"Carter." "Carter, honey, can you hear me?" " Carter?" " Lori?" "Oh... thank God." "What happened?" "What are you doing here?" "Take it easy, go slow." "There you go." "Oh, my head is pounding." "I know, sweetie." "You hit it really hard." "What happened?" "There was an accident." "I'm sorry, honey." "He's dead." "Tell me the last thing you remember." "Um..." " Um, we were fighting." " Uh-huh." "I was upset about Ben." "Did I do something?" "No, not a chance." "How do you know?" "I can't remember anything." "Because I know you, you're not capable of anything like that." "When... when did you get here?" "Just a few minutes ago." "What..." "Did you kill him?" " That's... that's the ambulance, okay?" " What?" " Hold... hold right there." " What do you mean?" "Don't move, you got a nasty gash on your head." "You're gonna need stitches." "Okay, just be still, okay?" "Almost done." "Hey!" "Things will be fuzzy for a few hours." "Get off!" "But there's no evidence of a concussion." "Stitches will dissolve in about a week." "Slide on over." "And in the meantime, you need to get plenty of rest." "Okay, thank you." "You were very lucky." "Carter, can you hear me?" "Wait, what were you doing at the bar?" "Well, I..." "I was upset about losing custody of Ben and I wanted to give Jared a piece of my mind." "Carter?" "Hey." " Are you okay?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "She hit her head pretty good." "Ten stitches, but no concussion." "What were you doing there?" "He could have killed you." "Hey, Liz?" "Hey." "We're here for Lori Stevens." "Yeah." "We need you to come down to the station and give a statement." "Okay, uh..." "I'm gonna take care of this." "Don't worry, I'll see you later, okay?" "She's okay, Max, I promise." "But what's taking so long?" "They're giving her a bunch of tests and then she's gonna get stitches." " How bad was she hurt?" " Not too bad." "But she seems pretty shaken up now." "What did she say?" "Like, what happened?" "Max, Jared is dead." "But it's okay, she's okay." "Tell her I'll be right there." "No, they're letting her go soon." " We'll meet you at the house." " Okay." "Bye." "One minute we were fighting, and the next minute, I'm on the floor with a colossal headache," "Lori's next to me, Jared's dead." "Everything in the middle is a blank, Crash." "I mean... do you think..." " What?" " Do you think I killed him?" "No, no way." "Crash, I might have..." "I can't remember anything." "Carter, you didn't." "Believe me." "God, how can he be dead?" "I'm so sorry." "Thank you for being here." "Hey." "Um, Crash, can you just give us a couple minutes?" "Detective McCarthy wants to ask Carter a few questions." "Sure." "Hi, Carter." " Hey." " Hope you're doing okay." "I just need to ask you a couple things." "Were you and Mr. Peters romantically involved?" "Uh, yeah, we were." "We... we broke up, though." "But you were at the bar tonight?" " Yes." " And you had an argument?" "Mm-hmm." "Things can get kind of heated between exes." "Would you say you were pretty upset?" "Um... yeah, I was." "You know what, on second thought," "I'm thinking that these questions can wait." "Sorry, Liz, I need to ask them." "Okay." "Maybe he got a little physical and you reacted." "No one would blame you for trying to protect yourself." "You're not suggesting that she had anything to do with this because she was unconscious." "She was fully conscious when the EMTs arrived." "He's right, I was." "When tempers run high, things can spiral." "Maybe you hit Mr. Peters with a bottle, then knocked yourself out." "Okay, all right, we're done." "She's not saying another word without an attorney." "I'll be in touch." "Did you have any idea he was a bad dude?" "I had no idea." "I only met him a couple times, but he seemed normal." "How are you supposed to know who's good and who isn't when people like that just walk around with everyone else?" "You just gotta use your instincts." "And realize that some things aren't in your control." "Yeah, well, that's the problem, you know?" "Nothing's in anyone's control." "I have a few more questions." "You told the officers at the scene you went to the bar to see Jared Peters." "That's right, I did." "Why did you go?" "I was angry." "Look, you already know all of this." "He turned in my son." "And you were going there to confront him?" "That's right." "And when I got there..." "I saw him choking my daughter." "So I killed him." "I'm sorry, Carter, but Lori confessed." "Well, I guess that's it, then." " Mystery solved." " That doesn't make any sense." "Why wouldn't she just tell me that when I came to?" "Because you were hurt and she was distracted." "No, but I..." "I asked her point-blank." "And what did she say?" "Well, she didn't answer, but I..." "Okay, well, she went there to confront him about Ben, right?" "And it turned ugly..." "it makes sense." "We all know Lori's no saint, but she's not a murderer." "There's got to be more to the story." "There usually is with her." "Where is she now?" "She's in a holding cell down at the station." "They're gonna transfer her to county tomorrow." "I need to see her." "No, whoa!" "Carter!" "What you need is a good night's sleep." "Okay, but I'm driving." "Amanda, this doesn't make sense." "I'm his father, he should be with me." "There's no reason he needs to be back in the system." "Well, is there any way to fast-track it?" "All right." "All right, well... let me know as soon as he checks into the safe house, and keep me posted about the paperwork." "Thank you." "Hey." "What's going on?" "Your mom and I are petitioning for custody of Ben." " You okay with that?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm fine with that." "How do you think Lori's gonna take it?" "Well, she's got bigger things to worry about right now." "Yeah, I guess so." "I think..." "I think I should probably do this by myself." "Okay." "Okay, I'll see you." "Thanks." "Carter." "Hi." "Hi." "Lori, are you covering for me?" "Did I kill Jared?" "No, of course not." " How's your head?" " Why did you confess?" "Because..." "I did it." "I'm sorry." "Lori, I need you to tell me exactly what happened." "I was out of my mind about losing Ben, and that was Jared's doing, so I went to confront him, try to get him to recant, you know?" "And when I got there... he was choking you, and I just lost it." "I grabbed a bottle of vodka off the bar and..." "I hit him." "I just..." "I just wanted him to stop hurting you." "I guess he hit his head hard when he fell." "Wait, so if you hadn't have walked in, he would have..." "I'm glad I did." "Well, okay, then it was an accident." "Did you tell the police you were just protecting me?" "Well, yeah." "But... come on, given my history," "I'm... not exactly a reliable witness." "I've seen those forensic shows." "If he died from hitting his head on the floor, doesn't that affect what they can charge you with?" "I don't know." "We're gonna get you the best lawyer and fight this." "You're not gonna go to prison for doing the right thing." "Okay?" "You're here late." "I'm guessing this isn't a social call." "Hey, uh, no." "I need some information on Lori Stevens' arrest." "McCarthy's stonewalling." "Can't really blame him, Liz." "You're a little too close to this one." "Come on, you gotta give me something." "Word is Stevens couldn't wait to spill." "Offered up a confession before McCarthy even got going." " Really?" " That's what I'm hearing." "Oh, and by the way, the task force lost ties on Rick Barnes." "What?" "When?" "Right after his six-figure lawyer got him out on bail." "We were supposed to have guys on him 24/7." "Apparently, he just vanished into thin air." "That's great." "He's gonna want to get rid of anyone who can ID him." "Ben Wallace needs to watch his back." "He's going out of town to a group home." " He's safe." " Glad to hear it." "Scumbag like Barnes is not gonna take any prisoners." "Something about her story doesn't add up." "Or maybe it's just hard thinking she just killed someone." "Yeah." "But it's more than that." "Lori would do anything for you, especially if someone was hurting you." "Yeah, I know that." "And her lack of boundaries has been well documented, but this is different." "She says she went to the bar to see Jared because she was freaking out about losing Ben." "Yeah." "But when she got there, he was choking me," " so she grabbed a bottle..." " Wait, wait, back up." "You never told me he choked you." "I don't remember it." "I did black out." "Still, I don't see you forgetting being choked." "How's your neck feel?" "Fine." "If someone was choking you, it'd still be sore a few hours after." "And you'd have some kind of marks around your neck." "See?" "If Lori made that part up, what else is she lying about?" "Why would she confess to a murder she didn't commit?" "She's got to be protecting someone." "Who?" "Ben's social worker just called me back." "Is everything okay?" "No, he never showed up at the group home." "He disappeared on the way." "His phone's still off." "Look, I wouldn't worry." "Ben knows how to take care of himself." "We should have known this would happen." "He'd never go back to one of those group homes." "I'm sure he's just laying low for now, he'll turn up." "Uh... where are the eggs?" "Why are there never any eggs in here when I need them?" "!" "Taylor, maybe this isn't the time for carbonara." "I cook when I'm nervous, Dad." "Everyone knows that." "How could they have let him out of their sights?" "'Cause he disappeared when the van stopped for gas." " When was that?" " A few hours ago." " He could be anywhere." " Wait, wait, wait." "So when I went to the bar, when everything happened," "Ben was already missing?" "He would have been, yeah." "Oh my God." " What?" " What if..." "You think Ben killed Jared?" "I don't know, but I know Lori's covering for someone." "Really?" "And how do you know that?" "Because I do, Tay, and no one knows where he was." "Is he capable of that?" "No, he's not." "Lori, on the other hand, is." "Taylor, why are you so determined to think she did this?" "Well, maybe because she was never punished for what she did, to you, to all of us, and now she's confessed, and why can't you accept that?" "Because something's not right about it, Taylor." "I don't want to think Ben's involved." "Really?" "Because it seems like you would throw him under the bus before believing the truth about her." "I'm just trying to get to the bottom of it." "I need to call Mom." "Mom, do you think..." "I don't know, Carter." "If Ben's been missing all this time..." "I keep thinking about something he said." "What?" "It's just..." "nothing." "Carter, if you know something, you have to tell me." "It's just... something he said when he was still in juvie." " What?" " He said" "I shouldn't worry about Jared, because people like him always get what's coming to them." "Uh, I'm gonna call you back." "Bye." "Hey." "Where are you going?" "Uh... with Crash to get some of his stuff." "Look, I just..." "I wanted to say I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to be so harsh." "It's fine, I know how you feel about her." "And I know you love her." "But someone did this." "And when they figure out who it was," "I just want you to know that I'll be here for you, no matter what." "Thank you." "I made sure that no one could hear us in here." "Okay." "I need you to be straight with me." "What do you mean?" "Ben killed Jared and you're covering for him." "What?" " Uh, no, that's... insane." " Is it?" "Because no one can attest to Ben's whereabouts at the time of Jared's death." "He was in custody when it happened." "No." "Lori... he wasn't in custody, he never made it to the group home." "What are you talking about?" "He was with social services, they were taking him there." "He ran... nobody knows where he is." "He's supposed to testify against that dealer, so he could be in danger right now." "I'm gonna do everything that I can." "I promise." "Hey, it's Max." "Leave me a message, I'll call you back." "Hey." "Uh... it's me again." "Just wondering where you are." "There is a lot of stuff going on here, and you said you were coming over, so..." "Um, call me back." "Hey, this is Ben." "Leave a message." "Ben, it's Elizabeth." "I need you to call me, please." "I..." "I don't mean to scare you, but you could be in serious danger." "I just need you to let me know where you are." "I will pick you up." "I will make sure that you're safe." "Ben... please." "Hey, I've been knocking for the last two minutes." "I know, I heard." "Um, can I come in?" "Actually, now is not really a good time." "Max, what is going on?" "You're not answering your phone and... and now I can't come in?" "I know, I..." "I'm just, um..." " Are you drunk?" " No, I'm not drunk." "You smell like a distillery." "Taylor, actually, I got some company here." " Company?" " Mm-hmm." "Oh, what, do you... do you have a girl in there?" " Don't be crazy." " Well, you're making me feel crazy." "What is going on?" "Ben." "Hi." "Hi." "Go in." "I'm just gonna grab my stuff." "I'll be like 30 seconds." "Oh, okay." "Crash... thanks for coming to stay." "I feel better knowing you're in the house." "Sure." "Are you feeling okay?" "I don't know." "You don't have to be." "It's just weird." "My mom said Lori thought Ben was in the group home when everything happened, so she couldn't have been covering for him." "That's got to be a relief." "If Ben didn't do it." "Yeah, no, it is." "He's in way too deep as it is." "Carter, we'll figure it out." "I promise." "I'm really happy you're here." "Anytime you need me." "Whatever it is, wherever I am, I'll be there for you." "I'll be right back." " That was quick." " Hey." "Sorry to startle you." " Who the hell are you?" " You know who I am." "I'm friends with Jared." "We were business associates." "For the record, I didn't touch him." "I'm not here to hurt anyone." "I just need to talk to your brother." "What do you want with my brother?" "That's between him and me." "Well, I..." "I don't know where he is." " I think you do." " Well, you're wrong." "You see him, tell him I've got something for him." "What is it with you and just disappearing?" "What, did you really think I was just gonna go back to foster care?" "Well, you need to let everyone know you're safe" " so they stop looking for you." " Why?" "I'm not even sure if I'm sticking around." "Because we're your family." "And because we care about you." "And it's not fair to let them think that you're just in a ditch somewhere." "Okay, really?" "Lying in a ditch?" "That seems a bit dramatic." "Look, Jared is dead and Lori's in jail." " Things are a bit dramatic." " Wait, Jared's dead?" "Lori's in jail?" "When did that happen?" "Well, a while ago, that's why I was trying to reach you." "Okay, well, why is she in jail?" "She confessed to killing Jared." "Uh..." "Okay." "Start from the top, what happened?" "There was an altercation at the bar between Carter and Jared." "Lori stepped in to try and stop it and, in the process, apparently killed Jared." "Jesus." "And no one knows where you are, so we really have to let them know." "Will you call Dad?" "And I will call Carter." "Hey, where are you going?" "I gotta take care of something." "Hey." "Hey." "I found Ben." "He was at Max's." "Okay, keep him there." "We'll come over now." "Okay." "What's wrong?" "Were you and Max drinking?" "No." "Why?" "It must have been before you got here." "It's just not like him to drink alone." "Well, it's last call somewhere, right?" "What's wrong?" "It's about Ben." "Oh, God." "No, it's not what you think." "He's safe." " Where is he?" " At Max's, temporarily." " Okay." " Lori... the state released Ben into our custody." "He's coming to live with us." "I know that must be hard for you." "I... guess this is what I deserve." "All of this." "Lori..." "Ben is your child." "He will always be your child." "Hey." " Hey." " Hey." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm okay." "You?" "Yeah, she's fine, considering your friend" "Rick just ambushed her." " Wait, what?" "!" " Crash, don't." "What do you mean?" "Wait, wait, wait, who's Rick?" "Some guy Jared used to work for." "He wants you to call him." " Who is he?" " He's just some dirtbag." "Looks like not much has changed since I left." "Except for you two, right?" "Because you guys aren't together anymore." " Ben." " I'm still her friend." "Could we please not do this right now?" "Fine, sorry." "Are you gonna call him?" "No." "Now that Jared's dead, I'm the only one who can tie him back to Seth's death." "Okay, well, what are you gonna do?" "Lay low at your house." "David talked social services into giving them custody of me for now." "Actually, I should get over there." "Okay, let's go." "I'm gonna wait for Max." "Where is he?" "I'm not sure." "Okay, well, we'll wait with you." "I can just take Ben." "Oh, great." "I mean, yeah, thank you." "That'd be great." "What's up with Max?" "I don't know." "Carter, I'm worried about him." "He's been acting really weird since this whole thing happened and when I showed up here, he reeked of booze." "It was like whiskey or vodka or something and now I can't reach him." "I don't know where he is." "Well, did you text him?" "Yeah, right before you got here." "Oh, my God." "What?" "I know who Lori's covering for." "Who?" "Max." "Max killed Jared." "No, there's no way, that's... that's crazy." "Taylor, nothing else makes sense." "Lori makes sense." "Carter, she confessed!" "Yeah, she confessed because she was covering for someone." "We're talking about Max here." "Right!" "Tay, think about it." "Lori said she hit Jared over the head with a bottle of vodka." "You just said Max reeked of booze." "And he hasn't been here all day." "When was the last time I was in trouble and Max didn't show up?" "You said he's been acting funny since it happened..." "Carter." "Well, it raises some questions, at least." "Well, maybe the answer is the person who was standing over you when you woke up, who also happens to be a crazy kidnapper." "Tay, where was he tonight?" "I don't..." "I don't know." "Hey, it's Max." "Leave me a message," " I'll call you back." " He's not answering." "Where is he?" "I think I know." "Max, you shouldn't be here." "Hey!" "So, uh... how you doing down here?" "I know it's a little "basementy."" "Ah, as far as foster homes go, you guys have got a five-star rating." "Nah, wait 'til you taste my meatloaf." "David, please, we want him to stay." "You're gonna need these." "Thanks." "Anything else you need?" "No." "No, it's fine." "Really, it's more than fine." "I owe you guys." "You don't owe us a thing." "It's just, uh, no one's ever taken me in as one of their own before." "You know, not until you guys and Lori, so..." "You are one of our own." "And I can bring you to see Lori later, if you want." "Rick's still out there looking for me." "I didn't know if it was safe." "Ben, we're definitely going to get Rick." "I promise you." "But in the meantime, there's a detail outside that's gonna follow us wherever we go, until we do get him." "Wow." "The first time a cop's been at my house to protect me and not arrest me." "It's kind of nice." "Yeah." "Okay, we'll leave you to your unpacking." "Thanks." "Hey, it's me." "Yeah, can we..." "can we meet up?" "I didn't know you were here." "I've been trying to call you, you didn't answer your phone," "I went to your house." "There's no phone privileges here." "This is not what I wanted." "I'm supposed to be the one in here, not you." "You have to trust me." " This is the way it's supposed to be." " No." " I shouldn't have left you." " I made you leave." "Lori, you didn't make me do anything." "Max, if I had gotten there first, if I had seen him hitting Carter," "I would have done exactly what you did." " You didn't, I did." " No, I did." "And none of it matters now." "No." "No, this is all my fault." " Oh, Max." " It happened really fast." "You didn't do anything wrong." "I did, so start accepting that now." "No, I'm not gonna let you do that." "I have to tell the truth." "What good is that gonna do anybody?" "You have your whole life in front of you." "You have Ben to take care of." "No, I don't." "The state made sure of that." "I've made so many mistakes, and I have finally done something good... for you and Taylor and Carter." "Please don't take that away from me." "Please." "There he is." "Max!" "We need to talk." "Yeah, we do." "Taylor, not here." "All right, come on." "Where should I start?" "Uh, the beginning?" "What were you doing at the bar?" "I was worried that you were going to see Jared." "I didn't want you to be alone with him." "You don't deserve to be a dad." "And you know what?" "As soon as the truth comes out, the only place your little girl is gonna see you is in prison." " Hey!" " Get off!" "No, no." "Here." "No..." "Oh my God, Carter!" "Carter!" "Max!" "Max, what happened?" "You call for help!" " What happened?" " Please, call for help!" "Okay, she's breathing, she's breathing." "Carter, honey." "Carter, can you hear me?" "No, no." "Yes, we need an ambulance at Larchwood and Nutley." "A bar called Magic Hour." "Hurry, please!" "Tell me what happened, Max." " It was an accident." " Tell me!" " No, no..." " What did you do?" "He shoved Carter, and then I just..." " What?" " It was an accident." "He's dead." "No... no... no." "No." "No." "Come on... come on." "Max, you need to go." "Max, Max, stop, get up." "Get up, Max, stand up." "Stand up." "Look at me." "Look..." "look at me, look at me." "Okay, you are gonna go right now, and you're gonna let me deal with this, okay?" "You need to go before anyone else gets here." "You got it?" "Okay, go!" "Max, she's waking up, she's gonna be okay, just go!" "Please." "Go!" "So, I left." "Max, we're gonna fix this, okay?" "We can go right back in there and tell them the truth." "No way!" "No." "No one ever needs to know about this." "Taylor, you're not seriously suggesting he let Lori take the fall for this?" "Yeah, I am." "Taylor, what are you doing?" "Lori made her choice." "She deserves to be in jail." "Max doesn't." "Of course he doesn't, Taylor." "But they'll understand, he was just defending me." "Okay, he can't prove that, though." "We've seen the justice system in action." "Anything could happen." "You know that." "Your kidnapper walked out, no charges." "She didn't kill anyone, Taylor." "I don't care." "She's where she belongs." "Look, the longer we wait, the harder it's gonna be." "Not if we never say anything." "I'm gonna get some air." "He'll listen to you, Carter." "You have to convince him." "Didn't know you were still here." "Yeah, I just needed to get some air." "I had the same thought." "So, how you holding up?" "I know what I need to do." "I finally get it." "What?" "Why you ran... when you shot me." "Yeah, I go back there, in my mind." "Yeah, me too." "You can't, though." "All you can do is keep going." "I keep thinking how it reminds me of my dad." "You are not your dad." "I didn't even think, though." "I just saw him... hurting Carter." "I wanted to smash his head in." "You were protecting her." "I know." "But something inside me just snapped." "It's not the same, Max." "It's not." "I hope you're right." "I can't believe you're choosing Lori over Max." "I'm not, Taylor." "I love Max, I would do anything for him." "Carter, what... what if the shoe was on the other foot and you asked him to cover for you?" "He would do it." "That's not the point, Taylor." "Look, this thing is never gonna be over until he tells the truth." "And Max is not gonna be able to live with himself" " if he doesn't." " He'll learn." "You know, people live with anything, just like we all did when she took you." "This isn't about her, Taylor." "This is about Max." "What you're asking him to do is going to ruin his life." "Please, think about what you're asking him to do, Tay." "Taylor!" " You're late." " Yeah, I had to slip out." " I hear you've been looking for me." " That's right." "You thought the best way to get to me was to spook my sister?" "Just trying to get you a message." "Yeah, well, I got your message." "And now, I've got one for you." "Oh, yeah?" "What's that?" "We're square." "I don't care whether the cops get you or not." "I don't work for them." "That's all I wanted to know." "But if you ever come near my family again... you will regret it." "Who the hell you think you're talking to, huh?" " Are you threatening me?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm threatening you." "Well, that's a big mistake." "You still work for me." "You work for me until I say you're done." "And if you ever, ever threaten me again, you're gonna be the one to regret it." "Screw you, man." "Taylor?" "I know what you're doing for Max." "Be careful." "I know." "But I..." "I need your help." "With what?" "Max wants to tell the truth." " To the police?" " Yes." "No, he doesn't have to do that." "That's what I said." "But it's Max." "He wants to do the right thing." " This is the right thing." " I know it is." "But Carter doesn't agree." "Of course she doesn't." "I need you to talk to her, convince her." "If the three of us agree, then hopefully, Max will listen." "This isn't his fault." "He was defending Carter." "You know how he is." "Everyone comes before him." "The last thing he thinks about is himself." "Please, Lori." "I am begging you." "Can you get her here?" " I think so." " Do it." "I'll convince her." "Why are you doing this?" "Part of being a mom is making sacrifices." "Max isn't your kid." "In some ways, he is." "But I wasn't talking about him." "I was talking about you." "Thank you." "Lori Stevens." "Yeah?" "Let's go." " Where?" " You're being released." "I'm sorry."