Emperor of Ocean Park

Previously on Emperor of Ocean Park...

I'm sorry for your loss.

I must ask you something, Talcott.

I must know about the arrangements.

I'm glad to answer your questions,

but I can't say I find the timing totally appropriate.

We're here to ask about Jack Ziegler

and an associate of his named Lisa.

Can I at least give you Communion before I go?

How about we just pray?

Heavenly Father, we thank You for...

No, no, no. Confession of sins.

Father Brown was murdered last night.

We might have some relevant information.

Who should we talk to?

Did you solve the murder yet?

Embezzlement or murder, you get to the truth the same way.

You find a thread and pull.

Tal, are you all right?

Who is sending you flowers at work?

They were from a client.

It doesn't mean anything, Tal.

A handsome guy like you, I bet you got some rhythm

to go with all those good looks.

I'm Maxine, by the way.

Tal, they've got no record

of any agents with those names.

They're not from the FBI.

Hey, we good now.

Thanks again.

You listen to that '90s playlist I sent you?

Yeah.

Finish the lyric...

"I bomb atomically"...

Okay, fine. I will listen to it.

I mean, you know I'm a house head.

Yeah, I been busy, man.

All right, who left this pawn for me?

There's Theo Mountain.

Same folks I always see

in and out of that lecture hall.

And Lionel.

Marc Hadley?

Marc doesn't have a class in here on Wednesdays.

Why is he in my classroom?

Can you give me a copy of this?

That's gonna be extra.

Come on, man.

Get it together.

Don't run, Talcott.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

Agent McDermott.

Or is it even McDermott, since you're not an agent at all?

What do you want with me?

You're right. I'm not at the Bureau.

I needed to convey a certain level of urgency

at our meeting, you understand?

No, no, no, I don't understand.

- Why are you following me? - I find people.

That's my trade.

My client desperately needs to know who Lisa is

and where she might be.

Once I have that information,

you'll never hear from me again.

No, I told you, I don't know any Lisa.

You and I are in the same boat, Talcott.

Ziegler's got you on some wild-goose chase

with these arrangements.

I have it on good authority

Ziegler wants to get to Lisa before I do.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is about the arrangements?

Is Lisa connected?

Don't know, don't care.

But Ziegler wouldn't hesitate to kill us both

to get whatever it is he wants.

Uncle Jack would never do that.

He said he'd protect me.

Your Uncle Jack is a ruthless criminal with no moral compass.

You want to trust him? Fine.

But sharing information before it gets to him

might keep us both alive.

I don't even know what the hell the arrangements are

or who's involved with them or why they exist.

What do you think I'm hiding?

When you're ready to talk about Lisa, you call me.

And you can verify all of this...

all the financial improprieties,

the stealing from the pension funds,

the pay-for-play corruption, all of it?

Yes, sir. We have multiple high-level sources.

Two broads...

Sorry... two women willing to go on the record.

It's corroboration out the ass, Lew.

Including a whistleblower who provided

a trove of primary documents.

We could publish them alongside the article.

This could be front-page stuff.

Above the fold.

And how did you find this whistleblower, get him to talk?

The same way I won a Pulitzer...

determination and God-given skill.

What would I do without you?

Huh? Come on, let's get to work.

Mom! Mom!

Jesus fucking Christ.

What?

Malcolm, you are holding up the line.

- What are you doing? - I can't find my laptop.

And you waited until we got here

in the drop-off line to look?

Just calm down. Damn.

Hey, don't you tell me to calm down.

Oh, Mariah.

Are you okay?

I am so sorry for your loss.

Oh, thank you, Judy. I appreciate that.

Do you think you can still be on the spring gala committee?

Because I am glad to take over your responsibilities.

- I've got it covered. - Okay.

Mm-hmm.

- Are you sure? - Mm-hmm.

'Cause we really need to get going...

Oh, you know what? I think

you're holding up the line.

Oh.

Bye.

Great. Love you.

Have a great day.

An arrest is a good thing, Mariah.

- I just don't buy it. - You don't buy it?

What the hell does that mean?

People do drugs. It happens.

There's something going on here.

I got to go to work. I'll call you back.

Bye.

Everything okay?

Just another one of Mariah's "Dateline NBC" theories

rearing its head again.

New kicks?

Yeah, you remember my student Lionel?

Used to intern over at Newhall?

Mm-hmm.

He gave them to me as a grief gift, I guess.

They're gonna start background checks

and interviews any day now.

We have to be prepared for that.

The FBI.

My nomination to the federal bench?

- Yes, of course. - Uh-huh.

I'm... I'm sorry.

How you doing?

The more I get back to my normal routine,

the easier it'll be.

Hmm. I understand.

I'm here.

Can you help me with this?

I have a meeting downtown with a client at 5:30,

so I'll be late.

- But I have my late class. - I know.

I've asked Patty to pick up Bentley from preschool

and bring him here until you get back.

Corrections operator.

- Visitations, please? - Hold please.

Visitations.

Hello, I'm trying to get a visit

with my cousin, Sharik Deveaux...

D-E-V-E-A-U-X.

He just got there this week.

Mm-hmm.

Sorry, ma'am.

I didn't realize so many family members

had already signed up. Okay.

And there's no other way, huh?

Only his public defender. I see.

- That's right. - Okay, thank you so much.

- Bye-bye. - Bye.

Yo! What the fuck?

A silver Audi A6, you say, in the campus parking lot?

Yeah. Lot five around 9 a.m.

You see a university permit sticker or anything?

I don't know.

This why you want to see all the surveillance videos, man?

- You owe somebody money? - No.

You fuck somebody's wife?

Jesus, Desmond, no, I just want you to be aware

in case you see something.

Someone put that chess piece in my classroom,

and now I'm getting stalked by a car.

Man, "It's fucked up when your mind's playing tricks on ya."

Is that...?

The Geto Boys song.

I told you I'll listen to the playlist.

All right, never mind.

Hey. How you holding up, buddy?

Fine, Marc, thanks.

Anything I can do, you let me know, okay?

You got enough on your plate.

Dean added a Wednesday lecture to your schedule, didn't she?

God, no. Where'd you hear that?

Someone said they saw you in the fourth-floor lecture hall