CATHERINE: Nine years ago, I witnessed my mother's murder. Ripped By mstoll
I would have been killed too if it hadn't been for Vincent.
VINCENT: I was part of an experimental Special Forces group.
Their goal was to create the perfect super soldier.
They made us stronger, faster, better.
But something went wrong. They gave orders to kill us all.
Somehow I survived and have been in hiding ever since.
CATHERINE: Until a case brought me back to him,
but also alerted the group that experimented on him.
Now we're both in danger.
VINCENT: And our best chance at survival is if we save each other.
[DOOR CLOSES]
What the hell's going on? You're putting grooves in the floor.
- I need to get some air. - Open a window.
What's got you so amped up?
Oh. You must have seen Cat.
That's why you came home so late, isn't it? You were with her.
- For a little bit, yeah. - Heh.
I know what you're gonna say, man, but...
J.T., she makes me feel like... Heh.
Like I have a life again.
Awfully dangerous for a guy who's supposed to be dead.
Seriously, where are you going?
- For a walk. - Stick to rooftops where it's safe.
- I'll be back soon. - Ah.
- If you're going out, I'm coming with. - No, no. That is a bad idea.
That makes us even.
So that's why you wanna ask that Sara girl out, right?
Delicate stomach?
That girl is a woman who happens to be the Associate Chair
of the Earth Sciences Department.
And I'm not asking her out because I live in an abandoned warehouse
- with a complicated roommate. - You're afraid she's gonna say no.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting our eye contact at department meetings.
I mean, I think she's staring at me but...
MAN [NEARBY]: Please, please don't shoot me.
Nobody's a hero tonight.
- Open up the register and hit the floor. - I have a family.
- Let's go! - Yeah, yeah.
Now!
[VINCENT GROWLS]
[GRUNTS]
Come on! Let's go!
[SIRENS WAILING NEARBY]
[CAMERA BEEPING]
[BUZZING]
[CATHERINE SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
Make mine a double.
How was your night?
Ex-porn star karaoke sounds way more entertaining than it actually is.
And where were you?
Because you were not in bed when I came home.
Uh, yeah, I was on a case.
So why'd you leave your badge here?
Does being my roommate also involve tracking my every move?
No, but being your curious little sister does.
I was hoping you had a pre b-day hot date.
- Happy birthday. - Thank you.
And?
And we've been through this, Heather.
But you love your birthday.
I mean, who doesn't like cake and JELL-O shots
and eligible bachelors passing out in their bathtub?
Me. I told you, I don't feel like having a party this year.
I do not get it. I mean, what is so different about this year?
Mm.
I know what it is. Saturn returns.
Saturn comes back into orbit where it was when you were born,
and blah, blah, blah, your life goes bass-ackwards
for the next seven years.
Great. Because it has been so smooth for the last seven.
[SIGHS]
[CHATTERING]
- That slow, huh? - It's the third Thursday of the month.
That's when criminals have their staff meetings.
- Happy birthday. - Thank you.
- You are not that sentimental. - Oh, no.
You'll get a six-pack and a drugstore card
that I'll get at lunch and act like I picked out days ago.
- Heh. - Mystery boyfriend?
Because that's the story I've been running
to explain your mood swings over the past few weeks.
No, it's from my dad and my soon-to-be step-thingy.
Excuse me, detectives? The front desk directed me to you.
- I'm Michael Walters. - How can we help, Michael?
Have a seat.
My fiancée, Amy...
She was at the apartment and, uh, she's missing.
Uh, um...
This is her. Here.
- How long has she been gone for? - About three hours, I think.
I came home from an all-night ER rotation and I made her breakfast.
Then I went to Café Vermeer to get our favorite coffee,
and when I came back, maybe 20 minutes later, she was gone.
When you got home, were there any suspicious circumstances?
- Door kicked in? - No.
I just found her engagement ring left on the table.
Was there anything else out of the ordinary?
- Maybe some stuff missing? - I don't know. Uh...
The bedroom closet was open but...
I hate to break it to you but I think she left you.
You don't know her. Look, we're about to get married.
She would never leave me. It's not possible.
Michael, we have to wait 48 hours to open an official investigation.
[SIGHS]
Oh, I see.
Look, um, maybe we can swing by the apartment,
see if there's anything that catches our attention.
We can?
Thank you so much. I really... Thank you, detectives.
- It's heartbreaking. - Ugh, it's pathetic.
CATHERINE: That's you. That's your jacket.
No one could recognize me from that jacket.
Who knows what else is on that surveillance tape?
What were you thinking?
What was I supposed to do, let the guy shoot the clerk?
CATHERINE: You guys have to be more careful.
Uh, me, choir. But seems that since he met you, Vincent feels alive.
He thinks he can have a normal life and walk on sidewalks and stuff.
You know who can't do that? Guys with death certificates.
You know what we should do.
Not we, me. It's the benefit of having someone on the inside.
I'll call the local precinct
and make sure there's nothing else on surveillance tape.
Uh, that would be great, but I think he's talking about Phase B.
You seriously have something called Phase B?
What if she's right? What if someone catches on to that photo?
We've never taken the precautions we should around here.
And if you're gonna go for walks,
we need better security, in case someone follows you home.
Great. As if my life isn't walled up enough already.
I'll start the inventory of what we need to steal from campus.
- I didn't hear that. J. T: I didn't say it.
[VINCENT CHUCKLES]
Is it too late for a happy birthday?
How did you know?
I've been watching over you, remember?
Your birthday was just always, uh, a good marker each year to check in,
make sure you're okay.
- Here. - Thank you.
Having a party?
You always have a party.
Uh, yeah, no, not this year. I don't feel like it.
As I got older, I thought that I understood more about life.
And now, it's like I've crossed this line,
and the world doesn't make sense to me anymore.
You know, my birthday used to be so simple.
My mom, she'd make me pancakes for dinner.
[CHUCKLES]
And she'd buy me a new pair of flannel pajamas,
and we'd just watch old movies.
Like I say, I'm not in the mood to play truth-or-dare with my friends
when I spend most of my days lying to them.
About where I've been, who I've been with.
I should, uh...
I should probably go. My partner's waiting for me.
I told her I left something at home. Another lie.
Thank you.
Thanks for coming by.
Have you heard from Amy's family or friends at all?
Uh, well, her parents died in a car accident years ago.
She doesn't have any siblings or close friends, really.
She was kind of shy and quiet.
She left her engagement ring on the table. That seems kind of loud.
I wanted to surprise her with breakfast and the announcement.
I sent it into the paper. I thought she'd find it romantic.
We planned a quiet wedding in Rockland County,
just us and the justice.
How long did Amy live here?
Um...
She moved in with me about a year ago.
- No photos of you two? - She's a Virgo.
Liked to keep our place super clean.
You have anything with her name on it?
Uh, I'll take a look.
Do you think it's strange
that there's absolutely no sign of a woman living here?
How could she pack up a year's worth of life in 20 minutes?
Yeah, it took me five weeks to pack up my studio apartment last time I moved.
This place makes it seem like she never existed at all.
TESS: I'll check the bedroom.
Uh, sorry, I couldn't find anything with her name on it.
I usually keep my bleach by the laundry.
Oh, well, she must've been cleaning in here.
She does that a lot, but it didn't bother me.
TESS: Hey, Cat. Phone for you.
Just give me a second, okay, Michael?
MICHAEL: Mm-hm.
Closet.
Mind if I use your bathroom? It's a long drive back to the precinct.
Of course.
Thanks.
JOE: What are we looking at? Murder? Missing persons?
We found a woman's hair. We're checking if its DNA gets a hit on Amy,
and if the DNA matches the blood found in the closet.
Why would he report her if he killed her?
TESS: Throw off suspicion with tears.
She sees the announcement, realizes she's making a mistake,
and then gives the ring back.
He flips out, kills her, cleans it up
and then realizes someone's gonna report her missing.
He could be a flight risk.
Ah, okay, I'll put undercovers on him.
You two, pull warrants and start to dig quietly.
Let's see if we can find a friend,
someone she complained about Michael to.
Someone she told everything to.
Is that what friends are for? I wouldn't know.
The flowers are from my dad. There is no secret guy. I swear.
- Is she gone? - Uh, I don't know.
Is she invisible and I'm the only one who can't see her?
- So keep her out until 9. MAN: Detective.
And could you pick up the margarita machine on the way over?
Uh-huh. And just how do you expect me to explain
picking up a margarita machine to Cat
on the way to her apartment on her birthday,
which supposedly you promised
- not to throw a party for? - Good point.
It's a match, DNA of the hair and blood from a woman mid-to-late 20s.
Sounds like Amy. What about the prints from the newspaper?
I ran the prints through the system but they're smudged.
I'll try and clean them up and run them through again.
CATHERINE: Mind if I print this? EVAN: No.
CATHERINE: Wait.
The most eligible bachelor
with his l-can-bag-anyone-in-this- bar-because-l-have-a-sexy-accent
has reverted to online dating?
I didn't know you thought my accent was sexy.
Okay, so who is this buxomly bimbo you've stooped to?
- Heh. - Claire Sinclair?
Really? Is that her screen name?
Likes hiking and reading. How original.
Ah.
A masters in poli-sci and a PhD in economics.
Climbed Mount Everest?
Well, maybe you should open yourself up to the possibilities
of the World Wide Web, Cat.
I'm not the one that's gone stag to the Police Ball three years running.
- Evan. - Heather.
- Cat. - Now that everyone's met.
- What are you doing here? - I, um...
Well, Tess said you were down here.
I locked myself out, heh, again.
- Could I borrow your spare? - I need to get you a set of keys
to wear as earrings. Seriously.
Okay, come on.
Margarita machine.
MAN: Detective Chandler. Here you go.
- From Precinct 86? MAN: Yeah.
- Thanks. MAN: No problem.
[SIGHS]
Good news. No frame of that video footage can clearly peg you.
- Your identity is safe. - Ah.
Blocking analog?
Shuts down any wireless devices in the perimeter.
Thank you, J.T.
Your isolated prison is starting to feel like my escape these days.
You're not spending your birthday on your own, are you?
You at least need a pizza or a movie or something.
- Are you buying? - Theoretically? Yes.
Technically? No, that would be J.T. The one with the paycheck.
You're offering me an entire night where I don't have to make up lies?
Yeah, I figured you could use a break from it.
- I'll see you at 8. - It's a date.
Not a "date" date.
[VINCENT CHUCKLES]
What is it with guys?
You could put up a picture or something.
It would make the place feel less like a prison.
Why, is there something wrong?
- No pictures. Nothing personal. VINCENT: It's part of the To Go Plan.
We can get everything out of here that links to us in 14 minutes
and be on our way to the safe haven.
Right, because you're on the run, someone's after you.
Did you say safe haven?
Yeah, it's, heh, J.T.'s name. I think it's kind of goofy.
It's just a place we know how to get around in,
but where no one would ever think to look for us.
What if no one was erasing Amy? What if she was erasing herself?
And she made herself disappear in less than 20 minutes?
That might explain what the system kicked up when I reran the prints.
Her name's not Amy.
Amy's real name is Lily Carter.
Besides this driver's license,
there's no other record of Lily's existence before the age of 18.
No birth certificate, no Social Security number,
no school records.
You know, if we're keeping you from your hot date...
Oh, it's not a problem. She's waiting for me.
Chandler, Vargas.
J.T. Forbes.
Sara. Hey.
I, uh...
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing.
You've been staring at me during staff meetings.
Uh, I wouldn't... I wouldn't call it staring. Um...
I'm farsighted so...
Yeah, well, uh, I've asked around
and apparently you don't have a girlfriend or any kind of life.
Supposedly, you show up to faculty functions alone, heh.
- So glad everyone's noticed. - Yeah, well, I kept waiting but...
Do you wanna go out for coffee sometime?
I, uh... Heh.
I, um... I...
I gotta go.
- Well, what was I supposed to say? - Uh, how about yes?
- Oh, wake up, Vincent. - Uh, finger.
Coffee leads to lunch, lunch leads to dinner, dinner leads to drinks,
- and we all know where that leads. - Exactly.
- And you could do with some of that. - What am I supposed to say
after three months of dodging? She can't see my house because?
I don't know. Because you live with your parents.
Oh, that's studly. That will get me laid. Thanks.
Okay, what if she was trustworthy?
Okay, if she was someone special that knew about us and understood.
I did that. Remember?
I was that trustworthy friend. Lasted about a year.
- J.T. - I had roommates and a girlfriend.
They start asking questions
and you get caught lying to people you love about where you've been
and what you've been doing. It's not a choice.
You can never leave this secret behind.
It's a lot easier to leave your life.
I'm not trying to make you feel bad.
But bringing someone else in like Sara...
She might understand.
First, she'll tell the little lies,
then she'll start brushing off a friend here and there.
It's impossible to avoid. You know that.
If we actually care about someone,
we can't let them give up their world to live like this in ours.
TESS: Witness Protection?
Amy witnessed the murder of her parents.
The man who killed them got away. His accomplice was caught.
She testified and put him behind bars. Then she was assigned to WitSec.
That's why she didn't leave any trace at that apartment.
Marshal Gibson set up Amy's identity. He's been her handler for three years.
I'm taking those undercovers off Michael.
She saw the engagement photo in the paper and ran,
afraid her identity had been compromised.
- That's when she called us. - Is she safe? Is she with you?
I'm not at liberty to say.
But we will have to touch base with anyone you contacted.
Any person who gets onto her identity could put her in danger.
- Thanks for your help. - Walk you out.
[DOOR OPENS]
Well, it's 8:00. We're off the case.
How about a birthday beer, bud?
Seriously? Grade school pageants could act rings around you.
Please don't tell me it's a surprise party.
Ugh, Heather promised that she wouldn't.
- Fine. What time? - Nine.
- Act surprised. - Mm.
- You're early. - I'm barely in the door.
- Uh, Phillips-head? - Yeah.
Thing is, um, I'm going to be late.
Heather, against my wishes, is throwing me this surprise party,
so I thought I could stop by after, if that's okay.
Yeah, um, but you don't have to.
No, I know I don't have to,
but I thought when the party was over, we could still hang out.
There's no reason why I can't have one foot in both worlds.
You know, that's what J.T. Said nine years ago.
Um, look, Catherine.
Keeping a secret like this, it really takes a toll on a life.
I mean, we didn't know what we were getting into back then,
- but, uh, we really do now. - Vincent.
I didn't save you all those years ago
for you to hide out in a dusty warehouse.
You know, J.T. And I haven't celebrated a birthday in 10 years?
I mean, who would we invite anyway?
Go to your party.
You're lucky to have one.
Vincent, I just wish you could be there.
You have a life.
Go on. Go live it.
[DOOR CLOSES]
ALL: Surprise!
[ALL CHEERING AND LAUGHING]
[UPBEAT POP MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
Happy birthday, big sis. Surprised, pissed, or both?
- Uh, totally surprised. - You look surprised.
- You shouldn't have done this. - It's your Saturn returns.
Hey, what else would you have done,
sat around and wished you had a party?
- Hey, happy birthday, Chandler. - Thanks, boss. Heh.
- Hey, Cat. This is Claire. CATHERINE: Yes, I know.
- Nice to see you. - Oh, have we met?
No, but, um, I feel like we have
because Evan's been talking about you a lot.
Heh, that makes me sound like a stalker.
I've been appropriately conversant about you.
Um, margaritas?
CLAIRE: Mm-hm.
Sure.
Ahem, so is it true that you climbed Everest?
Yeah, twice. But I had to stop a lot to pee.
In fact, I need to use the girls' room now. Is it?
Oh, it's that way. Do you need a Sherpa?
No, thanks, I keep a spare in my bag.
[TESS LAUGHS]
TESS: Why?
Gorgeous, a mountain climber, yet funny and down-to-earth.
Obviously put on Earth to make all other women feel inferior.
Ah, and those pumps. I'd kill for those pumps.
Am I allowed to shoot her? It is my birthday after all.
- Can we get drunk now? - Yes, that's the spirit.
You know, Tess did help decorate.
- Hmm. You did? - Shh.
There's Saturn.
Yes, I kind of figured.
And do you know what that one is?
Um, Uranus hasn't been funny since fifth grade.
It's a star for Mom.
I figured she should be here for your big party too.
- Thanks, sis. HEATHER: You're welcome.
And thank you, Tess, for completely ignoring my wishes.
- It's what we're here for. HEATHER: Ha, ha.
- Where's Claire? - Tightrope walking across rooftops?
- Heh. - Here we go,
- lime, strawberry, and shots. TESS: Ooh, yay.
HEATHER: All right. CATHERINE: Hmm.
To Catherine. Happy birthday.
ALL: Cheers.
HEATHER: Yay.
- Oh. TESS: Ugh.
Oh, it is on.
- Oh, my God. Look, look, look. - Ah!
CATHERINE: Photo booth.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
- What? What? - Gang signs.
- Joe. Joe, no, no, no. Come on. - No.
- Come on, in you go. - No, no. I hate...
[TESS LAUGHING]
- Smile, Joe. - No.
No, my right side is my good side.
- No! - Switch with me, switch.
- No. Ha, ha.
Since Saturn is returning, it's time to see stars.
- Tequila. - Dangerous.
Live on the edge. Down the hatch.
CATHERINE: Mm. - Hey, photo booth is free.
Excellent, right. I'd better get my mascara on, heh.
Catherine seems nice.
Yeah, yeah, she's a good detective.
Happy birthday!
[ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]
Make a wish. What do you want for your birthday?
[ALL CHEER]
HEATHER: Whoo! Happy birthday, big sis.
[CHATTERING]
- Oh, bye, thank you. - Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Bye. Hi.
I have to get going, sweetheart.
But we haven't even taken our picture yet.
- Cat... - No, come on.
[EVAN SIGHS]
- Claire will be waiting. - This will just take a second.
Now?
- Ugh. - Too late.
- It doesn't give you enough time. - You have to be ready.
Oh, my. I missed it again. Okay, I'm drunk.
[CATHERINE LAUGHING]
Okay, there's only one more. Let's just do something different.
Think fast.
L... I can't...
- Evan. - You don't have to.
I've had a little too much to drink.
And you obviously thought...
Just for the record, you didn't push me away.
HEATHER: Cat, champagne.
[ANNOUNCER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON TV]
[DOOR OPENS]
Where have you been? Or should I even ask?
I stopped by Catherine's to give her a gift.
Your ability to leave me speechless is unparalleled.
No one saw me, J.T.
Did she like it? Her present.
I don't know, she never got to open it. She was kissing some guy.
- What? - Yep.
[CHUCKLES]
I can't blame her, though.
I mean, I told her to go live her life and that is what she did.
- But l... - I don't really wanna talk about it.
Vincent?
Vincent, you all right?
- Vincent, you all right? - I'm okay.
Yeah, I'm okay.
It's nothing, I'm just tired. It's been a long night.
MAN: Michael Walters?
Marshal Chuck Gibson. It's about Amy.
May I come in?
I believe I'll be able to answer all your questions.
Please do.
[SIRENS WAILING]
Hey, I got your call. What happened here?
Neighbors called in a disturbance.
Signs of a violent struggle, originates in the living room.
- Is this Michael's blood? - It could be, they're testing it.
Looks like Michael put up quite a struggle.
Let's hope he's alive when we find him.
Okay, so, when I touched base with WitSec last night,
I wasn't actually talking to WitSec.
My phone was wirelessly hijacked for 20 minutes,
so when I called WitSec to check Gibson's credentials,
I was actually talking to somebody in Jersey.
If you were rerouted, then where's the real Marsha Gibson?
His body washed up on shore yesterday.
- So who the hell was in your office? - James Mason.
Wanted for the murder of Amy's... a.k.a. Lily Carter's... parents.
CATHERINE: Amy is the one who can ID Mason as the killer
- and put him away for life. - So why take Michael?
Well, he assumes Michael is so close to her,
he knows all her secrets, like where she'd go.
Mason will probably keep Michael alive until he finds Amy.
Question is, where is Amy's safe haven?
Safe haven?
Yeah, she lives her life on the run. There must be some place for her
when she gets scared.
Didn't Michael say they were going on a honeymoon
- in Rockland County? - Hmm.
Um, according to Amy's real file,
she went to camp there in grade school.
- Rockland County? - What do you have?
When we tapped Michael's cell,
there was a message from his credit card company
saying some woman alerted them to a fraudulent charge.
It was made from a Rockland County gas station.
Amy was sending him a message.
When you can't call someone directly,
you have to find another way to get to them.
Amy was trying to tell Michael where to find her.
Rockland's 30 away, can't lose any more time.
Get a full list of those hotels and split them up.
Okay.
Tess, I'm at the Belmont Hotel. I think I have a possible match.
Unknown young woman in Room 6, so get here fast.
Amy?
My name's Catherine Chandler, N.Y.P.D.
I know you're scared, and I know about James Mason.
Please open the door. I wanna help you and Michael.
I think he's in trouble.
Maybe this is hard to understand,
but for years, I was living with a secret identity,
holed up in my apartment,
just terrified that someone would come into my life.
And when Michael did, I got scared, and I tried pushing him away.
- Does that sound silly? - No.
I knew I shouldn't get involved with him but I couldn't help myself.
I was drawn to him.
And then I moved in and we got engaged,
and I wanted that life so badly
that I forgot I'll always be on the run.
When I saw our photo in the paper, I knew that I had to leave.
Leave him.
Maybe this time, Michael will run with you.
He could never be himself again.
Not a doctor. It's just too easy to track.
I could never ask someone to make that sacrifice for me.
You can't assume what's right for him.
[COUGHS]
[BOTH GRUNTING]
Get back in!
[SIREN WAILING]
[TIRES SCREECHING]
[SIGHS]
So, what will happen to them?
They get to come out of hiding. They're lucky.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It wouldn't have been fair for you.
Well, that should have been my choice.
I'd go anywhere with you.
Thank you for the gift.
I found it on the fire escape,
but I wanted to wait and open it with you.
How was your birthday?
Actually, it was horrible.
I was standing there with my sister and all of my friends
and all of these people who supposedly know me,
and they don't know me. They don't really know me anymore.
- Your life isn't here, Catherine. - Half of it isn't.
And I know, because in the other half, I have to lie to everyone.
Act like I'm doing things I'm not, watch every word I say.
Put up walls and then remember where I've put them.
Hmm.
I realized that what I wanted for my birthday
was to sit across from someone that I don't have to pretend with.
- That's you. - No, I can't ask...
You are not. Vincent, I wanna have you over for dinner.
Pull down the blinds, just sit down, have a glass of wine,
not have to watch my every move.
Just be.
The only reason
you have to watch your every move is because of me.
Besides, I'm not the guy for that.
You need the, uh, normal guy that can show up to the birthday party.
What makes you think I want a normal life?
What I do, it isn't up to you. It's my choice, not yours.
My sister's going out. I'll have dinner ready by 8.
And unless there's something else holding you back,
I hope to see you there.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE] Ripped By mstoll