The X-Files

It is Friday December 8, and you're tuned in to WXOP,

Baltimore's news radio, serving Maryland and the greater Chesapeake region, 24-7.

We've got your Friday morning trouble spots: a two-car pile-up with a fatality on the 97...

It's time.

John.

The press got word you're taking him out. It looks like Woodstock.

Postpone the transfer. Get him out once the crowd disperses.

- Transfer me where? - No, they'll camp out for days.

- We're going ahead with it. - John. John, what is goin' on?

- Mr Wells. Mr Wells. - Why did you do it?

All right, back up. Give him some room. Come on, clear out. Back up.

AI.

Down! Weapon!

Somebody call a medic.

- John... - Do you recognise this?

Have you seen it before?

Um... yes.

- Who are you? - Don't even, Martin.

What am I doing here? I'm in this cell. I don't know where I am or how I even got here...

I swear to God, do not play this with me.

I will not be party to some half-assed, eleventh-hour insanity defence.

- What? John... - It's time to start telling me the truth!

This key card, Mr Wells...

You do recognise it. Is that correct?

Yes, it's the swipe card that they use at the apartment building.

- For all I know, it's mine. - It is yours.

It was found in the Dumpster behind the Strand Hotel.

You tossed it there, didn't you?

You had time to drive to Baltimore and commit the murder.

Wait. Murder? What murder?

Then drive back to DC, toss the key card. That way you could claim it was stolen.

Make it look like you spent your whole night watching TV in your hotel room. Right?

Please...

What murder? What is he talking about?

Well, maybe this will jog your memory, buddy.

Vickie.

My wife.

This isn't happening.

This is not happening.

Court van is waiting.

All right. Dignity. That is your strong suit. Play it.

Don't lower your eyes. It makes you look guilty.

We drew Judge Kinberg. What's your relationship with him?

- Benjamin? - First-name basis. Excellent.

(bailiff I All rise.

I remind the members of the gallery to turn off all cellular phones and paging devices.

- AI? - What?

He shot me.

Who? Your father-in-law? What are you talking about?

(bailiff I Circuit Court, Department 6B is in session,

the Honourable Benjamin Kinberg presiding. Thursday, the seventh day of December.

- Thursday? It's not Thursday. - Shh!

- It's Saturday. Yesterday was Friday and... - Today is Thursday.

There's no court on Saturday. You know that.

Martin, do you feel all right?

Case number 8ABX03. District versus Martin Wells.

Charge of first-degree murder.

- The defence requested a hearing on bail? - Yes, Your Honour, we have.

Mr Wells' status as a prosecutor makes him a target.

We endanger him by keeping him in custody.

I'm assured by the Department of Corrections that Mr Wells' safety is not a concern.

Furthermore, as Your Honour will certainly agree,

Mr Wells is an upstanding citizen and a respected member of the Maryland Bar.

Your Honour, with cold calculation,

Martin Wells brutally stabbed his wife in their own home.

He poses a threat to the public and should be denied bail.

He doesn't pose a threat to anyone, and he has two children who need him at home.

Why? Because their mom's not around.

Ms Carter.

I can't tell you how sorry I am to see you on that side of the aisle.

I hope you'll forgive me when I do what you, as a prosecutor, would demand.

Bail is denied.

I will order Mr Wells transferred to a more secure facility in the interest of his safety.

Transferred? No, Ben.

You can't do that. I can't be transferred. He'll kill me.

Tomorrow morning...

If today is really Thursday, tomorrow is Friday, and that's when he'll do it.

He's gonna shoot me as I'm transferred.

- Bailiff. - You don't understand.

It'll happen. It'll happen.

Just listen to me. Ben, it'll happen. He's gonna kill me! Ben!

Mr Wells, we understand that you had an interesting morning in court.

What is it that you'd like to speak with us about?

- You're John's partner? - For God sakes.

Agent Scully. You know that. You met her yesterday.

- Yesterday? - Yeah. Yesterday. Wednesday.

- Wednesday? - Are you saying that you don't remember?

- What is the last thing you do remember? - Being shot by my father-in-law.

- You're wastin' our time. - Listen.

I don't know what I experienced.

But what if it was a premonition?

A glimpse of the future.

I mean... you do hear about these kind of things.

Yes.

You do.

Mr Wells, this shooting aside, is there anything else that you remember before that?

Um...

I was in DC... uh... for a sentencing hearing.

I was staying at the Strand Hotel, like you said.

That was three days ago, Mr Wells.

Are you telling us that you don't remember anything else?

Not the murder of your wife?

- No. - Out of the blue, charged with murder.

You wake up one morning and you can't remember a damn thing.

You haven't offered us one scrap of evidence to support your story.

As your friend, I'm gonna listen to anything you have to say, but I will not be lied to.

I'm not lying. You're talking to me about key cards.

I'm sitting in a jail cell. I don't understand any of this.

But I did not... kill Vickie.

If you truly don't remember... then how can you be certain that you didn't?

Courtney! Haley!

Hey, guys. on!

It's so good to see you.

- Come on, give Daddy a big hug. - Hug your father, nifias.

- How are they holding up? - Good. Good, Mr Wells.

They wanna know when you're coming home.

Oh. See, um...

Daddy has some things that he has to do - very, very important things.

That's why I have to be here right now. But then, guess what.

I'll be coming home.

Grandpa says they won't let you come home.

Trina, I need you to get me something out of the apartment, from the girls' room.

Thank you.

Why didn't you say before the hearing?

I hadn't even met you before the bail hearing.

Nanny cam.

I wish you'd talked to me about this before. I don't know if this is a great idea.

This may have the murderer on it.

Whatever is on that tape, I am an officer of the court. I have to share it with the prosecution.

You think I'm guilty. Let's clear this up right now.

Here.

My apartment. That's the girls' room, and this must be the police investigation.

What time did the murder occur?

The official report has the police arriving at your apartment at 6.20am Monday morning.

Your key card was used at 4.17.

Which means the killer is somewhere in-between.

Wait. There's your wife.

Um...

We must have missed something.

- Right there. - Martin, that's you.

- I'm not goin'. - How's that?

I told you, this is the day. If I go, I'll get shot. You cannot transfer me.

I don't plan to. Your lawyers wanna see you.

Here's my favourite client. Martin, you holding up all right?

Brent. I've been better.

We're gonna beat this thing. Guaranteed.

I have here one of the finest criminal-defence specialists. Meet...

We met. I've been thinking about the tape,

and I don't see you having to turn it over to the prosecution.

Sorry?

I showed you that tape in an effort to clear my name, not as an admission of guilt.

Um...

Mr Wells, I'm Janet Wilson. I don't think we've met.

Martin, what is all this about a video tape?

The... nanny cam tape.

- That's why you're here. - I'm here to introduce you to your attorney.

We met yesterday at the bail hearing. Don't you remember?

Martin, the bail hearing is set for tomorrow.

What day is this? What day of the week... is this?

Wednesday. Wednesday 6.

Yesterday you told me it was Thursday. The day before that it was Friday.

It's backwards.

Everything's going backwards.

I think we should have you speak to someone. You're under a lot of stress.

Being locked up in this cesspool doesn't help.

We can have you out by tomorrow afternoon.

The prosecution's case is weak. They have no physical evidence tying you to the crime.

Plus, they don't have the key card that was used to access your apartment building.

The key card.

Without it, they've got nothing.

Oh, yeah.

Somebody likes you, my brother.

Come on, man. I'm just messin' with you.

What? You ain't got no sense of humour, Counselor?

- Do I know you? - No, you don't know me.

Damn sure put me in here, though.

Possession with intent. And concealed weapon.

Mm-hm. That concealed weapon was a pipe wrench.

I was on my way to my baby's mama's house to unstick her garbage disposer,

but I told you all that.

"Concealed weapon" added six months to my sentence. You remember my name?

No. All I needed to know about you was that you broke the law.

I broke the law.

Well, then, I guess that makes you "Wife Killer, Esquire".

Yo!

Pick 'em up, you stumbling bitch.

Go on.

Argh!

Aw, jeez, Martin. Your face.

It's all right. Appreciate you coming. Agent Scully, I especially wanted to talk to you.

It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances.

This is the day we meet.

Something is happening to me.

Something I need to try to explain to you, to you both.

I'm moving backward in time.

Every morning I wake up, it's the day before. For me, yesterday was Thursday.

The day before was Friday. Only it's all new to me every single morning I wake up.

I can only remember what's happened the following day.

Agent Scully, would you mind taking a closer look at his injuries? Maybe check his scalp.

I know this all sounds crazy. But I'm telling you the truth.