- Well, there is another innocent man that could use your help. Look into the Oshae Bennett case again. - I've been asked to review the medical evidence that's against you. Do you mind telling me what happened the night Wyllanne died? - No, I haven't scheduled my pre-op appointment yet. Uh, let me check my calendar. - I'd like to stay on. - This isn't a place to hide from your problems. - I hate that I'm mixed. - Your racial identity is not a burden. That's when they win. - Hey. - He's had quite a day. It's not about you. (DOOR CLOSES) - Hey. - Hey. - How ya doin'? - I'm OK. - Yeah? - OK. (CLEARS THROAT) Um, all right. I'm gonna be pretty late tonight, so don't wait up, OK? - OK. You going anywhere special? - No, I'm just gonna see a friend. - OK. I love you! (SOFT MUSIC) - OK. Time to go. Let's go, Eloise. (CLICKS TONGUE) (HORSE WHINNIES) - (SIGHS) OK, please, come on. You're being adopted by a family, so you're gonna have a bigger stall and all the hay you can eat. Come on. - Hey. (CLICKS TONGUE) - Oh. Yeah, she uh` - I made you a sandwich. - You didn't have to do that. - Hey. Hey. There's a bag in the trailer. There's a gift for Eloise's new owners. You'll be sure to get it to them? - Yeah, I will. See? She never liked me. - (CHUCKLES) - OK. Good girl. - We had fun, didn't we? - Hey, listen, I wish things could've been different for us. It's just... - Look, thanks for offering to deliver to Eloise. Any idea where you're going or what you'll do next? - Uh, nope. Haven't really thought about it. I'm just... well, you know, ready for a fresh start. - Good luck. - JENNY: What do we got? - MALIK: Looks like an OD. Found some drug paraphernalia in the vicinity. - OK. Thanks. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (WHISPERS) He's got track marks on his arm. - Yeah, it looks like he's been using for a while, huh? - Yeah. He's got sunken eyes. Dry mucosal surfaces. Dehydration. I mean, it's not uncommon for an addict. I'll order a tox screen just to make sure it's an overdose. - No ID, no wallet, no cell phone. Nothing other than the one-day recovery chip and the needle and baggie we found nearby. I'll canvas the area for witnesses, check local security cameras, see how our guy got here. Maybe he wasn't alone. - OK. Oh, hey. - Yeah? - Where's Donovan? - He took the day off. - He what? (DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDS) Captions were made with support from NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) (POLICE RADIO CHATTER) - MAN: Mark this whole side. - OK, I'm done. Uh, he's all yours. - Open. (CHUCKLES) - (LAUGHS) Ooh, all right. - All right. - Good. - OK, step. - Step. - One more. - One more. - Two. - OK. - Three. - Three. - (BOTH GIGGLE) - You're good. - We're good? All right. - Almost there. - All right, all right. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - There's nothing in front of you. You can put your arms down. (LAUGHS) - My life's in your hands. OK, fine. - OK. - What is this place? - It's gonna be a retro '90s arcade and entertainment space. - Nice. - They commissioned me to do that mural. - If you offer me a choice between a red pill and blue pill, I'm out. - Oh, come on. - Let's join the rebellion. - (LAUGHS) (CELL PHONE RINGS) - One sec. Ooh, it's work. I gotta take this. - I thought you had a day off? - OK, I'll make you a deal. Let me take this. Then I'll turn off my phone. - Deal. - Yeah. Hey, Malik. Everything OK? - We couldn't ID the victim, Mac. His prints weren't in the system. I canvassed the whole neighbourhood, and nobody saw our guy. So I just... - So you're calling me with a whole bunch of nothing? - Nah, nah! I'm just... I'm just calling to let you know that I got this, and if I hit a snag, I'll WWMD ` 'what would Mac do?' Right? - Great. Now, don't call me again unless there's a fire. - OK, all right. Hey. You good? - JENNY: Yeah. I just found this on our John Doe. Looks fresh. - Is that a tattoo? - No, it's burned in. It's like a brand or something. - Huh. - I swear I've seen it before. - MELANIE SINGS: Figaro qua, figaro la. - RIVER SINGS: Figaro qua, figaro la. - OK, not you too. - You stay here long enough, it'll be you too. - So, what do we have? - No broken bones, no blunt force trauma. - OK, no petechiae haemorrhaging. No strangulation or asphyxiation. Other than the obvious track marks, I don't see anything unusual. Aside from the spiral burn mark on his wrist. - His tox screen was strangely inconclusive. Not enough drugs on board for an overdose, but he did have trace amounts of psylocibin in his blood. - Magic mushrooms. Well, that didn't kill him. (KNOCK AT DOOR) - I got bruises, brands, tattoos, and scarifications, and one on-brand spiral coming at ya. - This is the Oshae Bennett case. - His girlfriend had the same mark. Want me to get the crown on the phone? - Uh, no, thank you. I have Clark's number. - Clark's number. Nice! - OK, thank you, Alphonse. I will let you know if I need you. (CLEARS THROAT) Dehydration. Trace amounts of psylocibin. - GPS: In 400m, turn left. Turn left. - Come on. (SIGHS) There is no left! (TURNS ENGINE OFF) Yeah, there` Ah, for God's sake. OK, nothing to worry about. We're just gonna retrace our steps. - (ELOISE WHINNIES) Everything's cool. - (ELOISE BANGS, WHINNIES) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy. Easy. (BANGING, WHINNYING CONTINUE) Hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! (ELOISE WHINNIES) OK. Eloise, calm down. Come on, give me a break. (ELOISE WHINNIES) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (ELOISE SNORTS) (ELOISE WHINNIES) - For God's sakes, calm down! (WHINNYING CONTINUES) (BREATHES HEAVILY) (GUNSHOT) (GULPS) (SUSPENSFUL MUSIC) Damn it. Come on. What's wrong with you, man? You're just lost. People get lost. Nobody died. All right? OK, nobody died. (STARTS ENGINE) (SOFT MUSIC) - Hey. - Hey. You good? - Yeah. Not every time I call one of my family members is up on murder charges. - Oh, so this was just an excuse to see me again. (CHUCKLES) - Uh... - You could have just called. - Or this was about a case. - There's something different about you. Does that line ever work for you? - You tell me. How am I doin'? (COMPUTER CHIMES) Ah, Mr Bennett. How are you doing? - You here to tell me they denied my appeal? - No, no, nothing like that. Actually, I hear it's going well. But at the moment, Dr Cooper could use your help. - Yeah, sure. - Great. Thank you. Could you take a look at this picture and let me know if you recognise the mark in it? - You've seen this before? - Last time I saw her alive, she didn't have it. - Is there any chance that she could've got it during the day and you didn't notice? - I was so hungover that morning that... (SIGHS) my only concern was the hell I was gonna catch from Wyllanne for drinking. - Wyllanne didn't like you drinking? - I'd been trying to support her efforts to get sober. She had a hard time, you know. She worked the programmes, but she always ended up at day one. But she went to meetings every Wednesday. Never missed one, even when she was using. The only thing she had to do that day was recovery group. She was always trying to get me to go with her, you know. Maybe if I just would've gone with her, everything would've been OK. (ENGINE HUMS) - (GRUNTS) (METALLIC SCRAPING) Aah! Agh! (TENSE MUSIC) (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) (SCREAMS) Eloise! - Got three Wednesday meetings. One of them is 20 clicks away from where Wyllanne used to live, so I doubt it that's one. What about this one? - Uh, well, that is a men's group. But I found one that meets every Wednesday at a community centre on Delman Drive, so my money is on this one. - Let's do it. - Let's do`? Um, sorry, but this is, uh` This is my case. - Well, if someone there knows who killed Wyllanne Rai, it would exonerate Oshae. I have a moral obligation. - OK, so you wanna go crash a recovery meeting with me. - Yeah. Could be fun. - OK. All right. Just... don't step on my toes. - (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) (LIAM GRUNTS) - Eloise! (VOMITS, COUGHS) (SPITS) (COUGHS) (GRUNTS) (COUGHS) (BREATHES HEAVILY) (TENSE MUSIC) Eloise! Eloise! Eloise! (PANTS) - MAN: Just wanted to start by encouraging all of you to share your personal experiences with us today. So, you know, don't hold back. - OK, let's try to talk to people after the meeting. - ...who is celebrating a milestone. - We gotta be sly, cos I'm guessing most of them have issues with authority. - Yeah. - Shh! - Sorry. - Would you like to share with the group? - Hi. My name is Kai, and I'm an addict. - ALL: Hi, Kai. - Today is my medallion. One year clean and sober. (APPLAUSE) It definitely hasn't been easy, and if it wasn't for all you, I'd be on day one instead of day 365. - Yeah, but it's that commitment to being clean that has kept you clean, Kai. I mean, we all saw you hit your rock bottom right here, but we also watched you bounce right back up again. - I wish Freddy could be here with me right now. He was like a brother to me. He's the one who made me start coming to this group. When he fell, (SNIFFLES) I nearly fell too. - Hey, he'd be so proud of you, Kai. Can't help but see a couple new faces in the back there. Would either one of you like to come up, share with the group? - Uh... - WHISPERS: It's your case. - Hi. I'm, uh... I'm Jenny Cooper, and I'm, uh... the coroner. I'm investigating a death. - (BREATHES HEAVILY) (ELOISE WHINNIES IN DISTANCE) (WHINNYING CONTINUES) Hey. Hey. Hey. (SOFT MUSIC) Come here. Hey. - Wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. - (ELOISE NEIGHS, SNORTS) Oh no. Oh no. Oh, it's OK. OK, OK. I'll take care of it. It's all right. There you go. Yeah, baby. There you go. - Jenny Cooper? You coming to our meeting under a false pretext, well, it kinda compromises the safety of the space. - Sorry. I understand. Um, I need to show you a photo of a decedent, and I'd like to know, do you know this man? He had a one-day chip in his pocket. No other form of identification. - That's Trent. Trent, uh, Wilner. That was his last name, right? He came to the meetings pretty regularly. - Trent, he really wanted to get clean, but he could never commit for more than a day or two. - Have you seen this before? - No. - No. Sorry. - It's OK. Thank you. - You two really have no idea what any of us have been through, do you? I mean, this space that we hold for one another here, it's sacred. - I understand. - Please don't come back. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Wait. Kai? Kai. - Leave me alone. - Can I talk to you, please? Look, I'm not the police. You don't have to talk to me, but I could really use your help. We found a John Doe in the alley. It was an overdose, and we think it's Trent from your group. - Yeah, so? - So we think his death might be related to Wyllanne's, and she was also in your group, right? - Yeah, but her boyfriend killed her. He confessed, so. - So she had the same burn Mark on her wrist... as you do. Trent had it too, right? So they both had the marks. They're both dead. It doesn't feel like a coincidence, Kai. - (SIGHS) - Look, can you just tell me what it means? Did somebody give it to you? - (SIGHS) - Kai, can you just`? Damn. (SOFT, SOLEMN MUSIC) - OK. Yeah. Yeah. OK, OK. (SHUSHES) (COUGHS) OK. It's not that bad. (CELL PHONE CHIMES) - Hey. I thought you said you were gonna turn that off. - (STAMMERS) I just forgot. OK, take it. Take it. What are those? What do you think? - Oof! They're hot! Yeah. (CHUCKLES) - I figured you for a 12? - (LAUGHS) Oh, you cannot be serious. - I am serious. - I haven't put on a pair of roller skates since I was a teenager. (UPBEAT MUSIC) (BOTH LAUGH) - # Lust. Fill me. Fill me. # Energy. # Fill me. Fill me. # Energy. # Water. Fire. You're air, safe. Breathe. # I trust, purge, purify. I'm dry. # Lust. Fill me. Fill me. # - Can't remember the last time I had this much fun. - I don't think you're keeping the right company. (CHUCKLES) - Touche. (LAUGHS) - Have you made a decision about the surgery? - No, not yet. But I feel great. I mean, best I've felt in a long time, actually. And maybe if I don't have the surgery, I'll be fine. - You have a hole in your spine, Donovan. - Swiss cheese has holes. - (SCOFFS, CHUCKLES) - Bagels have holes. Golf courses have holes. (LAUGHS) Come on. It's my day off. - Says the man who's married to his work. Is that why you don't have kids? - You are not gonna take it easy on me, are you? - Would you like me if I did? - All right, then. What about you? Do you want kids? - I like kids. - Mm-hm? - I've lived a less-than-conventional life, and I love it. I've been able to make a living off of my art, and I get to travel, and... I get to do things at my own pace. But who knows, right? Shall we let fate decide? - Hmm, all right. (SOFT MUSIC) Aren't you gonna read it? - No. You have to read it in private, otherwise it doesn't come true. - That is not a thing. - (SCOFFS) Are you gonna take that risk? - (GRUMBLES) - (GRUNTS) (BREATHES HEAVILY) (ENGINE SPLUTTERS, STRUGGLES TO TURN OVER) - Ah, come on. Come on! (SIGHS) (ENGINE STARTS) - Oh! OK. Whoa, whoa. (GRUNTS IN PAIN) (GASPS IN PAIN) (PANTS) Ugh. Agh. (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS IN PAIN, BREATHES RAPIDLY) (GROANS IN PAIN) (GRUNTS, PANTS) - ALPHONSE: Goodnight. - Toronto has too many opioid deaths. - Yeah, that's why we call it an epidemic. Oh. OK. All right, this... This is interesting. Freddy Bullard, he died of an OD, and his medical record says that he was on dialysis the night before he died. - He gets out of the hospital, where a machine is doing what his kidneys can't, and he gets high. - Yeah, but that is not the interesting part. - He had the spiral. - Mm-hm. Impaired kidney function can be a result of dehydration, and Trent, our John Doe in the alleyway, he had symptoms of dehydration. I didn't think it was severe at first, but now I'm not so sure. - OK, so if it's extreme, what does that mean? - It means something very weird is going on. - Interesting. (TENSE MUSIC) - (GRUNTS IN PAIN) (EXHALES HEAVILY) (BREATHES SHAKILY) (GRUNTS) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (ELOISE WHINNIES) (ELOISE SNORTS) (GENTLE MUSIC) - Hey. (SHUSHES) (ELOISE SNORTS) OK. We're gonna make it, Eloise. Come on. - There's lesions on the kidney. It's not just dehydration. That's hyperthermia. OK, so at some point, Trent was exposed to extreme heat before he died. - I've been to some pretty intense sweats, but that's ceremony. No one's ever died. - Yeah, and I'm assuming you weren't on mushrooms when you did it. - No. That's more like a peyote ceremony. - What if somebody combined them together? - Wouldn't be the first time our cultural practices have been co-opted. - Yeah. OK, so what if Kai's recovery group tried to create some sort of extreme detox? - You said their meeting was in a community centre? Was there a pool? - Mm-hm. - Maybe there was a sauna. - We had an accident, and, uh... she got loose. - It's just a scratch. - Oh yeah? Good. (GRUNTS) All right. I'll step out and, uh, let you do what you need to do. - Hm, I think Eloise would like you to stay. You two look like you've been to war and back. She trusts you. - She does? - Here, give her this while I give her a shot of antibiotics. - Hey, want some? Yeah, that's it. That's it. I was in, uh... horse therapy. - Oh yeah? - Yeah. - I've heard that works. They say the horse is like a mirror, right? - Yeah. - You like what you see back? - She was afraid. OK. You have a good life now. - (ELOISE SNORTS) I wish I could be there to see it. (CELL PHONE RINGS) - MALIK: Yo, hey. - Hey. You find Kai yet? - No, she hasn't gone back to her apartment yet, but I'll keep looking. I've got officers checking in with her friends. - Thanks. Kai's helmet. I think she might be here. - What's your theory? - Uh, that they were using magic mushrooms and extreme heat to speed up the detox process. - This seems counterproductive for addicts to be using hallucinogens, no? - Door's open. Malik, I'm gonna call you back. - Wait. (STAMMERS) Hang on a sec. - You're something, you know that? - (CHUCKLES) don't you mean something else? - (CHUCKLES) - You've earned this. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) (CELL PHONE RINGS) - All right, give me a quick second here. - Mac? There's a fire. - (SIGHS) This is why I don't take days off. All right, I gotta go. - Yeah, I've got work to do. - All right. I'll call you later. - Yeah, you will. - Kai? (OMINOUS MUSIC) (DOOR SLAMS SHUT) (DISTANT THUD) (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) Kai? Kai? Hey, Kai, can you hear me? - (COUGHS) - Is she OK? What's going on? - No. She's not OK. We need an ambulance right away, otherwise she's not gonna make it. You're gonna help me get her out of here first. (LOCK CLUNKS) - Hey! Mason! Mason, no! Open the door. Mason, open the door! (POLICE RADIO CHATTER) - Kai got her medallion because of me, and then you went and you put her ideas in her head, and she started accusing me. It wasn't my fault, what happened to them. - Mm-hm. - Trent and Freddy, Wyllanne. I tried to resuscitate her. - That's OK, Mason, just open the door. OK? It's OK. - I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I've never intentionally hurt anybody. I'm trying to save them. I'm doing good work here. You have to understand that. (POLICE RADIO CHATTER) - Hey. Hey, Mac. The door's locked. We gotta go around back. - All right. There's Jenny's car. - Yeah. OK. Hey, I knew it. I knew it! You knew what? - When Jenny called, this SUV was in the background. Last night, a witness said they saw a burgundy SUV near the alley where Trent Wilner was dumped. - Door's open. - Yeah. I see that. Clear. - All right. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) (DISTANT THUD) - I hear something. - Yeah. - This way. - Clear. (BANGING) - Mason! Mason! Mason, open the door! - Go find Jenny! I'll cut him off out back. - Gotcha! - Mason, please! (BANGS ON DOOR) (INTENSE MUSIC) (MASON GRUNTS) Mason, open the door! (GLASS SHATTERS) - Jenny? Jenny! (MASON GRUNTS) Jenny! - Malik! - Yeah. - Here. Help me. - I got it. I got it. - Yeah. Hey. Kai? Hey. Sweetie? Kai? Kai? Hi. Hey. - I should have known. Mason gave me this right at the start of my treatment. I didn't know people were dying. - It's OK, honey. It's not your fault. - I feel so stupid for believing in him. - We gotta get her upstairs. Come on. - Let's go. Gotcha. - Do you have anything sharp in your pockets? - MASON: No. - No? What's this? - Hello? Yeah, I need an ambulance at 44 Delman Drive. Now! Yes! - You guys OK? - Yeah. She needs hydration. There's a there's a bottle of water in my car! - I'm coming, Mac! - Here. (CAR ALARM BEEPS) OK. OK, sweetie. - All right. Here you go. - OK, Kai, can you take a sip? Take a sip. OK. - Hey, you OK? - I'm good. You? - We got our guy. I'm great. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) - Yeah. - (GRUNTS) God! (GROANS IN PAIN) (COUGHS, GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) (UNSETTLING MUSIC) (GROANS) - Got some good news, Oshae. There's a connection between Dr Cooper's case and yours. - OSHAE: What kind of connection? - Her recovery group leader, he convinced Wyllanne to participate in a dangerous treatment that resulted in her death. He was the one that was responsible. It was his fault. Not yours. - You mean I didn't hurt her? - You're an innocent man, Oshae. And I'm gonna work my ass off to overturn your conviction. - (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Thank you. - I did this to you, and I'm sorry. (SOFT MUSIC) (SIGHS) We made a pretty good team. - Yeah. Yeah, we did. - You did the right thing for a man who was wrongfully convicted and three other souls who were murdered. - We did, yeah. - (CHUCKLES) - We did that. Um... - We should celebrate. - Mm-hm. - What are you doing tonight? (DISTANT THUD, SMASH) - When you said 'crash course', I was kinda thinking bumper cars. - It's a rage room. You come here to smash things. - Yeah. You do this on your days off? - Yeah, it's a good way of letting off steam. - You think I need to let off some steam, do you? - You know, nothing bad is gonna happen if you smash one thing. (PLATE SHATTERS) Start off with something small. - OK. Um... - (CHUCKLES) (LOUD SMASH) - Whoo! Jeez. Nice. (UPBEAT QUIRKY MUSIC) (CHUCKLES) There you go. - Mm-hm! Whoa, hey, hey, hey. No, no. Not, um... Not that guy. - Didn't know you were a dog person. (SLOW ELECTRONIC MUSIC) (MUSIC QUICKENS) (SOFT MUSIC) - Liam. - I let him in. Is that OK? - Oh. Uh, yeah, Dad. Of course. - Cos Ross was sleeping, obviously, and... - Yeah. - You... - Mm-hm. - You two should have a good chat. - Yeah. - Without me here. - (WINCES) - I'll see you, Liam. - Hi. - Hi. Captions by Able. Captions were made with support from NZ On Air.