( intro music plays )
( film projector running )
NARRATOR: Does this young fellow look familiar?
He ought to.
The sad truth is
there are boys like him all across our nation.
They're the ones who just can't seem to fit in.
There could be a boy just like him living in your town.
Right on your block, even going to your school.
You might not even be aware of it.
Would you know what to look for?
The outsider may have stopped applying himself in class.
He's probably given up trying to make friends.
Rightly or wrongly,
the outsider has come to feel that everyone is against him.
On the surface, he looks much like
any other boy on the block.
But inside, the outsider is eaten away with resentment
and a desperate urge to get even.
If enough of these feelings accumulate,
he may be tempted to act out.
Acting out can take many forms--
( screaming )
antisocial behavior, rejection of one's peers...
( gunshots )
...even, in extreme cases...
CHILD'S VOICE: Mommy.
..mouthing off to authority figures.
CHILD'S VOICE: Mommy.
JOE: What's going on?
Did you have a bad dream?
Mommy...
Oh, my goodness.
This is a bad dream.
JOE: I'm just saying that, you know,
she got out once, she'll do it again.
We don't know that.
I think I overslept.
Morning, sweetie. Morning, Mommy.
Morning, Daddy.
No, but we've been to this picnic a couple times before.
You know, history would seem to suggest
that once they figure out how to get over that wall,
then that's that.
What are you guys talking about?
Nothing.
You know what, I'll just go to the store
and get some kind of safety bars or something.
I don't know, I think maybe we should just bite the bullet
and buy Houdini here a big-girl bed.
I think she's ready.
How about it, sweetheart? Huh?
You want a big-girl bed?
Well, wait a second.
Why can't she just take my bed?
I could move into her room.
I'm almost 13.
I'm old enough to have my own room.
Well, this is a conversation we should have
when we have more time because everybody's got to get ready
for work, for school.
But why? It's simple.
Marie can move in with Bridgette and I can take her room.
Wait a second, what about me?
What do I get?
You get the top bunk.
What do I owe the pleasure?
Is this a bad time?
Not for me.
Those two are in some kind of hell.
It's good, they need a minute alone.
What's up?
You ever heard of a high school called Claymore?
Could be a private school, definitely co-ed.
Not off the top of my head. Why?
I don't know, I just, I had this strange...
A hunch.
You could say that.
Anyway, I forgot about it and then something told me
this morning that I should come by here,
run it by you, that you might be able to shed some light.
Not me.
No light here.
Not a flicker.
But I'd be happy to find any
Claymore Highs if they're out there.
Right now I got to get back and, uh...
Unless you want to return the favor.
What do you mean?
They woke up this morning, their seven-year-old was gone.
Window lock was forced open, but there's no ransom note.
I was about to run out there.
Wouldn't mind another set of eyes.
MAN: Tyler's room is right down here.
Sorry it's such a mess.
They, uh, asked us not to touch anything.
That's all right, Mr. Downey.
Were any of your son's things taken?
No.
I... I don't think so.
Would you like me to ask my wife?
She would know better than me.
SCANLON: Oh, no, that's okay.
We'll, uh, we'll just be here a few minutes.
WOMAN: We thought about putting up bars.
You know, those...
window guards?
Some people in the neighborhood have them, some don't.
When we bought this place,
Paul and I researched how much it would cost to put them on.
But I hated the way they looked.
( wood cracking, motor hums )
SCANLON ( clears throat): That number there
will get you directly to me 24 hours a day.
We're also monitoring your phone.
And I'd like to keep a detective in your home
for a day or so in case we do find a note or get a call.
Do you know how many dump sites there are within 50 miles?
Um... a lot?
More than a lot.
They wouldn't even give me a number.
Do you know how many bloodhounds
are at the city's disposal?
Um, not a lot?
Six.
Well, Allison, it's a start.
You may not have found the needle,
but at least you found the haystack.
I'm not so sure.
Maybe his body hasn't been dumped yet.
How do I even know what I saw has happened already?
I forgot to go to the store
and get what I needed for Marie's crib.
Oh, good.
I've decided to join
the Let's Give Ariel Her Own Room campaign.
Really?
Yeah.
I figure she's going to need a place to stew
once she figures out she hates us.
Think so, huh?
I do.
I do, too.
Okay, well, great.
Let's swing by the furniture store tomorrow
and pick up a bed.
If I get home from work early enough,
maybe I can even take apart the crib.
Call my sister, she if she wants to pick it up.
Why do we have to get rid of it? Why can't we just...
put it in the garage?
As what?
A shrine to our child-bearing years?
( breathing )
( gasps )
How is he?
Is he going to be all right?
They think he'll get there.
Apparently, somebody drugged him, shot him
and drove him to that dump site.
Oh, my God, and he survived.
The bullet glanced off the skull without penetrating.
It happens sometimes with small caliber weapons.
Leaves a hell of an ugly wound,
but it doesn't actually reach the gray matter.
Hopefully, when he wakes up,
he'll be able to describe the guy who took him.
How soon will that be?
Couple hours. Come on.
The doctors are going. Let's go.
( knocking on door )
Hi.
I think we're both still in
a state of shock, you know? I mean...
happy shock, but still shock.
It's a miracle. It's nothing less than a miracle.
And a lot of solid police work, I'm sure.
We're both incredibly grateful.
Oh, you know,
there are some friends of ours from the parish.
Can you just excuse us for just a moment?
Oh, no problem.
Excuse me.
I should step outside.
I got a couple calls to make.
Okay. Um...
I'll just stay here in case he wakes up.
Okay.
Tyler. Tyler. Are you awake?
Is this hell?
You're in a hospital.
You were hurt, but you're gonna be okay.
You swear this isn't hell?
Absolutely, I swear.
But why would you think that?
Because I'm bad.
That's where the bad kids go.
DOWNEY: Tyler?
MRS. DOWNEY: My God! Hey!
Hey, you're awake?
Hey, hi.
ARIEL: The closet might be a bit of a problem.
I'm gonna have a lot of my own stuff,
so maybe we can get, like, uh, three more shelves.
Just three shelves?
Hi, Mom!
I love this room so much.
I'm glad, sweetie.
You're going to knock, right?
'Cause I mean, the new rule, right, privacy?
Do you remember when Saturday used to be our day?
Vaguely.
MARIE: Mommy!
ARIEL: I don't know.
It still feels sort of... empty.
Can we go to the furniture store tomorrow
and get some furniture?
Maybe a lava lamp and some beanbag chairs?
Hey, you know, if you're really so desperate for furniture
maybe I could put that crib back together again.
That's not funny, Daddy.
Yeah, well, we still got to figure out
what to do with it, so what do you say?
We give it to the thrift store or we call my sister?
Do we really have to decide right now?
I just didn't think it was that big of a question.
I just want a little time, okay?
JOE: It's funny.
I thought you'd be in a better mood,
what with saving a child's life and all.
I'm in a fine mood.
He said the damndest thing to me
when he first woke up
and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.
He asked me if he was in hell.
Well, in the kid's defense, he did have a pretty lousy day.
No, that's not what he meant.
He thought he was actually in hell.
That he had died and been sent somewhere to be punished
because... he was a bad person.
And I know how this is going to sound, but...
I got the distinct impression that he thought he deserved it.
That that's where he was supposed to be.
And I can't help but wonder...
how does a terrible thought like that
get into a little boy's head?
You belong to your father the devil
and you want to carry out your father's desire.
He was a murderer from the beginning,
not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him.
And when he lies, he speaks his native language
for he is a liar and the father of lies.
( gunshot )
( gasps )
Thank you for coming in on a Sunday,
Mr. and Mrs. Downey.
No, anything to help.
How long is this going to take?
Our son's asleep and we'd like
to be back at his bedside when he wakes up.
We just need to ask a few questions.
Hopefully, rule a few things out.
Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Downey.
Detective.
Ah, I'm sorry.
Allison. Allison Dubois.
How's Tyler doing?
He's much better, thank you.
He's awake for long stretches.
Even asked for his crayons this morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Downey,
as part of our investigation into your son's abduction,
our lab conducted a toxin screen,
an analysis of your son's blood.
Okay.
And test results seem to indicate
that on the night your son was taken,
he was given a massive dose
of a prescription sleep aid.
What?
No, no, it's important.
It's important that we hear all this.
Just out of curiosity,
do either of you use sleeping pills?
I'm sorry, did I miss some...?
Are you asking if my wife and I...?
That is what you're asking, isn't it?
Please, don't be offended.
In any abduction case, it's routine to eliminate
those closest to the child first.
Mrs. Downey?
Yes, I do, actually.
I have two prescriptions at the moment.
Would one of them be Zolpidem?
I have no idea.
I don't really know the names.
I just sort of hand the slips of paper over to the pharmacist.
Of course. You'll check for us?
Oh, sure.
How about you, Mr. Downey,?
Ever take sleeping pills?
I'll take one of Marilyn's occasionally.
Not often.
Rarely.
Is this really necessary?
Uh, according to your statement,
you said that the night your son was abducted,
you slept through the night.
Is that correct?
Yes, obviously.
You don't remember hearing anything?
Not even when Tyler's window was being pried open
with a crowbar?
Isn't all this in my statement?
Would you be willing to allow us
to draw a sample of your blood?
SCANLON: It'd have to be within the next several hours
to actually tell us anything.
I mean, if what we're trying to do is, uh...
eliminate possibilities.
DOWNEY: What possibilities?
Why do you need to test my blood?
To see if there's any of my prescription in there, Paul.
Isn't that right, Detective?
Mr. District Attorney?
You folks serious?
I mean, do you really think that my wife
would hurt our son?
No one
is making any formal accusations against anyone.
Again, we're simply asking for a sample of your blood
in the hopes of eliminating...
Well, you can't have any blood.
This is insane and it's hurtful.
You mean to say, if I happened
to have taken a sleeping pill that night...
What kind of request is that?
What kind of a theory is that?
We don't mean to offend you.
We're simply hoping for your cooperation, sir.
My cooperation?
Why? So you can put off looking
for the real maniac who took my son?
No, I'm not doing it.
I'm not going to give you an excuse
not to stop that animal
before he has a chance to strike again.
And I want you to apologize to my wife.
MRS. DOWNEY: It doesn't matter.
Okay, fine.
Don't.
You call us away
from our son's sickbed
to level these absurd accusations at us?
Shame on all of you.
Come on, Marilyn.
I think we need to find an attorney.
You belong to your father
the devil.
And you want to carry out your father's desire.
What did you say?
It's from the Book of John.
Does that ring a bell?
Marilyn, come on.
Pardon me.
I've been waiting for the District Attorney,
but I guess you'll do.
I just came from the hospital.
What have you people told them?
Why won't they let me see my son, take him home?
What, you have no answer for that?
Why am I surprised?
You plucked that scripture out of my head.
I knew right then who you were,
who you worked for.
I work for the District Attorney.
And he finds it, we all find it
extremely peculiar that you and your husband
don't want to cooperate, don't want to help us
get to the bottom of this.
You are his parents, he is your child.
You people don't know anything about me or my child.
No, I think we do.
Really?
How well do you know evil?
I know it when I see it.
Do you?
Do you know how it works?
Do you know how it grows?
If you carried it inside you,
if you took it to your breast, lived with it every day,
had it inside your house...
You are talking about a child.
My child.
And keeping me from him is a mistake, Mrs. Dubois.
I need to bring him home.
And if you truly understood that piece of scripture you quoted,
you would recognize the truth of that.
I recognize that you are someone in the midst of a crisis,
that you need help,
that the evil you think is inside your son
is actually inside your head.
And until I am convinced otherwise,
I will do everything I can to be sure
that you are nowhere near Tyler.
( tires squeal )
What's terrifying-- no, what's tragic--
her sense of conviction is so strong, it's...
so absolute.
I keep thinking about all these couples
who are desperate to have a child of their own,
and here's this woman...
completely convinced that her son must die,
that he's the embodiment of evil.
It makes me want to cry.
So what happens now?
I don't know, we can only compel the hospital
to keep him in protective custody for so long.
( groans ): The father is blind to it all.
I don't know what we can prove in court.
All I know is, I have to do everything I can
to keep that woman away from her son.
How old did you say he was?
I don't know, he's, like...
six or seven, maybe.
Sweet.
God, he seemed so sweet.
Tyler. His name's Tyler.
Tyler.
( sighs, kisses )
( sighs )
( music plays )
( screaming ) Run!
NARRATOR: In situations like this one,
it's useful to ask oneself...
( gunshot )
...would you know how to spot
the seeds of resentment before they blossom
into the rotten fruit of bad behavior?
( girl whimpers )
BOY: Tyler, don't. Tyler, please,
why-why are you doing this?
I don't know.
Because I'm mad.
( gunshot )
( gasps )
Tyler.
He killed them all, Joe.
He was so unrepentant.
It was like all the sweetness, all the innocence I saw in him,
it was just... gone.
Is what I'm saying making any kind of sense to you?
Uh, I don't know, maybe.
It's 2:45 in the morning--
nothing much makes sense to me at 2:45 in the morning.
Well, forget it.
I'm sorry, it was selfish of me to wake you.
No, no, I'm sorry, all right?
Let me just try and focus.
Why don't you start from the beginning.
Yesterday... I dreamt that Marilyn Downey
was shooting her son in the head.
Now today, I'm dreaming about Tyler,
and he's in high school, and he's killing people,
dozens of them.
He took out a gun, and he was just slaughtering them.
I-In the future?
In the future.
Well, maybe this kid's supposed to be a long-term project.
Maybe you're supposed to help him out
even after you lock his mother up.
Or maybe I'm not supposed to help him at all.
You can't be serious.
I don't know.
Maybe his mother has a touch of what I have.
Maybe she's seen what I just saw.
I mean, then it would make some kind of crazy sense.
Then you could almost understand why she would do it,
why she would feel compelled to try again.
Maybe I'm not supposed to stop her.
Maybe she's just crazy.
Maybe what you're seeing when you dream
are the dreams of a crazy woman.
Maybe, but how do I know? How can I be sure?
I don't want to do the wrong thing.
I don't want to make the wrong decision.
The wrong decision?
Allison, you're not seriously suggesting
that sending this kid home with his homicidal mother
is an option, are you?
I'm not suggesting anything.
I'm just trying to figure it out.
But there's nothing to figure out.
This kid is in danger.
He's seven years old, and he needs your help.
That's all you need to know.
Of course.
You're right.
Glad to be of assistance.
Joe Dubois: husband, father, moral compass.
We never close.
( gunshot )
( gasps )
You have a moment, sir?
Allison. Sure. Come in.
Hypothetically, what would you say
if I told you I came across a piece of evidence
that might help us nail Marilyn Downey
for the attempted murder of her son?
Hypothetically, I'd tell you that I'm a very happy man.
What would you say if I told you I'd been having dreams
about the little boy we're trying to save?
What if I told you that he may grow up
to become one of the most evil human beings
you or I have ever known,
and that by stopping his mother from committing an atrocity
in the present, we may very well be setting the stage
for an even greater atrocity in the future?
What would you say then?
( sighs )
I'd tell you that you're giving me more information
than I need to do my job.
I'd tell you that we have a responsibility
to take care of the case that's right in front of us:
saving this child from his very deranged parent.
What if this child grows up to hurt other children?
What if he becomes a killer?
I'd remind you that we have
almost a decade to try and stop him.
Let's first worry about
protecting Tyler Downey from his mother.
Then we'll figure out
a way to protect society from Tyler Downey.
Tell me!
Tell you what?
Tell me how high you're gonna put that sign on the door.
And I asked you, how tall are you?
Mom! Tell her she can't keep me
out of her room just because I'm littler than she is!
There are no height requirements in the Dubois house, Ariel.
( quietly ): I'm still putting it on my door.
( phone plays electronic melody )
Hello?
DEVALOS: It's me, Allison.
Just wanted to let you know that I heard from forensics.
And?
While the gun you found was unmistakably
the one used to shoot Tyler Downey,
it's never been registered, and was thoroughly cleaned
before it was left at that dump site.
There simply are no prints or DNA evidence.
So there's no way to trace it back to Marilyn.
I'm afraid that's not the worst of it.
The Downeys went back to court this morning,
and the judge ruled that as soon as Tyler is feeling up to it,
he's to be released into his parents' care.
They left the hospital together at 5:20 this afternoon.
So how long do you think it'll be
till we get the call that she finally killed him?
Allison, I think we've made it abundantly clear to Mrs. Downey
that we're watching her, that we'll always be watching her.
Well, that's fine and good, sir...
But?
I just don't know how much that means to a crazy person.
( film projector whirring, music playing )
NARRATOR: Where do the leaders of tomorrow come from?
The seeds of their success are sown here
in the halls of high schools all across America.
Let's listen in on one such success story.
( applause )
And before we award you your diplomas,
let's hear a word from our valedictorian,
Tyler Downey.
( applause )
( clears throat )
( exhales )
In the days leading up to graduation,
a number of people have asked me:
"Is there one person or one event
that has inspired you through your high school career?"
For me, the person who made the biggest difference
was my mom.
Wow.
JOE: Hmm?
You okay?
Yeah.
Actually I am okay.
And I think everything's gonna be okay.
( Joe moans softly )
I didn't... Good morning. I didn't mean to frighten you.
I was just wondering if... if I could have a word.
"A word"?
Talk?
Is that really necessary?
Isn't a talk really beside the point?
I don't think so.
For one thing, I am not who you think I am.
In fact, I am probably much more like you than you think.
What do you mean?
You have had dreams about Tyler.
About his future.
So have I.
I don't believe you.
It's true.
That's how I knew about you, about the dump.
That's how I knew about the Scripture that you quoted,
right before you shot him.
John. Chapter eight. Verse 44.
I dreamt it.
I dreamt the other dreams that you had about Tyler growing up,
about high school...
about the killings.
I came here... this morning, to tell you
your dreams are wrong.
Tyler doesn't have to grow up to be a killer.
He can be a... an incredible boy,
an incredible man.
The key... is you.
You are the one
that makes it possible.
I have seen it.
No.
I know what I know.
I know what I feel.
This is a trick.
You are a demon, and this is a trick.
No, I am no demon.
And there is no trick.
This is a miracle.
This is a second chance,
and they come very rarely.
Look.
I know what you did in that dump.
But you know what?
No one else does. No one else in the whole wide world.
Most especially, not your son.
Just you, me and God.
So I guess why I was sent here, why I'm here is
to tell you none of it matters.
It can all be wiped away right here, right now,
if you choose it,
if you believe it,
if you can see Tyler for the incredible boy he really is.
( soft gasp )
Oh...
Oh, my God.
You're an angel, aren't you?
No.
I'm just a woman who knows about something horrible
and who is willing to forget about it.
If you're willing.
She looks awfully comfortable, doesn't she?
( soft chuckle )
House is all locked up.
Ariel finally turned her light out.
( soft chuckle )
It's like she's slept there her whole life.
Well, I guess she was getting a little big
for that crib, wasn't she?
Maybe just a hair.
You ready for bed?
We're lucky, aren't we?
Three amazing kids.
We did all right.
"Did"? As in past tense?
Hmm? As in we're done?
( moans ): Mm...
The truth is, I don't know.
What's that expression?
"It ain't over till it's over "?
( phone ringing )
( Joe groans )
Shh... Hello?
DEVALOS: Allison, I'm sorry to wake you.
It's okay. What's the matter?
What's... what's up?
I just got a call from the chief of police.
Sometime around 11:00 this evening,
Marilyn Downey swallowed two fistfuls of sleeping pills.
She was pronounced dead about half an hour ago.
No, no.
No, that... that's, that's wrong.
I had a dream.
He turned out to be a really great kid,
and she was a big part of that.
He mentioned her...
I, uh... I don't know what to tell you.
I don't really know what you're talking about.
Marilyn Downey is dead.
Just thought you'd want to know.
I actually thought that you'd be relieved.
I mean... ( sighs )
This may be a horrible thing to say,
but at least the boy is safe now.
Allison?
It's okay. I-I just thought...
I guess I hoped... that things would turn out differently.
I guess I'll see you in the morning.
See you in the morning.
TYLER: In the days leading up to graduation,
a number of people have asked me:
"Is there one person or one event
that has inspired you through your high school career?"
For me, the person who made the biggest difference
was my mom.
My dad likes to tell me how devoted she was to me.
Actually, "obsessed" is the word he often uses to describe it.
( audience laughs )
We don't talk about it much, but when I was seven,
a stranger came into my bedroom and drugged me and shot me
and left me for dead.
I barely remember the experience,
but, apparently, my mother was devastated by it
and felt somehow responsible.
( Tyler sighs )
She never forgave herself
and apparently consumed by guilt and depression,
she took her own life shortly thereafter.
( sighs )
I do remember how badly people felt for me,
how concerned everyone was
that I would grow up without a mother.
But I'm here to tell you that not a day goes by
that I don't think of her,
not a day goes by...
( sniffles )
that I don't feel her here with me.
And not a day goes by that I'm not reminded
of how fleeting life is,
how much it is that we have to get done
and how important it is that we do it well.
TYLER: Thanks, Mom.
I've tried to make you proud.
( applause )
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org