Pretenders

we are being watched.

The government has a secret system--

A machine that spies on you every hour of every day.

I designed the machine to detect acts of terror,

But it sees everything...

Violent crimes involving ordinary people.

The government considers these people irrelevant.

We don't.

Hunted by the authorities, we work in secret.

You will never find us.

But victim or perpetrator,

If your number's up, we'll find you.

what do we have here, boys?

looks like a suicide jumper.

I.D. Says his name's abel mindler.

driver's dead.

like i give a damn. Where's my truck?

john, any luck discovering

Who's trying to kill our short-order cook?

yeah, all kinds of luck.

get down!

Wendell majoki, maybe next time,

Don't sleep with your landlord's wife.

Have a nice day. Here.

What the hell?

We just stopped a homicide.

Congratulations?

Just about done here, harold.

Oh, good. We have a new number.

I'm sending you the details now.

I hope it's better than this one.

My hero.

And are personal calls allowed? No, they are not.

Are there lots of temps who want this job if you don't?

Why, yes, there are.

Do i understand? Yes, i do.

Welcome to witherton.

I'm spending my day off doing this?

That sound is my soul dying, harold.

Walter dang appreciates your metaphysical sacrifice.

Well, maybe his number came up

Because he'd rather be dead than penned up like veal.

Unlikely, mr. Dang has worked for witherton insurance

For six years-- a steady job,

No drug or alcohol problems,

Not so much as a speeding ticket.

Our colleague, john, is trying to find out more.

Harold, is there a problem?

Oh, not at all. It's just that i'm calling you

On a satellite phone and not our mesh network.

As long as we don't use certain words, it's safe.

You mean like...

samaritan.

Yes, like that one.

Oh, crap. Oh.

Let me help you.

You're walter, right?

Hi.

Sameen, i'm new.

Hi, sameen, i'm--i'm walter.

But you already said that. Um...

Okay, um, these are the new applications for term life.

Oh.

Nobody's called or texted this guy in four days?

What, no friends, no family?

and yet someone may care enough to kill him.

Elena?

I'm very sorry about your brother.

Thank you, walter.

Her name is elena mindler.

Wish i could help.

I heard the gossip at orientation

Her brother abel killed himself a few days ago.

it still bothers me

That he didn't write me a note.

Well, i'm working on that.

Working on what?

Working on what?

Uh, nothing. N-never mind. N-no.

that's weird. I'm so sorry.

indeed.

What's he doing now?

Well, it looks like he's trying to repair a cell phone.

He just took the sim card and put it in a new burner.

Let's see where that sim card came from.

Okay, let's see what's on that baby.

Wait. Hang on.

He's leaving.

I'm on it.

No, sameen, john is downstairs. You're needed elsewhere.

Oh?

Okay, he's all the way up to the 150s.

Anybody know where he's going?

Nope. How about you, harold?

Harold?

Hi.

Where are you exactly?

sorry. Professor whistler is at a conference.

My department head insisted.

I have to present a paper tomorrow

To 500 bitter academics.

Mm-hmm. Boston? Atlanta?

Hong kong. 16 hours in coach.

Sameen, can i depend on you to handle

Any technological issues that the new number presents?

No problem. I can do nerd.

Are you eating something near my computer?

maybe.

Just don't spill anything. Good luck.

Walter's at a sketchy hotel in washington heights.

Texting you the address.

Maybe he's got a drug problem we don't know about.

Could be something worse.

Walter's coworker elena,

Her brother abel committed suicide...

Yeah.

By jumping off of a fire escape at that hotel.

What the hell is walter up to?

Well, right now he's checking out the fire escape.

What for?

Maybe to hide evidence. He's got a gun, shaw.

Well, that's illegal, unregistered.

Are we sure abel mindler's death was a suicide?

Here you go, professor.

Professor whistler.

Harold whistler.

Beth bridges, hello. I've been eager to meet you.

Oh?

You're presenting the paper on precautionary principles

In neuro-evolutionary decision-making systems.

Why, yes.

Every single conclusion you draw

Is completely and utterly wrong.

Oh. You couldn't have written a paper

That annoyed me more if you tried.

"ethics requires that we proceed slowly

In predictive analytics,"

But what about innovation?

Oh, you're a pro-actionist.

Precautionary principles, professor bridges--

"professor"? Please, i work for a living.

Ms. Bridges, precautionary principles

Create the only possible framework

When you consider the implications

Of neuro-evolutionary technologies.

Well, people have a right to science.

And a right to responsible scientists.

I knew i was going to enjoy hong kong.

hey, reese, i've been looking at these police reports

That fusco sent over.

It's possible that suicide wasn't.

I was afraid you'd say that.

Abel mindler, truck driver, local company,

Got laid off a year back, lost everything.

Yeah, but people have offed themselves for less.

Well, that's what everyone assumed.

Elaine even said her brother was depressed,

But here's the thing-- according to the report,

One hotel guest said that she heard loud male voices

Before abel went all flying squirrel.

And nobody followed it up?

The woman admitted she was drunk,

And the cops didn't believe her.

But it's still possible abel mindler

Didn't die voluntarily.

Well, whatever happened, walter definitely knows something.

That sim card he put in the burner phone

Belongs to abel.

any idea why walter's got the dead guy's sim card?

Nope. I have gone through everything on that card.

There is not one text or call between him and walter.

Oh, but some guy named, uh, banks van hess

Did text abel a lot.

About what a stupid name "banks" is?

Close--about an important delivery,

Which makes sense, because van hess is a supervisor

At the port authority at a local airport.

Funny thing...

Walter's just arrived at an airport now.

You got eyes on him?

Yeah, sort of.

Excuse me. Can i help you?

Detective jack forge, special task force.

Detective?

I got to talk to your port authority supervisor,

Van hess, but the door's locked.

Okay, i got to call it in.

Whoa. You could do that, son,

But you might just blow my case.

What case?

Homicide.

All right.

He's got to be kidding.

Well, what do you know, reese?

I guess you're not the only one pretending to be a cop.

Mr. Van hess?

Mr. Van hess?

Banks van hess?

No, please.

Please don't.