Neil!
Neil Spencer!
Neil!
Anything more on the parents?
Background checks dug up nothing new.
Dad's AWOL, mom's in rehab, grandma's been taking care of the boy.
All right.
I want all interviews with immediate family in the area
complete by the end of the day.
Yes, Detective.
Neil!
- Neil! - This is not a race.
Take your time. We're looking for a missing child.
All right, people.
Listen up!
All right, Neil Spencer was put to bed around 8:00 p.m. last night.
His grandmother reported him missing at 10:29 p.m.
Be prepared to call your families and let them know you won't be home.
Detective! We found something.
This isn't Neil Spencer.
Meet me in the crowd…
You know, I'm excited. It's a fresh start, right?
- Yeah? - Yeah.
You know, your mom always wanted us to move back to the town we grew up in.
You know, it's cool. You'll be going to the same school she did. Right?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Plus, we found a house with a swing.
I mean, it's just like the one you guys loved at the shore.
You've said.
Like a thousand times.
No, no, no. No, that's incorrect.
I've only said it 936 times.
So get your facts straight.
I miss her.
Me too, buddy.
Up! Get your legs up. Get 'em up. Come on. Up, up, up, up, up!
And… we are in Garretton.
Everyone around…
We did it.
Love them, love them
Put it in your hands
Take it, take it…
There it is.
- Wanna go check it out? - Yeah.
Go ahead.
- Hey, guys. - What's up?
Hey, how you doing? Uh, where do you want these, sir?
Yeah, you know what? Those can go in the kitchen. Thank you.
- Hey, Dad! Look at this! - Be right there, buddy.
I hope this place is big enough for you, Jake.
All right, come on, kiddo. We got a new house, new stairs.
What did we say we were gonna be?
Brave.
That's right.
Just like your mom when she was sick.
Come here.
All right. Let's go upstairs.
Yeah.
And…
Go find your room.
What's wrong?
Why are you so scared?
It's gonna be fine.
No, not… No! Wait a second.
You can't take him.
Okay, Saturn's going…
Do-do-do-do-do-do!
…right up to the sun.
Do-do-do-do!
- No! - Chain reaction.
No!
Oh no!
All right. Uh…
- Okay. You ready? - Yeah.
Good? It's gonna be great. Okay?
You warm enough? Yeah? Wanna hang onto that?
You sure?
Yeah?
Okay. All right.
Come here.
All right. Have a good day, okay?
I'm gonna be right here when school gets out, all right?
- Okay. Okay? - Hmm.
Oh fuck.
Jesus.
If your window's left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
What kind of fish were they?
I don't know.
There was a pink one. And a blue one.
Do you think they'll miss you?
My fish?
You fed them, right? Like your daddy fed you.
Do you think they'll miss you feeding them?
- I don't know. - Speak up, boy.
What if they get hungry and you're not there?
Do you think they'll eat each other?
When one fish is shitting out the other, will they be thinking of you?
Good.
Good. I think they're going to love this.
That's for later.
Hi, Mr. Willis.
Uh, Detective Amanda Beck, Garretton PD.
May I come in?
I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner.
Uh, a boy went missing in Hillcrest a couple of days ago.
Neil Spencer.
We've cleared locations, family, and friends.
We found something, and I don't know if it's a lead or a distraction.
Another body. A boy.
Been out in the woods about a month.
Not every kid who disappears in North Jersey
is connected to Frank Carter, Detective.
But that's his signature, right?
Well, Frank Carter's doing life in Rahway now.
That's not what I asked.
I know you need to find him, of course, but I don't know if I can help you.
The other boy who went missing, Neil Spencer,
told his grandma he heard a strange voice outside his window
whispering to him.
Well, you know, kids have active imaginations--
Yes, that's what Carter preyed on. That's what you said.
I did, but, you know, I'm not on the job anymore.
It's been a long time. I'm retired at least 25 years.
I just, you know… And there's only one Frank Carter.
Your case file mentioned an accomplice to Carter who was never identified.
I did. I did. It was a theory, and it went cold.
They often do.
Frank Carter still declines all interviews via his lawyers.
You remain the only one he's ever agreed to speak with
since his, uh, incarceration.
Got any advice interviewing him?
Yeah, I'd say don't.
I… I hope you find your kid.
With all due respect, sir, hope does nothing for me.
Can I put this in my Packet of Special Things?
Let me see.
Sure.
What's that?
We made our hands be in paint on the wall at school.
Oh, yeah? Handprints, huh?
- Mm-hmm. - Cool.
My friend helped me.
Oh, yeah? You make a friend?
The girl in the blue sweater.
Well, do you remember we talked about that?
How some friends are pretend and…
What's up, bud?
Are you sure she won't wake up?
Mommy?
I am.
You know, Mommy loved you
more than anything, you know, and that's… that's never gonna change.
But it doesn't mean that you can't make room for new people,
you know, new… new friends.
I don't like the boys at school.
You know,
I never told you this,
but when I was your age, I had a friend, just like you have.
I did.
He'd visit me when I was going to sleep, and we'd go on adventures.
At the end, every time,
he would kiss me on the forehead, right here.
And then
I'd wake up the next morning back in bed like magic.
I called him Mr. Night.
It's okay to imagine things, Jake.
You just… You gotta
give real people a chance, too, okay?
What is your name?
It's okay.
They need to hear this.
Hey! Sorry! Sorry, I'm late.
- You're Jake's father? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hi. How you doing?
Buddy, what's wrong?
You wanna tell your dad what happened?
I got put on yellow.
You… On what?
We have a traffic light system for bad behavior.
What'd he do? Uh, what'd you do?
Owen tried to take my Packet of Special Things.
He scratched a boy. Badly.
Okay, well, that's… You can't do that, Jake.
Um, sorry. It's this packet.
Um, it's full of stuff that, like, belonged to his mom.
That's no excuse.
We'd like him to write a note apologizing.
Uh, isn't that excessive?
We have zero tolerance for kids hurting kids.
What's your tolerance for bullies?
'Cause that other kid sounds like kind of a dick.
- Excuse me? - You know what? We'll pass on that note.
Come on, buddy.
You can put me on yellow.
Where is it?
I didn't like being there,
that house.
Your grandmother's.
Was she mean to you?
No. Sometimes
she was sick.
I was afraid.
It's okay.
They need to hear it.
I was afraid she'd die.
She'd be dead in the house with me while I slept.
If you could talk to your mommy right now,
what would you say?
Why did you leave me there?
Why don't you love me?
I love you.
Free your mind And the rest will follow
Be color blind
Don't be so shallow
Free your mind And the rest will follow
If you leave a door half open
Soon you'll hear the whispers spoken
If your window is left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
Jake?
What are you doing?
Jake!
No!
Who were you talking to?
Nobody.
Back to bed.
Hey!
Hey! What are you doing?
Hey! Hey! Hey!
We've had reports of a squatter since the place went vacant.
Kids sneaking in to drink and do other things.
This wasn't a kid.
What's back here?
I don't know.
- Holy shit. - Ooh.
- Whoa. - Previous owner?
Um…
So now what?
Well, he didn't attack you.
He just bolted for the door unless there's something else.
He's most likely just a squatter.
Left something here.
Didn't realize the place was rented.
Change the locks, set up a security system,
and donate this stuff to the Goodwill.
And don't forget to bolt your back door.
So that's it?
Fresh coat of paint on the outside might help ward people off.
If you're lonely, sad, and blue
The Whisper Man will come for you
If your window's left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the…
Jake, what are you doing?
Nothing.
Okay.
Who are you talking to?
Is it the girl in the blue sweater?
She's scared of it here.
She's scared of it here? She's scared of this house? Why?
She's scared of the boy who lives here.
You?
Who?
The boy in the floor. Good God.
Jake, you have to stop this.
Stop what?
Well… Ow! Goddammit!
Pretending. I need you to grow up.
You never believe me.
I can see you.
I can see everything,
and I know there is no one in here, Jake.
You are just talking to yourself.
Jake?
Wha…
Jake?
Jake!
I'm Detective Beck. Tell me a little bit about Jake.
Okay.
I know.
It's terrifying.
He's quiet.
It's hard.
But we don't know which detail is gonna help us find him.
Okay.
He, uh…
He's a collector, you know, of…
just, like, scraps of… of odds and ends.
You know, like, um,
ticket stubs and… and… and ribbon and rocks even.
It… it all has meaning to him.
- That's nice. - Yeah, he's a nice kid.
What about his friends?
Stand by.
We just moved, and, uh, you know, school is just getting started, so…
From where?
- The Shore. Uh, Manasquan. - Hmm.
Jake's mom grew up here, so…
She's… gone.
She was sick.
Any other family nearby?
My father.
He's, uh… somewhere.
I don't know. He's never met Jake.
What's his name?
Peter Willis. He was a cop.
And have you called him? Your father?
No.
We looked at the nanny cam,
and he left on his own. There was no one else.
Detective.
What the fuck?
Jesus.
Hello?
Dad?
What can I get you?
Uh, I'll just have a coffee, yeah.
You want coffee?
- Two coffees? - Yeah.
How you holding up?
I just need to know they're doing everything they can. Okay?
I'm doing everything I can.
Sure.
At the department, you still have friends there.
I mean, you still have pull.
I was young. I… I don't remember much.
But I remember the Whisper Man, and I remember you found him.
I found him. I did do that.
So…
He's a good kid, Jake.
He's smart, and…
They got any leads?
Well, yeah, I mean, if they'd fucking follow 'em.
That's why I need you.
Well, I'm sure they've got a good detective working the case.
No, you were a good detective.
You're a shitty father, but a good fucking detective.
They will listen to you,
and they will tell you things they won't tell me.
I, um…
Well, uh…
Listen, I… I…
I wanted to reach out earlier, especially after Rebecca had passed away--
Don't.
Don't do that.
- Sorry it took this to get us together. - We're not. This isn't us together.
This is me asking you for help. Do you understand that?
Sure, I understand that.
I don't know what I can do, Tom. I…
I haven't carried a shield in forever.
I'm sure they don't wanna hear from me.
But I am here for you, whatever--
Excuse me. I don't need your emotional fucking support, okay?
I need you to find my boy!
No? Great.
Why'd Carter do that? The T-shirt. Cover their faces.
Didn't want them looking at him. He didn't wanna look at them.
There's, uh, not much new here. This is all you have?
We're still playing catch-up.
And Tom said he gave you a lead?
Yeah. We have a loose description of a vagrant he saw
rummaging around his basement. Haven't found a match yet.
Uh, you should listen to the Spencer tape.
This is from the boy? Blaming the parents.
- Same as Frank Carter's Whisper Man. - Yeah, I've heard this.
These kids aren't the only intended victims.
Forensics?
The package was mishandled at the TV station. It's tainted.
Obviously, with the tape drop, we know time is short.
Tom said you never met him. Jake.
May I ask why?
Any connection between the two boys other than they were found missing?
Jake was new to town.
Uh, different elementary as the Spencer boy
who went to Catholic school.
Stevie Grant was in foster care.
We're looking at a few local sex offenders.
You speculated in the Carter case that the boys somehow
walked out of their homes on their own.
That Frank Carter… somehow summoned them.
Carter knew how to find the ones who wanted to go.
From your house.
What if my boy comes back home and I'm not there?
It's a crime scene. Right now, this is best.
Unless you have someone you can stay with.
Beck here.
The man who used to live in my house did time at the East Jersey State Prison.
Mr. Kennedy?
Yeah, I have his mail right here.
Dominic Barnett, assaulting a police officer.
- He got out fucking seven years ago. - Slow down.
You're saying he lived at the house that you're renting?
It could be him. Look, they were both at Rahway.
And if he knew Carter while they were inside--
Uh, send me what you have,
okay, and I'll look into it. Uh, Dominic Barnett, you say?
This could be the guy.
I said I'll look into it.
Okay? Thank you.
Are you… are you fucking kid…
Fuck!
Barnett, I know that name.
He was a runner for the Brick Squad gang back when I was on the job.
Yeah, they deal out of the Wrigley Projects now.
And how long between the time when the kids were put to bed
and when they disappeared?
For the Spencer boy, not long. Ninety minutes.
Jake?
Six hours before Tom woke up.
He was drinking, maybe drunk.
I could smell the alcohol.
I never met her.
She called once, wanted to tell me that she was pregnant.
We talked for a bit.
He was in good hands.
Drawing wars.
Tom did these too.
You never know what gets passed on.
Hey!
Mrs. Shearing. I'm the guy renting your house.
Tom. Tom Kennedy.
You said you'd clear that shit out!
- I'm not doing it for you! - No!
- Mrs. Shearing, please! My son is missing! - Fuck off, Randall.
Please!
We should still interview him.
Carter. He won't see anyone unless you're there.
Yeah, all that bastard will do is make you nauseous and want to throw up.
When we zeroed in on him,
Carter had managed a day and a half on the run.
And when we finally did get him,
there was evidence that the fifth boy he took, Tony Smith, was still alive.
I did everything I could to find him. Everything.
I interrogated Carter's wife at least six hours.
And then I went to see Carter himself
to appeal to what little bit of humanity might be left in him.
There was nothing.
Nothing.
Dominic Barnett. You rented to him?
That nephew of mine ain't worth fuck all.
Wait, you're related?
Little shit up and cleared out without paying six months' rent.
Okay, is there anything you can tell me about where to find him now?
He had a girlfriend at the Wrigley Park Projects.
Okay, do you know her name, the girlfriend?
Tina… Tiffany.
I do remember she lived…
…in Building C.
For "cunt."
Hey, yo, my peeps!
Everybody out here!
How the fuck you don't hear me when I'm fucking talking to you?!
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
- Help you? - Uh, no. No, thanks.
What are you looking for?
Dominic Barnett.
Don't know no Barnett.
- Nah. - Okay.
Are you buying, motherfucker?
Apache, Murder 8.
Ten for one. Three for twenty.
Fentanyl, bitch.
Oh, uh, no. No, thanks.
Beat your motherfucking ass. The fuck you think you doing? Huh?
Both of you, get the fuck out of here. I'll blow your head off, motherfucker.
All right. Get up.
- What about my car-- - Get in. Get in.
Yo, get the fuck outta here.
Give me the keys. I'll get somebody to pick up the car. Just give me the keys.
Jesus fucking Christ.
What the fuck? How are you here?
You were right to wanna look at Barnett, but you gotta trust these detectives.
Let 'em do their job.
And that Detective Beck? She's not gonna let this go.
- You talked to her? - Yes--
- You talked to her? - I was with her when you called.
- You were? - I was.
You were?
No, somebody else was. I was with her, yes.
I'm on it.
Okay.
You know, when I heard you wrote novels, I wasn't surprised
'cause you were always creative.
Can we not do this right now?
What are you talking about?
Can we not talk about my fucking novel?
- What are you talking about? - Jake is who I want you to focus on. Jake.
Not us, not me. Jake.
I checked on Barnett. Nowhere to be found.
Not a word from him in the last six months.
Okay, so what? We're back to nothing?
Just a tape, and then a body, and then another tape?
I remember how it went with Carter.
He's irrelevant. He's doing life in prison. Doesn't matter.
Tell that to my boy.
What if whoever took Jake knows he's your grandson?
A different last name. There's no connection to the Spencer kid.
Absolutely no connection whatsoever.
Yeah, but someone could find out. I mean, Carter could be directing them.
No, that's… that's going too far.
Okay, but you're gonna go talk to him, right?
He'd just steer us in another direction, in the wrong direction.
So go, outsmart him. You've done it once before.
I didn't outsmart anything. I just got lucky.
So go get lucky again. What's the problem?
- What, are you afraid of him? - That man destroyed my life, my family.
- You're damn right I'm afraid of him. - No. You can't blame that on him.
That was you.
Your husband threatened you when you started asking questions.
Did he ever give off any hints about what he was doing before that?
Behaviors out of step with his routine?
Places he'd go? Objects in the house?
Even days he smelled different, or his clothes were soiled
in a way that couldn't be explained?
I'm asking all this because there's still another boy missing.
Tony Smith. He might still be alive.
Frank put him somewhere, and he's not talking.
Maybe you can help us find him.
- I've told you everything I know. - Yeah.
- I'm here to see Beck. - Need some ID.
Let him through!
Neil Spencer.
No cameras?
No. Not in the park.
Could you check his nails, please? His fingernails.
Thank you.
Carter would…
He'd always cut their fingernails before he strangled them.
He didn't want them scratching his face.
Jesus.
Copy that. Stand by.
What?
Um…
The shirt, the tapes. That was all pretty much out there.
It was all public.
But not the cutting of the fingernails. That wasn't public.
Your accomplice theory, then. Somebody who helped him back in the day.
Well, why wait all these years to get back to work?
You're a good man, Henry. Thanks.
- Frank. - Hi, Pete.
Looking good.
Thank you, Pete. Thank you.
You know, 20, 30 years in the cage.
Well, that'll keep you lean.
Yeah.
You still on the wagon?
Good.
That's very good. Really.
I'm proud of you. If that means anything.
'Cause, you know, whatever it is…
…you know, your vice,
you can try to lock it away,
you can try to burn it to the fucking ground,
but it can't be killed.
I mean, you can't kill it. You can't.
Because it's like this guide or something.
Right?
I mean, it kind of takes hold of you and controls you,
and it becomes really
the only thing in the world that exists.
Everything else is just…
window dressing.
Kind of sad, really.
How's that, Frank?
Well, it's sad for you, isn't it?
When you can't do the very thing
that you were meant to do.
I don't know.
Might be better to just end it all.
You could try that. Nobody'd miss you.
A fair point. That's a fair point.
I mean, yeah.
But… but, I mean, for you, really, I mean…
mostly it was endings, really.
You know?
Right? I mean, marriage, career,
fatherhood. That didn't…
Yeah, it's kind of like one long
dirge on the road to your grave, right?
Well, I'm hoping for a resurrection.
Yours is unexpected.
Friend of yours?
Friends? No.
Men like you and I don't have friends, Pete.
We're meant to be alone.
What else is there?
- It speaks. - The work.
It's all that's left, what you've done.
This copycat, whoever he is, he's showing you up.
And if he keeps getting lucky, killing,
what happens to your myth?
You'll be replaced.
She's pretty eager.
What do you think, Pete? How do you think she'll fare?
As well as you?
You should have seen him. Oh boy.
Back then,
so vital, so much life to live.
He… Now, you know…
you're all alone,
cooking up your little dinners in the dark.
You know? I don't know.
What do you think?
Did it all turn out the way you'd hoped?
You're here.
Yeah.
You gonna take credit for that?
- Yes, I am. And comfort. - Okay.
Okay.
The killing stopped.
The killing has stopped.
But they haven't, have they?
You know who's doing this, don't you?
I'll tell you what. You bring me my family, I might remember.
Your family?
My family. Tell her.
Go ahead. Tell her, Pete.
Tell her about my fucking family,
how they sold me out.
I'll tell you what.
Why don't you bring me my wife
and my son?
Just bring them to me for…
five minutes. Just leave me alone with them.
Go ahead. Five minutes. I'll tell you everything you wanna know.
I'll whisper it right in your really cute little ear.
Five minutes alone. Me and them.
Hmm, don't worry about clean-up. Clean-up's easy.
Just hose down the room.
Okay, we're done.
You don't wanna hear about the sixth victim?
- Come on! - Tony Smith?
Tony Smith was five. Come on, keep up. Tell her.
You know, this guy's still out there chasing him.
He's on the ball. He's out there chasing him still.
I'm not playing your games this time.
Yeah, well, your son is. Boy, he is all in.
How about those books of his, huh?
The detective character. Boy, he is trying to be you.
Oh, he wants to be daddy. But, you know, that's how it goes.
'Cause when you're denied your father's love,
of course you mythologize him.
She'll find out who we're talking about.
Who you've become.
What did he mean back there? His sixth victim?
I asked you a question.
First week Tony Smith was missing, a thousand cops were searching for him.
A month later, a hundred.
A year after that, a dozen.
Now there's only one.
Me.
Is there anything else you want to say to your daddy?
Why didn't you believe me?
Visitor rolls for East Jersey State Prison.
Checking for repeats.
Cross-referencing criminal records, connections to Carter.
Good. I want every match released in the last five years,
and someone needs to reach out to the FBI's field office in Phoenix.
I'm sorry, what's in Phoenix?
Carter's wife and kid are in the witness protection program there.
So if Carter is having someone else do his killings for him,
we need to let them know as soon as possible.
- You find something? - Maybe.
Norman Collins visited Rahway last March,
a few times last year.
I think you should take him.
Mr. Collins, Detective Amanda Beck. Garretton PD. Can I come in?
- Absolutely. - Okay.
You recently went to see an inmate at Rahway Prison.
Victor Tyler, yes.
May I ask why?
He's a fascinating man.
Life for kidnapping and murder. You find that fascinating?
This was worn by a fairly notorious murderer in the 1960s.
It cost me a small fortune, but it's such a handsome piece.
And the provenance is inviolable.
All completely above board.
I'm very well respected in my field.
What field is that?
I'm a collector, like you.
You have your perps, your cases, your obsessions.
When ugly things happen to nice people, you want to know why and where and who.
For me, the interest is more in the "how" and the "what."
No, thanks.
Come on. We're humoring each other.
Can you feel that?
What?
What it must have been like
stabbing your husband 46 times in front of your best friends
over a lost hand of bridge.
Where were you the night of April 10th?
- Traveling. - To?
Boston for an exhibition.
Do you have anything to substantiate that?
I didn't have anything to do with those children being taken, Detective,
if that's what you're here about.
Well, well, well.
What the fuck you want?
Mr. Tyler, a man named Norman Collins visited you about six months ago,
twice in one week.
I got no say who comes to see me.
Obviously.
You raped and you murdered a 12-year-old girl.
Hmm.
I think you got a pretty good situation here for doing something like that.
Yeah.
It's my winning personality.
Did you ever pass anything between Norman Collins and Frank Carter?
Who's Frank Carter?
Maybe this will jog your memory.
Hmm.
Hmm?
Why don't you two little piggies take your bullshit deal
and cry wee-wee-wee-wee all the way home?
It's not a deal.
It's an interstate prisoner transfer order.
I don't know what life's gonna be like for you in Lewisburg, Mr. Tyler,
but I don't think it's gonna be very good for a child rapist.
But you're gonna need someone like Frank Carter to protect you.
Otherwise, you're gonna have a big problem.
You feel like talking now?
Dyson, talk to me.
Another package.
The address was recognized before it was pulled from a box.
I don't want anybody knowing about this.
Already on it.
Jake's tape just dropped.
We have confirmation Carter's been talking to someone on the outside.
What?
I'm so sorry.
I love you So what am I so afraid of?
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of
A love there is no cure…
No. Jake was made to say those things.
He's alive. That's the most important thing.
Yeah, but…
for how long?
Come on. Let me take you home. Come on.
Hmm?
Okay.
What's with that crack?
Keeps opening up, no matter how many times I try to plaster the damn thing.
Uh-huh.
Thank you. Um…
- Tom, we spoke to Frank Carter. - You did?
He's had contact with someone on the outside through another inmate.
Someone named Victor Tyler. He's a pedophile.
And there was a burner phone found in Tyler's cell.
Forensics is on that now.
Pedophile?
Jesus fucking Christ.
What are you doing?
That's not gonna help.
There's no booze in this house.
Okay.
I know. I know. I know.
It's unbearable, I know.
Jake's gonna come home, but it has to be to a safe home.
And his dad has to be all right.
I was drinking the night…
We had an argument.
"We had an argument." I fucking yelled at him.
To walk out that door into the dark, he had to feel so alone.
When Rebecca died, he found her at the bottom of the stairs,
and now he can't even climb a fucking flight of stairs.
I mean, I thought it would be a good change moving here.
He held on to his mom's stuff.
Photos and notes and old diaries and…
In this satchel.
He called it his Packet of Special Things.
Hey, when you left us,
didn't you want to reach out?
Of course I… I… I…
Every day.
Why didn't you? Weren't you curious?
You know, she never spoke badly about you, not once, Mom.
Even after everything.
There were times before you guys moved away where your mother would say,
"Look, you can see him, but you can't be drinking."
And so I would see you, and I'd read you stories
when you were about to go to sleep.
And I would tell you how much I love you, kiss you on the forehead.
And she gave me that.
Mr. Night?
You're Mr. Night?
You?
That was you?
There's an extra bed if you wanna stay.
It's all made up.
They were pen pals.
Did you know about this?
What the fuck else is my dad not sharing?
This isn't the place.
What?
Oh, is… is God listening to us right now?
Maybe that's him, with some leads.
Tell me we have a search warrant.
Where the fuck is this guy going?
Anything else you're not telling us?
Carter sent those letters to hurt my son, but I kept them secret to deny him that.
You still kept them. Norman Collins would be impressed.
Fucking prick.
You…
- Where is he? - What are you doing? My God!
Motherfucker! Where is he?
Where's my boy?
Oh God!
Help! Help!
- Where is he? - Help!
- Hey! Come on! - No!
That guy kidnapped my son! You're letting him get away!
That's the Whisper Man!
Back inside! Let's go! Now!
Back inside!
That's the Whisper Man!
What were you doing in the basement of 13 Garholt Street?
Uh, I don't know that address.
Norman, stop bullshitting us.
The owner saw you.
If you're referring to the man who just attacked me,
I've never seen him before in my life.
My guys just searched your place. This is underlined. So are the others.
I like his stories.
What do you like about them?
Well, he's got this dark mind,
sort of like his daddy's.
We talked to Victor Tyler.
We know that you used him to pass on a private note to Frank Carter
and a burner phone so he could communicate with someone on the outside.
And now children are disappearing and turning up dead.
I don't know, but it all points to you.
- No. No, no, no, no, no. - Then what?
Were you just getting his autograph?
Another souvenir for your sicko collection?
I wouldn't hurt those kids, any kids.
- Where the fuck is he going? - There's not enough to hold him.
He's accounted for both nights the boys were kidnapped.
In Jake's case, that man was in another state.
- So he couldn't have taken them. - Not by himself.
Collins wanted to press assault charges. Still might.
I hurt him? Are you kidding?
Garretton PD will only let you walk out of here tonight
if you go home with your father here and promise not to do anything stupid.
This man
knows who has my boy.
Please don't leave me.
I was just trying to protect you.
Yeah, well…
Maybe that's the original sin of… fathers everywhere.
We can't.
I'll be right back.
What was Norman doing in the basement?
If it really wasn't for Jake, what was he looking for?
Dad.
Boy in the floor.
Beck here.
Yeah, we're at Garholt Street. We just found Tony Smith.
Thirty years.
Collins knew.
What are we doing sitting here?
Hey, we got another body over here.
Some kind of blunt instrument.
You better have a very good excuse for harassing…
Hey! Hey!
We found Tony Smith's remains on the Garholt property this morning.
And another body.
Provenance.
That's what you collectors call where a thing comes from, right?
What's the provenance behind this?
Um, that was, uh, acquired off-market.
All aboveboard though, right?
Dominic Barnett. That name ring a bell?
He was found stuffed in the wall of the basement.
His skull bashed in.
I don't know. DNA will tell us if it's a match.
Um, I want a lawyer.
You wanted in this game? You're in it.
I didn't hurt any children.
Okay.
I paid Frank Carter for access.
Access? Access to who? Tony Smith?
- Maybe grab something for your collection? - Okay. Yes.
So he pointed you to Dominic Barnett?
Yeah. Um, they… they were friends back in the day.
Friends? They weren't friends. They were accomplices.
What happened between you and Dominic when you got to the house?
- He, um… - What happened?
He said, uh… He…
What happened?
In the basement, he made me feel very small,
saying that I was a tourist and that I was a Peeping Tom.
That I could jerk off but never fuck.
So you killed him?
You killed him, didn't you? And that I don't care about.
All I care about is finding Jake Kennedy alive.
Do you understand?
I can't…
- I can't go to prison. - You can't?
Well, that's too bad. You're going to prison.
For a long time.
So you tell us everything we need to know right now.
You just said you paid Frank Carter for access to his last victim, Tony Smith,
who was never found. Is that a fair statement?
- Yes. - Paid with what?
Carter's in prison for life. No use for money.
No family anymore. What did you trade?
I connected him with someone.
Who? Norman, who did you connect him to?
Who, Norman?
I was the only one who ever saw it. In the eyes.
The eyes? Who are you talking about?
I just thought that, you know, they'd wanna get to know each other.
I never thought that… that it was gonna start again.
Norman, we need a name. Who is it?
The eyes. Who are you talking about?
We need a bus!
- Help! We need an ambulance! - Where's Jake? Tell me, where's Jake?
That's the one thing you can do. Tell me, where's Jake, please?
Where is Jake? Where's Jake?
- Sir! - Just tell me where he is, please.
Please stand back!
Come on.
Stay with me.
Tom was right. We should have beat whatever the hell we needed out of him.
Norman said that he thought Frank Carter would be interested
in getting to know this person. Why?
Why invest in someone he'll never know, never meet?
Makes no sense.
Who is more important to Frank Carter than you?
What did Carter say to us when we were leaving?
The sixth victim?
No.
About my son's novels.
He's trying to be you.
Pull up the interview with Frank Carter's wife.
That's the one. Play it.
I was afraid for my son.
You don't have to be afraid anymore, Mrs. Carter.
You're safe now.
There's another boy still missing, though, and he might still be alive.
You can help us find him.
He's somebody's son too.
I've told you everything I know.
"When we're denied our father's love,
we mythologize him."
It's him.
Do you ever feel like a boy in the floor,
underneath everyone's feet,
who no one knows is there?
I do.
Did the boy in the floor go to sleep forever?
He did.
Are you going to make me go to sleep forever?
I'm going to bring you home.
After Carter's conviction, the family moved out west
and assumed new identities.
We have no name, no ID.
We're negotiating with the FBI to release whatever records they do have
because, technically, Francis Jr. is still under their protection.
In the meantime, we need to canvas anyone and everyone
in Hillcrest and the surrounding neighborhoods.
If Francis Jr. is here, someone knows where to find him.
Let's go.
All units be advised.
The suspect has been identified as Francis Carter, Jr.,
residing in Garretton.
We'll conduct a block-by-block canvas in an attempt to locate the suspect.
Car 431.
Cover the 400 block of Lafayette, heading east.
Car 595. Cover Maple Avenue on the 200 block, heading south.
How's your grandson, Pete?
Good afternoon. Detective Amanda Beck, Garretton PD.
I'm looking for Richard Sharmatz.
Ah, Dr. Sharmatz, uh, passed away about a year ago.
Oh, his name's still on the title.
His family rents the house to me.
He was a mentor of… of mine.
- Oh. - I'm George Carringdon.
- Hi. - Hi.
You a child psychologist as well?
Teaching assistant.
Where?
- Rose Terrace. - Huh.
Do you know a Jake Kennedy? He was a student there.
Not until they announced what happened.
I… I probably saw him running through the halls out at recess,
but, um, I work with the special needs kids.
- Oh. - So I wouldn't have known him by name.
Do you want to come in?
Did you, by any chance, know the Carter family back in the day?
Frank and Jane, their son Francis Jr.
Of them.
My parents tried to keep me away from all that stuff. Didn't work.
We know you've been in communication with your son,
prodding him with these killings.
Boy left home, and now he's back.
Got lost.
He's back home now.
That surprise you?
Not really, no.
I mean, Francis has always been weak. Look how he…
how he fucked up the first try.
I guess it's hard with kids.
Well, scary stories are like water.
They always find their way through the cracks.
I remember growing up in Fair Lawn. There was this rhyme.
If you leave a door half open
Soon you'll hear the whisper spoken
- If your window's… - …left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
- If you're lonely… - …sad, or blue…
The Whisper Man will come for you
Been a long time since I've heard that one.
I was making tea. You want a cup?
I get now why you always covered their faces.
I thought it was 'cause you couldn't look at 'em or didn't want them looking at you.
Nah, I could look at their faces just fine.
Oh, that's bullshit. Come on.
You know there was someone you were imagining
you wanted to get a hold of but you couldn't really get your hands on.
It was too painful, too messy,
too close to home.
Well… home is where the heart is, Pete.
Is there some sort of connection between Frank Carter and Dr. Sharmatz?
He counseled Carter's son, according to records.
Police must be stretched pretty thin.
No partner, I see.
Everybody has their ground to cover.
I know the parents will be relieved that you're chasing down some leads.
Yeah. Kids, too, I'm guessing.
Francis is learning his own lessons right now.
Yeah. Like you did with your father?
The way he taught you.
Whispering to you in bed while he was fucking you up the ass?
You better shut up.
How'd you handle those situations, Frank?
Did you wish you were somewhere like the kids you took did too?
- Fuck you. - Ah.
Your father whet his appetite with his own son.
- Fuck you. - But you, you were the weak one.
I actually respect you, Frank. You know that?
You tried to stop yourself from doing what you really wanted to do to your boy.
Yeah.
So you preyed on others.
When we catch your son, and we're gonna catch him very soon…
- Yeah? - You're never gonna hear from him again.
Oh, really? So…
So there's another possibility.
Jake.
You can tell me where he is.
Why would I do that before the deed?
Because the Whisper Man, the real one, isn't done yet.
Because there's only one child in this whole world
that he truly, really wants.
And I can deliver him to you.
My son?
Here?
A father does what needs to be done. Wouldn't you agree?
If you think of anyone that might know the Carter family,
especially Francis Jr., please have them call me, okay?
Of course.
Oh fuck!
This is Beck. I need backup. 59 Hellerman Street. I found our suspect.
Copy that.
Jake Kennedy?
This is the police.
Scream.
Help!
Get up! Come on!
Run!
Help!
Stop!
Help! Help!
Detective Beck. Leave a message.
Beck. Yeah. It's me.
I spoke to Carter. They have a plan for Jake.
Garretton Police. What's your emergency?
I just saw the missing boy, Jake Kennedy.
He was with a man, Route 23, south of Sussex.
Dispatch 10-17. We have units en route.
Can I please have your name and a callback number?
What the hell?
Come on, Tom. Please pick up.
Dad?
Sh.
- I can't breathe! - Jake!
Dad, help!
Help!
Jake!
Oh, Jake. It's okay.
Come on. Come on. Go.
Dad!
No!
Dad!
Jake!
- Dad! - Jake!
Run! Run, Jake!
Run!
Tommy, Tommy. Get Jake.
- Go get Jake. - Dad! What?
- I love you. - I love you.
Daddy!
Jake.
Just stay. Stay there.
Jake, close your eyes.
Agh!
Just make it quick, Carter.
Skin to skin,
like they said in the hospital,
to bond you to me.
What's Pearl Jam?
What? A band!
Clearly failed as a father.
It was our first concert, your mom and me.
She saved me.
Mommy?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, me too.
Can I go play?
Yeah, dude.
Get out there.
What are you doing in here?
Hey, guys!