Mr. Mercedes

The following presentation is rated 18A.

This presentation deals with mature subject matter

and contains scenes with coarse language,

nudity, sexuality, and violence.

Viewer discretion is advised.

- Previously on "Mr. Mercedes"...

- You ever heard of John Rothstein?

- I read every word that man wrote.

- Yeah, well, he was murdered last night.

A home invasion gone to shit.

Rothstein even killed one of them.

Fuck!

I do not forgive you.

- Reduce the charges to manslaughter.

That was beyond premeditated.

- She did society a fucking favor.

- So this is how it's gonna be, huh?

Make me the chump who convicted the hero

or set the killer free?

You two better plead this thing out.

What about self-defense?

The victim was unarmed.

The best argument is that Brady Hartsfield

deserved to be dead. - Let's go for it.

- I think you feel sorry for yourself too much.

You always said, "How a person

responds to adversity, that's his measure."

- I had luggage in the truck which isn't there.

- If your money got took, it got took by somebody else.

You think I'm fucking around?

Oh, shit.

- John Rothstein, the eccentric

and enigmatic author

best known for his fiction trilogy

"The Runner" and its hero, Jimmy Gold,

was found dead Monday in a secluded cabin

near his native...

Requesting backup...

- Several sources have confirmed

that the author was discovered by his housekeeper

the morning after his untimely death.

I'm gonna get these over here.

- You get those damn bootees on your feet yet?

I got them.

So that shot

dropped Fenten where he stood

and Rothstein in the bed.

So this was Rothstein.

- Both men's hands tested positive for powder.

- And neither of them had time to move for cover,

or they'd have left a trail, right?

Question is, who shot first?

- Jesus. Help yourself.

I'm helping both of us.

No, you're not here, Bill.

You were never here. Do you understand?

And you never got to read that internal report either.

- They never come out and just say it.

They're afraid somebody might, God forbid,

accuse them of being wrong.

What are you talking about?

The shot sequence.

But based on the trajectories...

and the way the body fell here

and the shell casing,

I'd say Rothstein shot Fenten

and then the third man shot Rothstein.

- So you're saying Rothstein did the third man a favor.

He didn't have to split the money with Fenten,

which means the third man, whoever he is...

He's got all the money.

Maybe so.

Did you make any more progress with the DA on Lou's case?

- 15 years is as good as it's gonna be.

You need to work on Lou.

Fuck.

What's your take on this judge?

- Well, he's the Cornel West of the judiciary:

brilliant, volatile,

a little fucking crazy too.

- He called me into chambers. - For?

Good question.

What do we know about what was in here?

Probably cash, a lot of it.

Rumor is, he was a bit of a mattress stuffer.

- Rumor also has it, he continued to write.

Original Rothstein material.

Be worth a hell of a lot more than whatever cash

he could stuff in there.

- You know, not all fucking murders are the same.

Some are worse.

The goddamn Constitution notwithstanding.

- Wish you had told me the coffee was out.

- "All men created equal"...

- I got you some new bandages. - Written and drafted

by men... - Okay.

Who owned slaves

who were just a little less equal,

I guess.

- What's going on, Morrie? - But even assuming

that we're all born the same, some folks

grow up to be bigger. - What do you mean?

You haven't been sleeping.

Shit.

What's your problem?

- My problem? - Yeah, your problem.

- My problem is that you haven't been sleeping,

you've been up all night,

glued yourself to the television,

and you're talking about that dead guy

who wrote books.

I pay rent, right?

I got an apartment, yeah?

It's my right to do whatever the fuck I want to do

inside of that apartment,

assuming it's consistent with current law,

which sitting is, last I checked.

Well...

not acting right in the head.

Jesus Christ.

I almost died in a car crash. What do you want?

"Up and at 'em," that's what you're throwing at me?

- I don't think it's the car crash.

Just what the fuck is wrong, Morrie?

You know you can tell me.

You know, you shoot

Joe Blow the plumber...

- All right. - Nothing.

- Well, some of us have to work for a living, so...

That's one thing.

Guess I'll see you later.

- But then you kill John Lennon,

that's a whole nother thing.

- So let's find out who sells Rothstein memorabilia...

First editions, drafts, that kind of thing.

Mm.

- You think that's what they stole?

I'm thinking it's possible.

We might as well check

all the legitimate auction houses.

I mean, whoever stole it might have been

stupid enough to...

- Well, that would explain their buggering up the robbery.

- I thought all his shit was archived at Ohio State.

- Yeah, the old stuff. Maybe he was writing new stuff.

He used to say he writes as he breathes,

to sustain himself,

and he was breathing up to a few days ago.

Bill, you should get to court.

Right?

All right.

Hey, did you do the homework I gave you?

The book "The Runner," did you read it?

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

And?

It's pretty good.

- Did you just say "pretty good"?

Pretty good? - Yeah, pr...

I mean, pretty good.

Okay, I mean,

the guy writes great characters

and shit, but... - Yeah.

- The sentence structure is wack.

Super wack.

Like, super, super wack.

- I am entitled to ask him, Marjorie.

It would be irresponsible not to.

- I agree. Ask him.

Just please don't accuse him, okay?

There's enough tension in this house as it is.

- Oh, and that's my fault, is it?

Hey.

- Hey. - Have a seat, Peter.

- What's wrong? - Nothing's wrong, Peter.

Have a seat.

I'm gonna ask you a question,

and I need you to tell me the truth.

- See, you're already accusing him.

- Stop interrupting me, Marjorie.

Where'd those come from, huh?

You went into my room?

- Your room is in my house, Peter.

Okay, take it easy, Tom.

I was putting away your clothes, and I found them.

- I didn't steal it, if that's what you think.

- I don't think... - Oh, that's good to know.

He didn't steal them.

- We don't think that you stole them.

- Where did you get the money, Pete?

That's the issue. - Why?

Why?

Because the only way a kid your age

is gonna get $300