High Potential

- I understand, you're hungry. I'm coming.

You are being very, very bossy right now.

Okay.

Hey, what's the date?

-The sixth. Why? -Whoa.

Uh, absolutely nothing. No reason. What's up?

Morgan, I need you at the 400 block at Hilgard Avenue as soon as possible.

Oh, gosh, I would love to,

but, uh, Ludo had kind of a gross thing happen with his driver's ed car.

Nervous teenager.

I'm picturing your face right now, you really don't care about this story.

Point is, he borrowed my car. I don't have one.

So, hop on the bus, okay? Just get there. I'll drive you for the rest of the day.

Oh, there's a little 18-pound problem with that, though.

Four words: Dead man, high profile. I'll see you when you get there. Bye.

You don't...

You don't hang up on me. I hang up on you.

I'm coming.

Yeah, no, I get it.

But if you don't wanna take pennies, maybe you put up a sign, okay?

Otherwise don't whine.

Don't be a pill today, okay, bud?

Look out. Yeah, just gonna do a quick scooch.

Yeah.

-Good morning, Morgan. -Yo, partner. Who's our stiff?

Weren't you getting childcare?

You know, I tried to tell you on the phone that Ludo's at work.

So Chloe will be riding shotgun on this investigation.

Didn't answer the question, though.

Marvin Price. The Marvin Price. You know who he is, right?

Sportscaster. He called Dodger games.

Yeah. The press is gonna be all over us on this one.

Los Angeles sports fans love this guy.

The way my dad talked about Charmin' Marvin,

I thought he was my uncle.

He wouldn't miss a game the guy was calling.

- It was the soundtrack to his life.

Thought he was his uncle.

ME says he died around 5 a.m. Not sure yet if it's a hit-and-run or--

-It's a homicide. -Tell him what you told us.

That dude was murdered for sure.

-What makes you say that? -'Cause the driver hit him once,

threw it into reverse and ran over him again.

Yeah, I'm gonna agree with our friend here.

That sounds like murder.

You mind?

-I've got her. -Thank you.

Around what time was this? - A little after 5 a.m.

- You usually collect on this route? -Yeah, every other day.

So, you said the car departed in that direction?

Yeah. That way.

I'm gonna borrow your measuring tape.

And did it ever come back this way?

No, and I would've known if it did.

It was the loudest engine I've ever heard.

Did you get a make or model of the car, plate number, anything?

It was a Jensen Interceptor. Majolica blue, maybe '73, '74.

What makes you say that?

James Bond had a Jensen.

He drove an Aston Martin.

Not the later books, after Ian Fleming died.

I read all of them. And I quote,

"Bond felt he was in a low-flying plane rather than an automobile

as he accelerated the Jensen."

The Jensen Interceptor had a Chrysler V-8 engine.

- Loud as hell. Like a plane taking off.

Also the paint flecks on the dead guy's watch are blue.

Majolica blue.

I'm thinking that when the car hit him the first time,

Price tumbled over the hood and bashed his watch into the paint.

Mmm. Someone could've even gotten a custom paint job on a US model.

Yeah, but tire tracks are 69 inches apart.

Way too narrow for an American sports car.

Odds are Jensen Interceptor, majolica blue.

Well, let's test your theory.

If you're right, we should find that Jensen Interceptor parked somewhere

in that apartment garage.

Why would the murderer leave the car there?

A, we're standing on a no outlet street.

B, our friend here said the car didn't come back this direction.

And C, it's street cleaning day, Oz. That means there's no cars on the street.

Only place that car could've gone is that apartment building's garage.

This is a big case, Morgan.

If we don't solve it, we're gonna get crucified.

So, you said this guy, Price, he was beloved?

Oh, big time.

My dad could do a spot-on Marvin Price impression.

Clean up in isle nine.

Someone just dropped a can of corn.

Guys, over here!

Are we allowed to uncover it, or do we have to wait for a warrant?

Ta-da. That's a Jensen Interceptor.

That's very impressive, Morgan, but you know there's a process that we--

-Plates are missing. -Bumper's dented. Paint's chipped.

- Oh, um... - What you got?

Okay, so, Price and his neighbor, a Phil Elko,

they were involved in a series of tit-for-tat lawsuits.

-Sounds like things got pretty ugly. -Yeah.

Well, with what's left of the day, you and Oz go talk to Phil.

Morgan and I will visit Marvin's place, and we'll debrief in the morning.

But do me a favor, Daphne. Before you head out,

run a little search on our stolen 1974 Interceptor, please.

Will do. No VIN, no plates, it might take a few days.

Maybe there'll be prints.

-Hey, boss. We got company. -Yeah.

That's Price's son, Dexter. He came in of his own accord.

He wants to speak to the detective in charge of the investigation.

Says he was on the phone with his dad when he was murdered.

That is everything I could find on him in a ten-minute search.

Oz, good job. Offer the man some coffee, put him in the soft room.

-I'll join him in a couple minutes. -Yeah. On it.

When I have something, I'll tell you.

Well, you know how it works, Jerry. You'll know when I know.

All right. Later.

Every reporter in town is calling me with questions about Marvin Price.

Are we thinking he was murdered?

Well, the killer ran him over twice

and abandoned the car in a nearby parking garage.

-So, yeah. -Mm-hmm.

- We're about to question his son. - And where's Morgan?

She's cleaning baby puke out of my car.

She brought her baby to work?

Yes, she did.

- Well, that is a first. - And hopefully a last.

Ludo's picking Chloe up within the hour.

All right.

Once you question Price's son, circle back with me.

I need to give the press an update, and soon.

You got it.

It's a Jensen Interceptor.

Uh-uh. Interceptor.

Uh-huh. Yeah, it's a British model.

It's no longer around.

Where's Karadec?

He's interviewing the victim's son in there.

Question: Do you think you can keep my daughter safe for the next ten minutes?

Suppose so.

Uh...

Karadec, wait up.

We're very sorry for your loss, Dexter.

Charmin' Marvin was a big part of my life growing up.

That's very kind.

I know all of LA is mourning him as this legend,

but that's not who he was to me. To me, he was the guy who was jamming out

to Earth, Wind & Fire when he dropped me off for school.

As rocky as our relationship was at times, I just...

I can't believe this is the end of it.

Well, let me assure you, this one's personal for me.

It's personal for a lot of people.

Can you tell me who would've wanted to harm your dad?

Tiana Johnson murdered my father.

Uh, who's that?

She was his live-in "house manager".

Why the air quotes?

My father could never resist a pretty face.

Last year he made her the sole beneficiary in his will.

I hear that you were on the phone with your father when he was struck.

Tell us about it.

I was returning my dad's call.

At 5 a.m.?

That's when we chat.

He gets up every morning before dawn. At least...

he did.

Then he'd go down to the Boulevard diner,

he'd get his newspaper, drink his coffee, eat his pancakes.

I knew he'd be free then.

Well, what did your dad wanna talk about?

His will.

He told me he'd made a mistake putting Tiana in it,

and he was considering changing it back.

With you as the beneficiary.

Yes.

Tiana must've got wind of this and that's why she did it.

I knew she killed him the second I heard the impact.

Before his dying word.

"Tiddlywinks."

Tiddlywinks. Really? Does that mean anything to you?

A nickname for Tiana maybe?

I have no idea what he meant.

Why did your dad wanna take you out of his will in the first place?

Maybe because I liked the theater more than the ball field.

Or maybe because Tiana had her hooks in too deep.

You know, it says here that you filed for bankruptcy, Dexter.

Your father's money could've come in handy, no?

If money was a motive for killing my dad,

shouldn't I have waited till I was in the will?

Hey.

Hey.

I wasn't sure if you were here today.

Yeah. Just, uh, handed my baby off to her dad.

Don't wanna brag, but I brought her to her first crime scene today.

Didn't let her see the dead body, though 'cause I'm a good mom.

What about you? You coming or going?

Um, going. I finished nursing school, I got a job offer last week.

No way.

Last week...

-Last week... I got a missed call. -Yep.

I was excited to tell you.

Pretty sure I left, like, two more messages before I got the hint.

No... ...not a hint. I wasn't hinting.