Post by cellogal on Jul 22, 2008 14:48:00 GMT -5
April 18, 2003
As Train’s “Calling All Angels” starts up, we see a boy sitting at the kitchen table in front of a betta fish, separating out all the yellow food flakes with tweezers. Oooh, good luck with that, kid. Bettas are supposed to be hard to kill, but mine lasted all of three weeks. His sister’s chatting on the phone and setting the table, and then Mom and Dad come in and announce to the boy, Brent, that it’s Takeout Tuesday, his favorite. “Takeout Tuesday, my favorite,” Brent repeats. Dad orders the sister, Ruby, off the phone, and Mom urgently tells her that it’s almost 6:30. Ruby reluctantly tells the person on the other end that she’s gotta go, and Dad jokes that it’s not like she didn’t see the boy a couple hours ago. Ah, teenage love. Ruby finally hangs up, telling the family that Doug says hi. “Hi, Doug,” Brent says.
Mom asks Ruby if Doug’s parents are still on the outs, and they apparently are. She then asks if it’s okay if she and Doug study later. “Study?” Dad asks, with a raised eyebrow. Heh. “Yeah, Dad…study,” Ruby replies drily, then adds that they’ll be studying over here, since the racket at Doug’s house makes it, like, totally impossible. Dad doesn’t think that’s the only reason, and Mom giggles. They watch the clock as the seconds tick down, and Ruby, exasperated, asks if she can just eat in her room, since she’s starving. Mom chides her that she can wait thirty seconds. Ruby pauses for a second, then starts needling her brother, asking if there’s a chance Sammy likes yellow. “No yellow,” Brent says, but Ruby continues. “Maybe he looooves yellow.” Mom steps in with a gentle scolding, and Ruby relents, saying she’s sure Sammy hates yellow, just like Brent does. “Three red flakes, two blue, one green. No yellow,” Brent recites. “That’s what Sammy likes.” And, Dad announces, that’s exactly that Sammy will get, because… “Dinnertime,” Brent announces when the second hand hits the 12. The family happily digs in as Brent feeds Sammy.
Two gunshots split the air, and we see Mom and Dad lying dead in their car. Oh, snap. Their boxes are placed on a shelf in the evidence warehouse.
Present Day
Youth center. Lilly’s there with Scotty and Joseph, and she’s asking Joseph about this kid, Brent Harris. Joseph says that one of the orderlies told him about Brent when he was there on a DHS job. Scotty and Lilly read the file, and we learn that Brent’s parents were killed three years ago, found in their car with .38-caliber rounds to the chest and neck. Scotty points out that the file says Brent was home at the time, but Lilly surmises that Joseph thinks Brent might know something. All Joseph knows is that he mentions the murder, and Brent rattles off a long number. “We’re here for a number?” Scotty asks incredulously, and Joseph explains that a lot of people with autism have photographic memories. Details matter, and, Joseph adds flirtatiously, since he’s familiar with this ace detective… “You mean me, right?” Scotty jokes. “I thought it’d be worth a shot,” Joseph finishes. Joseph warns them that Brent’s not real friendly, which is okay with Scotty, who says he’s not looking for a friend. Joseph continues, saying that Brent used to be real high-functioning, but not since his parents died. He then opens the door to Brent’s room and wishes them luck. Lilly and Scotty walk in, and Lilly introduces them. Brent, who’s sitting at his desk sorting fish food, doesn’t respond. Scotty tells Brent they’re here to talk about when his parents died. No response. Lilly reminds him that they died three years ago. “They were murdered,” Scotty adds, and apparently this is the trigger Brent needs. “065739.1,” he says. Lilly asks Brent what that number has to do with the murder, but all Brent does is recite the number again. Scotty asks him if he heard the question, and I’m sitting here wondering why there’s not some kind of social worker or someone who knows Brent or somebody to remind these guys that Brent’s not going to respond to their questions like a typical witness. Sheesh. Scotty asks Brent if the number means something, and when Brent doesn’t respond, Scotty proclaims it a wild goose chase, since Brent doesn’t even understand the question, and starts to leave. Lilly, however, pulls a photo out of the file, which just so happens to show the odometer reading of his parents’ car the night of the murder. Yup, you guessed it. 065739.1. Lilly tells Scotty that it means something and shows him the photo, telling him to look at the odometer. They realize, as we all have, that it’s the same number the kid’s been saying, down to the exact tenth of a mile. Scotty, demonstrating a surprising lack of detective skills, says that the car was impounded and wonders how Brent could know that. “’Cause he was there,” Lilly suggests. “He saw his parents murdered?” Scotty asks incredulously. “065739.1,” Brent pipes up.
Credits.
Evidence warehouse. Stillman recaps the case for us: Steve and Lisa Harris, gunned down a block away from their house. Vera adds that the theory was a carjacking gone wrong, and Kat says it was cold from the start: no suspects, no nothing. Stillman says that, according to the daughter’s statement, the parents were on their way to the local drive-thru. Vera comments that these people had some serious bad luck, and Kat elaborates, saying that six months before the murder, their tropical fish store burned down. Stillman says that Ruby claimed Brent was at home, and Vera points out that now they know he was in the car. “So why’d she lie?” Kat asks. Stillman proclaims this a good question. Vera asks if Brent counts cards, toothpicks, or what. Kat says that all they know is that Brent can’t show emotion, and Stillman remarks that it’s gotta be tough, being a parent to a kid like that. Kat agrees, saying she can’t imagine a life with no hugs and no affection.
Brent’s room. Lilly and Scotty continue questioning Brent, asking him why Ruby would say he was home with her at the time of the murder. Not surprisingly, Brent doesn’t answer. Seriously, why is there no social worker or autism expert in here? It might not help the detectives, but it sure would make me feel better. Lilly asks Brent if he saw his parents murdered. “065739.1,” Brent replies. Scotty asks Brent if he saw who did it, and Lilly asks if he remembers anything from that night. Scotty, growing impatient, reminds Brent that he was in the car, he saw the numbers on the odometer reading, then, in what may prove to be a more effective tactic, asks Brent what he saw before the numbers changed. “What did you see when the number was 065739.0?” Lilly asks. Brent recites that number, and Scotty, sensing that perhaps they’re getting through to him, asks what happened. “The light turned red,” Brent says.
Car. Brent’s sitting in the backseat, and the light turns red. We see the odometer flip, the car inches forward, and someone runs up to the car and opens the door. Brent’s attention focuses on the person’s ornately painted sneakers, which read “R. U. High.”
Scotty asks Brent if the killer was wearing those shoes, and Lilly asks him if that’s what he’s trying to tell them. Brent’s silent, and the detectives exchange a look.
Hallway. Joseph asks them if Brent told them anything else, and Scotty and Lilly tell them about the R. U. High shoes. “R. U. High?” Joseph asks. “I went there!” Hee. “Come again?” Scotty asks. Joseph explains that it’s Ritter Union High School, and the kids, naturally, started calling it R. U. High. So THAT’S where Joseph got his affinity for hideous shoes! Lilly surmises that the killer went to Brent’s school, and Joseph pats himself on the back, saying that maybe bringing them down here wasn’t such a bad idea. They agree that a serious lead on a double isn’t too shabby, and Joseph suggests that perhaps Lilly should deputize him, like in the old West. Deputize him…so that’s what the kids are calling it these days… Lilly smiles and turns to Scotty. “Catch up with you in a second?” After a beat, Scotty gets the hint and heads off down the hallway.
Lilly tells Joseph that she knows it’s been kinda hectic lately, and Joseph asks her what’s going on. Lilly explains that an old friend’s in trouble, and Joseph asks what kind. She says it’s a long story, and Joseph corrects her, saying he meant what kind of friend. Oh, snap. “He, uh…he asked me to marry him once,” Lilly explains. Oh, THAT kind of old friend. Joseph, clearly uncomfortable, points out that Lilly never told him that, and Lilly brushes it off as a dumb pipe dream, saying that Ray’s not the settling down type. “And you are,” Joseph replies, and Lilly says that it doesn’t matter, she’s here with him. “Are you?” Joseph asks, and Lilly doesn’t answer as she heads off down the hall. Uh-oh. That ain’t a good sign.
Ruby’s foster home. She brats bitterly that her foster parents don’t let her out of what she proclaims a pit, but what is patently not a pit. Ruby goes on to say that she visits Brent every weekend and he never said a word, then wonders how the detectives got him to talk. Jeffries tells her that they asked him about her parents’ murder, and Vera adds that Brent rattled off a bunch of numbers at the mention of it. Ruby guesses that’s good, and if he can do that, maybe he’ll be ready to live with her. She explains that she’s turning 18, moving out, and Brent’s the only family she’s got left. Vera asks Ruby why she lied and told the cops Brent was home with her. She protests that she didn’t lie; Brent was home in his room. “No possibility you’re wrong?” Jeffries asks, and Ruby shrugs and says she was on the phone, and she just assumed, since it was Takeout Tuesday. She explains that every Tuesday night, her parents would bring home takeout while she stayed home with Brent. Ruby then says that, to people with autism, routine is everything, and sometimes, her parents would bring Brent along on their takeout runs to try to get him used to change. Vera guesses that this could have been a practice run, and Ruby asks what this has to do with what happened to her mom and dad. Jeffries tells her that they think Brent was in the car when the murders took place. Ruby is stunned, and Vera adds that Brent saw the killer’s shoes. Jeffries explains about R.U. High, and Ruby asks, in disbelief, if the guy who killed her parents went to her high school. Vera asks her if anyone comes to mind, and someone does: a big tagger, even bigger jerk.
High school hallway, where we hear “Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd. Ruby is making out with a guy, presumably Doug, when she hears laughter and Brent saying “no” repeatedly. “Here we go again,” she sighs. “Ruby to the rescue.” She extricates herself from Doug’s arms and heads off down the hallway, where a group of kids are picking on Brent. One in particular, with graffiti-ed shoes, is demanding Brent share his math homework, and is repeatedly touching him, which Brent patently doesn’t like. Ruby shoves him away from Brent and screams at him to leave Brent alone. “Little Miss Thang, gettin’ all gangsta,” Graffiti Shoes retorts, and they exchange words while Doug comes up behind them and picks up Brent’s math homework. Ruby taunts the guy about stealing Brent’s math homework when he’s, like, nineteen, and he retorts that at least he doesn’t have Dumbo in his family. Ruby fires back by saying that at least she doesn’t act like she’s not lily-white from the suburbs. He suggests that maybe he ought to cap her, she challenges him to bring it. Doug, having seen enough, steps between the two. “You wanna mess with my girl?” he demands, and Graffiti Shoes is instantly contrite, saying he has no beef with Doug. Doug retorts that if Graffiti Shoes messes with Brent, he messes with Doug, and that goes for all of them. Ruby, from behind Doug, shouts at Graffiti Shoes that, if he touches her brother again, she will kill him. “Not if I kill you first, skank,” Graffiti Shoes retorts, and Doug responds by slamming him up against the locker. “You say somethin’, punk-ass?” he demands. Graffiti Shoes insists he didn’t say anything. “I didn’t think so,” Doug says icily, then gives the guy a final shove and heads down the hall with Ruby and Brent.
Vera asks Ruby if she knows what happened to Graffiti Shoes, and she says he dropped out of school right after her parents were killed. Jeffries theorizes that perhaps the guy went after payback on Ruby or Brent, and Vera thinks maybe the parents got in the way.
Street. Jeffries and Kat approach Graffiti Shoes, who seems to have graduated to walls. Kat’s forced to admit that it’s not bad, for a white kid from the ‘burbs. Heh. “Or for a punk that beats up on special-needs kids,” Jeffries adds. Graffiti Shoes plays dumb, so the detectives remind him of Ruby, whose last name, I notice, has mysteriously changed from Harris to Harding during the commercial break. Graffiti Shoes has trouble placing Ruby, then asks if he did her. Kat, exasperated, reminds him of Ruby’s brother, Brent, the autistic kid. “Oh…Dumbo!” Graffiti Shoes remembers. “Yeah, Dumbo,” Jeffries confirms, “who wouldn’t let you cheat off his math test.” Nice burn. “Why do you think I dropped out of school?” Graffiti Shoes demands. “When Dumbo’s lapping you, it’s time to go.” Jeffries points out that the killer was wearing shoes like the ones Graffiti Shoes, whose name is Greg, is wearing now, and Greg says that’s impossible, since he just made these shoes in the past year. Kat suggests that maybe he was wearing a prototype, and Greg asks her if she has any idea how many pairs of shoes he customizes for people. Wait…you mean there’s a DEMAND for these? Suddenly, Joseph’s checkerboard shoes aren’t looking quite so bad. Jeffries says they’re just interested in one pair, a pair that said R. U. High on them, and Greg replies that that narrows it to, like, a hundred. Guess there is a demand. Must be something weird in the water at that school. Kat asks, incredulously, if Greg just let Ruby’s dissing him in front of his pals go, and Greg says he didn’t let it go, but he didn’t kill anybody. Jeffries asks him what he did do, and Greg says he got some practice in. It wasn’t his finest work, he says, but…
Principal’s office, where Nickelback’s “Someday” is playing, and Brent, who’s covered in yellow spray paint, is softly banging his head against the wall. Steve and Lisa come in and demand to know what happened. Lisa tells Brent that Mom and Dad are here, and they’re going to take him home. Brent’s only response is to continue banging his head against the wall. “So you can see Sammy,” Lisa continues. “He misses you.” “Sammy’s a fish,” Brent replies. “He doesn’t miss people.” Steve sees Greg sitting there and asks if he did this, and Greg plays dumb, saying he’s there for a student council meeting. The principal comes out then, apologizing profusely, and Steve and Lisa remind her that the state mandates that the school have someone looking out for Brent. The principal protests that the state budgets one special-needs counsel for the entire ninth grade, and Lisa snaps that she’s tired of their excuses. “If you have a problem with the way the special needs program is run…” the principal begins, but Lisa orders her not to tell her to write another letter or call the school board, because they’ve already done that a dozen times. Steve calmly declares this over and announces that they’re officially withdrawing Brent from the school. The principal says that’s their prerogative, and Lisa realizes that the principal is glad. She tactfully says she thinks Brent will be happier in another school, but she knows the alternatives are expensive. Lisa agrees, then turns to Steve and says that they’re too expensive. He says there’s no turning back now. Turning to Brent, he tells him to come on, and as Brent gets up to follow, Steve tells Lisa that it’s time for Plan B.
The detectives ask Brent if he has any idea what Plan B could have meant, and he retorts that he’s the guy who needed to cheat off the dummy. Guess that’d be a no.
Brent’s youth center. Scotty has, for some unfathomable reason, brought Vera along this time. As they walk down the hallway, Scotty tells Vera that he’s been reading up on autism (awwwww), and has learned that autistic kids can’t lie: they’re incapable of it. He goes on to explain that they also don’t understand humor; you say a guy was “high as a kite,” and they’re like, “how can a guy be high as a kite? He weighs too much.” Vera sarcastically proclaims this riveting, and on that note, they head into Brent’s room.
“Hello, Brent,” Scotty says. “Remember me? Detective Valens?” he asks. “9136,” Brent replies, which Scotty recognizes as his badge number. “Neat trick,” Vera remarks, and Scotty explains that it’s all about triggers: “Detective Valens” triggers Brent to say “9136.” “He coughs it up, I get it,” Vera says, then tells Brent he wants to ask him some questions. Oh, THIS should be good. When Brent doesn’t respond, Vera tries snapping his fingers at him to get his attention, and Scotty pulls Vera aside and decides to try this himself. He asks Brent if he remembers when his parents pulled him out of Ritter Union High School. Vera adds that Brent was covered in yellow spray paint, and Scotty reminds Brent that he doesn’t like yellow. “Three red flakes, two blue, one green, no yellow,” Brent says. Scotty smiles and says yellow isn’t his favorite color, either. “Well, now that we got that settled,” Vera comments, and Scotty silences him with a Look, then turns back to Brent and reminds him of his father’s announcement that it was time for Plan B. “Save Sammy,” Brent replies. “Plan B meant…save Sammy?” Scotty asks. “Plan B, save Sammy,” Brent recites. Vera asks who Sammy is, and Scotty’s not sure. “Plan B,” he says again. “Save Sammy,” Brent answers.
Car. Brent’s holding Sammy in a container on his lap. The car stops, the odometer flips, and then we hear two gunshots. Brent drops Sammy’s container, and someone else picks up the container and hands it to Brent.
“Sammy’s a fish?” Vera asks, and Brent recites a long list of facts about betta fish. Scotty’s more interested in learning who saved Sammy. “Doug saved Sammy,” Brent replies. “Doug, your sister’s boyfriend?” Vera asks. “Doug says hi,” Brent says. Vera cluelessly asks Scotty if that’s a yes, and Scotty doesn’t answer, just tells Brent he did real good. He puts his hand on Brent’s shoulder (again, awwwww), but Brent pulls away. Scotty pauses thoughtfully for a minute, and then the detectives leave.
Stillman’s office. Stillman tells Doug that they had a talk with Brent, and Doug says it’s great that Brent’s talking. “Maybe not so great for you,” Lilly retorts, and Stillman says that Brent put Doug at the murder scene. Doug says that can’t be; he was at the batting cages, and didn’t clock out until 9:00, and they can check. “We will,” Stillman replies. Doug adds that he loved Brent, not just Ruby. Stillman asks if Doug is still in contact with Ruby, and Doug says, sadly, that no, they’re not; she froze him out after her parents died. Stillman asks why that is, and Doug explains that he hung out with the Harrises a lot, on account of his family being a total disaster area. Lilly surmises that Doug reminded Ruby too much of the past, and Doug says that’s what he likes to think. “Better than the alternative,” Lilly remarks. “That she stopped lovin’ me,” Doug finishes. Stillman says that Brent was really specific about Doug saving Sammy, and Lilly adds that Brent said Doug picked up Sammy’s cup off the floor of the car the night of the murders. Doug smiles and says he knows what Brent meant, then explains that autistics can’t keep time straight. “You made a study?” Lilly asks, and Doug admits that he didn’t, but that Ruby told him. He goes on to say that Brent can’t keep things in sequence; he talks about yesterday or a year ago like they were the same time. Stillman asks what that has to do with Brent placing Doug at the scene, and Doug says it’s everything: he did save Sammy, just not the night Brent was talking about.
Harris basement, where we hear Feeder’s “Love Pollution.” Brent comes downstairs with Sammy to see a whole bunch of other fish tanks lining the basement walls, and the rest of the family hastily caring for the fish. Brent immediately becomes upset, and Ruby orders him back to his room. Brent protests that Sammy doesn’t like other fish. Steve tells Brent to calm down, and Brent insists that this is Sammy’s house. Lisa tells him he’s right, this is Sammy’s house, but no one’s going to hurt him. Ruby warns them that Brent’s going to start “stemming” for sure, and Brent protests that the fish store is where the other fish live, and Lisa and Steve remind him how they talked about transitions, and this is one of them: Brent’s just going to have to get used to these fish being here. Brent looks around at the other fish and gets even more upset, then drops Sammy. He frantically insists that someone save Sammy, and Doug reassures him, then picks up Sammy’s cup and hands it back to Brent, telling him that he saved Sammy, and that Sammy’s fine. “Doug saved Sammy,” Brent realizes, and Ruby beams at Doug, agreeing that he did. Doug suggests that Sammy might like to look at the other fish; not go near them, just look. Brent seems okay with this, and he looks around at the other fish. The other family members smile, and Ruby tells Brent that she can tell Sammy likes it. Brent looks around in amazement at the other fish.
Stillman asks what the Harrises are doing with all those fish in the basement, and Doug says he promised he wouldn’t say. Lilly asks him when this happened, and Stillman realizes it was before the fire. Lilly and Stillman conclude that they didn’t want to kill their own fish, so they brought them home: that’s what Plan B was. “Burnin’ down their own store,” Stillman finishes.
As Train’s “Calling All Angels” starts up, we see a boy sitting at the kitchen table in front of a betta fish, separating out all the yellow food flakes with tweezers. Oooh, good luck with that, kid. Bettas are supposed to be hard to kill, but mine lasted all of three weeks. His sister’s chatting on the phone and setting the table, and then Mom and Dad come in and announce to the boy, Brent, that it’s Takeout Tuesday, his favorite. “Takeout Tuesday, my favorite,” Brent repeats. Dad orders the sister, Ruby, off the phone, and Mom urgently tells her that it’s almost 6:30. Ruby reluctantly tells the person on the other end that she’s gotta go, and Dad jokes that it’s not like she didn’t see the boy a couple hours ago. Ah, teenage love. Ruby finally hangs up, telling the family that Doug says hi. “Hi, Doug,” Brent says.
Mom asks Ruby if Doug’s parents are still on the outs, and they apparently are. She then asks if it’s okay if she and Doug study later. “Study?” Dad asks, with a raised eyebrow. Heh. “Yeah, Dad…study,” Ruby replies drily, then adds that they’ll be studying over here, since the racket at Doug’s house makes it, like, totally impossible. Dad doesn’t think that’s the only reason, and Mom giggles. They watch the clock as the seconds tick down, and Ruby, exasperated, asks if she can just eat in her room, since she’s starving. Mom chides her that she can wait thirty seconds. Ruby pauses for a second, then starts needling her brother, asking if there’s a chance Sammy likes yellow. “No yellow,” Brent says, but Ruby continues. “Maybe he looooves yellow.” Mom steps in with a gentle scolding, and Ruby relents, saying she’s sure Sammy hates yellow, just like Brent does. “Three red flakes, two blue, one green. No yellow,” Brent recites. “That’s what Sammy likes.” And, Dad announces, that’s exactly that Sammy will get, because… “Dinnertime,” Brent announces when the second hand hits the 12. The family happily digs in as Brent feeds Sammy.
Two gunshots split the air, and we see Mom and Dad lying dead in their car. Oh, snap. Their boxes are placed on a shelf in the evidence warehouse.
Present Day
Youth center. Lilly’s there with Scotty and Joseph, and she’s asking Joseph about this kid, Brent Harris. Joseph says that one of the orderlies told him about Brent when he was there on a DHS job. Scotty and Lilly read the file, and we learn that Brent’s parents were killed three years ago, found in their car with .38-caliber rounds to the chest and neck. Scotty points out that the file says Brent was home at the time, but Lilly surmises that Joseph thinks Brent might know something. All Joseph knows is that he mentions the murder, and Brent rattles off a long number. “We’re here for a number?” Scotty asks incredulously, and Joseph explains that a lot of people with autism have photographic memories. Details matter, and, Joseph adds flirtatiously, since he’s familiar with this ace detective… “You mean me, right?” Scotty jokes. “I thought it’d be worth a shot,” Joseph finishes. Joseph warns them that Brent’s not real friendly, which is okay with Scotty, who says he’s not looking for a friend. Joseph continues, saying that Brent used to be real high-functioning, but not since his parents died. He then opens the door to Brent’s room and wishes them luck. Lilly and Scotty walk in, and Lilly introduces them. Brent, who’s sitting at his desk sorting fish food, doesn’t respond. Scotty tells Brent they’re here to talk about when his parents died. No response. Lilly reminds him that they died three years ago. “They were murdered,” Scotty adds, and apparently this is the trigger Brent needs. “065739.1,” he says. Lilly asks Brent what that number has to do with the murder, but all Brent does is recite the number again. Scotty asks him if he heard the question, and I’m sitting here wondering why there’s not some kind of social worker or someone who knows Brent or somebody to remind these guys that Brent’s not going to respond to their questions like a typical witness. Sheesh. Scotty asks Brent if the number means something, and when Brent doesn’t respond, Scotty proclaims it a wild goose chase, since Brent doesn’t even understand the question, and starts to leave. Lilly, however, pulls a photo out of the file, which just so happens to show the odometer reading of his parents’ car the night of the murder. Yup, you guessed it. 065739.1. Lilly tells Scotty that it means something and shows him the photo, telling him to look at the odometer. They realize, as we all have, that it’s the same number the kid’s been saying, down to the exact tenth of a mile. Scotty, demonstrating a surprising lack of detective skills, says that the car was impounded and wonders how Brent could know that. “’Cause he was there,” Lilly suggests. “He saw his parents murdered?” Scotty asks incredulously. “065739.1,” Brent pipes up.
Credits.
Evidence warehouse. Stillman recaps the case for us: Steve and Lisa Harris, gunned down a block away from their house. Vera adds that the theory was a carjacking gone wrong, and Kat says it was cold from the start: no suspects, no nothing. Stillman says that, according to the daughter’s statement, the parents were on their way to the local drive-thru. Vera comments that these people had some serious bad luck, and Kat elaborates, saying that six months before the murder, their tropical fish store burned down. Stillman says that Ruby claimed Brent was at home, and Vera points out that now they know he was in the car. “So why’d she lie?” Kat asks. Stillman proclaims this a good question. Vera asks if Brent counts cards, toothpicks, or what. Kat says that all they know is that Brent can’t show emotion, and Stillman remarks that it’s gotta be tough, being a parent to a kid like that. Kat agrees, saying she can’t imagine a life with no hugs and no affection.
Brent’s room. Lilly and Scotty continue questioning Brent, asking him why Ruby would say he was home with her at the time of the murder. Not surprisingly, Brent doesn’t answer. Seriously, why is there no social worker or autism expert in here? It might not help the detectives, but it sure would make me feel better. Lilly asks Brent if he saw his parents murdered. “065739.1,” Brent replies. Scotty asks Brent if he saw who did it, and Lilly asks if he remembers anything from that night. Scotty, growing impatient, reminds Brent that he was in the car, he saw the numbers on the odometer reading, then, in what may prove to be a more effective tactic, asks Brent what he saw before the numbers changed. “What did you see when the number was 065739.0?” Lilly asks. Brent recites that number, and Scotty, sensing that perhaps they’re getting through to him, asks what happened. “The light turned red,” Brent says.
Car. Brent’s sitting in the backseat, and the light turns red. We see the odometer flip, the car inches forward, and someone runs up to the car and opens the door. Brent’s attention focuses on the person’s ornately painted sneakers, which read “R. U. High.”
Scotty asks Brent if the killer was wearing those shoes, and Lilly asks him if that’s what he’s trying to tell them. Brent’s silent, and the detectives exchange a look.
Hallway. Joseph asks them if Brent told them anything else, and Scotty and Lilly tell them about the R. U. High shoes. “R. U. High?” Joseph asks. “I went there!” Hee. “Come again?” Scotty asks. Joseph explains that it’s Ritter Union High School, and the kids, naturally, started calling it R. U. High. So THAT’S where Joseph got his affinity for hideous shoes! Lilly surmises that the killer went to Brent’s school, and Joseph pats himself on the back, saying that maybe bringing them down here wasn’t such a bad idea. They agree that a serious lead on a double isn’t too shabby, and Joseph suggests that perhaps Lilly should deputize him, like in the old West. Deputize him…so that’s what the kids are calling it these days… Lilly smiles and turns to Scotty. “Catch up with you in a second?” After a beat, Scotty gets the hint and heads off down the hallway.
Lilly tells Joseph that she knows it’s been kinda hectic lately, and Joseph asks her what’s going on. Lilly explains that an old friend’s in trouble, and Joseph asks what kind. She says it’s a long story, and Joseph corrects her, saying he meant what kind of friend. Oh, snap. “He, uh…he asked me to marry him once,” Lilly explains. Oh, THAT kind of old friend. Joseph, clearly uncomfortable, points out that Lilly never told him that, and Lilly brushes it off as a dumb pipe dream, saying that Ray’s not the settling down type. “And you are,” Joseph replies, and Lilly says that it doesn’t matter, she’s here with him. “Are you?” Joseph asks, and Lilly doesn’t answer as she heads off down the hall. Uh-oh. That ain’t a good sign.
Ruby’s foster home. She brats bitterly that her foster parents don’t let her out of what she proclaims a pit, but what is patently not a pit. Ruby goes on to say that she visits Brent every weekend and he never said a word, then wonders how the detectives got him to talk. Jeffries tells her that they asked him about her parents’ murder, and Vera adds that Brent rattled off a bunch of numbers at the mention of it. Ruby guesses that’s good, and if he can do that, maybe he’ll be ready to live with her. She explains that she’s turning 18, moving out, and Brent’s the only family she’s got left. Vera asks Ruby why she lied and told the cops Brent was home with her. She protests that she didn’t lie; Brent was home in his room. “No possibility you’re wrong?” Jeffries asks, and Ruby shrugs and says she was on the phone, and she just assumed, since it was Takeout Tuesday. She explains that every Tuesday night, her parents would bring home takeout while she stayed home with Brent. Ruby then says that, to people with autism, routine is everything, and sometimes, her parents would bring Brent along on their takeout runs to try to get him used to change. Vera guesses that this could have been a practice run, and Ruby asks what this has to do with what happened to her mom and dad. Jeffries tells her that they think Brent was in the car when the murders took place. Ruby is stunned, and Vera adds that Brent saw the killer’s shoes. Jeffries explains about R.U. High, and Ruby asks, in disbelief, if the guy who killed her parents went to her high school. Vera asks her if anyone comes to mind, and someone does: a big tagger, even bigger jerk.
High school hallway, where we hear “Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd. Ruby is making out with a guy, presumably Doug, when she hears laughter and Brent saying “no” repeatedly. “Here we go again,” she sighs. “Ruby to the rescue.” She extricates herself from Doug’s arms and heads off down the hallway, where a group of kids are picking on Brent. One in particular, with graffiti-ed shoes, is demanding Brent share his math homework, and is repeatedly touching him, which Brent patently doesn’t like. Ruby shoves him away from Brent and screams at him to leave Brent alone. “Little Miss Thang, gettin’ all gangsta,” Graffiti Shoes retorts, and they exchange words while Doug comes up behind them and picks up Brent’s math homework. Ruby taunts the guy about stealing Brent’s math homework when he’s, like, nineteen, and he retorts that at least he doesn’t have Dumbo in his family. Ruby fires back by saying that at least she doesn’t act like she’s not lily-white from the suburbs. He suggests that maybe he ought to cap her, she challenges him to bring it. Doug, having seen enough, steps between the two. “You wanna mess with my girl?” he demands, and Graffiti Shoes is instantly contrite, saying he has no beef with Doug. Doug retorts that if Graffiti Shoes messes with Brent, he messes with Doug, and that goes for all of them. Ruby, from behind Doug, shouts at Graffiti Shoes that, if he touches her brother again, she will kill him. “Not if I kill you first, skank,” Graffiti Shoes retorts, and Doug responds by slamming him up against the locker. “You say somethin’, punk-ass?” he demands. Graffiti Shoes insists he didn’t say anything. “I didn’t think so,” Doug says icily, then gives the guy a final shove and heads down the hall with Ruby and Brent.
Vera asks Ruby if she knows what happened to Graffiti Shoes, and she says he dropped out of school right after her parents were killed. Jeffries theorizes that perhaps the guy went after payback on Ruby or Brent, and Vera thinks maybe the parents got in the way.
Street. Jeffries and Kat approach Graffiti Shoes, who seems to have graduated to walls. Kat’s forced to admit that it’s not bad, for a white kid from the ‘burbs. Heh. “Or for a punk that beats up on special-needs kids,” Jeffries adds. Graffiti Shoes plays dumb, so the detectives remind him of Ruby, whose last name, I notice, has mysteriously changed from Harris to Harding during the commercial break. Graffiti Shoes has trouble placing Ruby, then asks if he did her. Kat, exasperated, reminds him of Ruby’s brother, Brent, the autistic kid. “Oh…Dumbo!” Graffiti Shoes remembers. “Yeah, Dumbo,” Jeffries confirms, “who wouldn’t let you cheat off his math test.” Nice burn. “Why do you think I dropped out of school?” Graffiti Shoes demands. “When Dumbo’s lapping you, it’s time to go.” Jeffries points out that the killer was wearing shoes like the ones Graffiti Shoes, whose name is Greg, is wearing now, and Greg says that’s impossible, since he just made these shoes in the past year. Kat suggests that maybe he was wearing a prototype, and Greg asks her if she has any idea how many pairs of shoes he customizes for people. Wait…you mean there’s a DEMAND for these? Suddenly, Joseph’s checkerboard shoes aren’t looking quite so bad. Jeffries says they’re just interested in one pair, a pair that said R. U. High on them, and Greg replies that that narrows it to, like, a hundred. Guess there is a demand. Must be something weird in the water at that school. Kat asks, incredulously, if Greg just let Ruby’s dissing him in front of his pals go, and Greg says he didn’t let it go, but he didn’t kill anybody. Jeffries asks him what he did do, and Greg says he got some practice in. It wasn’t his finest work, he says, but…
Principal’s office, where Nickelback’s “Someday” is playing, and Brent, who’s covered in yellow spray paint, is softly banging his head against the wall. Steve and Lisa come in and demand to know what happened. Lisa tells Brent that Mom and Dad are here, and they’re going to take him home. Brent’s only response is to continue banging his head against the wall. “So you can see Sammy,” Lisa continues. “He misses you.” “Sammy’s a fish,” Brent replies. “He doesn’t miss people.” Steve sees Greg sitting there and asks if he did this, and Greg plays dumb, saying he’s there for a student council meeting. The principal comes out then, apologizing profusely, and Steve and Lisa remind her that the state mandates that the school have someone looking out for Brent. The principal protests that the state budgets one special-needs counsel for the entire ninth grade, and Lisa snaps that she’s tired of their excuses. “If you have a problem with the way the special needs program is run…” the principal begins, but Lisa orders her not to tell her to write another letter or call the school board, because they’ve already done that a dozen times. Steve calmly declares this over and announces that they’re officially withdrawing Brent from the school. The principal says that’s their prerogative, and Lisa realizes that the principal is glad. She tactfully says she thinks Brent will be happier in another school, but she knows the alternatives are expensive. Lisa agrees, then turns to Steve and says that they’re too expensive. He says there’s no turning back now. Turning to Brent, he tells him to come on, and as Brent gets up to follow, Steve tells Lisa that it’s time for Plan B.
The detectives ask Brent if he has any idea what Plan B could have meant, and he retorts that he’s the guy who needed to cheat off the dummy. Guess that’d be a no.
Brent’s youth center. Scotty has, for some unfathomable reason, brought Vera along this time. As they walk down the hallway, Scotty tells Vera that he’s been reading up on autism (awwwww), and has learned that autistic kids can’t lie: they’re incapable of it. He goes on to explain that they also don’t understand humor; you say a guy was “high as a kite,” and they’re like, “how can a guy be high as a kite? He weighs too much.” Vera sarcastically proclaims this riveting, and on that note, they head into Brent’s room.
“Hello, Brent,” Scotty says. “Remember me? Detective Valens?” he asks. “9136,” Brent replies, which Scotty recognizes as his badge number. “Neat trick,” Vera remarks, and Scotty explains that it’s all about triggers: “Detective Valens” triggers Brent to say “9136.” “He coughs it up, I get it,” Vera says, then tells Brent he wants to ask him some questions. Oh, THIS should be good. When Brent doesn’t respond, Vera tries snapping his fingers at him to get his attention, and Scotty pulls Vera aside and decides to try this himself. He asks Brent if he remembers when his parents pulled him out of Ritter Union High School. Vera adds that Brent was covered in yellow spray paint, and Scotty reminds Brent that he doesn’t like yellow. “Three red flakes, two blue, one green, no yellow,” Brent says. Scotty smiles and says yellow isn’t his favorite color, either. “Well, now that we got that settled,” Vera comments, and Scotty silences him with a Look, then turns back to Brent and reminds him of his father’s announcement that it was time for Plan B. “Save Sammy,” Brent replies. “Plan B meant…save Sammy?” Scotty asks. “Plan B, save Sammy,” Brent recites. Vera asks who Sammy is, and Scotty’s not sure. “Plan B,” he says again. “Save Sammy,” Brent answers.
Car. Brent’s holding Sammy in a container on his lap. The car stops, the odometer flips, and then we hear two gunshots. Brent drops Sammy’s container, and someone else picks up the container and hands it to Brent.
“Sammy’s a fish?” Vera asks, and Brent recites a long list of facts about betta fish. Scotty’s more interested in learning who saved Sammy. “Doug saved Sammy,” Brent replies. “Doug, your sister’s boyfriend?” Vera asks. “Doug says hi,” Brent says. Vera cluelessly asks Scotty if that’s a yes, and Scotty doesn’t answer, just tells Brent he did real good. He puts his hand on Brent’s shoulder (again, awwwww), but Brent pulls away. Scotty pauses thoughtfully for a minute, and then the detectives leave.
Stillman’s office. Stillman tells Doug that they had a talk with Brent, and Doug says it’s great that Brent’s talking. “Maybe not so great for you,” Lilly retorts, and Stillman says that Brent put Doug at the murder scene. Doug says that can’t be; he was at the batting cages, and didn’t clock out until 9:00, and they can check. “We will,” Stillman replies. Doug adds that he loved Brent, not just Ruby. Stillman asks if Doug is still in contact with Ruby, and Doug says, sadly, that no, they’re not; she froze him out after her parents died. Stillman asks why that is, and Doug explains that he hung out with the Harrises a lot, on account of his family being a total disaster area. Lilly surmises that Doug reminded Ruby too much of the past, and Doug says that’s what he likes to think. “Better than the alternative,” Lilly remarks. “That she stopped lovin’ me,” Doug finishes. Stillman says that Brent was really specific about Doug saving Sammy, and Lilly adds that Brent said Doug picked up Sammy’s cup off the floor of the car the night of the murders. Doug smiles and says he knows what Brent meant, then explains that autistics can’t keep time straight. “You made a study?” Lilly asks, and Doug admits that he didn’t, but that Ruby told him. He goes on to say that Brent can’t keep things in sequence; he talks about yesterday or a year ago like they were the same time. Stillman asks what that has to do with Brent placing Doug at the scene, and Doug says it’s everything: he did save Sammy, just not the night Brent was talking about.
Harris basement, where we hear Feeder’s “Love Pollution.” Brent comes downstairs with Sammy to see a whole bunch of other fish tanks lining the basement walls, and the rest of the family hastily caring for the fish. Brent immediately becomes upset, and Ruby orders him back to his room. Brent protests that Sammy doesn’t like other fish. Steve tells Brent to calm down, and Brent insists that this is Sammy’s house. Lisa tells him he’s right, this is Sammy’s house, but no one’s going to hurt him. Ruby warns them that Brent’s going to start “stemming” for sure, and Brent protests that the fish store is where the other fish live, and Lisa and Steve remind him how they talked about transitions, and this is one of them: Brent’s just going to have to get used to these fish being here. Brent looks around at the other fish and gets even more upset, then drops Sammy. He frantically insists that someone save Sammy, and Doug reassures him, then picks up Sammy’s cup and hands it back to Brent, telling him that he saved Sammy, and that Sammy’s fine. “Doug saved Sammy,” Brent realizes, and Ruby beams at Doug, agreeing that he did. Doug suggests that Sammy might like to look at the other fish; not go near them, just look. Brent seems okay with this, and he looks around at the other fish. The other family members smile, and Ruby tells Brent that she can tell Sammy likes it. Brent looks around in amazement at the other fish.
Stillman asks what the Harrises are doing with all those fish in the basement, and Doug says he promised he wouldn’t say. Lilly asks him when this happened, and Stillman realizes it was before the fire. Lilly and Stillman conclude that they didn’t want to kill their own fish, so they brought them home: that’s what Plan B was. “Burnin’ down their own store,” Stillman finishes.
