Silent Night

**\* GALLERY**

## Synopsis

Knowing that the “Junkyard Killer” was in cahoots with his father, Malcolm goes against the FBI's wishes and continues to investigate. His findings reconnect him with a disgruntled ex-detective who was once heavily involved in the search for “The Surgeon,” delivering them both into danger. Meanwhile, the holidays are anything but jolly for the Whitly family, when an epic blowout with Ainsley leads Jessica to take matters into her own hands. Also, Colette Swanson (guest star Meagan Good), the steadfast FBI detective who’s now in charge of the case, seems to have a personal vendetta against Malcolm.

## Plot

Malcolm has turned out the majority of the lights in his apartment in order to settle in and watch his sister's interview, about his father, finally premiered on the news channel. It appears the network is shaping the narrative that he was a good man, despite his clear wrong-doing, however, it is never followed through, as Malcolm's TV is immediately smashed from a black high-heeled shoe. It took Malcolm a moment to realize this actually happened and wasn't part of his imagination. He turned around to find his mother, Jessica standing there missing a shoe. She was obviously annoyed that her son chose to watch the interview as he handed back her shoe. Malcolm reminded her, that he never agreed to not watch the interview. The subject was rather quickly changed to Jessica apologizing for the trauma she had caused her son by telling him he had made up the story about woman he thought he saw in the box. She offered him her full and unconditional support. She also reminded him to come to Christmas dinner the next day, something he had forgot was approaching.

Malcolm is called into work at a very luxurious hotel, with the understanding that the murder is hush-hush. He meets the rest of his team there and they inform him the dead man on the couch was a well-respected police officer for 45 years, *Ian Turner*, chief of detectives. The scantily clad woman beside him was a suspected prostitute. Both Dani and JT agree that it would appear to be a murder-suicide. Malcolm Rebuttals this option, as the man doesn't appear to have shot himself, and by their own words was a standup citizen who had always rooted out bad cops and made many enemies for that. While demonstrating how this would occur, Malcolm accidentally pointed a loaded gun at his head. Another police officer swiftly removed the gun from his hand and Malcolm continued with his theory.

At the office, while going over more advanced theories, Malcolm and JT finally agreed on a plausible outcome. That someone wanted the good cop dead and the prostitute was just collateral damage. Unfortunately, before Malcolm can get further into his hypothesis he is interrupted by his old colleague and fellow FBI profiler Colette Swanson. The two had a rather tension-filled introduction. Malcolm was trying to act professional, even though he was rather annoyed he had been removed from the case, and still offered up his profile about Paul Lazar, believing that it stems from his mother, but was interrupted by Colette, accusing him of always finding mothers at fault for their dangerous sons. JT hilariously excused himself from her side of the room at that comment. Colette all but demanded the assistance of Dani, and Gil reluctantly agreed, as does Dani. Malcolm was forced out of their working space and sent to look over paperwork of a possible killer for the dead cop.

Ainsley was calling her other brother, feedback on her interview the next morning. She wasn't surprised when her phone call went to voicemail and she left him a long message.

Malcolm was at an office going over paperwork when he came across a familiar photo that began making his hand tremor with the flashback. The photo was of the dead cop Turner and his old partner *Det. Owen Shannon*. He remembered as a child, the very aggressive cop demanding to know his involvement with his father's victims. The interview was so intense it was possibly the start of his hand tremors. Even at a young age, he knew this was excessive.

The next morning Malcolm and Gil drove together and were parked outside of Det. Owen Shannon's house. He informed Malcolm that Turner had turned over his crocked partner for being a dirty cop and he had been suspended, and had been out of commission for the last 10 years or so. Despite that, Malcolm still wanted to interview him, believing he was at the top of the list of suspects. While at the front door they were immediately surprised to be greeted with a gun to the face from the rather slightly boozy former cop. He reluctantly invited them in and it wasn't long before Malcolm was profiling and accusing the man of being a drunk, a dirty cop, and a couple of other things. During the heated argument, Malcolm's hand began to tremor but he pushed through. They wanted to know who the prostitute was, and Owen informed them, rather surprised they didn't know, but Turner was gay.

Back at the precinct, JT confirmed after calling some of the fallen cops' old buddies, they said it was indeed true and rather an open secret. Inside an office while still working away, Colette began questioning Dani about Malcolm's work ethic and what kind of person and cop he was now. Dani was quick to become aware of what was happening and knew that this FBI agent just wanted dirt on Malcolm. Confirming she would not be the one to crack.

In Gil's office, he was surprised to find Jessica there. She quickly brought up the guilt she was feeling from finding out the woman in the box was real. Gil reminded her he did nothing wrong and tried to comfort her. They were interrupted by Colette & Gil stepped out. Jessica began looking through some of his notes and, after remembering they had found her bracelet took a detailed photograph of said bracelet.

Malcolm tried to concentrate on his paperwork but continued to have flashbacks of his offense from the last couple of days. Including Paul pinning him between the two revolving doors in the sewers, as well as flashbacks from his childhood. In his haze he knocked over a box of papers and was greeted by Dani while picking them up. He confided to her that Eve Blanchard had not called him back or reached out, but he couldn't be mad because it was his own fault. Though he left out the part that she had screamed after he scared her with a knife during one of his night terrors. Dani reminded him that things would be all right.

Ainsley was walking to her mother's house and was surrounded by reporters wanting a scoop. She gleefully told them any information or quote she had she would be giving to her *own* network. Inside she presented her mother with a bottle of alcohol that she reluctantly accepted. Already knowing the answer, she asked her mother if she watched her interview. This quickly turned into an argument where Ainsley accused used her mother of playing the victim, and Jessica accused her of ignoring the families of the 23 dead women. Ainsley insisted she was trying to change the narrative and stormed out taking her bottle of alcohol with her.

While walking around, Malcolm was interrupted with a face from the past in *Owen Shannon.* The former cop admitted he remembered Malcolm after seeing his hand tremor. The two had an exchange of words before Owen surprisingly led Malcolm to Turner’s hideaway office with an abundance of clues. Inside Malcolm realize that this man had always been working the case and even though he had killed good cop he, as it turns out, was also the junkyard killer. This was all rather exciting news as the two former partners have been working on a list together and Malcolm realize he could cross-reference it with the 15 names that they had accumulated from his father. Malcolm immediately went and got his list and the two began cross-referencing names. They came across one name that was on both lists, immediately decided to go make a visit to *John Watkins’s*.

Meanwhile, Gil and JT were interviewing the house mother of the dead prostitute. There she said she was surprised to find out Turner hadn't killed her girl. Instead, they had both been murdered by a third-party.

While Malcolm and Owen went to an old address in hopes there was a lead, they were greeted by a blind woman who turned out to be Paul's grandmother, Matilda Watkins. Malcolm was extremely excited to find himself in Paul's childhood home, stating it was a dream for profiler to be in such a situation. He immediately began putting things together and accurately guessed that the grandmother was a religious fanatic. She invited both of them to dinner and gave them microwaved meals. Owen began eating his, while Malcolm continued to talk, wanting to learn more about Paul's past. She was surprised when she realized he wasn't eating and she brought over some sort of tube and dropped it on top of his TV dinner for flavor. After looking at some photos together of Paul growing up they saw all of his faces had been scratched out. Malcolm asked to use the washroom while Owen’s continued to get information and find out the last time her grandson had come to visit. Moments before this Malcolm had declined a phone call from Gil. Who was now rushing down to their location with Dani.

Ainsley continued walking the streets alone with her bottle of alcohol. She was surprised to receive that text notification that her mother had decided to go on national TV with all the reporters outside their house and show off the bracelet that she had stolen from the present. Proudly offering a $1 million reward to anyone who lead them to information about the woman. The 24th victim of her husband’s, Martin Whitly.

While walking through the upstairs Malcolm found Paul's old room. It was very scarce and it would appear he used to be locked in his closet. When he came down he began talking only to realize the pool of blood beside him. He looked to his right and was extremely shocked to see at dying and bloody Owen. Realizing Paul Lazar was here he got up, while his grandmother began calling for him to finish off Malcolm. Malcolm followed him outside but was soon ambush from behind and dragged away.

Ainsley had decided to return home to her mother's house. Both Ainsley and Jessica sat in silence wondering where Malcolm was, adding he was missing a wonderful evening as they both sat in silence.

## Quotes

*(reporters clamouring)*

**Reporter 1:** Ainsley Whitly, have you visited your father since the interview?

**Reporter 2:** Is Martin Whitly assisting the NYPD in their hunt for The Junkyard Killer?

**Ainsley Whitly:** Any breaking news about my family is mine to report, thank you.

**Malcolm Bright:** We narrowed it down to a possible 50 names. So if a name is on both lists-

**Det. Owen Shannon** No, no, no, no, no! We don't get to be so lucky.

**Malcolm Bright:** It's not luck if it took 20 years.

**Matilda Watkins:** God doesn't put us here to do easy things, son.
Just right ones.

## Notes

* Martin Whitly and Eve Blanchard were both mentioned, but do not appear.
* Malcolm's hand tremors began as a child after his father was arrested and he was aggressively question and accused of murder by Det. Owen Shannon.
* Malcolm's psychosis is further slipping away from him, as evidence with more hallucinations, and when he mistakenly pointed a loaded gun to his head.

## Trivia

* *Meagan Good* from *Think Like a Man* Guest-Stars as *Colette Swanson*

## Cast

* Tom Payne as Malcolm Bright
* Bellamy Young as Jessica Whitly
* Lou Diamond Phillips as Gil Arroyo
* Halston Sage as Ainsley Whitly
* Aurora Perrineau as Dani Powell
* Frank Harts as JT Tarmel
* Kasjan Wilson as Young Malcolm
* Michael Raymond-James as Paul Lazar
* Meagan Good as Colette Swanson
* Sean Pertwee as Det. Owen Shannon
* MaryLouise Burke as Matilda Watkins
* Ashley Austin Morris as Macy Barnes