[SINGING] I never crawled before I walked
And I was singing before I talked
Nothing feels better Than strumming my guitar
So I asked my daddy “Will I be a star?”
Yesterday 43-year-old Indiana native Bob Michaels...
set out on a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains and never returned.
MISSY [SINGING]: I wanna do more than settle for less
MAN: Hiking is generally a safe activity.
But not out here alone at night In the world's largest urban park.
The only clue to Mr. Michaels' disappearance...
is this minivan, which brought him, his wife and daughter...
a budding talent from Fort Wayne, to Hollywood, chasing the dream..
A dream that rescuers here are trying to stop from turning Into a nightmare.
CALVIN. As the sun sets...
on the second day of rescue efforts in the Santa Monica Mountains...
the mood amongst those searching for Bob Michaels turns grim.
Back home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, City of Churches...
Bob Michaels Is a community theater actor...
...who, like many fathers, dreams his daughter has the stuff to become a star.
And Extra has the music video Missy Michaels recorded just last week.
Tragically, it now plays like a country pop hymn to Missy's missing dad.
[SINGING] Please say yes
On day four of the search for Bob Michaels...
criticism continues to mount over what some say...
should have been an easy rescue operation.
After federal, state and city budget cuts...
the park service can only operate on weekends.
They've had washouts and rock slides all over the trail system...
making the job of everyone on the team that much more difficult.
It's way too early to speculate on the identity of the body..
The last thing the L.A.P.D. wants to do after this five-day ordeal...
.is to create unnecessary grief for the Michaels family.
Chief Johnson, Is this a murder Investigation?
[BRENDA SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Well, the arrival of Major Crimes from the L.A.P.D...
signals just how violent of an end this Is for another Hollywood dream...
as the man from the City of Churches ends his life In the City of Angels.
And we're clear.
I guess we can, uh, send the rattlesnake guy home.
Oh, for heaven's sakes. What a circus.
- Where's the body? - Right there.
Which patrol says Is about a hundred yards up this trail.
And then another 200 yards down and, splat.
- You mean he fell off a cliff? TAO: Or got pushed.
Hard to say. Fire Department's working on getting him up and out.
Special Agent Howard, what are you doing here?
FRITZ: Oh, the trail I came down belongs to the National Forest Service.
You're standing on federal property.
Okay, so then why are we here?
Well, when Mr. Michaels fell, he, uh, landed in a city canyon.
Mind if we head up the mountain and take a peek?
Well, we're about to start casting Mr. Michaels' footprints.
We could use some volunteers to help carry up the plaster.
- Yeah, right. - Chief Johnson, the Michaels family.
- They're here. - Thank you.
Lieutenant, wanna carry plaster up the mountain or talk to the family with me.
Bye, everyone.
[SIGHS]
Chief Johnson, Lieutenant Provenza, this Is Bob Michaels' family...
.his wife, Beth, his daughter, Missy, his father-In-law.
- I'm sorry, sir? - Wes Durant, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Thank you. And this is Bob's son, Tim.
- I wasn't aware Mr. Michaels had a son. - He forgot about it too.
Not now, Dad. Please.
This man you found, it's not Bob, is it?
We're not sure.
But this is so far from where he left our car.
Fifteen miles.
How could he get this close to a road and not make it out?
Yeah, it can't be Daddy. He's too far from the car.
Mrs. Michaels, uh, your husband spend a lot of time out in nature?
He took my Scout troop camping at Pokagon State Park back home.
So he's an experienced outdoorsman?
Well, he's not an expert. He was just going for a walk.
Okay.
Ma'am, you told the police earlier...
.that the last time you saw your husband, he was wearing a blue shirt?
Uh, a blue polo with stripes, yeah.
TAYLOR: Well, one of the rescuers found this on the body.
- Does this look familiar? - Oh.
[FAMILY CRYING]
We only came out here because of me.
It's my fault.
No. No, baby. Don't you think that for one second, all right?
I should never have let them leave Indiana.
Excuse me, Missy, the reporters are asking for a statement.
You're not going anywhere. Tell those reporters to go to hell.
You can go with them. We don't need any Hollywood managers here.
Ma'am, we need some quiet time now, away from here.
Urn, of course. Why don't y'all relax in one of our family rooms at the station?
- We can arrange a ride for you. - We have a rental car.
Ah.
All right, then. Would you please arrange an escort?
- Sure. - I'm sorry.
I know it's a very difficult time. But as soon as you're able...
we're going to need your husband's medical and dental records.
WES: Here you go.
Right this way. Right this way.
FIREMAN: Three. Two. One. Clear.
Let's go.
MORALES: I don't normally do house calls.
My boss didn't want the press to get the Information out before we did.
And, yuck.
Uh, multiple fractures of the left leg.
Oh, that bone's sticking out a little bit. Stay away from that.
Shattered pelvis, crushed ribs.
This guy didn't fall off the mountain, he bounced.
And weird. His face is sunburned, but the rest of him isn't.
Except for the palms of his hands.
- Was the body in the shade? - Under a lot of scrub brush.
MORALES: Body's cold but still stiff. Very little decomp.
No bug larvae or post-mortem animal bites.
I say he was down there overnight, maybe 10, 12 hours at most.
Now, how did he manage to walk around for five days In a polo shirt and shorts...
- ...and only get sunburned on his face? - He had sunscreen on.
- Why are you still here? - To determine what happened.
Guy's a jumper, right?
He was out here nearly a week before taking the leap. Why the wait?
Maybe he, uh, stumbled off the cliff In the dark.
Or he got so lost that he gave up all hope. It's hard to think of this guy as a genius.
You have an important settlement conference...
that could end this multi-million-dollar lawsuit...
against the city, the department, me.
If we go now, we can hitch a ride on a chopper.
Now, hang on. This redness is not from a sunburn.
[ALL YELLING]
- Out. Out. Everybody out. Now. PROVENZA: What the hell is that?
[ALL YELLING AND COUGHING]
Don't rub. Don't rub. You'll make it worse.
POPE: Brenda. What Is it?
Pepper spray on the victim's face. The water I used reactivated it.
Medic, pepper-spray wipes!
MEDIC: I got them. - Pepper spray?
Who would pepper-spray him?
[ALL COUGHING]
BRENDA: These are the victims footprints, courtesy of the FBI.
Notice anything?
- Dragging his heels? I - No, It looks that way...
because he was pushed here, where it says "edge of cliff."
[BRENDA SNIFFS]
- So he went off the cliff backwards? - With a big shove and pepper spray.
What makes you so sure he was pushed?
Because the FBI told me that all the other footprints around his...
were brushed away.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Come in.
Good afternoon. Good to see everyone In one place.
[BRENDA COUGHS]
We just passed Goldman sitting outside.
Looking very smug.
- Is something wrong? - It's pepper spray.
But no officer-involved violence. No one was attacked.
- Yeah. Someone attacked Bob Michaels. - Or maybe he sprayed himself...
trying to fend off a-Whatever, a raccoon or a skunk.
RAYDOR: On the subject of skunks...
Goldman's offer has already been approved by the attorney.
It's our turn to take a look.
Goldman is gonna try to make this settlement sound like a miracle cure.
Don't get too excited when you hear it, o
- Okay. GAVIN & POPE: Okay.
POPE: Mr. Goldman, come in, please.
[POPE COUGHS]
I think you've met everyone.
- Was it something I said? - He.
- Pepper spray. Sorry we can't offer you any. - He.
We're anxious to hear about the settlement
I have good news, followed by even better news.
The Baylor family has agreed to lower the claim from 20 million to $5OOOOO.I
I know.
Not everyday you get a 97-and-a-half-percent discount.
That does sound like good news.
GAVIN: Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
- So, what's the better news? - If you agree to the settlement...
the Baylor family will drop their claim of wrongful death...
against Chief Johnson.
- In exchange for what? - Sorry?
Well, you've made the sun shine, now tell us about the rain.
There is some language...
which stipulates Deputy Chief Johnson was unconcerned...
with Turell Baylor's welfare when she dropped him off.
Hmm. Language is a magical thing.
GOLDMAN: You will also note...
.that I have significantly lowered my contingency fees.
This has never been about money. It's about righting a wrong.
And getting Mrs. Baylor a new house...
so she's not forced to live where her son was brutally murdered.
And this offer does all of that...
without singling anyone out for blame.
So read it. Please.
Every word. Under a microscope.
And you're welcome.
GAVIN: Thanks. We'll confer.
I was kind of hoping we could settle this today.
Oh, sorry to disappoint. Bye-bye.
Fine. I'll expect an answer by midnight tomorrow. Chief Johnson.
POPE: I can see why the city loves this offer.
I mean, 500 grand instead of 20 million?
And no one is reassigned, right? No one's culpable?
Still says I didn't care what happened to Turell Baylor.
That's okay. Nobody cared about him until he died.
- Gavin, what do you think? - Well, the agreement appears reasonable.
I'm not gonna pressure my client...
to sign a life-changing document in the next five minutes.
POPE: Well, then allow me.
Let's get this suit over with and I'll take us all out for a celebratory drink.
The motion for summary judgment is set to be argued next week.
I can win it. I will win it.
This agreement acknowledges as much.
Goldman is desperate. Why would you wanna celebrate...
paying $5OOOOO for something you could get for free?
What if you're wrong and the Judge decides to try this case?
Have you thought about what might happen to your client?
I don't think about anything else but my client.
Can you say the same? No, didn't think so..
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- Yeah. Come in. - Excuse me, chiefs.
Uh, the Michaels family is downstairs crashing Taylor's press conference.
What? Oh.
MISSY [ON TV]: Yeah, I just wanna say...
my video came out last week and Daddy was really proud of it.
He wouldn't hurt himself.
It was an accident. He did not jump off that cliff.
As Missy's manager, I want everyone to know...
[ON T]j ...that we will not stand by.
,..and allow the police or anyone else dishonor Bob's memory...
by implying that he killed himself.
[CELL PHONE RINGS ON TV]
Now, I wanna thank the millions of people-.
Commander, bring those people up here right now, please.
Uh, Mr. Durant, where's the rest of your family?
My granddaughter's manager, that Bruno, wouldn't let them come.
- Why - They were late for another Interview.
That idiot Bob spent every dime they ever had trying to become famous.
Well, now he's finally the star of his own TV show.
Your son-in-law wanted to be famous too?
I thought it was your granddaughter with the big dreams.
Uh-huh. Bob had his eye on Hollywood since the day I met him.
A few years after he married my daughter, I bought them a house...
thinking it might help him put down roots, settle down.
He quit his job, shaved his head, and did The King and Me In the park.
The King and I.
WES: When he wasn't discovered...
because Hollywood doesn't send talent scouts out to Fort Wayne...
he pushed Missy on the stage and started living through her...
telling her she was gonna be a star.
Mr. Durant, do you have any idea...
why your son-in-law was at the top of that mountain?
I don't know. Missy had a tryout that afternoon.
It wasn't like him to miss one of those things.
He never skipped a single audition.
I do know he called and asked for his old job back in Fort Wayne.
Boss said, “Nothing doing.”
Maybe Bob woke up the other morning...
realized he was out of gas, and jumped ship.
Yeah. But he had only been dead for...
Uh, commander, let's not upset Mr. Durant with details like that.
I'm so sorry, sir. Urn...
When they came out here, he left Timmy behind with us in Fort Wayne.
- Boy's in grade school. - Your daughter disagree with that decision?
Beth never saw sense when it came to Bob, ever since they did a play.
- Your daughter's an actor too? - No. No. They're all, uh...
What do you call them? Amateurs. Being taken advantage of by that Mexican.
Actually, chief, Bruno's as American as they come.
He runs an online music-video business aimed at Hollywood newcomers.
Yeah, well, whatever Bruno is...
...he had Beth and Bob thinking this video thing...
was gonna turn Missy Into the next Debbie Boone.
He's behind all of this. You wait and see.
Talk to Bruno. He runs the show around here.
The family appreciates everything you've done In this terrible time.
Can't say that enough.
Well, thank you. Thank you, and I sure do love that song.
[BRENDA CHUCKLES]
- Is it true you wrote it? What's it called? - “Daddy Say Yes.”
I wrote it. Thank you. I'm glad you liked It.
Sunk a lot of money into that video too, but Missy's worth It.
I'm sure. So, Mr. Perez, we're investigating Mr. Michaels' death and...
I know. You have to start admitting it was an accident...
instead of acting like he offed himself.
Is that what we're doing?
Well, you're being very tight with the details.
And in this new media environment...
which is difficult to explain to someone your age, Missy's about to become a star.
So going around saying her dad jumped off a cliff...
because he gambled everything on her and thought he lost, that's not good.
I totally get it looks better for you guys to call It a suicide...
but why should Missy be punished...
.because it took you five days to find him?
It's not her fault.
Well, Mr. Perez, we'd love to change our tune...
...but I can't do that without talking to Missy and her mom
- If you can arrange- - Not today.
Booked them for an East Coast morning show, middle of the night here.
And Missy's gonna have a hard time as It Is trying to get some sleep.
So I have to protect her.
Protect her by pushing her to do interviews the day her father was found dead?
Well, America watched what happened to Bob this week.
The whole country's in mourning.
You know who shows up when people are in mourning?
- Police. - You know who else shows up?
Lawyers.
Okay. You like interviews? So do I.
When I step outside and tell these reporters...
you and Missy are refusing to cooperate with police...
in this investigation, they're gonna jump to conclusions worse than suicide.
You feel me?
So, uh... So you only wanna talk to the family?
Look, Bruno...
government regulations require that Missy and her mom sign a statement...
saying that they believe that Mr. Michaels' death was an accident.
Otherwise, it's suicide. Understand?
Okay.
For Missy's next video, if you can get me footage of Bob's body...
being lifted out by helicopter, I'll have them here tomorrow morning.
- Done. - Then we're on the same page.
Hey, really great to meet you both.
- Did I give you my card? - You did.
Awesome. Great. Thank you for all you do.
[BRUNO LAUGHS]
- Take care. Bye-bye. Ha, ha. - Bye-bye.
- Nice suit. - Thank you.
[SIGHS]
- Government regulations? - I'm sure they exist somewhere.
Look, if Bob Michaels committed suicide...
.why did he wander around before taking the leap?
We're the only ones who know how long Mr. Michaels was actually dead.
So let them think we're investigating a suicide until we know better.
[KNOCKING]
Chief, I just spoke to Dr. Morales about the stomach contents of our victim.
And, uh... Oh, Bruno does bat mitzvahs?
[MUTTERS]
- Lieutenant? - Huh? Oh, right. Yeah.
Mr. Michaels, missing for five days...
had eaten some kind of blue candy and a pizza.
So, what, he got lost on Mount Pepperoni? Heh.
He wasn't lost.
He was never lost.
Uh, look, I want a full financial on the family, please.
Find out everything you can about Bruno and his slimy business.
Thank you.
You know, Bruno writes “Daddy Say Yes” Daddy fakes disappearing.
Song becomes a hit. You gotta admit, It's brilliant.
Except I seriously doubt that Daddy said yes to dying.
Missy Michaels' single “Daddy Say Yes”...
has broken into the top ten music downloads...
following her father's tragic accident.
A bit of comfort for the folks gathering here...
in the Fort Wayne theater community.
CROWD [SINGING ON TV]: Daddy
Ugh. Only a bit of comfort if you believe Bob Michaels found a fresh pizza...
on a trail one hour before he was pepper-sprayed...
and shoved off a cliff by the Invisible man.
So frustrating you couldn't find the footprints.
There were too many feet on the trail to tell who's who.
Somebody neatened up near the edge of the cliff. It's not my fault.
Ugh. If I hear that song again, I'm gonna jump off a cliff.
- You gotta admit, it's kind of catchy. - So is the flu.
You should see the contract that Bruno uses to fool these parents.
They pay $4000 for a song and a music video...
but then he gets 80 percent of the proceeds. It's a total scam.
Sounds kind of like this blameless settlement offer.
- You really wanna sign this? - I've read it over and over.
And I can't find anything that locks me...
or the L.A.P.D into liability for Turell's death.
Yeah. We II, how about:
“By releasing him in hostile surroundings...
.Deputy Chief Johnson demonstrated...
...a lack of professional concern for the safety of the plaintiff's son.”
Well, it doesn't say I arranged his murder, which is what It used to say.
Besides, Gavin said It was a reasonable offer.
You told me Gavin said:
“It appears to be a reasonable offer.” Appears.
Sometimes things are as they appear. Life doesn't have to be so complicated.
I'm sorry, my name's Fritz Howard. Who are you?
The person who could end this civil suit for everybody.
Why don't we wait to see what Gavin has to say”
I know what Gavin has to say.
He's certain he can win the motion for summary judgment.
But it's not his life on the line, it's mine.
And I want things to go back to normal.
Right now.
You sure you can live with this?
I think I have to.
I'm getting ready for bed.
BRENDA: Straight to Chief Pope, please. Thank you.
Hey, chief, I'm almost finished. What do you think?
“Certificate of Accidental Death.”
You're right. That font is really nice.
I also added a line so Bruno can sign on as a third-party witness.
That'll make him feel like he's still In charge.
- He. - I have everyone's financial records.
Still don't know where Mr. Michaels was hiding If he wasn't In the park.
But I found the pepper spray.
- You did? - Bruno ordered it off the Internet...
.two days after the Michaels came to Hollywood.
- Probably bought it for himself. - What makes you say that?
- Bruno's had five complaints against him. - Uh, mad dads.
They don't like the way Bruno behaved with their daughters.
- Any arrests? - Girls wouldn't say anything against him.
Of course not. He was gonna make them famous.
- When's the family getting here? - Taylor's on his way up with them now.
- And Bruno. BRENDA: Okay.
Buzz, would you lower the screen over the murder board?
- And where's that accidental death form? - Hmm.
TAYLOR: And if I can get your autograph right here.
You better watch out, young lady, you're getting so famous...
I might be tempted to sell that on eBay.
Shh.
- Very good. Now, one last page. BRUNO: Hold on.
This is, uh... What do you call it? The thing they say on television?
It's the Miranda requirement.
It states that you have been advised of your rights.
Yeah, I can read. What's it for?
Oh the state won't verify the accidental death report..
Without a waiver of rights, Mr. Perez...
which means we won't be able to release Mr. Michaels' body.
It's fine, we're signing it.
He's right. I wanna get Bob home as soon as possible.
Oh, here you all are.
Why didn't you take them to my conference room? It's so much bigger.
Oh, I didn't wanna bother you with all the paperwork.
All right, then. Well, thank you so much for coming in and taking care of this..
Again, I apologize for how things turned out.
It's nobody's fault.
At least that's what people keep telling me.
The only thing left Is the pathology time line.
- The what? - Is that something about all the things...
.that happened leading up to when Daddy died?
Oh, somebody's been watching CS1.
Exactly right, Missy.
We need to check what we found against what you remember...
f the days leading up to your father's disappearance.
You know what, Missy?
Why don't you, your mother and your grandfather...
follow Commander Taylor here? BRUNO: Wait, wait, wait.
- What about me? - Oh, Mr. Perez, I'm so sorry.
But the pathology time line Is strictly for Immediate family.
I know that the Michaels think of you that way, but the law does not.
Hey, you're handling this like a pro.
Poppy and Mom wanna go back to Fort Wayne tonight.
It's a short trip. We'll work around it, okay?
Oh, Missy is so lucky to have you looking out for her.
Ha, ha. Oh, stop. I just-I just provide the opportunity.
The star turn is up to the girl. I can't teach charisma.
But, you know, moms and dads can be pushy.
- Like Bob. - Yeah.
The big singing expert from Indiana.
On top of taking Missy to every audition I got for her...
making her so nervous, the guy was an absolute zero on camera.
But that didn't stop him from wanting to be In Missy's video. Whatever.
- I made it work with him. - Like with all the other fathers?
- What other fathers? FLYNN: The ones who called the L.A.P.D...
to complain about how you handled their teenage girls.
How I handled them?
Parents want their little girls to look like hoochy mamas.
I'm the one telling them to keep their clothes on.
I'm protecting those girls.
Is that why you bought the pepper spray?
That's so hilarious.
You know I bought pepper spray because you're the police, right?
But you don't know the first day Missy was in L.A...
- ...she got mugged. - Really?
Beth and Bob drive to Venice Beach.
And when they get there, while Missy is walking...
some skater yanks her purse.
So buy her a new bag...
put pepper spray in it to keep her parents from running back to Indiana.
It's called producing.
Which is my job.
Now I'll leave you to do yours.
Oh. That is the best idea you've had all day.
- Detective Sanchez? - What do you think you're doing, huh?
You're under arrest for the murder of Bob Michaels.
Murder? Heh. He wasn't murdered.
He fell. Look it up in the dictionary, lady. He fell!
It was hard sometimes. Daddy telling me one thing...
and then Bruno saying another, my mom saying something else.
I'm so sorry, detective.
- But I need to look inside Missy's purse. - Jo. ka
Let's see.
Wait a minute. What are you looking for?
I'm looking for the pepper spray that Bruno bought for you.
I'm not finding it.
Maybe I lost it.
Well, under the circumstances, Missy, that is not a good answer.
LOPEZ: The arrest of Bruno Perez...
.manager of Internet sensation Missy Michaels...
makes her father's death seem even stranger.
Was his fall off a cliff...
a publicity stunt gone terribly wrong?
- Yes' POPE: Yeah.
How come this Bruno character announced his arrest to the press?
We give people their phone calls. Who they call is up to them.
Maybe he thought that if he acted rashly...
his problems would magically disappear.
Like someone who signs a settlement to a lawsuit... I
- ...without talking to her attorney. - How did you find out about that?
Yeah. I have to forward signed settlement agreements to Professional Standards.
- Sorry. - Chief, it is my job...
to review all legal agreements concerning officer conduct.
And I refuse to certify this document.
- Why - Because we need to determine...
.if the term “professionally indifferent” has broader legal Implications.
Ugh. You'd think I'd be congratulated for agreeing to fall on my sword.
With negligent homicide off the table, It's really more like a pen knife.
Uh...
I wanna sign it.
Maybe tonight. We'll see.
Fine.
I tried.
You and I both know this deal isn't getting any better.
There's something here we're missing. I don't trust Goldman.
And when it comes to this agreement, I don't trust you, either.
GABRIEL: Did Bruno ever instruct you on how to use the pepper spray?
No, he just told met to keep it in my purse.
Okay. I want you to try to think of all the times...
you didn't have your purse since you've been In Los Angeles.
- Why' - Because, Missy...
that pepper spray Bruno bought you ended up all over your father's face.
Oh, my gosh.
Bruno had my purse locked in his office the whole time we worked on the video.
When you got it back, did you notice If anything was missing?
No, I mean, I was having too much fun singing.
BRENDA: What about your daddy, was he having fun?
Yeah. He loved it.
But afterwards, I don't know, something changed.
Changed in what way?
Like, out of the blue, he just skipped my last audition to go on that hike.
And he never skipped my auditions. Never.
Wait. Wait. If your father took the minivan to go on his hike...
- ...how did you get to your audition? - Mom took me in the rental car.
And then Bruno picked me up and brought me home.
You had two vehicles that day?
The Michaels reserved their rental car one week before Bob went on his hike.
We asked the family's credit card companies to alert us of any unusual activities.
Guess what we found on one of those days he was supposed to be lost.
How about a hotel charge of $8.83...
for a box of blue gummy bears?
Good lord. Eight dollars for gummy bears?
Must have paid for the room in cash, which is why we didn't catch It.
But they had to leave a credit card for Incidentals.
Minibars. Gets you every time.
Wife follows husband up the mountain in a rental...
they abandon their minivan...
she drives him back to the hotel in the car for a five-day media blowout.
Starring Bob, Beth and Missy.
Where's that rental car? We should check it for pepper spray.
- I'll check it. - Thank you.
I hear someone has decided they can act as their own lawyer.
Oh, no.
I'm just about to interview a suspect and we don't have an appointment today.
Would you come with me, please, and bring that credit card Information?
Buzz, I want you, your camera, and your best tripod.
Oh, wait, wait, wait. You're still working on that case?
[SINGING Daddy, say yes
[CHUCKLES]
- Yes. - Oh, my God.
Is that not the worst video ever? I've watched it 50 times.
Chief, do your work.
We'll wait for you In your conference room.
Oh, no, no, no. If I'm off the clock, I would really like to see these people.
- Can I watch your interview? - As long as you're not charging me.
- Okay?
- Jo. Kay. - Chief, where should I set this up?
Oh. I don't recognize these charges.
We never paid for a hotel anywhere.
Somebody must have stolen our credit card number.
I'm sure the DNA test from the hotel room...
will tell us if either of you were there.
I mean, Bob could've been there, I don't know.
Good God in heaven, Beth.
Okay, Mrs. Michaels.
Let's talk about something you do know. Like why you rented a car...
a week before your daughter's audition when you were running out of money.
Okay. Okay. I can explain that.
Mean, urn, Bob decided that he had to go back to his old job In Fort Wayne.
- Now, Beth- - That Is why he went on that hike.
To think about how he could break the news to Missy.
The rental car was for us after he left.
Mr. Durant, you told me that your daughter was an amateur performer...
but she seems like a professional to me.
When she just said that Bob was going back to his old job?
That was so believable.
- What? - Because Bob had no job to go back to.
- Isn't that right, Mr. Durant? - Daddy.
And Missy told us that you dropped her at her audition...
but that Bruno took her home.
Whatever this mess is, keep Missy out of it
I can understand why you'd wanna do that.
Because your son-in-law's disappearance was a giant publicity stunt.
Oh, no, no. There was no hoax.
Actually, there was. And it looks to me like Missy was involved.
If she wasn't, you need to clear that up once and for all.
How? How would I do that?
BREN DA: Mrs. Michaels...
this is the L.A. P. D.'s resident media director, Buzz Watson. I
BUZZ: How do you do?
Have a seat.
GABRIEL: Buzz is our liaison to the studios and television stations In Hollywood.
He'll film your statement, make sure that millions of people...
see you take full responsibility for the publicity stunt...
and more importantly, get Missy off the hook.
BRENDA [ON MONITOR]: If you give us permission..
I can post your statement on the LA.P.D. 'S website..
And add a link that lets people click straight to your daughter's video.
All you need to do is sign this form.
Something that Buzz requires.
And if you're okay with all that, the news will run your story for weeks.
You can generate that kind of press?
Why do you think they call me Buzz?
Are we lit?
We're ready. Broadcast quality.
BREN DA: Great.
I don't know what to say.
BRENDA: Tell We'll be asking questions off camera
I just want this to be as much about you as possible.
Okay, everybody, we're rolling. And action.
Um, ahem.
First, I want to apologize to everyone who worked so hard to find Bob.
We were parents trying to create a break for our daughter.
We knew if people could hear her sing just once...
she'd be on her way.
And so we came up with a plan to get everyone's attention.
Without Missy's knowledge...
Bob would pretend to be los in the Santa Monica Mountains...
while he was actually hiding out in a hotel.
When it was time for him to be rescued...
.I'd pick him up and drop him off at the entrance to the park.
This was a terrible trick .to play on all of you.
So let's talk about how you intended Bob to be found.
Oh, uh... Oh, okay. Wait. Wait. One second.
- Uh, you can cut around this, right? - We can.
[SIGHS]
BETH [ON MONITOR]: Urn, when the moment came...
I followed our plan.
I went to pick him up in Burbank, where he'd been all week.
But Bob panicked.
He showered to look “better on camera.”
Which was completely out of character for someone...
who was supposed to have been wandering around lost for so long.
And then when I finally got him up the mountain, the real problem came out.
Bob was terrified people wouldn't believe our story.
GABRIEL [ON MONITOR]: Okay. Urn, wait a minute, Mrs. Michaels.
We need you to be completely truthful.
And we didn't find any evidence of Bob being up on that mountain with anyone.
Well, I, uh...
I sort of covered up my footprints on the way back down the hill...
because it needed to look like Bob had been up there alone.
But the truth is, he refused.
Outright refused to walk up that trail by himself.
Watching the news coverage about what could go wrong...
in the mountains at night scared the hell out of him.
And then he went wild.
Blaming me.
And then he pushed me.
In self-defense...
I pushed him back.
And he fell off the trail, plummeting to his death
Beautiful. And cut.
Mrs. Michaels, that was great.
Thank you.
You don't wanna do one more take? Just for safety?
BUZZ: Can't get better than that. BETH: 1 left out so much.
Like about Bob breaking down and eating pizza just before I picked him up.
BRENDA: Oh, that's okay. You also left out the part about the pepper spray.
- Excuse me? BRENDA: You stole pepper spray...
from your daughter's purse and brought it along...
when you took Bo up to that mountain.
What makes you say that?
Well, pepper spray is an enormously volatile, airborne weapon.
BREN DA: When you took Bob up to that cliff...
the wind was gusting up to 30 miles an hour
- Was it really that windy? - What am I, The Weather Channel?
BRENDA: We'll get a warrant to search your clothes and shoes.
We'll find it there too.
- Is that true? - Don't you represent her?
Of course it's not true.
Pepper spray with me - I don't See how that matters. -1
It indicates you thought your husband would be a handful...
even before you went to pick him up.
GABRIEL It kind of undercuts the whole idea...
that you went up on the mountain with Bob and had a spontaneous argument.
All right, well, so I had a feeling he might chicken out, and he did.
Look, I actually made him sound a lot better than he was.
And you have no idea, none, how jealous he was...
that Missy and me were on television and he wasn't.
Speaking of which, how soon will this video get out to the media?
Uh, ooh.
I'd say a year and a half-ish.
A year and a half? But you said people would see me.
Oh, people will. Twelve jurors, two alternates and a judge...
...will hear you say on camera that you brought pepper spray...
.because you thought your husband would chicken out.
- No, but he said cut. - Still rolling.
GABRIEL: Beth Michaels, you are under arrest...
for the murder of Bob Michaels.
No, wait a minute. I signed an agreement.
Oh. Oh, this is what I think you theater people call a prop.
- You lied to me. - Welcome to Hollywood.
Let's go.
The way you led her down the garden path...
just telling her what she wanted to hear, so simple.
Well, when someone is guilty, they're pretty easy to lead.
How right you are. That's why...
No... Hey, come on. We need to discuss this.
No, we don't. That settlement has one objective.
That is to get my client to take responsibility...
in writing, for the murder of Turell Baylor.
But they dropped the wrongful death charges.
Nowhere does Goldman promise not to refile...
the moment after you admit...
professional indifference to the suspect's predicament.
- I knew it. - Oh, my God.
Do you think he'd still try to take me to court?
This is why he wanted us to check out the offer with a microscope.
He wanted us to concentrate on what was in the settlement...
not on what wasn't.
So let's say you hand the document over to Goldman...
after you put away the mother of Missy Michaels.
He could wave this agreement around on television and say:
“Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson...
.has, in effect, taken responsibility for a murder of her own.”
How do you think the press would play that?
Especially after you ruined “Daddy Say Yes.”
[DOOR OPENS]
The Michaels are walking the press plank, If anyone's Interested.
Oh, my God. You have to ask?
[CROWD CHATTERING ON TV]
MAN I [ON TV]: An absolutely wild ride coming to an end today...
with Beth Michaels being escorted away...
charged with murdering her husband.
Let's see if we can get a statement from that lovely girl over there.
WOMAN I [ON TV]: Will you be staying to be with your mom?
WOMAN 2: Are your 15 minutes of fame finished?
1iAN 2: What's your next project?
MAN 3: Any albums in the works? MAN 4: When's your next single come out?
WOMAN 3: What do you have to say to all your fans?
[REPORTERS CHATTERING]
I loved my daddy.
Oh, my God.
- [SINGING] Daddy, say yes CHORUS [SINGING]: Daddy, say yes
You are so special, you are so blessed
You taught me to never settle for less
Oh, Daddy, you're the best
Synced & Corrected by Shadowmoon