Original subtitles

Tonight, on "Hunter"...

Do you think whoever entered here was looking for you?

I don't know.

Tell me, what has happened to Louisa?

Louisa's been murdered.

She's covered with scars.

This young woman was systematically tortured.

Whoever cut up Alicia Martinez was the same man who tortured

Louisa Gonsalves six years ago.

No!

We came to the United States because it was safe.

And the nightmare followed us here.

Sorry.

What's the big rush?

Oh.

I have, uh... Denise Bragg, over in burglary,

it's her surprise birthday party.

So I want to wrap her gift before I get home

and have to change.

Check this out.

What is that?

Hey, listen, I had to shop a long time

to find something this disgusting.

Denise and I have been giving each other gag gifts for years.

Are you and Denise friends?

Yeah, she... do... you remember that sweater she gave

me last year for my birthday?

That purple thing with that dinosaur stuff on it?

- She gave you that? - Yes.

Well, you should wear it to the party.

Oh, boy.

You just reminded me.

I forgot to iron my dress.

I hope Louisa's still there.

- Hello? - Louisa.

Hi, it's Dee Dee.

- Yes, Ms. McCall. - Listen, I am in a...

I'm in a big rush over here at work,

and would you do me an enormous favor

and iron that blue dress that's hanging

at the back of my bedroom door?

Of course.

There's no problem.

Louisa, you are a lifesaver.

Thanks.

It's going to be great.

Louisa?

I heard what happened.

You all right?

Yeah, I'm not sure.

What was it?

A burglary?

No. I don't... I don't think so.

I looked around.

I didn't find anything missing.

ME checked, uh... and there was no sign of, uh, sexual assault

either.

Sergeant?

We're going to have to take this down to the lab.

Oh. Yeah.

Fine.

Now, do you think whoever entered

here was looking for you?

I don't know.

You know, anything's possible.

But I... I doubt it.

Well, why don't you tell me a little bit about Louisa?

She worked for me for, I guess, close to three years

now.

She was kind of quiet.

Shy.

- Anything else? - No, not really.

I'm, uh... we really didn't talk too much, only a couple

of times over the last few years.

Any family?

I... I don't know.

I... um... once when I called her house, her...

Her sister answered the phone. - Oh, what was her name?

I don't know.

I don't remember.

Louisa worked for you for three years

and you never talked to her?

Oh, so you... you say that you think I should have known

her better after three years. - I didn't mean that.

That's exactly what you meant.

I didn't mean to do it.

She came at me with a kitchen knife.

I'm sure no one else knows.

She didn't have a chance to talk to anyone.

The only one I ever saw her with was her roommate.

Look.

I didn't mean to kill her.

Look what she did to me.

Take off your coat.

Let me see.

Sit down.

Hmm... we'll have to clean it up, give you some sutures.

It's not that bad.

I can get some bandages and just wrap them...

No, look.

Without sutures, you will have a very bad scar.

Believe me.

I've seen many ones like that.

Sit down.

You know, Pomo, I wanted that woman alive.

Now I don't know who she talked to about me.

You say she didn't talk to anyone.

But you can't be sure.

I must be sure, Pomo.

My life depends upon it.

Ms. Gonsalves?

Yes?

Uh, Louisa's sister?

I am Maria, Louisa's sister, yes.

I was hoping I'd find you.

I'm Dee Dee McCall.

Oh, McCall... you're the police officer that Louisa works for.

Yes?

There's been some trouble.

Could we go inside and talk?

Is Louisa all right?

What... what is wrong?

No, I'm afraid she's not all right.

Was there an accident?

What has happened?

Maria, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this.

Louisa's been murdered.

No.

No!

No.

No!

No!

Thank you.

Maria, I know that this is a difficult time,

but I do need to ask you some questions.

Were you very close with your sister?

We shared everything.

Did she mention to you if she was having

any problems with anybody?

A boyfriend, for instance?

She didn't have a boyfriend.

Her friends were all from the church.

Can you think of anyone that would

have wanted to have hurt her?

No one at all.

Everyone loved her.

She was the kindest person on earth.

She never harmed anybody.

That's Alicia Martinez, our roommate.

Maria, que pasa?

Asesinaron la Louisa.

Dios mio, Maria.

Hey.

How are you doing?

What are you working on?

Lab boys came up with something real interesting.

They found two types of blood on my floor.

One's from Louisa.

The other one's probably from the assailant.

She must put up a heck of a fight

to get a piece of the guy.

Well, I should call the hospitals, huh?

I already did.

Nothing.

You've had a busy morning, huh?

Yeah, I have.

Listen, I want to apologize for the way

I acted yesterday at my house.

Look, forget it.

I was a little pushy.

No, it was...

Just, you know, Louisa worked for me for a long time.

I never made the effort to really get to know her.

Well, don't be too hard on yourself.

You know.

I just...

I should've taken the time.

Yeah, Hunter.

Yeah, Barney, we'll be right down.

Barney wants to show us something.

I didn't know how to describe this on the phone.

Thought you should see it for yourselves.

She's covered with scars.

I'd say these wounds were inflicted five,

maybe six years ago.

After she was cut up, the wounds were allowed to fester.

This young woman was systematically tortured.

Maria?

Your roommate told me that I could find you here.

Is it all right if we talk?

OK.

Our medical examiner says that he found numerous scars

on Louisa's body.

That was a long time ago.

- Can you tell me what happened? - Why?

That has nothing to do with Louisa's murder.

That is in the past.

It is all over now.

Well, I know, but...

I don't want to talk about it.

I understand.

You don't understand.

You could never understand.

I'm Father Benson.

Were you a friend of Louisa's?

I'm Sergeant Dee Dee McCall.

I'm investigating her murder.

Louisa's father was a newspaper

editor who refused to keep silent about the slaughter.

Louisa's whole family, with the exception of her sister,

were imprisoned and tortured...

Mother, father, two brothers, all killed.

Why wasn't Maria killed?

When the soldiers came, she hid under a bed.

They simply didn't find her.

She was very fortunate.

You see, Guerrero used a specialist

to torture his enemies, a military surgeon named Mateos.

El doctor de la muerte.

The doctor of death?

Yes.

They say Mateos loved his work.

He would make long incisions in his victim's body,

and then pour acid into the wounds.

It was like being eaten alive.

Then he listened to Mozart as his victims

writhed before him in agony.

My god.

When Mateos was done with his victims,

he forced them to reveal where they kept their valuables.

Then he'd kill them.

He became quite wealthy.

Where's this Mateos now?

Dead.

Four years ago, there was a revolution in El Santiago.

General Guerrero was executed and Mateos died in a plane

crash trying to escape.

Louisa must have been very strong to have endured that.

She lived through unimaginable horrors.

But I don't need to tell you about Louisa.

You knew her.

Alicia Martinez?

Yes?

Alicia, I'm Sergeant Hunter, LA homicide.

My partner, Sergeant McCall, said

you were a little too upset to speak with her last night.

You feel like talking to me now?

How can I help you?

Good, thank you.

Now, uh, Louisa must have told you what happened to her family

in El Santiago, correct?

Yes.

How the soldiers came to her house and took her family away.

It's not something she liked to talk about much.

Did, uh, Louisa and Maria get along?

They loved each other very much.

Louisa worked hard to put Maria through school.

Now, was there, uh...

Was there anything that was bothering Louisa recently?

The night before she was killed,

she'd been working at a party, and she

came home early, very upset.

I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn't say.

She just talked about her family and how they died.

Yeah, what brought that on?

I'm not sure. She wouldn't say.

Who gave this party that Louisa worked at?

A woman Louisa used to clean house for.

Bernadette Lopez.

Ah, well, congratulations again.

Well, thank you, Mrs. Lopez.

We couldn't have put this deal together without you.

Oh, it's my pleasure, gentlemen.

Let's just hope that the escrow will

close day after tomorrow, OK?

I certainly hope so.

Bye bye.

Terrific job as usual, Mrs. Lopez.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Well, thanks again.

All right.

Mrs. Lopez, Sergeant Hunter.

My partner, Sergeant McCall.

Ah, let's talk in my office.

Sit down, please.

You know, when I heard about what happened to Louisa,

I was just stunned.

Such a shame.

What was Louisa doing at your party?

Uh, she was preparing and serving the food.

However, I was disappointed.

I mean, she was usually very reliable.

Usually? What do you mean?

I... I don't understand.

Well, shortly after my guests arrived,

Louisa just disappeared.

And because of that, we were shorthanded all night.

Excuse me.

Yeah.

Frank Van de Graaff returning your call.

Uh, yes, OK.

Just a second.

Frank.

Hello, darling.

How good of you to call.

Uh, listen.

Are you still thinking about bidding

on that acreage in Redondo?

Uh-huh.

Yes. All right.

Well, listen, sweetie pie, let me know what you decide to do.

I mean, you know how much I love working with you.

OK.

Thanks for calling, Frank.

Where were we?

We were talking about your party.

Why do you think Louisa had to leave early?

I don't know.

Um, I even asked some of the other help,

and nobody had the slightest.

You think maybe she was ill?

Not that I'd know of.

Is it possible that one of your guests disturbed her?

Look, everyone there was strictly from the A list.

If there had been any problems with Louisa,

I am sure I would have heard about it.

Yes.

I'm sure that you would have.

But if you don't mind, we would like to check your A list.

I mind very much.

You know, I wouldn't be considered

a very good hostess if I didn't protect my guests' privacy.

Please hold on Mrs. Lopez's calls.

Thanks very much.

We're talking about your guest list.

I'm afraid I haven't made myself clear.

I can't help you.

I'm afraid I haven't made myself clear.

This is not a request, Mrs. Lopez.

Now, we can take you downtown and question you there

or you can help us out now.

Choice is yours.

OK.

Let me know when you find something.

Thank you.

I'm having R&I do an in-depth on everyone

at Bernadette Lopez's party.

Yeah.

Well, I did a little checking myself.

Her friends are all the most important

people in the LA Latino community...

Bankers, attorneys, developers.

And not one of them can I connect to Louisa.

Sergeant McCall?

Father Benson.

Maria.

We need your help, Sergeant McCall.

This is my partner, Sergeant Rick Hunter.

Father Benson, pleasure. How are you?

Maria.

Hi.

The county morgue won't release Louisa's body

until we get permission from the detectives

who are investigating the case.

I think I can help you out, Father Benson.

Follow me.

I'm sorry that I upset you yesterday at the church.

No, it is I who should apologize to you.

Father Benson told me about what happened to your family

in El Santiago.

I'm sure it must be very painful for you.

Yes, it is.

While we're waiting, want to go get a cup of coffee?

OK.

Why are you lying to me, Alicia?

I don't know what you mean.

You give me no choice, Alicia.

The finest instruments money can buy.

Please.

I'm telling you the truth.

We'll find out, won't we?

Why are you doing this to me?

Alicia, I already told you.

My life is in your hands.

You're the only one who can help me.

Who knows?

I... I don't know.

I think you do.

Please.

Please.

Alicia.

Please.

No.

Please.

No.

No.

No, no, please!

Well, what if Mateos faked his own death?

What if the man is alive and he's living in Los Angeles

right now?

That sounds like a long shot to me.

But it fits, Charlie.

That has to be the reason why Louisa left

Bernadette Lopez's party early.

It's because she saw Mateos there.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Barney says that whoever cut up

Alicia Martinez was the same man who tortured

Louisa Gonsalves six years ago.

How are we doing on the Lopez guest list?

We're tapped into NCIC, Captain.

We should know something in a couple hours.

All right.

On the chance that you're right on this,

I think we should give Maria some protective custody.

Thank you.

Maria?

I'm so glad I found you.

I've been looking for you.

What is the matter?

Maria, we think that your life may be in danger.

Will you come with me now so that I can take you

someplace where you'll be safe?

I'll give Charlie a call.

OK.

Why don't we go take a look at your room?

How long are we going to be staying here?

Well, until we're sure that you're out of danger.

But from whom?

Can I see you a minute?

Charlie says that all government records of Mateos conveniently

disappeared before he supposedly went

down in that airplane crash.

There's absolutely no photograph of this guy

anywhere to be found.

The guy knows how to cover his tracks, doesn't he?

- Yeah. - Look, our only hope is Maria.

I'll talk to her. - Yeah.

Good luck.

Maria?

Can we talk?

Maria, you know who Dr. Rafael Mateos is, don't you?

Yes.

Why?

We think that he's living in Los Angeles.

Mateos is dead.

We think that he faked his death in El Santiago

and that he assumed a new identity.

That can't be.

We also have reason to believe that he did kill your sister,

and he killed Alicia.

Oh.

Oh, god.

Oh, no.

Now, Maria, you were there that night

that he came with the soldiers and took your family away.

Do you remember what he looked like?

No.

I couldn't see.

It was too dark.

I was under the bed.

I couldn't see his face.

Well, did Louisa ever describe his face to you?

No, she tried to forget his face.

She... she only told me his name.

Maria, this is so important.

If we knew what he looked like, we...

Isn't there anyone you know who can recognize this man?

Mateos killed them all.

He wiped out my whole family.

Mateos killed everything I love.

Where is she?

Just when I was going to take her, the police got there.

They took her with them.

Pomo, I cannot count on you for anything.

What could I do?

Forget it.

Tomorrow, I will finish this deal,

and we will be out of here for good.

Where are you going?

I have some details to take care of.

Who is it?

Stay away.

Please don't hurt me.

Por favor, no.

No.

Maria, what's the matter?

It was a... a nightmare.

It was horrible.

He was trying to kill me.

Who was?

I... I don't know.

I couldn't see his face.

It was a bad dream, Maria.

You're safe.

It was just a bad dream.

Yeah.

Captain.

We just got the breakdown on Bernadette Lopez's party list.

It seems that three of the men were from El Santiago.

We can rule two of them out due to age.

But the third one...

The third one's a possibility.

Eduardo Rodriguez.

Now, he arrived here from El Santiago about six years ago.

That's about the same time Dr. Mateos supposedly died.

That's right.

Pick him up.

Right.

Oh, and uh, call your partner.

I think she'd like to go along.

Have a seat, Mr. Rodriguez.

I'm not used to being brought to police stations

in the middle of the night.

Yes, sir.

What is this about?

Three days ago, a woman from El Santiago

was working at a party held in your honor

at Bernadette Lopez's house?

Yes.

Yes, of course I remember the party.

The day after the party, the woman was murdered.

We believe that she was killed by someone

from El Santiago whose name was Dr. Rafael Mateos.

Are you insane?

Mateos is dead.

Then you knew him?

Yes, of course I knew him.

So what of that?

Look, Mr. Rodriguez, we're not accusing anybody as of now.

But uh, you did enter this country

the same time Mateos was reportedly

killed in a plane crash.

And you do come from the same province as he.

You're also, according to our records, about the same age.

Oh, is that it?

You think I am that butcher.

Now, wait a minute.

What do you know about Rafael Mateos?

I am the expert in that department.

I know all about him...

The way he moves, what he looks like, how he walks,

how he talks.

I studied him for days on end.

Is that right?

Oh, that's right.

I was a guest in one of Guerrero's prisons.

Dr. Mateos came to see me regularly.

Can you prove that?

Proof?

The proof is written in the blood of my family.

All of them died under the knife of Rafael Mateos.

If you don't believe what I am saying, believe this.

I am not Mateos.

I am his victim.

Look, I know that all the circumstantial evidence points

to Rodriguez being Mateos.

But you saw the scars on Rodriguez's body.

How could he be the guy?

He has to be.

Look, Rodriguez says that he made his money

after he arrived in the US.

And that's true.

It came from his sale of assets in El Santiago.

It's from the property that he stole off his torture victims.

But you're saying the guy had himself disfigured

to establish an alibi.

It's so sick.

So is Mateos.

Look, somebody in Father Benson's parish

must be able to recognize Mateos.

I'm going to go see him.

All right.

Stay on it.

I'm gonna go talk to Maria.

Louisa.

Alicia.

My family.

They're all gone.

Why am I still alive?

Is it so I can go on reliving this nightmare over and over?

Maria, you can't feel guilty because you survived.

It's as if I was still under the bed, watching.

You know, that night, when he came into our house,

he stood right there.

I could have reached out and touched his leg.

And I was looking up into his face.

And I couldn't see.

It was dark.

It was so dark.

Is that why I am alive?

Because I have to live with this darkness?

We came to the United States because it was safe.

And the nightmare followed us here.

It's just never gonna stop.

It's just never going to stop.

I just want it to stop.

What about Maria Gonsalves?

If she hasn't said anything to the police by now,

she never will.

I would feel a lot better if you'd tell me

where we're going.

Trust me.

It's a place where people with enough money can disappear.

Sun, beautiful women, a corrupt government...

We'll be kings.

Are you taking that?

I'm a doctor.

You never can tell when an emergency might arise.

How many people have you operated on?

I've lost count.

I only recall my most memorable cases, including myself.

How could you scar yourself?

Do you think I could allow anyone else to do it?

Those scars were my passport into this country

as a political refugee.

They had to be perfect.

Now they are my passport out.

You can't imagine it, can you?

But I could imagine it perfectly.

The pain.

The exquisite pain.

Before I made each incision, I knew exactly how it would feel.

No one has a greater understanding of pain

than I. Everyone should know what their threshold of pain

is, Pomo.

The outer limits of their endurance.

Would you like to find yours?

Come on in.

I know you're not going to like this.

Rodriguez has made reservations to fly out of the country.

He leaves in three hours.

I'm sorry.

We all know what this guy has done,

and now he's going to get away?

Knowing is one thing.

Proving is another.

We need a witness.

Well, how's Hunter doing with Father Benson?

Nothing yet.

Captain, Maria Gonsalves saw Mateos's his face.

It was just at night, and she couldn't recognize him.

Now, wait. Wait a minute.

That's not right.

The Gonsalves family wasn't taken at night.

Alicia told Hunter it happened during the day.

What do you mean in the day?

Maria told me that it was... it was at night.

It was too dark to...

See his... do you have that flight information?

Sure. Where are you going?

I'm gonna go talk to Maria.

Tell Hunter to meet me at the airport.

Maria.

I have to talk to you.

Why?

What good will it do?

Just listen to me.

Sometimes, when something very terrible happens in our lives,

the mind blocks it out, and we don't remember things exactly

the way they really happened.

I told you what happened.

Maria, you told me that when Mateos came to your house

that it was night.

It was dark and you couldn't see his face.

But it wasn't dark.

It was daytime, and you did see his face.

No, I couldn't see his face.

Maria.

You were underneath the bed, you looked up,

and you saw the man's face.

No.

Maria.

It was dark.

Listen to me.

You saw the man who killed your parents

and you saw the man who took Louisa away.

Now, you have got to help us.

Maria, he's not going to hurt you.

We're not going to let him.

You did see Mateos's face, didn't you?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Sergeant McCall.

What are you doing here?

There's somebody I'd like you to meet.

Maria Gonsalves.

I believe you knew her sister.

I thought we settled all of this last night.

Nothing has been settled.

Is this the man?

It was you.

Is this some kind of joke?

It means nothing.

It's her word only.

Not anymore, Rodriguez.

Remember this man, Mr. Rodriguez?

He remembers you.

El doctor de la muerte.

Everybody get down!

Everybody down!

Everybody stand back.

We're police officers.

You all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Excuse me, please.