- We don't know how you'll react to the radiation. You might need someone to take care of you. - 'Explore the human form,' and you're Kirima Rite? - My work is more sheltered, private. Me and my canvas. My subject. - What's goin' on? You're taking off someplace? - I am, uh, going to see Liam. - Love isn't just always enough. - I slept with someone. I'm seeing her. - You left. - Because I'm doing the work. - Is the work screwing someone while you're in AA?! Your problems go way beyond drinking. - Yeah, well, know what? Your problem is you don't wanna be happy. You hide behind your - sister's death, yeah. - You're the one who's hiding out here! - No, here, I'm safe. - You're scared. - No, I'm not scared. Know what? I was fine before you came here. - So was I! - OK! Great. All right. (FLIES BUZZ) - Hmm. So, he's only been here 14 days? - Fascinating, right? We found that the maggots progressed to the thighs much more quickly than we thought. - Must be the humid Ontario weather. I mean, it's amazing to have local data on decomposing bodies like this. But it really... it really is incredible. - Cops, coroners, pathologists. We'll all be able to establish time of death more accurately, thanks to these people who donated their bodies. - Thank you. I mean, we're really lucky to have all of this. - I actually had to fight the town to let me build this research centre. - (WATCH BEEPS) - And that fight continues. I have a town council meeting in half an hour. Stay as long as you like. My son knows this place better than I do. - Thank you. Can... Are we-? Can... - Yeah, of course, of course. - Thank you. So, that's your mom? - (CHUCKLES) Yeah. I know, I know, you think it's weird, but it's important work. And if your mother made something this cool, you'd work with her too. - Dr Garcia! Dr Garcia! - Uh, I-I don't know. (WATER TRICKLES) (SINISTER MUSIC) - This isn't one of yours, is it? - No, it's not. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 If this gets out, they'll shut my mom down. - We'll call the chief of police. I'll tell him that my team is investigating it. I'll ask him to keep it confidential for the time being. - They'll do that? - Let's hope so. The body's stained red. Did this land used to be a peat bog? - Half the grounds were. It's the reason town council gave us this land. - Got it. Ok, well, let's get him outta here. (PHONE CHIMES) - Can I see it? You don't have to tell me about those marks on your back if you don't want to. - It's from a treatment I'm having. Radiation. It's a side effect. - You have cancer. - Yeah. A solitary spinal plasmacytoma. It's a tumour on my spine. But I'm dealing with it. - Does it hurt? - No. - Are you scared? - Yeah. - Well, I think it makes you more beautiful. What's it called again? Sol... - Solitary spinal plasmacytoma. - Solitary. You have a lonely cancer. - Yeah. (CHUCKLES) (CELL PHONE CHIMES) Ah... Hmm. - I'm gonna have to take that away from you. - Really? Well, come and get it. - Yeah? - Come and get it. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Hello? - Ugh! - Hello? - Hey, Donovan. - Yes? - You're not gonna believe this. - A Halloween mask? That's a new one. - Bogs have low pH levels, so it's like he's been pickled. - I'm gonna miss pickles. - Dr Cooper! - Oh, uh yeah, so I'll send the body to uh, to Toronto for the autopsy with the help of Dr Garcia. - Dennis. Call me Dennis. - Yeah. - OK. You know, I always wanted to be a surgeon, not a pathologist, but my hand wasn't steady enough because of this. The dead are more forgiving, but that means I get to work with my mom. - Uh, his mother, Angela, runs the place. - OK, here we go. Time for the big reveal. Blunt force trauma to the nasal spine, maxilla, and zygomatic bones. - Mm-hmm, yeah, it looks like he was struck with a lot of force. - And he's wearing a hot-pink anarchy earring. - A what? - Ma, you OK? - You know him. - It's Andy Nyland. - Who's Andy Nyland? - We went to school together, but he vanished without a trace when I was 16. (CLOCK TICKS) - You sure it's my brother? - We have to do a DNA test to make sure, but we got a visual ID from Dr Garcia. - Angela? - She was there when we found the body. - I see. Uh, c-could I ask you please not to tell my father you found Andy? He couldn't handle it. - Thanks again! - See ya later! - Good-Goodbye! - Your father had a stroke. - Doctor called it Broca's aphasia. Means the cognition is intact, but the speech is impaired. I'm really sorry. - Cops gave him that stroke. - He was questioned after Andy disappeared? - Oh yeah. Single dad, atheist, bit of a drinker... in a small religious town in the '80s. He might as well have been Dahmer. They dragged his name through the mud. Few months later, he had a stroke. - Were any charges ever laid? - No. And when the cops couldn't find Andy's body, they decided he was a runaway. They closed the case. I really wanted to believe them. (SNIFFS) Which is why I did this crazy thing. I know we use our home as a B&B and we could use the space, but we felt like, if we boxed it all up, Andy would never come home. (DOWNBEAT HEAVY ROCK MUSIC) - The cops never touched any of this? - No. Dumber than a pile of rocks, those boys. Man, do I need a drink. - Well, let's go back in time. (ROCK MUSIC INTENSIFIES) Check out the hair. (CHUCKLES) Picture me in a flattop, only twice as high. - Thanks for that visual. (BOTH LAUGH) - Didn't Roxana say her dad reported Andy missing in November? - Yeah. Why? - This is his agenda, and every page after October 5th is blank. I'm gonna step outside, make a call. - OK. (CURIOUS, GENTLE MUSIC) WOMAN: 'Dear Andy, I know you're cheating on me 'with another girl. I don't know how you could do this to me, 'after everything we've been through. 'Your actions have caused so much pain and heartache.' - Kindergarten rules apply. Everything back, right where you found it. - Of course. - Hmm. - Satan's Sister. - It was Andy's band. They were playing battle of the bands the week he disappeared. They actually had a chance at winning. Andy was talented. After he disappeared, I lost a lot of friends. All my friends, really. - I'm sorry. - No, no. Going through it on my own showed me how strong I really am, so... (CHUCKLES) I guess they did me a favour, right? - (SOFTLY) Yeah. (EMOTIVE MUSIC) - Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it. Bye. Local Ds just confirmed Andy's dad waited a month to report him missing. Plenty of time to hide evidence. - Blunt force trauma to the face is a very personal injury. - Usually happens when the victim knows the attacker intimately. - Andy had a high school girlfriend. Apparently, things went sour. Her name was Helen. She thought he was cheating on her. - A lock of hair? - Yeah. - What's the body saying? You heard from your office yet? - Let's see. He says no old fractures, scarring or trauma. - Rules out physically abusive dad. - Yeah. The body was found on its back with its hands by its side. - Which indicates it was placed there by someone who cared about him. - Well, maybe we talk to Helen. (BANGING, MAN CRIES OUT) - Son of a grouse! - I told you so, Grandpa. - Oh, great, and 'I told you so' too. That and a win ticket at Woodbine might make me some money. - What? OK, you know I never get your references, right? - Yeah, OK. You don't need to know. Could you pass me the whatchamacallit? - Let's do a trade. - Rag. - Yep. - White one. Thank you. - Are you OK? That's a bit um... - No, it's just a little nick. We're OK. - Don't like that. - You know what you could get me though, is from Liam's tool chest, the, um, ratchet. - I will look. - The-The bent arm. - We will see. - Just bring me the whole toolbox, if you have to. (SOLEMN MUSIC) - So, you gonna get this car runnin' or what? - You bet I am. Gonna get this car runnin'. Just hummin'. 'Cause that's what I do. - Good. - You know that. - Cos it'd be nice to go for a ride sometime. - OK. It would be nice to go for a ride. Where would you wanna go? - Hmm, I don't know. How 'bout the drive-in? - Oh. - We haven't been there in a long while. - No, I should say not. OK! I'll even spring for the buttered popcorn. - Mmm. You're on. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Hey, grandpa. - Yeah? - Is this it? - Yeah. - 'Cause I, um,... - Is this normal? - Yeah, that's it. - Good one. - Hi, Jenny. It's Dr Sharma. I'm sorry things didn't work out with Liam, but you put yourself out there, and that's good. I know you're angry and hurt. It's OK to pause your therapy but don't shut down, Jenny. Feel those feelings. I'm here if you need me. # Because of circumstance # like it's a game of chance # and we just don't want to believe it # what we need to survive... # - She brought her own walk-up music. (MUSIC TURNS OFF) - Helen Young? - Oh, wow! Honey, I barely got here in time. There's a dark indigo cloud near your root chakra. - Uh, sorry, no, that's not why we called. Uh, as I said on the phone, Detective McAvoy and I wanted to talk to you about Andy Nyland. - I haven't heard that name in a long time. Uh, what about him? - We found his body this morning. - (BREATHES HEAVILY) I... I need to put my toes in the earth. (SIGHS) Poor Roxy. How did Andy... I mean... Did someone hurt him? - Do you know someone who'd want to? - I knew this day would come. Here, take my hand. (MYSTERIOUS MUSIC) (FIRE CRACKLES) HELEN: Andy and I had a very tumultuous relationship in that typical high school way. Finally, I'd had enough. I found a spell in a zine that promised it could erase a person from your life forever. I gathered all the ingredients for my witch bottle - fingernail clippings, nails, tacks. (PAPER RIPS) The spell said when his name was nothing but ash, I'd be free of him. (GIRL SIGHS) The ritual cleansed my attachment to him. For the first time in my repressed Catholic life, I felt free. Um... I'm happy to talk to you more about Andy, but can we do it at my shop? I need to recharge with my crystals. - She said mine's for peace of mind. - What's yours? - Healing. - Is it weird that we took presents from a potential murderer? - No. - You bought stuff from her. - A friend's birthday's coming up, so she's into all this stuff. - OK. You know what else is weird? Why would a self-described repressed Catholic girl go looking for an occult spell, and then perform it in the woods in the middle of the night, alone? - Maybe she got tired of praying. (PHONE RINGS) - Oh, hey. Hey, River. - What does this look like to you? - Well, that looks like a blurry foot. - Dr Garcia, could you zoom out, please? - Oh. Thanks for letting me take the lead on this autopsy, Dr Cooper. It's a dream come true. - Of course. It actually worked out perfectly because Dr Lum-Davis has food poisoning, so... - Hm... - Oh, right. - See these teeny-tiny puncture wounds? - Yeah, I see them. - He's got them on both feet. - Any idea what caused them? - Well... (SINISTER MUSIC) This. - That looks like the end of a thumbtack. - We'll call you back if we find anything else super weird. - Great. Thanks, River. I've read about case studies where the decedent had these kinds of injuries before. - And what were the findings? - They were all victims of torture. - A girl Helen's size couldn't subdue Andy to torture him. - Maybe she drugged him and tied him up. -No, there's no ligature marks. And the tox screen came back negative for tranquilizers and narcotics. - What about alcohol? - Hm, there was enough in his system to get him buzzed, but not enough to knock him out. - An accomplice, then? (PHONE RINGS) - Maybe. Oh, hey, I gotta get this. - All right. - I'll meet you outside. Hey, River, give me a sec. - G-Good- Goodbye. - Goodbye. Hey, River. How's it goin'? - Slow, but Dr Garcia is good. - Well, that's good to know. You find anything else? - There is something with the heart. There is a microscopic hole between the upper chambers. - Like an atrial septal defect? - Exactly. It's too insignificant to kill him, but it is interesting. - Huh. - We're examining respiratory tree. If you'd like to observe, Dr Cooper? Just give me a second. (SNIPPING) (SOFT SQUELCHING) - Well, that's interesting. - 34-year-old congealed blood. Perfectly preserved. - That blood is as old as me. (CHUCKLES) - Uh, thank you, Dennis, for all your good work. Thanks, guys. - (SIGHS) Sorry. Sometimes I get so excited about my work I forget that I've gotta be careful with my hand. - There's no need to apologize. Your hand seems steady enough to me. - (SIGHS) River, would you like to grab a drink sometime when we're, uh, no longer colleagues? - I would love to grab a drink with you, Dr Garcia. - Great. Great. Uh, martinis it is! - (CHUCKLES) - Andy had a hole in his heart. And Dennis has a defect in his hand. You wanna know what I think this is? You do yoga? - Which question do you want me to answer first? - Sorry, right. Um, I think both Andy and Dennis have Holt-Oram syndrome. - Is that good or bad? - Holt-Oram is a genetic defect that's passed down from parent to child. - Andy Nyland went missing 34-years-ago. Let me guess how old Dennis is. - He's 34. (CAMERA CLICKS) - I don't know what to say. No one's ever put it together before. I'll tell you what I remember, if you let me tell Dennis the truth. - OK. - Angela, were you there the night Andy disappeared? - Helen and I were best friends, which is why Andy came to me when things got bad with them. It started out with me helping him. We got close, and then I broke the cardinal rule. (INTENSE MUSIC) (FIRE CRACKLES) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (SQUEALS) - (LAUGHS) Hey, it's me. - (LAUGHS) ANGELA: I'd let it slip about the ritual. He thought it would be funny to sneak up on Helen and me. But I had something else to tell him that night. I told him about the baby. He lost it. Said he'd skip town if I kept it. I wanted to humiliate him, make him feel like I did in that moment. So I suggested we have sex one last time. Like a send-off. When his clothes were off, I told him to close his eyes, that I had a surprise for him. Then I took his clothes and I left. That was the last I saw Andy. I wish I could say I could take it all back, but then... I wouldn't have Dennis. (KEYS CLATTER) - (SIGHS, GROANS) - You gonna be okay to make it back to the city? - One of the many, many perks of quitting coffee. Oh, Jesus. - (CHUCKLES) Well, place is a little creepy, but Roxana did offer to let us stay over. - I mean, I'll stay if you stay. I have a gym bag in the car. - Well, that makes one of us. (CHUCKLES) - Sleepover! (SOFTLY) Andy Nyland... (PHONE RINGS) - Hi, Jenny. - Hi. I just got Garcia's report. The cause of death was asphyxiation? - Not the best way to go ` suffocating on your own blood. Oh, uh, Dennis found some microscopic pink quartz, feldspar and mica embedded in the mask. - Those elements make granite. - He was struck in the face with a rock? - That's right. - Well, that's it. Have a good night, OK? - We will. - (SIGHS) (KNOCK AT DOOR) Helen? Sorry, um... - Are you more of a water person or a fire person? - Um, I don't, I don't know, but... - When we met, and I took your hand, I got your psychic energy on me, and I haven't been able to get it off. - You're in a dark place, Dr Cooper, and I'd like to try to help you. I see you, Jenny Cooper, the parts of you that even you can't see. And I'm asking you to let me help you. - Help you what? - Imagine the thing that has a hold on you -- someone from your past -- and then imagine being free of the weight of it. - Yeah, um... - Unclench your heart. Unlock your mind. Past and present now aligned. Close your eyes. Let go. (DISCORDANT MUSIC) (PANTS) - Why do I get the feeling I'm in a Rocky training montage all of a sudden? - Found it under my bed. OK, so, here's what I'm thinking, right? Andy finds out that Helen and Angela are doing this cleansing spell and he goes to the woods, puts on a mask to scare them. Angela tells him about the baby, she steals his clothes. He makes his way back to the fire, right? Which is where someone hits him in the face with a rock. Now, he stumbles on the witch's bottle, which is how he gets the tacks in the bottom of his feet. So either Angela's lying or Helen is, or I mean, I guess... I mean, both could be lying, I just, I don't know. I'm not sure. What do you think? - I think we should sleep on it, Rock-o. Get back in the ring in the morning. - I'm good. - Yeah, but maybe I'm scared of the dark. - Fine, let's go. - Apollo Creed wins again! (KNOCK AT DOOR) - Morning. - Hey, morning. - Hey, got you a tea. - Thank you. - Now, check this out. - Sorry, is this the, uh, the witchcraft book that you bought for your friend? - Well, first off, I'd make a kick-ass warlock. Secondly, I like anything that helps me solve a murder. All right, now Helen said she cast a spell to rid someone from her life. - Mm-hmm. - Now, according to my research... - So your... your warlock research? No, please, tell me. Tell me all about... - Yeah, according to my research... - ...your research. Yep, mm-hm. - ...the triangle of Solomon does just that. It requires three stones ` rose quartz, amethyst, and granite, each wielded by a separate witch. - But that's... that's three witches. - Yeah. - We only have two. Wait. I remember seeing something. Best friends. - Helen, Angela, and... - Yeah. Yeah. (OMINOUS MUSIC) - Don't sneak up on me like that. (CHUCKLES, COUGHS) - Roxana, were you there that night? - Uh, I'm way too hung-over to know what you're talkin' about. - Helen and Angela, they told us the whole story. - Uh, I don't believe them. We made a vow never to talk about that. Oh, I see. Clever, Detective McAvoy. - They didn't name you, but they both told us their version of what happened that night. Maybe you'd like to tell us yours? - (SLURPS, GULPS) ROXANA: Andy could be sweet and sensitive, but he was also a horny teenage boy. And Helen wanted to wait. By then, I'd figured out he was screwing around with Angela. So I decided enough was enough. This will help you loosen up and tap into the magic. - I don't think so. - OK, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right? I just want you to be free of him. Yes! And some for me. (GIGGLES) Here we go! (DARK MUSIC) (RATTLING, FIRE HISSING) After it was all over, Helen said that she felt good. You know, that she felt free. I said I'd walk her home, while Angela peed. Halfway to her house, Helen remembered she left her notebook behind, and she was freaking out that someone would find it and tell her parents that she'd been doing witchcraft, so I said I'd go back. I'd go back and get it. (CHUCKLES) - (SNARLS) - (SCREAMS) (WHIMPERS) Oh god! I know I was high, but I swear to you, that wolf was real. - Roxana... - Whatever it is, just say it. - When we found Andy's body, he was wearing a wolf mask. - No, he` That ca... Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I did it. I killed him. I killed my brother? (WHIMPERS) I killed my brother. I killed Andy? (SOBS) Oh, god! Andy! I killed Andy! Oh my god! (SOBS) - This was all just a horrible mistake. - I don't see anyone prosecuting Roxana under these circumstances. But we still don't know how Andy got into the bog. (PHONE RINGS) I hate loose ends. - Yeah. - Sorry, I gotta take this. - Mm-hmm. - Goodbye! - Bye. Hello? (DOOR SHUTS) - Goodbye. Every day, goodbye. - Mr Nyland, did you see Andy the night he disappeared? - (SOBS) Good boy. - You buried one child to save another. - So, I, I... am... I am so sad. - What are you talking to my father about? Get away from him. He doesn't have to know, OK? He- He's been through enough. You don't understand. - I do. More than I can explain, and you don't wanna go through this alone. - (DOOR OPENS) - Not again. - Did you call them? - No. They just knew to come. - I don't understand. I thought the radiation was supposed to help. - It has helped. Your tumour has shrunk considerably. - OK, but now you're telling me I have a hole in my spine? How, how big a hole are we talkin'? Are we talkin' pinhead size, dime size? Hell, a golf ball size? - I'd like you to come in so we can talk about this. I know you're very busy, but this is something we should talk about in person. - What's the worst-case scenario? - Why don't I start with the good news? It's completely operable. - That's not what I asked you. - OK, well, there is a small chance, however, if we operate, that it could affect your ability to walk. - Hey. - Hey. Tell me you have what we need and we can go home. - Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm gonna rule Andy's death an accident. I feel like this family could use some peace. - Peace. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) I like the sound of that. (GENTLE MUSIC) (BRIGHT MUSIC) (MUSIC SOFTENS) (NO AUDIO) - Hey. - Hey. - Whatcha doin' out here? - You know, when you're younger... - He's been in there all morning. It's like he thinks he's on a date. I walked in on him doing this yesterday, but he said he was just working through some engine problems. - Do we know who he's talking to? - Yes, he is talking to Peggy. Do you know who Peggy is? - Yeah, um, Peggy is short for Margaret, and Margaret's my mom. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021