Hey, what's up, kid?
Hey, don't be scared.
Hey, velma.
Hey, I've got a job for you, if you're interested.
Where is it? Not too far.
A small town outside of New Orleans.
What you got?
Missing 15-year-old.
Anton Crawford.
He was supposed to take the bus last night.
But he never made it home.
Could be a runaway.
His dad doesn't think so.
He's offering a $10,000 reward.
Said his son is the second teenager
to go missing from the area recently.
All right. I'm a couple hours away.
Send me the details. I'll see what he has to say.
Thanks for coming. Of course.
It's just you and your son living here?
Yeah, my wife, Anton's mom, she...
Passed away a couple years back.
Cancer snuck up on her and it went fast.
Sorry to hear that.
I'm guessing Anton took that pretty hard?
Yeah, he did.
She was the one who knew how to talk to him.
I do my best, but it's not the same.
Is it possible he ran off?
I don't think so.
I was at work and... Wasn't here when I got back.
When was that? This morning.
I work on the oil pipeline, and...
Long hours, lots of nights, so he has to take the bus.
Normally, he texts me his movements,
but not last night.
No phone calls. No texts.
Phone out of service.
What do you think is going on?
I scrape by sending Anton to a school
with a good music program.
Trade-off is,
he has to fend for himself when I'm at work.
You think he's being bullied?
He's a good kid. Quiet.
Not many friends. Serious about music.
So, yeah, it happens.
Okay.
Saw the heavy bag out front,
and the baseball bat by the front door.
Yeah. Yeah.
Figured if it ever went down and I wasn't there,
he could handle it.
But now I'm starting to think
he tried to fight someone off
and... made it worse.
All right.
What can you tell me about this other kid
that went missing?
Kevin Perkins.
Lived a couple doors down.
Story was he ran away.
Then his body washed up off lake cataouatche
a week later.
Police said it was a robbery, right?
Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't.
This place has a darkness.
Lot of people don't see it at first, but...
It's here.
When you talked to the police about Anton,
what'd they tell you? What'd they say?
Same old, "it's only been a day."
"Reach back if he doesn't turn up.
"Limited resources," all that.
But I got someone trying to help.
Who's this?
Jeanie veach. Detective here in marrero.
We've been seeing each other, casual.
She's the one that suggested I hire you.
Name doesn't ring a bell.
It wouldn't.
She heard about you
from a job you did in New Orleans a few years back.
Said you see things others don't.
Sometimes.
I'll talk to her, see if we can help you out.
Detective veach? Colter Shaw.
Good to meet you.
Thanks for helping us out. Heard you were the best.
You bet. This is the place where Anton's phone last pinged?
Just after 8:00 P.M. last night, then nothing.
Okay. Find anything in the area?
Haven't done the search yet. Just got here.
Deon tell you about the neighborhood boy
we fished out the lake?
The police report said it was a robbery gone wrong?
You think there's more to it?
I didn't tell Deon.
No need to worry him more. But,
that's not the only body we've found.
Third teenager in the last five years.
You think there's a connection?
Just that they're from the same neighborhood.
So why isn't the rest of your department looking?
They are. But we had some cutbacks,
and, you know, there's only so much manpower.
Look, Anton's a good kid and his dad is worried.
So you're helping him off the books.
Yeah. I'd do anything for him.
He's a good man and Anton's got a bright future.
Deon mentioned something about this place
having a, a darkness.
What... what is that?
Explain that to me.
On this side of the river, yeah.
I live here my whole life.
I like it here. It's home.
But it almost swallowed me up.
How so? I was a foster kid.
Bounced from one crappy home to the next.
Most people called me a "stray," growing up.
No real home, and nobody really gave a damn.
So when you ask about the darkness
I can tell you it's real.
It's like... Something in the water around here.
You don't see it at first, but it's here.
And you stay around long enough, it'll get you.
Why stay?
There's a lot of strays in these neighborhoods.
Lot of kids ain't got anybody looking out after them.
Guess I just wanted to help light the way out
for a few of them, you know?
I know you think it's bs, but it's the truth.
I don't think it's bs.
No, I think you and I are on the same team.
So where's home for you? Me?
Small town in northern California
called echo Ridge.
Never heard of it.
No reason you would've heard of it.
Nothing much goes on there.
And that's why you left?
Not exactly.
Seems like there's a story there.
Yeah, you could say that.
These tire tracks look pretty fresh, don't they?
Heading off that way?
There's something over there.
Wood. It's like a... like a Reed for an instrument.
Maybe a saxophone. Right?
We have blood here.
Anton could've been attacked.
If we can get a look at that camera,
we might be able to find out what happened here.
Yeah, I can track down the owner,
get a warrant to look at the footage.
Yeah. I got a faster way, actually.
Because the last time I let you choose,
you went with a, w-with a Cali chard
when clear correct choice was a chenin.
Vouvray, baby. Vouvray.
Hold up. Mama, I got to call you back.
Okay. Love you, too.
All right. Bye.
Colter. What's happening, man?
Velma gave me the rundown on the job.
What you need from me?
Listen, I'm standing at a convenience store right now,
they got security cameras.
Can you hack in for me?
Let me see what we working with.
All right, give me a sec to boot up.
By the way, when you get down to, New Orleans,
you've got to try babsy's.
Fire.
Are you eating again, right now?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm old-school carb loading.
But you know me, I can multitask.
There, I got your location.
Boom. Easy.
That's got to be a record, right?
You looking at the footage?
I did you one better.
Linking you up to it now.
Veach.
Come look at this.
There you go.
You know these guys?
It's hard to see,
but yeah, they go to school with Anton. Okay.
Boom.
Got 'em. There you go, Anton.
Whoa, hold on a second. Who's this?
This guy right here, lagging behind.
Doesn't seem like he's too interested, does he?
That's Cal kennison.
- That's who we need to talk to. - Let's go talk to Cal.
Randy. Thank you very much.
You got it, man.
How you doing, Cal?
Parents home?
No.
What do you want?
We're looking for Anton Crawford.
Yeah, well, he's not here, okay?
So go look somewhere else.
Don't you need, like, a warrant or something?
- Me? No, no, I don't. - I'm not a cop.
When's the last time you seen Anton?
Did you hear her?
We know what happened at the bus stop.
Your friends beat him up.
You stood there, you didn't do anything.
You want, we can take this down to the station.
But that's your call.
Hey. Just tell us what happened.
Fine, I was there, okay?
But I didn't hurt him, I swear.
What happened after you left the bus stop?
Y'all ran after him.
You watch your friends finish what they started?
If you're protecting them, that makes you an accessory.
What do you want me to say?
Okay, those guys like giving Anton a hard time.
Why's that?
I don't know.
Dude carries a sax everywhere he goes, he's different.
What? You never been to high school?
Homeschooled. What's that?
You hiding something?
No, you don't. Come here.
Why you running?
What'd you do with Anton?
You gonna tell us why you have Anton's things?
Look, I helped him, all right?
He's weird, but... He-he's actually my friend.
Wanted to make sure he was okay.
So why the hell'd you run?
Because I'm no snitch.
A-And I don't want it getting around that we're friends.
It's pretty spineless,
letting them guys beat on your friend.
You think I don't know that?
But if people found out,
I'd be getting beat downs, too. What happened next?
I-I brought him back here.
I just gave him a change of clothes.
I mean, I even offered him a ride home, but...
He said he had somewhere he had to be.
Where?
I don't know.
He just... he said it was important.
But, I mean, that's why he was in a rush and...
Why he left all his stuff here.
What you got?
Who's Sherry cheval?
Know who that is?
I'm not asking you to snitch on anyone.
I'm trying to help you out, I'm trying to find your friend,
so if you know this woman... Yeah, Sherry's...
Sherry's this older lady he was hanging out with...
After school.
"Hanging out" how?
Look, I-I don't know what the deal is, okay?
I just know that they jam on music.
I mean, he says they're just friends.
You think it's more than that?
Whenever I ask Anton about it, he just...
He acts all shady.
He says I won't understand it
because I'm not a musician.
Look, I-I picked up a weird vibe, but...
A-Anton's an odd dude, so... I didn't press him.
All right, then, copy that.
Tell me about Sherry cheval.
Well, she's a local pianist.
But she's got a rap sheet.
Drug possession, fraud.
Why would someone like Anton get mixed up with her?
His dad said he's straight as an arrow. Music?
I'd buy that. I hope so.
Because she's also got a kidnapping charge on her sheet.
A minor. She beat it, never got put away.
How's something like that happen?
I'm not sure.
Records are sealed.
Let me guess.
You got somebody that can help with that, don't you?
Might. Meet you at Sherry's?
- Colter. - Hey, reenie.
Listen, I'm down in New Orleans and I hit a snag.
Could really use your help. What do you mean
"he's here"?
Yeah, I've got, like, two seconds.
Okay, this kid I'm looking for,
he's with an older woman.
With as in "with"?
Unclear.
Okay...
All right, so she got picked up for kidnapping in tuscaloosa
a couple years ago, but the record is sealed.
Do you think you can get into it?
Yeah, it's gonna be a minute.
There's something I need to deal with.
But, I'll let you know what I can do.
Well, I appreciate you.
'Kay. Got to go.
Bye. He just showed up.
Did he say anything else?
Yeah, lots of opinions.
Our plant game sucks.
He doesn't like the exposed brick.
Something about the lighting?
Okay, let me deal with him.
All right. Good luck.
Thank you.
Well, well, well.
This is a surprise.
Are you going to sit,
or do you have an opinion on the chair?
I know it's not a Ralph Lauren club,
but it really does do the job.
In the area.
Figured I'd see what my money is buying.
I do have other clients, Mr. Sharf.
Call me Leo.
And I'm jealous.
Other clients?
I might have to do something about that.
Well, I'm not really a single client kind of gal.
If you're looking for that, you're in the wrong place.
We'll see about that.
You know, you could've texted or called,
let me know you were gonna swing by.
I could have.
I take it you that had a chance to look at what I sent you
on Tiffany cosby and her company?
I did. Nice work.
Yeah. Wouldn't call it nice. But I did what you asked.
Is this the part where you judge me for leveraging her out
and removing her from the company?
No.
But is that your thing?
I have many things.
Lawyers, too.
I'm aware.
So, why did you pick me for this?
I needed a killer.
And don't pretend you're not that.
Look, m... Leo.
I get it.
You were testing me on this brief,
seeing if I would blink.
Right?
So let's just skip to the part where you tell me
if I passed your little test or not.
You did.
Great.
If there's nothing else... Sheldon grimes.
Sits on the board of my company.
One of the founding partners. Right.
And if memory serves, it was his tech that brought in the vcs.
Dropped out of mit.
Big fan of phish.
And failed at two other start ups
before you partnered with him.
I could go on.
No need.
What's the job?
I need some leverage on him.
"Leverage."
Is that what we're calling it these days?
Call it whatever you want.
But start there.
I'm sure you can use your imagination.
And if there's nothing to find?
There always is.
Okay. I'll draft up the contract.
Contracts?
Who needs the paper trail?
You have my word.
Charming.
I can be.
And you're gonna need this.
I want you to call me on this from now on.
Really? We live in a surveillance state.
To think otherwise is naive.
Good to know.
But there are limits to what I will do on your behalf.
I'll double your hourly fee and slip in a healthy retainer,
if you indulge my discretion on this.
Okay.
You mind if I have my decorator swing by?
Call it a free consult.
I don't do gifts.
Don't want you thinking I owe you anything.
Walk you out.
Sherry cheval?
Jefferson parish sheriff's office.
Open up.
Hello?
No one's here.
Looks like she packed in a hurry.
Think that's the shirt Cal gave him?
Could be.
Not sure about the suit, though.
Anton definitely came here and changed before he left.
This is enough to put out an apb on Anton and Sherry.
So, she brought him here...
Left the door unlocked, and no sign of a struggle.
Maybe she groomed him.
Has him under her spell, and he went willingly.
Or maybe...
He went with her because he didn't have a choice.
Who's there?
Shh.
This the spot?
Sax and shaker jazz club.
Apb got a hit on Sherry's car.
The club's owner is Hugo bowman.
Comes from an old New Orleans family.
He know we're looking for Sherry?
No, I was vague, but if anyone
can help us find her, it's him.
He used to throw wild parties back in the day.
But then he went legit, started buying up old music joints.
Turned them into hotspots.
Anton ever mention this place?
Not that I remember.
Checked in with Deon.
He didn't recall anything, either.
Let's go see what Hugo has to say.
Okay.
There's Hugo.
Hey, Hugo.
Detective veach.
Good to see you. And good to see you.
This is colter Shaw.
This your place?
Yeah. Own this building and three others in the quarter.
You said it was urgent.
What can I do you for?
There's a car parked out in your lot, belongs to Sherry cheval?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She plays house piano.
Something wrong?
She working last night?
Well, I don't know, I wasn't here last night.
Who was?
That would be my manager, Jessica.
Jess?
Got a minute?
Sherry cheval. She working here last night?
Yes, she was on.
Supposed to work for me tonight, too.
But she no-showed.
What's up? We have reason to believe
she's involved in a kidnapping.
A kidnapping?
Sherry?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What... what's going on here?
She was with, a teen. Anton Crawford?
He hang out here, too?
Doesn't ring a bell.
You sure about that?
Speak up if you know something.
Okay. Look... Anton really likes the music
and he wanted to earn some extra cash...
He works as a bar back for me.
But he's not 16 yet, so I pay him under the table.
He was working here last night?
He was. With Sherry.
After that, I don't know.
Her car's still here.
Maybe she left with somebody.
Other musicians.
Maybe. I mean, you were here,
did you see them maybe talking to anyone, or...?
I was mostly behind the bar.
We were crowded,
and I was just focused on getting the customers served.
Okay. Thanks.
We'll let you know if we have any further questions.
All right, well, I'm around if you need me.
Excuse me.
Anton told Cal he needed to be somewhere.
Said it was important.
We're missing something.
Sherry's car is here.
You think she took him somewhere on foot?
Not without the manager noticing.
Come on. What are you looking for?
These old buildings in New Orleans,
they've got secret exits, right?
For, speakeasies, things like that?
Sure. A lot of old smugglers' routes.
Some kind of a door.
Yeah.
Looks like an old bootlegger's passage.
Prints going in both directions...
Looks like they're still using it for something.
Look at this.
Looks like pictographs.
You're right.
Let's see where it goes.
That lock looks awfully new, doesn't it?
For a building in this state.
These Rose petals haven't been here long.
What's going on here?
This isn't voodoo, is it?
Definitely not. This is old magic.
It's got a lot of names, but,
it's baked into the culture around here.
You ever seen anything like this before?
Yeah.
There's a lot of believers
in and around the quarter. I've seen this kind of setup
more than once on a disorderly call.
Find somebody preparing a...
A ritual or ranting about unlocking
the powers of their souls.
People that practice this call themselves "infini."
Infinity. Don't ask me what it means.
Just something I heard 'em called.
You seem to know a lot about it.
Well, at one of my foster home stops, the guy there
was way deep into this.
That's the first time I ever seen
a drum circle or a pyre. Scared the hell out of me.
You see something?
What is it?
We got a body.
- Yes, ma'am. - I'll take care of her.
Her name's Gabrielle ladoux. 15 years old.
Asphyxiation most likely caused by poison or overdose.
Think Anton's involved? I don't think so.
Maybe Sherry believes in infini,
got Anton sucked into it somehow.
I don't think Sherry's mixed up in this.
I saw a Bible on her nightstand.
Doesn't track with dark magic
or ritual sacrifice.
Now, you said your foster parents
were into this kind of stuff?
Not like this.
He was a drunk
that did a reenactment with a stolen mannequin.
Probably something he was just playing around with,
but like I said, it creeped me out good.
Mentioned it to my court-appointed counselor,
and they removed me from the home.
What the hell is this place?
I didn't even know this was here.
I need to take this. I'll talk to Hugo.
Reenie? You get into Sherry's arrest file?
I did. Kidnapping charges against Sherry cheval
were dropped by the state
after testimony from the alleged victim.
Must've made a pretty compelling argument.
Yeah, I'd say.
According to the testimony, Sherry was actually helping
this kid escape an abusive parent.
But the file was sealed 'cause he's a minor.
So, she wasn't trafficking the kid, she was protecting him.
She working alone?
Actually, she had help.
According to the court records, her brother,
father Josiah cheval,
helped hide the endangered teen inside of his church
while Sherry arranged for more permanent lodging.
That's a big help, reenie. Thank you.
Veach.
Just heard back about Sherry's kidnapping arrest.
She was saving the kid,
was working with her brother who's a priest.
And what do you think that means?
It means she was here.
Probably to play the music. She was helping Anton
from whatever the hell was about ready to happen here.
So, Anton came here from Cal's,
didn't realize what was about to happen.
Sherry saves him, and the two of them run to her place
for food and clothes. And now, they're both in hiding
until they know it's safe to come out.
My guess is they took him to her brother's church,
just like they did the other kid.
Detective.
You should, check out Saint Paul in hahnville.
Sherry's brother's the priest there.
She plays their social events sometimes.
That's a half an hour from here. Thanks.
We'll take it from here.
Hey. We should go.
Take a look at this.
You ever seen anything like this before?
It's a copy of an old infini manuscript.
We used to see pages like this show up from time to time
in a bust or an investigation.
What is it?
Well, practitioners usually use it as a sort of a
instruction manual for rituals.
Once a ritual's completed,
they're supposed to Grant certain powers.
Summoning.
Torture.
Sacrifice.
And the terrifying part?
It looks like there's somebody out there
that really believes this.
This here... And that, right there.
Looks like a wedding ceremony, right? Writing here's in French.
Says, "completion of the ritual will bring
immortality to the individual who performs it."
Colter... What? Do you see something?
That kid we pulled out of the lake
had a tattoo with that symbol.
That?
This was Kevin Perkins after we pulled him out of the lake.
Look.
Had a tattoo, same symbol, on his calf.
These murders are connected.
Now... This was a girl we found in an alley.
Now, she presented like a random attack.
But look at that alley wall.
Looks like graffiti, but it's the same symbol again.
So, whoever did this needed to complete all three rituals.
Into the water, the spilling of blood...
Wedding sacrifice, it's the final act. Infini.
The sacrifice of a virgin couple for immortality.
They already killed the bride.
That's why Anton was in a suit and tie. He was the groom.
They need to complete the ceremony.
We're dealing with a psychopath.
Let's get to that church.
Hey.
I just got the background on father cheval.
And?
He's not the priest at Saint Paul's. He's at sacred heart.
20 miles, other direction.
He get reassigned recently? Nope.
He's been at sacred heart of redemption
for the last 12 years.
Okay.
Hugo gave us the wrong location on purpose.
He's trying to get to Anton before we do.
Pull a u. Follow me.
Did I get it this time?
Is all the paint off now?
Hugo told me it was just pretend.
Said I could make a lot of money.
Can't believe I trusted him.
He tricked us both.
Told me it was a vip party.
That's why I agreed to play the music,
but I thank god I was there to help you, Anton.
The lord does work in mysterious ways.
He poisoned her.
I saw him give her the pills.
H-He wanted her to die.
Try not to think about it.
I want to go home.
When can I call my dad? I know he's worried.
I'm sure he is,
and we're gonna call as soon as we can,
but right now, Hugo is waiting for you to try.
To make a mistake so he can get to you.
I won't let that happen.
Not until I know for sure you'll be safe.
He still wants to kill me to complete the ritual.
We're not gonna think about that, either.
Hey.
We're gonna trust father cheval.
My brother's a good man.
He's helped a lot of people in trouble before,
and he's gonna get you home.
Sherry?
Anton?
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
And we will finish what we started.
Backup's on the way. I'm not waiting.
Got to find Anton before Hugo finds him.
I need to check what's going on. Stay here and stay quiet.
Wait. If Hugo's out there, he'll kill you, too.
He's in here somewhere looking for Anton.
Let's just split up.
Hey, be careful.
You, too.
Josiah.
Josiah?
Jos... Josiah.
Why?
He was a good man, Hugo.
You are gonna burn in hell for this.
Well, probably, but not today.
Take me to Anton, or you're gonna join your brother.
I've seen evil like you before.
And I'll never tell you where Anton is.
Have it your way.
Drop your weapon.
I can't do that.
Stay where you are. Don't move.
Or I will kill her.
I know what you did. Using kids, you're using kids
from the other side of the river, from my town,
for your sick rituals.
Dumping their bodies back where they came from
when you're done with them.
You can't begin to understand.
You're a predator and a killer.
Tell me what else I'm missing.
Get down! Get down! Get down! Get down!
Sherry.
She's okay. She's okay.
Give me your scarf.
Stay low. Stay low.
Did you see which way he went?
I got him. I got him.
How bad is it?
Put pressure on this for me. It's okay.
You're gonna be okay. You're lying.
Hey, don't worry about me.
'Kay? Just save Anton.
Killed those kids and now a priest. For what?
I found something
that's gonna give me everything.
Found your printouts.
Infini handbook.
Nobody lives forever.
You don't know what you're talking about.
It's not real, Hugo.
Killed those people for nothing.
You call eternal life nothing?
I'm gonna finish what I started.
That's not gonna happen.
Let me take a look. I can't feel a pulse.
All right. Come on.
'Kay.
Call an ambulance.
911. What's your emergency?
I need medical assistance.
Sacred heart of redemption. Yes.
One injured. Another... I understand.
Ten minutes away.
It's okay. You're safe.
Come back to me. Come on.
Come on.
If you can hear me, come back to me.
Anton.
Dad. My god.
I'm sorry, dad. I should've told you
about working at the jazz... No, no. Listen to me.
You're back with me now. You're safe.
That's all that matters, you understand?
That's all that matters.
Jeanie. How is she?
She's okay. Come see for yourself.
Hey, baby. How you doing?
Tired. Sore.
But I'm gonna be fine.
Thank you.
Thank you both for finding my son.
We didn't do it alone.
Anton's friend, Sherry. She got him out of there,
kept him safe till we got there.
Hey, your friend Cal,
he came by, he brought your sax back.
It's in the truck. Can I go get it?
Yeah.
Thank you for bringing my son back. Yeah.
Sherry's brother, father cheval.
He kept them hidden, kept them safe until we got there.
Man gave his life.
So, I think we take that money,
put it towards a program at his church.
Something for the kids in the community.
Sounds right.
Will do.
Thanks, colter.
I wouldn't still be here without you.
That darkness you spoke of.
You said you wanted to light the way out?
Hugo's gone.
Those families finally got justice.
It's 'cause of you.
Okay.
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