Original subtitles

You are so beautiful.

Ha ha!

[ Chuckles ]

All right, I'm gone.

Oh, she won't be back for a while.

Are you coming to the barbecue on Saturday?

Oh, I'm not comfortable with that.

No one suspects anything.

That's not what I mean.

Hey. I don't want you to feel guilty about this.

If we were getting what we needed from our marriages ...

I don't want to talk about it.

I gotta go.

I'll see you next Wednesday, all right?

Okay.

[ Dialing ]

Aaah!

You have 4 new messages.

Please press 1 to continue.

[ Pulsating tone ]

[ Sigh ]

How you guys doing?

Good.

Okay, that one's gonna go in the guest house, Louis.

And can you take this to the kitchen for me?

Careful, it's heavy.

[ Grunts ]

Ooh.

Oh, here, here, here, let me.

That looks heavy.

An accident waiting to happen.

I'm Brian.

I live right there. [ Chuckles ]

Well, I'm Lauren Kessler, and I live right here.

Well, hi, Lauren Kessler.

It's very nice to meet you.

You know, you look really familiar to me.

You don't happen to work at the university, do you?

No, I'm an author. I write children's books.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's this.

I saw you on TV.

You were doing an interview, right?

I can't believe you actually saw that.

You won an award right?

The Wellford literary prize, yeah.

That was months ago. I'm absolutely shocked you actually remember me.

Well, it's hard not to notice a beautiful woman

on your television set.

Here, let me get this.

Please, let me take it inside for you.

I don't want to interrupt your run.

Oh, not at all. I was just finishing up.

All right, I'll take the little one.

Oh, okay, sure.

Come on.

Thanks. Uh, you ever go jogging?

Well, I used to, but I'm embarrassed to admit

I've really been slacking off lately.

Well, maybe you'd like to start up again.

I run every morning.

Great.

Come on in. Thanks.

That one goes in the living room, this way.

Okay. All right.

You can just set it here.

Sure.

Dad, this is Brian.

He's our neighbor across the way,

and soon to be my new jogging partner.

Stan Douglas.

Hey, Stan, welcome to the neighborhood.

Dad's a visiting professor at Westfield.

Oh, you don't say. I'm on the faculty there.

Engineering.

Which department are you teaching in, Stan?

Well, they got me trying to teach a couple of law classes

in the winter quarter.

He's being modest.

Dad just retired after 32 years of being a prosecutor

in Cincinnati.

Oh, great.

The best there is, right, dad?

Rapists and murderers I can handle,

a roomful of 20-year-olds I'm not so sure.

[ Laughs ] Oh, wait, this whole box just goes down in the basement.

Good.

Oh, well, I'll take it.

No, I can ...

oh, no, no, I insist. Really, it's no problem at all.

Are you sure? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you. Uh, that way.

Nice guy.

Mm-hmm. Did you notice his hand?

His hand?

No wedding ring. Dad, would you stop it?

Lauren, Lauren, Lauren. Hmm.

Winner of the Wellford literary award 2005.

I already knew that.

Daughter died in a traffic accident.

Oh, my god.

Hobbies,

traveling and hiking.

[ Door closes ]

[ Footsteps ]

How the hell did you get in here?

It's been a long time, big boy.

I thought you'd be happier to see me.

Happy to see you?

I spent the last 8 months trying to block you out of my mind.

What do you want?

Your new neighbor across the street is very pretty,

and I can see why you like her.

No, no I’m not gonna do this with you.

I need you to leave. I'm not gonna say it again.

Why, do I complicate things?

You need to go.

Are you gonna do to her what you did to me?

Get the hell out of my house

before I pick you up and throw you out.

Temper, temper. [ Receding footsteps ]

Behave yourself, Brian.

[ Door closes ]

Lauren: Hey, hope you're hungry.

Dad, are you okay?

Oh, honey, I'm fine.

It's just a lot of moving around.

Twelve pills a day better keep this ticker going.

Dad, look, I know you're a little anxious

about preparing for your classes,

but you've got to take care of yourself, okay?

I appreciate your coming with me.

I want you to know that.

Sometimes it's still kind of hard.

You know what?

I think moving here is a good decision for both of us.

I hope so.

I'll show you around if you like.

Oh, thank you. I'd appreciate that.

No problem. It's a beautiful campus.

Good morning.

Good morning. Well, you two look nice.

Well, thank you.

Brian offered to take me over to the university,

show me around.

Give me a chance to scope out the law library.

Thank you for offering.

Considering dad can't seem to figure out

what kind of car he wants yet.

Would you like to come?

I'm gonna have to pass.

If I don't get my office set up in the guesthouse today

I'm never gonna meet my deadline,

but you guys have fun.

Maybe you'd like to go for a run tomorrow.

Yeah, that'd be great.

8:00 sharp.

8:00 it is.

You have fun.

First day of school.

[ Laughter ]

I'm gonna get it!

I got it! I got it!

I got it! I got it!

Man: Stephanie, come on, breakfast is ready.

[ Car horn honking, tires screeching ]

[ Thud ]

Stephanie!

Sometimes she can get a little carried away.

No, it's fine.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

I'm Claire. I saw you moving in.

We just live right over there.

Great. Nice to meet you. I'm Lauren.

And what's your name?

Genesis.

Ooh, that's pretty.

Do you have any kids?

Mnh-mnh.

The couple that lived here before you, they had a daughter.

She and Genesis used to play together.

Yeah. Sydney moved away.

Oh, I'm sorry, honey.

Honey, why don't you go watch your TV program?

Mommy will be in soon.

Okay.

Did anyone ever tell you what happened here before?

No.

I thought they had to disclose that when you moved in.

Disclose? What?

I think we should talk.

It happened in the guesthouse.

Murder?

Yeah. He was a psychiatrist

and he was using it as his office to treat his patients.

Did they find the person?

His wife.

Oh, my god.

Yeah, I know. It gets terrible.

Now, everyone was aware that they were having problems.

They were fighting right up until the end.

Now, Mandy was a good mother,

but when it came to her husband, she was just crazy.

[ Sigh ]

The women who sold me this house?

That's Mandy sister.

She assumed the mortgage when Mandy was convicted

and then she gained custody of Sydney.

I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you this.

I just...

I can't believe nobody mentioned this before now.

[ Sigh ]

I bought the house the first visit.

My father got offered a job teaching college here.

He's over touring the campus right now.

[ Sigh ]

After the death of my granddaughter

and after my bypass,

they said the stress was just too much, so I had to retire.

So the opportunity to teach came just at the right time.

I'd still be trying cases if I could.

There's a lot to be said for putting away a cold-blooded killer

so they'll never hurt anybody again.

I'm sure you'll find teaching just as rewarding.

So, how did Lauren feel about picking up and moving?

It wasn't easy.

But then again,

nothing's been easy for her the last several years.

The strain of losing her child

was just too much for the marriage.

She still writes children's books.

That's got to be incredibly difficult.

The name of the character in her book is Stephanie.

That's my granddaughter's name.

Her way of keeping little Stephanie alive.

[ Hinges creak ]

The article says he was murdered right in the middle of the day.

I can't believe nobody told us this, dad. Can we sue them?

That's got to be illegal. That's fraud.

I'm not so sure, sweetheart.

Stigmatized property laws differ from state to state.

[ Sighs ]

I don't even know how we can stay here now.

I certainly can't write out there.

The whole thing just gives me the creeps.

I wonder who the prosecutor was in this case.

Dad, don't start, okay?

Okay. Okay.

I have to get back over to the law library tomorrow anyway.

I'll look into whether you have any recourse

because they failed to disclose the murder.

Thank you.

But honestly, hon, things happen in houses all the time.

This is a nice house.

A nice house?

Dad, a guy was stabbed to death right there.

In the guesthouse, not in here.

By the way, Brian seemed very nice today.

You going out with him tomorrow morning?

We're going jogging.

It's not like it's a date.

Why not?

You have something against nice guys who like to keep in shape?

I don't know.

Hon, I don't want to seem out of line,

but it's been almost 3 years.

Dad, I know what you're gonna say.

Please don't.

You're not betraying her by finding happiness again.

You know what? I'm exhausted.

I'm gonna go to bed.

See you in the morning.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

[ Panting ] Wait, wait.

Oh, who said you could stop?

What? You think I'm tired?

Uh-huh.

You're right. I'm so out of shape.

Here, come here, come here. I want to show you something.

Nice view, huh?

Now you know why I love coming here.

[ Chuckles ]

There's another reason I love coming here.

I think you're gonna like this. There's a great smoothie shop just right up the path.

Really?

Best strawberry vanilla smoothies

on the entire east coast.

You're gonna have to prove it.

Oh yeah? Mm-hmm.

Well, loser buys.

Oh, wait.

Is that good or what?

Look, don't worry about all that office stuff.

I'll help you.

Really? Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

Then the next time we come here, the smoothies are on me.

There you go.

I still can't believe you just found out about the murder

in the guesthouse yesterday.

I assumed you already knew.

Yeah, well, I didn't.

Now my dad has totally fallen in love with the house

and he's probably never gonna want to move.

He's also completely intrigued by the case.

The case? What do you mean?

The doctor's murder.

Last night when I got home, he's staring at this article

about Amanda Whitman on my computer,

like he's trying to break a code.

Well, your dad is a former prosecutor.

It's in his blood.

You don't even know my dad yet.

When he gets hold of something,

he never lets go, ever.

Hmm.

There you go, you're all set.

Oh, thanks.

That's going to be so much better.

There's no way I could write out there now after knowing what happened.

Well, thanks for going with me today.

Well, thanks for inviting me.

I think I just needed somebody to get me motivated again.

You know, I was thinking if you don't have any plans

that you might want to...

Uh...want to have dinner.

Oh.

Do you like Italian?

Look, I just don't think I'm really ready.

Oh, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be pushy.

No, it's not you, it's just...

You know what?

Friday night would be great.

[ Chuckles ]

Okay. You sure?

Yeah. 8:00?

8:00 would be fine. I'll see you then.

Thanks again.

Hi, honey.

Hey, you're home late.

Oh, I got carried away at that library ...

just lost track of time.

You're staying put here?

Yeah.

I can't work out in the guesthouse now.

What'd you find out about the sale?

Pennsylvania law does not require the seller

to reveal information about a murder

to a potential buyer,

so this Marlee woman didn't do anything illegal.

Great.

What is all that?

Dad, I knew you were gonna do this.

I though you wanted to prepare for your class.

This case is intriguing.

The assistant d.A. Was Jack Sanderson.

He must be one hell of a prosecutor

because he got a conviction against Amanda Whitman

without one shred of physical evidence.

The whole case was circumstantial.

A lot of cases are won on circumstantial evidence, aren't they?

Yeah, but not only that,

her defense attorney never even hired an investigator,

and I've seen better cross from third-year law students.

[ Mumbling ]

What the hell?

Don't be mad, big boy.

If anyone should be mad, it's me.

I finally found someone to replace you.

She'd never cheat on me the way you did.

Come on, Brian, do you really think

it's gonna be any different with her?

It's just a matter of time

until she finds out that you murdered Garrett

and let them take his poor wife off to jail.

I'm not gonna listen to this.

I did what I had to do, for us.

If you hadn't have slept with him,

none of this would have happened.

[ Sighs ]

Do you have any idea how difficult you are to live with

when nothing is ever good enough?

You were so charming in the beginning.

You really made me believe that you were the perfect guy,

and then you changed.

It's not true. You're the one who changed.

For you, because I was trying

to live up to what you wanted me to be.

You didn't like the books I read, you didn't like the company I kept.

Nothing about me was ever right.

I loved you.

You drove me to Garrett,

do you know that?

I needed his help to figure out

what it was I was doing that was so wrong with you.

I needed someone to talk to.

Oh, is that what they call it, talking?

I tried, Brian. I really did.

I tried to be what you wanted.

You betrayed me.

You were my wife.

We were supposed to be together forever.

Even after Garrett died...

You drifted further and further away.

I knew I'd lost you forever.

It's no use you know.

She's gonna find out soon enough that you're insane.

I'm not insane.

Lauren's not gonna make the same mistake I did.

You are not gonna ruin this for me, you've lying little bitch.

You can't stop me.

Oh, yeah?

Oh, yeah?

Go ahead, pull the trigger.

Let everybody see how crazy you really are.

Come on, Brian,

show your precious Lauren the real you.

[ Laughs ]

You think you can get rid of me just like that?

We promised to be together forever,

remember?

[ Laughs ]

[ Sobbing quietly ]

This is a message for Marlee hall.

My name is Stan Douglas. I bought your house.

I'm an attorney ... well, was. I'm retired.

But I've been looking into your sister's case,

and I have some questions.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to talk to you.

If that's okay, could you please call me at...

Uh...

315...

555...0214.

Thanks.

You're calling the woman who sold us this house?

Yes, I have a bunch of questions about this case.

Did you forget? She duped us into buying

this place without even telling us

there was a murder in the guesthouse.

She doesn't exactly exude honesty, dad.

But legally she didn't do anything wrong, either.

Maybe not, but I question her ethics.

I think maybe she can clear up a few things.

It's not your problem, dad.

Look, I became a prosecutor

because I thought I could make a difference in the world.

That didn't stop the day I retired.

All right.

If you go, I'll go with you.

[ Scraping ]

Nothing to figure out.

I can give Lauren everything she needs,

and she'll appreciate it!

Sweetheart. Hmm?

I just spoke to Marlee hall. She'll meet with us.

Okay.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Hey. Hey.

I came by to see if your dad needed a ride to school.

Hey, thanks for the offer, but something came up.

He got a lead on his case.

I'm gonna drive him out to meet somebody.

So, are we still on for tonight?

Yeah, yeah, sure.

Um, I'll...

I'll see you later.

Okay.

Bye.

Lead in the case.

Marlee hall, I'm Stan Douglas. This is my daughter, Lauren.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

You don't understand what it's been like for us.

The money from the house went toward Amanda's legal fees,

over $150,000.

The rest went to cover Garrett's debts.

If we hadn't sold the house when we did,

we'd be in foreclosure on our own place right now.

Do you have children, Ms. Kessler?

No.

It wasn't enough that Sydney lost her father,

but then they took her mother away, too.

You have no idea what that does to a child,

to lose everyone that means something to her.

Ms. Hall, it came out in the trial

that your sister had been prone

to violent, jealous rages in past relationships.

My sister had a habit of picking the wrong men.

The last boyfriend she'd had,

she caught cheating and attacked him.

Part of her probation was to seek counseling,

and that's how she met Garrett.

He helped her take control of that aggressive side.

Marlee, if your sister's innocent,

who do you think killed Garrett?

Do you know how many nights

I've asked myself that same question?

I don't know.

Obviously, Garrett led a double life.

You know, that's something you could ask Amanda yourself.

I'd like to talk to her. Could you arrange that?

Sure, my sister does not belong in prison.

She belongs raising her daughter.

Mr. Douglas, if you could just get my sister an appeal

and a decent attorney,

a jury would find that she's innocent.

Sydney, honey, it's okay.

Come here.

She just hasn't been the same.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Oh, that's great.

So I don't need to call anybody, it's all taken care of.

Wow.

You look amazing.

Thank you.

Oh, come in.

Oh, yeah, thanks.

[ Telephone beeps ]

Hon...

Hi, Brian.

Hey, Stan.

Marlee arranged for us to meet with Amanda tomorrow morning.

Sure. Great, I'll tell her we'll be there.

You two have a nice evening.

Thanks.

I won't wait up.

Goodnight, dad. [ Laughs ]

[ Dialing ]

Oh, boy, we tried.

It just wasn't the same after she died.

I got divorced 5 months later.

That's when I poured myself into my writing.

It's like when I write, she's still...

Every time I see a 6-year-old, I think of her.

That's how old she'd be now.

Lauren, I'm so sorry.

Hey, come on, what about you?

Oh, hmmph.

You're single?

I would have thought some incredible woman would have snapped you up by now.

Well, I was...

I was married once, too.

Her name was Roxanne.

She had...

She had problems.

She took painkillers, pills to help her sleep.

I had no idea how bad that problem had become

until it was too late.

One night about a year ago, I...

I came in from teaching and I found her there

in the bathtub.

By the time I got to her, there was...

Nothing I could do.

She had drowned.

You're the first woman I've been out with since...

Well, it seems we...

Both lost people we loved in tragic ways.

To new beginnings.

[ Glasses clink ]

To new beginnings.

[ Laughs ]

So, how does this compare to Cincinnati?

So far I can't complain.

Do you think you could be happy here?

Hmm?

Yeah, I think I could.

[ Chuckles ]

Yeah, I could be very happy here, actually.

[ Sigh ]

Why can't you leave this alone, Stan?

[ Muttering ]

Brian Ellis.

Roxanne Ellis.

Claire Dannon.

Brittany Michaelson.

[ Prison door buzzer ]

So, we talked to Marlee. We were there yesterday.

You saw my daughter?

Mmm. She's a beautiful girl.

You must miss her very much.

She was there, you know.

She was with me when I found him.

I'd been out at the mall shopping all day,

and then I picked her up from school,

brought her home,

just like I did every afternoon.

And, of course, the first thing she wanted to do

was say hello to her daddy.

Sydney,

don't bother your dad, he has patients today.

Okay, mom.

Okay.

How many times do I have to tell you?

[ Pulsating tone ]

Daddy?

Mommy! Mommy! Daddy's bleeding!

You wait right here, honey.

[ Gasps ]

Oh, my god, Garrett.

I didn't murder my husband.

If I'd known what was in that guesthouse,

I would have never let my little girl go in there and see that.

Marlee said you initially went to Garrett for counseling.

Yes. I was his patient,

but that had nothing to do with anything.

When I first started seeing him, I was a mess.

I ran away from home when I was 15, and...

It doesn't matter.

The point is Garrett and I were in love.

He was charming and sophisticated,

and he had a way

of making me feel like the most special woman on earth.

He turned my life around.

Then things started to change,

and I suspected he was having affairs.

He was such a charmer, though,

he always convinced me that nothing was going on.

It wasn't until the police told me he'd had...

Sex the day that he was killed that I knew the truth.

The prosecution made it sound as if you knew

Garrett had someone else on the side.

They said that was my motive to kill him.

But that wasn't the case,

and my lawyer convinced me not to testify,

and I never got a chance to refute that.

At the trial,

your neighbor Claire said that you accused her

of sleeping with your husband,

and you had a rather public argument about it.

That's right.

I still think that Claire had something going on

with Garrett at one point.

Like I said, I suspected it was going on for a while,

I just... I never knew for sure.

I mean, women gravitated to him.

I don't mean to seem accusatory,

but I have to ask you this.

Please, go ahead.

The boyfriend you had before you met Garrett,

Tim stormer ... you were arrested

after you attacked him one night.

He said you were insanely jealous.

That incident wasn't one of my finest moments,

I'll admit.

But Tim was the reason that I sought counseling,

and that's how I met Garrett.

Look, everything they brought up at the trial was true.

I did break into Tim's house,

I was suspicious of Garrett,

I did accuse Claire after I found

one of her bracelets on the floor near our bed.

The knife they found was from my set,

and, yes, no one remembered seeing me

when I went to the mall the day he was killed.

It's all true.

But, Mr. Douglas...

I would never, ever have let my little girl go in there

and find her father stabbed to death on the floor.

I would sell my soul to take back what Sydney saw that day.

My gut tells me she didn't do it.

I have to agree.

That woman loves her daughter, dad.

If she knew what the little girl was about to see,

she wouldn't have let that happen.

There's no way a mother

would let her child witness something like that.

Stan: If she didn't do it, then who?

Lauren: Well, it could be anyone.

Someone who felt he was given bad advice?

Yeah.

Or a jealous husband of whomever he was sleeping with.

It doesn't do much to narrow it down.

What are you gonna do?

Talk to Claire.

Yes, she was upset when she found my bracelet in their bedroom,

but there's a simple explanation.

My daughter, Genesis, and Sydney

used to play dress up in my clothes all the time,

and I told them to stay out of my jewelry box,

but you know kids, they don't always listen.

She didn't believe you.

Oh, no, she went off.

Accused me of sleeping with Garrett behind her back.

And up until that happened,

we were actually pretty good friends.

He was having affairs, though.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was,

but we were strictly friends and fairly good ones.

If so many people suspected he was cheating on Amanda,

why did the police focus in on her so quickly?

Oh, no, they talked to everyone.

All of Garrett's friends and neighbors.

Peter Benson down the street, Roxanne and Brian, me,

kit Williams on the corner.

I don't think anyone knew anything.

No one was sure, yet everyone suspected he was fooling around.

Well, he did have a certain something

that kept women interested.

But you weren't interested.

Not in the way you're suggesting.

I don't get involved with married men.

I've already been down that road.

My ex left me and Genesis

to run off with his secretary to Fiji.

You're okay, Claire.

I know it sounds crazy 'cause there's so many reasons

to believe it's her, but she didn't do it.

I'm sure of that.

[ Sighing ] Oh, god.

Are you okay?

Yeah. It's just...

I stopped doing these signings after Stephie passed away.

Hey, it's gonna be fine.

I'm gonna be right there with you.

Thanks.

Come on, let's go. Okay.

[ Beeping ]

Woman: Hello?

Hello, I'm trying to reach Brittany Michaelson.

Is she available?

No, she's out of the country right now.

Oh? When will she be back?

The twelfth.

The twelfth? Okay.

Thank you, goodbye.

There you go. Thank you, Mrs. Kessler.

Hope you like it.

Hi, can I sign your book?

Yes, please.

She's so cute.

[ Children laughing ]

There you go. Hope you like it.

Thank you.

Mom, can I get one, please?

Hey.

Do you like to read?

Want another egg roll?

No, I've had enough.

[ Laughing ]

Hey, did you see that little boy today?

Hmm.

Remember that big stack of books he was holding?

I think he had me sign one for everyone he knew.

I know, he was so excited to meet you.

He was so cute.

I can't say I blame him.

Oh.

Hmm.

Brian?

What's wrong?

Oh, nothing. I'm sorry, honey.

Is everything okay?

Yeah, everything's fine.

Just give me a second, okay?

[ Telephone ringing ]

So you're not talking to me now.

I remember when we used to make love like that.

Go away.

Is she as good as me, big boy?

Leave me alone.

Did someone call?

Yeah. My father.

He's elated.

He talked to the prosecutor who tried Amanda Whitman

and he told dad that he'd consider reopening the case

if dad finds new evidence that exonerates her.

Oh.

Hey, is something wrong?

No, no, everything's fine.

Okay.

Well, I should go.

You don't have to leave.

I have a radio interview at 7:00 A.M.

I haven't even started preparing yet.

Okay.

I would stay, if I could.

This isn't easy for me either, Brian.

You're amazing, do you know that?

Thank you for coming to the bookstore with me.

It meant a lot.

No, I was happy to do it.

I don't think I could have done it without you.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Thanks for a great day.

Yeah it was. You were great.

[ Laughs ]

You really were.

Why, thank you, sir.

[ Lock clicks ]

Why can't Stan mind his own damn business?

Well, I'm off to my interview,

then I've got a meeting with that new illustrator.

See you this afternoon.

You're in a good mood.

Am I? Mmm. Good.

Goodbye.

[ Laughs ]

Brian.

Do you have a few minutes on the way back?

I wanted to talk to you about something.

Yeah, yeah, sure, Stan.

Just give me 30 minutes to finish my run.

What the hell does he want?

[ Doorbell rings ]

Hi.

Hey.

Oh, hey, it's no problem.

My faculty meeting isn't until this afternoon.

What's going on?

[ Clears throat ]

I've been talking to all the people

the police talked to

during their investigation of the Whitman case,

and I wanted to ask you

about a woman named Brittany Michaelson.

The police have her listed as living at your address.

Yeah, my wife's sister.

So she was staying with you when Garrett was murdered?

Mm-hmm, yeah, for a few weeks.

Uh, why are you asking, Stan?

See, I think the key to this case

is finding out who the woman was Garrett slept with

right before he died.

Did she get to know Dr. Whitman?

B-Brittany?

Uh...

Yeah, maybe.

I don't know.

What, do you think that they were...

Having some kind of an affair?

The only chance I have to prove that Amanda is innocent

is to look at all the possibilities

and talk to everyone

who might have had something to do with it.

Well, I'm sorry, Stan.

I can't let you do that.

What are you talking about?

You're gonna ruin everything.

I mean your daughter, she's...

She's worried sick about you,

and all you want to do is stir up a bunch of ghosts.

I mean, these are dark places, Stan.

Places you don't want to go.

What do you know about this?

Tell me the truth, Brian.

What happened to Garrett?

The truth?

The truth.

I love your daughter, Stan,

and I'm not gonna let anyone get in the way

of us being together,

especially not Brittany,

that bitch sister-in-law of mine.

She'll...

She'll tell you a bunch of lies about me and that I’m...

I'm abusive and controlling.

That was a lie, Stan.

Brian, stop.

Calm down.

I am calm, Stan.

I just can't allow you to...

Dig deeper into my past...

...or this case.

I'm sorry, Stan.

I didn't want it to be this way, either.

I wanted you to be a part of our lives,

but you've ruined all that.

[ Telephone ringing ]

[ Stan gasping, telephone ringing ]

[ Cellphone ringing ]

Hello?

Hi, Lauren, it's kev.

Listen, I'm really sick.

Oh.

Sorry to do this to you, but can we push the meeting?

Sure, no problem.

We can reschedule for next week then, huh?

Next week's great.

Hey, feel better.

Thanks, you're the best.

Bye-bye. Bye.

[ Door opening ]

Dad, it's me.

My meeting got canceled.

The illustrator's sick.

I'm not going to be able to meet with him

till he's over whatever it is he's got.

Dad?

Dad, you up there?

Hey, you want to go to lunch?

Come on, I'm starving.

Dad.

Dad!

[ Sobbing ]

Dad! Oh!

Dad, wake up.

Wake up, dad.

[ Retching ]

Dad. [ Sobbing ]

Oh, god.

God, what have I done?

Lauren?

Would you like me to come over for a while?

I can get a sitter for Genesis.

No, I'll be all right.

Come on, let's go inside.

He's all I had.

Hey, you're not alone, Lauren.

I'm here.

Come on.

Thanks, Claire.

[ Sigh ]

Amanda: I would never, ever let my little girl go in there

and find her father stabbed to death.

I would sell my soul to take back what Sydney saw that day.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Oh, hi. Hi.

Is Lauren here? She said it was okay to come over.

Yeah, yeah. Marlee, come on in.

I want you to know

that my dad believed that your sister was innocent.

I do, too.

Now, I'm not a lawyer, but I've got dad's notes,

and I'm gonna do my best to continue his investigation.

Are you sure?

I'm gonna do this for him

and for Amanda and for Sydney.

She deserves to have her mom around.

Yeah, she does.

Here's your pasta, Marlee.

[ Telephone ringing ]

Stan's voice: Hi, we're not at home right now,

please leave a message and we'll get back to you.

Woman: Hi, I'm calling for Stan Douglas.

This is Brittany Michaelson returning your call.

I just got back into town,

and my roommate said you wanted to talk to me.

I've got an early flight to Oakland tomorrow,

so I'll try to call you again when I land.

Stan did call Brittany.

[ Beep ] Message erased.

Oh, you are so going to spoil me.

Well, I didn't want you to go hungry.

Thank you.

Hey, did anyone call while I was in the shower?

I thought I heard the phone ring.

Oh, just one of those annoying telemarketers.

Good.

I just don't feel like talking to anyone.

I know they mean well,

but it's just too much, you know?

I hate 'em.

What?

Oh, nothing.

I just like looking at you.

Oh. [ Laughs ]

[ Car alarm deactivated ]

[ Gasps ]

Mmm.

Brian?

Good morning.

Oh, hi.

Hi.

I just feel so groggy.

Yeah?

Look, I've got to go teach

a couple of classes this afternoon,

but I can finish grading my midterms later if you like.

No, you go in. I'll be fine.

You sure? Mm-hmm.

Okay. Now, you call me on my cell

if you need anything.

All right.

Okay. I'm gonna go finish up.

[ Groans ]

Well, I've been giving this a lot of thought, Claire.

I believe Amanda's innocent.

My dad did, too, which is why I'm going to continue with this.

So, can I ask you something about Garrett?

Yeah, sure.

I've been going through my dad's notes,

and I saw that he talked with you.

Did you know before the murder

that Garrett was having affairs?

I suspected it.

There was this one time when he and I went to this bar

after we were both invited to this Christmas party,

and I overheard him talking on the phone to someone

who I'm sure wasn't Mandy.

He wanted to take whoever he was talking to out for dinner.

So I say, as sure as death and taxes.

I'll drink to that.

[ Cellphone ringing ]

Excuse me for a second.

Mm-hmm.

Hi, there.

Woman: Hey, what's the plan?

I want to take you out to celebrate your birthday.

Oh, well, let me pick.

Okay, but I don't want to go

to another one of those nut-and-granola places.

You know, owned by some animal activist.

What were you thinking?

Well, as your birthday gift to me,

I was thinking you might try eating steak.

What?

I'm just kidding.

Hey, are we still on for tomorrow?

You bet.

Okay, well, we'll talk about it then.

I can't wait.

Bye.

[ Clears throat ]

And I never saw him with anyone else,

but after that, I was even more suspicious than ever.

But you don't know anything more about her?

No, just what I heard from that phone conversation ...

that she was a vegetarian,

that he wanted to take her out for her birthday.

Why does your father want his ashes spread here?

This was his favorite place.

He grew up outside Philadelphia.

He used to come here when he was a kid

and go fishing with my grandfather.

I can see why he liked it.

It's beautiful here.

Dad always said when life gets complicated,

find a place where you can see beauty and simplicity.

Your father was a...Very smart man, Lauren.

You know, I have an idea. I think...

I think we should get away for the weekend.

I think we both could use the time to ourselves.

I know this great little place,

a little inn that's got a lake,

hike the trails.

I don't know.

I think it'd be a great place for you to clear your head.

I think it's just what you need right now.

Lauren: Wow, it's like we've entered a whole new world.

One I'd rather share with you than anyone else.

Hmm, how'd you ever find this place?

Oh, Roxanne and I used to come up here on the weekends

before all the trouble.

After she died, I just...

I found myself just getting in the car

and driving up here by myself.

But it is very nice to have company, though.

Thank you for this.

Not just the trip, but for everything, Brian.

I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you.

Well, I'm the lucky one.

What are the odds of having an ideal woman move in

right across the street from you?

[ Laughs ]

Look at this.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Yes, it looks like something out of a dream.

I know.

Oh, look at this.

Look.

Oh.

I love this place.

And I love you, too.

You know, it's really nice to be close to someone again.

Yeah.

Here you go, sir. Have a nice evening.

Whoa.

Hmm?

Roxanne and I, we used to come up here a lot.

She loved this inn.

She thought it was so romantic.

Loved the restaurant, too.

She always ordered the pasta.

Great. I eat pasta, I gain five pounds.

Well, it was the only vegetarian dish on the menu.

Roxanne was vegetarian?

Oh, yeah, since college.

She was real strict about it.

Wouldn't touch meat nor fish, both of which I love.

You suddenly got quiet.

I'm sorry, just thinking.

No, I'm sorry.

I shouldn't be talking about Roxanne, it's not fair to you.

No, that's okay.

You two came up here a lot, huh?

Yeah, like I said, several times a year.

Last time was on her birthday.

When was that?

December, right before Christmas.

You should see how they decorate this place. We should come.

It's amazing.

Okay.

You know, it's a full moon tonight.

Do you want to go for a walk?

Great.

Let me just go back and get my jacket.

Oh, no, I'll get it.

No, I've got to use the ladies' room, too.

Okay.

I'll meet you out front, huh?

[ Dialing ]

[ Ringing ]

Claire: Hi, this is Claire, leave a message.

Hi, Claire, it's Lauren.

When you get this message, call me back on my cellphone.

I just want to find out if you remember

what date Garrett made that phone call to that woman

about taking her out for her birthday.

If I don't pick up, just leave me a voicemail, okay?

Thanks.

Brian: It's perfect here, don't you think?

Mm-hmm. It really is.

Something about being out in nature ...

the tranquility of it all.

It's my favorite time to come here.

The leaves are just changing.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[ Cellphone ringing ]

Is that your phone?

Yeah.

Let me just check who it is, huh?

It's just my editor. It can go to voicemail.

Okay.

Where were we?

Come on.

That was nice.

Nothing like a little warm Brandy after a long walk.

Uh, actually, none for me.

I don't think dinner's settling so well.

I'm gonna go see if they have something for my stomach.

You don't feel well?

Hmm, not great.

Well, I'll go see if they have something to settle your tummy.

Thank you.

Maybe just some soda water.

Sure.

[ Door closes ]

[ Beep ] You have one new message.

Claire: Lauren, it's Claire. I got your message.

Now, I don't remember the exact date,

but I think it was around December 22nd, 23rd,

because we went to this bar

after we left a Christmas party we'd both been invited to.

I hope that helps.

It was Roxanne.

I forgot.

There's some antacids in my bag.

Great.

Yeah.

Here you go.

Thank you.

[ Sighs ]

What the hell are you doing here?

I told you she'd find out.

You are not going to ruin this for me.

Were you talking to someone?

No.

She caught you.

Honey, what's going on?

It seems like there's something wrong.

Come here, sit down.

Look, you know you can tell me anything.

I know.

Do you mind if I ask you a question about Roxanne?

Of course not.

Is it possible that she could have been having an affair?

[ Roxanne laughs ]

With Garrett Whitman?

[ Laughing continues ]

Roxanne and Garrett?

No.

Why would you even think such a thing?

Well, Garrett was having an affair with a women

who was a vegetarian and whose birthday was close to Christmas.

Look, Lauren, stop it, okay?

Listen to me.

Claire is a liar. You cannot believe anything she says.

Hod you know I spoke with Claire?

She's just trying to break us up.

She's jealous because she doesn't have what we have.

Brian, I asked you a question.

How did you know I spoke with Claire?

You're in trouble, big boy.

Shh!

What?

Are you okay?

Roxanne: Brian, answer the woman.

Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's... Everything's fine.

You know...

I think I'm just going to leave.

What?

What are you talking about?

We're having such a nice weekend.

Lauren, you can't leave.

It's too late.

It's not too late!

Brian?

I love you, Lauren.

I'm not gonna let you walk out on me.

I am not gonna let them come between us.

Brian, who are you talking to?

Tell her I'm the wife you murdered.

Stop it, all right?

I know what you're trying to do.

Tell her what you did to Garrett,

tell her what you did to her father.

We are gonna start a new life together,

and there's nothing you can do to stop that.

You're never going to get rid of me, Brian.

You're just jealous

because I love Lauren and she loves me.

Oh, yeah? She loves you so much,

then why did she call Claire?

You better stay here with me, big boy.

Lauren.

Lauren, who are you calling?

I'm calling a cab, Brian.

Oh no, no, come on, honey.

We don't want to end our weekend like this, come on.

Look, I'm sorry, I just...

It's okay. Look, we'll leave right now, okay?

I will drive you home, and we'll discuss this in the car.

I can explain this whole thing.

No, Brian, I want to just... I need to be alone.

No, no, no!

We came together, we are going to leave together.

I'm not just gonna have her show up and just ruin our entire weekend together.

I'm sorry, but the kitchen's closed.

Is there something I can help you with?

No, no, we're fine. Thank you.

No, wait. Will you please call me a cab?

No, no, don't call her a cab. Let's just talk this out.

Yeah, we can do that later, okay?

Right now, would you please call me a cab?

Don't go near the phone, all right?

Why are you doing this?

Let's just talk this through, all right?

Please, sir, I'm gonna ask you to keep it down.

Let's just go to the room and talk about this.

No, Brian! No! I'm not going anywhere with you.

I'm gonna call a cab and go home alone.

We're gonna talk this through, and we're gonna do it right now.

Sir, I'm going to ask you to keep it down, please.

Fine, I'll keep it down if you just leave us alone.

I'm trying to talk to my wife here.

Let's just go to the room so we're not disturbing the guests.

Please, let's just go to the room talk about th

sir, why don't you come with me?

Ahh!

You were touching me.

I told you three times to leave.

What's wrong with you?

Look what you made me do.

[ Thud ] Lauren!

Lauren.

Lauren, wait.

Lauren!

Lauren!

Come back here. Don't do this.

Lauren!

Lauren.

[ Lauren whimpering ]

I'm hurt.

So you need me now.

Yes, please.

Ow.

Ow.

Move your hand. Let me look at it.

[ Coughing ]

Oh, my god.

[ Sobbing ]

All right, let's go.

You don't mind coming down to the station tomorrow?

I'll be there.

I'll arrange for a car to give you a ride home, okay?

Lauren: My father, too?

I can't believe it.

I'm sorry.

He's in and out of consciousness,

but in a moment of lucidity, he told us everything.

Miss Kessler, you're lucky to be alive.

I let him into our lives.

I can't believe I didn't see it.

Well, unfortunately, no one did.

Psychopaths like Brian Ellis

are very good at hiding who they are.

Because of you and your father,

Amanda Whitman is being released.

You saved a woman's life.

Thank you.

And after that you do a turn.

Whoo, ladies! Very good, girls.

Sydney, she's here.

Mommy!

Baby.

My baby.

I've missed you.

I don't know how to thank you.

You don't have to.

Thank you for bringing my mommy home.

You're welcome, sweetheart.

I've made lots of new friends.

Well, you got hungry friends.

Here we go.

... Captions by vitac ... www.Vitac.Com