All language subtitles for Law_and_Order_SVU_S26E22[_5567]

In the criminal justice
system,

sexually based offenses

are considered
especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

Velasco, what are
you still doing here?

Just catching up
on paperwork.

Okay, well,
where is everybody?

It's a Friday night.

I guess they got lives.

Well, I gotta
get home to Noah,

but you wanna grab
a quick drink?

You serious?

Yeah, why don't we
go talk for a minute?

Did I do something wrong?

You know,
I can be nice sometimes.

Come on.

I know I'm not
really good with words,

but I just wanted
to say thank you.

For what?

Not giving up on me.

Well, I'm not gonna lie,
Velasco,

there have been
a few times a while back

where I considered
throwing you out on your ass.

But then it turns out
that you're

not entirely a lost cause.

Guys?

all:
Congratulations!

Whoo!

What is all this?

What's the matter?
You look scared.

If we were the mob,
you'd be probably getting

whacked right about now.

Somebody wanna tell me
what's going on?

Yeah, you're being
promoted, jackass.

To Detective Second Grade.

For real?

For real.

Well, how did this happen?

I called the chief,
and I let him know that

you've demonstrated
strong casework.

And earned the respect
of your superiors.

Or in other words,
command presence.

Congratulations, Velasco.

Bring it in.

Yo, but there's a tradition
in NYPD old school

that you probably not aware of.

Newly promoted detectives
gotta buy drinks

for their whole squad.
- Everybody.

This round's on you.

Go in your pocket, man!

I'm definitely
having another, man!

- Same here!
- Set me up!

All right.

So to Detective
Second Grade Velasco.

all:
Velasco!

Yeah.

My man.

Hello? Who's there?

What've we got?

Gretchen Stewart, early 50s,
general psychiatrist,

lives alone upstairs,
office on the parlor floor.

Found lying on the ground,
bludgeoned with possible signs

of a sexual assault.

Who's the woman in tears?
Neighbor?

Unis said it's her assistant.

Came to check on her when
she wasn't answering her phone.

All right. Anything else?

Local precinct got
some calls last night

about a possible gunshot
in the area.

And they didn't respond?

All right.
Take the assistant's statement.

Hey, Captain.

Forced entry.

Well, it looks like
he used a pry bar.

Mm-hmm.

Hey, Tang. What'd you find?

9-millimeter round.

Shell casing's across the room.

Okay, let's see what
ballistics has to say.

Okay, so maybe the gun
went off in a struggle.

Either that, or whoever
fired it was a lousy shot.

Well, like I said,
I work remotely.

So I got pretty worried
when Gretchen didn't

pick up her phone,
so I drove in.

Was she conscious
when you found her?

Barely.

She was bleeding a lot.

But she must have been awake

for at least a little while
after the attack.

What makes you say that?

Her pajama bottoms were off,

but it looked like she was able

to cover herself
with a blanket.

She was bludgeoned here

with the pry bar
that he broke in with.

Well, you'd expect
more blood, right?

Okay.

He rapes her here.

My lieutenant
had me take a picture

if you wanna see it, Captain.

I most certainly do.

He made her comfortable.

Why would he do that?

Post-rage comedown.

So the aftermath
of some adrenaline rush?

No, not just adrenaline.

It's actual regret, right?

I've seen guys like this
actually feel sad,

try to undo the crime,

even call the police
on themselves.

Unfortunately,
that's not the case here.

Okay. Thanks.

So you think he knew her?

Not as well as she knew him.

Captain?

Hey.

Any word from the hospital?

Dr. Stewart was concussed.

She lost a pint of blood.

Okay. Can we talk to her?

She's having eye surgery
for her detached retina.

Okay, but they confirmed
sexual assault?

Yeah, the rape kit showed
lacerations to her vulva.

But no--no DNA?

No, but they did find
carpet fibers inside of her,

which confirms your theory
that the primary assault

happened on the floor.
- Yeah.

Okay.

Hey, we get anything from CSU?

We did a full sweep,
found some DNA, fingerprints,

but besides Gretchen Stewart,
no one we can ID.

And what do we know
about this gun?

Silva and I checked
every inch of that scene.

It's not there.

In all likelihood, our perp
took it with him when he left.

Me and Velasco just
got back from a walk

to the License Division.

The gun was registered
to a Dr. Stewart.

- So when did she buy it?
- Three months ago.

And were there any recent
break-ins in her neighborhood?

No, not that we found.

Makes you wonder why
she needed the hand cannon.

She was scared of something.

She's been a therapist
for over 20 years,

so it could have been
any one of her patients.

So Bruno and Silva,
follow up with that assistant.

Show her copies of the notebook

and find out who Stewart saw

on the days that
the pages were ripped out.

She averages about
two pages per patient,

so it looks like a week's worth

of session notes were
ripped out.

Going how far back?

Mm, sometime
around the holidays.

How many patients
does Dr. Stewart

usually see in an average day?

Around Christmas?

You'd be surprised--
eight a day sometimes.

It would be great if we
had a list of the patients

she had during that week.

And give away
their personal details?

Just looking for names.

I understand, but I have
to abide by HIPAA laws.

We'll get a subpoena.

Whatever you have to do.

Was Dr. Stewart afraid
of any of her patients?

If she was, she didn't
mention it to me.

Is there anyone else
in her life

we might be able to talk to?

Her husband died
a few years ago,

and she has no kids.

How about friends?

She did go out to dinner
with Dr. Schwartz last night.

I take Gretchen out
to dinner every now and then.

Are you two dating?

I'm interested,
but I'm afraid she hasn't

given much of an indication.

I don't think she's ready.

We understand.

Gretchen is an amazing woman.

She's bright
and effervescent and funny.

Who would do
something like this?

What time did
you walk her home?

We finished eating
around 10:00.

I tried to convince her
to get a drink

at the wine bar up the block,
but she wanted to go home.

And you say you escorted her?

I always do.

It's a way of maximizing
my time with her,

apart from it being
the right thing to do.

I really should be going.

We just have
a few more questions.

Did you notice
anyone following you?

No.

During your date,
was she nervous

or frightened about anything?

Well, it was like
any other night.

We were laughing, talking shop.

- How do you mean?
- Well, I--

Gretchen would probably kill me

if she knew I was
telling you this,

but at our dinners, there's a
friendly little game we play--

who has the more
complicated patient.

Who won last night?

Gretchen won.

She told me about a couple
she's been seeing,

some Wall Street guy
and his wife.

Did she say what
she was seeing them for?

The husband's
very problematic.

She was attempting
to get the wife to realize

that she needed to leave him.

Anthony Fierro--

35, trades oil and gas futures.
- Okay.

Does he have
any kind of record?

Two arrests for DV against
his wife of two years.

Looks like she refused
to testify.

And then went
to couples counseling instead.

According to Gary Schwartz,
Fierro and his wife started

seeing Dr. Stewart
around the holidays.

- Okay, text me that photo.
- Yeah.

Captain Benson.

Dr. Wilder,
how's Gretchen Stewart doing?

It was a brutal assault--

bleeding in the anterior
chamber of her right eye.

I had to do surgery to fix
the tear in her retina.

Any idea what
he hit her with?

Most likely his fists.

Is she able to speak with us?

Came out of anesthesia
about an hour ago.

Poor thing was asking
for her dead husband.

Still a bit groggy.

Let's keep it brief.
- Of course. Yeah.

Dr. Stewart?

I'm Captain Benson.

This is Captain Curry.

We're with SVU.

Doctor mentioned that
you'd be stopping by.

Is it okay if we ask you
a few questions?

- Yeah, of course.
- Okay.

Can you walk us through
what happened last night?

Yeah, I was
in my bed, asleep.

I heard my downstairs buzzer,

the one for my office
intercom panel.

I mean, sometimes
I have patients

with late-night emergencies,
but I stopped to grab my gun.

Do you know what
time this was?

Midnight, I think.

And then what happened?

Whoever it was
wouldn't stop buzzing.

So I went into my office.
I asked who was there.

And the next thing I knew,
a man appeared.

He lunged at me.

And I remember him pressing
his thumbs into my eyes.

And then I fell
and blacked out.

- Do you recognize his voice?
- No.

No, no, no. He didn't speak.

He just, um, attacked me.

Dr. Stewart,
after he attacked you,

he covered you with a blanket.

Do you remember that?

No, I'm sorry.

Um, they said
I have a concussion.

Yeah. Please, it's okay.

We're almost done here.

We just--we just have a few
more questions, if that's okay.

So Dr. Stewart, is there
anyone that you can think of

that would be capable
of this kind of violence?

I meet people

in some of the most challenging
moments of their lives.

But this, I--I can't--

I'd like to ask you
if you recognize this man.

Yeah.

Anthony Fierro,
he's one of mine.

Okay, what can you
tell us about him?

He had been doing
a lot of ketamine,

became increasingly paranoid.

I transitioned them
to one-on-one sessions.

Any particular reason why?

His wife took out
a restraining order.

He wasn't to come
within 100 feet of her.

Did you have anything
to do with that?

Now you know why
I took my gun with me

when I went downstairs.

Do you have it?

We did not find it
in your office.

So Anthony Fierro has my gun.

Got eyes on Fierro.

- Is he alone?
- Yes.

Does it look like he's got
Gretchen's gun on him?

Silva, you see
any gait clues?

Yeah, he's got
a loose shirt on,

and he keeps patting
his waist like he's

doing a security check.

The last thing that
we need is a shootout.

Bruno, you see him?

Looks like he's hopping
in a QuikRide--black SUV,

license plate last four,
1-6-Q-C.

Silva's with me now.

You want us to light him up?
- Hang back.

I don't want him to know
that he's being followed

until we are ready to move in.

This guy is most likely armed.

Fin, Velasco, you see him?

He just passed us,
headed northbound.

Fin, Velasco,
we're a few behind you.

You got eyes on the guy?

Yeah, he's two cars ahead.

I'm turning left
on the on-ramp.

Hey, there's an accident
up ahead.

The cars are at a standstill.

We're two cars behind him.

Do you think you can
get him?

Yeah.

We should probably do it
right now before this traffic

starts moving again.
- Okay.

Velasco, let's go.

But, Bruno,
I want you on backup.

Copy that.

- Hey!
- Hey!

- There he goes!
- Hey!

- Stop!
- Stay in your car!

Yo!

both: Gun!

Stay in your car!

Stay in your car!
- Stay in your car!

Stay down!

- Yo!
- He's heading eastbound.

He's heading
towards the railing.

Stay in your car!

Stay down! Stay down!

I didn't go near her!

Drop the gun!

Just put the gun down!

Put it down!

Okay.

I didn't go--

- That's it!
- Okay.

Okay.

No, no, no!

Well, I'm sure we're
getting the same phone calls.

What do you mean?

About our main suspect dying
on the way to the hospital?

Not to mention the damage
he did to the windshield

of some future litigant
of the NYPD's Honda.

Yes, we are getting
the same calls.

What'd the ME say?

Ready to rule it a suicide,
pending our investigation.

All right.
Velasco's in the clear.

He pulled a gun, Carisi.

Not Gretchen Stewart's gun.

He popped off three shots.

And there's multiple
witnesses on the highway

that confirm that,
including Bruno.

Well, how sure are we
that this guy's good

for Dr. Stewart's assault?

Well, Gretchen confirmed
that he made verbal threats

during their last session.

Okay, that certainly
points to him.

But that's not gonna be
good enough

for the eighth floor
on this one.

I need hard evidence.

Which we will have as soon as
we find these ripped-out pages

from her session notebook.

On top of that,
now that Fierro

can't really speak for himself,
you're gonna have

to rule out the rest
of Dr. Stewart's patients.

Look, Carisi, Fierro ran
the second he saw Velasco.

He has multiple DV arrests.

And I need you to put him
in Gretchen's office

the night of her assault.

He was staying
at a hotel, right?

Yes, which he fled to
when his wife

took out a restraining order.

Fin and Velasco are there now.

And--and Bruno and Silva
are speaking with the wife.

Well, let's hope
she doesn't alibi Fierro out.

What'd you find?

Other than ketamine?
Nothing, Sarge.

Okay, listen,
nobody leaves here

until we get
those journal pages.

Anywhere you
haven't checked yet?

He's got a car
in the garage--

make, model, plate number.

We'll handle that.

Check with security
and see if they have

camera footage of the night
of Gretchen's attack.

So what makes you think
this guy even kept those pages?

'Cause if it was me, I would
have burned them by now.

Let's hope he didn't.

What, for Benson's sake?

Man, Benson got
so much juice downtown,

she could start her
own beverage company.

I'm worried about you.

- Me?
- Yeah.

You see a D2 badge
around your neck yet?

- No.
- Neither do I.

We gotta stay on our game.

Anthony and I started
couples counseling

with Dr. Stewart last year.

For what?

We already know
about the DV arrest.

It wasn't that.

Then what was it?

His ketamine use.

I could put up with a lot.

I grew up in
a messed-up family,

so I'm used to a certain
amount of chaos.

But I couldn't take
the constant paranoia.

Paranoia over what?

He was convinced
I was cheating on him.

I wasn't.

We believe you.

I was exhausted--

being under
constant indictment,

trying to prove I was faithful.

He put a keystroke recorder
in my laptop,

pulled my underwear
out of the hamper

to check if I'd
been with anyone,

even hired a private detective.

We understand
that Dr. Stewart was

helping you leave him?

She gave me the confidence
to know I deserved better.

That's when I took out
the restraining order.

And when did you finally
tell him you were done?

A few weeks ago.

And that kept him away?

He came back,
pounded on the door.

But I called the cops.

He was scared
of going back to jail,

what with his
prior arrests and all.

Do you have any idea
where your husband was

the night Dr. Stewart
was attacked?

At the hotel, I assume.

What makes you say that?

I have the receipt.

We share an email account.

I feel guilty saying this,
but...

it feels good knowing
I'll never see him again.

Okay.

All right. Thanks, Fin.

I know that look.

And what look is that?

The look of an investigator
whose main suspect

was just alibied out.

Your ADA got a judge
to issue a subpoena

for my patient files?

Just the names
and appointment dates

from the missing pages.

I--I don't understand.

I thought you said that
Anthony Fierro was dead.

It's looking like
Anthony Fierro is

not the man who attacked you.

What? How?

So I sent some of my
detectives down to the hotel

that he was staying at.

And we have
camera footage confirming

that he was there the entire
night of your attack.

We have a receipt of
the recent purchases he made

from the hotel to back it up.

So you are telling me that
another one of my patients

wants to harm me?

It's looking that way.

Why?

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Please don't apologize.

How am I supposed
to leave here

knowing that it's dangerous?

We don't feel that
it would be safe for you

to go back to your apartment.

Where am I going to go?

Well, we're hoping
that you could stay

with a friend,
maybe your friend Gary,

or stay at a hotel.

Either way, we wanna
eliminate any other suspects

before you can go home.

And unfortunately, that means
the rest of your patients.

So where are we with the rest
of Dr. Stewart's patients?

Found four possible suspects.

At least given
the window suggested

by Dr. Stewart
and her assistant.

We check all their alibis?

We got Ross Gordon,
who was on business in Chicago

the night of the attack.

Jeff Martino was at a wedding
with dozens of witnesses.

And Vickers was home with
his wife and his new twins.

Guy has a time-stamped
baby monitor to prove it.

What about this--this
mystery man right here?

- So Keith Sparks.
- We can't seem to locate him.

Why?
He's not returning your calls?

Me and Bruno are trying,

but there's 230 Keith Sparks
in the tri-state area.

Well, did you circle back

with Gretchen Stewart
about this guy?

Yeah, she barely
remembers his name.

So she said that he came in
for an initial consult,

but she usually
does those for free.

So there's no record
of his credit cards

or insurance or anything?

If you want, I can put in
a call to Gretchen's assistant.

She's the one who probably
scheduled the consult.

Maybe she remembers
something else about him.

There was a therapist
that was just raped

and murdered in
her community center office.

Homicide is on their way
to the scene?

They're waiting for us.

Let's go, guys.

What are we looking at?

Forced entry,
no signs of robbery.

Vic was killed in her office
in the basement.

Make an ID on her yet?

Yeah, Dr. Lauren Wright, 50.

Her husband's
on his way over now.

Who called it in?

Office cleaning service.

- Okay. You got her?
- Yeah.

How was she murdered?

Blunt force to the head.

But there's something
you're gonna want to see.

Perp gouged
her eyes perimortem.

- He's blinding therapists.
- Yeah.

Well, the symbolism's
hard to miss.

He moved her
to the couch this time.

And escalated to murder.

No.

I think Gretchen
just got lucky.

- So you did know her.
- Yeah, not very well.

We, um, referred
a couple of patients

to each other over the years.

Okay.

She was killed
in her own office.

How?

Well, the details were
similar to your attack.

She was sexually assaulted.

Blinded while
she was still alive.

And then she was placed
on the couch

and covered up afterward,

which hints at the same
post-rage comedown.

Then you think
it's the same man?

But I wasn't blinded
or killed.

No, not for lack of trying.

Well, he most likely didn't
expect you to have a gun.

Not to mention, he was probably
concerned that somebody

would hear the gunshot.

There's one other detail
from the crime scene

that might be relevant.

Dr. Wright kept her
records on her computer.

It's missing.

And we're trying
to track them now.

So in the meantime,
we'd like to ask

you again about Keith Sparks.

You said he made
an initial consult with you.

Do you happen to have an email?

If I remember correctly,

he did it through
an online portal, so I--

I would have to log on.

Stay where you are, dear.

I'll get you a laptop
from the other room.

Gary's been very sweet
to let me stay with him

until it's safe
for me to go back home.

It seems like he's
been a very good friend.

- Yeah.
- Thank you.

Here.

I've had this
account for years.

My assistant
doesn't have access.

Um, okay.

Here it is.

American
Psychiatric Wellness?

And here is the email address
that he gave me.

It seems you followed up with
him again after the consult.

He didn't reply.

Okay.

Thank you for your time.

Okay, so we got
his email address.

Is that really gonna
narrow it down?

Keith Sparks may not
even be his real name.

Would explain
why we can't find him.

His MO is his real signature.

I think guys like this,

they don't just pop up out
of nowhere.

Gretchen Stewart
may not be his first victim.

I think we need to broaden
the search beyond New York.

I'll run it through ViCAP.

Hyphema and vitreous
hemorrhage to both eyes.

She's got a lot of bruises
on her forearms.

She fought back.

Tried to.

What finally killed her?

Punch to the back
of her head ruptured

a saccular aneurysm
she probably

didn't even know she had.

Did you find any
evidence of the rape?

Multiple abrasions,
tearing to the frenulum

of her labia minora.

Lot of rage.

What about DNA?

Swabbed her, sent what
we found to the lab.

Well, stay on them.

Make sure they know to rush it.

My guy's already
acting like a D2.

Anything else?

I found a faint bite mark
on her right breast.

Enough to leave
an impression?

A lot of problems
with forensic odontology,

but I photographed it anyway.

Okay, when we find him,
we'll make sure not to knock

his teeth out, just in case.

We're very sorry about
your wife, Mr. Wright.

She picked
a rough profession.

She was
an emergency psychiatrist.

It put her in close proximity
to people who were

in acute mental health crises.

Has she ever talked
about any patients

that might be capable
of something like this?

Not to me.

But knowing her, I'm sure
her notes were pristine.

I'm sure they were.

But like we said
on the phone,

her computer with all
her files was taken.

I know.

Fortunately,
it's all right here too.

What's this?

The next best thing--

notes for a book
she was writing.

They have details
about every patient

she's seen for
the last few years--

names, dates,

diagnoses.

Sit down!

What am I doing here?

Can you tell us
where you were last night?

I got dinner
at the Indian spot

below my apartment,
best naan in the city.

Did you eat with anyone else?

Why does that matter?

Because you were
a patient of Dr. Wright's.

And that you saw her the
week before she was murdered.

And raped--last night.

And her notes show that
you had a physical altercation.

Wanna tell us about that?

That's you she's
talking about, isn't it?

Hey, where did you get these?

You know why you're here now?

Because I killed her.

Why'd you do it?

Why do you think?

She knew things about me.

I told her everything.

I saw her write it all down.

Is that why you stole
her computer?

I didn't want anyone
to find out what was on it.

Why?

What was on it?

What were you so afraid
that she'd share?

- Details.
- About what?

The man I pushed
onto the subway tracks

last summer in Times Square.

And...

how I assassinated
the former president.

Last time I checked,
they're still alive.

That's what the deep state
wants you to think.

- So.
- Well, this is going nowhere.

You got this guy
from her notes?

He's the only one
that we flagged so far.

- Captain.
- What do you got?

A hit from ViCAP--

rape and murder
of a female therapist

in Danbury, Connecticut,
back in December.

Same MO?

I mean, she was beaten
to death, blinded.

Well, according to Danbury
PD's investigative division,

they interviewed
a handful of suspects.

Is the case still open?

Yeah, but they
could never tie anyone

definitively to the crime.

Well, maybe we can.

Here's all I got
on the Burgess case.

You think it has something to
do with one of your cases?

Two female therapists--
one raped and assaulted,

one raped and murdered.
- Blinded?

One of them was.

Made comfortable postmortem,
same as our vic.

Maureen Burgess have
a next of kin?

She's got an adult son
that keeps calling.

I'm sure he'd be happy
to hear someone's interested.

She was murdered
in her home office?

Yep.

Any chance we can
take a look?

It's been five months.

It's not exactly
an active crime scene.

- Who lives there now?
- No one.

Her son put it on the market
and having a hell of a time

selling it, considering
what happened there.

All right.

Call him and let him
know we're coming.

Mind if I take this?
- Sure.

Perp shows up at 3:00 a.m.,
kicks in the door.

That's been replaced.

And Dr. Burgess was raped and
bludgeoned on the floor here.

Carpet's long gone.

You're not gonna find
any evidence, Curry.

And her couch was here.

What are you hoping
to find here?

I'll know it when I feel it.

You've been spending
too much time with Benson.

Excuse me. Mr. Burgess.

You painted this place, right?

Yeah.

Had to have it cleaned.

Did your mother keep any kind
of records or session notes?

I gave all that
to the Homicide cops.

What about her finances?

You had to settle out
her practice, right?

Pay taxes?

With a probate attorney.

Did she keep good books?

She was fastidious.

And I'm assuming that
most of her clients paid

with credit card, correct?

Yeah.

Did she charge
for the initial consult?

No, but she did take 50 bucks
off for whoever referred them.

She keep a list
of those referrals?

What we got now?

Mindy Davis, one referral.

All right, drive safe,

and remember to bring it back
on a full tank, okay?

Ms. Davis?

- Yeah?
- I'm Captain Curry.

This is Sergeant Tutuola, NYPD.

You were a patient
at Dr. Burgess's?

Yeah, for a few years.

She really helped me.

So you knew her well?

Look, I was devastated when I
found out what happened to her.

You said you were NYPD?

Yeah, we're following up
on some cases

that might be related.
- Okay.

Well, what do you need from me?

Did you refer
a client to her?

Yeah, a coworker.

- Can you give us their name?
- Ted Schramm.

Okay, is he here?
Can we talk to him?

No, he transferred
to another location.

He got a job as
a manager there.

Let me guess. Manhattan?

Yeah.

You got his picture on file?

Come on.

Do you recognize this man?

He looks familiar
from the initial consult

that you asked me about.

Take your time.

Yeah, that's him.

That's Keith Sparks.

What have we got, Captain?

Confirmation from Gretchen.

We think he's good for it?

For all three of them.

Got an address?

Yeah, he's
a assistant manager

of a car rental place
in Midtown.

Got enough for a warrant?

You better believe it.

So pick him up,
and wear your vests.

- Copy.
- Copy that.

Hey! NYPD.

Is Ted Schramm working today?

Yeah, he should be bringing
a car down the elevator.

Ted Schramm?

- I'll take the back.
- Call it in!

SVU Portable to Central,
our suspect is in the elevator.

Let's form a perimeter.

And let's close
the elevators down!

- You good?
- Yeah!

Go, go, go! Go!

Don't move!

There's nowhere to go, man.

Aw, son of a bitch!

Ted Schramm?

Or whatever the hell
your name is.

You're under arrest.
Turn around.

You good?
- Oh, yeah. I'm good.

Ted, I'm Captain Benson.

I was just filling
Ted in on his rights.

Okay.

I don't have to talk to you.

That is true.

But if you don't,
you'd be missing out on,

uh, some free therapy.

How do you mean?

All these women
that were hurt,

they're therapists.

And, um, I thought that
might appeal to you.

Basically, that's what
an interrogation is.

It can be very therapeutic.

Especially if someone's
carrying something.

Like shame or regret.

But you're right.

We don't have to do this.

So why don't you have somebody
take him to central booking?

Got it.

No, wait.

What--what did
you wanna ask me?

Well, Ted, I'm gonna
be honest with you.

As an investigator, I'm--

I'm in a little
over my head here.

I'm very impressed
by crimes like this.

I mean, aren't you, Fin?

That's one way to put it.

In our jobs,
we're forced to look

at some of the darkest
corners of humanity.

But this is different.

How so?

This has an elegance to it,

like a, you know,

symbolism to it, you know?

And I've--I've had
my fair share of therapy,

but, uh, not even remotely
enough to understand

something like this.

I've been going to a
psychiatrist since I was a kid.

Oh.

Was even institutionalized
a few times.

That must have been
very difficult for you.

So you've seen dozens
of shrinks over the years?

Sort of makes you somewhat
of an expert, I would say.

I guess.

Can you tell me why someone
would blind these women?

Maybe whoever did it
didn't wanna be seen.

- You mean identified?
- No.

I mean, like, really seen.

For who they really are,
like in their soul, yeah?

Deep inside?

Something like that.

So what is he?

Who is this?

Ted?

Everyone starts out
this life as a baby.

So he was innocent,

at one point at least.

But then he probably got angry.

Why?

The lies,

that the world's
full of wonder.

That only works for so long

until you start
noticing the cracks.

Cracks?

I think we all notice
those cracks, Ted.

Parents who said one
thing but did another.

Right.

At school, it's the same--

teachers preaching fairness
but playing favorites!

Eventually, he'd start to
see the world for what it is.

So they probably
made him get help,

thinking it might
offer clarity.

But it never did.

Mm-mm.

Nothing but mental
manipulation--

placing blame, shifting blame,

turning it all around!

They took him apart!

And they never put
him back together.

No.

And that was her fault, Ted?

Not just hers--

all of them.

Don't you see?

He wanted deliverance.

He wanted to be free
from the pain.

But all they did was talk
and talk and talk and talk!

They couldn't help you,

so they needed
to feel pain too.

Is that it?

Punishment should
fit the crime.

And who better to dole
it out than you?

Ted, but you didn't
wanna do it, did you?

No.

I didn't.

I really didn't.

God, I am so tired.

Yeah.

So that's it?

It's over?

We have Ted Schramm
in custody right now.

We also searched
his apartment

and found the missing pages
of your journal,

along with Dr. Wright's
computer.

Thank you.

It's not a popular thing
to believe in my profession,

but some people are
just beyond help.

Well, I guess our jobs are
pretty similar that way--

at least, it feels
that way sometimes.

Yeah.

That means our time's up?

You have another
patient already?

It's actually Gary.

He wanted to bring me dinner.

Oh, nice.

You take care of yourself.

Thank you.

You know, what happened
to me isn't gonna keep me

from trying to help
other people,

even if some of them
are beyond it.

Well, like I said,
um, our jobs are similar.

- Take care.
- Thank you.

- Hey. Take care.
- Yeah.

Hi.

How was Ted's arraignment?

He pled not guilty.

His lawyer's going
for an insanity defense.

Oh, that's rich.

Yeah, no jury's
gonna buy that.

These were
premeditated murders.

This guy knew exactly
what he was doing.

So he will never
see the light of day?

Not when I
get through with him.

As a result
of their dedication

and devotion to duty,
16 detectives have

been designated
Detective Second Grade.

And those detectives
are Ezra Harvey.

Niki Robertson.

José Velasco.

I just wanna say, again,

what an honor it is to be here,
Captain Benson.

Velasco, being a cop
isn't some sort of penance.

Are we good?

We're good.

Command presence.

You showed real leadership,
Velasco.

Thanks, Captain.