Excuse me.
_
Who do you work for?
I saw you there,
leading the cleanup, so I know.
And all those dead birds popping up around town?
I think the water in that pond is poisoning them, and the fish.
And people, people like my Pop-Pop.
And I'm not gonna stop until I find out the truth.
I'm not afraid of you!
*CREDITS*
Guess what happened at the gas station today.
I was just there, getting myself a drink,
and then he was right behind me.
The guy that's been following me.
Wait. Someone's following you now?
Not exactly, but it's the guy I've seen before from the pond.
I ran into him at the gas station.
Did he say anything to you?
Just, "Excuse me," and then he got himself a drink.
Oh, no. He sounds terrible.
But I could tell he was trying to intimidate me.
What, because he got a drink?
- Dad? - Iz, let her finish.
Hilde, we're just trying to understand what happened.
This is the guy. He's trying to tell me that he's got his eye on me.
Well, did he threaten you?
She just said he totally ignored her.
It's classic witness intimidation.
Whoever this guy works for is responsible for covering up the pond.
Yeah, okay. Can we just hit pause on this just for a moment
until we get some dinner actually on the table?
Seriously, Hilde. You're like some old-person Reddit feed,
- but inside my house. - Hey, hey, hey.
- I mean... - Watch it.
Didn't you just make a bunch of people happy
because you cleaned up some pond?
Can't you just, I don't know, enjoy that for ten full seconds
before you move on to the next conspiracy?
No.
'Cause every day, he's getting worse, and no one is helping.
My camera!
- It's okay. - Dad, I broke it.
- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. - That's okay. It's fine.
- Let's take a look at it. - We know you didn't.
It's all right. It just needs a new lens.
All right, just give me a few days. I'll figure something out.
A few days? That's too long.
Here you go.
All right, look at that.
Look at that. Thanks, Pop.
Thanks, Pop-Pop.
Hey, what do you think?
Where's the screen?
- No, it's a... - No.
There's no screen, sweetie. This is special.
This one is a film camera,
and you gotta develop the film after you take the photos.
Back in the day, you used to take pictures,
and then when you'd finally get done with a roll,
you'd take it to the drugstore, and they would develop it.
Yeah, then a couple of weeks later, you go pick it up.
You'd be so excited to get the photos.
Yeah, by that time, so much time's passed,
you can't even remember why you took the photos in the first place.
Look, don't worry. I will show you how to develop.
All right? It'll be fun.
What are you guys talking about?
No, no, I'm sorry, he never mentioned that.
No, of course. No, that's fine. No, I'm happy to pop down. Sure.
Yeah, okay. All right, will do. Thank you.
Thanks.
Who was that?
That was the harbormaster.
Yeah, apparently my dad's still renting out the boat slip at the marina.
I'll head over there and figure it out.
You know, he seemed better tonight at dinner.
Don't you think?
Yeah.
Yeah, he was fine.
What?
Look, it's...
it's terrible to say,
but I'm not sure that Syl having these moments of lucidity is helping us.
With Hilde, I mean.
What? You think it's giving her a false sense of hope?
Yeah. I mean, she thinks that if
she can solve this whole poisoning mystery,
that it'll lead to some treatment
for him that'll turn things around.
Yeah, but do you wanna be the one
to tell her that it's not gonna work out?
No, I don't. Do you?
No, I do not.
Look, I want her...
to believe that he is gonna live forever, you know?
That we all are.
Oh, honey.
Hey. Come here for a second.
I have to get a gift for my girlfriend, but she's really picky.
You're good with clothes. What should I get her?
Well, accessories are always a good place to start.
And oversized scrunchies are really in right now.
Like, a lot of girls are wearing them.
So maybe get her some pastel ones for spring?
Yeah. Whatever.
What was that about?
Nothing. What's up?
Did you guys see the press release put out by the town?
Mm-mmm.
They said tests confirmed blue-green algae in the pond water.
That's great. So that means Walter is gonna be okay, right?
Thank goodness. I love that bird.
So, we're just supposed to accept what the press release said,
no questions asked?
Yeah, maybe Walter will get better, but what about my grandpa?
We need to find out who covered up that pond.
And then we can figure out why they really did it.
So who really paid for the cleanup?
There was a ton of equipment there. It must've been expensive.
The town said it was anonymous donors.
Rich people in masks, like Batman.
- They don't wanna be found out. - Exactly.
So what's our next move?
Follow the money. You can always follow the money.
The town may have hidden where the money came from,
but we can still go to the source.
Whoever paid the construction companies must be the anonymous donor.
We just have to find someone willing to talk.
Thank you so much.
- I've got one. - Finally.
Most people were paid directly by the town,
except for this contractor.
They say they've been paid by a company called Strata Tech Industries.
- No way. My dad works there. - He does?
He just started his new job there.
- Could you take us to his office? - Sure.
_
Hey, lady.
You need a ride home?
Oh, Emma.
I've got detention.
That sucks.
But, you know, you could always just, like, not go.
Yeah, and risk getting more detention?
I wish that was me, but I'm in, like, so much trouble right now.
Right.
Are you doing okay? I feel so bad about you and Jessica.
I really miss her. She was, like, the coolest thing about this place.
Yeah. I mean, I'm standing right here.
- Guess I'll see you later. - Yeah.
Hey, Principal Collins.
- Can I speak to you for a second? - Yeah, sure.
I was on the video with the eggs.
I mean, I wasn't on the video, like, I'm not on camera,
but I was there.
I just saw how much trouble Izzy and Jessica got into and I...
I'm starting to feel, like, really, really bad about it.
Wow. I appreciate you stepping up like this and taking responsibility.
It's the right thing to do.
But I'm also a little curious as to why you're telling me this now.
I mean, I don't wanna punish you for doing the right thing,
but also, I don't wanna set a bad precedent either.
Yeah. No, you shouldn't do that.
Not to pile on here, but you were late this morning again.
Fifth time.
Yeah, I'm not really a morning person.
Detention this week. Same as Izzy.
- Why would you do that? - Solidarity.
Wanna renew the slip for another year?
This is it here.
Come on, Matty. Let's go.
Fish are biting.
Anchors aweigh.
Yeah, I don't think we're gonna need this slip anymore.
I think my dad's boating days are over.
Well, she's paid up till the end of the month.
If you wanna clean her up, I'll put the word out that you're looking to sell.
Yeah, I wouldn't even know how to refurbish something like that.
Well, suit yourself.
Come on, you guys.
Guys, guys, hold up. Hold up. I wanna take a picture. All right.
Get together. You guys. All right, smile.
Thank you.
Welcome to Strata Tech industries. How can I help you?
We're from The Magic Hour Chronicle.
The what?
We have a few questions
about Strata's anonymous donation to the Pinewood pond cleanup.
Is there someone you're here to see?
Is Michael Davis available? He's sort of my dad.
Not sort of, all the way. Fully my dad.
Hilde Lisko?
I'm sorry, Mr. Williams. I've got this.
Clearly, you don't read The Magic Hour Chronicle,
otherwise you'd know you're talking to the editorial board.
And you are?
- Grant Williams. I run the place. - Like, the whole place?
Yeah. I've got a few minutes. Would you like the grand tour?
Sure.
I'd actually been meaning to reach out to you
about pitching an article to your paper.
You see, we're working on trying to become one of the greenest companies
in the Pacific Northwest and, well, I thought maybe you might
let the town know about some of our new initiatives.
- We don't do puff pieces. - Are you sure you mean our paper?
This is my family's business.
I inherited it from my dad and my grandfather.
They've been building planes for generations.
- You kids don't like snacks, do you? - Is that a trick question?
Check those cabinets. My secret hiding place.
Snacks!
Donny, put this in your bag.
The reason we're here...
We found out that Strata made a donation
anonymously to the Pinewood pond cleanup.
- Correct. - But they didn't clean the pond.
- They paved over it. - That's what the city wanted to do.
And we try to be supportive of Erie Harbor.
_
Does everyone have one of those?
Key cards? All our employees have some version of them, yeah.
It's just that I keep seeing this guy,
and I saw him at the pond cleanup and then again yesterday.
And he's acting really weird,
so I'm trying to figure out who he works for.
And he had a card like that?
Not exactly but sort of, yeah.
Could he work here?
You can have a look at our employee ID photos.
Maybe you'll recognize him.
Don't take this the wrong way,
but why do you actually answer my questions?
It's just that adults don't usually do that.
I know everyone talks about the Richie Fife story
and what a big deal that was,
but I thought that little piece you did
on the ethical treatment of animals
in pet stores was really compelling.
I thought nobody read that. It got, like, four clicks.
Well, all four clicks might have been me,
but I donated $20,000 to the Erie Harbor
Animal Shelter because of it.
Really?
Think you guys might have missed a little bit.
Really?
There was a chocolate section?
Hey, Frank. See you a second?
You're not gonna like what I'm gonna say,
but I need to expand your patrol territory.
Yeah, fine.
- Got it. - Well, I don't need the attitude.
What attitude?
No, I was just being like, "Copy that."
Like, "I'm on it."
All right, I'm sorry. I just...
I don't know. I got Rutherford on me.
That man is always taking notes,
writing down every time I go to the bathroom.
Like there's some approved number, and I'm way over it.
Well, you do drink a lot of coffee.
Okay, so how can I help?
Just asking that is enough.
Just do the extra patrols.
And maybe run a little interference for me with Hilde and her cohorts?
You know, I could put a banana in Rutherford's tailpipe too,
if that would help.
Don't play with me. I might take you up on that.
Watch that.
_
- Is that him? - Mm-mmm.
No. Is that the last one?
Looks like it.
Are you sure?
But if you do ever see this man again,
I would appreciate it if you'd let me know.
- You tell your parents? - They know.
Good.
Thanks for your help, Mr. Williams.
I hope you solve all the mysteries of life, Hilde Lisko.
Starting with this one.
I know there's more to the pond cleanup story,
but every lead's a dead end.
Strata turned up nothing,
and the CEO said it was the town's decision to pave over it.
Is there any reason you think they might be lying?
No. I even checked with the pet rescue place,
and there was a big donation made after
my article came out, just like Grant said.
Well, you know, that's the way it goes, Hilde.
Sometimes you follow the wrong detail,
and it leads you down a rabbit hole.
I know.
I even thought that key card was going to turn out to be some big clue,
but it turns out everyone has one.
And...
Why's it so red in here?
Well, this is a darkroom. Here, come on. Check it out.
This is all my old photography equipment
from when I was back in high school.
This is actually the reason I fell in love with journalism in the first place.
Taking pictures, I love it.
Why don't they call it a red room?
Because light ruins the film before it's developed,
so you gotta keep the room dark, and this red light doesn't affect it.
All right, come on. Let's see what you got.
Yeah, it took some practice to get the hang of Pop-Pop's camera, huh?
Well, you're getting there.
All right, yeah. That is something.
I've seen this before.
It was on the basement door at the mansion. Look.
And here on the sidewalk.
Yeah? Oh, you're right.
Jessica was, like, my only friend here.
And now she's leaving, and I'm gonna be completely alone all over again.
I hate my life.
Please don't say that.
It feels like you're a million miles away.
How's this even gonna work?
Don't worry. We'll figure it out.
I know there's already some girl there
that's, like, slid into your DMs,
and next thing, she's just gonna happen to be by your locker
- every day. - Okay, that's not gonna happen.
I won't let it.
You're the only person... I mean, girl...
I mean... You know what I mean.
You're the only human that I want.
Oh, my God, Ethan.
Who's Ethan?
We were just finishing up.
What's going on?
- It's my grandfather. I gotta go. - But...
We were just finishing.
You're in love with that boy. I can hear it in your voice.
Yeah, maybe.
I guess. I don't even really know what that means.
What did you do?
Like, after Grandma died and you were, you know, left behind?
I mean, I know it's not the same, but...
You mean the distance, the space between you.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
I wished for more time.
I couldn't have it, but...
that's what I wanted.
To do what?
All the little things,
like setting the table, or going to the grocery store together,
or touching her arm when she was sleeping.
It's not very romantic, but...
those are the things I miss,
the things I'd travel any distance to...
to get back.
And that's why I came in here now,
'cause I heard you talking on the phone.
And I wanted to sit next to you.
- I'm glad you're here, Pop-Pop. - Me too.
What's so urgent?
You know I don't like to sweat in my shirts before school.
Donny, look.
I've been looking at this symbol like it meant something,
but it's everywhere.
- It's on half of the sidewalks in town. - I've seen this.
What does it mean?
I'm thinking it's a Wott company logo
or maybe a family crest or something.
I need to get a closer look.
I have more photos in the basement on here somewhere.
Wait. Go back.
There.
No. It's him.
He really is following me.
So, the door, this guy, Wott Management, they're all connected.
Spoon won't believe this.
We gotta find out what they're hiding in that basement.
Dad, you okay?
What's going on? Here, let me help you.
You all right?
I got it, all right. I got you.
- What happened? You dropped something? - No.
That's it. Hey, what's this?
Well, who are these guys?
- Huh? - Who... Who's this?
You recognize these guys?
Can you tell me who they are?
It's all right. You just take your time.
Is he putting you to work, Syl?
Nah, he can't afford me.
That's what I like to hear.
What are you working on?
I found this on him.
Who are these guys?
I don't know, I don't recognize any of 'em.
- Well, this guy looks like Junior. - Yeah?
Oh, you're right. That...
- That totally is Junior. - Fishing.
We were fishing. That much I have.
Bet you Junior would know who the rest of 'em are.
If these guys are all still in town,
we should get 'em all back together.
Right? We can invite 'em over to the house for lunch.
- Would you like that, Pop? - Sure, Matty.
Yeah, or maybe a fishing trip with your old friends?
Once Matt gets the boat back up and running.
Now, that is actually a great idea.
- Right? - Yeah.
Okay, put the bed back, boys.
Matty did that.
Really?
Nice. Yeah, way to throw me under the bus, Pop. Thank you.
- You all right? - Mm-hmm.
- Hey. - Hey, Frank.
Hey, how you doing?
Listen, I got a crazy idea.
Would you be interested in helping me fix up my dad's boat?
You know, the one we hung out on as kids?
Yeah, absolutely. Endless Summer rides again.
All right. Let me talk to the marina, and I'll get back to you.
All right. See you later, man.
Hey, Frank.
Hey. How's it going, Martin?
_
What are you doing here?
What am I... Talent show rehearsal?
Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied.
Can we talk about this later?
Yeah, so...
What's his talent?
Frank, this is a job interview.
What?
It's just that with everything that's happened with the PTA,
I've been thinking about transferring to a different school district
- to get a fresh start. - I'm sorry.
You're thinking about leaving Erie Harbor? How could you not tell me that?
You know what?
Don't worry about it.
Because with my mom in prison,
and a cop shaking me down during my job interview,
I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna get the job.
Problem solved.
_
You're popular today.
No, definitely not. I...
It's my boyfriend, the one that lives in San Francisco.
Have you been to visit yet?
No, but I want to.
I keep thinking I should just, like, bail on this place and go see him.
Except, I can't drive, so...
_
Does he always blow up your phone that much?
What?
No.
I mean, we do talk a lot though. Like, every day, at least.
But he's not controlling or anything, he's just...
my best friend, I guess.
That's cool.
Okay, I feel like now you think
he's some super intense scary boyfriend, and he's really not.
Like, he's actually the nicest guy ever, and I just...
Iz, no.
I don't think anything of him, seriously.
He sounds really great.
It's just scary not knowing when I'll be able to see him again.
The future is dark,
which is the best thing the future can be, I think.
What is that? A song lyric or something?
Virginia Woolf.
I read a bunch of her stuff when my parents were getting divorced.
I think it means that in the darkness of the unknown, everything is possible.
- I like that. - Me too.
I remember these guys.
Most of 'em, anyway.
And so how did you guys all know each other?
It was a mix, I guess.
Some were from here, went to school together.
A few worked at the plant.
Small town, you know.
Would you mind writing some of those names down for me?
Yeah, yeah. Sure, no problem.
- Yeah, great. - Yeah.
What was he like?
- Who? - My dad.
You see these guys? Well, they were jokers.
Real loud, always messing around.
But your dad wasn't like that. He could be more reserved.
That is exactly how he got away with it.
Got away with what?
The pranks.
Your father pulled the most elaborate pranks I have ever seen.
My dad? What, are you kidding?
Yeah, yeah. No, he'd plan 'em out for weeks.
He had Alan Filana so convinced there
were bears on this camping trip,
Alan ran out of his tent butt naked and jumped into the lake.
Oh, come on.
I don't think I've ever seen grown men laugh that hard.
Wow.
Alan's still in town, I think. Yeah, I haven't seen him in a while.
You should ask him about it.
But even after 40 years, I bet he's still pissed at your dad.
Okay, but seriously, I don't have any amazing interests or passions or whatever.
I refuse to believe that.
What? I don't.
Okay, like, what kind of things are you into?
No. Dude, that is my point.
I mean, who is Izzy? Okay, what kind of woman do you wanna be?
- Woman? What? - Yeah.
No, I don't...
Hey, Iz.
Oh, my God, Ethan. How did you... How did you get here?
Well, technically, my mom dropped me off,
and then your mom let me in.
- Why didn't you tell me you were coming? - I tried to.
I mean, I called you, what, like, five times?
I sent you a million texts.
I wanted to surprise you.
You said you wanted to see me, and I wanted to see you, so here I am.
- Hey. - Hey.
Oh, my God, yeah. Sorry. Ethan, this is Emma.
Emma, this is my boyfriend, Ethan, the one I was telling you about.
Nice to meet you.
So, are you gonna be in town for a while?
So, this is actually the real surprise.
My mom got her job back at Strata.
My parents are still figuring it all out with custody and stuff,
but I'm coming back to school here, for good.
- Really? - Yeah.
So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then.
I should probably get going, but you two have fun.
See you around, Ethan.
Yeah, yeah. Definitely.
Can I help you?
Oh, hey. Yeah, sorry to bother you.
I'm Matt Lisko. I'm looking for Alan Filana.
Does he still live here?
No, sorry. Well, he passed away a few months ago.
I'm sorry to hear that. Listen, if this is a bad time,
- I totally understand. - No. I mean...
- I'd love to talk about him if... - Yeah?
- Yeah. - Yeah, you sure?
Really? Okay, great. Great.
Actually, I'm trying to find some of the guys
in this picture here for my dad, Sylvester Lisko.
Oh, yeah. That's Syl's Cycles, right?
That's it. That's it.
Yeah, his memory's starting to go, sadly, so...
Yeah, I thought I'd track down some of of his old friends.
You know, invite 'em over. Maybe help him remember some things.
Do you know any of those guys?
Well, I recognize these two here on the end.
- They played poker together. - Oh, no way.
Hey, did your dad ever tell you about that bear prank?
Yeah, I did hear about that. Yeah.
Come on in, and I'll give you their numbers.
- Yeah? That's great, thank you. - Yeah.
Look, guys. The door is unlocked.
- I do not like this. Not one bit. - _
Just gotta find a way to get back in that big, creepy door.
We'll never be able to get that giant door open.
We need another way in.
Look for this symbol.
If you see it somewhere else, it could lead us back to the basement.
Guys, look.
I think the secret room is directly below us.
This could help us get behind that locked door.
No way.
Oh, come on. It's not like it's gonna break.
Dumbwaiters are designed to hold tons of food.
I'm sure there's been a whole turkey in there that weighs more than we do.
I feel like it's healthy to set appropriate boundaries
- and not do everything together. - Mm-hmm.
Fine.
I'll send the dumbwaiter up empty
if there's something that you should come down and see!
Please don't come up empty. Please don't come up empty.
- Great. - Are they done in here?
- Yes, sir. All clear. - Go!
Fine. You do your final sweep and then lock up.
I think it's him, the guy who's been following Hilde.
- We have to warn her. - Come on.
Go, go.
See you down there.
The guy, he's here.
Guys, look.
How did they get an entire airplane down here?
Who would put a wrecked airplane in a basement?
No, no. Guys, guys, the key card guy is upstairs.
- We need to get out of here. - Then we need to work fast.
Hi, could I speak to Theo, please?
Oh, really?
I'm sorry to hear that.
Guys, I think I found the black box.
- Are you color-blind? - No.
Wait, maybe.
- How would I know? - That isn't black.
Black boxes aren't black.
They're painted orange for investigators to find them at crash sites.
It's actually called a cockpit voice recorder, or CVR for short.
Guys, get on with it.
- Someone's coming. - We need to get out of here.
The dumbwaiter. Let's go.
Go.
Good luck.
Hilde, we gotta hide.
Hi, can I speak to Kenny Rens, please?
Oh, okay.
Yeah, of course.
No, I'm so sorry to hear that.
Our backpacks.
Could I ask how old...
Fifty-seven?
Wow. Yeah.
We gotta get outta here.
Hilde, hurry. Get in.
Hey.
What is it?
They're all dead.
Your dad's friends?
Yeah.
Yeah, all of them.
*CREDITS*