Absence of the Good

Michael?

Michael, you okay?

Don't move, honey.

It's gonna be okay.

Your mother's very worried about you.

Don't move, Michael.

What time did they get here?

A little after 6:00.

I thought they weren't

supposed to come till 8:00.

Yeah.

Did you have any breakfast?

You go ahead.

Mr. Barnes?

Good Hope Charity.

We have a pickup.

One minute.

Here you go, guys.

Thanks.

Welcome back, partner.

Hey, Glenn. Thanks.

How's Mary?

Okay.

It's gonna take some time.

And you?

I'm okay.

So what's your thinking?

You just wanna hang out today?

- Get back in the rhythm?

- You got something?

Just came in.

- Hey, Sid.

- Caleb, I didn't know you were back.

- How're you doin'?

- What do you got?

Lynette Gumme,

Bible student, 22 years old.

The guy upstairs heard her scream,

called 911.

She put up a fight?

She was a strong young woman.

Good muscle tone.

These bruises here--

she was strangled...

I'd say about six hours ago.

- Six hours, huh?

- Yeah, give or take.

She might have been suffocated

during the attack.

She was killed in the process

of being raped.

How long ago

did the 911 call come in?

'Bout an hour ago.

The neighbor heard her scream,

waited five hours to call?

- Thanks, Sid.

- Mm-hmm.

It's open.

Mr. Marshall, we'd like to speak

to you about Miss Gumme downstairs.

Let me ask you something. What were

you thinking when you saw that gun?

Guy's got one of us for sure.

Do you remember

what went through your head?

What were you thinking?

I didn't want to be

in a wheelchair, you know.

Bullet in my spine.

I was raised Methodist.

Yeah?

We believe God

has already decided...

whether someone

will choose good or evil.

Those that choose evil

don't really have a choice.

So you're saying it's not

really this guy's fault.

I'm saying the decision

had already been made...

whether he was going to

point the gun at himself...

or at you.

I don't think that really helps me

if I'm still in a wheelchair.

I agree.

Right.

We'll talk about it later.

You got it.

- Hey, welcome home.

- Hey, great friend.

- I love it, Caleb. I really do.

- Thanks. So do we.

Wow, you guys been busy, huh?

You've got so much room here. The

closets are bigger than my apartment.

Okay, look, dinner's almost ready.

I'm gonna put some sheets on the bed.

And then I'll leave you two alone.

- You don't have to do that.

- Yeah, I know.

Now shut up.

Did you have a good day?

Yeah, it was good.

Been busy?

Pretty busy.

Something smells good.

All right, Agnes.

'Night, Roger.

See you tomorrow.

Franky!

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.

Mama's home.

Come on.

Oh, smell the cat food.

She was struck from behind

several times, blunt instrument.

I would say a hammer.

The head, not the claw.

But she didn't fall.

She never hit the ground.

He dragged her in here

from the living room.

- How do you know?

- Carpeted floors.

I found some matching fibers

in the heels of her stocking.

They were dragged from over there

to her bedroom.

- Where'd you find blood?

- Some on the sheet.

I got some on the mattress.

I got a little trace right over here.

I don't get it.

The guy cleaned up after himself.

Should have used bleach.

Check it out.

He must have sat her in the chair

after he killed her.

Why?

The f***er's been playing house.

"Dear Mom, sorry about the mess.

I'll clean up after school. Love, B."

She couldn't have been home

for more than two minutes.

- They were waiting for her.

- How'd he get in?

This we do not know yet.

Look at this.

She hasn't got a family.

Her only son died eight years ago.

No other blood relatives.

And we have confirmed this?

Car accident.

Drunk driver hit him.

She had no other family.

Jesus.

They lifted a bloody palm print

off the sheet.

The lab's running six months behind,

if they like you.

If they don't--

What about another kid?

Before she was married,

gave it up for adoption.

You had to be there, Lieutenant.

The guy tidied up the place.

- It didn't feel that rational.

- Yeah, I assumed that.

The woman's head was caved in.

What did it feel like?

Evil.

As opposed to all the other murders

you've investigated?

We got more people to talk to.

Yeah, okay.

Caleb, listen.

I didn't get a chance before.

I--

I'm very sorry for your loss.

If I can do anything--

Thanks, Lou.

Thanks.

- Is it good?

- Yeah.

Glenn recommended this place.

Those guys come here all the time.

How is he?

He's good.

And Jennifer?

Not so good.

She left him again.

Says she needs to find herself.

That's gotta be tough

on those kids.

You know,

he wanted to stay home.

What?

Michael.

He didn't want to

go to school that day.

He said he was sick.

I made him go.

Detective Dwyer, Detective Barnes,

this is Dr. Lyons.

I faxed her your report last night,

asked her to consult with you.

I haven't had a lot of time on this,

fellas, but my feeling is...

that you should be less concerned with

the note than the cleanup afterwards.

I ask myself, how long

does it take to write a note...

and how long to get

a bloody house in order?

It's the image of this guy measuring

laundry detergent that creeps me out.

Join the club.

- So the note doesn't mean anything.

- That's not what I said.

The note is an illustration

or an expression...

of whatever delusion

brought him into the house.

He's cracked open a window,

but I wouldn't expect much light.

- Doesn't matter who he wrote it to.

- Right.

But in some obsessive-compulsive

nether region of his mind...

he thinks that he can wipe the violence,

the murder away like it never happened.

And then do it all over again.

Possibly.

Dr. Lyons.

Yes?

Do you have a minute?

One.

I wanted to schedule an appointment

for my wife in your office.

For your wife? Why?

Five weeks ago we lost our son.

He was six years old.

I'm sorry.

What happened?

An older boy brought a handgun

to his school.

He was showing it off

to the other kids.

- I'll call your office.

- All right.

You said for your wife.

Will you be there?

He was your child too.

Yes, I know.

I'll make some time.

Thank you.

Hey, Roger.

Thanks for seeing us.

I'm Detective Barnes.

This is Detective Dwyer.

It's funny, you get

your regulars on your run.

You don't really know 'em,

but they become like your friends.

Do you remember Agnes Thurmond?

Yeah, Agnes.

That's what I mean.

I knew her, but I never

knew her last name.

Did you notice anything unusual,

like maybe something she said?

Nah, just small talk mostly.

She'd sit there, she'd fall asleep.

On her feet most of the night.

Wait. Now that you mention it,

three days ago I dropped her off.

There was this guy,

he might have been following her.

- Did you get a good look at him?

- Yeah, pretty good.

Good enough to give a description

to our sketch artist?

I think so.

We're gonna need you to go to the

station. We'll send a car for you.

Thanks, Roger.

He the one that killed her?

We'll call you.

Detective Barnes' desk.

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