R.J. Decker

Previously on R.J. Decker ...

Don't try to eat it through the wrapper.

Today could be the last day of my trial,

meaning I could be going home in a few hours, or--

Or you could be going to prison.

Where I'm told candy bars are in short supply.

I can think of something in even shorter supply.

- Next witness. - Lucas is my stepbrother,

and that's the man who almost killed him.

Mostly just came to see if we're even now.

What's your obsession with us getting even? What is it?

We get even too fast, there won't be any reason for me to call you anymore.

Is that what you want?

- What? - What? No, it's good.

It's a-a punctuation thing. The, uh, pop, pop, pop.

It's a lot of them.

The em dashes? Oh, I like them. They suit the story.

Uh, they're a bit aggressive. Commas might give you a better flow.

The story is about a blind priest who tried to broker a truce

between MS-13 and the Latin Kings.

I don't need it to flow. I need it to, like, grab the reader and shake them.

- What? - You do this every time.

You ask people to proof your stuff, and then you argue every point.

Only the dumb ones.

Sofia, liftoff in five minutes.

Oh. Look at you,

earning your keep proofing my wife's article so I don't have to.

Mm-hmm.

- She bite your head off yet? - Pretty much, yeah.

Hey, Mom. Harper and Violet just texted.

They're going to a kids' spa on Saturday for mani-pedis and facials,

and I'm invited.

I'm sorry, did you say "kids' spa"? As in, a spa for children?

- Can I go? - No, you're busy Saturday.

You're volunteering at the dog rescue.

But can I just skip it this one time?

You made a commitment. We keep our commitments around here.

Go get your bag.

Oh, my goodness. Take it easy on him. Mwah.

He's got so little going for him in life.

Uh, dashes or commas, it's good.

- Hey, how are you? - What are you wearing?

Excuse me?

Don't get excited. I'm asking because I may have a job for you.

Change your shirt and meet me at the address I'm about to send you.

Why do I have to change my shirt?

Because these people have money and refinement,

and the last time they saw a grown man wearing an aloha shirt,

he was probably cleaning their pool.

Oh. Okay.

Who needs you to change your shirt?

Oh, uh, Wish. Yeah, he might have a new client for me.

Thinks I need to look nice.

Wish, who last time I saw him was wearing a shirt

with a metal detector on it and the words "Beach Better Have My Money"?

Man's got layers.

Hey.

Welcome to the humble abode of the Carter family.

Carter. Oh, as in Carter Rehab?

- Got it in one. - Huh.

In addition to owning the biggest chain of drug rehab centers in Florida,

Ed Carter also funded a wing at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Gonna go out on a limb and say he's also one of your dad's biggest donors.

He is. And so when the family realized they needed help with a sensitive issue,

they came to me.

I told them it was a job

for a very dependable, very discreet private investigator.

- Do good work. Do it quietly. - Oh. Okay.

I can virtually guarantee they'll be back for more.

- Okay. - Background checks, security gigs,

due diligence, and they'll pay top dollar.

This shirt, this is the upgrade?

Let's go hear about this sensitive issue, shall we?

That's Holden.

He lives in Naples but stays with us whenever family business requires it.

So, usually, it's just you and your dad here?

He sends his regards, by the way.

He's wrapping up some work in Orlando, but we are both worried about Holden.

He didn't come home last night, and he isn't responding to calls or texts.

You're moving pretty quickly bringing someone like me on. Can I ask why?

The more he knows, the more he can help.

Holden has struggled with drug addiction for years.

My father and I think he may have relapsed.

Relapsed. So, he had gotten clean at some point?

A little over 18 months ago.

He went to a facility in Switzerland for the first six months,

then came back to Florida.

Since then, he has been working as a rehab counselor

in one of our Naples clinics.

It's not like him to be out of touch, at least not now that he's sober.

Your job is to find Holden quickly and quietly.

If he has relapsed, Mr. Carter doesn't want the police involved.

Too much chance of the story breaking to the media.

I understand, and I wanna help.

The best place for me to start is with whoever saw him last.

I dropped Holden off at the community center a little before 1600.

Support group meeting.

So, you knew about his history with addiction?

Ten years working for the Carters. They don't keep any secrets from me.

I drive Holden whenever he's in town. I waited up front like I usually do.

90 mikes later, everybody comes out except for Holden.

I went inside, but no sign of him.

How did he seem to you yesterday?

Honestly, I was relieved he wanted to get to a meeting.

He seemed distracted, a little down.

Any read on what was bothering him?

He was pretty tight-lipped. That's part of why I was worried about him.

You served, huh? 1600, 90 mikes. You tell time like a soldier.

Not a soldier. A Marine.

Oh, okay. Uh, is that why Ed Carter chose you to drive his son?

Wealthy, high-profile family.

Maybe there are security threats I should know about--

Sorry, no.

The biggest danger to Holden has always been Holden.

Got it.

Community center where you dropped him off, can I get the address?

Yeah, yeah, he looks familiar.

He would have come in around 4:00 p.m. yesterday, headed for the rec room,

but we think he went out a different way, maybe the back or the side entrance.

- Out there, I saw you had cameras-- - Hold on, 4:00 p.m.? In the rec room?

- Yeah, he was here for an NA meeting. - Just forget I said I saw him.

And if you're about to ask to look at the security footage, don't even bother.

Anyone our cameras caught coming in for that meeting

is entitled to their privacy, okay? End of story.

- I get that. - My sister is five years sober, okay?

Anonymity is crucial to the work.

I'm here because his sister thinks he might be in trouble. Like real trouble.

Look, I get that you don't want me looking at the footage,

- but you said you were here yesterday. - Yeah, so?

So you already saw everyone that came in here for the meeting.

Your guy didn't use a side exit.

Check the rear door.

Looks like he came out the back right before the meeting would've started.

He's making a call. Now he's talking to someone.

Who? Who's he talking to?

Someone walked up. I can't see who. They're off camera.

But your guy, he looks a little...

- What in the world? - Can I turn around now, please?

Yeah, I think that would be good.

What the hell is that?

In case you're wondering, not one of the 12 steps.

- Do you think it's a sex thing? - Well, this being Florida,

the answer to that question should almost always be "maybe."

But no, I-I'm more worried it could be an abduction.

Abduction?

You see how the big guy keeps his arm pointed at Holden?

It occurred to me that wearing that costume

might be a good way to conceal a gun.

Yeah, well, you need to be sure.

I'm not about to tell Naomi maybe her brother was kidnapped by a furry.

It's a slimy, actually.

I did a little image searching and realized it's the costume

for Sammy the Sea Cucumber,

- mascot for Rio Vista Prep. - Huh.

- "Huh," what? - That's where Holden went to high school.

Maybe the guy in the costume was just an old buddy pulling a prank?

According to the school's athletic schedule,

Sammy's due to make an appearance today.

I'll let you know what he has to say.

Whoo-hoo!

Sammy, my name is R.J. Decker. I'm... a private investigator.

I'd like to ask you a few questions, if I could.

Sammy. I... All right.

Bit of a time-sensitive issue. Maybe you can take a break?

Sammy, I have reason to believe a man was abducted at gunpoint last night!

You are my top suspect!

Sorry about before. I fully commit to Sammy while I'm in costume.

You do bring him to life.

That isn't me. Sammy worked a swim meet yesterday,

which means I worked a swim meet yesterday.

There's no chance someone could have borrowed your costume?

Are you kidding? That costume's totally different.

No hat. Look at the Sammy in the video.

Hmm.

- What is that? Like a sailor's cap? - Mm-hmm.

That's Sammy, circa 2012.

That costume was retired. Subsequent Sammys were hatless.

Thank goodness. I don't know how I'd play with a hat.

Any idea where someone could have gotten their hands on the 2012 costume?

Honestly, I assumed it was destroyed after the flagpole incident.

Flagpole incident?

Some rich kid hoisted Sammy up on the flagpole with the performer inside

and left him there overnight.

Costume was soiled beyond salvage.

Hmm.

- What? - The guy I'm trying to find,

he went to school here around that time.

He was definitely a rich kid.

You think that was Sammy 2012 exacting some crazy revenge?

You wouldn't happen to know that Sammy's real name, would you?

Ricky Strom. He wore the green from 2008 to 2012.

- Hi! - What?

- We brought you an afternoon treat. - You guys!

Mwah. What a nice surprise. People I arrest, they never bring me boba.

- Mom, guess what? - Mmm?

I'm going to the spa with Harper and Violet after all.

Yeah? We went over this. You have dog rescue Saturday.

Not anymore. Catherine fixed it.

- Fixed it? - I-I called the rescue

and asked if we could shift Sofia's commitment to next weekend,