Dallas 2.0:Sessions:20160604

It's 5:00am Sunday morning. Ricardo Hernandez is wakened by the sound of his phone. A frantic woman begins speaking in rapid-fire Spanish. "Theo, my husband, he's been arrested! They say he was in a big fight at some hotel! He is hurt, he's at the hospital, Baylor Hospital!" Ricardo is the recently-promoted foreman of a construction crew, and Theo Perez is one of his best workers. Unlike some of his other employees, Theo is a devoted family man and not a partier. He speaks calmingly to Señora Perez and assures her that he will do what he can to help Theo.

A little past 5:00am, before Nathan has quite fallen asleep, his phone rings. Clyde asks, "Are you a clairvoyant or something?" At speeds upward of 85mph, Clyde's driving on LBJ Freeway chasing a Ford sedan. "Two idiots just robbed my house! They covered up their license plates. I'm gaining on them... but I think I'll need your help! When I catch these idiots, I'm gonna kill them!"

"Hang on," says Nathan, and clicks over to another line, dials 911, and reports a drag race in progress on LBJ in Mesquite. Returning to Clyde, Nathan says, "If you can't catch those guys in two or three minutes, the cops will show up. Once the police stop them, tell them those guys robbed you."

Clyde gets right behind his quarry, then guns his Chevy and gives one corner of Ford's bumper a hard tap. As he expects, the Ford spins out and strikes the barricades in the median; its airbags deploy. As sirens sound in the distance, Clyde pulls over to the shoulder and parks. He sees the guy in the passenger seat jump out and yank the cloth coverings off of the Ford's license plates.

Both Dallas and Mesquite squad cars arrive on the scene. A Dallas cop walks up to Clyde's car and orders him to get out. Clyde hangs up his cellphone (cutting off Nathan's connection) and lays it on the console, then gets out. Clyde is handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the squad car. "Why'd you arrest me? They robbed me!"

Nathan phones Detective Mike Dallas. "Clyde got robbed and then chased after the robbers. When he comes in, can I prepay his bail? It's not that he doesn't have money. I just want someone to believe his story." He admits, "Yes, Clyde called me instead of the police." Dallas: "Is this related to the attacks at the hotel? Two of the attackers have died."

At Baylor Hospital's front desk, Ricardo describes Theo and is directed toward the Emergency Room. Someone there suggests he talk to Detective Dallas, who is talking on his cellphone. Ricardo waits politely until Dallas acknowledges him, then asks him about Theo Perez. Dallas says, "He attacked people with a knife at a horror convention. Right now he's in a bit of pain." Ricardo: "But we got work to do! He's my best counter man!"

A little past 6:00am an unmarked car pulls up and two plainclothes detectives step out. One of them, Detective Santana, leans in and tells Clyde, "Detective Dallas wants to talk to you. We've sent some Garland police to your house." Clyde gets into the other car.

Ricardo is allowed to see Theo. Theo looks bruised, bloodied, and glassy-eyed. Ricardo: "Theo, what did you do?" Theo's memory is very hazy. "Friday night, went out with the boys... some Anglo bought us beer... Manuel was with me... Anglo hired us for a job on the weekend... We were in a hallway, there was gunfire... Manuel, he got shot... They said I stabbed somebody; I didn't stab anybody! You know I don't fight when I drink!" He thinks the Anglo's name was Darren.

Ricardo phones Theo's wife and tells her Theo is alive. She cries, "He would never raise a hand against anybody!" "They're going to arrest him on charges, so you need to get a bail bondsman."

Detective Dallas shows Ricardo eleven mugshots. "Do you recognize any of these men?" Ricardo points to Theo and another of his men, Manuel ("Manuel, he's a slacker"), then three other construction workers he knows who aren't part of his crew, and one other man who looks vaguely familiar. Dallas hands him a business card. "Call that guy if you want to get them cleared." The card reads: Nathan Rahl, Rahl Investigation & Security. Ricardo reckons it's too early to call Mr. Rahl, so he drives to a diner on Highway 26 to eat breakfast.

Clyde has been waiting alone in an interrogation room for some time when finally Detective Mike Dallas enters. "You're one lucky SOB. They're claiming ignorance, but the cops found those license plate covers, and somebody's pulling the traffic cam footage in and out of your neighborhood. Is this connected to those attempted homicides at the hotel?" "I caught them ransacking my house, so I followed them." "They had a hunting rifle in the trunk. Your car's been impounded; soonest you can get it out is Monday morning. You owe me a favor."

Around 8:00am Nathan gets a call from Ricardo Hernandez. "Theo doesn't know what happened. He never carries a knife. The detective gave me your number to get Theo cleared." "Go to my office in two or three hours and we'll discuss it."

Kef has a repeat of her earlier vision but with significant differences. The timeframe is definitely Monday night, and the viewpoint is Orley's. She borrows a cellphone and texts Orley Are you awake? but there's no answer. She leaves a message on Rahl Security's office phone.

Clyde's possessions are returned to him and he is allowed to leave. He calls a cab.

Nathan's alarm goes off. He rises, showers, shaves, and goes to the office; Sara is already there. He tells her, "I've got another client -- Ricardo Hernandez."

Soon afterward, Ricardo arrives. Nathan greets him and shows him into his office. Ricardo explains, "Theo is not violent. He's a good guy. I don't want his wife and kids to suffer." Nathan agrees to do what he can for Theo, and Ricardo pays $500 as a retainer. Ricardo hands Nathan his business card: Ricardo Hernandez, Foreman, Mason Construction. "I last saw Theo on Friday. We're working in a new neighborhood up in Frisco. It looked to me like Theo was drugged. He mentioned an Anglo that was buying rounds. Maybe that Anglo drugged his beer."

Nathan's phone rings. Kef gives the address of an unfinished house in Frisco and says that Vicki Zann and Roberto Hansel will be found there dead Monday night, hanging from the rafters.

As it happens, the address is in the neighborhood where Ricardo has been working. Nathan and Ricardo drive to Frisco. Ricardo points out the house, which looks nearly finished on the outside but still requires inside work (including counters). Ricardo has a master key and unlocks the front door. Almost immediately, he can tell that someone has been prowling around in here, and he points out to Nathan scratches on the back door where someone has picked the lock. Orley arrives, and Nathan sends him to Home Depot to buy a couple of heavy doorstops. Ricardo: "You think doorstops will stop people from killing? They'll just go next door." Nathan: "One problem at a time. Until I can either find Vicki, or find the people who have her, the best I can do is frustration. And frustration leads to mistakes." Ricardo: "You set the doorstops, and I gotta fix broken windows." Nathan: "Windows -- broken. People -- hanging from the ceiling. You choose." Ricardo: "Hey, I don't get involved in killing people. That's not me." Nathan: "It's a good thing I'm here, because I get involved." Ricardo: "Why not just call Murder Hotline and get some more information?" Nathan (chuckling): "Maybe she'll call."

An attractive brunette with a laptop bag slung from her shoulder approaches Kef's booth. Kef senses that the woman is confident and tightly self-controlled, but also nervous as well as curious about Kef. She asks, "You do readings? I'm engaged in something that's a little bit dangerous and chancy in my professional 'stuff' and I just wonder how it's going to turn out." Kef stares calmly into the woman's eyes. Several seconds pass and the woman begins to fidget, then she shrugs and asks, "Can you help me?" Kef motions for her to have a seat. "Lay your hands in front of me." The woman settles down, like someone who's used to waiting. "What do you want to know?" "Will my business endevor be successful?" After a brief pause Kef says simply, "No." The woman takes a deep breath; "I was afraid of that." "You're going about it the wrong way. You're not being honest with yourself." "Yeah... you're probably right, I... my partner is sort of... I just don't... yeah, you're right... I don't think I should trust him. Think he's gotten us in over our heads." "You've never trusted him." "Umm... mostly," she says, unconvincingly. "You're trying to cheat him." "I... well... he... The deal we've been running could be quite catastrophic. He's dealing with... he's a little bit out of his league, and I wasn't feeling good about this to begin with, and... now I'm afraid we're going to get attention in the dealings that's going to be really bad." "You're not being honest with yourself." "Probably. But why should I start now," she half-shrugs, then "So you think I can recover if I'm honest with myself and just go into it whole force?" "I don't think you're capable of it." "Well, I'm pretty good." "Then why aren't you honest with yourself?" "Well, something always seems to go wrong..." The woman's tone takes on an edge of hostility: "Are you a fortuneteller or a psychiatrist?" "You're the one who came to me."

The woman stands up. "I, uh, I saw you the other night, in the pub. [Kef is positive the woman was not there.] Then I asked around about you, and found out that you're ... a lot of times in places you're not expected. You seem to know a lot. They say you're one of the best fortunetellers they've ever seen. That you seem to read people like a book. (pause) Tell me, what did you read off the man you elbowed in that pub the other night?" "What do you think?" "I don't know. That curiosity is part of the reason I'm here." "Are you staying or going?" "You told me to be honest with myself, so I'm staying for now." "Then why did you stand up?" "To give you the impression I might leave if you don't stop, you know, talking like a psychiatrist instead of a fortuneteller. (dripping sarcasm) Or are they about the same thing?" Kef, levelly: "I'm not impressed. Go away now." The woman sneers, "You got a deal."

The woman slowly walks four or five steps away, then turns around. "Do I owe you anything for the 'information'?" "You came to me." "Well, I can't say I took anything from you. What's your standard fee?" "There is no standard fee." The woman pulls a $20 from her wallet, returns, and lays it in front of Kef, who doesn't even glance at it. "You lied to me." "Lied about what?" "The pub." The woman says, "All right, I wasn't there. He told me that you had elbowed him. He was willing to let it lie, but I wanted to find out more about the person who... messed that up. And then he got followed home. It just seemed too coincidental." "You're not only dishonest, you're a liar." "Hm. Do you work for Highland Tropics? Or, let me put it another way, have you done a reading for anybody that works for Highland Tropics? Things are going on with that... My companion and I are doing business with Highland Tropics, and... I thought it was concluded, but... things got weird in the last couple of days, and... I'm not sure they're going to continue to honor their deal. And... I figured if you were a true fortuneteller, you could tell me what was going on, or you might actually somehow be working for them." She glances around the Faire; "This isn't really corporate area here, but...." Kef: "You are a fool."

The woman admits, "I'm scared." "Yes, fear is rolling off of you. You think yourself brave, but you're afraid for your life. You're so desperate, you'd even come to a fortuneteller." "Yyyes, yes. You've got a point." She reaches into her bag, then lays down a business card beside the $20. On it, printed in bright red, is Salmon-Slip, followed by a URL and an email address. Then she says, "I play hunches, and my hunch was that somehow the woman that broke up what was about to happen... might could help me. I get those hunches from time to time, and I follow them, usually. Usually in my business. But this is about me personally. I just feel that something bad is going to happen... I'm not used to physical danger, with what I do. And there are some crazy people involved, I think. So I'm being honest with myself, and that probably means I'm going to need to rabbit. So if you need to get in touch with me, I check email quite frequently. Like I say, that's what I do; I'm quite good at it. I'm just following my gut feeling here... Kef. I don't mean to be informal with you, but that's all the name I've found out for you. So..."

Kef: "What's on the laptop?" Woman: "It's my business office. It's where I have everything. All my information, all my clients, everything. I never let it out of my sight." "What's in there that someone would want to kill you over?" "Generally... I don't know. Some information that I've come across in the last couple of weeks that a lot of people are... concerned about. And... I didn't think they'd kill me about it until just yesterday. Things have gotten... enough to scare me." "Are you being followed?" "Oh, I'm sure I wasn't followed here. I was very careful."

Kef, quietly: "You have less than 48 hours to live." The woman blanches, stares wide-eyed at Kef, then turns and runs away.

Orley returns with the doorstops. Nathan pushes one under the back door, explaining to Orley that it had been picked. Nathan: "You're going to find the bodies of Vicki Zann and Roberto Hansel." Orley: "Oh, you mean I'm gonna find them dead." Nathan: "Hanging. Monday night. Your job -- and you're gonna accept it -- is to make sure that it doesn't happen." Orley: "You mean I'll be staking out this house for the next 48 hours." Nathan: "That is one option. I want you to get one of the guys who tried to kill us out of jail. We're about to go see how much information the police will give us, meaning you, since you used to be one of them... not that it's going to make a difference. But it can't hurt."

Nathan: "Ricardo, I'm going to take you back to your car. If I need you later, can I give you a call?" Ricardo: "Yes, as long as I'm not working." "Are you doing countertops today?" "Naw. Tomorrow."

Orley: "Boss, I don't think they're going to let us talk to any of the suspects. Dallas will do unconventional things as long as he doesn't feel he's giving away the case." Nathan: "Well, let's go back to the office. I'll call Dallas en route and see how much longer he's going to be on duty. I'll talk to him, see what he'll tell me, because I have stuff to tell him. I'll have you come back up here later and stake it out. There's something that we're missing, and I can't wrap my head around it." Orley: "Maybe one of Ricardo's men that was involved at the hotel told the leader about this location, and they're going to use it to kill people and dump bodies." Nathan: "That is one possibility." Orley: "Do we know how I find them?" Nathan: "They're hanging from the ceiling. Why are you here? Probably because I told you to be here."

Nathan asks Ricardo to lock up the house. As they're walking toward Nathan's car, Nathan tells Orley, "Someone broke into Clyde Wheeler's house last night, and he chased them and caught them. And then he went to jail." Orley: "That's a man who doesn't have much concern for his own self." Nathan: "No, he doesn't. From what I understand, he did that pivot move on them, and then he sat there and waited for the police to come. So they arrested him and the two guys, and the two guys said they didn't know why he was chasing them, which any other type of man would have known they were going to say." Orley: "He's not the kind of man who thinks things through, sir." Nathan: "No, he isn't. But I called Dallas and told him what had happened, and I think he let him go." Orley: "So he's probably at his home. Do you want me to check up on him?" Nathan: "No. He's an angry man. Let's let him be angry."

Three young teenage boys (one Asian, one African-American, one Anglo) ride up on bicycles. "Are you cops or something?" Nathan: "Or something." Ricardo: "What are you doing here?" K1: "We live over there, about three or four blocks." Ricardo: "Good. Then go on." Nathan: "Have you seen anyone strange around here besides us in the last couple of days?" The kids recognize Ricardo since he works in this area; "You're the guy with the loud voice who tells everybody else what to do." K1: "If we tell you about people messing with your work, will you give us rewards?" Ricardo: "Only one way to find out." K1: "I don't want to tell and then you not pay a reward." Ricardo repeats, "Only one way to find out?" K1 whines, "I gotta tell you first?" The kids grumble, but then supply the license plate number of a car that was parked here yesterday. K1: "I don't think they even saw me. I wasn't supposed to be out. You won't tell my mother, will you?" Ricardo: "I don't know your mom." K1: "Good. Is that worth any money?" Nathan hands the kid a $5 bill. Ricardo: "Did you see the guys?" K1 describes two Anglo men in some detail.

Early in the afternoon, someone wakes Clyde by pounding on his broken doorframe. It's Reggie Bradley, a 40ish guy who avers that he's Clyde's next-door neighbor. (Clyde has never made much effort to get acquainted with his neighbors, but he has noticed that Reggie is always working in his yard or around the house.) Reggie didn't see who broke in, as he and his wife weren't home until late. He offers to help Clyde fix the door. Clyde: "Sure, if you're not busy." Reggie: "Hey, just being neighborly."

A car cruises by with two men rubbernecking at his house. As Clyde looks up sharply, the car speeds away, but not before Clyde is sure that the passenger was one of the men in the car he bumped off the highway last night. He jots down what he recalls of the license plate.

Clyde explains that he doesn't want to leave his house unguarded, and gives Reggie some money to buy a new door and haul it back. He borrows Reggie's phone to call Nathan. Nathan: "Clyde, where are you? Are you still at police headquarters?" Clyde: "No, they let me go, I'm at home. My house has been ransacked. I just saw one of the guys that broke into my house ride by with a different driver. Can I give you this info and you can start looking into it so I can break those guys' kneecaps?" Clyde gives Nathan the partial license information. Nathan: "I figured this was a Kirk thing, but I didn't tell the detective that, because I wanted him to let you go." Clyde: "Well, thanks for that. Maybe I should have driven away after I hit those guys. I get carried away." Nathan will arrange to get Clyde's car out of impound. Clyde: "I'm not going anywhere until I get my house locked up and get some cameras." After returning Reggie's phone, Clyde finds one of his aluminum bats and sits down on his front porch.

Nathan calls Detective Dallas, who says he sent Ricardo Martinez his way because "he wanted to clear his guys, and I don't do that -- I just get the facts." Nathan: "I have some information relevant to this case." Dallas: "What do you expect in return, Mr Detective?" Nathan: "Do you know the name of the guy that they were drinking with?" Dallas gives him the name Darren ("like in the witch show"), then teases "why should I give you [the last name]?" Nathan: "Are most of the guys you're holding construction workers?" Dallas: "Seven of the nine are. Two of the guys you took in the suite are not." Nathan then recalls that Earl Garrison had said he was gathering information for a Darren Young, and realizes that Dallas has no intention of telling him anything useful. Nathan states his belief that the incident at the hotel and the attacks on Clyde Wheeler are unrelated to each other. Kirk Wainwright is behind the attacks on Clyde. Dallas: "I've heard that name before. He's got a lot of money." Nathan: "Not as much as he did before he met Mr Wheeler. He got the beat-down twice" so these are 'grudge' attacks. Nathan mentions the passenger from last night having ridden by Clyde's house today, and Dallas admits "They made bail on the traffic counts" and there were no other charges they could make stick. "The video backs up your client's story -- he is your client, right?" Nathan: "He is now." Dallas: "[Clyde] did a lot of things that were stupid, that could get him locked up or killed." Nathan: "I told him that, but I think you made a bigger impression on him." Dallas: "I hope so, because he seems like an all right guy." Nathan: "I wouldn't go that far, either." Dallas chuckles, then says, "If it is Wainwright, he's pretty savvy. It's going to be hard to prove he had anything with this." Nathan: "I'm going to have to go visit Mr Wainwright." Dallas: "Be careful. He's got influence and connections, and a bad temper toward people who cause him problems. If anything happens, be sure you can prove self-defense." Nathan: "Don't worry. I understand my rights within the law."

Dallas: "Are you going to be able to help Hernandez?" Nathan: "Yeah, probably. I can't get into details because it's pretty speculative." Nathan gives Dallas the license plate number supplied by the kids in Frisco, saying it belongs to potential murderers, "and this relates directly to what you're dealing with now. ... Is it possible for Theo, if he is found to have been under the influence of drugs, to make bail?" Dallas: "I'll make the recommendation to the assistant DA." ("He's really good at countertops." "That's what Mr Hernandez said.) Nathan: "As long as it's by Monday morning." Dallas: "It's a long shot, Mr Rahl, but I'll try." They are searching for Darren Young, and surprisingly that is his real name, but if his scheme had worked there would have been no witnesses.

In the parking area near Nathan's office, Nathan says, "Thank you, Ricardo. I enjoyed your company." Ricardo: "Well, I hope we can get Theo out." "I'm pushing for that." "Good luck." Ricardo's motorcycle sputters and won't start. Someone siphoned the gas and replaced a part on his bike with a faulty one. Nathan gives him a ride to an auto parts store and a gas station. Ricardo: "This kind of stuff happens all the time." Once he gets his bike fixed, Ricardo goes home to Irving.

On his way to Garland, Nathan phones Joe Powell who immediately asks, "Do you have [the portfolio] yet?" Nathan: "No, Joe." Powell: "You've been on the case for a good twelve hours!" Nathan: "Who is Darren Young?" Powell: "I'm afraid the name doesn't mean anything to me." Nathan: "He tried to kill you last night, so I think you should know who Darren Young is." Powell: "I don't. Sorry." Nathan: "I mean you should find out who Darren Young is." Powell: "Oh. Isn't that what I hired you to do?" Prompted by Nathan, Powell verifies with his security chief, Wesley Weltz, that Darren Young is not employed by Softlight. Nathan: "And you said you don't know Vicki Zann. How about Roberto Hansel?" Powell: "That name sounds vaguely familiar." After another phone call: "Mr Weltz says that a few weeks ago we had an inquiry from Roberto Hansel, an agent of the Pinkertons. He was doing background checks on Randy Close and Lucy Buckner. Lucy Buckner used to be in our IT department for six months, and was fired for cause -- doing private work on company time." Nathan: "And Randy?" Powell: "He never worked for us." Powell has been dictating what he remembers from the portfolio to his admin, "and when I get that disseminated, there won't be any reason to kill me." Nathan: "I know who ordered the hit. I don't know why." Powell: "That's what I hired you to find out. And to retrieve the portfolio, remember." Nathan: "I have not forgotten."

Nathan shows up at Clyde's house about the time Reggie arrives with the new door. Nathan gives Clyde a burner phone to use (Clyde's phone is in his impounded car). While Clyde orders food (pizza and Chinese), Nathan chats with Reggie (who is a computer programmer) and gives him his card "in case you see anything strange around here." As Reggie goes to work on the door, Clyde asks Nathan: "Did you find anything new yet?" Nathan: "No. I'm going to talk to Kirk." Clyde: "Bring him back here tied up, and we'll take care of him." Nathan: "I was given specific instructions to stay within the law." Clyde: "Okay. I wasn't." Nathan: "Me bringing him here would probably be 'aiding and abetting.'" Clyde: "Fair enough." Nathan: "I might accidentally throw him out a window." Clyde: "Don't be having any fun if I can't be there."

Theo's wife calls Ricardo. She has contacted a bondsman, but Theo's bail has not yet been set. The place he had gone to on Friday is called Last Peso Bar.

Kef calls Nathan and tells him about the woman. "I think she's an associate of Randy Close. She's carrying a laptop. Someone wants it enough to kill her. I told her she'll be dead in 48 hours and she freaked out." She describes the woman in great detail and recites the info on the woman's business card. Nathan: "I'll keep her close, then. Is she trustworthy?" Kef: "No." Nathan: "I'll keep her very close."

Nathan finds that the website is a hacker gateway. He enters a message: "Do you want to live? -- Nathan." The reply comes quickly: "Yes." Nathan: "She contacted me. You should contact me." Reply: "Only under the right conditions. I don't know you." Nathan: "'Alive' is the condition, right?" Reply: "I wasn't told how I would die. You could be the killer, for all I know." Nathan: "Meet me in my office in an hour."

Nathan arrives at Kirk Wainwright's impressive mansion in a wealthy area of Dallas. A butler shows him in to Kirk's study. Kirk offers him a drink. Nathan: "I need you to stop this feud with Clyde Wheeler. Trying to get your money back, or trying to get revenge, it'll hurt you in the long run." Kirk: "I haven't done anything to him. And he threatened me, also." Nathan: "I just need you not to go after him. If you're somewhere and he initiates it, then by all means... I can't stop a client from being stupid. ... However, the other night there were two thugs in an alley waiting to jump him." Kirk: "That happens sometimes when you flash around a lot of money." Nathan: "The thing is, they were waiting there before he had the money." Kirk: "You have my word, I won't come after him until he comes after me again. But I won't stop playing poker or go out of my way to avoid him." Nathan: "We all know the rules in Texas: Don't start none, won't be none."

Nathan changes the subject. Kirk denies knowing Darren Young. Kirk has done business before with Highland Tropics but not currently. Randy Close used to work for Kirk (security, jack of all trades, fixer) but left several years ago "looking for the big score." Nathan: "Since you've been such a gentleman, I'll give you some free advice. If you are involved with any of the names I mentioned, I would separate myself from them, as there's a high possibility of long jail sentences. That's the worst thing to do to a rich man -- take away his freedom." Kirk: "We will probably meet again. Tell Mr Wheeler it's been interesting doing business with him." Nathan: "I'll keep that to myself."

A car cruises past Clyde's house, and that same guy flips him the bird. Clyde hurls a baseball and dents the passenger door, and another one shatters the rear passenger window. The car speeds away. Clyde retrieves the first baseball (the other is in the car), then gets a broom and dustpan and sweeps up the broken glass.

No one is waiting to see Nathan when he gets back to his office, but he finds three new entries in his contact list -- Randy Close, Salmon-Slip, and "Anonymous."