Vanessa Cruz
IN A HOTEL ROOM

A man - Salinger- and a red-haired woman are getting hot and heavy in a hotel room tub

SALINGER: What the hell?

VANESSA CRUZ: Just something to help you relax.

Salinger starts gasping

VANESSA CRUZ: You really don’t have any idea who I am, do you, Mr. Salinger?

Vanessa Cruz leaves the bed and goes towards a table, where she leaves a syringe, sits down and opens up a laptop.

VANESSA CRUZ: Save your breath, sweetheart. You’re gonna need it.

While Salinger's gasps intensify, Cruz logs on the laptop and starts a funds transference. After the transaction is complete, she stands up and kisses Salinger on the forehead. The pressure of her lips is enough to press him down in the water. Then, we see her enter a bathroom where she takes off a wig and fake lashes, then enters in a shower and her back tattoo washes off.

A BEDROOM

We can see a woman lying sideways in a bed, petting a cat. The door opens.
VANESSA CRUZ: It’s me. I’m back.

ABBY ISSA: How was Chicago?

VANESSA CRUZ: Oh, God, you know. All these conferences are such a waste of time.

Cruz reaches over to Issa and gives her a kiss.

VANESSA CRUZ: You – how was your day? How was work?

ABBY ISSA: Fine. Except for Carlton.

VANESSA CRUZ: Again?

ABBY ISSA: He keeps leering at me... Gives me the creeps.

VANESSA CRUZ: Well, he’s your boss. Sooner or later, you have to report him to H.R.

ABBY ISSA: I’m so glad you’re back. I have a surprise for you.

Issa leaves the bed and goes towards a dresser in the room. She opens up a drawer and turns around smiling.

VANESSA CRUZ: You’re giving me a drawer?

ABBY ISSA: Only if you want it. I mean, if it’s too soon... I just thought it might be nice.
VANESSA CRUZ: Su casa es mi casa.

AGENT KEEN'S LIVING ROOM

We can't see much. Agent Keen is talking to the guy also known as Tom Keen.

LIZ: What you’re asking me to do... I appreciate that you turned yourself in. You came back for me.

TOM: Liz, I’m in danger. I need the passports.

LIZ: I can’t. I just can’t.

Liz turns on the lights.

TOM: Liz, please! Turning myself in to save you saved me. And not because the Judge let me go. I’ve been running since I was 14. It’s all I’ve known. And in that moment, when the Judge let me go, I thought, “maybe there’s a world where I don’t have to run, where I could just...” These Germans want me dead. My handler, too. So, please, I need your help. I need the passports.

LIZ: They’re not just passports. You put them in a box under the floor in our home. They represent everything I’m trying to forget.

TOM: I know. I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.

LIZ: They’re locked up in evidence.

TOM: That’s exactly why they should still be clean.

LIZ: I’m not gonna walk into evidence and steal them for you. Why would I do that?
TOM: You want me gone? Do this, and you’ll never see me again.

LIZ: You need to leave. Go. Now.

Liz opens up the door and Red and Dembe are there. They have their guns pointed at Tom. When she sees that, Liz also draws her gun.

RED: Get out.

TOM: I was out, remember? You’re the one who brought me back in.

RED: Get out.

Tom leaves; Red enters the apartment and Dembe stays outside.

RED: Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear.

LIZ: I came home, and Tom was here.

RED: He’s back in your life.

LIZ: He is not in my life.

RED: I understand what it’s like to be drawn to something that is unhealthy, to a part of yourself that you are afraid of. But I want you to remember what your life really was with him, and imagine all that it could be without him.

LIZ: I don’t have to imagine.

RED: Good. Because I have a case.

THE FBI TASKFORCE'S SITUATION ROOM

After a quick panoramic view of D.C., we are redirected to the taskforce's situation room, where we see a photo of an Asian man and a news piece flash in their screens.

LIZ: Toshiro Osaka – A Japanese entrepreneur indicted in 2009 and knifed to death by an aggrieved business partner. Miles Chapman – He was gunned down in Algiers while avoiding extradition for insider trading. Lester Charles Conway – His Ponzi scheme was so massive, he’s now serving up to 30 years.

RESSLER: Their crimes cost hundreds of people their life savings. Pensions gone, homes in foreclosure, families torn apart. Why would I feel bad for them? They’re criminals.

LIZ: According to Reddington, they’re innocent – Framed after months, sometimes years of planning by a woman with a deep-seated hatred for the 1%. She doesn’t just take their money, she takes their reputations, their freedom, sometimes their lives. Her latest mark was Declan Salinger, a flamboyant venture capitalist who specialized in biotech. He was found last night in a hotel bathtub, needle on the floor, dead from an apparent overdose. His personal laptop was taken into evidence. CSI uncovered corporate withdrawals in excess of $27 million.

COOPER: Navabi, go see Salinger’s wife. Ressler, Keen, the man in prison – Talk to him. If he was framed, I want to know how.

FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX - BRUCETON MILLS, VA

We see Liz and Ressler talking to Lester Charles Conway in prison.

LIZ: We spoke to your attorneys, Mr. Conway. You claim to have been framed by a woman named Claudia Sanchez.

CONWAY: Or whatever her name really was. She made everything up.

RESSLER: She make up the Ponzi scheme? The $128 million you stole from your clients to fund your lifestyle? The ranch, the private jets –

CONWAY: Look, I’ve told this story a hundred times. We were sleeping together. She had access to everything. My phone, computer, passwords. If you don’t believe me –

LIZ: We want to believe you. We do. Tell us what happened.

CONWAY: She was a seasonal worker at the ranch. Undocumented, one of many. My wife had no idea. The affair lasted exactly six months. Then one day, she just disappears. Three days later, I’m arrested.

As Conway tells his story, we see it reenacted. At first we see a picture of Abby Issa on a mirror, while Vanessa Cruz puts on a wig in an effort to mimic her appearance.

RESSLER: Well, they also found a packed bag in your car, and your passport, and a plane ticket to Beijing.

We see Vanessa Cruz sitting at a table, where she has a contract signed by Abby Issa. In a notepad next to it, she practices her signature.

CONWAY: She planted it all. That woman – She was diabolical. From the fingerprints on the suitcase to the airline ticket she purchased using my computer – She got into my life.

Vanessa Cruz - properly characterized as Abby Issa - shows that woman's driver license to a gun salesman, that proceeds to ask her name as if to confirm. The image switch to the store's security camera, where we notice Cruz is wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, and mostly hiding from the camera. Then, we are back at Conway's interview at the facility.

CONWAY: But that was nothing. The way she moved the money, her knowledge of how it worked, issuing false statements, creating shell companies. I hired the best defense money could buy, and after they looked at the evidence against me, they recommended I cop a plea.

Scene is showing the gunshop once more.
GUN SALESMAN: Beretta 21 A Bobcat. Packs a nasty bite.

ABBY ISSA: If I ever have to use it, that’s exactly what I want it to do.

Cruz signs a contract as Issa. Then, scene goes back to Conway.

CONWAY: I pled guilty to a crime I didn’t commit. That’s how good she was. And the money she took, most of it belonged to my clients – teachers, doctors, pension plans. Over 278 people lost everything because of some ghost.

RESSLER: Never went to trial, but your lawyers; you said that they gathered a lot of evidence. We need to see it.

IN A PARKING LOT

We see Reddington shutting a car door and leaving it while straightening up his famous hat. He's followed by Dembe and meets up with Roger Hobbs.

RED: Hello, Roger.

HOBBS: The Director called for a vote.

RED: When?

HOBBS: Tomorrow. I’ve been quietly lobbying on your behalf.

RED: I appreciate that.

HOBBS: No, you don’t. You expect it.

RED: Where do things stand?

HOBBS: I’ve spoken to Mitchum. He’s with us. That means Brazil and South Korea are, as well.That likely positions Jasper as the deciding vote. If we can’t secure his vote, the Director will have a majority to act against you.

RED: Then Jasper will have to be persuaded.

HOBBS: These are powerful men. They don’t respond to threats.

RED: No. With powerful men, one must appeal to their vanity.

HOBBS: Listen to me, Red. The Fulcrum – If you have it, if you can prove you have it, do it now. Your life depends on it.

RED: Set the meeting.

Red turns around and leaves, after lightly patting Hobbs on the shoulder.

THE FBI TASKFORCE'S SITUATION ROOM

The Agents are surronding various archive boxes, looking over documents and other data.

SAMAR NAVABI: Mrs. Salinger had a private detective follow her husband and his assorted mistresses for two months, but he found nothing on this particular woman. Partial prints, burner phones, inconclusive selfies taken from the victim’s phone.

RESSLER: Conway’s lawyers did three months of discovery before copping a plea, and all they got were payroll records from his ranch and a lot of fake green cards and social security numbers.

LIZ: The lawyers interviewed as much staff as they could find, but no one could or would positively I.D. the woman Conway alleges framed him. Two different cases, two sets of professional investigators, and this woman didn’t leave a trace.

ARAM: Guys, check it out. The detectives and the lawyers may not have found anything conclusive on their own, but if you put the photos they found together he continues as he runs a program in his computer, which is also being shown on the main screen – Our ghost has a face.

Scene ends with Vanessa's face generated by the computer program.

A HOUSE

Cruz is lying on a couch, with her laptop open. She's sexting with what appears to be her next target. On screen there's a message from Cruz: a photo in lingerie.

MAN (On the messaging app): It's driving me CRAZY!

CRUZ (On the messaging app): You know the rules.

We see the man Cruz is texting in his office, siting on his desk looking at his computer.

MAN (On the messaging app): but WHEN?

CRUZ (On the messaging app): Top desk drawer.

He opens the drawer and finds an envelope. Inside, he finds keys and a note that reads 'Drake Motel ASAP'. Also inside the envelope there is what looks like a bondage rubber mask.

THE FBI TASKFORCE'S SITUATION ROOM

ARAM: Okay, so, I have this friend, Osborne, in the forensics lab – Freaking Osborne.

COOPER: Aram.

ARAM: Right. So, I scanned over 40 partial prints Conway’s investigators found at his ranch, another 53 partials found by Mrs. Salinger’s private detective. I fired them off to Osborne. He is a wizard with whorls, loops, and arches. He managed to stitch together three partials into a gorgeous, crystal-clear left thumbprint. Ran it through AFIS, and bang. Her name is Vanessa Anne Cruz – 36 years old. Last known address – Her mother’s place in Edison, New Jersey.

COOPER: Get there. Now.

ANOTHER HOTEL ROOM

The man is sitting down on a bed, wearing the rubber mask - which also covers his eyes - while Bitter:Sweet’s *Drink You Sober* plays in the background. Cruz passes a beaded curtain, making a noise.

MAN: Abby?

Cruz pours an ambar liquid from a bottle into a glass.Then, she takes the glass to the man and put it in his hands.

CRUZ: Shh. Drink it.

The man swallows the drink in one single motion.

MAN: Ahh.

Cruz takes the glass and puts it in a sealed plastic bag. She brings a pair of handcuffs.

CRUZ: Take off your clothes.

She closes the handcuffs, leaving the man tied to the bed, wearing the mask, boxer shorts and socks. Cruz proceeds to get the man's clothes off the floor and seal them in a second plastic bag. Both of the bags are now in her own purse.

She drips hot candle wax in the man's chest and bites him, making him groan and exhale sharply. Also, she takes a blood smple out of the wound. Then, she reappears fully dressed with all her stuff and leaves, not bothering to muffle the door's noise.

MAN:Abby? Abby!

The man tries to set himself free, and after some unsucessful tries he frees one of his hands. He takes the mask off and finds a young man standing by his bed.

MAN: Oh! Who the hell are you?!

ANDY: Andy, from the front desk. Uh, she gave me 20 bucks and told me this key belongs to you.

AT AIDA HERNANDEZ HOUSE

Ressler knocks at a red door. It opens and we hear someone coughing.A very fragile looking woman comes to the door.

RESSLER: Aida Hernandez? Special Agent Donald Ressler, Special Agent Keen. We’re trying to locate your daughter, Vanessa Cruz.

HERNANDEZ: My daughter? She’s dead.

Aida Hernandes is shown inside the house, in a couch, looking at a photo album. Liz is next to her. Ressler is standing up.

HERNANDEZ: It’s my fault. Vanessa never really had a good male role model. Her father was a creep, so I wasn’t surprised when she married one. Wash, rinse, repeat.

LIZ: Excuse me?

HERNANDEZ: Some women make the same mistakes with men over and over again. Hernando was a young broker. Worked at a big firm. Turns out, he was a real crook. He was doing insider trading, and when they caught him, he jumped off the George Washington Bridge.

LIZ: And what happened to Vanessa?

HERNANDEZ: Oh, she thought they set him up. She adored him till the end. Never questioned his innocence. I tried to reason with her, but she starts to cough loudly

LIZ: Take your time.

HERNANDEZ: They found her folded clothing at Rockaway Beach. They never found a body, but I know she was dead. She’d never abandon me.

RESSLER: She looked after you?

HERNANDEZ: She was such a beautiful person. Never thought of herself, always of others.

RESSLER: And since she’s been gone?

HERNANDEZ: Vanessa made sure I’d be well taken care of.

LIZ: How did she do that?

HERNANDEZ: She had an insurance policy. I kept up with the mortgage and made ends meet.

RESSLER: Do you still have the policy?

HERNANDEZ: I never saw the policy. But I have a letter that came with the check. I’m sure I can find that.

THE FBI TASKFORCE'S SITUATION ROOM

Agent Nevabi is holding a letter.

SAMAR NEVABI: It turns out it’s a fake.

LIZ: What is?

SAMAR NEVABI: The entire company. 'Minnetonka Bankers Health & Life' was incorporated in 2006. In nine years, the only policy it issued was to Cruz’s mother.

SAMAR NEVABI: It’s a shelf corporation.

LIZ: You mean “shell” corporation?

SAMAR NEVABI: No. “Shelf,” with an “f.” Criminals file incorporation papers. They pay all the fees. It’s totally legitimate. Then then they put them on the shelf for years, sometimes decades. They pay the minimum corporate tax, build up a credit rating, comply with filings to create an established, creditworthy business that can be used to launder all kinds of transactions.

RESSLER: Including phony insurance payments.

ARAM: Guys? It looks like this isn’t the only way Vanessa Cruz has used shelf companies. At least six other victims were all accused of funneling money through shelf corporations they say they didn’t know existed.

LIZ: Samar, you said these corps are being sold to criminals. If we could find the person who sold them to Cruz –

RESSLER: Then we might find Cruz.

IN THE STREET

Red is in his car and picks up his mobile.

LIZ: I need you to put me in touch with someone who brokers shelf corporations.

RED: Good. I need the Fulcrum.

LIZ: Our ghost has a name Vanessa Cruz. If I can find the person who brokered her–

RED: Agent Keen, I’m loathe to play “tit for tat,” but unfortunately, due to present circumstances, I must insist on the Fulcrum. I’m afraid it’s become an immediate matter of life and death.

LIZ: I know how much it means to you.

RED: I don’t think you do.

LIZ: And you know how much it means to me to know what part I play in all of this. But you told me it’s a blackmail file, and I’m a federal agent. I can’t just hand over information to you that might give you leverage over people who, for all I know, run our government.

RED: Those people launched a missile strike on the factory to kill us in order to keep their secret a secret.

LIZ: This is about Tom, isn’t it?

Red: chuckling No. This is simply about me trying to survive. I’m perfectly happy to put you in touch with someone who deals in shelf corporations, but I need the Fulcrum. Think about it, Lizzy.

Tom is walking on the street; his hoodie is up, hands on the pockets and he keeps his eyes on the ground.He bumps into a guy and lifts his wallet.

TOM: Sorry, man. Sorry.

He gets the cash inside the wallet and throws the remaining things in a trash can. His cellphone rings and he looks at the screen like he can't believe who's calling. Then, he picks it up.

TOM: Yeah?

LIZ: It’s me. I need your help.

IN A BEDROOM

Tom is sitting on a bed while Liz is talking.

LIZ: The case I’m working on – Our perp funneled money through a shelf corporation called Minnetonka Bankers Health & Life. Now, I’m sure you must know people who provide these types of services to people like –

TOM: To people like me?

LIZ: Yes, to people like you.

TOM: Isn’t Reddington your C.I.? Why isn’t he here? Is he still upset about last night?

LIZ: I told you if you help me with this case I'll get you these passports. My relationship with Reddington is not up for discussion. What we need to talk about is the case.

LIZ: Now, these are two other shelf corps our unsub set up.Liz hands Tom a piece of paper.

TOM: Inhales deeply Andrusia Industries, Middle Leaf Properties... Are these supposed to mean something to me?

LIZ: All three of those shelf corps are named after Minnesota lakes. When I was sifting through your lies, I found the shelf corp where you had the money parked Berlin was paying you Owasso Inc, also a Minnesota lake.

TOM: All right, I’ll talk to my contact, see what I can come up with.

LIZ: No, I’ll talk to your contact.

TOM: How about we go together?

IN A LUXURIOUS ROOM

We see Hobbs and Jasper entering the room.

JASPER: What’s so urgent?

HOBBS: I wanted to talk to you about Raymond Reddington.

JASPER: The vote’s not until tomorrow afternoon.

HOBBS: The vote’s all but taken – Not officially, but I’ve spent the last six hours speaking with all the major players.

JASPER: You’re back-channeling?

HOBBS: You’re damn right. If Reddington has the Fulcrum, his death triggers a protocol for release. We will be exposed.

JASPER: And why am I here?

HOBBS: You’re the swing vote, Kenneth. You’re the one that will make this decision.

JASPER: You know I lean towards the Director. Why should I change that position now?

Red steps into view

RED: Because, Mr. Jasper, you strike me as a man who would prefer to pitch rather than catch.

JASPER: Looking at Hobbs What the hell have you done?

HOBBS: Just hear him out. That’s all I ask.

RED: Roger is quite right. The Director’s latest stratagem is hubris. It has very little to do with me and everything to do with the consolidation of his power. If he succeeds, you’ll become nothing more than his trusted servant. He needs to go. He will go. Tomorrow, after the meeting, after you win this vote with everything that your head and your heart tell you are true.

JASPER: You’re talking about assassination.

RED: Yes, Mr. Jasper. “Ambition’s debt must be paid.”

JASPER: Julius Caesar?

RED: One of my favorites – The play, not so much the man. The man was a bit full of himself. He did have a brilliant military mind, but he couldn’t smell a plot to save his life. Intentional pun.

JASPER: And why is that?

RED: Pride. The subtlest and yet most deadly of the seven sins. Like the Director, he couldn’t be saved.

JASPER: And which part do you play in all this? Cassius?

RED: Oh, no. I’m the Rubicon. You simply need to determine which side of history you want to end up on. Who are you, Mr. Jasper? A subordinate who remained slavishly obedient to his master, or the presumptive leader of an organization that will be far more powerful than it has ever been?

Red and Jasper shake hands.

AT TOM'S CONTACT

We see Tom getting out of a car. Then, we see the inside of a place with multiple phones, where a woman in a wheelchair called Ziggy is picking one up. Tom enters.

ZIGGY (on the phone): Diamond Drive Properties. She looks at the door opening. Oh, my God. She chuckles. Billy!

TOM: Hey.

ZIGGY: She laughs Come here, you. Ziggy hugs Tom.

TOM: How you doing? Ziggy, this is Liz. Liz, this is Ziggy.

ZIGGY: What brings you two here?

TOM: Big favor. My friend here was a gull in a con game, and she lost a lot of money.

ZIGGY: Oh, that’s too bad, baby.

TOM: Turns out, she was hustled by one of your clients.

ZIGGY: You know better than this.

TOM: I know. I know. But I need an address. Look, the people we work for are serious, and if we don’t get that money back –

ZIGGY: Looking at Liz You his woman?

LIZ: I’m more like his ball and chain.

TOM: chuckle Yeah. So, what do you say? Can you help us? Please?

Ziggytakes a breath and apparently suppresses a smile. In the next scene we see Liz and Tom coming out of what appears to be a chain link backdoor.

TOM: Hey. How about a thank you?

LIZ (on the phone): Ressler, I’ve got a mailing address for Cruz.

AT CRUZ'S "SHOP"

We hear a loud bang and see armed agents entering the place.

MAN #1: Clear!

MAN #2: Clear.

MAN #3: Clear.

The agents are looking around for evidence. A drawer rattles. Ressler looks up and sees file drawers. He picks up a file on the table and goes towards the drawers.

MAN #4: Agent Ressler? Ressler goes over to see what he’s found. There are samples of blood in various vials, and a box labeled 'Saliva'.

RESSLER (on the phone): I’ve got dozens of files, photos, dossiers. I mean, she’s going through their trash, hacking their networks. I mean, listen to this. Copies of Declan Salinger’s bank statements, medical records. There’s even surveillance photos and every book and video he’s ordered for three years.

ARAM: Hang on. Did you say dozens of files? This goes way beyond the names Mr. Reddington gave us.

RESSLER: I’m looking at people she’s framed, people she’s thinking of framing. Aram, you wouldn’t believe this place. Hair, threads, lint, bits of carpet, cigarette butts. All collected, categorized, and filed under each victim’s name.

ARAM: Trace evidence to be planted at crime scenes.

RESSLER: Huh. Drew Roberts. He was one of Cruz’s victims. He worked at Oakside Investments.

ARAM: And?

RESSLER: That was the firm that employed Cruz’s dead husband. Aram, I might have an idea what this is all about.


IN A CAR


Tom is driving and Liz is looking outside through the window.

TOM: You know, I’m no worse than your buddy Reddington.

LIZ: She looks at Tom. He’s not my buddy. And you are worse.

TOM: You don’t get it. Even after all this time, Reddington... is dangerous, and he is playing you.

LIZ: I think he’s more dangerous than you give him credit for. But he has a moral code. I don’t like it, but at least I know what it is, and it does not include lying to me.

TOM: Whatever you say.You want to know what I’m gonna do?

LIZ: No.

TOM: I’m gonna buy a boat.

LIZ: A boat?

TOM: Mm-hmm. A diving boat. Gonna run it down to Micronesia, open up a charter business. You ever heard of Chuuk Lagoon? It’s an old Japanese naval base down in the South Pacific. February 7, 1944, sank 12 warships, 32 support vessels, and now they’re just lying at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a diver’s paradise.

LIZ: You don’t even know how to swim.

TOM: I know. smiling But I can learn.

AT A RESTAURANT

Cruz is sitting at a table with a glass of red wine in front of her. Abby Issa arrives. They kiss.

CRUZ: Hi.

ISSA: Hi. Sorry I’m late. I did it. I talked to an attorney.

CRUZ: About Carlton?

ISSA: Yes. And I think I have a case, that I should file a claim with H.R. for sexual harassment.

CRUZ: You did the right thing.

ISSA: Well, this only happened because you gave me the courage.

CRUZ: Chuckles Thank you. We’re gonna celebrate. I’ll book a room at the Wolverton, and we’re just gonna order room service and watch movies all night.

ISSA: I love you.

CRUZ:  Chuckles and looks away. Abby –

ISSA: No. I mean it. Chuckles I know that we said we weren’t gonna get super serious, but I can’t help it. I love you. notices Cruz's serious face. What is it?

CRUZ: I love you, too. She forces a small smile.

ARRIVING AT AGENT KEEN'S HOUSE

TOM: stopping the car Well, I’m assuming you don’t want me to walk you to your door.

Liz hands over the passports to Tom.

TOM:Checking the documents Thank you.

Liz gets off and closes the car door. After a second looking, Tom also leaves the car. He walks up to Liz.

TOM: Hey, can I ask you something? Do you think it’s possible For, uh – Someone like me to start over, to become something else?

LIZ: Isn’t that what you do for a living?

TOM: Yeah. he chuckles But, uh – you know what I mean.

LIZ: Can you be honest? You have to be honest. Tom. Our entire marriage, everything that happened – Our fights, the baby – Your laugh. It couldn’t have all been pretend. You’re not that good an actor. Tom chuckles That’s why I didn’t see it, because so much of it was real. You are my greatest failure as a profiler.

TOM: You’re my greatest success. You made me feel – for a moment – like I had a life – and that somebody cared. So, this is me being honest.

LIZ: Can you be honest about the passports?

TOM: The passports?

LIZ: They’re real – Government issue. Where’d you get them?

TOM: Berlin had a guy.

LIZ: I guess not.She walks away.

TOM: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.he runs after her I can’t. Not about this.

LIZ: That’s not how the truth works. You don’t get to pick and choose. Not if you want to learn how to swim.

TOM: It’s gonna be a nice boat.

She kisses him; he kisses back.

TOM: What was that?

LIZ: That was goodbye.

IN A KITCHEN

Hobbs is arriving to a room that looks like an industrial kitchen and a Security Guy starts to pat him down.

THE DIRECTOR: To the Security guy Uh, that won’t be necessary. Mr. Hobbs here is one of the good guys. To Hobbs How are Faye and the boys? You know, I don’t think I’ve seen them since Dylan’s wedding.

HOBBS: They’re fine. Mark and his wife just had a baby girl.

THE DIRECTOR: Oh, grandfather. Well, it suits you well. Chuckles Wisdom of the ages and all.

Jasper enters the room.

HOBBS: Where is everybody? I thought I was late.

JASPER: The vote’s already been taken.

THE DIRECTOR: Roger. Roger, Roger, Roger. I always treated you with respect. We may not have seen eye to eye, but I always heard you out.

HOBBS: Look, I don’t know what he’s been telling you –

THE DIRECTOR: I brought you in.

HOBBS: I know.

THE DIRECTOR: I was your sponsor.

HOBBS: Yes. Look, I told him that Reddington –

THE DIRECTOR: Reddington did not make you! We made you! Have you forgotten what this organization has done for you? Government contracts? Silverstone? R&D grants? We put you in the game, and you betray us? You betray me? I treated you like family. I supported you.

HOBBS: Just hear me out.

THE DIRECTOR: Shh, shh, shh. There is a car waiting for you outside. You are going to the airport.

HOBBS: Please.

THE DIRECTOR: Zzt! You are leaving the country tonight. You are not to call your family, and you are never coming back.

Security appears and takes Hobbs by both arms. They leave under The Director's watch.

THE FBI TASKFORCE'S SITUATION ROOM

RESSLER: It’s not about money. It’s about revenge. Aram, can you put up all the files? Hernando Cruz jumped off that bridge after being accused of insider trading. He purchased 10,000 shares of stock in Rudman Pharmaceuticals one day before it got approval from the FDA to market a new cancer drug. That stock doubled overnight. Toshiro Osaka, our Japanese entrepreneur When Hernando Cruz made the trade, Osaka was the CFO at Rudman Pharmaceuticals. Miles Chapman – He was the regulator who approved the drug. And Drew Roberts was Cruz’s co-worker who oversaw all of the trades.

COOPER: You think they were in on it with the husband?

RESSLER: I’m saying maybe the husband wasn’t in on it at all. Maybe they set him up.

SAMAR NEVABI: It makes sense. Vanessa Cruz is a frame-up artist. Maybe she got the idea from seeing how easy it was for these people to frame her husband.

ARAM: Wait. The evidence you found in Cruz’s loft suggests she’s been targeting dozens of victims.

RESSLER: All one-percenters – People who personify the same greed that cost her husband his life.

COOPER: Assuming that she’s going after everyone who was involved in framing her husband, the question is, who’s left?

RESSLER: I don’t know, but I do know someone who can tell us.

FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX - BRUCETON MILLS, VA

Once more we see Conway, Keen and Ressler, the last two interviewing the first.

LIZ: Before you made your fortune in the private sector, you worked in the division of corporate finance at the S.E.C.

CONWAY: Yeah, so? Did you look at the research I gave you?

RESSLER: Tell us about Hernando Cruz.

CONWAY: Did you find anything?

RESSLER: Hernando Cruz. He was a trader for Oakside Investments in 2008. He killed himself after you were about to open an investigation into him for insider trading.

CONWAY: So? What does that have to do with – I thought you were looking for the woman who set me up.

RESSLER: It was his wife who set you up, and now we know why – Along with Toshiro Osaka, Miles Chapman, and Drew Roberts.

LIZ: Tell us about Hernando Cruz.

RESSLER: He didn’t jump off that bridge, did he, Lester?

LIZ: Don’t look so depressed. Today’s your lucky day. We found out who framed you.

CONWAY: Cruz. In disbelief  It was his wife?

RESSLER: Maybe we can help you. Maybe you can talk to us, and maybe we can make a deal.

CONWAY: It was 2007, before the crash – Height of subprime mortgages, bundling, things that really hurt people. But this – It was a victimless crime. We had every angle covered – The trading floor, the regulatory agencies.

RESSLER: You made the S.E.C. look the other way.

CONWAY: I want a lawyer.

RESSLER: No, no, no. What you want is a deal, and the only way you’re gonna get that is if you keep talking. So – Talk.

CONWAY: Everyone was going to look the other way, except that kid, Cruz. He found out, went to his boss. We tried to keep him quiet, but he refused. He was too idealistic.

LIZ: So you were a part of a conspiracy, and when Cruz tried to go against you, he was murdered. Thrown off a bridge to keep him from blowing the whistle. That’s when you framed him, which is why she framed you.

CONWAY: When I knew her, she was nobody, a ranch hand. How did she –

LIZ: If Cruz went to his boss, like you said, why was it never reported?

CONWAY: Because his boss was in on it.

RESSLER: What was his name?

IN A CAR

RESSLER (on the phone): Mason Carlton, Thundridge Capital. Cruz has taken revenge on everyone but this guy. Find him, Aram.

Scene changes and we see Carlton in his office, texting with someone Cruz his computer.

CRUZ (On the messaging app): Booked suite at Wolverton. Room 617.

CARLTON (On the messaging app): after the motel? u can't be serious.

We now see Cruz, lying on the bed with her laptop, texting Carlton. She's dressed up and has black heels on.

CRUZ (On the messaging app): You love the game. Wolverton Hotel. Be there at 8.

We're back to the car and we see Ressler talking to Aram on the phone. The latter is at the situation room.

ARAM: I called Carlton’s office, and nobody’s picking up. His cell is going straight to voicemail. But get this – I accessed his cell records, and I found a ton of inappropriate messages with his assistant. Her name is Abby Issa. Either this girl is having an affair with her boss –

LIZ: Or he’s being catfished. You said she was his assistant?

ARAM: Which means she’d have the keys to the kingdom – Passwords, financials, credit cards. There’s a hit on Mason Carlton’s Amex. He reserved a room for tonight at the Wolverton Hotel.

AT THE WOLVERTON SUITE

Carlton enters the room and it has lit candles all over. Cruz has her back to the door. She's wearing a wig to look like Abby Issa.

CARLTON: Hello? Abby? How long have you been here?

CRUZ: She turns around Hello, Mr. Carlton.

CARLTON: Who the hell are you?

Scene changes and we see Carlton tied to a chair while Cruz prepares a syringe. She applies the contents to Carlton's arm and he visibly starts feeling the effects. Cruz starts talking and all the while he looks more and more relaxed, like he's passing out.

CRUZ: Hernando Cruz. Surely you remember him – The young day trader you and your colleagues framed and murdered. There were six of you – Pigs. Too good to work, too refined and elegant to sweat. So you and all the other useless, greedy pigs instead gorge yourselves, grow fat on the sweat of the other 99%. So – Little piggy – I will tell you how this is going to work. You and Abby have been having an affair. There’s a digital paper trail of texts and pictures. Your fingerprints and DNA are in her apartment. You reserved this room. I’ve arranged it so the police will believe you’ve been to her apartment, just like I’ve arranged for them to believe Abby discovered you were embezzling from your firm and was gonna blackmail you – unless you pay her to keep quiet. They’ll confirm she’d gone to a lawyer, prepared a sexual-harassment lawsuit, which she threatened you with, so you shot her with the gun she bought to protect herself before turning it on yourself. Abby – She has such a big heart. She’s so innocent, so unsuspecting.Just like...She tears up – But this is the only way. You have to pay for what you did.

The door beeps and Abby enters the room.

Issa: Hey. I’m here. Sorry I’m late. What is this?

We hear the telephone ring, while Cruz looks paralised by her emotions. After some time, we catch a glimpse of Front Desk shere Keen and Ressler are waiting.

SECURITY: Hello, this is security calling. I have a gentleman and a lady from the FBI here who’d like to have a word with Mr. Carlton.

We see Cruz picked up the phone and hangs up immeditely after the Security man finishes his sentence. She's tearing up.

CRUZ: I’m sorry, Abby. crying; she points a gun to Abby. I’m so sorry.

We see the Security man at the Front Desk once more.

SECURITY: to Ressler and Liz Follow me, please.

They go up to Cruz's room. Security opens the door. The agents enter with their weapons drawn. There's a woman with her back to the door.

RESSLER:Hands where I can see them. Hands in the air!

The woman turns around with her hands in the air.

ABBY ISSA: Crying She said she made a mistake. She said she made a horrible mistake.

We see Carlton in the bed. Ressler turns around and run to the door. Keen does the same.

LIZ: Radio security! Have them lock down the hotel! And call an ambulance!

We see Cruz walking from a backdoor straight in a street full of people. She loses her wig. She seems very troubled. As sson as she turns a croner, Ressler and Keen go through the same door she just left. The first goes to the right and the latter goes to the left, like  Cruz. She doesn't see her, though.She looks down the sterrt for a while and then inside the trash can. She spots the wig.

LIZ: Ressler!

Ressler comes running. She shows him the wig. We hear police sirens.

IN COOPER'S OFFICE

Liz enters Cooper's office as he's looking over what seems to be evidence from this case.

LIZ: You wanted to see me?

COOPER: I thought you should know door closes Mason Carlton’s gonna be charged in the murder of Hernando Cruz.

LIZ: Sighs We lost her.

COOPER: Yes. And we will find her. What matters now is that the innocent people she framed are gonna be set free.

LIZ: Pointing to his caneThis here – And you there? You have no idea how happy that makes me. She prepares to leave.

COOPER: Chuckles I wonder what his angle is.

LIZ: Sir?

COOPER: Reddington. Why give us this case? Thank you. What’s his interest in this Cruz woman?

IN A RESTAURANT

We see Cruz in what appears to be a very fancy restaurant, wearing a big hat and having a glass of red wine.Mr. Kaplan approaches her table and sits down.

MR. KAPLAN: Mrs. Cruz, my employer is a longtime admirer of yours.

CRUZ: Who are you?

MR. KAPLAN: He understands your gambit has run its course. The FBI knows what you’re up to. They’re looking for you now, which means you have one of two choices: run and hide, or accept his help.

CRUZ: What help? And who’s this Employer?

IN AN ABANDONED HOUSE

We see Tom in what looks like a previously abandoned house. There's a knock on the door. He opens and Liz enters.

LIZ: I got your message. What is this place?

TOM: Reddington.

LIZ: Tom, what are you still doing here?

TOM: I’ve been thinking about what you said – about needing to tell you the truth. So I’m gonna tell you the truth.

LIZ: I don’t understand.

TOM: The passports... The passports came from Reddington. Liz, there’s more.

AT A ROOM

We see Jasper back in the roomthat looks like an industrial kitchen, talking on the phone.

JASPER (on the phone): It’s me. It’s done.

RED (on the phone): I’m listening.

JASPER (on the phone): The vote went your way. The Director wasn’t very happy, but a vote’s a vote.

RED (on the phone): And Hobbs?

JASPER (on the phone): He wants to meet.

RED (on the phone): Yes, I’m quite sure he would have. But he can’t, can he?

JASPER (on the phone): What are you talking about?

RED (on the phone): Hobbs was to contact me after the vote was cast. He didn’t, which means he’s dead, which means you betrayed him. Betrayed me.

JASPER (on the phone): That’s not true. He specifically asked that the three of us should meet so that we can discuss the future.

We see Red in a dimly lit room, talking on the phone by the window.

RED (on the phone): You need to run, Jasper. Run like the prairie wind, because I’m coming for you. And when I find you, I’m going to cut out that forked tongue of yours and deliver it to the Director myself.He disconnects the call. It’s time to go away, Dembe.

DEMBE:closing his own phone Agent Keen wants to meet regarding the Fulcrum.

IN THE STRRET

Red leaves a car and walks towards Keen, who is walking down the street. They stop by the side walk.

RED: What’s wrong?

LIZ: I just spent the last 42 hours dealing with a man who is a lifelong habitual, pathological liar.

RED: Tom.

LIZ: Yes. Tom.

RED: Lizzy –

LIZ: Don’t give me advice. This man, this liar, he told me something – Something that I need you to confirm. Now, before I ask, I want you to understand that I expect you to give me the dignity of a yes or a no. Do you understand?

RED: Yes. I’m the one who hired Tom Keen to enter your life. Keen looks baffled, tears up and starts walking back Can I explain?

LIZ: No. No, you cannot explain. Here. Gives him the Fulcrum  This is all you wanted. Now you have it.

RED: Lizzy, when I hired Tom –

LIZ: I said please do not attempt to explain why. I don’t care why. I just want this to stop. I want it all to stop, right now. screaming Take it!

RED: Lizzy. Lizzy!Keen enters her car to leave

There's a gunshot and Red is hit.

LIZ: No! She gets out of the car and runs towrds Red.

DEMBE: Raymond! He grabs ahold of Red's collar and drags him away from where he was shot.

LIZ: Dembe!

The three of them are behind Red's car, Liz takes of her scarf to try to stop Red's bleeding. More gunshots follow and Liz and Dembe fire back. Dembe gets the case with the Fulcrum, that was resting on the car's hood. Reddington appears like he isn't going to make it; he's coughing up blood.

LIZ: screaming Reddington!