♪ ♪
[humming]
♪ ♪
♪ What will I do in search of power ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Who will I turn to when it's over ♪
♪ ♪
[grunting]
- Are you ready to tell the truth?
Mm.
- Well, I guess that means you don't want your meals
returned to normal portions.
You don't want your chain lengthened so you can engage
in your normal exercises?
Because if you do,
you will tell me what you really did to Annie.
- I thought you were above withholding food, huh?
Isn't that what you said before,
that you weren't a monster like me?
You forced my hand.
Don't force mine.
- Or what? You have no power here.
So for your sake, tell me the truth about Annie.
- [scoffs] I don't know how many times I must say it.
I did not kill Annie.
- OK, tell me what happened again.
And this time, start at the end and work back.
I trained you well.
Liars are unable to tell a story backwards.
- Liars also stall for time. I learned that on my own.
OK, fine.
[tense music]
I bought a red ribbon, like the one Annie was wearing.
And I showed it to you, implying that I killed her
in order to keep you under control.
And it worked.
Yes, I am a masterful puppeteer,
but I am not a killer.
- Unless you see the person as a threat
to you and me, like Lacey,
like Annie.
Tell me, if you didn't kill her,
why didn't she come back for me?
Any decent person would have called the police.
- And that is your mistake... Assuming Annie is decent.
Truth is, she is unwell.
Annie only cares about Annie... Her wants, her desires.
♪ ♪
- What you just described is you.
I am going to find the truth, and when I do,
I will make you pay... For me and Annie.
♪ ♪
[line trilling]
Trent, hey, I need help.
It's a cold case.
Her name is Stephanie "Annie" Lopez.
- ♪ Let's be quiet for a moment ♪
♪ Watch the shapes begin to fall ♪
OK.
- ♪ Keep your head above the system ♪
♪ Keep your eyes towards the... ♪
- Now, remember, no matter what,
do not open your eyes.
♪ ♪
Can I look now?
Open them.
- ♪ It's the people we don't know ♪
♪ It's the people we don't know ♪
[gasps]
So what do you think?
- You're sure I can borrow any book I want?
- Yeah, it's why we're here, isn't it?
[laughs]
Oh, my God, thank you, Mr. Evans.
You're welcome.
- Um, by the way, where are we, exactly?
I got a little turned around during the drive.
It's not easy to find, is it?
Don't you get lonely out here?
- I'd straight go crazy. - [chuckles]
Oh, remember, you need to call your father.
I wouldn't want him to worry, only it would be best if...
Oh, don't worry.
I know we're not supposed to do field trips
without permission.
I won't get you in trouble.
[line trilling]
Hey, Dad, it's me.
Can we move dinner by an hour?
I'm at this cool old bookshop.
Just stuff for summer reading.
OK, cool. [laughs]
- You're the best. - [chuckles]
- An old bookshop? - Close enough.
Besides, he knows how much I love books.
- Gabrielle, I hope you know how exceptional you are.
Without a doubt, the brightest student I've ever had.
Thank you, Mr. Evans.
- Recently, though, I've noticed a change.
A change how?
- You've been paying less attention to my teachings
and more to a certain boy,
Justin.
Justin and I are just friends.
I'm glad to hear it.
That said, I would be remiss if I did not share with you
rumors that Justin has taken, let's call them liberties,
with some of your classmates.
Mr. Evans, no offense,
but my friends aren't really your concern.
Besides, what you're saying about Justin isn't true.
Remember what I taught you.
You are the hero of your own story.
But still, one wrong step, one wrong influence...
- You know, we should probably get going.
Um...
My dad, he would... he would...
He would freak out if I'm late for dinner.
I'm... I'm distracting you.
There are... there are still so many more books
that I know you'll love.
Please.
[sighs] We'll leave soon.
[tense music]
[phone chimes]
I'm so sorry.
I know you prefer it if I keep this off, but it's work.
- No, no, it's OK. The work you do is important.
Besides, our session is almost ending.
Oh, I... I almost, uh, forgot.
So tomorrow makes it a full week
since I've gotten to the bus station
an hour later than usual.
Congratulations.
That is significant progress, Margaret.
Thank you.
Um, but I feel like there's a however coming.
- I think it's time for the next step...
A whole night away from the bus station.
How?
I... I don't think I can do it.
Have you heard of EMDR,
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing?
Margaret, the injury that you suffered
when you lost your son is no less severe
than if you had been stabbed.
And for the past 13 years, you've picked at that wound.
Every night, you go to the bus station.
I think by revisiting that day,
we can remove the guilt you continue to carry.
- OK, I-I have to get to work, but, um, I'll consider it.
And I would like to do a little bit of research, too.
Of course.
[dramatic music]
I'm sorry I'm late.
- Russell, Savannah, this is our colleague, Margaret.
She'll be helping us find your son.
- Brandon Davis is 25 and has been missing for two days.
- You'd never believe it by looking at him,
but all through high school,
Brandon was a scrawny little thing,
got bullied every day.
But now he's a nurse and a reservist in the Navy.
You must be very proud.
- Is there anything you can tell us
about his state of mind the last time you saw him?
- I don't know, last month, he's been different.
[voice echoing] Different how?
- [voice echoing] I don't know if any of you are mothers,
but you just know when something's wrong.
Two and a half days ago,
Brandon stopped answering our calls.
At first, it seemed silly. I mean, Brandon is 25.
He can take care of himself.
- But then I went to visit, and he wasn't there.
- And his car was missing. - Friends, coworkers?
- We called all the ones we know,
but no one had any idea where he could be.
So we went to the police.
- Let me guess, missing 25-year-old Black man,
not exactly a high priority.
- Actually, the detective we spoke with was considerate.
- But then it was like he flipped a switch.
He stopped returning our calls.
That's when I knew something was wrong...
Something the police didn't want us to know.
- Who was the detective assigned to your son's case?
Mark Trent.
♪ ♪
[vocalizing]
Uh, I'll call you back.
Hey, uh, if you're here about the cold case...
Oh, I'm not here about Annie.
I'm here praying you have a damn good explanation
for what's going on with the Brandon Davis case.
- [sighs] I see you've met Russell and Savannah.
OK, Brandon is 25 years old.
He was reported missing...
I need facts I don't know.
- Well, this was Brandon's laptop.
Now, the hope was we could use it to track his phone.
Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck with that.
But there were two things on here that were...
It's better if I just show you.
I pulled this video off his cloud.
Now, it's shot from a distance and then zooms in...
- Like a stalker. Who is she?
- Allison Burkhart, 24 years old.
She's a paralegal, and she's missing, too.
Now, who she is to Brandon,
this is where things get a little fuzzy.
This text was sent from Allison to Brandon's phone.
"Stay away.
I never, ever want to see you again."
Did Brandon respond, any text history?
- No, but he could have used some other messaging service
that wasn't backed up on the cloud.
Point is, this text was sent the same day
both Brandon and Allison went missing.
So what?
You just assume Brandon must have taken her?
- No, I'm actually trying to not make any assumptions.
That's why I'm not talking to Brandon or Allison's families
until I have more information.
I don't need either family fanning the flames.
Uh, too late.
- [remote clicks] - Is that...
- For two days, I have remained silent...
- Veronica Burkhart. Allison's mom.
- While the police have done nothing.
Well, I am done waiting.
My daughter, Allison, has been taken by this man.
His name is Brandon Davis.
And my daughter does not know him.
He has abducted her,
and I am calling on the public to please...
just help bring my daughter back home.
.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
I thought we weren't talking.
- A young Black man and white woman have gone missing.
The mother of the woman has gone public,
accusing the man of taking her daughter.
- And you represent the young man,
who now has a very large bull's-eye on his back,
so time is of the essence.
♪ ♪
- What are you waiting for?
- You, to acknowledge how much you need me.
See, this is why I know, without a doubt,
nothing will ever come between us, not even Annie.
- And the fact that you are bartering
with a young man's life to prove a point
is why as soon as I find out the truth about Annie,
I have no more use for you.
- I take it you think the young man is innocent?
- Isn't everyone until proven otherwise?
- Oh, I see now why you like him.
He looks familiar.
Who was your first crush? What was his name?
Justin.
- I expect you to have something when I get back.
And let me ask you,
if this Brandon were white and this young woman Black...
Wouldn't matter.
- You need to put aside your own personal bias
and assume Brandon is guilty.
I assume nothing.
For all I know, she could be a danger to him.
- Assume the worst. You'll rarely be disappointed.
- Brandon's phone is a dead end.
It's off or disabled.
Car is a '93 Wrangler, no GPS, no LoJack, nothing.
- All right, thanks to Allison's mother,
we're likely no longer the only ones looking for Brandon now.
We need to move fast before some wannabe hero
takes justice into their own hands.
- We can thank Detective Trent for that.
- You think he leaked Brandon's photo to Allison's mother?
- How else did she get it? - Trent said he didn't do it,
- and I believe him. - Margaret, you and Dhan
get over to Brandon's, see what clues we can find.
Zeke, I need to know everything about Brandon and Allison's
last 24 hours before they went missing,
what stores each went to, what they ate,
who they hugged, everything. - You think Brandon took her?
- As far as I'm concerned, we look at
both of them as suspects and both of them as victims.
What we know is that both cases are connected.
If we find one, we're likely to find the other.
Zeke, Trent is gonna give us access to Brandon's laptop.
Maybe you can find something the DCPD missed.
I need you to call Paula,
try to get me on the air right now.
The narrative out is that Brandon is the kidnapper.
We need to change that now. - On it.
- In the meantime, I need to talk to Allison's mother.
If we want Brandon home safe,
she needs to put out the fire she started.
♪ ♪
There's no sign of a struggle.
Empty hangers, missing shoes, missing toiletries...
Brandon planned to leave, and judging by what he took,
it's likely he only meant to be gone for a few days.
You find something?
No, just remembering.
OK, so he was planning a trip.
Doesn't mean something didn't happen to him.
I agree.
Nothing here speaks to him being a threat.
His minimalist approach
does speak to a rather lonely life, though.
- The minute it gets out he had PTSD,
people are gonna think he snapped,
decided to kidnap himself a pretty woman.
- Or they'll think that his seeking therapy
is a sign of hope.
- Is that what you're hoping Taylor will think about you?
[dramatic music]
[indistinct chatter]
When you called me,
I believed it was about an update on my daughter.
- I know. Please just hear her out.
- I'll be speaking to your superiors
about being removed from Allison's case.
- We're trying to help your daughter,
even though you put an innocent young man's life in danger.
How dare you.
I haven't done anything that any decent mother
wouldn't have done.
- And what about Brandon's mother?
Have you considered how she's feeling?
Not only does she believe in her son's innocence,
she fears he might be missing or in danger.
I want to help you both.
[sighs]
♪ ♪
All I know is that my daughter texted that man, Brandon,
and told him to leave her alone.
Now, I know my daughter.
She has never once mentioned this Brandon.
She did not know him.
- Except her texting him suggests otherwise.
- Fine, maybe they knew each other in passing,
but the text clearly shows she wanted nothing to do with him.
Allison is in a long-term relationship
with a wonderful, wonderful man.
- You mean Robert Franklin, the hedge fund manager?
Let me help you, Veronica.
I can take your daughter on as a client,
work with the DCPD to find her.
Give me access to her apartment,
her laptop, and her friends, and I promise you,
I will bring her home.
- No, Brandon's family came to you first.
You wouldn't prioritize my daughter, and we both know it.
And I'm not gonna help you dig up dirt on Allison
to try and exonerate the man who took her.
- Allison's mom won't help us because and I quote,
"She doesn't want us digging up dirt on her daughter."
Translation? All: There's dirt to be found.
- Zeke, I want you to dig deep on Allison
and do not stop until you get gold.
Dhan, track down Allison's boyfriend, Robert Franklin.
Mom used "wonderful" twice unsolicited.
- I don't trust that. - Exactly.
She's trying too hard.
And considering neither Robert nor Allison
have posted photos of each other
on their socials, something's fishy.
Anything at Brandon's to give us any clue
as to where he could have gone?
- No, just that it seemed planned.
- Good news, Paula can get you on the air
to tell Brandon's side of the story.
Bad news is it's in 11 minutes.
That's 10 more than I need.
Paula, let me be clear.
I want Allison Burkhart home and safe.
But I want to also remind America
we have a missing hero out there,
a nurse and a reservist.
Brandon Davis has done nothing but serve his fellow man,
giving this country his best,
and now we all need to return the favor
and assume the best about him.
We need to help bring him home.
- I couldn't agree more.
I... Gabi, hold on.
My producers are telling me we have an additionl guest
joining us.
I'm just getting caught up to speed,
but, uh, it's a bit of a surprise.
- This isn't good. I can feel it.
- Joining us is Harwell Justice,
the host of the popular and controversial podcast,
"Worldwide Justice."
Harwell, welcome to the show.
- Paula, thank you for having me.
Now, as much as I enjoy listening to Ms. Mosely,
it is important to remember that her background is in PR.
So what you just heard is well-crafted spin.
The truth is that a beautiful young woman
has been taken by a perhaps once heroic,
now dangerous young man.
- Dangerous? Brandon Davis is a nurse.
He saves lives. He doesn't take them.
Sure about that, Ms. Mosely?
Thanks to a loyal listener, I have an exclusive
that we've just confirmed.
On the day in question, Brandon Davis
made a purchase at a military supply store in Bethesda.
Do you want to know what he bought?
A rope and a knife.
- We're supposed to take your word for it?
We have video proof.
So what do you have to say to that, Ms. Mosely?
[dramatic music]
.
[doorbell rings]
What the hell just happened?
How is Harwell Justice, a two-bit provocateur,
one step ahead of us?
- Earlier this week, Brandon took out $300 cash.
That's what he used to pay for the supplies.
Look, I am good, but no one can track cash,
at least not from behind a computer.
- So it's true. He bought a rope and a knife.
- I spoke with the store's owner.
Brandon purchased rope and a knife
just two hours before Allison went missing.
- Look, I know this looks bad, but is it possible
- that it's merely a coincidence? - It doesn't matter.
The court of social media public opinion has spoken.
Gabi, Harwell's fear mongering has gone mainstream.
People are calling for Brandon to be shot on sight.
- And some vigilante is going to do just that.
We have to find him first.
- There must be something we can do to shut Harwell up.
- Yeah, by finding the truth.
Zeke, Lacey, keep digging into Allison's past.
If she as much as got a school detention,
I want to know about it.
- I want to talk to Brandon's mother again, alone this time.
I feel like she was holding out.
- Dhan, where are we with the boyfriend?
I finally got a lock on him.
- Great, text me the address. I'll meet you there.
- Appreciate you, dude. Thank you.
- Weird, I wouldn't have taken you for the food-truck type.
Gabi Mosely.
- And you are? - Her associate.
You don't seem surprised to see us, Robert.
- Well, Allison's mother called and warned me
that you guys would show up eventually.
You know, I don't share her reticence.
The more eyes looking for Allison, the better.
How can I help?
- For a man whose girlfriend is missing,
you seem remarkably calm.
- You should have seen me this morning.
But tearing my place apart and frantically
calling all of our friends wasn't helping, either.
- Had any of the friends seen or heard from her?
- Nothing, not a word. - How did you and Allison meet?
- Well, Veronica introduced us a couple of years ago,
a friend of the family.
When'd you break up?
Allison stopped posting pictures of you a month ago.
Oh.
Well, I hate to poke holes in your investigative skills,
but Allison and I have never been better.
And what about Brandon?
You ever meet him before, seen him around?
Nope.
If I had, don't you think I would have mentioned it?
- I guess so. Thank you for your time.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you for coming back in.
Anything to find my son.
[sighs]
Savannah, earlier when you said
that Brandon was acting differently,
your body tensed up.
You got shifty and anxious.
There's something that you're not telling us, isn't there?
And please don't lie, because I'll know.
And every second that we're wasting in here,
I'm not out there looking for your son.
The difference was...
he was happy.
- I think he was in love. - OK.
I mean, well then... Then why didn't you tell us...
Oh, it's Allison, isn't it?
- Brandon never told me who she was,
but he was constantly asking me things like
if I thought opposites attract
or how I'd feel if he brought home someone who wasn't Black.
- And you feel guilty about how you responded?
- I told him I'd be lying if I said
I wasn't hoping he'd bring home a Black wife.
You have to understand.
Our men get so much thrown at them just for being.
And as a mother, all I want is for my son to have
the best love and support.
And for me,
that's a woman who inherently understands why
Brandon has to brace himself
before he walks into certain situations.
It's a woman who already knows to say,
"I got you, you're a king,"
before he enters those spaces,
a woman who immediately understands
when the world has made her Black man wary
without him having to explain why.
- So you felt like you couldn't tell us
when you suspected that he and Allison
were in a relationship?
- I had no proof, and I knew this would happen.
I knew that the minute the world found out
about the both of them that everyone would assume
that my beautiful boy had done something
to this white woman, and...
and not just see them both as victims.
Oh.
Have you seen the news? [scoffs]
Nobody cares about Brandon anymore.
The only victim in America's eyes right now is Allison.
- The hedge fund boyfriend is a lying ass.
- Allison's a high school deviant.
- Brandon and Allison are a couple.
- OK. Zeke and Lacey, first, go.
- It turns out your hunch about Allison was spot-on.
Her parents paid off the right people,
but the unofficial word is
she got expelled in the 11th grade.
- Expelled for what? - Bringing a loaded gun
to school and threatening three witnesses.
- Why'd she do it? - Does it matter?
If the situation were reversed and Harwell Justice
found out Brandon brought a loaded gun to school, then...
- We are not Harwell. We deal with facts. Why the gun?
- According to sealed transcripts,
Allison claims she was being bullied.
- Now, Brandon was also bullied in school.
That's something they have in common.
- A lack of corroborations is also apparently
something they have in common.
Nobody can corroborate their relationship.
All we have to go on is a mom's strong intuition.
Margaret's right.
I've talked to at least 20 of Allison's friends.
They're all sipping the Robert Kool-Aid,
saying how lucky Allison was
and how she would never leave him.
- Well, I put a tracker in Robert's car.
So whatever he's up to,
we'll find out sooner rather than later.
The sooner, the better.
Online chatter is getting worse.
Brandon's in real danger.
- Zeke, cross-reference Allison's friends
- on her social with Robert. - What are we looking for?
- I got it. Almost all of them, 91% mutual friends.
- No wonder everyone's a part of the Robert fan club.
Lacey, start calling all of the friends exclusive to Allison,
- find one who will talk. - Hold on.
That "leave me alone" text from Allison to Brandon
the day they went missing, when was that sent?
6:46 p.m. Why?
- This is Allison's last post from that same day.
Look at the time on the clock behind her.
7:13 p.m.
"Just drying off from my three-mile swim."
How can she swim and text at the same time?
- She can't, which means someone else sent it.
- Three guesses who'd be motivated to get Brandon
- to leave Allison alone. - Bring him in.
I want another crack at that bastard.
- Got it. - I got this one.
Pretending to be someone else in an electronic transmission,
that's identity theft.
Then there's the actual crime of accessing
the phone without permission.
That carries up to a one-year sentence, unless, of course,
it's determined to be part of a hate crime.
Whoa, hate crime?
It was just one damn text.
I didn't even know Brandon was Black until later.
Oh, so you did send that text?
Look, it was stupid, OK?
- Hmm. - I was jealous.
We had been good for two years, and then all of a sudden,
she ups and asks for a break.
She said that she met somebody else.
- And that was Brandon? Hm? - Yeah.
They met in some rock climbing class.
She said it was love at first sight.
So you hacked her phone?
- I went down to the rec center to talk to her that evening,
but she didn't even want to do that.
So yeah, while she was swimming,
I tried to make Brandon go away.
But it was just a text.
- Where are Brandon and Allison now?
I don't know. I swear.
Look, what I did was for her own good.
She was throwing her life away over some guy.
I had to save her.
- Mr. Evans, please. I'd really like to go home now.
- OK, remember all the conversations we've had
this past year, all that we shared,
our love for literature,
my lonely childhood, not too dissimilar to yours.
I was there for you, remember?
Even as your father abandoned you...
What are you talking about?
I want to go home.
Our bond is real.
I do not understand why you continue
to stand here and deny it.
Take out your notebook.
Take it out now.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Yes, see?
I saw it when you were in class.
H.E. Hugh Evans.
H.E. is not you.
That's... that's my best friend, Hilary...
Hilary Edwards.
She sits next to me in chemistry.
No, no, we're...
We're connected, we're family.
Mr. Evans, please.
You're a wonderful teacher.
You've broadened my mind so much, but...
we are not family.
Now, please. I want to go home.
- Gabrielle, remember the quote that I taught you from Sartre?
It essentially sums up to, "We are our choices."
I cannot allow you to make the wrong choice.
This is... This is for your own good.
No, no.
- Hey, no, no. - [screams]
[screaming]
.
- No plane tickets in either of their names,
same for train tickets and bus tickets.
- OK, it's been over three days for Brandon and Allison.
We... Margaret, you're still here?
You need a ride to the bus station?
I already asked, repeatedly.
- No, no, I want to stay. I can stay.
- I found Allison's friend, the one she shared the truth with.
I'm so sorry.
I just got back from my brother's wedding in Mexico,
and I saw everything on the news about Allison.
- And then Ms. Quinn called and... - It's OK.
You are here now.
What can you tell us about Brandon and Allison?
- I mean, they've just been dating two months,
but Allison said she felt like
- she knew Brandon her whole life. - Then why the secrecy?
- Things with Robert were so messy.
He's a freaking narcissist,
so Allison just wanted to keep this private.
- Becky, can you think where Brandon and Allison could be?
Allison said something about
a romantic camping getaway, two nights just them,
but she didn't say exactly when.
- Camping would explain the rope and the knife.
- Except it's been three nights now,
- almost four, which means... - Something went wrong.
- Becky, do you know where they were planning to camp?
I'm sorry, no.
I... I just know that it was someplace special to Allison.
It sounded like she had been there before.
- Lacey, Dhan, I need both parents here now.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Thank you for coming so quickly.
♪ ♪
Margaret, you have two options:
a ride to the hospital or a ride to the bus station.
You have to make me stay.
Please, please, just make me stay.
- You are minutes away from collapsing.
You tried. There's pride in that.
Trust you'll know when to try again.
[shaky breathing] OK.
OK. OK.
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
- Don't be, go. - OK.
OK, OK.
I don't think I can do this.
On that, we can agree.
- You can and you will, for Brandon and Allison.
Sit down.
I'm not here to shame you or cast blame.
I'm here to bring home your children.
Allison texted this photo
to a friend the day she met Brandon.
The simple caption, "I found my person."
They kept their relationship hidden from you out of fear.
And because of that, it costs us
precious time in finding them, so we need your help.
- We know Brandon and Allison were headed on a two-day
romantic camping trip, but we're almost at four days
with no contact from them, so...
- So that means something is wrong.
- Can any of you think of anywhere
of special significance that your children could have gone?
It's Vista Array.
It has to be.
It's the vista where Allison's father proposed to me.
[dramatic music]
- OK, remember what we're looking for.
Normally, Brandon would try to signal with a fire.
This week's rain has made that next to impossible,
so look out for other markers...
Rocks piled together, clothing tied to trees.
Yeah?
- Allison! - Allison!
Brandon?
- Brandon? - Brandon!
- Allison? - Allison!
Brandon?
- Brandon? [indistinct chatter]
I found something.
♪ ♪
Hey, come on, this way.
- Brandon! - Allison!
- Brandon!
- Hold on!
Listen.
[faint whistling]
This way.
This way, this way.
Brandon?
- [whistling] - Allison?
There they are.
Brandon?
Brandon, can you hear me?
- Oh, God. - Can you hear me?
Hey, we need a chopper, immediate evac.
Brandon, talk to me. What happened?
She fell.
She landed on a branch that punched her abdominal wall.
- OK, we're gonna need to move her.
- Are you ready? - No, no, no, no, you can't.
You can't.
What is that?
- An improvised IV, a walking blood bank.
Brandon's blood is what's keeping Allison alive.
Brandon?
- Brandon? - Brandon?
- We need the helicopter now. - Look at me. Look at me.
.
[soft music]
- Dr. Aston, extension 5722. Dr. Aston.
- Allison's surgeon says she's awake,
but only because Brandon gave her nearly
20% of his own blood.
- Wait, he's gonna be OK, too, though, right?
The odds aren't great.
♪ ♪
Mr. And Mrs. Davis?
Your son was a very brave man.
He's in recovery.
There's no organ failure. Brandon's gonna be OK.
Thank you, God.
Thank you.
♪ ♪
Baby.
Sugar!
♪ ♪
You could have told me.
May I just...
Of course.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for saving my daughter.
♪ ♪
all: Welcome home.
Whew.
[Mondo Cozmo's "Feel Good" plays]
♪ Don't it make ya feel good ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Don't it make ya feel good ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I ain't gonna tell ya ♪
♪ I'm the one you need ♪
♪ I'm the bank teller ♪
♪ I'm the Visine ♪
[all chuckle]
I'm sorry to interrupt.
I just stopped by to let you know we did track down
the officer who gave Veronica Brandon's photo and name.
He didn't mean any harm.
He's just young and trying to help.
He's making a public statement of apology to Brandon
and his family as we speak.
- Hey, Trent, why don't you grab yourself a glass?
Pour a shot.
Thanks, but, uh,
I'm on the job.
Uh, Gabi, you got a sec?
♪ ♪
So I found what you were looking for on the cold case.
[soft dramatic music]
Do you have time now?
- Can I call you later? I need to help out a friend.
- OK, so I'm going to ask you to follow my fingers.
By offering bilateral stimulation,
it will allow the brain to focus solely on the memories
and not the associated trauma.
OK, are you ready?
Yes.
Let's begin.
We are going to the bus station,
to the day Jamie went missing.
What feeling does this memory give you?
Shame.
- And what instead do you prefer to feel?
Like a good mother.
♪ ♪
[sighs]
We were on our way
to the Baltimore Automotive Museum.
Jamie loved innovation.
He begged me to take the bus.
He thought riding buses was magical,
like riding a dinosaur.
I only looked away for, like, 10 seconds,
just enough time to answer a question in the crossword.
[stammers]
- It's OK, keep going. - [shaky breathing]
Oh, my God, I... mm.
[stammering] I deserve this.
I'm a horrible mother. I deserve this.
No. You are human.
Guilt and pain will not bring back your son.
It's OK.
I need you to stand up and leave the bus station.
I need you to leave all your guilt behind.
I'm sorry, I can't leave.
I can't. I have to keep looking.
I can't leave.
[gasps] Oh, hi.
- Hi, Mommy. - Hi.
- Are you leaving? - No. No, no.
I will never, ever leave you.
But you know what?
I have to forgive myself because I looked away.
I shouldn't have.
But I did.
So can you... can you forgive me?
I love you, Mommy.
I love you.
No, don't go. No, don't go.
I need a little bit more time. Please don't go, don't go.
Are you OK?
Honestly, no.
I mean, I know it's not the end of the bus station for me,
- but still... - You took a step forward.
[sighs]
Thank you for being here for me.
You're welcome.
Now, come on.
- You know, I was thinking about getting a rideshare
and... and going to see Taylor.
- I'm proud of you. I'll see you tomorrow.
- Gabi, you're always the one, you know,
the one that shows up for everyone.
And I just want you to know that if...
If and when you need someone
that we'll be there for you.
[soft music]
- ♪ And I know I can't change ♪
♪ The world outside ♪
♪ It feels easy to blame myself ♪
♪ When I'm alone ♪
♪ Buried under a blanket ♪
♪ Just trying to forget that I'm all on my own ♪
[phone ringing]
- Hey. - Hey.
You said you had something on Annie?
Yeah.
Um, is Margaret OK?
She will be.
Good.
'Cause the news I've got isn't so good.
I'm sorry, Gabi.
Annie Lopez is dead.
Let me guess.
21 years ago during the time I was taken?
- No. Um, two years ago, March 23.
No, you're mistaken.
Gabi, I double checked.
Annie died in a car accident.
She was killed by a drunk driver who died on the scene.
Also, there is no record of her ever being kidnapped
or reported missing as a child.
The only other thing on her record
is that she spent some time in a mental health facility
in late 2001, early 2002.
- So you're saying Sir is telling me the truth?
[tense music]
Gabi, what did you just say?
Sir is telling the truth?
Have you been in contact with Sir?
- O-of course not.
Um, something he told me when... When he took me.
Look, I got to go. [dial tone]
♪ Maybe I'm a monster ♪
[dark pop music]
♪ Maybe all the things they said were right ♪
- Please! Mr. Evans, don't do this!
Please let me go home!
You are home.
This is where we will complete your education.
Gabrielle, listen to me. You must trust me.
You're confused.
You and I, we want the same thing, to be a family.
Until then, I am your teacher.
You are the student.
- Ah! Help!
Help me!
Somebody, please! God, help me!
- I'll finish with the locks, and then we'll have dinner.
Please. Mr. Evans!
Please!
And from now on, call me Sir.
♪ ♪
It's been two days.
You cannot just leave me without food.
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[scoffs] I see.
You found out the truth about Annie.
I told you.
Her parents had her committed.
That's why she didn't show up at my window until that day.
After you let her go, somehow,
you convinced them that she was crazy and making things up.
- The place they sent her was better than she deserved.
You destroyed her life.
That day she returned,
I told her that if she ever came back,
I would ensure that her parents
locked her away for good this time.
Needless to say, the threat worked.
She stayed away.
Annie chose to protect herself over you.
- You made her crazy, just like you made me into a kidnapper.
That is what you do.
You turn people into you.
- Gabrielle. - No, I am done with your lies.
I am done with your manipulations.
You have cost me everything.
While everyone around me has been healing,
I let you drag me into hell.
All I was holding on to was a chance to avenge Annie,
and now there is nothing to avenge.
I should have buried you the day I found you.
- Gabrielle. Gab...
[line ringing] What are you doing?
- What are you doing? - It's me.
I need you to come over.
It's about Sir.
[suspenseful music]
Greg, move your head.