One Assignment… One Dangerous Attraction | Thriller Movie 2026 | Based on a True Story

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:02]reporting closely concerning the disappearance of a local Savannah Police Captain John Gerard issuing a statement.

[00:00:19]>> After this rescue mission has sadly become a recovery operation, we have concluded that to continue this search would be feudal. We're looking at this as a suicide, but we still don't know what really happened.

[00:00:34]>> I know what happened.

[00:00:38]>> Detective Hatcher, the defendant, Robert Savage, has been presented to this court as the proprietor of an import export enterprise.

[00:00:48]Do you have any knowledge of his involvement in any other business?

[00:00:52]>> Yes, the drug trade.

[00:00:55]And what was the profession of the murder victim, Freddy Morris?

[00:00:58]>> Freddy was a drug dealer. He worked for the defendant. He was also a snitch.

[00:01:02]>> What does snitch mean exactly?

[00:01:05]>> Objection, your honor. Relevance.

[00:01:07]Overruled. I'd like to hear the detective's definition.

[00:01:11]>> A snitch provides police with intelligence on a suspect's criminal activities.

[00:01:16]>> And did Mr. Morris provide intel on the defendant's narcotics activities?

[00:01:20]>> He did.

[00:01:21]>> When you found Mr. Mo is dead. What condition was he in specifically?

[00:01:25]>> Specifically, he was shot in the head.

[00:01:27]He had his tongue cut out of his mouth and the medical examiner said it probably happened while he was still alive.

[00:01:34]>> Afterwards, did you venture to the defendant's office to question him?

[00:01:37]>> I did let myself in unannounced and Mr. Savage was with a woman who was on her knees in front of him. And you you get the picture?

[00:01:47]>> I believe we do.

[00:01:49]Please continue.

[00:01:51]There was a gun on his desk and I knew if he got to that weapon I'd be a dead man.

[00:01:56]>> Objection, your honor. Conclusion.

[00:01:59]>> Sustained.

[00:02:00]>> Thank you, judge.

[00:02:02]>> Detective Hatcher, did you fear for your life when you saw the gun?

[00:02:06]>> Of course I did. I subdued him and I let the woman get away >> and she took the gun with her.

[00:02:12]>> Girl took the gun with her? Yes. Neither Neither had been seen since, >> your honor. Some important information has just come to light. May we meet in your chambers, please?

[00:02:29]>> They've been in there 30 minutes. What do you think you're talking about?

[00:02:33]>> Plea bargain? Maybe.

[00:02:35]>> Savage wouldn't comp to a parking violation.

[00:02:39]>> Detective Hatcher's rule number five. It ain't over till it's over.

[00:02:42]>> James Straight.

[00:02:44]>> Sevenlet word for surrender.

[00:02:46]>> Abdicate.

[00:02:49]That's eight letters.

[00:03:09]Stop staring.

[00:03:14]How's the judge get a wife like that?

[00:03:19]All right.

[00:03:33]Okay.

[00:03:35]Please be seated.

[00:03:40]>> I don't have a good feeling about this.

[00:03:42]Defense council has informed me that during voardier, juror number 10 failed to disclose that her son was enrolled in the police academy.

[00:03:51]She didn't intend to deceive the court, but failed to recognize how such an omission could affect the outcome of this trial.

[00:03:57]>> What defense council feels that juror number 10 may have an inherent bias against any defendant, especially one accused of such an egregious crime, and I agree with council on this point.

[00:04:08]>> No. and regrettably am compelled to declare a mistrial. Jurors, you are hereby dismissed. Mr. Adams, your client is free to go.

[00:04:16]>> You're going to let this guy walk? Are you joking?

[00:04:19]>> You see me laughing, detective.

[00:04:21]>> Blew it again, I'll be in touch real soon. You just gave this guy a pass to go kill again.

[00:04:28]>> Detective, you are a decorated officer.

[00:04:30]Try behaving like one.

[00:04:31]>> Why don't you act like a judge?

[00:04:33]>> Detective, you are in contempt of this court. Deputy, take him away and put him away. This court is adjourned.

[00:04:42]>> Just relax.

[00:04:43]>> I got it. I got it.

[00:05:05]Woo! Jail sink. Nothing worse.

[00:05:07]>> Did you see any of our friends?

[00:05:09]>> Oh, yeah. It's constant party in there.

[00:05:11]Saw fatfaced Chuck. He said to say hi, by the way.

[00:05:15]>> Really? I always actually kind of liked him.

[00:05:18]>> That's good cuz he really likes you.

[00:05:23]>> How come your alarm wasn't set?

[00:05:25]>> Keep forgetting the code.

[00:05:28]>> Well, set it. Okay. He said he's coming after you.

[00:05:31]>> Hey, let him bring it on.

[00:05:34]You know the captain isn't too happy about what went down in court. Oh, >> you think I am?

[00:05:40]Remember we got savage for trafficking?

[00:05:43]>> Yeah, that aquid was messed up.

[00:05:46]>> How about homicide?

[00:05:48]>> Actually, the charge was vehicular manslaughter. Just saying.

[00:05:51]>> He ran over the guy 12 times. I call that homicide.

[00:05:55]>> Yeah. Well, hung jury didn't know what to call, so he walked.

[00:05:58]>> He bought that jury.

[00:06:01]>> You're obsessed. Damn right, >> Hatch, the DA isn't retrying the case.

[00:06:09]>> What? No, wait. You know what? I don't care.

[00:06:13]>> Liar. You do care deeply. That's what I love about you.

[00:06:17]>> Hey, did you just say love?

[00:06:21]>> Shut up.

[00:06:23]When are you going to play something for me on the piano?

[00:06:26]>> I don't play anymore.

[00:06:29]>> Hatch. Brenda's been gone for what, two years now?

[00:06:34]How long are you going to keep moping around?

[00:06:36]>> Hey.

[00:06:38]>> All right. All right.

[00:06:40]Well, get in the shower and go get pretty. We got to get going.

[00:06:44]>> Where are we going?

[00:06:46]>> Awards dinner.

[00:06:47]>> No, no, no.

[00:06:48]>> Your commenation. Yeah. Come on.

[00:06:50]>> I'm not going.

[00:06:50]>> We're going. That's that.

[00:06:52]>> Now, give me a diet cola for the road.

[00:06:55]>> Caffeine free.

[00:06:57]>> Hey. Hey.

[00:06:58]>> What? What? What is it? I think we just found Freddy Morris's tongue.

[00:07:22]Is that you? Clear.

[00:07:29]Just savage playing games.

[00:07:37]No, this is a warning.

[00:07:40]This guy, he gets off on your obsession with him and that makes you a target.

[00:07:45]Hatch, he just got access to your home.

[00:07:49]Set your alarm, damn it, every day.

[00:07:54]>> Promise. All right, go take a shower.

[00:07:57]I'll call in the tongue.

[00:08:09]>> Promise me you won't get drunk and do something tonight.

[00:08:12]>> Sure, >> Di.

[00:08:15]Oh, you're in a dress.

[00:08:18]You look amazing.

[00:08:21]>> What the hell happened?

[00:08:22]>> Piss off, Whley.

[00:08:23]>> Just saying.

[00:08:26]Bob Whley compliments me, but you haven't said a word on how I look.

[00:08:30]>> What? You look nice.

[00:08:31]>> It's too late.

[00:08:33]Can >> I get a tequila on the rocks and a diet cola, please?

[00:08:39]>> A detective.

[00:08:41]No hard feelings, I hope.

[00:08:43]>> For the jail time, >> I only have myself to blame for that.

[00:08:48]>> Good answer.

[00:08:55]Hello there, Michelle. Give me a raid.

[00:08:57]>> Yes.

[00:08:59]>> What'd he say?

[00:09:00]>> Said you look hot and can't figure out why we're not having >> Well, I hope you told him it's cuz I like last more than 60 seconds.

[00:09:26]You're late.

[00:09:28]I would be upset, but It gives me great pleasure to introduce our next honore, a man of integrity and courage, a mentor to his fellow officers, Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher.

[00:10:21]Thank you, Captain Gerard. Thank you, everybody. I um I can't really accept this award because I didn't crack that case. The one who solved it is someone I'm proud to call my my friend and my partner, Dee Bowen.

[00:10:37]Dee, come on up here and accept this award. This is yours. Come on, give it up for Dee, everybody.

[00:10:47]Come on, take this. So, >> now you're going to go get drunk.

[00:10:50]>> Mhm.

[00:10:52]>> Thank you so much.

[00:11:06]>> This is Lar.

[00:11:09]Hi, Duncan Hatcher.

[00:11:13]This is a very nice thing you did back there.

[00:11:17]>> I'm not always nice.

[00:11:21]You know what pisses me off?

[00:11:24]>> Apart from my husband.

[00:11:26]>> Mhm.

[00:11:28]A woman who's too beautiful for me.

[00:11:35]>> How sad. A hero who underestimates himself.

[00:11:40]Good night, detective.

[00:11:41]>> Hey. Um, when will we see each other again?

[00:11:50]>> We won't.

[00:11:51]>> Yes, we will. Any judge that sends me to jail, I make it a point to seduce his wife.

[00:12:07]Hey, Hey, >> why is it after a few drinks you turn into such a complete ass?

[00:13:44]Who the hell are you?

[00:13:53]>> Hey, Diddy.

[00:13:54]>> Something's gone down at the Lair House.

[00:13:56]A shooting.

[00:13:57]>> What?

[00:14:08]Why? Why you got all these baseball cards in here?

[00:14:11]>> I collect them.

[00:14:13]>> Why is that a problem?

[00:14:16]>> No, I didn't think we had secrets.

[00:14:25]You feel funny about this? I mean, you and the judge.

[00:14:28]>> Just cuz you got a history doesn't mean I want him dead.

[00:14:32]>> No, the shots woke me up and I ran as fast as I could and that's that's when I saw my wife slumped in the chair.

[00:14:42]>> Lord, sometimes I think Savannah is nothing more than a swamp.

[00:14:46]>> What do you got?

[00:14:48]>> 38 caliber straight through the hot frontal entry. The CSI boys are in there now trying to get a name off the guy.

[00:14:54]But you got the shooter in custody.

[00:14:56]>> What? The shooter is Mrs. Leairard.

[00:15:04]They're going to have a few questions once they get done with the You guys >> anything?

[00:15:25]>> He jimmyed a window to get in.

[00:15:28]>> They found a tire iron under some bushes. No car keys, no money, no ID.

[00:15:32]And supposedly neither the judge nor his wife recognize him.

[00:15:37]>> Let's go talk to him. Mrs. Lair, please go over everything that happened.

[00:15:42]>> Things got hot in the jacuzzi, so we went upstairs to make love, and she forgot to turn on the alarm. Judge, please. You're sitting in as courtesy.

[00:15:51]>> Now, Mrs. Lair.

[00:15:55]>> Well, you heard my husband.

[00:15:58]>> And then at around 12:30, I came downstairs to get something to drink >> every night. Chronic insomnia.

[00:16:05]>> This is not your courtroom, judge. This crime scene. Okay, >> Mrs. Lair.

[00:16:14]I was in the kitchen getting myself a glass of milk when I heard a noise.

[00:16:34]>> I grabbed the gun from the drawer.

[00:16:37]>> Why didn't you call 911?

[00:16:40]>> I should have. I know. If I had to do it again, I would. I own several guns. She knows where they are. I had to take lessons to learn how to use them properly.

[00:16:48]>> If you don't shut up, I'm going to throw you out of your own house. Okay, you got it.

[00:16:53]>> You're a good shot, Mrs. Lair. Now, can we continue? You get the gun. And Who the hell are you?

[00:17:23]I was so scared. I couldn't believe what I just done.

[00:17:26]>> And that was it.

[00:17:28]>> Yes.

[00:17:30]>> And you said you found your wife slumped in a chair.

[00:17:33]>> So I'm allowed to talk now.

[00:17:36]>> Yeah, please.

[00:17:41]I thought she was dead. Then I ran to her and that's when I saw the man on the floor. Elise was in shock, but it was clear that she had interrupted an attempted burglary.

[00:17:54]>> Okay, we might have more questions in the morning, but that's enough for tonight. Thank you.

[00:17:59]>> Sorry to put you through this, Miss Lair. Judge, >> I'm just doing your job. I'll see you out.

[00:18:04]>> Actually, judge, there's just one more thing I'd like to check out in the study. Do you mind?

[00:18:09]>> I won't be long.

[00:18:30]I was drunk and uh and angry and I know it's no excuse for what I said. I just want you to know that it wasn't it wasn't about you, >> wasn't he?

[00:19:00]Yeah, you're good. Come on. Come on.

[00:19:32]At least this is a nice surprise.

[00:19:37]>> I need a favor. Let's go, Phil.

[00:19:50]>> Sydney, will you give this to J when he comes in?

[00:19:52]>> Sure.

[00:19:54]>> I'll send it over to you.

[00:20:00]>> Hey, everybody.

[00:20:03]>> Hey.

[00:20:03]>> Hey, buddy.

[00:20:05]>> They identified the body from the lair house. Gary Ray Troder from Baltimore.

[00:20:10]Small stuff and no burglary charges.

[00:20:13]>> All of a sudden the guy's a burglar.

[00:20:16]>> Yeah. And why rob a home without gloves or tools of the trade? Just a handgun.

[00:20:21]Makes no sense.

[00:20:23]>> Mrs. Lair's hiding something.

[00:20:25]>> Then there's a trajectory of Tarter's bullet. See, it doesn't match her story.

[00:20:29]>> His round, it went straight up.

[00:20:32]>> So, what we got on the Lar case?

[00:20:34]>> We were just talking about that. Sounds like to me a burger shot in the act, right?

[00:20:38]>> Maybe not. We're checking it out.

[00:20:47]>> Sorry for showing up unannounced. We just need to clear up a few things >> overnight. Is there anything that you thought of that you might have left out?

[00:20:56]>> Apparently, I didn't get the memo.

[00:20:59]>> What now, Hatcher? Your captain's already told me this is being wrapped up.

[00:21:03]>> We just need to clarify a few things.

[00:21:05]The dead man. His name is Gary Ray Troder. Repeat offender. He ever end up in your courtroom.

[00:21:11]>> Maybe he had a grudge.

[00:21:15]>> No, I never seen him before.

[00:21:18]>> Why would he burglarize your home?

[00:21:20]>> I'm rich. Look, all I know is that this man tried to kill my wife.

[00:21:25]>> You sure he shot first, Mrs. Larry?

[00:21:28]>> Yes. That's what I told you.

[00:21:31]>> The trajectory of Troder's bullet. It suggests otherwise. This is the way we see it.

[00:21:39]>> Who the hell are you?

[00:21:48]>> Of course he fired first. After the trauma that my wife has been through, you're going to stand there and accuse her of lying to you?

[00:21:56]>> Our apologies.

[00:21:58]Just had to check.

[00:22:01]Thank you. We'll see ourselves out.

[00:22:10]Detective Patrick, can I have your card in case I remember any other details?

[00:22:25]>> Hey, give me the keys. Hatch.

[00:22:26]>> I'm driving.

[00:22:27]>> Just give me the keys.

[00:22:28]>> I'm driving. Deal with it.

[00:22:39]I don't believe a word she says.

[00:22:46]>> She's pretty.

[00:22:49]>> You think?

[00:22:52]>> I saw how you two were eyeballing each other. Think with your brain. Okay.

[00:23:00]You know what I see when I look at her?

[00:23:02]One lonely person.

[00:23:05]>> Funny. That's what I see when I look at you.

[00:23:11]>> Guess what I found out about her? She was a waitress at his country club when they met. But before that, she was a waitress at a low rent strip club outside of town.

[00:23:22]>> Every strip club's low rent.

[00:23:24]>> I want to know.

[00:23:27]She killed Troder for a reason, but it wasn't burglary.

[00:23:32]>> Well, her marriage to the judge should raise some eyebrows.

[00:23:36]She has her critics out there and enemies.

[00:23:40]She gives women a bad name.

[00:23:42]>> Wow. Hope about chicken.

[00:23:45]>> Put in some money or get lost.

[00:23:48]>> Why aren't Napoli going missing?

[00:23:49]>> A private investigator. Mhm.

[00:23:51]>> That's Yep.

[00:23:53]>> A lot of people didn't like him very much. Then you should have a lot of suspects.

[00:23:58]>> Yes, I will.

[00:24:10]>> Why don't you reply to my note?

[00:24:11]>> You got something to say to me? You come down to the precinct. Okay. Got that?

[00:24:14]>> It's too sensitive.

[00:24:16]>> Would you tell your partner about my note?

[00:24:18]>> No. Come here.

[00:24:23]This better be good.

[00:24:27]I know why Gary Rider came to the house.

[00:24:30]He was hired to kill me.

[00:24:31]>> By who?

[00:24:33]>> By my husband.

[00:24:37]>> Why would Ko Lared want you dead?

[00:24:40]>> I can't tell you that. I risked a lot by coming here. Ko left the house early to play golf at the country club. So, I came to you because >> I underestimate myself.

[00:24:52]No, cuz I trust you.

[00:24:55]>> Really? The guy who said he wanted to sleep with you? A hitman? Come on. Why would your husband want to knock off the woman who gets him all hot and steamy in the jacuzzi?

[00:25:05]>> You're don't speak.

[00:25:15]>> Yeah, >> found a post-it note in Napoli's office with the name Gary Ray Trotder on it.

[00:25:20]Maybe we should talk to Lar's been a witness in his courtroom.

[00:25:25]>> Pick me up in 30.

[00:25:29]>> Come on, talk.

[00:25:30]>> I always set the alarm before going to bed. That night, Ko stopped me from doing it >> before or after the hot sex.

[00:25:38]>> He wanted to get into the house.

[00:25:41]After I was dead, he could truthfully say that he had prevented me from setting the alarm, blaming himself, winning everyone's penny. Brilliant.

[00:25:52]He has you all fooled.

[00:25:54]>> Oh, please. If I'm going to buy this Saab story, I got to hear a motive. So, give me one.

[00:26:03]>> I can't risk telling you not yet.

[00:26:05]>> Hey, this isn't a game. You went into that study to kill Troder. You fired first. It's called murder.

[00:26:13]>> Yeah, I made a mistake coming here.

[00:26:15]>> Yeah, you're right. Cuz you thought we'd end up in bed together and I'd drop the investigation. Uh-uh. You can leave now.

[00:26:22]>> You have to let go of me first.

[00:26:30]>> Is he eating alone?

[00:26:31]>> Supposedly, >> detectives.

[00:26:35]Well, even you can't spoil my mood today, Hatcher. I just shot the best round of my life.

[00:26:41]join us.

[00:26:42]>> Us.

[00:26:43]>> My wife insisted on celebrating with me.

[00:26:47]All right, there she is. Bye, sweetheart.

[00:26:53]>> Detectives, this is a surprise.

[00:26:57]>> Ever heard of a private investigator named Napoli?

[00:27:00]>> Yes. Uh, he's been in my court several times as a witness.

[00:27:04]>> Why?

[00:27:05]>> Mrs. Lair, do you know him?

[00:27:08]>> No, I've never heard of him. The man you shot and killed made an appointment to see him, but his secretary says Troder never showed up.

[00:27:16]>> What are you implying?

[00:27:18]>> Don't you find it odd that after Troder is killed in your home, his name ends up on the desk of a PI who happens to have gone missing? Ever had any contact with Napoli outside the courtroom?

[00:27:28]>> No.

[00:27:31]Where were you this morning, ma'am?

[00:27:35]She was at home. Look, my wife and I have told you all that we know. So, if there uh isn't anything else?

[00:27:42]>> Nothing else. Enjoy your lunch.

[00:27:46]>> I will.

[00:27:49]>> He's lying.

[00:27:50]>> Yeah. And what was that? Where were you this morning all about?

[00:27:54]>> Trying not to trip him up. They're both lying.

[00:27:56]>> Ain't no secrets between partners. You taught me that my first day.

[00:27:58]>> You think I'm holding something back?

[00:27:59]>> You tell me.

[00:28:01]>> I'm going to stick around here and keep an eye on him. Go see if you can help dig up something on Natalie. Find out if he's dead or alive. And if he's still breathing, >> have a little chat with him.

[00:28:20]>> Excuse me.

[00:28:25]>> Hello.

[00:28:34]Hey, you tell me he's here to get me here, then you walls in. Well, you trying to throw me off my game?

[00:28:40]>> No. No. I'm here to help in case he lies.

[00:28:43]>> What about your lies? I've been watching you. He sure doesn't look like a man trying to kill his wife to me.

[00:28:48]>> Oh, but I look like a killer.

[00:28:50]>> You are one.

[00:28:52]You're still here?

[00:28:55]Just leaving?

[00:28:57]I need to speak with you privately.

[00:28:59]>> Okay with you?

[00:29:01]>> Of course.

[00:29:03]>> I'll be in my office.

[00:29:06]>> What'd he say to you?

[00:29:08]>> He thinks you're covering something up.

[00:29:10]Are you?

[00:29:27]Hello, my lovely.

[00:29:29]>> Did you get what I asked for?

[00:29:31]>> Tomorrow night at the club. Robert Savage always delivers.

[00:29:39]>> Should have told you this before, but I couldn't say anything about Nambling in front of my wife. I hired to follow her.

[00:29:50]I thought she was having an affair.

[00:29:54]Satisfied.

[00:29:56]>> Was she?

[00:29:59]>> Yes. But then I decided to not do anything about it.

[00:30:04]I love her.

[00:30:06]I don't want to lose her.

[00:30:10]Who's the affair with?

[00:30:12]>> Coleman Greer. Coleman. Coleman Greer.

[00:30:15]The baseball star. The one that killed himself.

[00:30:20]You want to have sex with my wife, don't you?

[00:30:26]If I said no, you'd be insulted.

[00:30:57]I don't usually pick up women like this.

[00:31:00]>> I picked you up, remember?

[00:31:02]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:31:07]Hey, what was your name again?

[00:31:22]Yeah, >> one of Savage's dope dealers was booked for assault. Gordon Belaloo.

[00:31:28]>> Maybe we got lucky and Gordy's ready to deal.

[00:31:32]>> I'll be right down.

[00:31:35]Hey, I got to go do a little work thing.

[00:31:40]>> Yeah, me too.

[00:31:42]Savage wasn't off. You're a good lay.

[00:31:47]>> What?

[00:31:47]>> I'll tell him you're okay.

[00:31:50]>> Savage.

[00:31:51]>> Smitties is a total dive. How could you pick someone up in that dump?

[00:31:55]>> She picked me up and I don't need a lecture. I got to get my house checked for bugs now.

[00:31:58]>> Yeah, well, you better get yourself checked, too.

[00:32:03]>> Yeah, Gordy.

[00:32:04]>> I got to go to the bathroom.

[00:32:06]>> Me, too.

[00:32:08]We're going to book you on seconddegree murder. You know that, right, Gordy?

[00:32:11]>> What? I just hit him with a bottle.

[00:32:15]I was high. He called me shorty. I hate that.

[00:32:19]>> It's all right. Relax. The man you assaulted last night has been treated and released.

[00:32:23]>> Talking about Freddy. Freddy Morris, one of Savage's boys.

[00:32:28]>> I had nothing to do with Freddy. Look, Savage scares me. And if Freddy had been smarter, he >> he what? Would have been scared, too.

[00:32:38]>> Wouldn't have been cooperating with us.

[00:32:40]Is that what you're saying?

[00:32:43]>> What? What do you want?

[00:32:45]>> I want Savage.

[00:32:49]>> You give them to me. Something that sticks. I'm going to make all your problems go away, brother.

[00:32:54]>> Is that what you told Freddy?

[00:32:56]>> I'd like to keep my tongue. Thank you.

[00:33:01]>> Hey, Ray.

[00:33:06]What's up?

[00:33:08]At least Lar was having an affair with Coleman Greer.

[00:33:11]>> What?

[00:33:13]When did you find that out?

[00:33:15]>> Yesterday.

[00:33:17]>> Wait. And you didn't call me immediately?

[00:33:26]>> Is there anything else you're holding back?

[00:33:30]>> No. Nothing.

[00:33:34]Look, if Elise Leairard had something to do with Coleman Greer suicide, I'm going to kill her.

[00:33:40]>> Spoken like a true baseball fan.

[00:33:45]>> All right, look. I want to get her in here alone. See if there's anything to this.

[00:33:50]>> You get her here alone, I'll give you 10 bucks.

[00:33:54]Say, make it 20.

[00:33:58]I didn't think Kayo knew about my relationship with Coleman and I didn't know he was having me followed. Now, just so we're clear, I was not having an affair with Coleman.

[00:34:08]We're friends since high school.

[00:34:11]>> You expect us to believe that you and Coleman Greer sneaking around from one hotel to the next, and you're not?

[00:34:21]>> My supposed sex life does seem to intrigue you.

[00:34:27]What does Coleman have to do with any of this?

[00:34:29]>> Anapoli was blackmailing you about this affair. Sent Troder to your place to collect the money and that's why you killed him, >> right?

[00:34:39]To keep your little sugar daddy.

[00:34:45]>> You detectives have quite the imagination.

[00:34:48]>> Are you arresting me?

[00:34:50]>> Not today.

[00:34:56]Have a nice day.

[00:35:06]>> I know those eyes. They're the I want to get you into bed eyes.

[00:35:11]>> She was flirting with me.

[00:35:14]>> You owe me 20 bucks.

[00:35:18]>> I just got a message from one angry judge.

[00:35:21]>> Any idea why he's calling?

[00:35:24]I have contacts, detective, all over the place, so I learn about things quickly, including when the police dragged my wife into the station house.

[00:35:32]>> Good for you. Why are we here?

[00:35:35]>> I felt we should clear the air all around. Now, I've told Elise about hiring Napoli to follow her. I'm not proud of that.

[00:35:43]I deeply regret my business with him, especially if it led to the shooting of Mr. Troder, no matter how roundabout the connection was. But I'm hoping that by being open with you, we can put this regrettable incident behind us.

[00:35:59]Tell them what you told me.

[00:36:04]>> I was a shoulder for Coleman to cry on.

[00:36:08]He was depressed.

[00:36:11]His boyfriend was leaving him.

[00:36:13]>> Wait, boyfriend?

[00:36:16]>> Tell him everything.

[00:36:20]Coleman was gay and he was in love with his teammate Tony Estbon.

[00:36:30]>> That woman is a snake. Coleman Greer was not gay. No way.

[00:36:34]>> Let's just be objective here, okay?

[00:36:36]>> Shut up. Look, everything Elise Lair says is a lie. She has that judge wrapped around her little finger. And you know what? I think she's pretty close to having you wrapped around it, too.

[00:36:45]>> Oh, yeah. You You got something to say about how I'm doing my job. Just say it.

[00:36:50]>> Hatch. Be careful. All right. That's all I'm saying.

[00:36:53]>> Be careful. Okay. Note to self. Be careful. Got it.

[00:36:58]>> Let's go.

[00:37:11]>> What are you looking for?

[00:37:15]The repairman didn't do a good job on the bullet hole. I was just looking for the contractor's card to have it redone.

[00:37:24]>> Got something for you, >> Chris.

[00:37:45]upstairs.

[00:37:53]>> You go to Atlanta alone without telling me. And did it ever occur to you that I would have liked to have met Estabbon?

[00:37:59]He's on my fantasy team.

[00:38:00]>> Let's stick to the case.

[00:38:05]>> So, what do we think?

[00:38:06]>> I'll tell you what I think. Coleman Greer wasn't gay and neither is Eston.

[00:38:10]Diddy, I met the guy. He's gay. Captain, here's the way I see it. Napoli, he knows about Coleman and Estabbon, so he's blackmailing them through Elise Leair. She shoots Troder to save Coleman's career. I don't think this is some burglary gone south.

[00:38:27]>> And maybe Mrs. Leair is also involved in the disappearance of Napoli.

[00:38:32]>> All right, let's get the Lairs in here in the morning. 10:00.

[00:38:38]Tell them to law you're up.

[00:38:40]>> You got it, Captain.

[00:38:50]>> Tony Estimon signed card right there.

[00:38:52]>> And that's supposed to stop me from being pissed off of you.

[00:39:01]>> This pinmanship sucks.

[00:39:05]>> All right. What's your motive hatch?

[00:39:08]same as yours. Solve the case.

[00:39:20]Police.

[00:39:22]What's taking so long? I want to see you in that dress.

[00:39:33]You have great taste.

[00:39:40]Hello, >> judge. It's Hatcher.

[00:39:45]>> Detective.

[00:39:47]What now?

[00:39:48]>> Captain, want you and your wife come down to headquarters tomorrow, >> 10 a.m.?

[00:39:51]>> Why?

[00:39:52]>> I don't know. You're the judge. Figure it out. You might want to bring an attorney.

[00:39:57]>> I just might do that.

[00:39:59]Thank you, detective.

[00:40:03]>> What is it?

[00:40:07]Don't worry, I'll take care of you.

[00:41:27]I lied.

[00:41:32]Whose house is this?

[00:41:36]>> Belongs to a friend.

[00:41:38]It's not about Savage.

[00:41:41]I figured using his name would get you here.

[00:41:44]>> Will you sneak out on your husband?

[00:41:46]>> He went to the country club.

[00:41:51]Look, please just just put away your gun.

[00:41:58]I shot Trider in self-defense. That's the truth.

[00:42:01]>> You lied to get me here.

[00:42:03]>> And now I'm telling you the truth.

[00:42:06]>> Talked to Tony Estimon about you. He don't like you very much.

[00:42:10]>> I don't like him very much either. I met him at a party once.

[00:42:15]>> Yeah, he told me about the party. You got naked and then you stalked him.

[00:42:20]>> Right. And you're going to believe that?

[00:42:23]>> More than I believe you.

[00:42:25]Tony came on to me. He has issues. I did nothing with him.

[00:42:33]He treated Coleman badly.

[00:42:35]>> Oh, I treated Coleman badly, but Coleman still was in love with him. Right.

[00:42:40]>> I don't think we get to choose who we fall in love with. Do you >> see, when I first met you, I thought you shot Troder to save Coleman's career.

[00:42:48]Then I figured you did it to save yourself. What'd Napoli have on you, huh? Pictures, videos. Do >> you even care? Here's how I think it went down. Your husband, he pays Napoli off, but Napoli is an enterprising scum, so he comes after you from Mordeaux.

[00:43:03]Sends Troder to collect. You shoot him.

[00:43:05]Your husband buys that self-defense story. Now we're down to Napoli. Huh?

[00:43:10]He's the only way that can ruin it.

[00:43:11]Where's he? I get it right.

[00:43:14]>> What's it going to take to get you to believe me? What? Turn up dead?

[00:43:18]>> Yeah, that'd be a start.

[00:43:20]Please, please stop investigating me and start investigating Ko Leard.

[00:43:28]>> Oh, come on. Why would he want you dead?

[00:43:32]>> I can't tell you that. Not until I know for sure that you believe me.

[00:43:37]>> Then you're out of luck.

[00:43:40]>> No. Hey.

[00:43:41]>> Hey.

[00:44:03]Don't leave.

[00:44:05]Please.

[00:44:09]I know you have feelings for me and I feel >> you know you can stop acting now cuz you got what you wanted.

[00:44:18]My career's probably over. So is this case. Captain's going to have my ass.

[00:44:25]>> Well, it's not what I wanted.

[00:44:26]>> Well, it's what we got. Okay, I crossed the line. I got to come clean.

[00:44:33]It was crazy. If I had the chance, I'd do it again. If you are a murderer, >> please.

[00:44:42]Please. I'm in danger. You have to believe me.

[00:44:47]Beat the station tomorrow at 10:00.

[00:44:49]Lower her up and don't be late.

[00:45:25]Hello, Mrs. Lar.

[00:45:28]My name is Myer Napoli.

[00:45:31]Start the car.

[00:45:33]Drive.

[00:45:45]Hello.

[00:45:50]>> When?

[00:45:52]Okay. Thanks, Tony. We'll be right there.

[00:45:55]>> Morning. All right.

[00:46:02]>> What's wrong?

[00:46:03]>> They just found Napoli dead.

[00:46:08]I bet you 50 bucks that is involved.

[00:46:11]>> They just found his body next to a car registered to her and she's missing too.

[00:46:28]>> Hey, what do we got?

[00:46:30]>> Got license, purse.

[00:46:35]hat.

[00:46:36]>> What you got?

[00:46:37]>> Hey, pretty a gunshot to the abdomen.

[00:46:40]>> Close range. Probably bled out.

[00:46:44]>> All right. Thanks.

[00:46:46]>> All right. They found a purse, wallet inside.

[00:46:49]>> And an ID belonging to Elise Leairard >> and a woman's sandal right there.

[00:46:58]>> What's it going to take to get you to believe me? What? Turn up dead?

[00:47:19]Hey guys, let me see those.

[00:47:29]Oh, >> look at that.

[00:47:30]>> What is it?

[00:47:32]I don't know. Piece of clothing maybe.

[00:47:54]>> What's the story? What happened?

[00:47:56]>> Where's my wife? Tell me what happened.

[00:47:58]>> We don't know.

[00:48:01]What do you mean you don't know?

[00:48:04]>> Judge, you recognize us >> for my wife's dress.

[00:48:27]Was she pushed or did she jump?

[00:48:32]>> However it happened, she ain't alive.

[00:48:44]>> Okay, guys. This case is our number one priority. I mean, how the hell does Napoli get to Elise Leair?

[00:48:50]>> Huh?

[00:48:51]>> Kidnap her from the house.

[00:48:52]>> No sign of a struggle there.

[00:48:55]>> Napoli's dead. Where's Elise?

[00:48:57]Well, we've got choppers, dive teams, and K9 units looking for her.

[00:49:01]>> Maybe she shot him and then jumped.

[00:49:03]>> What? Why would she want to kill herself?

[00:49:06]>> Judge, you know what? It's not good for you to be here with all this. Maybe you should go home.

[00:49:10]>> Don't you worry about me, detective.

[00:49:13]>> All right. Ballistics confirmed that the 380 caliber pistol used to kill Napoli wasn't his. Napoli's gun was a 38.

[00:49:20]>> What does that mean?

[00:49:22]>> That means your wife was armed. We checked your house. One of the guns you listed is missing. 380.

[00:49:29]>> I don't believe this.

[00:49:32]>> You people think that my wife left our house on her own with a gun in order to meet up with this man and kill him.

[00:49:38]>> Judge, I think you should go home. When we have some news, we'll we'll let you know.

[00:49:44]>> Elise did not kill herself.

[00:49:48]You find her.

[00:49:54]>> Well, see if you can find out where Napoli was before he met up with Lee. K.

[00:49:57]>> What?

[00:49:59]>> What are you thinking, Captain?

[00:50:02]>> I think her life went from good to bad real fast. This thing with Troder could wash down his self-defense. But no matter what happened with Napoli, that gives her a second dead man on her hands. Even if she didn't go to jail, Lar's life is finished. His career is finished. And so is her fancy way of life.

[00:50:20]Maybe she jumped because she wanted to end it.

[00:50:40]>> You all right?

[00:50:43]I'm just kind of exhausted this case and and complications.

[00:50:54]Two victims died staring at the face of Elise Leair. It's not complicated.

[00:50:58]Hatch, you have feelings for it, right?

[00:51:05]Isn't that what's going on?

[00:51:24]How's it going?

[00:51:27]>> Couple days still nothing, huh?

[00:51:29]>> The captain just told the media that the rescue operation is now a recovery mission.

[00:51:36]>> We really messed this one up. No, we're still following leads. Worley found a taxi driver who took Napoli to Miss Lair's Mercedes. CSI found a tracking device planted in her car. We're making headway. And the judge just offered a reward to help find her.

[00:51:52]>> Hey, we got a witness who saw at least Leairard with Robert Savage the night before Napoli's murder.

[00:51:57]>> With Savage?

[00:52:00]>> Who's the witness?

[00:52:02]>> It was last week, the day I got arrested. Saw Mrs. Leair at the White Tie and Tails.

[00:52:08]strip club. She was with Savage talking.

[00:52:13]They seem like real friendly.

[00:52:15]>> You're lying, Gordy. You just want that reward money.

[00:52:25]>> I don't buy the Savage connection.

[00:52:28]>> You don't always think straight when it comes to Savage.

[00:52:47]It was postmarked the day that Napoli was murdered and my wife disappeared.

[00:52:58]Was in a pile of mail that's been sitting there. This is why Napoli was blackmailing your wife.

[00:53:07]I got a witness that saw her with Robert Savage a week ago, but these these are taken over a period of time.

[00:53:14]>> It would appear so.

[00:53:17]Since he sent these to me, I suppose he intended to do the same thing. In my case, he must have stumbled on these when he was following a lease for me.

[00:53:27]Coleman Greer, that's one thing. But Robert Savage, that's another son of a you let him walk, judge.

[00:53:41]>> My wife is dead, isn't she?

[00:53:44]>> I don't know.

[00:53:46]I want to talk to my witness again.

[00:53:47]Maybe maybe he can remember something else.

[00:53:51]>> I don't think so.

[00:53:54]Gordon Blue's dead.

[00:54:14]You had Gordy Blue killed.

[00:54:17]>> I didn't know you and Gordy were so close.

[00:54:23]You send her to me.

[00:54:25]>> A brunette Elise.

[00:54:29]>> Why would that even occur to you? Is your self-esteem that low? Is that what I've done to you?

[00:54:35]>> You send her to me and then you kill her.

[00:54:37]>> You're unraveling, detective. You're enamored with a ghost. Maybe not till we made it quick.

[00:55:19]You found me.

[00:55:22]>> Well, I am a cop.

[00:55:24]>> Yeah, good one.

[00:55:27]>> Buy the book.

[00:55:28]>> Learn from the best.

[00:55:31]>> She got to me from the start.

[00:55:35]You know, at least came with me twice.

[00:55:38]And I refused to help her.

[00:55:41]>> What are you saying?

[00:55:43]It's you two.

[00:55:48]>> I know I broke my own rules.

[00:55:54]>> No lecture.

[00:55:55]>> Just punch me in the face then.

[00:55:58]>> Hatchet's over.

[00:55:59]>> Uh-uh. Not for me.

[00:56:04]>> Let me take you home, partner.

[00:56:52]What the hell's going on?

[00:56:56]>> I had to do it. I had to make it look like I was dead.

[00:57:00]>> Why? Why were you with Napoli?

[00:57:03]>> No. No, I wasn't with Napoli.

[00:57:07]He was in my car when I got in it. He forced me to drive to the river.

[00:57:26]>> Get out.

[00:57:28]Come on. Get out.

[00:57:30]>> Don't hurt me.

[00:57:31]>> Over there.

[00:57:33]Come on. Move. Move. Move.

[00:57:35]>> I know. Don't push me.

[00:57:36]>> Come on. Move.

[00:57:37]>> Look, I can't walk in this.

[00:57:38]>> Just move.

[00:57:40]>> Damn it.

[00:57:41]>> What? What?

[00:57:43]>> My shoe just broke.

[00:57:44]>> Well, take it off. Hurry up.

[00:57:48]Hurry up.

[00:57:52]>> I fought him off. I got away. I hid in the bushes till I could figure out a plan.

[00:57:56]>> Why don't you just run?

[00:57:58]>> I was freaking out. Okay. He had a gun and the keys to my car. I figured the bushes were the safest place. He didn't come looking for you.

[00:58:07]>> He did.

[00:58:08]Then after a while, he he just gave up.

[00:58:12]>> Yeah, it's done.

[00:58:17]Oh, she's fishroom.

[00:58:22]Okay.

[00:58:24]Okay. Hurry now.

[00:58:29]About 10 minutes later, car pulled up.

[00:58:42]Where's my money?

[00:58:49]>> I saw Savage kill Napoli.

[00:58:52]That's when I knew I had to do something. So, I tore part of my dress and put it under the bridge to make it look like I jumped.

[00:59:04]Aren't you going to say something?

[00:59:11]>> Yeah.

[00:59:12]>> They just pulled a body from the river.

[00:59:14]Looks like it's Elise Lair. I'll meet you at the morg.

[00:59:17]>> Okay.

[00:59:23]>> Do you hate me?

[00:59:30]You don't want to know the answer to that.

[00:59:34]>> Oh, body's bloated. Been in the water for a while. Fish been biting, so there's not much of a face. She is a blonde. And uh dress we found matches the one that Mrs. Leair was wearing. You hungry, darling?

[00:59:57]No thanks.

[01:00:06]>> Jana, you ready?

[01:00:32]That's her. That's at least >> I'm going to need uh dental records. Of course, something to match the DNA with.

[01:00:43]All right.

[01:00:49]Now she can rest in peace.

[01:00:58]I'm going to take a couple days off just to process everything. Okay.

[01:01:03]>> Uh-huh. I'll keep working the case.

[01:01:06]>> Why? It's over.

[01:01:08]>> I want to know why she was involved with Savage. Why she jumped?

[01:01:15]>> You going to tell me where you're going?

[01:01:16]>> Nope.

[01:01:18]>> Thanks for everything, though.

[01:01:53]This was my grandmother's place.

[01:01:55]No one will find us here.

[01:01:58]>> You ever going to take these off?

[01:02:04]Why'd you become a cop?

[01:02:09]>> To do good, right?

[01:02:11]>> Something like that.

[01:02:16]>> You still don't believe me, do you?

[01:02:19]>> Well, you answer my questions, I'll answer yours.

[01:02:25]>> Go take a shower. You stink.

[01:02:28]>> Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

[01:02:29]Thank you for coming.

[01:02:31]The body of Elise Leair has been found and positively identified. Judge Leair would like to say a few words.

[01:02:39]I want to uh express my gratitude to the police department, the uh search teams, volunteers. It's sorry uh everyone involved in this effort. My wife was a was a wonderful woman and her life was tragically cut short.

[01:03:01]>> Please turn that thing off.

[01:03:03]>> Obviously, we all wish that the the outcome.

[01:03:06]>> Why would Ko Lair want to kill you?

[01:03:10]>> Ko and Savage are partners. Have been for years. That >> doesn't answer my question.

[01:03:16]>> Ko's and Savage's payroll to get his boys off in court, but not all of them.

[01:03:20]That would look bad, right?

[01:03:22]So once in a while a sacrificial lamb has to get sent off to prison and then the lamb has to die there so he doesn't talk.

[01:03:31]>> What's that got to do with you?

[01:03:34]>> My brother Chad Rollins was one of those lambs. He worked for Savage. Knew way too much prison. He was in the shower. A bar of soap put down his throat. Dead.

[01:03:50]I'm sorry to hear that, but let's try it again. Why does Ko Lair want you dead?

[01:03:59]>> Before Tet went to prison, he sent me a letter through her mom so it couldn't be traced back to me.

[01:04:07]He told me everything about Ko and Savage.

[01:04:11]>> Why don't you just go to the cops?

[01:04:14]>> The judge was crooked. I figured the police were as well.

[01:04:20]So, I decided to avenge his murder on my own.

[01:04:26]>> No.

[01:04:29]>> How did you gain his trust?

[01:04:31]>> I saw the club's manager pocketing money.

[01:04:35]I told Savage I became the bookkeeper and I made sure that club turned a profit.

[01:04:43]With Savage, it's all about the money.

[01:04:47]What's it all about with you?

[01:04:52]>> Revenge.

[01:04:55]Now, >> I needed proof of Savage's dealings with Ko, so I decided to go after the judge.

[01:05:02]I got a job at the country club.

[01:05:06]I despised every moment with that man. I made sure he didn't get me pregnant.

[01:05:14]I pretend to have insomnia so I can search the house for proof of his dealings with Savage.

[01:05:23]But after a year, I've come up with nothing.

[01:05:28]Ko became suspicious. That's why he had me followed.

[01:05:33]That's why he wants me dead.

[01:05:39]Now, do you believe me?

[01:05:47]I believe you, Lee.

[01:05:52]It's first time you call me by my name.

[01:06:01]>> Hey, got us some food and got you some clothes. Some women's things.

[01:06:09]>> Women's things.

[01:06:14]I can see why you're still single. Oh, >> hey.

[01:06:23]>> Hey, it's me. How are you?

[01:06:24]>> So, so, >> you going to tell me where you are?

[01:06:27]>> Nope.

[01:06:28]>> All right. Well, listen. I found something. Lincoln Elise Leair was Savage. She had a brother, Chad Rollins, was one of Savage's dope dealers.

[01:06:36]>> You're good.

[01:06:37]>> Yeah, I am. They had different fathers, different last names, so it was easy to miss at first. Yeah.

[01:06:43]>> What do you make of that?

[01:06:45]>> Black brother, like sister. Elise worked for Savage. And maybe their relationship went further.

[01:06:50]>> Yeah, maybe you're right. Hey, can you check and see if any of the Savage boys cases were presided over by Judge Lair?

[01:06:56]>> Why? What are you thinking?

[01:06:58]>> I got to go.

[01:07:01]>> I'll call you when I get back into town.

[01:07:03]Okay, bye.

[01:07:06]Just leave a message for Dee.

[01:07:09]You look nice.

[01:07:11]>> Liar.

[01:07:16]>> Is the food all right?

[01:07:20]>> You sure?

[01:07:22]>> Yeah, it's good.

[01:07:27]>> You know, if I had gone to the police straight away after Ted's letter, I never would have met you.

[01:07:32]>> Right.

[01:07:35]You got to get cozy with Savage. Jump into bed with Lar.

[01:07:40]>> I did what I had to do.

[01:07:42]>> I know what you did with Lar with me. Probably Savage.

[01:07:48]Although you deny it.

[01:07:51]>> Be such an ass sometimes.

[01:07:52]>> Yeah, I know.

[01:07:55]That's what they tell me. At least I'm not a U.

[01:08:03]>> Go on, say it.

[01:08:05]Or do you want me to spell it for you?

[01:08:06]>> I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

[01:08:07]>> No. Yes. Yes, you did mean it. What? Are you jealous or something?

[01:08:11]>> Oh, look. Duno turned this into some love story.

[01:08:14]>> Don't flatter yourself.

[01:09:50]You lied to me.

[01:09:53]You are playing again.

[01:09:57]Want to know how I found you? Called your mom. Told you you were in trouble, which you are. Said I wanted to help, which I did, but now I'm not so sure.

[01:10:06]>> Detective Bowen, I know you're upset.

[01:10:07]>> Don't talk to me. Dead people don't talk. I don't talk to dead people.

[01:10:12]>> Will you talk to me? You got a whole lot of explaining to do.

[01:10:16]>> Not only have you ruined your career for her, you've destroyed our partnership.

[01:10:21]>> Dee, I'm sorry. I >> It's too late. It's way too late.

[01:10:25]I mean, how can you sneak off with this?

[01:10:28]>> Hey, Dei. She's not a >> I should arrest her.

[01:10:32]>> For what?

[01:10:34]>> Shut up. You're dead. Remember?

[01:10:36]>> Look, you got every right to be angry, okay? But it's not about you, Dee. It's not even about me. It's about what's right. She faked her own death >> to save her life.

[01:10:46]Hey, if I'm going to stop being a cop, I'm going to make it right. Cuz we got an eyewitness to Savage killing Napoli.

[01:10:52]>> Who?

[01:10:54]Me?

[01:10:56]>> Oh, like you're a credible witness.

[01:10:57]>> Cuz Judge Lar and Robert Savage, they're a team.

[01:11:01]>> Excuse me. Now, >> I'm going to tell you all about it, but I'm going to get you a diet cola. You're going to sit down, relax.

[01:11:09]I got a plan.

[01:11:12]Got to take the gloves off. Bend some rules.

[01:11:17]Will you help me?

[01:11:22]You okay with all this?

[01:11:25]You trust me, don't you?

[01:11:28]Can I trust you?

[01:11:39]I'm scared.

[01:11:41]Not for me, for you.

[01:11:51]All right, you got my truck, so be careful. Can't have any of the least layered sightings till this thing's over. Okay, >> Detective Bowen, I really am sorry for everything.

[01:12:28]Hey, just wait here. I'll change and I'll be right back.

[01:12:30]>> Why couldn't you have told me? Why couldn't you have trusted me?

[01:12:34]>> Dee, I trust you. Come on. I made a mistake. Right. Brenda bailed on me.

[01:12:41]I was empty. I met Elise and I uh you know, I'm sorry.

[01:12:48]>> I checked all of Savage's boys that went to trial.

[01:12:52]Lar was on every case.

[01:12:55]Only one in four got a conviction.

[01:12:57]>> Well, we're going to convict that bastard. Savage, too.

[01:13:00]>> What happens if this doesn't work?

[01:13:03]>> I'll take the file. You won't be affected.

[01:13:05]>> I am affected. Damn it. Everything has changed.

[01:13:10]>> You want to back out?

[01:13:11]>> Shut up.

[01:13:13]Go get changed. We going to do this or what?

[01:13:16]>> That's my girl.

[01:13:20]>> Hey, judge. How you doing?

[01:13:23]>> Smells can be expected, I guess. Good.

[01:13:29]>> You broke into my car.

[01:13:31]>> That's right, Judge. Get in.

[01:13:34]>> Suppose I don't >> get in.

[01:13:58]Deserted, menacing, implied threat. Very effective.

[01:14:08]So, tell me, um, did you manage to screw my wife or did she just leave you hanging? Cuz you're not the only one.

[01:14:17]You're not unique, detective, and you're not half as tough as you pretend to be.

[01:14:27]>> Sorry, judge. Sometimes I can't control him.

[01:14:36]What do you want?

[01:14:37]>> Hey, we know you're dirty, but I don't care. I went savage.

[01:14:49]Okay, good. Cuz tomorrow he's being arraigned for the murder of Napoli.

[01:14:55]What? I got a witness. Saw him do it by the bridge.

[01:15:02]Is he serious?

[01:15:03]>> Yes. The eyewitness also saw Napoli murder your wife.

[01:15:08]>> Well, she didn't.

[01:15:12]She didn't kill herself.

[01:15:14]>> It appears not.

[01:15:16]>> Savage shows up after Napoli does his dirty work. Savage shoots him. So tomorrow when that bastard comes to your courtroom, I want him held with no bond.

[01:15:24]Right.

[01:15:27]No one else knows what we know about what happened to your wife. I want a conviction and a sentence that puts him away for life. Cuz I got enough to put you away for life.

[01:15:36]>> Do we have a deal?

[01:15:57]Well, I guess ghosts do exist. What are you doing here?

[01:16:03]>> Hello, Robert. I'm here to save your ass.

[01:16:13]>> You don't seem all that shocked to see me alive.

[01:16:16]>> I don't deal with surprises.

[01:16:19]So, is your husband aware of your current condition?

[01:16:23]>> I'm alive.

[01:16:24]>> No.

[01:16:25]>> So, where have you been?

[01:16:29]>> With Hatcher.

[01:16:32]>> Delicious.

[01:16:34]How does it feel to have that man give up his soul for you?

[01:16:38]>> He wants you more than he wants me.

[01:16:40]>> I'm flattered.

[01:16:42]>> And I'm here to offer you a way out. Are you prepared to deal?

[01:16:47]>> Hands up.

[01:16:50]No.

[01:16:50]>> Oh, what? You think I'm wired?

[01:16:54]>> No.

[01:17:06]>> What can I say? I'm suspicious by nature. Blame my mother. All right.

[01:17:11]>> So, how'd you do it? My death? The body?

[01:17:15]>> Well, Robert Savage always delivers. I know that >> I saw you kill Napoli.

[01:17:22]>> Ouch.

[01:17:24]>> Based on my testimony, Hatcher will arrest you. He's with Kada right now, preparing to put you away for life.

[01:17:33]>> By coming here, you're betraying your new boyfriend. Why?

[01:17:36]>> We have different goals. He wants you. I want Ko Leard.

[01:17:42]>> I'm listening. If I testify to what I saw, you will be convicted of murder.

[01:17:49]But if I recant, say I shot Napoli in self-defense, well then Hatra's got nothing on you.

[01:17:57]>> Oh, generous offer. But if you recant, you'll incriminate yourself.

[01:18:02]>> Oh, please. You think he'll send me off to prison? That man has fallen for me hard. I've made sure of it.

[01:18:11]So, what do you have planned for Ko Lair?

[01:18:15]>> I want him destroyed out of commission.

[01:18:20]We have a deal.

[01:18:26]Put the gun away. Robert, >> I know who you really are. Elise Chad's sister Kanu all along.

[01:18:39]Why don't you kill me then?

[01:18:40]>> Well, you're useful for me to keep tabs on my partner. I don't trust anyone, including you. I'm the bookkeeper. I record every transaction.

[01:18:49]Kid works for me, not the other way around.

[01:18:55]Bye-bye, Elise. You're about to be dead again.

[01:18:59]HEY, >> cover her.

[01:19:05]>> I called for backup.

[01:19:06]>> BACKUP? I DON'T WANT BACKUP. FACE >> HAT.

[01:19:10]>> Shut up.

[01:19:11]>> Check her purse. She's probably got a gun.

[01:19:15]>> Yeah, gun.

[01:19:16]>> You know what I want right now? A confession.

[01:19:21]>> Hatch, don't do this. Wait for backup.

[01:19:23]>> Dei, get out of here. Take her with you.

[01:19:25]I don't want you to see this. It's between me and Savage. Right. I want a confession right now. Jet Rollins, Napoli, all of them. Give it to me.

[01:19:37]Hatch, you're losing it. Don't do this.

[01:19:39]You'll lose everything.

[01:19:40]>> Say hello to Freddy Morris.

[01:19:42]>> Drop the gun. HATCH. PUT THE GUN DOWN NOW, you idiot.

[01:19:45]>> HATCH, PLEASE DON'T >> SHUT UP.

[01:19:49]I'm going to kill you or I'm going to die doing it. Confess. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU.

[01:19:54]CONFESS.

[01:19:57]K. OKAY.

[01:20:01]I did Freddy Napoli.

[01:20:05]I ordered the head on Chad and on Gordon, >> HATCH, YOU GOOD?

[01:20:17]>> WORLEY, this jackass needs an ambulance.

[01:20:22]>> That was quite the performance, you two.

[01:20:23]>> Yeah. Say the same for you guys.

[01:20:26]>> What?

[01:20:27]>> This was all an act.

[01:20:29]>> I had to make you believe I was on edge, right?

[01:20:33]So, you were wired?

[01:20:35]>> No, actually I wasn't.

[01:20:38]You know, it's not very high tech, but still does the town.

[01:20:46]>> Come on.

[01:20:52]>> Go on. You know you want to. Just do it.

[01:20:54]It's the only way we're ever going to get back to normal.

[01:21:08]Orange isn't his color.

[01:21:11]>> Sure looks pretty on him.

[01:21:14]>> All right. Nine letter word for confound.

[01:21:17]>> Obfiscate.

[01:21:20]>> That's good.

[01:21:27]All rise seated.

[01:21:39]>> Your honor.

[01:21:40]>> Yes, Mr. Adams.

[01:21:42]>> Before we begin, may I request that we remove these restraints from my client?

[01:21:49]>> Denied. This is a bond hearing on a murder charge. Miss Nelson, >> your honor, due to the seriousness of the charges against the defendant and with his extreme flight risk, we respectfully request the bell be denied.

[01:22:12]>> Karen, you're under arrest for conspiracy to murder Chad Rollins.

[01:22:15]>> Deputy, remove this man from this courtroom immediately.

[01:22:18]>> Stand down, DEPUTY.

[01:22:19]>> THIS IS MY COURTROOM.

[01:22:22]WHAT IS THIS?

[01:22:23]>> You're under arrest, judge.

[01:22:25]>> You killed my brother. He was going to expose you in Savage.

[01:22:28]>> Captain, this woman is delusional. SHE KILLED A MAN IN OUR HOME.

[01:22:32]>> MONEY FROM SAVAGE IN EXCHANGE for favorable.

[01:22:34]>> WHO'S GOING TO BELIEVE THIS WOMAN? SHE'S UNHANDED AND UNSTABLE. SHE'S TOTALLY INSANE.

[01:22:38]>> Save your breath. We have Savage's computer with all your transactions, all the payoffs, the secret bank account in the Cayman Islands. We got it all.

[01:22:53]You said me up.

[01:22:54]>> You can thank your wife for this and her boyfriend Hatcher.

[01:23:13]That's damn hard to believe.

[01:23:17]What a shocker, huh, sweetheart?

[01:23:20]>> It's time to pay for your sins. Ko, >> you two deserve each other.

[01:23:30]>> Ko Lair, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you.

[01:23:36]>> GUN.

[01:23:49]IT'S CLEAR.

[01:24:12]My parents invited us to Sunday dinner.

[01:24:18]That's the third invitation in 3 months. They're driving me nuts.

[01:24:22]Okay, come on.

[01:24:26]>> Your father's a Baptist minister, unlike his worst nightmare.

[01:24:31]Look, my dad is not in the condemning business. He's in the forgiving business. But what's to forgive?

[01:24:36]Nothing.

[01:24:38]Savage is evil. So was Ko Lair, not you.

[01:24:56]Hey, >> Babe Ruth, 1933. Mint condition.

[01:25:08]>> Welcome back.

[01:25:10]>> We got to go downtown. They found a dead body in a sewer.

[01:25:17]>> That's what the captain gives us? A body in the sewer on a first day back.

[01:25:24]>> This job stinks.

[01:25:27]>> That was so not funny.

[01:25:29]>> You smiled.

[01:25:30]>> No, I didn't.

[01:25:32]>> There you >> Hatch. I'm driving.

[01:25:34]>> Just give me the keys.

[01:25:35]>> I'm driving. Deal with it.

[01:25:43]>> It's good to be back.

[01:28:03]You check your instruments one last time. Everything looks normal. Ahead of you, stretching across millions of kilometers of space, hangs a curtain of color. Deep crimson bleeding into violet threaded with pale blue filaments that glow like bioluminescent veins against the black. It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. You adjust your course, point your craft directly into its heart, and engage the drive. And then the stars disappear, not slowly, not gradually. One second they're there, cold and fixed and reliable. The next, there is nothing outside your viewport but a dense, suffocating mirc if someone draped a shroud over the universe itself. Your instruments are still reading. Your engines are still firing.

[01:28:59]But as far as your eyes are concerned, you are nowhere. You are surrounded by a fog so complete, so absolute that the distance between your hand and the viewport feels like the edge of the observable universe. You are inside a nebula now. And the thing nobody tells you, the thing the photographs never prepare you for is that inside a nebula you are completely utterly blind. Here is the paradox that haunts every astronomer who's ever pointed a telescope at one of these cosmic clouds.

[01:29:37]Nebuli are some of the most photographed, most celebrated, most recognizable objects in all of space, the pillars of creation, the Crab Nebula, the Orion Molecular Cloud. They appear in textbooks and desktop wallpapers and the opening credits of science documentaries. They shimmer, they glow, they look from earth like windows into something sacred. But those images are lies. Beautiful lies built from decades of data collection. From wavelengths your eyes cannot perceive from exposure times measured in hours and days and weeks. The real experience of entering a nebula, the physical human embodied experience, would be something far stranger, far darker, and in ways that science is only beginning to fully articulate, far more dangerous than any photograph suggests. Keep watching because what happens inside a nebula doesn't just affect your vision. It affects your instruments, your navigation, your sense of time, and depending on which nebula you're talking about, possibly the structural integrity of everything around you. It gets worse before it gets better. And for some travelers, hypothetical as they may be, it might not get better at all. Let's start with what a nebula actually is, because the word itself is often misunderstood.

[01:31:12]Nebula comes from the Latin for cloud or mist. And that's precisely what it is. A cloud of gas and dust drifting through interstellar space. But these aren't clouds in any sense that would feel familiar standing on Earth. They are staggering in scale. The Orion Nebula alone spans roughly 24 light years across. Meaning that if you could somehow travel at the speed of light without stopping, it would take you 24 years just to cross it. The tarantula nebula in the large melanic cloud is over 1,800 light years wide. These are not objects you pass through in an afternoon. These are environments you would live inside and die inside before you ever reach the other side. And yet for all their enormity, nebuli are almost incomprehensibly empty. The density of gas inside most nebuli is so low it would qualify as a near-perfect vacuum by Earth's laboratory standards.

[01:32:19]In an emission nebula, the glowing colorful kind, the average density is roughly 100 to 10,000 atoms per cubic cm.

[01:32:30]For comparison, the air you're breathing right now contains about 2.7 * 10 to the power of 19 molecules per cm. The nebula is by every measure nothing. A ghost of a gas, a suggestion of matter spread across light years. So why when you enter it does visibility drop to zero?

[01:32:55]The answer has to do with scale and accumulation.

[01:32:59]Individually, each particle of dust inside a nebula is invisible, negligible, irrelevant. A single grain is smaller than a wavelength of visible light, often composed of silicates, carbon compounds, iron, and frozen water or ammonia coated onto the grain's surface. You would never notice one. You would never notice a trillion. But when you stack trillions upon trillions upon trillions across light years of travel, when every cubic meter of space you pass through contains its own contribution of obscuring particles, those particles accumulate. They scatter light. They absorb it. And the photons that carry the image of a distant star get deflected, remitted, robbed of their direction until the signal dissolves into noise. Astronomers measure this effect using something called optical depth. An optically thin medium allows light to pass through largely unimpeded.

[01:34:06]An optically thick medium does the opposite. It catches and scrambles photons until they can no longer carry coherent information. Dense nebula cores, particularly in star forming regions, can achieve extraordinary optical depth. In the darkest hearts of molecular clouds, the extinction of visible light is so complete that even background stars are blotted out entirely. Infrared observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope were specifically engineered to peer through this kind of obscuration because visible light telescopes simply cannot. The dust doesn't care about your cameras. It doesn't care about your eyes. Now imagine you're not watching from 1,300 light years away. Imagine you are inside. Your craft is moving. You know this because the instrument panel says so. The velocity readout is normal. The fuel consumption is normal. Everything according to the machines is exactly as it should be. But when you look out the viewport, you cannot tell. There is no motion out there. There is no reference point. The glow of the nebula gas, that gorgeous, ethereal luminescence that looked so structured from outside, is now spread everywhere, diffuse and directionless, like being sealed inside a paper lantern. There is light, but it gives you nothing. No depth, no shadow, no horizon.

[01:35:45]This is what sensory deprivation researchers call featureless environment disorientation.

[01:35:52]And in a different context, say a white out blizzard or a flooded cave with no light, it can cause profound psychological distress within minutes.

[01:36:03]The brain requires contrast to construct spatial awareness. It needs a darker region to define a brighter one, a near object to anchor the perception of a far one. Strip those cues away and the neural architecture that evolved over millions of years to keep you oriented in three-dimensional space begins to misfire. You lose the sense of which way is forward. You lose the intuitive feel for distance. In extreme cases, people in featureless environments begin to hallucinate reference points that aren't there. Phantom Horizons, illusory motion, shapes that the brain invents to fill the void. You check the navigation computer. It confirms your heading. You have no reason to distrust it. You look back at the viewport anyway, searching for something, anything to confirm that you are moving through space and not simply suspended in the world's most beautiful prison cell. There is nothing there, just the glow. But the visual disorientation is only the beginning.

[01:37:15]And here is where things start to get genuinely unsettling because the dust that's stealing your visibility is also doing something else. It's interfering.

[01:37:26]Radio waves at longer wavelengths can penetrate dust clouds more effectively than visible light. This is wellestablished physics and it's why radio telescopes have been indispensable in mapping the interstellar medium. But shorter wavelengths get scattered, absorbed, and remitted depending on the density and composition of the region you're traversing. X-ray and ultraviolet communications can be severely attenuated.

[01:37:57]Dust grains that contain metallic compounds can affect certain electromagnetic frequencies in complex ways. And in regions near active star formation where magnetic field lines are threaded through the cloud at angles that change over distances of mere light minutes. There is another phenomenon that introduces its own particular brand of chaos. Faraday rotation. When polarized radio waves pass through a magnetized plasma, their polarization angle rotates. The degree of rotation depends on the magnetic field strength, the electron density, and the frequency of the wave. In a uniform, well-mapped environment, you could in theory correct for this. But inside a nebula, the magnetic field is not uniform. It writhes and bundles and braids through the cloud in structures that groundbased observatories have spent decades trying to chart. Your signal goes in pointing one direction. It comes out pointing another. The information encoded in its polarization state is scrambled.

[01:39:11]Correction algorithms can help, but they depend on knowing what the field looks like. And inside the cloud, that knowledge is fragmentaryary at best. You are not just visually blind. You are in a meaningful electromagnetic sense partially deaf and mute as well. But that's not the worst part. The dust in a nebula is not static. It moves, clumps, and in certain regions reaches densities that graduate from cosmically thin to genuinely problematic on a scale that's difficult to predict from outside the cloud. star forming regions. The dense molecular cloud cores called boach globules can contain dust concentrations dense enough to create real erosive effects on spacecraft surfaces over extended traversal time. The particles themselves traveling at relative velocities even within the nominally still medium of a nebula carry kinetic energy at interstellar scales. Even a hydrogen atom hitting a surface at significant relative velocity delivers measurable energy. More critically, many nebuli are not simply passive clouds.

[01:40:30]They are active emission nebuli glow precisely because they are being ionized, blasted with ultraviolet radiation from the young hot stars forming or already burning within them.

[01:40:45]The Orion Nebula is powered by the trapezium cluster, a tight group of massive O-ype stars whose combined radiation output is staggering. The ionized hydrogen gas surrounding them, the H2 region, is a plasma threaded with electric and magnetic fields seething with charged particles streaming outward from stellar winds. A spacecraft passing near such a region would be bathed in ionizing radiation at levels that would demand serious shielding considerations.

[01:41:21]And then there are the shock fronts.

[01:41:23]Nebuli are not uniformly calm. Supernova remnants. Nebula born from stellar explosions are defined by shock waves propagating outward at thousands of kilometers/s, compressing and heating gas ahead of the wavefront to temperatures in the millions of degrees. The Crab Nebula, the beautiful photogenic remnant of the supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 CE, is still expanding at roughly 1,500 km/s.

[01:41:59]Its interior is dominated by a pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star that pumps out electromagnetic radiation and high energy particle winds in quantities that would be lethal to any unshielded biological organism within a considerable radius. You would not want to fly through the Crab Nebula. You would not want to fly anywhere near it.

[01:42:24]Let's say you chose more wisely. Let's say you're passing through a quieter region, a reflection nebula, say, where the gas and dust merely scatter the light of nearby stars rather than generating its own glow. The Pleaides reflection nebula is a famous example, a wisp of interstellar medium that happens to be passing through the same region of space as the young Pleaides star cluster. By nebula standards, it's tranquil. By human standards, it is still a place of profound, almost oppressive strangeness. You are moving through it now. The scattered blue light of the hot young play stars diffuses through the dust in every direction, giving the void outside a faint sourceless luminescence. Not enough to see by, not enough to navigate by, just enough to remind you that you are not an ordinary empty space. The instruments tell you the local particle density has increased fractionally. Your radiation monitors are nominal. Temperature outside is around 15 Kelvin, roughly -258° C, just a handful of degrees above absolute zero. Nothing out there is alive. Nothing out there has ever been alive in all probability. The chemistry is wrong for it. or is it? This is the question that has quietly troubled astrobiologists and astrochemists for decades. And it is the question that no one can yet definitively answer. In 2021, the Greenbank telescope detected a complex ring-shaped molecule in a molecular cloud in the constellation Taurus, the TMC one molecular cloud that had never been detected in space before.

[01:44:22]The molecule was in Dean, a compound containing a fused five and six membered carbon ring, a structure that represents a significant step in the chemical pathway toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, P A, which are themselves precursors to the kinds of organic molecules that show up in the story of life's chemistry. In that same region of space, over 200 distinct molecular species have been detected, many of them organic, many of them with structures that would not look entirely out of place in a terrestrial chemistry textbook. Molecular clouds and dense nebular regions, it turns out, are not chemically inert. They are, on the contrary, among the most chemically active environments in the galaxy. The surfaces of dust grains serve as catalysts allowing atoms that would never meet in the open gas phase to combine and react. Water ice, methanol, formaldahhide, acetalahhide, glycolahhide, a simple sugar, have all been detected in the interstellar medium. Amino acid precursors have been found on comets and meteorites that almost certainly incorporated interstellar material into their composition before our solar system fully formed. What this means is that the fog through which you are flying is not empty. It is not dead. It is in a slow cold molecular sense doing chemistry. It has been doing chemistry for millions of years. and the products of that chemistry, the molecules accumulating on the surfaces of those invisible dust grains drifting past your viewport right now. Those molecules are part of a continuum, a chain, one that may under the right circumstances, in the right environment with the right energy input, eventually arrive somewhere significant.

[01:46:30]You don't know what you're moving through. That's the unsettling part. The instruments classify it, quantify it, reduce it to numbers, but the numbers don't capture what it means that you are swimming through the raw material of stars, of planets, of biology itself.

[01:46:50]that every grain of dust outside your craft carries on its frozen surface, the molecular ancestors of things that might one day think and feel and look up at the night sky and wonder where they came from. And there's something else, something the numbers also don't capture. In 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope peered into the pillars of creation and saw something that recalibrated how astronomers think about star formation time scales. The rate of new stars being actively formed inside those famous columns was lower than expected. The process is slower, more interrupted, more subject to turbulence and feedback than the models predicted. Inside molecular clouds, the physics of collapse is not smooth. It's chaotic.

[01:47:45]There are pressure waves and magnetic breaking forces and turbulent eddies operating on scales from light years down to fractions of an astronomical unit. And they interact in ways that remain partially unresolved even with the best instruments humanity has ever built. Which means that a region of nebula that looks stable from the outside, that looks to every available sensor like a safe corridor through which to navigate, may harbor density fluctuations, local pressure spikes, ionization fronts advancing at speeds difficult to predict. The cloud is not a static environment. It breathes, it fluctuates, it surprises. And this is where things get truly terrifying. Not because of any single dramatic event, but because of the nature of the threat itself. The danger inside a dense nebula is not the danger of a sudden explosion or a collision or an immediate legible crisis. It is the danger of gradual invisible accumulation.

[01:48:57]The radiation environment building slightly above baseline. Not enough to trigger any single alarm, but enough over days and weeks of transit to acrue biological damage in tissue not adequately shielded. The dust grains impacting the hull at low individual energies but in sufficient numbers and over sufficient time. pitting and degrading surface coatings, optical sensors, thermal radiators, the magnetic field fluctuations slowly introducing navigational drift. Not enough to be detected in any single measurement, but enough integrated over a long traverse to mean that when you emerge from the cloud on the other side, you are not where you thought you would be. This is how space tends to hurt things. Not with a dramatic gesture, but with patience.

[01:49:53]Not with a single fatal blow, but with the slow, relentless accumulation of small, individually negligible insults that compound over time into something catastrophic. And you inside the cloud cannot see well enough to know how deep you are in. You cannot receive clear communications from outside. Your navigation depends on a model of the cloud's magnetic field that was built from observations taken light years away by instruments that cannot resolve the structure at the scales that matter for your specific trajectory. You are in the most precise sense of the phrase flying blind. The cloud gives you nothing back.

[01:50:39]It absorbs your radar pulses and scatters them. It attenuates your signals. It swallows your reference stars. And it does all of this not out of malice. There is no malice here, no intelligence, no intent. It does it simply because of what it is. Because of the physics of photons scattering off of particles whose total mass spread across the light years of the cloud is less than a 100,000 times the mass of our sun. not hostile, just indifferent, which is in its own way more disturbing.

[01:51:17]You've been inside for what the clock says is 11 days. The glow outside the viewport has changed slightly, marginally warmer in tone, fractionally brighter in one quadrant, which the navigation computer interprets as evidence that you're closer to one of the embedded stars than predicted. You adjust your heading 3° to port. The computer accepts the correction without complaint. You run a diagnostic on the external cameras. Two of the eight optical sensors show a slight degradation in sensitivity. Dust accumulation on the lenses or perhaps micro impact damage to the coatings. You flag the issue. You note it. You move on. The communications array is transmitting as far as you can tell.

[01:52:09]Whether anyone is receiving, you cannot be certain. The last confirmed acknowledgement from the relay station came 4 days ago. The silence since then could mean signal attenuation.

[01:52:23]It probably means signal attenuation.

[01:52:26]You run the probability and come back to the same conclusion every time. The silence is the dust. Not a problem. You are fine. The instruments say you are fine. You look out the viewport again.

[01:52:40]The glow is still there. Sourceless, diffuse, enveloping. Somewhere ahead of you, according to the model, is a region where the dust density drops, where the obscuration clears, where stars will reappear in the viewport one by one, like old friends returning from somewhere you cannot follow. You will reach that clearing in approximately 18 days, give or take three, depending on the accuracy of the density model in the region you haven't mapped yet. You lean back. You watch the light. You listen to the quiet hum of the instruments which tell you everything is normal. Which tell you there is nothing wrong. Which tell you exactly what you want to hear and exactly what you have no independent means to verify. And somewhere in the back of your mind, below the level of conscious thought, your nervous system registers something that evolution put there for situations precisely like this one. Situations where the environment gives you nothing to read, where the data is incomplete, where you are small and enclosed and surrounded by something vast and indifferent and poorly understood. It doesn't feel like fear exactly. It feels like the anticipation of fear, like the moment before the thing happens, stretched out indefinitely.

[01:54:09]Here is what we know. Nebuli are the nurseries of stars, the graveyards of stars, the chemical laboratories where the molecules of life assemble themselves in the cold and the dark across time scales that make human civilization look like a camera flash.

[01:54:29]They are real. They are measurable. They obey the laws of physics just as everything else in this universe does.

[01:54:37]And yet, despite decades of observation, despite missions and telescopes and mathematical models of extraordinary sophistication, there are aspects of these objects that remain unresolved.

[01:54:51]The exact mechanics of how turbulence governs star formation. The full inventory of complex organic chemistry occurring on grain surfaces. The behavior of magnetic fields at small scales within dense cores. The way a particular region will evolve over the next 100,000 years. These are open questions, active research areas, things we are still genuinely trying to figure out. Which means that if you were actually inside one, really inside one, embedded in the cloud, moving through it in a craft with finite shielding and limited sensors and the irreducible vulnerability of biological life. You would be navigating through a partially unknown system using incomplete maps with your primary senses useless, your communications uncertain, your instruments doing their best, but working from models built on data collected from the outside looking in.

[01:55:55]And maybe that's fine. Maybe the cloud is exactly as calm as it appears to be.

[01:56:01]Maybe the density fluctuations stay within safe parameters. Maybe the star ahead of you stays dim enough to be harmless. Maybe you emerge on the other side on schedule, exactly where the model says you will be with nothing worse to show for it than two degraded camera lenses and a log full of interesting data. Maybe. But you wouldn't know for certain until you were through. And the cloud isn't going to tell you. It will give you its muted glow and its perfect featureless silence and its slow patient chemistry. And it will let you draw your own conclusions.

[01:56:45]That's the thing about space at this scale. It doesn't threaten you. It doesn't warn you. It simply exists in its own vast, cold, indifferent way. And you move through it small and warm and briefly alive, making your calculations and checking your instruments and looking out the viewport at nothing. And the worst part isn't the blindness. The worst part is how long you can convince yourself that nothing being wrong and nothing being visible are the same thing. They're not.