[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SINGING ON RADIO] Heaven, how you danced before.
Heaven when you eyes meet mine.
[BALL BOUNCING]
[FAINT LAUGHTER]
[SINGING] Charm everyone that you meet.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
[MUTTERING]
MAN: I want to see my daughter.
I want to see her now.
You gotta come in now.
ATTENDANT: Here you go, sweetheart.
You take these now.
[FAINT LAUGHTER]
CHILD: Busted!
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
[BANGING]
[DRUMMING]
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
ATTENDANT [ON LOUDSPEAKER]: If Dr. Smith is in the building,
will you please report to Nurse [INAUDIBLE]..
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[WHIMPERING]
[SCREAMING]
[BANGING ON WINDOW]
Nurse!
Help!
Nurse, nurse!
Somebody help me!
Somebody help!
Hurry!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Journalism 101,
the lead paragraph in any story should answer the five W's--
who, what, where, when, and, finally, why.
Who?
Denise Wilcox, that would be me.
What?
Writing the obituary column.
Where?
In "The Tribune" Newspaper Building
or, to be more precise, in the morgue of "The Tribune"
Newspaper Building, the place where
all dead files come to rest.
When?
16 hours a day, six days a week.
Why?
[PHONE RINGING]
Because it's an important public service.
Hello, this is Denise Wilcox with "The Tribune."
Is this Mr. Harold Johnson?
HAROLD JOHNSON [ON PHONE]: Yes, it is.
I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Johnson.
I would like to confirm a few details of your wife's death.
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Why?
Because everyone deserves an accurate
reflection of their life.
Thank you.
All right.
Got "The Trib" copies on top, both the papers
next, then the out of towns.
[SIGH] Did you pull another all nighter?
Yep.
Maybe, when you're finished, do
you want to go, uh, for a bite?
No, thanks.
I'm swamped.
You know, I do not know why you work so hard.
It's just an obituary column.
Opinion noted.
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Why?
Because Stanley Morgan is old.
Because he pushes himself too hard.
Because he smokes two packs a day.
Because he thinks a square meal is a club sandwich.
[CHOKING]
And because it's only a matter of time.
[GRIMACING IN PAIN]
And because I desperately want his job.
[THUMP]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[TINKING]
[MECHANICAL SQUEAKING]
[GASP]
OPERATOR [ON PHONE]: 911.
[DRAWER SLAMS]
Excuse me.
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Dedicated news reporter
for "The Tribune," longtime social activist,
honored many times by the city service, organizations.
[STEADY BEEP]
Clear.
[ZAP]
[BEEPING]
[STEADY BEEP]
[ELECTRICAL CHARGING]
Do it again.
Clear.
[GASP]
Survived by his wife and two children.
[BEEPING]
Get those, people.
[STEADY BEEP]
Take him around, please.
[PHONE RINGING]
Denise Wilcox.
MISS KIRKWOOD [ON PHONE]: Miss Wilcox,
this is Miss Kirkwood at City West
Hospital returning your call.
Sorry for the delay, but the EMT report just came in.
Mr. Morgan's time of death was 6:45 PM.
Thank you.
[HANGS UP]
[TYPING]
[BEEP]
You were one heck of a reporter, Stanley, a real pro.
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
[CAR DOOR SLAMS]
[EXOTIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[BELL JINGLES]
Ah, Miss Denise.
Hey, Mr. Lee.
Just one moment, huh?
OK.
Here, Miss Denise, one regular.
You should find nice man.
Take you out for dinner instead of always chicken chow mein.
I know.
Here, for you, for good luck, eh?
Thank you.
[BIRDSONG]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
[CAR DOOR SLAMS]
[BEEP]
ANSWERING MACHINE: You have no new messages.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SIGH]
Perfect.
Hey there, Lizzie, how was your day?
You hungry?
No?
[CHIRP]
Stanley was from the old school.
He-- he knew the meaning of the words tenacity,
integrity, dedication.
So here's to one heck of a reporter.
It was a pleasure to be your editor and your friend.
To Stanley, we will miss you.
But we will never forget you.
ALL: To Stanley.
[CROWD MURMURING]
Hey.
It was nice of you to let Stanley's family
use the paper for the service.
Oh, he spent most of his life in this building.
It only seemed appropriate.
Yeah.
I was wondering if you had a chance to look
at my resume and sample pieces. - When?
Yeah, I put them on your desk in an envelope
marked important.
This is not the time nor the place.
I'm sorry.
I came to your office several times.
But you were always busy.
Excuse me.
Simon.
SIMON: Good to see you, Rog.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Simon.
Denny, hi.
You knew Stanley?
I met him at a conference last summer.
Oh.
- You look good. - Yeah.
Yeah, right.
Black's my color.
You, come.
Hey, I've got to go.
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SWOOSH]
Oh, Denny.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Mm.
Simon.
[DOOR OPENING]
[BIRDSONG]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUMP]
Uh!
How's your head?
I found a body.
There's been a murder.
Yeah.
You able to talk to me?
I got to get a statement.
Yeah, yeah.
Denise Wilcox, with "The Tribune."
Walker, there's something you need to see.
Wait here.
I'll be right back.
Do you have an ID on the body?
What about the time of death?
Miss Wilcox, I ask the questions around here.
Why don't you put that away?
Denny.
Listen, I heard what happened.
Are you all right?
What are you doing here?
I'm with "The Tribune."
You're taking over city news?
Well, Stanley kind of recommended me.
You got to be kidding me.
Wow.
This is awkward.
I was in line for that job.
We're ready for your statement.
Listen, if there's anything I can do.
Yeah.
You can find the nearest bridge and jump.
Well, it's good to see you haven't changed at all, Denny.
Stop calling me that.
No one's called me that since high school.
There was a man coming from the direction of the body.
He ran past me and bumped my arm.
What was he wearing?
I-- I couldn't really see him.
He-- he was-- had black on.
He had a hood on.
OK.
You have no idea what color his shoes were.
You don't know what he looked like.
And you have no idea whether or not you saw any blood there.
It's funny.
You're a wannabe reporter.
And all you can tell me is that the guy had a hood on.
I don't get it.
You go for a jog at the crack of dawn.
You trip over a dead body.
And the first thing you do when you come to
is you pull out that thing.
You start jotting down notes.
Do you always carry that thing with you when you go jogging?
Well, I'm a wannabe reporter.
We tend to do those kinds of things.
What were you doing in Ramsey Park?
I jog here all the time.
It's my regular route.
Alone?
Are you going to check out the guy with the hood or not?
Yeah, we will.
Is there anything else you want to tell us?
No.
That's it.
That's all I can remember.
Did you even look at the envelope I put on your desk?
I wrote over a dozen spec pieces--
a human interest story, an opinion--
It's probably in there somewhere.
You could have at least given it due consideration.
Instead Simon just waltzes in here?
Simon is extremely well qualified.
He has a master's in journalism from Champlain College, not
to mention years of solid work experience
at two different newspapers. - OK.
So the fact that I've worked my butt off for the past three
years doesn't mean a thing?
Look, Denise, I know this is frustrating for you.
Perhaps if you'd gone to college right
after high school instead of taking time off,
you might be further ahead in your career.
What if I help Simon?
At least on this story--
I was the first person on the scene.
And I found the body.
If-- if you'd called in the story, you might have a point.
But you didn't.
The police contacted us.
So we sent Simon in to cover it.
I could write an accompanying piece, you know,
first person narrative.
I could offer a unique perspective.
It could be a great hook or even a sidebar.
No.
Sorry.
There's nothing I can do.
[SIGH]
What now?
Work hard.
Pay your dues.
And your time will come.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, Denise. Denise.
Hey.
Listen, I'm sorry.
I didn't know you wanted the job.
You know, it doesn't matter.
I wouldn't have gotten it anyway.
Roger doesn't think of me as a reporter.
I'm just someone who sits in the basement
and writes about dead people.
Remember gravy as a condiment?
What?
When we were in high school, we used to put on everything.
Sandwiches, fries, toast.
You even ordered it on a pie once.
We're not 16 anymore.
Hey, do you mind if I--
I join you for lunch?
As a matter of fact, I do.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Yeah, I know. I know.
ANNOUNCER [ON RADIO]: --considerations.
He played just two games for New York
last season before being sidelined by tendinitis.
Also, [INAUDIBLE] months of speculation
by naming Simon Delripple as their new team captain.
[SEAGULLS SQUAWKING]
[RINGING]
COMPUTER: You have one new message.
Hey.
I heard you found the chick in Ramsey Park.
What was it like?
I mean, I've never seen a dead body
before, except for my grandpa.
And he was embalmed. So--
Luke, I'm sorry.
I'm super busy.
Sure.
No problem.
You know, I just thought, since they had an ID on the body,
that you might want to know.
Wait.
Who was it?
I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything.
It's not official.
But I overheard Roger talking.
Luke, tell me.
As long as you're not too busy.
Luke, please.
The name is Rutherford, Melissa Rutherford.
Melissa.
[EXOTIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[BELL JINGLING]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Denise.
I hear you first time.
There was a newspaper on that table a few days ago.
I need to find it.
We get many newspapers.
People leave them all the time.
It was in Chinese. I need to find it.
There was an obituary.
And it had an English name.
Chinese newspaper?
You sure?
Here it is.
It's advertisement for herbal skin cream.
Miss Denise, sometimes when mind gets tired, eyes play tricks.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
[EXOTIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[TYPING]
[CHIMING] COMPUTER: Click here.
Click here.
IT TECH [ON PHONE]: IT Department.
Hey, this is Denise in Obituaries.
Can you look at my computer?
I keep getting these pop-ups.
IT TECH [ON PHONE]: I'll get on it.
[CHIMING] COMPUTER: Click here.
Click here.
And can they do something about
this awful synthesized voice?
It's driving me nuts.
IT TECH [ON PHONE]: Will do.
[CHIMING]
Pier 17?
What does that mean?
May 16?
What?
That can't be right. [CHIMING]
That's tomorrow.
[CHIMING]
[DIALING]
[RINGING]
LORNA WOODS: Hello?
DENISE WILCOX [ON PHONE]: I'm calling about Lorna Woods.
Oh, this is Lorna Woods.
Uh, this is Denise Wilcox from "The Tribune."
Do you have a daughter or a mother named Lorna?
No.
Listen, I'm sorry.
I was just calling to, um, make sure you were all right.
A woman was murdered last night.
So we're asking people to be careful.
So you, what, you pick my name out of the phone book?
Or you're calling every woman in town
to make sure they're all right?
Please, just be aware.
LORNA WOODS [ON PHONE]: I got to go.
[CLICK]
[DIAL TONE]
[HANGS UP]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SWOOSH]
Uh!
[DISTORTED] How's your head?
[SWOOSH]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[TYPING]
[YAWN]
[CHIMING]
COMPUTER: Click here. Click here.
Click here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR DOOR SLAMS]
DISPATCHER [ON RADIO]: Unit 29-31, confirm ATA at Pier 17.
[SIRENS]
Denise Wilcox with "The Tribune."
What's the victim's name?
Ho, hold up.
If you had clearance, you'd know.
Woods, Lorna Woods.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHATTER ON POLICE RADIOS]
What now?
What the hell is she doing here?
What is she doing here?
I'm sorry.
She-- she said she had clearance.
She's never had a byline in her life.
What's the significance of the yellow scarf?
Is it the same material found as the yellow flag
on Melissa Rutherford?
Could this be the same perp or a copycat killing?
Miss Wilcox, I think it's time for you to go home.
Next thing you know we're going have typesetters and paperboys
on the scene.
Come on.
[SIRENS]
Hey, Denise.
Denise.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
How did you know the victim's name?
What?
Because the police had only found out about it
a few moments before you arrived.
I just spent half an hour on the phone
trying to convince my police source that it wasn't me
who told you.
Uh, I don't know.
She's not a friend of yours?
No.
No, I barely knew her.
Oh, so you do know her.
No.
No, I only know her name.
Her mother and my mother used to play bridge together a really
long time ago.
Who the hell do you think you are?
Nancy Drew in high heels?
You see that picture?
That's me with the chief of police.
It took me seven years to establish that relationship.
And I'm not going to let you ruin it.
You-- you can't just go running around, flashing
your press badge and sticking your nose
where it doesn't belong.
Is that clear?
I'm sorry.
It won't happen again.
Finding a body can be a traumatic experience.
I think you should talk to someone.
What do you mean, a shrink?
No, a trauma specialist.
And don't worry about the cost.
It's part of the benefit package.
I don't need a shrink.
You could be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
And it's not a suggestion.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DENISE WILCOX: The IT Tech checked out my computer.
There's nothing wrong with it.
So what do you think is happening?
All right.
Well, there's got to be a logical explanation.
Maybe it was a--
a computer virus or maybe my overactive imagination.
Or maybe I'm going crazy all over again.
Going crazy is not an official diagnosis.
Look, this is a waste of time.
Tell me about Simon.
There's nothing to tell.
I thought he was the love of my life.
My mother caught us doing it and freaked.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
She told me that I would rot in hell
and that she would spend years in purgatory
making up for the fact that she'd raised a tramp.
THERAPIST: How did that make you feel?
Oh, peachy.
How do you think it made me feel?
She humiliated me and then told me I could never see him again.
And that was the impetus for the first attempt?
Yep.
I locked myself in the bathroom and slashed my wrists.
Your mother had you committed to Cliffcrest,
where you tried it again.
Yeah.
My mother got her wish.
THERAPIST: How so?
I never saw Simon again.
Yeah, till he showed up at "The Trib" two days ago.
Hm.
I love sex, right?
That's why I live with a lizard.
So you never told Simon what happened.
No.
THERAPIST: He must have wondered why you suddenly left.
Well, I was in Cliffcrest for a year and a half.
And when I got out, he had graduated and moved away.
THERAPIST: What was Cliffcrest like?
[FOREBODING MUSIC PLAYING]
[LAUGHTER]
I don't remember.
You've-- you've blocked it out.
I prefer to call it moving on.
You treat yourself so hard, Denise.
I mean, let your emotions out.
Laugh, cry.
Do you know I don't let it out?
Because I'm afraid if I start to cry, I might not ever stop.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[TYPING]
Luke.
You asked me what it was like, finding her.
It was awful.
I'm sorry.
Thanks for the papers.
I appreciate it.
Eh, don't worry about it.
Um, I'm going to the warehouse later,
if you want anything else.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DETECTIVE WALKER: Moody, please tell me you have something.
OFFICER MOODY [ON RADIO]: Denise Wilcox's mother
swears she doesn't know anyone with a daughter named Lorna.
Yeah, well, maybe she forgot.
OFFICER MOODY [ON RADIO]: Could be.
Wilcox said they knew each other playing Bridge.
So what?
Her mother doesn't know how to play Bridge.
Huh.
She knew the victim's name at the murder site.
We just barely made the identification ourselves.
Somehow she knew.
Yeah.
That's one of the things I'm planning to find out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[HARD ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
CLERK: Can I help you?
Yes.
Um, I was wondering if you've ever seen this.
She's got a tattoo on her neck.
It looks like some sort of gothic symbol.
Do you have any idea what it means?
Why?
Do I look goth to you?
I'm kidding.
I love doing that.
I'll-- let's see it.
That's Kali.
Kali.
Kali was, like, one of the most
powerful Hindu deities ever.
Here, I'll show you.
Kali was a mother goddess, a protectress.
But she also had a flip side.
She could be bloodthirsty.
And she often destroyed those she was supposed to protect.
See.
Here, look.
She's got, like, four arms.
There's a sword in this hand and a severed head in that one.
That's her destructive side.
But then this hand here, it's, like, raised
in the symbol of, like, peace.
Extremely bipolar, if you ask me.
You OK?
Thank you.
Hey, chill.
It's just a story.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[TYPING]
You're working late.
I just, uh, just have to get a file.
Suit yourself.
Well, listen, Denise, you know,
I think we should clear the air between us, you know,
especially because we have to work together.
We don't have to work together.
You deal with the living.
I deal with the dead.
Oh, that's right.
You deal with the dead too.
As a matter of fact, you're making
quite a name for yourself as a hot shot crime reporter.
I'll just, uh, I'll get the file.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHIMING]
COMPUTER: You have one new message.
[BEEPING]
[CLATTER] [GLASS BREAKING]
What's the matter?
Nothing.
I'm-- I'm fine.
Denise, Denise!
You're not fine.
Denise, what's the matter?
What's wrong?
Please.
I don't want to be alone.
Are you sure?
[MUSIC - LINDY, "BEAUTIFULLY UNDONE"]
[SINGING] I don't remember what it used to be like,
the things that I'm not proud of.
And the only reason I kept coming back to you
was 'cause I thought I was in love.
But I don't think about you anymore.
And I wonder what the hell I came here
for when I'd rather just fall right off of your floor
and come beautifully undone.
I don't recall San Francisco at all,
falls right from my memory.
And the only place that really exists
is where you thought you'd found me.
But I don't think about you anymore.
And I wonder what the hell I came here
for when I'd rather just fall right off of your floor
and come beautifully undone.
Oh.
Yeah.
Oh.
Kali was worshipped by a cult called
Thuggees, hence the word thugs.
They murdered their victims and offered
them to her as sacrifices.
So you think these murders have got something
to do with an ancient cult.
It's a possibility.
Kali made a rumel from the skirt of her yellow dress.
A what?
A rumel, a yellow scarf, for her followers
to strangle their victims with.
Have you seen Dr. Greenberg?
Do you think I'm making this up?
Well, I think you're grabbing at straws.
There's a million more logical reasons
why a killer would use a scarf.
Maybe some, yeah, some unfulfilled bondage fantasy.
Maybe it's time to throw the police off track.
But it was yellow.
Maybe he was colorblind.
Maybe there was a sale on yellow scarves at the Mostmart
and strangling just happens to be his MO.
There's something else.
The morning I found Melissa Rutherford's body,
I passed a wall on my way to Ramsey Park.
There was graffiti on it.
It looked exactly like this, the tattoo on Lorna Woods' neck.
See?
It's a stylized version of Kali.
Pretty far fetched.
I saw Dr. Greenberg.
And he gave me an A plus in the sanity department.
Please, just let me look into it.
I can't have you traipsing all over the town
and using our name.
It'll be research only.
OK?
It won't involve the paper.
If I get a story, great.
If not, no harm done.
I can't authorize something like that.
Denise, I'm going to pretend this conversation didn't
happen.
You're on your own.
If I get one complaint, you're fired.
Do you understand?
Luke, hey.
If you hear anything about Melissa Rutherford or Lorna
Woods, would you let me know?
What's it worth to you?
[PHONE RINGING]
[BEEP]
Mailroom.
Yeah, yeah.
No, I'll look into it.
I'll be down in five minutes.
What's this? - 60 bucks.
It's all I got.
Jeez, Denise, relax.
I was joking.
Oh.
Please.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you.
I'm going to get some air.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, good, I was hoping I'd bump into--
I thought I heard the man of the hour.
Great job on the Woods story.
You made us proud.
Circulation is way up.
I want to discuss something with you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
OK, OK.
It says here that Thuggees exist in India.
Existed-- up until the late 1800s, that is.
Yeah, could they be in any other areas?
Look, at this point, you probably know a hell of a lot
more about this than I do.
We're closing in five.
DENISE WILCOX: It says here that Thuggees are sometimes referred
to as the world's first mafia.
They traveled in large groups.
If you say so.
We're closing in five.
If someone were a follower of Kali,
would they necessarily be part of a group?
Or could they act on their own?
I already told you.
There are no followers.
They were outlawed, like, over 150 years ago.
But hypothetically.
You know what?
You're really starting to freak me out.
Now, are you going to take these with you?
Or do I have to reshelve them too?
I'll take them.
Uh.
Well, look who showed up on my side of the tracks.
You live around here?
It's not as bad as it looks.
Here, let me give you a hand.
Thanks.
[SIRENS]
SIMON CASTILLO: Go to occult book stores often?
Yes.
Hindu mythology?
Symbols and their meaning?
I didn't know you were into this new age stuff.
There's a lot about me you don't know.
Listen, there's a coffee shop nearby.
- Coffee keeps me awake. - Tea?
- No, thanks. - Herbal tea, water?
Denise, we need to talk.
Look, Simon, what happened in the morgue
was a mistake, all right?
A temporary lapse in judgment.
- Denise, please. - I was vulnerable.
I let my guard down.
And there's nothing wrong with letting your guard down.
Yes, there is. Because when I do, I get hurt.
You know what? This was a mistake.
I am fine walking on my own.
Wow, this reeks of deja vu.
There are two sides to everything.
And everyone, apparently.
Oh, so you're just going to walk away, just like in high school.
Come on, Denise.
You could at least give me an explanation.
Some things are better left unsaid.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
We're closed.
Can you come back tomorrow?
I'm with "The Tribune."
[DOOR UNLOCKING]
I wanted to ask you about that woman that was just here,
blonde hair.
Oh, the loony?
Yeah.
[PHONE RINGING]
[BEEP]
LUKE [ON PHONE]: You done?
Almost.
LUKE [ON PHONE]: The deadline was 10 minutes ago.
I know
COMPUTER: Click here. Click here.
Click here.
LUKE [ON PHONE]: What's the matter?
I got another pop-up.
LUKE [ON PHONE]: IT installed a block.
That shouldn't be happening. - I know, I know.
Forget it. Forget it.
[SIGH]
[TYPING]
[CHIMING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What?
All right, Jones, C. Foster.
Is that you?
[DIALING]
[PHONE RINGING]
OPERATOR [ON PHONE]: The number you have reached
is not in service at this time.
And there is no new number.
[SIGH]
[CHIMING]
COMPUTER: Click here. Click here.
Click here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
[CAR DOOR SLAMS]
[DOG BARKING]
[KNOCKING]
Hi, I'm looking for a Mr. Foster.
He's listed as living here in the phone book,
but he may have moved.
I'm Mr. Foster
Is your first initial C?
No, Ivan.
There's a C. Foster at this address.
I'm too late.
I'm sorry.
He was killed two weeks ago.
We just got his body back yesterday.
I'm a reporter with "The Tribune."
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Sir, was he strangled?
Strangled?
It was a roadside bomb, same as most of them.
What do you mean, most of them?
The boys in Iraq.
What the heck do you think I mean?
Was there a yellow scarf with his body?
What are you talking about?
Maybe there was a yellow scarf with the body or a yellow
ribbon, like-- like a medal.
Or maybe you wore a yellow ribbon.
What would I wear a yellow ribbon for?
Because you were waiting for a loved one to return from war.
What? Are you crazy?
I don't know anything about yellow ribbons.
Just leave me alone.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
[DRILLING]
Excuse me, sir.
Hi.
Just a sec.
[DRILLING]
That your car?
Yeah, I'm not here about my car.
I'm looking for someone.
He ain't here.
I haven't told you who I'm looking for.
Yeah, well, we're a garage.
You know, if you're collection agency
looking for support payments or alimony or whatever,
he ain't here.
Please, I need to find Carl Foster.
And what would you be needing Carl for?
I'm with "The Tribune."
It's important that I talk to him.
That's a good one.
[LAUGHTER] Did Kenny put you up to this?
No.
I--
Because you almost had me going there-- for a sec.
Carl Foster.
Hey Carl, there's a lady looking for you here.
[DOG BARKING]
[LAUGHTER]
[DOG BARKS]
The morning Melissa Rutherford was killed,
I saw her obituary in a Chinese newspaper.
I have no idea how it got there.
When I went back to look, it was an advertisement.
And then Lorna Woods, I saw her obituary on my computer
the morning before she died. And I tried to tell her.
And she wouldn't listen.
So when I got something for Carl Foster, I had to warn him
or I'd never be able to live with myself.
So you tracked down a dog.
Oh, Ivan Foster called.
You thought you were crazy and dangerous.
I'm sorry.
You said research only.
You said you wouldn't involve the newspaper.
And here you go, traipsing all over town,
dragging our name through the mud.
And not only that, you've been neglecting your job.
I've got here, what, four complaints
about the obituaries.
Denise, what's going on?
I have no idea.
You've become so obsessed with death.
You're seeing things that aren't there.
What are you saying?
You need to take some time off.
No.
I'm fine.
It's not a suggestion.
What?
You're firing me?
I've been fair.
I've cut you slack.
I've even had you see Dr. Greenberg.
But enough is enough.
Oh, for the record, I had Simon check out
that little theory of yours.
Simon?
Lorna did have a tattoo.
But it wasn't some cult thing.
Her mother said it was a warrior woman symbol.
She had just gotten out of an abusive relationship.
And it was her way of, uh, reclaiming her feminine power.
But it's still Kali.
Not to Lorna it wasn't.
The point is she wasn't a Thuggee like you seem to think.
What about the graffiti near Ramsey Park?
It was a clown picture.
No, that's impossible.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Now could you please get out of my office?
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[RAINFALL]
[CHATTER]
Is Simon in his office?
Uh, I didn't see him in there.
Why?
[CHATTER]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
Can I help you?
Hi, Adele Cooke?
Are you Melissa Rutherford's next of kin?
I'm her mother.
I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am.
Could I speak to you for a few minutes?
Yeah, come on in.
[DOOR CLOSES]
I work the obituaries desk at "The Tribune."
I wasn't aware "The Tribune" was so thorough.
Actually, I'm not here officially.
I just need to clear up a few things for myself.
Do you have a picture of Melissa?
Mhm, yes, right there.
[SWOOSH]
[LAUGHTER]
[SWOOSH]
Miss Wilcox, are you all right?
Did Melissa ever work at a Cliffcrest Hospital?
Why, yes.
Until they shut it down.
But she wasn't Rutherford.
No, Cooke.
She took the name of Rutherford when she got married.
It only lasted a little while.
But she kept the name.
She liked the sound of it.
And everyone always called her Millie, not Melissa.
I knew her.
She saved my life.
You were a patient?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Millie was the only one who ever cared about me.
She didn't think of me as a crazy kid,
but somebody to help.
She was wonderful.
Yeah.
She was.
[SOBBING]
She was.
DETECTIVE WALKER: What do you got, Moody?
OFFICER MOODY [ON RADIO]: Denise Wilcox was
in Cliffcrest for over a year.
Nervous breakdown-- I couldn't get any more
than that without a warrant.
DETECTIVE WALKER: I'll get that process started.
OFFICER MOODY: I found out something else this afternoon.
What do you got?
Before she went to Cliffcrest, she was an honor
student, top of her class.
And guess who her boyfriend was?
Who?
OFFICER MOODY: Simon Castillo.
Interesting.
They worked together on the high school paper.
So her ex-boyfriend gets the job she feels
rightfully belongs to her.
But she's got to take a little vacation at Cliffcrest.
Not a bad motive.
But murderer?
I mean, sure, she's a bit of a whack job, but--
Come on, Moody.
Please.
She's driven, looking for a break.
She's angry at the newspaper because he mistreated her.
Put that together with the fact that she
is a bit of a whack job.
Who knows what she might do?
[PHONE RINGING]
[CHATTER]
Luke, did Simon take the picture at Ramsey park?
What picture?
The one with the clown.
I guess.
Roger asked Simon to check me out.
Why?
Actually, I think it was the other way around.
What?
Luke, someone is messing with me.
And I want to know who and why.
You said if you heard anything--
All I know is that Simon said you
had an overactive imagination and that you've
been acting strange.
Hey, don't do anything you'll regret.
[PHONE RINGING]
[CHATTER]
There was a picture of Kali on the wall.
I know what I saw. [SIGH]
Look, can you sit down?
Let's talk.
Did you paint over it?
Why would I do something like that?
To discredit me.
I mean, that's why you've been following me around,
why you asked Roger if you could check out my theory.
Look, that's not true, Denise.
I was trying to help.
You were afraid that I would find
something out and get a story and leave you out in the cold.
Come on, Denise. That's crazy.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hey, it's Simon.
Look, I'll call you back, Mom.
Uncle Roger-- I'll tell him to give you a call.
[HANGS UP]
[SIGH]
Roger is your uncle?
Look, Denise--
Oh, all that crap about Simon being highly qualified,
how he went straight to college.
You knew I was at "The Tribune" all along.
[STAMMERING]
Come on, Denise.
Denise!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Denise!
Denise.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Denise, Denise, wait.
Denise!
How could you not tell me Roger was your uncle?
Yeah, and how could you not tell me about Cliffcrest?
You were a big part of my life.
And you-- you just disappear?
It takes a murder investigation for me to find out why.
I mean, for Christ's sake, Denise.
Why wouldn't you say something?
Because of these, Simon.
My mother made my life a living hell after she caught us.
It seemed like there was only one way out.
But somehow I screwed up.
I didn't die.
So she put me in a loony bin for six months.
And when I tried again and still didn't do it right,
they gave me another six months.
OK?
So now you know.
Do you think I don't know what it's like, people looking at me
like I'm crazy?
I didn't want that, Simon, not from you.
Denise, please.
No.
Please, just go away and leave me alone.
[SIGH]
[MUSIC - LINDY, "BEAUTIFULLY UNDONE"]
[SINGING] But I don't think about you anymore.
And I wonder what the hell I came here
for when I'd rather just fall right off of your floor
and come beautifully undone.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Who?
Me, Denise Wilcox.
Obsessive, lonely, frustrated.
Heh.
Best friend is a lizard.
Who has only had sex once in the last 12 years.
What?
Trying to make sense of something
that makes absolutely no sense at all.
Where?
Ramsey Park in Pier 17.
When?
May 15, May 16.
Why?
That's what I'm going to find out.
[CHIMING]
127 Fraser Street.
[SWOOSH]
DISPATCHER [ON RADIO]: All units, all units,
armed robbery or assault in progress,
127 Fraser Street at The Way of the Wisdom occult shop.
Extreme caution is advised.
[RADIO CRACKLES]
This is Walker proceeding to The Way of Wisdom.
[RADIO CRACKLES]
[SIREN BLARING]
Hello?
Hello, is anybody here?
[GASP]
Oh my god.
Oh, god.
Miss Wilcox, I hope you're ready to talk.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
[ZIPPING]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
So you came here because of an instant message that
mysteriously appeared on your computer
telling you that Eunice Jorgensen was going to die.
Yes.
How'd you know the victim's real name was Eunice?
I didn't.
You got any way of showing me this instant message?
It disappeared right after I read it.
How come you never told us you knew Melissa Rutherford?
I didn't remember her.
You block things out sometimes, don't you?
Yes.
Like when you kill someone, times like those?
No.
Are you sending yourself instant messages telling yourself
information you already know?
No.
Denise, you're going to have to come clean.
People are dropping like flies around you.
And there's a link to everyone of them.
You even hung out at the same place as Lorna Woods.
You know you shop here.
You know you knew that lady who just got
dragged out in a body bag.
We know you knew Melissa Rutherford at Cliffcrest.
So you're going to have to come clean.
I know it's hard.
We know you're emotionally fragile.
We talked to your mother.
My mother?
Yeah.
If you want to know anything about me,
my mother is the last person you should be talking to.
Do you have anything to charge me with?
I'm going home.
Wow.
[DOOR OPENS]
[SIRENS]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[TYPING]
[KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey.
Uh, I heard you're on a leave of absence.
[SIGH]
That's a polite way to put it.
Well, I brought you some--
some newspapers and some things you might need.
Oh, thank you.
You all right?
Oh, I've been better.
Do you want to talk about it?
Yeah.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you always carry a bottle of wine with you?
I thought it could be one of those things you might need.
Mhm.
[SINGING] Oh, I can see the sea, all the good in front of me.
The, uh, the guy at the garage, what was his name?
Arnold Foster.
The obituary said Carl Foster.
Carl was his dog.
Ah.
That doesn't make sense, though.
If Carl was a dead dog, then that's
a whole different other story.
But people don't write obituaries for their dead dogs,
do they?
And the 49-year-old thing, that's kind of weird,
although that's-- that's seven years in dog years.
Luke.
Sorry.
I, uh, I'm just trying to help.
What if Detective Walker was right?
I read a book once about this guy.
He had multiple personalities.
And he committed crimes he didn't even know about.
Denise.
Maybe that's what Kali means.
She was both a protectress and a destroyer.
There are two sides to everything.
[SIGH]
Luke, maybe there's a part of me,
deep down inside, that's evil.
You're not evil.
Not you.
[SINGING ON RADIO] Dry them undercover.
I can lose the gun.
I can be forever young, surf the skyway, do everything my way.
Sorry.
[SINGING] But I met you.
It's the wine.
[SINGING] And you're too far to--
I better go.
[SINGING] Once I find, I don't know--
Hey, I'm sorry about your job.
Nepotism sucks.
Yeah.
It worked out pretty well for Simon, didn't it?
Heh.
The murders, the bylines.
[SWOOSH]
Roger asked Simon to check me out.
Why?
Actually, I think it was the other way around.
It was a clown picture.
Did you paint over it?
[SWOOSH]
Luke, wait.
What?
What's up?
The murders started when Simon got back.
He's been following me around.
But he hasn't-- he doesn't think I notice.
I see his Jeep all the time in my mirror.
Do you think Simon is doing this?
I don't know.
I need to think things through.
Have a good night.
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
All right.
Password.
070476.
[BEEP]
[SIGH]
[DOORBELL]
OK, Mother's maiden name, mother's maiden name.
McDermott.
[BEEPING]
OK, hot shot, what password would you use?
What password would you use?
Password.
Denny.
[DING]
Oh, god.
[KNOCKING]
Denise, it's Simon.
[KNOCKING]
[DOORKNOB RATTLING]
[SLAM]
Denise!
[BEEP]
[TYPING]
[BEEP]
[SIGH]
Nothing.
Denise!
What the hell?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
Nickname, Hot Shot.
Favorite song, "Oh, Denise, Shoo-be-doo, I'm
in Love with You."
Oh, god.
[CAR STARTING]
[TIRES SQUEALING]
[CHIME]
[DIALING]
DETECTIVE WALKER [ON PHONE]: Detective
Walker, I'm not in right now.
Leave a message.
[HANGS UP PHONE]
Hello?
Is anyone there?
[ECHOING FOOTSTEPS]
[BANG]
[SLAM]
[DOORKNOB RATTLING]
[BANGING]
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[BEEPING]
[BANGING]
[CHIMING] COMPUTER: Click here.
Click here.
Click here. Click--
[CHIMING]
Oh my god.
[CHIMING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHIMING]
What?
[CHIMING]
Where are you?
What do you want?
[CHIMING]
Denise!
[CHIMING]
[BANGING]
Denise, you in there?
[BANGING]
[DOOR OPENS]
Denise?
Stay away.
I'm warning you.
I have a knife.
I saw your apartment, Denise.
You're obsessed.
No, you're obsessed.
You use my name as a password.
What are you talking about, Denise?
I didn't use your name.
Somebody must have changed it.
Don't lie.
You came back because you knew I was here.
No.
No, I wanted to see you, Denise.
I wanted to know if maybe things could work out between us.
You wanted to kill me.
This is insane.
Don't call me insane.
I saw your yearbook.
My picture is scratched out, the rubel around my neck.
What are you talking about, Denise?
I lost my yearbook ages ago.
[ANGRILY] Now put the knife down and let's talk.
Stay back!
Ah!
[CLATTER]
Denise. [THUD]
Ow!
[GLASS SHATTERING]
Oh, god.
[WHIMPERING]
Oh, god.
Oh, Luke.
Denise, what's happening? What's wrong?
- Simon. - What?
- Simon is the killer. - What?
He came after me.
I was just trying to defend myself.
- Where? - In the morgue.
I hit him. I hit him.
I hit him hard. - OK.
Did you kill him? - I don't know.
OK. It's OK.
All right? You stay here, OK?
I'm going to go check.
Just a sec.
Oh, god.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Oh, god.
Oh, god. I'm going to call the police.
Whoa, whoa. Are you crazy?
No.
No, no, no, no, no. OK?
The already suspect you of the other murders.
One more and they're going to lock you away for good.
What am I supposed to do?
I got some money.
We can take your car. We can drive across the border.
- No. - And we can fly somewhere safe.
No.
Then they'll really think I did it.
I just know that if you stay here, with everything
stacked against you--
Denise, let me help you.
OK?
Sit down.
All right?
You don't have to decide everything right now.
I can hide you.
I know somewhere safe where you can figure it all out.
The old psychiatric hospital is abandoned now.
You can hide there.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
And then, if you want to call the police,
if you want to see them, we'll go see the police.
But if not, I can help you.
And we can get away.
OK?
Give me your keys.
And I'll go get your car.
And I'll bring it around back.
And we'll drive away.
OK.
I'll be right back.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[KEY TURNING IN LOCK]
[DOOR OPENS]
[SINGING ON RADIO] Heaven, how we finished too far.
Heaven, let your eyes be kind.
We're walking harmlessly.
[CHIMING]
[TYPING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[TYPING]
Denise, are you ready?
I wish you hadn't gone in there.
I really wish you hadn't.
Why?
I know.
I'm tenacious, Denise.
Sometimes that's a good thing.
But more often than not, that gets you in trouble.
Like with Simon for instance, that little romance
you had with him in high school?
It got under your skin and you couldn't let it go.
It's hardly surprising with your background.
Low self-esteem, a domineering mother, an imaginary friend.
Who are you?
We had a relationship.
And you don't remember who I am?
I saved your life, Denise.
I was there when you needed me.
And you didn't even say goodbye when you left me.
What are you talking about?
Cliffcrest.
[SWOOSH]
[BANGING]
Help!
Nurse!
Help!
Nurse, nurse!
Help!
Somebody!
Somebody help!
[SWOOSH]
You just abandoned me.
[SWOOSH]
But you'll need me again, Denise.
Mark my words.
[CLATTER]
Oh, that was you?
Simon never saved you.
He only caused you pain.
Right, Denise?
Right?
Oh, don't.
[TAPE RIPPING]
Then why did you let him do this?
Huh?
What?
Why did you let him do this?
Look at that.
See that?
That should have been me.
That should've been me.
We're going to go back where we were happy.
What are you doing?
We're going to go back where it was good.
Please, don't.
Come on!
[DOOR SLAMS]
[CHIMING]
[BEEPING]
Uh.
[BEEPING]
[BRAKES SCREECH]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
Please.
You're going to love this.
Please, Luke, don't.
Shut up, Denise.
You're going to love this.
There's a place for you.
No, Luke!
[WHIMPERING]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[BEEPING]
Kali.
Yeah.
Ugliness, beauty, life, death.
Kali represents it all.
I did it for you.
I knew you'd understand.
Lorna's tattoo?
Oh, she already had that.
That's why I chose her.
There was a certain synchronicity to it,
don't you think?
You remember this hall, Denise?
This is where we began.
It was so beautiful.
I loved who you were then.
You're so much more lovable screwed up, Denise.
Don't do this.
[LAUGHTER]
I saw how depressed you were that day.
And when I saw you slip past the attendants,
I knew you were up to something.
So I followed you.
And I saw you hanging.
So then I ran for the nurse, because I
couldn't open the door.
I loved you, Denise.
I saved you, Denise.
I saved your life.
You owe me.
You owed me everything.
But you gave me nothing.
Do you know how many times I cried
myself to sleep, wondering if you were ever coming back?
Luke, please.
I didn't know. They didn't tell me.
They just told me it was a boy.
I didn't know.
I'm sorry.
Thank you for saving me.
Thank you for saving my life.
You needed me, Denise.
It felt so right.
I even kissed you that day.
[SWOOSH]
[SMOOCH]
[SWOOSH]
Do you want to kiss me now?
Yeah.
Come here.
It's OK.
You can kiss me Yeah.
You can touch me.
[SIGH]
Kiss me, Luke.
It's OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What's the matter? - You're cold.
You're lying.
You don't love me. - Yes, I do love you.
No, you don't.
No. Sit down.
Get down.
Uh!
We're going to finish this.
Stay there.
With your history, the police will have no trouble believing
that you tried it again.
Only this time, you'll succeed.
Now, one last thing--
your obituary. Write it.
No, I can't.
Dictate it to me.
Just come on.
Denise Marie Wilcox.
You have such a pretty name.
Continue, go.
Go.
Survived by her mother Ethel and her lizard Lizzie.
Few friends, never married.
Come on, Denise.
Enjoyed solitary jobs in the park.
Please, don't do this.
Please don't do this.
Spent her entire professional career
in the obituary department of "The Tribune," chronicling
the deaths of others but never learning
how to live her own life.
How's that for poetry?
Please, don't do this.
Please, don't.
[WHIMPERING]
Through a period of deep remorse,
she decided to take her own life.
[SOBBING]
Please, don't.
I wanted to save you, Denise.
I wanted to set you free.
The only way you were ever going to get over Simon
was I had to make you hate him.
And you did, didn't you?
Right?
For a moment there, when you thought
he was behind everything, you hated him.
Yeah.
Yeah, I thought so.
Well, I guess the only thing to do now
is add the time of death.
No, please, don't.
2:53.
Goodbye, Denise.
Luke--
[CLATTER]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[SMOOCH]
[FABRIC RIPPING]
[THUD] - Ah!
Ah.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Ah!
Uh!
[THUDDING]
[THWACK]
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Oh, god.
Oh.
SIMON CASTILLO: Denise!
[SOBBING]
Shh, it's all right.
It's OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[SIRENS WAILING]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
[SIRENS WAILING]
DENISE WILCOX [VOICEOVER]: Journalism 101,
the lead paragraph in any story should answer the five W's.
Who?
Luke McCray.
What?
A series of murders.
Where?
The city of Oakville.
When?
This past month.
Why?
Tragic obsession.
Are you ready Miss Features?
[CHUCKLING]
Great story, Denise.
Great new story.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC - LINDY, "BEAUTIFULLY UNDONE"]
[SINGING] I don't remember what it used to be like,
the things that I'm not proud of.
And the only reason I kept coming back to you
was 'cause I thought I was in love.
But I don't think about you anymore.
And I wonder what the hell I came
here for when I'd rather just fall right off of your floor.
And come beautifully undone.
I don't recall San Francisco at all,
falls right from my memory.
And the only place that really exists
is where you thought you'd found me.
But I don't think about you anymore.
And I wonder what the hell I came here for.
When I'd rather just fall right off of your floor
and come beautifully undone.
Oh, yeah, oh.
[MUSIC PLAYING]