Stalker

You ready?

Ready.

Hi.

No, no. Aah! Aah!

Cara, Cara baby. Cara, Cara.

A lot of uniforms here.

Janice told me this was an open case,

but I didn't get all the details.

Is the victim a cop?

Daughter of one. Jimmy Lambert, Lieutenant downtown.

- Beth. - Detective Wilkes.

My team's first on the scene.

This case started with you, so if you could prep my men here.

It's still my case, Trent.

Of course, and we're going to assist you, ok?

It's one of our own, Beth.

All hands on deck.

- How's Cara? - Not good.

Bullet passed right through her skull.

She's in surgery.

- You find the slug? - Still searching.

You identify where the shot came from?

Rooftop across the street to the west here.

You sure? That's not an easy shot.

I'm sorry. Who... who are you?

Jack Larsen. New guy.

Trent Wilkes, robbery homicide.

Jack just transferred to TAU.

Ok. Yeah. I'm sure the shot came from that rooftop.

We found a sniper's nest.

He also left some fibers behind from a screening mesh.

- Mesh? - Yeah.

That's what military snipers use to camouflage their locations.

Right. Looks like he was perched their for hours just waiting, hiding.

Prints, DNA?

No, New York. I would have led with that.

Also no surveillance footage.

This guy's really good at avoiding cameras.

Anything you need, Beth.

- What's his deal? - Why?

Eh. Get a weird vibe.

It's you.

- You make bad first impressions. - Do I? Every time?

Maybe I suck. So I suck?

The victim is Cara Lambert, 24. TAU was called in two years ago

when her jock ex-boyfriend Paul Watson decided

he was gonna stalk her during their senior year of college.

He didn't take kindly to the fact that she left him to pursue women.

Huh. That had to hurt if the guy has as fragile ego.

Right. Well, there's an APB out.

Full Manhunt's in effect. We got to go.

We have work to do.

- Any word? - No. She's still in surgery.

You were supposed to protect her.

You told me I could trust you.

You're not helping things, Jimmy.

- I'm sorry. - Tell that to my baby.

She came to you for help.

Come on, come on.

You said you'd handled this.

Come on.

Paul was there. I saw him.

At the wedding?

A couple hours before the ceremony.

I saw him in front of the hotel.

He saw me, and he ran scared.

I thought that would be it.

He's not gonna get away with this.

We'll find Paul. Let us do our jobs.

I did that, and now my baby is on an operating table.

While we're looking for Paul, is there anyone else we should be looking at?

You've got one job, lady... find Paul!

They got to go by the numbers.

You know this.

Anyone else you and Cara had a run-in with?

No.

Why are you still here?

You're a cop, Lieutenant. You can't tell me you haven't pissed some people off.

Any perps with grudges or someone you arrested recently, anything like that?

Why is he talking... me and Jimmy used to ride together.

The boys back at the station are going over our caseload.

We'll reach out to them.

I'm telling you it was Paul.

A couple weeks ago...

a couple weeks ago, Cara said that she thought she was being followed.

Did she see anyone?

No.

Why didn't you say something to me?

We didn't want to believe it.

We thought it was all behind her.

Let's take a walk. Come on.

I thought she was joking.

Gay? How... how was that even possible?

We were doing it regularly,

and I'm telling you, man.

She liked it.

Is that why you put that tape of you two having sex online?

Nice try.

No. I didn't post it.

Pfft. I'm not sorry that it's out there.

The dudes on my team were saying that I turned her gay.

Now they can see that I was laying it down right.

He was texting me and calling me

all through the night, so I turned my phone off,

and then at 2:00 in the morning,

the fire alarm went off in my building.

I went outside, and there he was just staring at me.

Did he threaten you?

No, but he had this look in his eyes

I had never seen before.

It was like he hated me.

I need you to leave her alone.

I need her to understand that she can't play games with me.

She's not playing games, Paul.

She likes girls. She's not interested in you...

then why was she with me in the first place?

Your feelings are hurt.

No. I just don't like being lied to.

She doesn't get to do that to me.

Has he ever been violent?

No.

But I can feel it.

What... what can you feel, Cara?

He wants to kill me.

What do you think?

This Paul guy is not winning me over.

Patrol's sitting on Paul's apartment.

The guy's missing.

S.I.D. recovered the slug from the crime scene.

They're running ballistics.

We retrieved Cara's stalker diary from her apartment.

After the restraining order was put in place,

there was very little contact with Paul,

but there are a couple of recent entries where she states

that she feels like she's being watched,

but she wasn't sure it was Paul.

Did PD recover Paul's laptop from the apartment.

Yeah. I'm still going through it,

but the browser history shows that he was

looking at Cara's wedding announcement

in the "L.A. Times" a couple days ago.

That could have been the trigger that reignited his obsession.

I did the assessment.

Paul was a howler.

I mean, he made e-mail threats, he texted her, wanted attention,

but there was never any history of violence,

no mental health issues, no other legal misconduct.

The victim's father encountered Paul at the wedding locale this morning.

You're saying I missed it?

No. I'm not saying that.

That's what it sounds like. That's what you heard.

I didn't say that.

We get over 300 cases a year with a 56% recidivism rate.

You know how many of those freaks go south without warning?

Can we just find Paul Watson?

We're reaching out to friends, family,

anyone that might know his whereabouts.

Paul modified his behavior in response to the restraining order.

He was afraid of jeopardizing his future.

This doesn't add up.

The shooter sat in a nest for hours,

waiting to take one single shot.

That takes training and precision.

Did Paul have experience with guns?

Was he a military boy?

No. He grew up in Colorado hunting. That's it.

The attack was covert.

That requires discipline. It was unemotional.

It doesn't fit Paul's harassment pattern.

Paul was a rejected stalker, rash, impulsive, angry.

And I'm agreeing with you.

Patrol's got a lead on Paul Watson.

A car with missing plates, same make and model as his

was found near an airport motel

where a man matching his description

checked in, paying cash.

Get us two backup. Don't let the location out.

I don't want a bunch of angry cops

showing up before I do.

Hey! Stop!

Stop!

Paul Watson!

Look. I didn't do it.

Why are you running?

Ugh! Unh!

Let's stop with the running, huh?

Hey.

Paul's ready.

Is his lawyer here?

He says he doesn't need one.

Thanks for coming.

Let's do this.

Paul, this is deputy D.A. Amanda Taylor.

Before you say anything, I need you to acknowledge

in her presence that you waive your right to an...

yeah, fine.

I don't need a lawyer

because I didn't shoot Cara.

You are aware that everything you're saying here

is on record and can and will be used