Mr. Mercedes

Previously on "Mr. Mercedes"...

I would've thought she'd be back by now.

She didn't even pack up her shit. Not even a note.

- You really loved her. - I just don't get it.

My focus is whether you'll be able

to contribute meaningfully to your own defense.

Uh, yeah.

Ms. Linklatter, you have been found competent.

It is therefore your legal right

to have your day in court.

"With public sentiment on one's side,

nothing can fail."

Brady say that, did he?

The public is gonna set me free.

I got a high school buddy, Andy Halliday,

runs an old bookstore.

Well, some kid came into the bookstore

asking about Rothstein... that kid!

That's the Saubers family.

Pete, we got another envelope this morning.

$9,000.

Where'd you get the money?

It's not coming from me.

May I ask a question?

Are we on a date?

Would you like it to be?

Everybody I touch suffers.

You're really worried about her, Lou.

She's fucked.

- My doing. - Not everything is your doing.

But this one is.

I wanna call Holly as a witness.

She could be a De facto surrogate.

"If you like Holly, wait till you see Lou."

Okay?

You don't have what it takes.

You never did.

You're not here.

No. I'm dead.

But clearly, not gone.

And that's your fear, isn't it?

Once you're dead, gone, gone, gone, gone.

But the fear that's under that one...

let's call it, uh, totem pole fear...

is that you were never there in the first place.

You got no legacy.

You think finding my killer is gonna give you one?

Well, let me tell you something, bud.

Legacy is shit.

And shit don't mean shit.

Thank you.

So, like, Scrooge and shit?

- What? - Like, like, Charles Dickens,

the ghost of Scrooge, Christmas past, and shit?

Along the lines.

Fuck.

Banging on about legacy and all this.

Maybe he's right.

You ever think about getting psychological help or something?

My insurance doesn't cover it,

so I gotta slum it and talk to you.

Are we anywhere at all?

We're waiting on the DNA on the hospital guy.

I sent you the composite sketch.

We're gonna release it to the public tonight.

So you're basically still nowhere.

It's a process.

You got your process and we got ours,

except ours doesn't involve ghosts.

I take you into confidence and you mock me.

- I'm not mocking you. - Yes, you are.

I'm not mocking you. Look.

I'm just... I'm just saying that if we're gonna solve this,

we're gonna have to do it right here on Earth.

Hi, this is Danielle.

Leave a message after the beep.

Can you at least let me know you're okay?

Regardless of whether you forgive me

or wanna get back, or...

Fuck, Danielle. This is not fair.

Just let me know.

What are you doing, Mom?

Hey.

You've been going on about these for over a year.

I had to see what all the fuss was about...

You went into my room?

What do you mean, did I go into your room?

Who do you think changes your sheets and does your laundry?

These are my books.

Hey.

I thought you'd be pleased.

I spent my day trying to understand my self-centered

and pretentiously intellectual son

with a C average at school.

God, honey, these books are not that good.

The only one that shows any promise is this last one,

- but he doesn't even... - The last one?

Where he goes into advertising?

Where Rothstein sold him out?

A writer is more of a secretary than God,

so Rothstein didn't do anything to Jimmy Gold.

What Rothstein saw and allowed Jimmy to show us

is that most of us just become everyman.

Ordinary, we just...

- morph into the guy next door. - No.

Yeah, honey. Jimmy Gold evolved into bland nothingness.

I just snapped.

One second, she was talking shit about Jimmy Gold.

The next, I had her by the throat.

What stopped you?

I don't know.

I just let go of her.

Anything more from your friend, the book dealer?

Has the kid come back?

Not to my knowledge.

He said he'd call me if he returned.

Well, we can't just wait.

Maybe the kid did come back, with the books,

which your high school buddy bookstore friend now has

- and is maybe trying to sell. - That didn't happen.

Why, 'cause your buddy didn't call you

to give you the big heads-up?

We're talking about millions of dollars here.

You need to go see your friend.

Meanwhile,

I'm gonna pay a visit to Peter Saubers' mother.

What's the pretext?

My cat.

You don't have a cat. You hate cats.

She doesn't.

I agree. Lou is shaky.

This is a total crapshoot.

One we have to take.

She's talking about Brady, you know.

Not listening to him. Him is Brady.

I know that. I'm not stupid.

Then there's Holly, like, and the wheels on her bike

aren't exactly fastened tight.

I'll handle Holly.

And how do we go about managing that?

I'm sorry?

I know what's going on...

or what's on the precipice of going on with you two.

She's a fragile person.

Meaning what?

Meaning you need to tread careful.

She's precious cargo.

Right now, we should just be focusing on the case.

Yeah, well, Holly's the star witness.

I am talking about the case still, technically.

Were you just talking about me?

I have kind of a sixth sense

for when people are talking about me.

Well, maybe you need to focus on the other senses,

some of which could use some tweaking.

He projects his anxiety when he's nervous.

Hey.

Uh, so I've got something on the father, Carl Fenten.

Evidently, the mother is dead, but apparently,

he has a auto repair shop here in Bridgton.

- That's the address. - Goody.

Yeah.

How's Lou? She ready?

Mm.

That's a great job. Well done.

- Thank you. - Let's go.

Good luck.

Thanks.

- Not a peep? - Not yet.

Hmm.

Wow, and he's never called you again?

Why you so interested in this kid, Morris?

I'm not interested in the kid.

I'm interested in Rothstein.

Now that he's dead, his stuff is worth

who knows how much.

I never knew you to be a collector.

I mean, I know how much you love

Jimmy Gold and all that,

but to take it to the level of collector

takes money, Morris.

You come into some money?

If I had money, I'd be going to legitimate bookstores.

Instead, I've come to you.

I'm offended by that.

Give me a break, Andrew.

You buy and sell stolen books.

Everybody knows it.

Are you telling me that the police haven't come calling,

asking you whether anybody's tried to unload a Rothstein?

Yeah, the police came once.

You've now come twice and called twice.

You seem especially interested.

My one chance in life

to get my hands on an original...

why wouldn't I be?

'Kay.

- If the kid comes back... - Yeah.

Or anybody else, for that matter...

I'll call.