Original subtitles

Looks like a custom ride.

Not too many of those around.

All right, get the security tape back to the lab,

see if somebody can get us a license plate.

And run the car through the system.

Something should pop up.

I know exactly who that is.

His name's Mark Dupree.

He's my ex-fiancé.

Just relax. You'll be fine.

First day of school.

Yeah, first day of school as a teacher.

You'll have these punks eating out of your hands in no time.

Well, there's not really a lot of students.

It's a summer extension course.

You're teaching a summer extension course, same as me.

These kids aren't even going for a degree.

Besides, you really wanna ease into this job.

My first day of teaching, 50 screaming college freshmen

at the beginning of football season was a nightmare.

- Thank God for wine. - Janice!

What?

No, I'm just kidding. Lighten up, okay?

Sorry. It's just a lot to take in, you know?

It's the first grownup job, new town, new place.

Yeah, but you have me.

You've been riding my coattails since grad school.

Are you always this confident?

Yeah. It's practically a job requirement.

Besides, you used to be too.

And I will be, I promise.

I'm glad we're working together.

Yeah. Laurie?

You're a great teacher,

but if you want these kids to see you that way,

you have to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.

Hey, Professor Dahl.

Hey, Billy!

I think I'm in your 9:00 class.

Oh, yeah. This is Laurie Valentine.

She's teaching you Intro to Lit in building H.

Nice to meet you, Miss Valentine.

- Billy! - I mean Professor Valentine.

- Sorry. - No, it's okay,

I'm still getting used to the whole professor thing myself.

Wait, Billy, did you say that you were in my 9:00 class?

- Yes, ma'am. - You better hustle over there.

If you're late on the first day,

you have to give an oral report on the history of NASA.

I gotta go. Bye!

Freshmen are terrified of me. I love it.

Congratulations!

You survived your fir fit day as a college professor.

You should've seen her. Laurie was fantastic.

The kids were hanging on her every word.

- I'm not surprised. - I was intimidated at first,

but once we got going, I felt pretty good.

Yeah. It almost makes up for the 10 years you're gonna have

to pay back your student loans, huh?

Oh, crap, crap, crap, crap!

I think it's my yoga instructor.

I think he wants to ask me out on a date.

- Hello? - Good luck with that.

So it seems like things may be turning around for you, huh?

I think it'll be better once I find my own place.

Right now I'm just staying at my sister's house

while she's on a business trip in China.

Just you at that big ol' house?

No. My niece Ricki decided to bum around for the summer.

So that's part of the deal. I have to keep an eye on her.

She's 17 years old.

Gonna be a high school senior next year.

Janice tells me you've been having some difficulty recently.

Oh, you mean Mark, the ex-fiancé.

Fiancé. Wow. Supposed to be married, huh?

Yeah, something like that.

Well, if you need some old guy's perspective,

- I am always available. - You're not that old.

That's almost convincing.

Thank you for the pep talk.

It's really good to have you back, Laurie.

Ricki?

Ricki, honey, where are you?

So I can strangle you.

Yah!

Got you!

See how funny that is when I have a heart attack!

Don't worry, Grandma. I know CPR.

Don't scare me like that. I don't like it.

And enough with the grandma talk.

I'm younger than your mother.

And she's old too.

You are gonna get a mean phone call on your 30th birthday.

What are you even doing out here? Are you smoking?

First of all, smoking's not a thing anymore. It's vaping.

And second, no.

Are you vaping out here?

If you really wanna know, I was about to run some laps.

I'm trying out for the track team this year.

- Really? - We practice five times a day.

Fine, I was...

I was waiting for my dad to call.

He was supposed to call me like three weeks ago.

He will.

No, he won't. He's got that new girlfriend.

My mom's on business. I'm just extra baggage.

Honey, I...

I know you're going through a hard time,

but it's gonna get better.

I promise.

You know, your mom and dad love you a lot.

And so does your Aunt Laurie.

Yeah.

So what happened with you and Mark,

I thought you guys were getting married.

Well, you know how men are from Mars

and women are from Venus?

- Yeah. - Well, uh...

Mark, he's from the planet ...

I'm telling my mom you said that.

Hey, if you do, I'm telling her you were vaping.

Oh, okay, okay.

Okay, okay.

You're gonna end up grading those papers in your sleep.

If you were taking a college lit course,

would you wanna spend a semester reading Albert Camus

or Alexander Solzhenitsyn?

Alex what?

Solzhenitsyn. Russian author.

Wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Nobel Prize?

Yeah.

Remind me not to take your class when I get to college.

Anybody home?

Whoa.

Mark.

Federica?

Uh, it's Ricki.

Nobody calls me the F word anymore except for my dad.

Boy, it's good to see you.

I think the last time I saw you,

you were playing with Barbie dolls.

Can't beat the classics.

In what universe is it okay for you

to barge in here like you lived here?

Well, the door was open. I just took the initiative.

Uh, you want some pizza?

Well, it looks good, but I can't. I...

Actually, I just stopped by to talk to your Aunt Laurie

just for a moment.

I'll take that as my cue to leave.

Now, there's a smart kid, huh?

You didn't even tell me you were leaving.

I had to call your parents in Poughkeepsie

to find out where you went.

I'm sure they loved that.

What am I supposed to think?

I come home, all your stuff is gone,

you took your name off the lease--

Jeez, Mark, I don't know, a normal person would think,

"Hey, my fiancé moved out

and never wants to speak to me again!"

Come on, you're acting like I killed somebody.

No, I act like you slept with someone in our bed.

Do you remember that?

- Laurie-- - Don't! No!

You always called the shots when we were together.

You don't get to do that anymore.

So you're just gonna run off to your sister's house?

For starters, yeah.

Okay, well, how long is this gonna last for?

Until I can get on my feet.

What are you gonna do, wait tables?

I took a teaching gig at the college.

What do you care?

Laurie, I'm always gonna care.

It's too late for that.

- I admit I made some mistakes. - Mistakes?

I caught you in bed with another woman.

How many times do I have to apologize for that?

I get it. I messed up. Can we please just move on?

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Just not with you.

Laurie...

I love you.

The next time you come here uninvited,

I'm calling the cops.

Hi. This is Laurie Valentine.

Yeah, I just started at the college.

I need to get my checks direct deposited.

36 minutes! Not bad.

So they'll be in Thursday at midnight?

Great, thank you.

So who do you think's gonna win the Olympics, track and field?

Female? Lolo Jones.

What? Jones? No, no, no.

Allyson Felix. She's already won four gold medals.

Felix? No. Those are fighting words where I come from.

Ricki, looks like you're having fun.

It was great. He's almost fast enough to keep pace with me.

Oh, no, she has great natural instincts.

Yeah, she does.

Would you like to introduce me to your way-older male friend?

Oh, uh...

Hi, sorry, I'm Alan.

Alan Cypher.

Laurie Valentine.

So do you do this often, go running with teenaged girls?

No, I'm renting the guest apartment for the summer.

From Daisy.

She never mentioned that to me.

She might've. She might've left a note.

I didn't see a note.

That's because...

there may have been a set of rules attached to it

that I didn't exactly agree with,

so I might have thrown it away.

I just can't believe she wouldn't mention that to me.

What if I wake up in the middle of the night

and there's a strange man in the house?

That would scare me half to death.

No offense.

None taken. I'm pretty harmless, actually.

Yeah, Aunt Laurie, he's a really nice guy.

Stop being so paranoid.

And I have someone to run with.

Oh, you're a track coach or...

Oh, no. Surfer, actually. Definitely not a coach.

I haven't been on the water forever. I just...

I run now and then for the hell of it.

Gotta stay in shape.

So would you like to have lunch with us?

My Aunt Laurie made her world famous tuna salad.

Wow! World famous, huh? I'm, uh, I'm intrigued.

Uh, yeah, sure, if I'm not an imposition.

No. We have plenty.

What was that? I...

I think I hear my friends calling from across town.

You guys have fun now.

We are gonna have a long talk when you get back, young lady!

See ya!

I think we've been set up.

I think so.

So I found out that my girlfriend Miranda

had been cheating on me the whole time we lived together.

So I just walked away.

Believe me, I know how you feel.

You sound like you're talking from experience.

I'm an ex-fiancé. Same story.

Never even saw it coming.

Yeah, you know, at a certain point,

you need to just stop blaming yourself.

Yeah, sometimes you do.

On top of everything else, I lost my apartment

'cause the lease was in Miranda's name,

so that's how I wound up here.

Did you find a place yet? A long-term place?

No. I mean, I haven't even really started looking.

It's been too depressing.

I need a nice quiet place

to work on my art for a couple of months,

and your sister had this guest apartment

for rent with no lease.

You're an artist?

Yeah, you could say that.

Sculpture, woodwork, some painting.

I have a little studio on the edge of town.

I do my heavy work out there with an old friend of mine.

Speaking of which, my break was over hours ago,

I really should be getting back.

Now that we're officially neighbors,

we should probably have each other's phone numbers?

Oh, yeah, that's a good idea.

Give me yours, and then I'll text you mine.

That is mine.

You can call me any old time.

I just might.

Yeah, all right.

So how hot would you say he is,

like scale of 1 to 10?

Pretty hot.

A solid 9, maybe.

Maybe a 9.5.

Wow.

And single?

Apparently so.

He's just living in your guesthouse.

Well, Daisy's attic apartment, but yeah.

Hmm. Does he have a job?

Well, he paints and sculpts on commission.

And he surfs, and he has great abs.

So basically you have a hot single artist

living in your attic.

Mark's gonna freak out.

Oh, gee, that's terrible.

So now that I actually know that someone's staying in the house,

feel free to use the pool whenever you like.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Yeah, I work during the day, but Ricki should be around.

Right, you teach at the college, right?

Now, did you know that that's always what you wanted to do?

There was a time that I dropped out.

Why?

My fiancé, he--

Ex-fiancé.

Sorry. You're right. My ex-fiancé.

He thought that college was taking up too much of my time,

so I quit.

He was on his way to being a high-powered defense attorney

and was gonna take care of both of us.

And one day I realized the whole trophy-wife thing

wasn't really my cup of tea,

so I went back and got my degree a year ago.

Hey, you wanna come see some of my paintings?

I'd love to. Lead the way.

This is it.

I've never actually been up here before.

It's gaudy.

And Daisy was always pretty eccentric.

Yeah. I don't know. I don't mind it.

I figure it's all just temporary anyway.

I'm sure once I get my own long-term place,

I'll feel like making it more like a home.

Are these yours?

Yeah.

For better or worse.

- They're beautiful. - Thanks.

Painting's not really my forte though,

I mean, I really like working with wood, stone,

anything I can use a chisel on.

Well, you know what they say.

I don't know art, but I know what I like.

Oh, thank you.

Do you ever sell any of these?

A couple.

Mostly to coffee houses, banks, that kind of thing.

These are pretty personal though.

Would you be interested in selling one to me?

- You serious? - Yeah.

I don't have the money yet, but sure, yeah,

once I get my first paycheck.

Oh, I can just give it to you.

No. No, I insist on supporting the arts,

and you are an artist.

Okay, well, at least take it now

and then you can pay me when you get the money.

I mean, I'm pretty sure you're good for it.

Besides, I know where you live.

Hey!

- Oops! Sorry about that. - You did that on purpose!

I don't know, did I?

Hey, sleepy head. You ready for work?

Yeah. I was up all night grading papers.

You don't hear me complaining. I'm just enjoying the view.

So you're not worried about Mr. Hunk

hanging out with your teenage niece?

He's actually the perfect gentleman.

Yeah, I think you're right.

He has more to worry about than hanging out with you.

Hey!

Who is that, the mailman?

No.

Why the hell are you honking your horn?

I've been trying to get ahold of you for days.

And since I'm not allowed to come knock on your door,

had to honk my horn to get you to come out.

I thought I made it perfectly clear.

We have nothing left to discuss.

Well, the water and cable are still in your name.

They need you to come in to transfer everything over to me.

Oh, well, I'll make that a top priority,

right after my next mani-pedi.

Or you could do it today,

get me out of your life that much faster.

You always know just the right thing to say, don't you?

Wow! Nice ride. Restore it yourself?

My first job out of college, I did classic restoration.

Whoever did that one did an amazing job.

Who the hell are you?

This is Alan. He lives here.

Alan, this is Mark. He was just leaving.

Oh, hey, man, how are you? Nice to meet you.

You're kidding, right?

My Spidey-sense says I left something inside.

You're gonna be late for work.

Right, work. Nice to meet you, Mark.

Who is that guy?

Daisy's just renting a room to him for the summer.

Come on.

Is this some brilliant plan to try to make me jealous?

This has nothing to do with you!

What does it have to do with you?

You two an item?

Oh, go to hell, Mark!

- Laurie-- - I'm late for work.

When I have time, I'll go to the cable company,

I'll switch everything over.

In the meantime, just go.

Stop making excuses to come here and bother me.

Hey, you okay?

Oh, I'm just swell.

What?

I told you. Everything is fine. I know what I'm doing.

I'm a professional, remember?

I said everything is fine!

- Ricki, Ricki! - What's happening?

- Someone broke into the house! - What?

What's going on?

Alan!

Alan!

What?

What?

I think somebody just broke into the house.

What? Okay, stay here. I'll go check it out.

I don't know.

I didn't see anybody.

They were in the house with us.

Did you get a good look at whoever it was?

No, I didn't.

Okay. It's okay, I'm here.

I'll take care of you both.

So the whole house is set, right?

Yes, ma'am. Our alarm system is directly connected

- to our dispatch center. - Good.

So all you have to do is input your code here

and hit the arm button.

Like this?

That's right. Now just in case of an emergency,

you wanna punch these two keys to trigger the alarm.

- That's the panic button. - Got it.

I should've done this a long time ago.

Thank you so much.

Bye.

At least you have peace of mind now.

Nice painting!

Oh, thanks. Did it myself.

Ricki, dinner's ready.

- Hi. Oh, I love that one. - It's all yours.

- You wanna join us? - Nah, I'm good.

I think I'll just grab something out.

Pork chops. Mmm! Come on.

Hey, don't look at me. Laurie makes great pork chops.

Okay.

Well, I guessI'll leave you two old people

to talk about socks or whatever.

Great dinner.

Wait, you going out?

Uh, yeah. I got a date

to that sexy new vampire movie at the Rialto.

A date?

It's just a PG-13 date.

Let's keep it PG.

If your mom comes home, and you have hickies on your neck,

she'll have me killed.

Whatever.

See you around, Alan.

Bye.

You really are great with her.

- She's a good kid. - Yeah.

And between you and me,

I think she's got a little crush on you.

What? No.

Might be more out of it than I thought.

I never even noticed.

Can't say I blame her.

I love that painting, by the way.

Well, it's all yours. Fair trade for a great dinner.

No. That's worth a hell of a lot more than a great dinner.

Glad you like it.

You are an amazing guy.

Me? No, no, no, I'm not.

I'm just some guy.

Now, you? You are quite amazing.

I'm gonna get those dishes.

- You don't have to do that. - No, I insist.

You cooked, I clean.

Enjoy your wine.

Didn't even have to honk the horn this time.

How kind of you.

What, you just happened to be in the neighborhood?

Well, no, not quite.

Remember how I told you about

the water and the cable bill are still in your name?

I already called the damn cable company, okay?

It's all yours.

But not the water.

I'll get around to it!

Well, they're gonna turn it off in the next few days

if we don't both go in there in person and talk to them.

Anything else?

Yeah.

Yeah, there is.

I don't like that Alan guy being here.

Yeah, well, I do.

You know we had a break-in the other night?

A break-in? You okay?

Yeah. The cops said it was probably just some kids

or a homeless guy.

They messed the place up,

but they didn't really take anything.

It was really nice to have someone here.

You know, you should've called me, Laurie.

I don't need you anymore.

Okay, okay, I get it, I know. I screwed things up.

But I'm seeing a relationship therapist,

and she says I've got commitment issues.

But we're working really hard to get me back on track.

We could both go and see her.

Or you could just let it go.

Move on.

You know how I don't like to take no for an answer.

I've noticed.

Well, even if it has to end,

we shouldn't let it end like this.

Think about it, okay?

Okay.

I'll-- I'll think about it.

Great paintings.

- They're good, aren't they? - Mm-hmm.

They look really familiar.

Is it somebody local?

It's actually my sister's tenant, Alan Cypher.

He owns an art studio here in town.

I think he sold a lot of his stuff to local businesses.

Maybe that's where you've seen him before.

Might be. He is talented.

Yeah.

You, uh, need me for something?

Have you got any plans this afternoon?

I was just gonna head home

after my 5:00 creative writing class,

sit by the pool, grade some papers.

Sounds nice.

So there's this educational conference

that's coming up in Chicago in September.

I was wondering if maybe you wanna go with me.

Lots of great symposiums.

Wow. Chicago?

Absolutely. Interested?

The Windy City.

Sure.

- Sure, yeah, I'd love to go. - Great.

I'll get you all the details.

You're not careful, you're gonna get a nasty sunburn.

Alan.

Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you,

I was gonna grab a quick swim.

I thought you were at work.

I was, but I left early.

One of the perks to being a self-employed artist, I guess.

No, I'm fine, really.

You don't trust me?

Yes. Yes, I trust you.

Okay, well, then in that case,

just relax.

Whoa! What is going on there?

What are you so tense about?

Teaching.

My bratty niece.

Mark.

Mark. What's he done now?

He's actually trying to change.

Even said something about couples counseling.

Do you think that would help?

Well, we were together a long time.

But you can't trust him.

No.

You deserve better.

Ow. Easy there, killer.

Sorry. It's gonna hurt now

until your muscles start to relax.

But then...

Then it starts to feel wonderful.

And back to The Metamorphosis.

Who can tell me the significance

of Gregor Sampson's transformation?

Billy, I really hope you're not doing a web search right now

for the CliffsNotes version.

Anybody? Yes.

Kafka never explains why he turns into a giant bug.

Aha. Kafka never explains it.

That's because the explanation isn't important.

Kafka intended his novella to be an allegory.

It's meant to raise questions, but not answer them.

It's up to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions.

Many people believe that Kafka was writing about his own life,

about being shunned by his own father

or being an outcast for his writing.

What do you think it means?

Well, what do I think it means.

I think it's a story about personal identity.

Gregor's a regular working-class guy

supporting his family,

a little unhappy with his life.

We've all been there, right?

Then one day, he les that identity.

He can no longer support his family

or communicate with the outside world,

and everyone that sees him is horrified

by the way that he looks.

In the end, he just curls up and dies

to save his family from the burden of taking care of him.

What I think it means is our identity,

that face that we show to the outside world,

is really all that we have.

If you lose that identity, you're no longer human.

You're a burden.

You just slowly die alone.

And on that cheerful note, we're done.

We'll pick up again on Monday with some Thomas Hardy.

Should be a laugh riot.

Bye.

Way to go, Teach!

Thank you. I kinda felt like I was reading

out of a 16-year-old goth girl's diary though.

No, you did great. So what about Alan?

Did you run out of things to gossip about already?

I am offended.

Yes.

He's great. I--

I feel like I really like having him around.

You like him.

Of course I like him,

but I don't know if I like him, like him.

And he's completely opposite from Mark.

He listens to me.

He lets me be myself and...

oh, he looks great in swim trunks.

Sounds bad, huh?

If that's bad, then sign me up.

He lives in my sister's attic. What if things get awkward?

He's great! Don't overthink it

or you're gonna end up like that bug guy in Metamorphosis.

- I don't know. - Look, one of these days,

you're gonna have to just close your eyes and jump

or you'll regret it.

You think?

Yeah. And if you don't ask him out,

I know somebody who will.

And I'm gonna do obscene things to him,

and I'm gonna rub it in your face.

Hey!

Hey, Alan!

You up for a quick five-mile run?

Ricki!

What are you doing?

I'm sorry. I should have knocked.

No, no. I'm the one who's sorry.

That was just a knee-jerk reaction there.

That's not cool.

So do you wanna go play some tennis before dinner?

Sure.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, whoa!

I knew I'd find you out here. Don't you ever go home?

I was just getting ready to head out for the evening, actually.

Well, I got that transcript you wanted from Warren College.

Thank you.

I had to pull a few strings, you know.

Look, I know it's hard to keep a secret around here,

but I'd really appreciate it if you kept this between us.

Uh-huh, and by "between us,"

I assume you mean don't tell Laurie.

- You assume correctly. - And I also assume

you're not gonna tell me what this is about.

Two for two.

All right, well, I'm here if you need me.

I thought so.

The key is really keeping your wrist straight.

Wrist straight like...

Chinese takeout! Anybody interested?

I'm definitely interested!

We'll pick this up later.

Hey, I just wanted to say thank you

for hanging out with me and training me for tryouts.

I know you have a lot of stuff to do,

and I really don't thank you enough.

Well, you're a really cool person.

Who wouldn't wanna hang out with you?

That's what I keep telling everybody.

No, but really, I'm glad you're staying here.

Me too.

Hey, I don't mean to bug you.

I just wanted to see how you were doing.

Okay.

So...

how's it going?

Well, other than this being the most boring summer of my life,

I'm all right.

I'm sorry. I've been in my own head lately.

The teaching job and getting over Mark

and having to find a new place to live

after your sister kicks me out, it's just, it's been rough.

You could always stay in the guest apartment.

I don't like where that smile's going.

Let's spend some time together, just the two of us.

We'll have girl time.

Could we upgrade that to fashionable-young-lady time?

Sure.

I love you, goofball.

I love you too, Aunt Laurie.

Oh, tell Alan I said good night.

"Avoid unchallenging occupations.

They waste your talents."

In bed.

You got awfully serious.

Just thinking.

That usually leads to trouble.

No, no trouble, just, uh...

contemplating life.

Oh, yeah, that leads to even more trouble.

I was thinking that...

I haven't danced in a while.

What, with me? No, no, I don't dance.

- Come on. - Even when nobody's watching.

Come on.

You're dancing tonight.

You're a pretty good.

I'm all right.

See? You're a good dancer.

Probably just need a decent partner, that's all.

How kind of you.

Sorry. That was impulse.

No. I think I had just as much to do with that as you did.

I should go.

Me too.

I mean I live here, so I'm just gonna stay.

- Right. - You can go.

Good night.

Good night.

What are you doing?

I'm just keeping an eye on my investment.

- You were watching? - Of course.

You were getting awfully close to her.

Thought that was the idea.

No. That's not what I'm paying you for.

You're supposed to get her all worked up,

you break her heart, then you split,

then I swoop in and save the day.

You remember that?

Yeah, I remember. I'm working on it.

Well, work faster. I want my girl back.

We're supposed to get married.

What if she doesn't want to be your girl, hmm?

You ever thought about that? I haven't heard her say

one decent thing about you since she got here.

I'm no Dr. Phil, but maybe the damage has been done.

You cheated on her. You got caught.

Move on with your life.

Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?

"Just move on with your life."

And where does that leave you? Here?

Dancing with my ex-fiancé every night,

pretending to be some kind of good guy?

You're kidding yourself, convict.

Maybe you're the one who's kidding yourself.

This was your crazy plan, not mine.

You wanna keep arguing with me?

I'll make sure you go back to jail.

I'm in charge here, you got that?

Not you.

Too bad.

I like being Alan Cypher.

Well, get over it.

Alan Cypher isn't real.

I made you.

Just a good-looking artistic guy.

Right kind of man to hit all of Laurie's buttons.

If she knew who you really are--

She does know me.

Reality check.

You are a convicted felon.

You're a con man.

And apparently you're a lousy con man.

- Guess that makes two of us. - Just do your jo--

You can consider this my two-weeks' notice.

Nice form!

- Sorry about that. - That's all right.

You really have a knack for scaring the hell out of me.

Sorry. I'm gonna have to work on that.

So anyway, about last night.

Yeah, I wanted to apologize about that.

Sorry. I got a little carried away.

So did I.

Look, I don't wanna lead you on.

I really like you, and I find you very attractive.

- I'm not gonna lie. - That goes both ways too.

But I don't know if I'm ready to make that jump yet.

- No pressure. - You're okay with that?

Yeah, of course. I mean, what's the alternative?

We dive right in and make a big mess of things?

We're both coming from these really bad relationships,

so we should try not to mess this up.

I agree.

All right, so we'll just see how things go.

Take it slow.

Got all the time in the world.

Excuse me, sir?

Yeah?

I'm looking for the person who owns this studio, Alan Cypher?

Alan Cypher, huh?

Yeah, just wanna be sure I got the right place.

This is the address on your website.

I might have some work for Alan.

Wait a second.

I'll see if I can find him.

Thank you.

What's up?

Got a guy here looking for Alan Cypher.

Who is he?

You want me to ask?

Uh, no, no, just keep him busy till I get there.

I don't like people showing up asking questions.

Don't worry. I'll be right there.

Alan is on his way.

All right, I'm giving you guys a heads-up right now.

If you haven't done it yet,

read the rest of Jude the Obscure.

Spoiler alert: He's obscure for a reason.

Spoiler alert number two: There's gonna be a quiz.

- Hey. - Hey.

You keep going on like this, you're gunning for Floyd's job.

Maybe in about 20 more years.

You seem suspiciously happy today.

- I do? - Yes.

Did something happen between you and Alan?

No!

Yes!

Well, we, uh...

We did dance a little.

Dance.

Wait, you? Were you guys drunk?

And what else?

We might have kissed.

Get the hell outta here!

Okay, well, it happened. Well, it kinda happened.

And then we both got a little weird about it.

Honestly, I didn't think you even had it in you.

Gee, thanks.

Yeah, no problem. So what else happened?

Well, if something did happen, I wouldn't tell you.

Well, then it didn't because you would definitely tell me.

Well, you're so sure of yourself, aren't you?

Well, at least you're smiling on a regular basis.

I finally feel like the storm is starting to break.

Well, that's good enough for me.

We're going to Charlie's for drinks. Come on, I'm buying.

Oh, yeah!

Hey. I'm Alan Cypher. You were looking for me?

I'm Floyd Messner. Nice work here.

Oh, thanks. How'd you find out about my work?

- Came across your website. - Okay, well...

were you interested in buying one of my sculptures or...

Well, I was intrigued by some of your paintings, actually.

Oh, painting's not really my thing,

I'm actually just more of a hobbyist.

Interesting, because a friend of mine

tells me that you sell quite a few of them to local businesses.

Who's your friend?

Laurie Valentine.

Really? She's never mentioned you before.

I work with her at the college.

Oh, well, any friend of hers is a friend of mine,

especially if she's sending business my way.

Not quite. You see, I saw your paintings on that site,

and they reminded me of the artwork

a student of mine once did.

A young man named Charles Mayberry.

He lived in Chicago when I taught there.

So-so English major, exceptional artist.

He had a lot of potential.

Right up until he died in a car accident 20 years ago.

You would've been, what, 10?

I'm sure there must've been some kind of mistake.

Look at this.

No mistake.

The one there on the right was printed from your site,

and the one on the left was the picture taken

from one of Mayberry's pieces 20 years ago.

They are the same.

Look, Floyd, here's the thing.

See, I don't actually do that site.

I have a guy that I pay to do that.

I'm sure he probably came across the artwork somewhere online

and dropped it in.

Those web guys are con artists.

Right, so you're saying this isn't your artwork.

Like I told you, man, when it comes to painting,

I'm really just more of a hobbyist.

I'm gonna get him to take that down right away.

Thank you. I appreciate it. This is the type of thing

that could get me in a lot of trouble.

Well, as her friend, I was concerned.

She seems quite taken with you. After all she's been through,

I'd hate to think she's being lied to.

Well, like I said,

I'm really sorry about that, sir.

Just a miscommunication.

I'll get that fixed right away.

Anything else you wanted?

No, that was it. Thanks for your time.

Thank you.

I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon.

Sure.

Good thing he wasn't a cop.

- Ah, it's under control. - That's how it starts.

Somebody shows up asking questions.

- Back off, Manny. - Get out while you can.

I'll decide when it's time for me to get out.

That's what got you caught. You never know when to walk.

What got me caught last time was my partner flaking out on me!

You can bet I'm not gonna let that happen again!

You're the boss.

What's up?

Mark's water got shut off a couple days ago.

He was supposed to meet me here to get the bill switched over,

and he never showed up after all that complaining.

I'm gonna try him again.

Voicemail.

Hey, Mark, this is Laurie. I'm waiting for you.

Well, maybe he's on his way over.

I'm sure he would pick up the phone.

I'll try his work.

Hi, this is Laurie Valentine. Is Mark still there?

He didn't call or anything?

Okay, can you have him call me if you see him?

Thank you.

Where is he?

I'm not sure.

He didn't show up for work either, apparently.

Well, if you track him down, let me know.

I hope he's okay.

What's wrong?

I thought you were Mark.

Sorry to disappoint.

No, I don't mean it like that. He suddenly disappeared.

No one knows where he is,

I'm really starting to get worried.

Are you gonna be around later?

Actually, I have dinner with clients.

They wanna see my portfolio. Could be big money.

Good luck. I'm sure they're gonna love you.

You think?

How could they not?

What the hell?

Sorry, Mark. Looks like you had a bunch of drinks,

ran a few people over with your car,

decided that life just wasn't worth living anymore.

But don't worry 'cause I will write you

one great suicide note.

Laurie!

Laurie, open up! It's me, it's Alan,

Something's wrong! Open up!

- Laurie! - What happened?

I was out jogging, and someone tried to run me over.

Most normal people would go to the hospital

after something like that!

I know. I was worried about you.

Me? Why?

Because I saw the driver,

and I'm pretty sure that it was Mark.

I'd recognize that car anywhere.

No. He would never--

When was the last time you saw him?

A couple days. I found a camera in my bedroom.

A camera?

Yeah, it was hidden in a book.

Well, are you sure it was him?

Who else would it be?

Let me grab some bandages, get you cleaned up.

Yeah.

- What happened? - Didn't you get my messages?

No.

Floyd got hit by a car last night in the parking lot.

He got hit by a car?

- Is he... - No, he's alive.

Some students found him this morning.

They called 911.

He has a couple broken bones, a concussion.

I don't know. I'm gonna go see him.

Do they know who did it?

No. They have some cops up in the main office,

looking through the security footage.

They're talking to faculty and students right now.

They'll probably wanna talk to you later.

Okay.

Looks like a custom ride.

Not too many of those around.

All right, get the security tape back to the lab,

see if somebody can get us a license plate.

And run the car through the system.

Something should pop up.

I know exactly who that is.

His name's Mark Dupree.

He's my ex-fiancé.

Have you spoken with Mr. Dupree recently?

Not in a couple days.

He seem agitated to you?

Something bothering him?

Well, we just ended our engagement.

He's not taking that well.

He ever threaten violence?

Did he have a specific problem with Professor Mesner?

I don't think they ever even met.

Well, right now I'm waiting on a warrant to proceed.

We also have people out looking for him.

The moment that I hear something, we'll let you know.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

I'd like to speak to the other guy Dupree hit with his car.

This, uh, Alan Cypher?

He said that he talked to you guys last night.

I can give you his cell. He's probably at work.

This just doesn't sound like Mark.

You'd be surprised what jealousy does to people.

Detective.

Yes?

"I have decided to end my life."

When was that sent?

Last night after midnight.

Anything else?

"I tried to change, but I'm not strong enough.

I can't imagine you with anyone else,

so I took care of them.

I never meant to hurt anyone, but I can't live with myself."

- Oh, my God. - Can you forward that to me?

Maybe it'll be enough to get a search warrant for his home.

No. I have a key to Mark's place.

- It's in my car. - No, no, no.

I can't go in there without a warrant.

I'm just a concerned friend with a spare key.

That's not illegal, right?

You could just come with me.

I think he's really serious. I need to check on him.

All right, let's go.

I'll go check on Floyd.

When I'm done, I'll meet you over there.

Okay.

Hello?

Laurie, hi. Hey, it's Alan.

I just got patched up at the ER.

Doctor says I'm gonna be fine. No broken bones or anything.

Guess it's good I'm quick on my feet, huh?

You're not the only one Mark hit with his car last night.

One of the professors here at the college

was run over in the parking lot.

He's a friend of mine.

- What? - He's in pretty rough shape,

but they say he's gonna make it.

Well, that's good news.

It was definitely Mark.

They caught the whole thing on a security camera.

Listen, I'll talk to you later. Be careful, okay?

If you see Mark, call the police.

Right. You too.

Mark?

It's Laurie.

You here?

Mr. Dupree?

It's Detective Valdez with the police!

Please identify yourself if you're here!

We need to talk to you!

Mr. Dupree, please cooperate!

Things will go much easier for you!

Mr. Dupree?

He's not here.

You know the password to that?

No. Even when we were together, his computer was off-limits.

He was always a little...

paranoid.

"Kurt Kruger." What's he doing with this?

This is somebody's police record.

He's a defense attorney. Probably one of his clients.

Mail fraud, money laundering,

multiple counts of grand larceny.

This guy's a pistol.

What's wrong?

I know this guy.

The camera you found in your bedroom

was definitely feeding to that laptop

through a LAN connection, wireless.

So Alan was in on the break-in too?

It appears so.

So it was all a con?

What did Mark have to do with it?

Kurt Kruger has several priors, mostly cons,

but there's a few violent crimes in there too.

Your ex defended him a few months ago

on a major domestic violence charge.

Got him off on a technicality.

Excuse me. Hold on.

Valdez.

Are you sure?

All right, I'll be up there ASAP.

What? What is it?

Dupree's car was found about an hour ago at a crash site.

A crash site?

According to the lead investigator on the scene,

it appears he drove straight off an embankment outside of town.

Probably right after he sent you that email last night.

He didn't make it.

He actually did it.

I'm about to head up there now. I'll know more soon.

Detective, how worried should I be about this Kurt Kruger guy?

I have a 17-year-old niece that I'm responsible for.

- Where's your niece now? - She's at a friend's house,

but I'm having her stay there with everything going on.

Do we need witness protection or something?

No, no, no, I wouldn't worry about that.

Now that Kruger's cover's been blown,

I guarantee you he's already across state.

I'll be in touch.

Let's go.

How you doing, Floyd?

I may have to take a rain check on Chicago.

It was Alan.

He was driving the car.

Alan, not Mark. You sure?

Positive. He's lying to you.

I know. His real name is Kurt Kruger.

He's a hardcore criminal.

I'm so sorry.

I knew it, I knew it! I knew this was a bad idea!

Listen to me, it's time for you to get the hell outta Dodge.

- This is over. - With what, Manny?

The lawyer never paid me! I'm broke!

What's the alternative, the state pen?

No, no, if I could just--

if I could just sit her down and I could talk to her,

I know that she would listen to me--

No, you can't, okay?

That's exactly what happened with Miranda.

Miranda loved me.

She was gonna turn you in.

You spent your whole life making hard choices.

Here's just one more.

You're right.

You know what has to be done.

Yeah, I do.

Can't afford any loose ends.

Ricki?

You okay?

For the record, I'm not having a good summer.

Yeah, you and me both.

You're wrong about Alan.

Oh, honey, his name's not even Alan.

He tricked both of us.

No, he's a good guy.

He wouldn't hurt anybody. I know it.

I can't--

I'm gonna take this, but we need to talk.

Hey, Janice.

No, nothing yet.

How's Floyd doing?

Alan?

I won't tell anyone you're here.

Let me help you.

Sorry, Ricki.

Thanks.

As soon as I know something, you'll know something.

Okay, talk soon.

Ricki?

Ricki, where are you?

- Hello? - Laurie.

What did you do? Where's Ricki?

She's fine for now,

depending on how cooperative you're gonna be.

I'm watching you.

You talk to your cop friends, you twitch the wrong way,

and she'll die.

Horribly.

Do exactly what I say. Go up to my apartment.

- I'm here. - All right.

There's a heating vent in the corner of the bathroom.

Pry it open, pull out everything you find in there,

and you bring it, then you go to your bank.

I'll call you with instructions.

Remember, I'm watching you.

I got eyes everywhere.

What about Ricki?

Don't screw this one up, sunshine.

Miss Valentine.

I didn't expect to find you here.

I was just, um, tidying up.

My sister, she's gonna have a major meltdown

when she comes back and finds out about all of this,

so I just didn't want it to be worse.

I see. Actually, I have another question for you.

Did Kurt Kruger ever mention a woman

by the name of Miranda Bailey to you?

Miranda is his old girlfriend, I think.

They were having some problems.

That's one way of putting it.

Miranda Bailey has been missing for a few months.

Two weeks ago, her body was found

partially buried in the state park.

She was strangled.

I don't know what to say.

Miss Valentine, Kurt Kruger is not just a petty criminal.

He is a cold-blooded killer.

Now I have men placed all around here,

but you've gotta promise me that you'll be careful.

Don't worry, I will.

I hope so.

I'm here.

Okay. You still have Mark's checking account number?

I don't think I'm on his account anymore.

You are. I checked. He never took you you off.

He thought the two of you were still gonna get married.

So what you're gonna do

is you're gonna empty it right the hell out.

First his account and then yours.

If anybody asks, you're just switching banks.

If you tell anybody anything different,

I will know, and Ricki will die.

Once you get all the cash out, you're gonna bring it to me.

I'll text you directions when you get back on the road.

Please don't do this.

If you can't be strong for yourself, Laurie,

be strong for your niece.

Just get this done.

- Can I talk to her? - You have one hour.

I'll be watching. If you're not alone,

you'll never see her again.

Hands on top of your head, Laurie!

Part of me really wishes that it didn't have to end this way.

I really do care about you.

The dancing, the dinners.

We had a couple great moments.

Ahh!

You bitch!

Where's Ricki? Tell me!

She's as good as dead! You killed her.

Next time I'll aim for your leg.

It might go a little higher. Who knows?

She's up at the top of the trail.

She's just knocked out. I didn't hurt her.

For your sake, I really hope

you're finally telling the truth.

If he even looks like he's gonna move, shoot him again.

With pleasure.

Ricki!

Ricki!

Ricki!

Ricki!

I'm losing a lot of blood here.

I really need you to get me some help.

Stop talking.

Ricki!

Ricki!

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.

Ricki!

Ricki!

Ricki, Ricki, baby!

Come on. Come on, get up, get up.

Come on, let's get you up.

Come on, let's get you up.

It's okay, sweetie, come on, come on.

Come on. Come on, sweetie.

I think I'm having my first hangover.

I'm gonna take care of you, okay?

Can you walk? We need to get out of here.

I don't think so.

Hey there, Kurt. Is that right?

What, no more Alan?

Oh, well.

I gotta admit, Laurie.

I'm a little surprised.

I didn't think you had it in you.

Yeah, I get that a lot.

Things are looking real bad for you.

You don't wanna make it worse.

They're never gonna find the bodies.

They didn't have any trouble finding Miranda Bailey's body.

Yeah, that's right.

They're gonna come looking for you.

I'll take my chances.

Now dig!

Please don't hurt her.

Please do whatever you want to me, but she's just a kid!

Okay.

I'll make it nice and quick.

Just close your eyes and picture us dancing.

I got you.

I got you too.

Okay, okay, you beat me.

Of course I did. I'm awesome.

Maybe we can race again though. Let's say tomorrow?

Maybe tomorrow after we pick up your mom from the airport.

Oh, that'll be loads of fun.

Thank you.

Looks like she's doing better.

Yeah. This has been hard on her.

She doesn't want me to know, but I can tell.

Well, she's a tough young woman. She'll pull through.

What about you?

I never should've trusted Alan.

He was too good to be true.

So what are you gonna do?

Spend the rest of your life hiding from all the good things?

All the good people?

I don't know. What's the other option?

Living.

Hey, how's it going?

Me?

Healing slowly, but damn happy to be alive.

How about you?

Getting better all the time.