guy who wanted them.
He wasn't home but his wife let us in.
How long after Nicole's murder did you do this?
Three days.
Three days. Wow, you worked fast.
That's the way to close a murder case.
Howard: McKinnon wasn't home,
but she let us look around.
I asked her to open the safe in his office.
The key was right on top.
We found the book chapters and a bottle of strychnine.
Open and shut.
But Mac didn't confess.
I mean, he didn't even take the plea deal.
We didn't need it.
We got a conviction.
And you didn't think that maybe he could have been framed?
Are you trying to reopen this case?
No. No, not at all.
I was just um...
Listen clearly.
That was a solid conviction.
Of course.
You know, I think I'm late for an appointment.
I have to cut this short.
Well, thank you for your time.
Yeah.
Have a good day.
You too.
Sorry, Ella.
Are you kidding? He was so defensive.
It was like he was hiding something.
That will be great for the book.
Huh.
Hey, Chuck.
- Hey, guys. - Hey, hey.
Hey.
[knocking]
Like what you've done with the place.
Yeah.
You mean nothing?
You can't get enough of us, hey Howard?
Thought I'd stop by, you know.
Yeah, how are you? How're things?
I've been better, honestly.
Uh, can we talk?
Yeah, of course. Have a seat.
Thank you.
What's on your mind?
Well, I just got done talking with your consultant.
My consultant?
Oh, you mean Professor Winslow?
Yeah, whatever her title is.
She doesn't carry a badge though.
No, she doesn't.
Look, I know she's a smart cookie
but um, she's teamed up with a young book writer
and they're clearly trying to reopen a murder case
I closed two years ago.
You mean the Nicole Ford murder?
You knew she was up to this?
Well, no, I knew she was talking to a writer but that's all.
That's not all.
They're working together,
trying to make this look like a bad conviction.
Ok.
Well, Howard, as you just said she's a smart person
and if she feels like there's a reason to look into this case...
Well, there isn't.
I mean, I just told you, it's rock solid.
Well, if it's rock solid then you've got nothing
to worry about, right?
[phone ringing]
I'm sorry.
I gotta grab this.
Howard, it's always good to see you.
Yeah, you too.
Don't be a stranger.
- Yeah. - Alright.
Hey.
Were your ears burning?
Let me guess.
Howard Clawson called you.
Travis: Not a call, he actually came down to the station.
Are you teaming up with that writer?
No, I just tagged along for the interview
with Howard Clawson.
I was trying to get her to trust me
and then he got all defensive.
Alright, Amy, you have to understand his perspective.
He has a solid conviction.
Ok, well if it was a solid conviction
then he wouldn't mind me asking a few questions to confirm it.
[message alert]
Hey, Travis?
It's an important call. I'll call you back later.
Bye.
Operator: Washington State Eastern Correctional Facility.
Do you accept the charges?
Yes.
Mac?
Amy, hi.
Amy: Hey. Thanks for calling me back.
Yeah, sure.
Uh, look, I gotta tell you I'm a little surprised
to hear from you.
Look, I know this may seem like it's out of the blue
but I spoke to a woman today named Ella Quincy.
Yeah, she sent me some messages.
Amy: Yeah. She said you wouldn't talk to her.
Listen, Amy, um...
I get a lot of requests over the last couple of years.
You know, writers, journalists.
They say they wanna tell my story
but all they wanna do is to hear my story.
Ok, I understand that but this is not that.
She's writing a book that takes another look at what happened.
What do you mean, another look?
She believes you're innocent
and I think she has a way to prove it.
What is it?
Amy: I don't know.
But I'm gonna find out.
[door closes]
Amy: Hey, it's me.
Kitchen.
A pipe burst at Holly's and she's closed and I need coffee.
Oh, yeah.
Hi. Help yourself.
Thanks, Dad.
Yeah.
So I am going to Warrenville today to talk to Mac.
Are you going with that young writer?
Who Ella? Uh, no.
Oh, that was a loaded reply.
Well, it's just I don't really know what her agenda is.
Meaning?
Meaning she's so sure that Mac is innocent
but she won't tell me how.
Well, I mean, young writers, they...
they sometimes feel that someone might take their ideas.
I'm not.
I'm just trying to get an innocent man out of jail.
Which you're very good at, as I recall.
[chuckling]
Oh, what is this? Blake's manuscript?
Mmmhmm.
Wow, you're like halfway done.
Yeah, I was up past midnight.
The kid knows how to craft out a mystery.
Mmm.
I gotta go. See you tonight.
Ok.
- Love you. - Love you.
[buzzer]
Go to booth 3, Mac.
Hello, Amy.
You look great.
Hey. Thanks, Mac.
You look uh...
Incarcerated.
[laughs]
I really appreciate you coming down here.
I know you're very busy.
Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you a little bit more
about what we spoke about yesterday.
That I'm innocent.
I am, I swear to you.
I... I didn't kill Nicole.
I know.
Listen, Ella says she can prove it.
But here's the thing, she's not telling me how.
So here's what I think.
I think that we use the fact
that you won't speak to her to our advantage.
How so?
We offer her an exclusive interview
in exchange for that information.
That's a great idea.
Let's do it.
Yeah? Ok.
I also wanted to talk to you about the detective
that arrested you.
Howard Clawson.
What about him?
Did you ever have any previous dealings
with him before this case?
No.
My first meeting with this man was when he arrested me.
You think you can get him to take another look?
No, unfortunately he retired a year ago.
However, I think that I can get Travis
to take a look- um, sorry, Detective Burke.
He's Clawson's replacement.
I've actually helped him solve some cases.
Really?
Yeah.
Well, that is encouraging.
Yeah. I'll talk to him.
I really appreciate that. Thank you.
No worries.
I'm guessing Linda hasn't been around in a while.
How did you know?
Well, you told me once
she doesn't really like you with a beard.
Right.
Yeah, she's been... she's been very busy.
Well, hang tough.
I'm gonna see what I can do, ok?
Yeah. Thanks.
Voicemail: Hi, you've reached Ella Quincy.
Please leave me a message.
Hey, Ella, this is Amy Winslow.
Look, Mac's willing to talk but he has a condition, ok?
Give me a call.
Thanks. Bye.
So apparently someone wants me to stay away from the Ford case.
Who knew you were going up there?
Just my dad, Mac, and the prison staff.
Alright, I'm gonna call up there,
have them go over the security camera footage.
I will also have our new forensics tech analyze this.
Ok, good.
Meanwhile, I want you to stay away from the Ford case.
What? Are you serious?
If any-
If anything I should keep pursuing this.
And so should you.
Amy, it's closed.
It's closed.
And I have to respect that.
And so should you.
Yeah?
Yeah, I-I hear you.
[knocking]
Amy.
Hi, Linda.
I was just wondering, do you have a minute to talk?
That writer was here this morning.
Is this about that?
Uh, about Mac, you mean?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, I have a physical therapy client coming at 3:00.
You know what? This will only take a second.
I promise.
Of course.
Please, come in.
Great. Thank you.
So, what do you wanna ask me?
Uh, well I was hoping that maybe you could
fill in some blanks for me about what happened.
Specifically, did Mac ever express any animosity
towards Nicole?
No. Never.
But you did know about the fight
over the Huck Finn chapters, right?
No.
Until the police told me.
Really?
That seems a little strange.
Why do you think that Mac wouldn't mention that to you?
I really don't know.
Were you friends with Nicole?
We would have Nicole and Dwight over for dinner,
they would do the same with us.
But you were not here the night she was murdered, right?
You were out of town?
I was. On a yoga retreat.
Right. Yeah.
Uh, what was the name of that place, again?
Sky Mountain.
Sky Mountain, right.
You know, I really should be getting ready for my client.
Oh, uh, yeah. No worries.
I love all these pictures you've got here.
It's great.
They're everywhere.
But I can't help but notice Mac's not in any of them.
Look, I've worked very hard over the last two years
to put all of this behind me and now you and this woman
want me to dredge it all up again.
For what?
Look, Linda.
There is a question as to Mac's guilt, that's all.
From whom?
Not the police.
Well, not yet, but-
I really think you should leave.
Linda-
Now.
[knocking]
- Hey. - Hey.
Oh, the face of consternation.
What's up?
Sky Mountain.
- In Rimrock? - Mmmhmm.
Yeah, I went there a couple years ago.
You went on a yoga retreat?
It was a fitness boot camp.
Oh.
It's a full service facility.
They house all kinds of programs.
Well, Linda, Mac McKinnon's wife, she went there-
or, she said she did.
She was there the night Nicole Ford was murdered.
That's why she couldn't alibi Mac.
So the consternation's about...
Well, the Sky Mountain website doesn't exist.
That's because it closed about a year ago.
[chuckles] Of course it did.
Hi again.
Hi.
I spoke to Linda McKinnon.
I thought you said you would leave that alone.
Well, you asked me to leave it alone
and I said I heard you, so technically that's accurate.
Hmm.
That dog's not gonna hunt, Amy.
Ok, well maybe this dog will.
I found out where Linda's retreat was.
Sky Mountain, which conveniently closed about a year ago.
But it was in Rimrock which is only 20 minutes away from here.
I mean, that's not much of a retreat.
That's subjective.
Ok.
In addition, to her not going to visit Mac in prison?
There's also no photos of him anywhere in the house.
I was there, I was looking.
Huh.
I found them for filing.
Did you ask her why?
Well, yeah.
She said she was trying to put it behind her.
That's a reasonable answer.
Travis.
Amy.
Forgive me for the cliché
but where there's smoke there's fire.
Yeah, but I don't smell any smoke.
Now that is subjective.
What about the note on my car?
Whoever it was, was smart enough to hide his face
from the camera.
Hmm.
Still staying out of it?
Yeah, alright. We'll talk about this at dinner tonight.
Ok.
See you at the book store.
- Bye. - Bye.
Hey.
Thank you.
- Hey. - Hey.
Sorry I'm late, I was just-
You were changing.
It's good.
Thank you.
Hey, question for you.
Who is that person that Bud is talking to?
Oh, uh, that's Ella Quincy.
She's the one who's doing the book on Mac.
That's Ella Quincy. Alright.
Well, it's a good turnout for your dad, huh?
Yeah, it definitely is.
A lot of-
Oh!
Do you see the guy that just walked in?
Yeah.
That's Dwight Merrill. That's Nicole Ford's husband.
Hmm.
Which is strange.
Why is it strange?
I've just... never seen him
at one of my dad's book readings before.
So maybe he's a new fan, like me.
Hmm...
Amy?
I'll be right back.
What're you-
I'm just gonna go and say hello.
What are you doing?
Hey, Dr. Merrill. How are you?
Um, I don't know if you remember me,
I'm Amy Winslow.
I worked with Nicole.
Right, of course.
Please, call me Dwight, Professor.
Call me Amy.
Ok.
I didn't know you were one of my dad's fans.
Well, who doesn't love Atticus Keller?
What's your favourite book?
Uh...
Wait, wait, wait, don't tell me.
"Broken Nine Pins".
You guessed it.
Mmm. I figured.
[clears throat]
Excuse me, everyone.
If you wouldn't mind taking your seats
we're gonna be beginning momentarily here.
We'll talk later.
Yeah.
Hey.
So?
So he says he's a fan of my dad's.
There you go.
His favourite book is "Broken Nine Pins".
I haven't read that one.
'Cause it's not a real book.
I just want to thank you all so much for being here.
You know, I start my east coast book tour next week
but I gotta say nothing beats
reading in front of my home-town crowd.
So uh, a special thanks to Blundel Books for hosting.
[applause]
I'm going to start by reading a bit
and then we can do a Q and A.
Does that sound good?
Yeah? Ok.
"The Waving Flame".
[cheering]
Chapter one.
"It had been six months since Atticus Keller
"felt the barrel of a gun against the back of his head.
"He hadn't missed it.
"If you shoot me", Atticus said,
"you'll never find out where the money is."
So, did your dad used to read to you when you were a kid?
[laughs]
Yeah. Every night.
It's funny, even after I learned how to read myself
I'd still beg him to do it for me.
I bet, 'cause he's awesome.
Amy, that was fantastic.
Look at the turnout, huh?
Yeah, it was great.
Oh, Blake, do you know Travis Burke?
Of course I do.
This guy's a huge crime fiction fan.
This is where I buy my books.
I am delighted to hear it.
Mmmhmm.
Oh, Blake, listen.
There is this young writer that I'd love for you to meet.
Ella!
Ella, can you come here for a minute?
Ella Quincy, Blake Newman.
Blake just sold his first crime novel.
Yay.
And Ella is writing her first true crime book.
Yeah, she's here interviewing people
about the Nicole Ford case
and then I remembered you studied with Nicole.
A few classes, yeah.
Sorry, what's your name again?
Blake Newman.
What a great name for a crime writer.
Thank you.
So uh, do you have a publisher figured out, or...
Oh, not yet, no.
Oh, well I'd be uh, happy to let you know how I made it happen.
This is the best way to reach me.
Great. Thanks.
Excuse me. I gotta go, go cover the register.
Bye, Blake.
Oh, uh, Ella?
I spoke to Mac and he would love to speak with you
as long as you're willing to share what it is
that you know that makes you so sure he's innocent.
Look, can we talk about this tomorrow?
I really should get this signed.
Yeah, sure.
Uh, that was weird.
Yeah, maybe she doesn't have anything to offer after all.
Maybe.
Are you hungry?
Mmm, I thought you would never ask.
[laughing]
Hey, Travis, is that...
Howard!
Travis.
And the professor.
What're you doing here, Howard?
I'm just out minding my own business.
No, you're not.
You're tailing me.
Just like you followed me to the prison.
I'm late.
Hey. Let me ask you a question.
Why did you leave that note?
What note?
The note that I'm having the forensic tech analyze
down at the station.
That note.
What if I did leave a note?
Is that a crime?
No, Howard, but stalking is.
The only crime in this situation is murder.
The one Mac McKinnon committed.
I put a killer away.
You're trying to get him out.
Listen.
I don't want you going near Professor Winslow
unless she initiates contact.
Is that clear?
Crystal.
Good.
Good Howard.
Mmmhmm.
[exhales]
You know I could have handled myself there.
I know, but I wanted to.
Well, thank you.
Let's go eat.
So why do you think that Howard would want this case left alone?
Thank you.
I don't know.
I'd have to, you know, look at the case file.
You mean we would have to read the case file.
Is that what I mean?
Yeah, I think it is.
You seem to have forgotten that I make a living
off of helping people clarify meaning, Detective.
So I don't think you want to questioned me.
And I think you forgot, Professor,
that I make a living off of questioning people.
[laughs]
Touché. Touché.
Uh, this is uh... this is nice.
Hey, guys.
[laughs]
Hey. Graham.
Hey, Dad.
What're you doing here?
It looks like the three of us had the same idea.
[laughing]
You guys get a table? I'm famished.
We do, actually.
We just got the text our table is ready so-
Our table's ready.
We'll squeeze you in.
Yeah. Ok. Here's your purse.
- The Three Musketeers. - Thanks, Dad.
Come on, hon.
Uh... huh.
[knocking]
Amy.
Hey. I was just in the area and I thought I'd stop by
to see if you had thought any more about Mac's proposal.
Well, it's a fair trade.
But I have some other avenues I wanted to pursue first.
So maybe we could get back to it in a few days?
Yeah.
Yeah, of course.
Uh, also I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.
Um, I have some information
I think you might find valuable about the case.
Of course. Come on in.
Ok, thanks.
Mmm, do I smell fresh-brewed coffee?
You want a cup?
I would love a cup, yes.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
Thanks.
I'll be right back.
Oh, how do you take it?
Um, do you have any oat milk?
Uh, I'll check.
Is almond milk ok?
♪ ♪
Amy?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
Almond milk is fine.
Here you go.
Thank you.
I needed this.
So, the case?
Oh, uh, yes. Of course.
Let's see.
I just wanted to stop by and show you this.
It was on my car yesterday.
It's very clear that someone doesn't want me
poking around the case.
Who?
I don't know.
I can't be sure.
I just wanted to show you this
because I think that you should be careful.
Killings... professor, plural.
[ringing]
Hey Amy, how are you?
There was another murder and it was a lot like Nicole's.
There was another murder?
What do you mean, a lot like?
Jill Ives, this professor from Grover College, was found-
thank you.
Was found dead in her home.
They thought it was a heart attack
but they later on found out it was strychnine
from her essential oils diffuser.
When was this?
Five years ago.
Are you thinking that Mac is a serial killer?
No. No, it couldn't have been Mac.
Jill Ives was killed the same day
that Mac and I gave a lecture together in San Francisco.
Right. And she was killed in New Windsor, Oregon.
I'm reading about it right now.
Travis, you have to pursue this.
I'm surprised you're not driving
to New Windsor yourself right now.
Well, I would be but I've got a class to teach right now.
Alright, you know what?
I'm gonna call the New Windsor P.D.
I'm gonna talk to them, ask them some questions,
and I might even head down there.
Will you just wait until my last class and then I can join you?
Thank you.
I'm gonna ask you to stand down, Professor.
I think it might be better cop to cop
but I promise I will fill you in.
Ok, well I'm gonna hold you to that promise.
I'll talk to you later.
It was a few years ago but I remember that conference.
We were there.
So there is no way that Mac could have done it.
Wow.
Same date?
Yes.
Did Mac or Nicole know Jill Ives?
I don't know.
I think there's some old files in storage in the basement.
Probably need to check those out as soon as I can,
see if there's any connection.
Detective Pool?
Hey, Detective Burke?
Call me Travis.
Call me Frank.
Hey, thank you for meeting me here.
Yeah, of course.
So I wasn't able to tell you on the phone
but we lost Bill Carlyle,
the detective working the case, last year.
Oh, I'm sorry.
There weren't many unsolved cases on Bill's watch,
but this was one.
I made you a copy.
Thanks, Frank.
So Jill Ives was 52 years old, ruled cardiac arrest.
But her daughter asked for an autopsy.
It took a few weeks but the results proved
that Ives had been poisoned.
Really?
That's when Bill was assigned.
Fortunately Ives' home had been pretty much untouched
and Bill was able to find traces of strychnine
in the essential oils diffuser.
Alright, that's good.
Yeah. I've got something better.
I got in touch with Camilla Heinz-Clark,
she's the chairperson at Ives' department here
and she's willing to talk.
Right now?
Right now.
That is good news.
Let's do it.
So the brilliance of what Dorothy Sayers does
is she combines both a detective story
and a love story, and she does so seamlessly,
starting with this opening sentence.
Bud, can you read?
“There were crimson roses on the bench,
"they looked like splashes of blood.”
Ooh, alright.
And we're off.
Please continue.
“The judge was an old man.
"So old he seemed to have outlived time
"and change and death.”
Professor Heinz-Clark,
we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us today.
Of course.
It was very upsetting, what happened.
All the more so that the killer was never found.
Well, maybe we can do something about that.
Where shall I begin?
Why don't you begin by telling me everything you remember
about that time, especially I think pertaining to Jill?
There's no detail that's too small.
Understood.
It was a turbulent period, even before Jill's death.
It was coming up on the end of the school year,
graduation looming.
Jill came to me with concerns.
What were her concerns?
She believed that one of her students
was guilty of plagiarism.
An extremely serious offence.
Sure.
Do you remember the student's name?
Jill was reticent to say their name but...
It sounds like you might have an idea of who it was.
I thought it was Jill's star pupil, Robby Hearst.
He had a short story about an old lawnmower
that was shortlisted for the prestigious literary quarterly,
"The Portal".
A lawnmower?
Yes, very inventive.
It didn't make it into The Portal,
but it was published in our own literary magazine.
Do you have a copy of it?
Follow me.
It's around here somewhere.
Hey, Professor, I got a question for you.
Do you know somebody by the name of Evan McKinnon?
He goes by Mac.
No.
How about a woman named Nicole Ford?
No, I don't believe so.
How about Ella Quincy?
Has a young lady named Ella Quincy reached out to you?
Uh, no.
But that name rings a bell for some reason.
And um, did you or Professor Ives ever have any dealings
at Elmstead College?
I didn't.
I don't know about Jill, honestly.
Oh, here it is.
You got it?
Yeah.
Look at that.
So did anybody ever deal with Robby Hearst
about the plagiarism charges?
No, he wasn't a student of mine
and he graduated shortly after Jill's death.
Hmm.
Ok. And this is gonna sound like a weird question
but did Jill have any enemies?
Certainly not.
Jill was beloved.
Ok.
Thanks for this.
You're welcome.
Thank you for your time.
Ok.
[door slams]
Hello?
[door slam]
Hello?
[crash]
Ow!
Hit it, Professor?
What a mess.
Why would somebody do this?
I don't know,
but maybe I'll find the answer in here somewhere.
As long as you're ok?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Managed to avoid the shelves altogether
and thankfully the boxes that did land weren't that heavy.
So I found Professor McKinnon's file box
but Professor Ford's box is gone.
Are you sure?
I'm the one who packed their offices.
I know where I put them.
Ok.
Alright.
Thanks.
Holy cow, Amy, that happened in the basement of the university?
- Yeah. - Are you alright?
Yeah, I'm fine.
The point is whomever it was that took Nicole's files
also probably would have taken Mac's files had I not walked in
and caught him in the middle of it.
Hold on, we don't know that.
I mean, Nicole's file, maybe it just got lost.
Oh, come on, Travis.
It's not just a coincidence, ok?
Neither is the fact that Jill Ives and Nicole
were killed in much the same way.
It makes it possible, I'll give you that.
What we're missing is something that connects Jill and Nicole.
And we got a lot of stuff to dig through,
so let's divide and conquer.
Ok, ok.
You know, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said that
"it has long been an axiom of mine
"that the little things are infinitely the most important".
Well, Sir Arthur and I are on the same page.
[small laugh]
Hmm. Here's a little thing up front.
What've you got?
They list Jill Ives' doctor but they also list her therapist.
Dwight Merrill.
That's Nicole Ford's husband.
You know, the guy from the reading?
Hold on a second.
She's driving two hours to see her therapist?
No, his office is listed in New Windsor.
Oh, thank you.
This guy. He's-ah, thank you so much.
Oh, I didn't realize how hungry I was.
[laughs]
Look at that bite.
Mmm. So good.
Hey.
Do you know what we're missing right now?
What?
Your dad.
[laughs]
That is not funny.
It's a little funny.
[car beep]
So you know that rule when you're reading a mystery novel,
never read the ending first?
Yeah?
I should have read the ending first.
What?
Ella Quincy went to Grover College?
She lied to you.
She was a work study student for Jill Ives in her office.
Ella told me she watched that horrible show
that we watched together.
Um, We Know Whodunnit.
She saw it a few months ago
and that lightbulb must have went off,
hey I can write a book connecting these two murders.
At any rate it's time to talk to Ella.
Voicemail: Hi, you've reached Ella Quincy.
Please leave me a message.
Voice mail.
Hey, Ella, it's Amy Winslow.
Could you just give me a call back?
Thank you. Bye.
Well... I need to talk to Dwight Merrill tomorrow.
So you're taking this seriously?
Amy, I just drove to Oregon and back.
Ok, then looks like we're talking to Dwight.
You know, Travis said it is possible
that the two murders are connected.
Meaning the same killer.
Yeah, and if true that would mean that Mac is innocent.
Exactly.
Who knows?
Anyway, how was your day yesterday?
Uh, are you finished- are you finished with that?
Yeah, sure.
You want some help?
No, no, no.
Alright, thanks.
So I uh, I finished "Murder While I Smile."
Blake's novel?
- Yep. - Yeah?
How was it?
I didn't love the ending.
No?
No, he took the easy way out.
Are you gonna tell him?
I already did.
He took copious notes.
Ok, that's good.
Yeah.
Wanna read it?
Yeah, I'd love to read it.
Okay.
Thank you.
Here ya go.
Great.
Yeah.
Oh, Dad I gotta to go. I'm late to meet Travis.
Oh, ok, ok.
Thank you for lunch.
Okay, sweetie.
- Bye. - Have fun.
- Hey. - Hey.
What is that?
This is Howard's case file on Nicole's murder.
You know, the guy never even checked Nicole's texts,
or email records?
Really?
Yeah.
You hear from Ella?
Uh, no, but we can stop by there later.
Thanks.
So uh-
He's just over there.
Uh, Dwight.
Amy.
Hey.
Hi.
My name is Detective Travis Burke,
I'm with the Garrison Police Department.
Professor Winslow here,
she's been a consultant to the police department,
and I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions
about a patient of yours.
Well, I'm sure you know about doctor patient confidentiality.
This one's dead, so it shouldn't be an issue.
Can we talk?
So how can I help?
Well, uh, where were you practising five years ago?
New Windsor, Oregon. Why?
Did you have a patient named Jill Ives?
Well, clearly you know I did.
How long were you treating her for?
About three years.
Until...
Travis: Until she died.
That's right.
What were you treating her for?
Depression after the death of her husband.
Do you know how she died?
To be honest there was a lot going on back then,
and Nicole and I were getting married,
and I was working to move my practise here.
So you don't know how she died?
She was poisoned with strychnine.
Somebody put it into a...
- A diffuser. - A diffuser.
Bill Carlyle, a detective who was investigating Jill's murder,
he didn't mention that to you?
Because Detective Carlyle
told us that he did mention it to you.
Uh...
Yes, actually um... yeah. Yes, he did.
And so then when the detective was investigating
your wife's murder you didn't think to mention
that you'd seen a very similar kind of killing?
Mac McKinnon had been arrested and I didn't see the point
in mentioning something that to me felt like a coincidence.
Right. Because you were getting divorced, anyway.
So it's convenient, right?
Detective, I realize you are trying to provoke me
but I am telling you the truth.
Why did you and Nicole split up?
Because she didn't love me anymore.
Anyway, if there's nothing else,
I have a client that I need to prepare for.
Actually, there is something else.
You came to my dad's reading the other night
but you left before he even got started.
Why?
Because I got a call from a client in distress.
I'm sorry that I missed it.
Now, if there's nothing else.
Well, he might have had a client that night
but he lied to me 100 percent.
Broken Nine Pins, I remember.
Speaking of lying, that was a nice bluff,
Carlyle telling us about the diffuser.
Yeah.
I figured he didn't know Carlyle was no longer with us.
Hey, was Nicole wealthy?
I didn't know much about her financial situation.
Why? Are you thinking that could be a motive?
Well, no.
She wants a divorce, right?
So maybe it has nothing to do with Jill Ives' murder
but maybe he thinks it's a clever way
to bump off his wife and not get caught.
Maybe.
Still no call from Ella.
[knocking]
[door rattles]
Amy, come on.
She's dead.
[radio chatter]
Hey.
Are you ok?
Yeah.
I just feel like maybe we should have warned her or something,
you know?
Well, Amy, we're not psychics.
You couldn't have known.
You're right.
Did you find her recorder, notebook, anything?
No. No computer, either.
I did find this stuck in the cushions of the couch.
Howard's business card.
Howard did tell us that he was doing private security
but I never saw him give her a card.
No?
I'm gonna have to have a conversation with him
after we canvass the neighbourhood.
Ok.
I have an early class tomorrow so I'll just talk to you after.
Of course.
Goodnight.
Goodnight, Amy.
Thank you.
[knocking]
Oh, hey Blake, come on in.
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate
your dad reading "Murder While I Smile".
Oh, yeah, well he's pretty great.
His feedback was invaluable.
Good.
Oh, speaking of which, he passed this along to me.
So I'd be happy to give you my feedback if you'd like.
That'd be amazing.
Yeah?
Alright, great.
Listen, uh, I have a class to go to now but I'll be in touch.
- Ok. - Ok.
Thanks again.
Bye. Have a good day.
Amy, hey.
Oh, hey.
Hey, I need to talk to you about Ella Quincy.
Ok, what about her?
I met up with her yesterday and she asked me several questions
about Mac and Nicole.
And about you.
About me?
What-what about me?
She wanted to know if she could trust you.
I said yes and then I left.
Hey, Bud, I think we need to call Travis and tell him this.
Why?
Because Travis and I found Ella last night and um...
she had been killed.
What?
[doorbell rings]
I already bought my Girl Scout cookies for the season.
That's very funny.
Hey, where were you last night?
Here, watching basketball.
Can anybody verify that?
I live alone.
Let me ask you this.
Where was the last time you saw Ella Quincy?
Here.
And her pal, the professor, was with her.
See, that's interesting,
because then it makes me wonder
when you gave her your business card.
Fine.
She called me a couple nights ago, invited me over.
Said she was interested in hiring me as security.
Did she tell you why?
No.
When I got there to talk money she was quickly uninterested.
And so you didn't see her last night?
Why?
What's going on, Burke?
Ella Quincy was murdered last night.
What, are you trying to put that on me?
You want to talk to me again,
you'll do it with my attorney present.
Have a good day.
So Michael Chabon is weaving together an alternate history.
One of religious meditation and a who done it
in this amazing book The Yiddish Policeman's Union.
Union.
But the word "union" is definitely a pun
because I think that at the heart of this story
it's really just about a marriage.
Alright, everybody, have a good day.
Bud?
- Just. - Yeah.
Ok.
Hey.
So the coroner just called me.
Ella was strangled sometime between 7:00 and 8:00.
And Bud left her sometime around 5:30.
Did you talk to Howard Clawson?
Yeah, I did.
He said he saw her the night before.
She was interested in hiring him for private security.
And you believe him?
I want to, I'm just- I'm not sure.
Hey, Bud, come here for a sec.
Can I ask you to recount your conversation with Ella for me?
Yeah. She asked me a lot of questions about Mac and Nicole.
Yeah? What kind of questions?
She wanted to know how well I knew them,
not very well.
Did I see their big fight about the Twain papers?
I said yes.
And then did I suspect that they were having an affair?
What?
Yeah. I thought that was weird, too.
She didn't ask me that.
Alright, what else?
Then she asked me questions about Amy
and whether or not I thought you could keep a secret.
I said so long as you knew it wasn't going to hurt anyone else
then of course.
That's it?
Yeah.
Alright. Thank you for that information.
Thanks, Bud.
Hey. Were you able to go through Mac's files?
No, I've been so busy I haven't even had a chance.
[laughs]
What?
You were a very good student, weren't you?
Well, I did go into education as my profession, so...
Let me ask you something.
Hmm?
How many times were you on the Dean's List?
What?
No, seriously. I'd like to know.
What, in undergrad?
[laughs]
Sure.
I don't know.
- Eight. - Eight?
So two semesters, four years...
That is every semester.
You're gonna tease me about that now?
No, I'm gonna file that away and tease you later.
[laughs] Of course you would.
[laughs]
You're a very distracting study partner, you know that?
I'm sorry.
I'm not trying to be.
No?
Well, if we're supposed to get through all of this then it's...
Hold on.
- What's that? - What's going on?
What'd you find?
The pages are...
It's almost like they were glued together.
Here. Does this help you?
Oh, thank you.
Let's see.
Why would these pages be like this?
That's Mac's journal?
Yeah.
Why would that be?
Bingo.
Yeah, that's Mac and Nicole.
Looks like we gotta take a trip to the prison.
Yep.
"He watched the crime scene from a distance with a smile."
Wait here.
Oh, I think I'm going to have some good feedback for him.
You're a good reader. You take after your dad.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Well, thank you.
[chuckles]
[buzzer]
Hey Mac.
So this is Detective Travis Burke who I told you about.
Mac: It's nice to meet you, Detective.
So how can I help you?
Well, I guess we can start by telling us
about your relationship with Nicole.
Right.
Nicole and I were in love.
It started innocent.
Then we realized it was something more.
We discussed divorcing our spouses.
She told Dwight.
I waffled on telling Linda.
And then one day Nicole gave me an ultimatum.
She says if I don't tell Linda that she would.
We had this terrible fight, which you saw, Amy.
I thought that fight was over the Huck Finn chapters.
No.
I made it up on the spot so people wouldn't suspect
what the fight was really about.
I had no idea that it was gonna come back and ruin my life.
Why didn't you tell Detective Clawson
about your relationship with Nicole?
Because he would have used it as proof that I wanted her dead,
saying that the fight was over her wanting to break it off.
Why should we believe that it wasn't?
You can ask Linda.
I told her the truth.
When did you tell her?
After the conviction.
So that's why she doesn't come here and see you anymore.
Yeah.
Do you know a woman named Jill Ives?
Not that I recall.
Is she a student?
No, she was a teacher, Grover College.
She was murdered five years ago.
She was poisoned very similarly to the way that Nicole was.
Five years ago?
Yeah.
What did she teach?
Creative writing.
Like Nicole.
[deep sigh]
So Nicole and Dwight were divorcing over Mac.
Linda told me that the four of them
used to do dinners together.
Are you thinking that Linda and Dwight both knew
about their spouses?
If they did it would be a strong motive for murder.
Are you reopening the case, Detective?
We're not reopening,
we're just um... we're taking a second look.
Your husband told us something very interesting.
He said that he was in love with Nicole Ford
and he said that he told you.
But did you already know that?
I... I may have suspected something, but-
The night of the murder you said you were at Sky Mountain.
That's 20 minutes away.
Is there anybody that can verify that?
Didn't the detective at the time do that?
You know that he didn't.
See, he didn't even consider you as a suspect.
Is that what you're doing?
Jealousy?
It is a very powerful motive.
You knew Nicole's house.
It would be so easy for you to plant evidence on your husband,
make him take the fall for breaking your heart.
So, am I under arrest?
No.
Then I think this conversation is over.
Goodbye.
Yeah.
Thank you for your time.
I have an idea.
You have an idea?
Yeah.
You really think she's gonna do something?
I have a hunch.
Hmm.
[sighs]
What's the longest you've ever sat in a car on a stake out?
You don't wanna know.
Well, actually I do wanna know, that's why I asked.
Eighteen and a half hours.
During one shift?
Yeah.
What for?
There were four murders.
It was a serial killer. We called him "The Wolfman"
because he only killed during the full moon.
And we finally got a lead on who we thought it was
and so we parked out in front of his house
and we sat there all day and into the night.
Did you catch him?
Yeah.
We trailed him to his next kill and we were able
to stop him before he went through with it.
Wow.
I bet you always remembered that day, huh?
Yeah, but for very different reasons.
Um, when I came home my wife had divorce papers
waiting for me on the kitchen table.
I'm sorry.
Divorce is ugly, Amy.
It's like my whole life I was used to winning
and then all of a sudden I felt like I lost, you know?
I failed.
And that feeling, you know, it stains you
and I feel like I'm gonna drag that into my...
Here she comes.
Travis, this is Nicole Ford's house.
Are you ok?
No.
Look at this.
You wanna talk at the station or in your house?
Here's where I'm confused.
What is the nature of your relationship?
Linda and I are just friends.
So you randomly go and run and visit your friend
right after we talk to you?
Dwight and I were both at Sky Mountain
the night Nicole was killed.
You said that you were with your brother.
He verified that alibi.
I lied. My brother covered for me.
Dwight.
You know that it's illegal to lie to a cop, right?
And it's illegal to withhold information.
Look, Linda was just protecting my anonymity.
I wasn't there for yoga.
The retreat was for people with substance abuse issues.
Same goes for Dwight.
I was concerned with destroying my reputation.
Well, can anybody prove that you two were there?
Well, unfortunately I paid cash
but of course Linda's verified it.
It's convenient that you're both each other's alibis
for the night that your wife was murdered by your husband.
I can also put you in touch
with the addiction counsellor on staff.
Why were you at my dad's book signing?
I told you.
Yeah, but you lied to me.
Because Broken Nine Pins? I made that up.
That's not a real book title.
And all of your books over here, they're so nicely alphabetized.
The W's go from Wells to Wolf.
There's no Winslow.
No Winslow here.
Anywhere.
That's clever.
Alright, I was there to see Ella Quincy to try and dissuade her
from writing the book.
Why?
Answer the question.
Why? Did you walk to her?
I left her messages but she hasn't called me back yet.
Where were you last night between 7:00 and 8:00?
I was here, why?
Because that's the time that Ella Quincy was murdered.
So Linda and Dwight are now on the board.
Do you really think that Linda and Dwight
are in on it together?
Well, I think I'm gonna do some digging at Sky Mountain
and find some former employees and see if Linda and Dwight
were there the night they said they were.
What about you? What're you gonna do?
I am...
I'm gonna go home and recharge my brain.
The little grey cells?
Yes, my little grey cells.
I have an early class to teach tomorrow, so.
Well, I wanna make sure you get home safe
so call me when you get home.
Goodnight, Amy.
Bye.
Oh, come on.
Hi, Amy.
Got a minute?
Are you following me again?
I'd like to talk to you.
Get in the car.
Get your hand off me!
Howard!
Let go of her, Howard!
Come on, Travis.
Hey, you forgot your phone. Are you ok?
Yeah, I'm ok.
What're you doing, Howard?
Howard.
Lawyer.
Alright. Tell me, why- why were you after Amy?
Lawyer.
Howard, do you really wanna spend the night in a cell?
Lawyer.
Alright.
Have it your way.
Alright. So, Howard is lawyering up.
You know, he'd rather spend the night in the same jail
he used to lock people up in.
[knocking]
Travis.
Hi.
Oh, hey.
Amy, this is Maria, she's our new forensics tech.
Hi.
Amy Winslow?
Yeah.
Ah.
Travis is always talking about you.
I'm always talking about her?
I mentioned her like once or twice.
Ok, I get the odd mention, huh?
Alright, alright, what've you got?
Show me.
DNA from your victim's fingernails.
Skin and blood.
She tagged the killer but no match in the system
so it's not a prior offender.
Alright, this is really good work, Maria.
Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you.
And thank you.
Mmmhmm.
Alright, so?
What do you think?
Well, I was just trying to step back
and take it all in, you know?
Ok.
We have Jill, Nicole, and Ella, and we've been trying
to find the link between these three different chapters, right?
What makes the novel?
[laughs]
And oddly enough I think I just-
I'm figuring it out.
That's... that's the link.
You lost me.
Literature.
That's the link that connects these three murders.
Just stay with me, alright?
Ok, we have Jill Ives, a creative writing professor,
who had an issue with a plagiarizing student.
Then we have Nicole Ford, also a creative writing professor,
who lost her life over some chapters in a book.
Then there's Ella, a budding writer who I think
was gonna write a book that connects these two murders.
I mean, no wonder she didn't wanna tell us all the details
because she wanted to pursue it herself
and name the killer in her book.
I mean, think about it.
It's a massive best-seller.
Ok, I'm with you.
So?
Well, so I think that we need to go back
and do what any great literary scholar would do.
Go back to the source material.
The case books?
Yeah.
Amy, we went through those already.
I know that, I know that.
But we need to go back again, see if we missed anything.
See if there's anything more that these three women
have in common.
Especially Jill and Nicole.
I want to go back in their biographies
and see if anything overlaps.
Well, we got work to do.
Mmm.
Hold on.
Did you see this?
Mmm.
Nicole Ford was an associate editor of The Portal,
that fancy literary magazine.
Yeah, I know the magazine, but that's not in her bio.
I know.
I looked up a list of people who worked on the magazine.
The Masthead.
Right.
Well, this is from a few years ago and she's on the list.
Ok, well I think the bigger question is did she hold
that position five years ago when Jill Ives' star student
submitted that story about the lawnmower?
What was his name?
"The Cuttings".
By Robby Hearst.
Right.
Huh.
This is actually pretty good.
Camilla was right.
You can tell that it's good in like five seconds?
Well, I mean, a strong first paragraph
is usually a promising sign.
Ok, so Nicole Ford was on the Masthead five years ago.
So she could have read this. Let's mine that connection.
I've got a question for you.
Yeah?
Do you think that Robby Hearst went to Elmstead College?
I can check.
Log into my faculty access.
Alright, look up Robert Hearst, too.
Yeah, I'm on it.
There was one, but he graduated in 1962.
Hmm.
No.
Not our guy.
There's not been one since.
I'm gonna run down Robby Hearst
through the official channels.
Let's see what we got.
What?
Travis, I think I know who the murderer is.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
Well, hello, Detective Burke.
How can I help you?
[knocking]
Detective. Amy.
As you can see I haven't left town.
Hey, can we come in?
It's right through here.
Travis. Amy.
How's it going?
Hey, Blake.
I need to see your security camera footage
from the night of Graham's reading.
I think that one of the people on it is a murderer.
Guys, can I ask what this is about?
You remember the lady that you met that night,
Ella Quincy?
Uh, yeah. Sure.
Yeah, well we just wanna see a piece of that conversation
that you had with her right after the reading.
More specifically,
right when I introduced you two
she made that comment about your name
and then you gave her your number.
Do you remember that?
Mmmhmm.
Yeah, ok.
If you could just pull that moment up.
Keep going, keep going, keep going... and freeze.
Ooh, that's a good angle.
Could you zoom in on that?
Uh, I'm not sure I can.
Oh, here, I can do it.
Like that.
Perfect.
Great, thank you.
Blake, could you read that for me?
"Don't say anything. Let's talk.
"We'll make it worth it."
Speaking of things that you've written,
I finished your manuscript.
Here you go, you can have that back.
And you know what's funny is when I was reading it,
it reminded me of something else I had read, right here.
"The Cuttings" by Robby Hearst,
this brilliant undergraduate,
and he submitted it to The Portal.
It's this literary magazine.
And then it came to me.
Look what she did here.
"Murder While I Smile". And watch this.
That's you and that's you.
Look, I don't know what you think you figured out here-
Since Robby Hearst was known for plagiarizing,
we thought we'd see if "The Cutting"
had appeared elsewhere first.
Yeah. And guess what?
He just ripped words right off the page of a 19th century
short story written by Edwin Bowles.
Which unfortunately is out of print now.
Yeah.
However, guess where we found it?
I'll go check right away, Detective.
Grover College library.
Professor Heinz-Clark helped us.
You remember her, Robby?
Guys, I think you're confused here.
I'm Blake.
I'm not confused.
Does that say Blake?
No, it doesn't.
It says Robert Hearst.
Driver's license from the state of Montana issued to you,
son of Walker Hearst,
shortlisted twice for the Pulitzer.
Yeah, here's one of his books.
It's actually really good.
And you know, it can be challenging being a child
of a successful writer, trust me, I know.
You know, I'm just interested.
How did you explain to your father the name change?
Did you just tell him that you wanted to get out
from underneath his shadow?
I don't really get involved with psychological stuff.
What I care about is the fact that you changed your name
two weeks after you graduated from Grover College
after you killed Jill Ives.
And then you came to Elmstead as Blake Newman and everything
was perfect until you submitted "Green Blades" to Nicole Ford.
Now Nicole had this habit of scanning
all of her students' work.
Amy: We spent hours over at Nicole's home office
going through paperwork from that semester.
The only thing physically missing was your writing.
More specifically this one, "Green Blades".
You submitted it to Nicole Ford and this is what she wrote.
"I know this, it was a portal submission through Jill Ives."
Now, Nicole knew this was plagiarized, right?
And she confronted you about it.
This is insane.
Is that what you told her?
But she didn't believe you so you had to act.
But this time you didn't copy a story,
you copied a murder.
And you couldn't leave it unsolved,
but lucky for you, you had someone to take the fall.
Yeah, poor Mac.
You know, we spoke to your physical therapist, Linda,
earlier this morning.
And she did confirm that you were there the day before
Nicole's murder, which was brilliant
because you had direct access to Mac's safe.
And then you dropped out of Elmstead.
You came here, got a job, wrote your book, sold it.
I mean, you were on the brink of success.
Yeah, but then Ella Quincy showed up.
She was a Grover College graduate,
she was a work study student under Jill Ives.
She recognized you.
Mmmhmm.
So you told her that you were gonna pay her off.
Great, thanks.
But instead you killed her.
[chuckles]
Seriously?
Well, that is quite a story.
If you don't mind I might even borrow some of it
for my next book.
And when I do write it I'll make sure my detective character
has actual proof.
But we got a warrant to search your apartment this morning
and that sweet little landlady of yours,
she let us in.
Guess what we found?
Boom.
Amy: All the original paperwork stolen
from Nicole's home office.
And these could have only been taken at the time
she was murdered.
As far as Ella Quincy's concerned,
you know that she scratched her aggressor?
She got some of his DNA under her fingernails.
Which I think we're going to match to yours shortly
down at the station.
Travis!
[groans]
Blake! Stop!
Easy, Detective.
You wanna add assaulting an officer?
Shut up.
You don't understand.
You're gonna have to do this.
This is a glock 19 pointed at the base of your neck.
And if I were you I would drop those scissors.
[groans]
[choking]
Stop!
[gasping]
Stop.
[gasping]
For what it's worth you were right about my dad.
Dad's illness changed everything.
It's how I ended up taking shortcuts with my writing.
It took over my life.
Starting with who I was and what I was willing to do.
Watch your head, Blake.
Hey.
Oh.
[message alert]
Sorry, Amy.
It's Detective Clawson. He wants to talk to us.
Ok.
He's been released.
Hey, Howard.
Look, you know, when I caught the Ford case
I took what was handed to me.
Didn't ask questions.
But you do.
I panicked.
Wrote that stupid note.
Threatened you.
I'll be going to see Mac McKinnon.
I don't know what else to say but I'm sorry.
And thank you for getting it right.
All's well that ends well.
Take care.
Yeah, you too.
Well.
Coffee?
Yeah.
I never imagined that I'd be getting my life back
in a couple weeks.
So you know how grateful I am to you.
It was a team effort.
Yeah.
You and Travis, you make a great team.
I'd stick with him if I were you.
Yeah.
We do make a good team, don't we?
♪ You tell me you're leaving, ♪
♪ Your shadow will walk beside me, ♪
♪ I was believin', ♪
♪ We'd follow this through ♪
Hey, thank you for dinner.
Yeah, my pleasure.
Oh, my dad's just landing in New York for the book tour.
Ah, is that why he didn't join us?
[laughs]
That's awful but yes, that's so true.
Oh, uh, by the way, I forgot to tell you I talked to Mac today.
And?
And he said he was grateful.
Well, I know the feeling.
Hmm?
Amy.
I'm grateful.
What're you grateful for?
For you.
♪ ♪
♪ I don't want nothing, ♪
♪ I don't want nothing but you, ♪
♪ Wooo, wooo ♪
♪ I don't want nothing but you ♪