Perception

Previously on "Perception"...

- Were there other women? - It was only once.

Obviously, I'm hoping that you want to give us another shot.

Will you marry me?

Again?

Call me.

Congratulations. You figured it out.

I have Alzheimer's.

- Shelby: You never called me. - I'm engaged.

I'm not looking for a date.

I'm looking for an alderman.

Don't tell me you've never thought about a political career.

Daniel, I can't live this way anymore.

If you're talking about something drastic, you can forget it.

I was talking about moving in to the damn facility in Belmont Park.

Kate: I just have all these awful thoughts in my head.

It's like a constant background noise

telling me that Donnie's gonna cheat on me again.

Why can't I stop thinking that?

Lewicki, phone!

Lewicki!

Hello?

Daniel, it's your father.

- What's wrong? - There's someone here I want you to meet.

- A woman. - What?

I think you'd be really interested in talking to her.

- You see, she knew... - Dad, a-a-at 3:00 a.m.,

the only thing I'm interested in is sleeping, okay?

Just t-tell the nurses that your meds are giving you insomnia.

I'll call you back in the morning.

Uh...

Dad, I said we'd talk in the morning.

Donnie: Daniel! It's Donnie.

I need your help.

- With what? - I can't...

I can't talk about it on the phone.

- Is Kate with you? - No! No, and don't call her.

What the hell is going on?

I'll explain everything when you get here. Just...

It's... it's 965 Harris Avenue, apartment 2C.

- Donnie, I-I-I... - Daniel, please!

Just come.

Okay. Uh...965 Harris.

I-I...I'll be right there.

S03E10 Dirty

Holy shit, Donnie.

She's dead.

This... this the woman that works on your campaign?

Shelby Coulson. She's 27.

She had her entire life in front of her.

You've got to call the police. And you've got to call Kate.

Daniel, slow down! Slow down.

I woke up half-dressed in her bed,

and this is probably her blood on my shirt.

I look guilty.

- Are you? - No!

No! No. There's no way...

- I must have blacked out. - You need a lawyer. Call Ruben.

I need you to help me first, you understand?

I don't remember how any of this happened.

How much did you have to drink?

One Vodka Tonic, that's it.

I think someone drugged me.

I think someone slipped me something

so that I would black out, and then they killed Shelby

and arranged all of this to make it look like I did it.

If you were drugged, it was probably GHB.

I-I-it leaves the body functional, but causes memory loss.

Th-the date-rape drug.

Explains why I don't know how I got here.

It also leaves your system quickly. Call the police, Donnie.

The sooner you do, the sooner they can test you.

Or they could sit on their hands for a couple of hours,

and I am screwed.

The clock is ticking, Daniel. Can't you draw my blood?

I...Guess I could pick up a kit at an all-night pharmacy,

but you can't leave the scene of a crime.

I have to prove that I was drugged, Daniel.

That is my only defense right now.

So sticking around might seem like the honest thing to do,

but it is a lousy legal strategy.

Trust me, okay?

That's him.

That... I saw him walk in with Shelby,

and then I heard her screaming.

Political candidate, a sex-and-murder scandal.

You know them better than me, Ryan.

That trial's gonna be a nightmare for you and your family.

Unless you're inclined to confess.

We're not inclined to do anything

till that tox screen comes back.

Okay.

Bastards waited an hour and a half to draw my blood, Ruben.

If the GHB was out of my system, I am done.

You're not done.

The evidence looks compelling, but it's all circumstantial.

The wait is killing me.

So call Kate. She's probably worried sick.

Going straight to her as soon as we get out of here.

I just want to explain this face-to-face.

Kate: Hey, it's me again.

Look, if you can't call, just send me a text, okay?

I-I don't care. I just... want to know that you're all right.

- Donnie? - It's Max.

Is doc with you?

What, you can't find him, either?

I just got back from an all-nighter in the library.

There's no sign of him, no note.

Are you looking for Donnie?

Yeah, he's been going to these late-night strategy dinners

for the campaign.

He...never came home last night.

Could they be together? I mean, what if something horrible happened?

Max, we're not gonna panic or jump to conclusions.

Kate, look, I-I'm gonna call the police.

No. Don't...don't do that.

I'll call them. I'll be able to get to the bottom of this faster.

Man: All right, Pierce.

Why don't we start at the beginning?

Oh, come on. Come on!

I-I already the other detectives everything I know.

Just p... please just let me out of here.

- Please. - Not yet.

I want to hear your story firsthand.

I-I got a call from a friend who needed help.

I went to the apartment to talk to him.

That's it. That's it.

I don't know what you hope to accomplish by...

You think you can just cherry-pick the details as you see fit?

I got zero problem

locking you up for obstruction of justice, pal.

You know, m-maybe you should just talk to my lawyer.

Screw your lawyer!

I know what you're thinking.

Person on GHB is capable of all sorts of things, right?

Here's the question...

you gonna tell Kate what you think the real story is?

Man: Your timeline checked out, Mr. Pierce.

Free to go.

For now.

Kate: Donald Ryan?

Agent Moretti, FBI.

What are you doing here?

The bureau has a few questions about what happened last night.

Please.

Have a seat.

Who let the FBI in?

She strong-armed the captain.

Apparently, Ryan's got an ongoing federal situation, too.

This just came in.

Last thing I remember,

we were working on my speech for the Rotary Club.

I swear.

Then I woke up in the victim's apartment,

and she was lying next to me, dead.

Was the victim clothed or unclothed?

She wore a robe.

And you?

I was partially clothed.

Did you engage in sexual intercourse with the victim?

No. I was drugged.

This whole thing was a setup.

Man: Sorry to interrupt.

No problem. We're done here anyway.

Great.

Tox screen came back clean, Ryan.

There are no drugs in your system.

You're under arrest for murder.

What the hell were you thinking?

I was thinking that I didn't know

what the hell happened to my husband.

My...ex-husband. My fianc... good God.

Look, when the press gets wind of this, they're gonna circle like vultures.

What we need to do is come up with an alternate theory of the crime.

Let me dig into Shelby's background,

see if I can find someone else who had motive to kill her.

You don't want to be running around doing detective work.

Just focus on the basics...

go to the arraignment, post bail, bring Donnie home.

Let me worry about mounting a defense, okay?

What he means is "be a good girl and stay out of it,"

but we need to find out what happened.

But you already know what happened, don't you?

Can't hold out on her forever.

- You coming or what? - He probably did kill her.

What?

I-I know how that sounds.

It sounds like you just called Donnie a murderer.

No, no. I-I-I'm saying he probably killed her.

There's a difference.

GHB is known for producing uncharacteristic sexual behavior.

But occasionally, it can also cause violent outbursts.

Donnie woke up in Shelby's bed. Her blood was on him.

I mean, the evidence is damning, Kate.

But he can't be held responsible for what he did

if he was given GHB against his will.

And I-I'm pretty sure that that's the defense that Ruben's gonna put up.

The tox screen came back negative.

All that means is that the drug was no longer in his system

when they tested him. A blackout like he had?