[gentle piano music playing]
- [thunder rumbling] - [suspenseful string music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
[music quickens]
[indistinct chattering]
[man] A.B.
[indistinct chattering]
Who are you?
[lively chattering]
[music intensifies]
- [knocking at door] - [music crescendos]
[silence]
[woman screams]
[pop music playing]
- [pop music fades] - [classical music playing]
[woman screaming in distance]
[screaming becomes louder]
[screaming]
[music intensifies]
[woman screams]
[thunder crashing]
[music ends]
[brisk string music playing]
[music ends]
[gavel bangs]
Can you please state your name for the record?
Jasmine Haney.
And what is your current occupation, Ms. Haney?
I'm the Chief Usher of the White House.
Have you ever testified before a congressional committee, Ms. Haney?
No, sir. Senator. Never.
- A little nervous? - Yes, sir.
Well, I want to assure you that this is not an adversarial proceeding.
You are not under suspicion for anything.
We simply want to understand what happened at the White House
on the night of October 11th…
[screams]
…and in the investigation that followed.
That's why we're here.
Because there's been a lot of misinformation and… speculation
and confusion about these events, okay?
We just want to get all the facts out for the public. Clear it all up.
Thank you, Senator.
[Filkins] Now, you indicated you are the Chief Usher.
Yes, sir.
What is the Chief Usher? What do you do?
The Chief Usher is responsible for overseeing
the operations of the Executive Residence of the White House.
And when you say Executive Residence, that's the part of the White House
where the President and his family actually live?
- Correct. That's right. - Not the West Wing, not the East Wing.
You're not a political appointee.
No, sir.
The work of the White House Residence staff is not political in any way.
Same with this committee, Ms. Haney.
- Same with this committee. - [quiet laughter]
[Filkins] How long have you been in this position, Ms. Haney, of Chief Usher?
Ms. Haney?
["Hold On to Now" by Kylie Minogue playing nearby]
♪ Floating on this feeling together ♪
♪ Yeah… ♪
- [man] What are you doing? - I'm having a drink.
- In the Blue Room? - Yeah.
- During a State Dinner? - Yeah.
- While you're working? - Yeah.
Don't do this.
- Do what? - Did you talk to him?
It wasn't much of a talk.
Don't do something that you're going to regret.
Too late.
- [distant chattering] - [music continues]
Rollie, I appreciate you, but can you please give me a little space?
[woman] No.
- Agent Rausch? - I need you to come with me, Ms. Haney.
- Why? - [Rausch] Now.
You need to come now.
[suspenseful music playing]
- [indistinct chattering] - [elevator bell dings]
[chattering continues]
What the hell is going on?
- There's been an incident. - An incident?
- Yes. - What kind of incident?
An incident. I don't want anyone up here for the rest of the night, okay? Nobody.
Get the message out now. Second and third floors are off-limits.
[Haney] Because of the incident?
Yes. And don't tell them about the incident.
About the thing that I don't know about?
- Correct. - What about Kylie Minogue?
- What about her? - Oh my God. I… I love Kylie Minogue.
She's staying in the Lincoln Bedroom tonight.
What? No. Why?
Well, that was the deal for getting her to sing last minute.
[man groans]
Okay.
If I'm not downstairs before she finishes, you tell her, too, deal's off.
- [man chattering] - No.
- What? - No.
Why me?
Because you're the Chief Usher.
[scoffs] No. I'm not the Chief Usher.
Do you even know who I am, Mr. Hollinger? I am an Assistant Usher.
I've been an Assistant Usher for 11 years. And yes, I wanna be the Chief Usher.
And I thought I was going to be the Chief Usher.
But it was made very clear to me tonight
that I am not going to be the Chief Usher anytime soon.
So if you want somebody to tell Kylie Minogue
she doesn't have a place to sleep, talk to the Chief Usher.
That would be A.B. Wynter.
The Chief Usher.
Where's A.B.?
[tense music playing]
[somber music playing]
[Filkins] Ms. Haney.
Ms. Haney.
I've been Chief Usher since October 11th, the day the last Chief Usher was killed.
- Killed? - Excuse me?
- You said killed. - The Senator from Colorado--
I didn't mean anything by it.
You didn't mean you thought he was killed?
The Senator from Colorado will refrain from asking questions
when it is not her time.
- [cameras clicking] - Thank you.
[Bix] Mm-hmm.
[sighs] After you left the third floor, what did you do?
I did what Mr. Hollinger asked me to do.
[quiet, tense music playing]
- [elevator bell dings] - [doors open]
[sniffs]
[breathes heavily]
- [dramatic music playing] - [Haney gasping]
- [bell dings] - [Haney] Oh!
The man I wanted to see. Did you talk to Dana?
The least of my problems.
I spoke to Marvella about the desserts, and I think we may have another option.
So. Maybe now that's the least of your problems.
Hey. In a few weeks, you'll be stumbling around Hay-on-Wye,
a pint in one hand,
a first edition of The Ambassadors in the other.
The happiest, drunkest, most retired bibliophile in all--
I'm not leaving.
What?
I'm not leaving. I'm not retiring. For at least a couple of years.
I can't leave the house like this. Not after tonight.
[elevator bell dings]
[yelling, banging on wall]
[elevator bell dings]
- Where are you going? - Upstairs.
Ms. Cox.
You're not going upstairs. There's been an incident.
- An incident? - Yes.
Put that away. And stay off the second and third floors.
[pop music and lively chattering nearby]
[dynamic music playing]
[music drowns out speech]
- [Rollie] An incident? - Yes.
- What happened? - I don't know.
You can tell me.
I can't right now.
Where's A.B.?
Did you return to the third floor?
Yes.
- [Filkins] Who was there at that point? - [Haney] A lot of people. Mr. Hollinger.
[Filkins] That's President Morgan's friend and adviser, Harry Hollinger.
[Haney] Right. Correct. Agent Trask. Secret Service Agent Colin Trask.
[indistinct chattering]
[Haney] I recognized Wally Glick, Director of the FBI,
and Irv Samuelson, the head of the National Park Police.
They were arguing.
And then another man showed up who I didn't recognize.
[Filkins] Can you state your name for the record?
Lawrence Dokes, Larry.
And you are the Chief of Police
for the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Mr. Dokes?
Yes, sir.
[Filkins] How did the Metropolitan Police Department
come to be involved in the investigation into Mr. Wynter's death?
How did the MPD come to be involved?
It's our jurisdiction, Senator.
Any death in the District, even the White House.
[Filkins] Is that true?
You think they'd have let me in there that night if it wasn't?
[quiet laughter]
You're saying they weren't happy
with the MPD being the lead investigative agency?
I don't wanna speak for anyone, but that was my impression.
Oh my God. Really? The MPD?
Not… not the FBI? Not the Secret Service? Not the CIA?
The entire national security apparatus of the US government at our disposal,
and we get stuck with some beat cops from the fucking MPD?
I wouldn't call the MPD to help me find my dick.
This is Chief Dokes of the MPD.
You can't find your dick?
Fuck you.
Okay, Chief, what are you gonna do here?
I'm gonna leave that in the hands of my detective.
What detective?
She's here.
- Uh, where? - She's on-site.
What the fuck does that mean?
On-site? This is the site. Here. This is the fucking site.
Where is she?
Yeah, she'll be up very soon.
[whimsical piano playing]
How long was she out there?
About… five minutes.
It felt longer.
[music continues]
- [Glick] What is she doing? - [Dokes] She's birding.
Birding?
Birding is a very popular hobby. In many of our great National Parks--
- I know what birding is. - Why are we waiting for her?
We're waiting for her because she is the best detective in the world.
[Harry laughs]
You know how I know that's a lie? Do you know how I know that's a lie?
Because the best detective in the world, whoever the fuck that is,
does not work for the fucking MPD.
Well, first of all, very rude.
Second of all, Cordelia Cupp doesn't work for the MPD.
She's a consulting detective.
- That's Cordelia Cupp. - Who's Cordelia Cupp?
- [Trask] She solved the Ratzenberger case. - You know who she is.
You said in the elevator you hoped they weren't bringing in Cordelia Cupp.
- What? - Ratzenberger?
The one in Georgetown. Where everybody thought the wife did it,
but it was the daughter who had trained their corgi to fire a gun?
I don't care!
He was upset?
I think upset would be a fair word.
I don't care if she's Miss fucking Marple or Sherlock Holmes
or whoever the fuck Daniel Craig is in that fucking movie.
- Benoit Blanc. - I want her in here now.
Teddy Roosevelt was already known as a prominent birder
before he became President.
After his first year at Harvard,
he published the Summer Birds of the Adirondacks.
I have a copy if you'd like to borrow it. But what's really exciting
is when he got to the White House,
he kept a journal with every bird he saw on the grounds.
Ninety-three birds,
including 5 woodpeckers, 7 sparrows, and 20 warblers.
So many warblers. Cordelia--
- I wondered if I'd see any, and I did. - Cordelia.
Not a warbler, but a Screech Owl and a Purple Grackle.
Wow. It's a lot of dudes.
Where's the body?
Oh, I see feet.
[quiet, curious music playing]
Locked. From the other side.
- The windows? - Sealed.
We believe it's a suicide.
Okay, cool. Has anybody moved anything in this room?
[Trask] Not since I arrived.
Do you wanna know why we believe it's a suicide?
No. Who found the body?
[woman] I was watching TV.
Well, a movie.
I don't like TV.
I like a TV, but not… "TV."
I understand.
- Do you? - I think I do, yes.
- You weren't at the dinner? - Oh God, no. I don't like getting dressed.
I don't like talking to people. Especially my son's husband.
- The President of the United States? - [gags]
The worst.
Anyway, I ordered vodka.
It never came. I made a few calls.
Called who?
It was not a porno.
- What wasn't a porno? - I said I was watching a movie.
It was not a porno. I know you were probably thinking it was a porno.
I wasn't thinking that, no.
Anyway, I heard a loud thump.
- A thump? - Yes.
We're not talking about the porno anymore, are we?
No. It came from next door. It sounded like something falling.
Or someone.
I opened my door there. I heard a door close.
Where?
I don't know.
- Do you remember what time it was? - 9:57.
- 9:57? - Yes.
That's very precise.
Well, I have a clock.
That is a clock.
And then you went next door. Did you see anyone else?
- No. - Hear anything else?
No. But the TV was very loud.
I'm not normally a screamer, Ms. Cupp.
But I saw my husband dead a few years ago.
It's been hard for me.
Clive died in our bed.
He was actually dead before we went to sleep.
I did not know that.
I even tried to get a little something going,
but he was unresponsive.
Which was not unusual though.
I did not marry that man for sex, if you know what I mean.
- I don't know what you mean. - I got up. I took a shower.
I got dressed. I had breakfast. I went to work. I came home.
He was still there.
And that's when I realized
that something was probably wrong with Clive.
[quietly] Really wondering about Clive now.
What are these other rooms?
The sitting room. The linen room.
The gym. The Solarium.
The music room is at the end of the hall. The kitchen… well, the mini kitchen.
[sarcastically] Wow, that's… super interesting.
[sighs] I'm just wondering,
should we circle back to the dead man in the Game Room at this point
or stay on the tour?
Stay on the tour. Go ahead.
There's a room on the northeast corner. It's a bedroom, but it's empty.
The three on the south side are bedrooms. There are offices on--
Uh, whose offices?
The Executive Chef, the Executive Pastry Chef, some aides.
- I'll need names. - They're not here right now.
- They still have names. - It's a suicide.
You said those are bedrooms. Whose bedrooms?
That belongs to Tripp Morgan, the President's brother.
- He's downstairs? - [Trask] No.
- He's in there? Right now? - Yes. Yes.
Did anybody talk to him?
- He came out when Ms. Cox was screaming. - [Cox screams]
But went back inside.
He said he'd been asleep since 9:30 and didn't see anything.
That's it? Dead body, two doors down, he goes back to bed.
Yes. Do you wanna talk to him?
I do, but not yet. Nan's room.
[intriguing piano music playing]
And this?
Whose bedroom is this?
Mr. Hollinger lives in the room next to Mr. Morgan.
- [scoffs] Harry Hollinger? - Yes.
Oh.
- Were you gonna mention that? - No. I was not gonna mention that.
Just like I wasn't gonna tell you the color of my pajamas
or the size of my slippers or how long I brush my fucking teeth.
They recommend two minutes.
[Harry groans]
I… I wanna set the scene for you, Detective Cupp.
Downstairs, right now, is a State Dinner.
There are 200 people down there,
including the President of the United States
and the Prime Minister of Australia
and the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State
and the Australian Foreign Minister.
And Hugh Jackman.
- Really? - Yes.
[Harry] Australia didn't even want this dinner, okay?
We had to beg them to come.
Do you know how shitty you have to be to piss off Australians?
But that's what the last administration did,
time and time again.
And we are trying to clean up that mess tonight.
Okay? Because despite the fact that they gave us
three Crocodile Dundee movies,
Australia is important to the United States.
"Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles" was a very disappointing film.
And now there is a dead man up here.
And not just any dead man. The man who runs the White House.
Now the party ends in 45 minutes.
We are on the clock, okay?
If word gets out right now in the middle of the State Dinner
that the Chief Usher is upstairs dead,
we are fucked.
If we try to hide it and don't tell anybody, we are fucked.
So what we need to do as quickly as possible
is to stop talking about purple fucking gackles.
- Grackle. - What?
- You said gackle. It's Grackle. - Gackle.
- Grackle. - [yells] Goddamnit!
We… we need to make a determination about what happened here.
And then manage the rollout of that information in such a way…
[sighs] …that we are marginally less fucked
than we would otherwise be. As a nation. Do you understand, Detective Cupp?
Who's he?
Edwin Park. Special Agent, FBI.
Ugh.
Another dude?
Oh Jesus. How many dudes do you need?
[quiet, curious music playing]
A suicide note?
That is what it appears to be.
How did they react to this?
- To the suicide note? - [Filkins] Yes.
Pretty much like you'd expect.
I knew it!
You said it. Ah, you said it.
[Harry chuckles] Okay…
[Haney] And then they just started strategizing.
We'll let the evening play out. We'll keep this under wraps.
Everybody goes home, and we report it in the morning.
- Agreed. - There are going to be questions.
- Of course. - Time of death.
That'll all be part of the investigation.
Now, would Kylie Minogue continue playing in this plan,
and would it make sense for me to go downstairs right away if so?
Just trying to get a sense of the timeline.
The press will wanna know when you first learned of the death.
Uh-huh. Thank you, Smokey Bear. That will be part of the report
that no one will give a fuck about when it comes out two years from now.
- I don't know. - Yes, you don't know a lot of things.
You're the fucking Park Police.
- I'm gonna go downstairs. - Sorry?
To the dinner.
Oh. Okay. So, first of all, no, you're not.
And second of all, no.
- Has anyone left? - No.
Go downstairs now? Y-You're saying now?
There's a State Dinner downstairs. I think I mentioned that.
- Perfect, I haven't eaten. - Actually, the dinner is over.
The meal.
The food part.
Why do you wanna go downstairs?
To see if I see anything.
- Like what? - Like what what?
Like, what do you wanna see?
Like, I don't know. If I knew, I'd ask you to go get it for me,
and I would go and get myself something to eat.
- He killed himself. - It's possible.
Isn't it more than possible?
I don't know. What's "more than possible"? Either it's possible or it's not.
He slit his wrists. He left a suicide note. He was stressed.
- You didn't tell me he was stressed. - You didn't ask.
Oh, you want me to ask you more questions? Okay. Here's one.
How did he kill himself?
- What do you mean? He slit his wrists. - With what?
What?
With
what?
- Fuck. There's no knife. - Correct.
- So they can hear you in the bleachers. - [Park, Cupp] There's no knife.
Did anybody remove a knife?
You know the amazing thing about birds?
Birds have the ability to focus.
It's not that they're just good at hunting for food.
They literally filter out things that are not food.
You know who doesn't have that ability?
All of you.
Because if you did, if you could focus and concentrate,
you would notice what is wrong with this scene. It's not just the knife.
That is not nearly enough blood for wounds like those on his wrists.
Most people don't cut both wrists,
and the angle of the cuts don't appear to be self-inflicted.
Also, there are no hesitation marks,
which you almost always see with a suicide.
He has cuts on his face.
From the inflammation and ulceration in his mouth,
he appears to have ingested some type of poison.
There is a large contusion on the back of his head.
I believe he was dragged into this room, which would make sense
because this is a really odd place to commit suicide.
And that isn't his shirt.
And that's not his blood on the shirt that is not his.
So, anyway, as I was saying,
I'm gonna go downstairs.
- How long do we have? - Thirty minutes.
- Can you show me around? - Yes, of course.
Gentlemen. Dudes.
[Bix chuckles]
- Senator. - [Bix laughs]
[Bix] Mm-hmm.
- This is why you're here. - If you need anything.
- I don't. - If you do.
- What would I need? - Federal resources.
- Like a tax refund? - I'm here to help.
No, you're on the case to make sure I don't put my nose in things
that might be uncomfortable for everyone,
and you're the guy who tries to undermine me when I tell them the truth.
I've met 100 guys like you, and I don't remember the name of a single one.
My name is Edwin. I'm not that guy. I'm really just here to help.
What floor?
- You wanna go to the party, right? - Yes.
First floor.
Can you hit "1"?
That would help.
You took her to the party?
- Yes, sir. - And what did she wanna see?
She wanted to see everything. And so I showed her.
132 rooms, 147 windows,
28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators
spread across 6 floors and 2 mezzanines.
Two basements, the Ground Floor, the State Floor, and two floors upstairs.
The President and his family live on the 2nd and 3rd floors,
although there are guest bedrooms on both floors, as you know.
The first floor, the State Floor, contains the great ceremonial rooms.
The State Dining Room.
The Red Room.
The Blue Room. The Green Room.
And the East Room, the largest room in the house.
That's where Kylie is playing.
In between the State Dining Room and the East Room is the Cross Hall,
which is where we are now.
[Cupp] How many employees?
Ninety-six full-time in the house.
- And how many working tonight? - About half that.
And?
And for a dinner like this, there are contractors too.
Thirty of 'em.
Mainly kitchen workers and butlers.
How many guests?
Uh, 140 or so, but I'd need to ask Lilly the exact number.
Sorry. I just saw my boss dead upstairs.
You said "Lilly."
Who's Lilly?
Lilly Schumacher.
And what is your current position at the White House, Ms. Schumacher?
I am the White House Social Secretary.
You're responsible for coordinating all social activity in the White House.
That is correct.
- That includes State Dinners. - Yes.
And where were you on the night of October 11th,
the Australian State Dinner?
Where was I?
I was everywhere.
[indistinct chattering]
[frantic jazz music playing]
Let me be more specific. Where were you when you first saw Ms. Cupp?
The Green Room.
["Love at First Sight" playing nearby]
♪ Didn't know what to do… ♪
I still haven't found A.B. You haven't seen him?
[Haney] No.
Not for a while.
♪ From wrong to right… ♪
How many guests are here tonight?
Why?
Because I wanna know.
One hundred and forty-one, not including these two.
♪ It was love at first sight… ♪
- Sorry, who… - Cordelia and Edwin.
Friends of Harry.
Oh.
♪ First time, I knew ♪
♪ We were meant to be as one… ♪
Did you find that odd?
I did. But, honestly,
I was so concerned about finding A.B., I didn't think anything of it.
[applause and cheering]
["Can't Get You Out of My Head" playing]
[music continues loudly]
♪ La la la ♪
♪ La la la la la ♪
♪ La la la ♪
♪ I just can't get you out of my head ♪
♪ Boy, your lovin' is all I think about ♪
♪ I just can't get you out of my head ♪
[fading] ♪ Boy It's more than I dare to… ♪
[suspenseful music playing]
[inaudible]
[glass smashes]
[suspenseful music builds, then ends]
♪ Don't leave me locked in your heart ♪
♪ Set me free… ♪
- How much time? - Twenty minutes.
- Did Wynter have an office? - Yes. On the mezzanine.
Show me. And take the long way.
You don't have to come.
[purposeful music playing]
The lower basement is where we keep most of the supplies.
Storage, laundry, HVAC, electrical.
There's an incinerator down here.
Staff break room and dining room. There are lockers back there.
Hey, J., have you seen A.B.?
The upper basement.
Carpenter's shop.
Paint shop.
Chocolate shop.
Bowling alley.
Some additional storage.
- [muffled voices arguing] - Emergency supplies. A dentist's office.
Uh, walk-in freezer.
I saw "The Shining." Let's keep going.
[tense music playing]
Those doors.
[Haney] Staff entrance.
Flower shop.
- Who has access to the third floor? - More people than you think.
I've never thought about it.
A.B., Tripp, Nan, Harry.
The President and Mr. Morgan.
The chefs, various aides, housekeeping, all the butlers, all the ushers.
All the maintenance staff. Honestly, so many people in this house.
What about you?
Me?
You?
Yeah. I have access too.
[purposeful music playing]
To the East Wing. To the West Wing.
Vermeil Room, China Room, Diplomatic Reception Room, Map Room.
The Library.
- [poignant music playing] - Mr. Wynter's favorite room.
He stopped by here first thing every morning,
and it was always the last place he went before he left for the night.
He told me once he wanted to read every book in this room.
I think he got pretty close.
[purposeful music resumes]
Where's Marvella? White House Chef.
[man] Haven't seen her.
- For how long? - An hour.
What about security? How does that work for a State Dinner?
It really depends on the dinner.
How about for this State Dinner?
The one where someone was found dead under unusual circumstances,
and the consulting detective, who was on her way to the airport
for a long-planned trip to Papua New Guinea
to see a Dimorphic Jewel-babbler, was called in to investigate.
Right. That one.
There are five checkpoints tonight.
Two pedestrian and three vehicle.
Each checkpoint is staffed by the Secret Service
and the Social Secretary's office.
All guests have already been pre-screened by Secret Service.
All they have to do is show ID.
Once they're past the preliminary checkpoint,
there's an additional Secret Service checkpoint,
bag searches, and magnetometer screening.
[curious music playing]
[music fades]
And there are no security cameras in the Residence?
There are no security cameras in the Residence.
[jazz music playing]
- How do you explain the suicide note? - I can't.
- It is his writing though. - I don't know.
Maybe he slit his wrists in another room, then went to the Game Room.
Maybe he did it at home before coming to work.
It doesn't have to be this way between you and me.
- How would you like it to be? - More respectful.
You want me to respect you? For what? I don't know you.
I don't know you either, but I respect you.
- That's different. - Why?
Because I'm Cordelia Cupp.
I'm gonna wait out here.
- What are you doing in here? - Just looking around.
- This is a crime scene. - It's an office.
We're in Washington. Same thing. You need to leave.
Well, we're concerned about sensitive political documents
that, uh, might have been in the Usher's office.
[Bix] He said that?
Really?
- Yes. - Senator--
- That's… that's what he said? - Yes.
Harry Hollinger, the President's best friend and closest adviser,
who has no role in the justice system
and no operational authority to conduct any part of this
or any other investigation,
was just rummaging on through the office of the Chief Usher
only minutes after his death, looking for "political" documents?
Yes.
[loudly] Why would the Chief Usher have political documents?
Well, I would hope he wouldn't. But that's why I'm here. To find out.
Well, I'm here to find out how he died, so I'm going to cut in line.
You need to leave.
[tense music playing]
I know you enjoy a formidable reputation, Detective Cupp.
- And I respect that. I really do. - Oh, thank God.
But you need to understand
that this is not like any other place that you've ever worked.
And I say that not knowing or caring where you've worked.
I say that because there is no place like this place on Earth.
It is… bigger than you.
You mean, the house is literally bigger than me?
Because that seems obvious. I'm inside the house.
[cracks knuckles, sighs angrily]
[Park] Ms. Haney.
Is this Mr. Wynter's handwriting?
Uh…
Yes.
And does this all pretty much look like you remember it?
- [Wynter] Is it going to work? - Yes.
I might update the TV.
They have color now, I hear.
You make it yours. Just don't touch the books.
I'm joking.
Your job… your office.
I wouldn't trust you with them anyway.
[Park] Something wrong up there?
No, no. This all looks pretty much like the last time I saw it.
Nothing obvious missing?
Do you wanna get a forensics team in here?
[dramatic music playing]
Yes.
I need to talk to everyone who had access to the third floor.
That is not going to be popular.
And everyone who had contact with A.B. Wynter this evening.
Or that.
He was the Chief Usher. Everyone had contact with him.
Well, it's gonna be a long night.
I once stayed up for 43 hours looking for a Buff-collared Nightjar.
- [Glick] Impossible. - There is no way.
There are hundreds of people. The show is almost over.
The show is almost over?
You shouldn't be part of this discussion. He shouldn't be part of this discussion.
- [Dokes] We need to tread carefully here. - Why?
Why? This is the White House.
- Everybody keeps reminding me of that. - Cordelia.
- I know what I'm doing. - I know you know what you're doing.
I just don't know if you know who you're doing it with.
This administration has been in free fall for six months.
I don't even follow this shit, but I know they can't walk straight.
Now a dead guy shows up at their first State Dinner.
When's the last time a dead guy showed up at the White House?
1952.
- For real? - Yes.
- You know that? - [Cupp] Yes.
Wasn't a guy. Margaret Wallace. Bess Truman's mother. Died in bed.
On this floor, actually. She never liked Harry.
Look, c… can you grab that list in my bag?
[Dokes sighs]
There have been nine other deaths in the White House. None suspicious.
Unless you consider President Zachary Taylor dying
after eating a very, very large bowl of cherries suspicious,
which some people do, including me.
Yes!
Put a little check… next to Song Sparrow.
The Morgans are considered aloof, and they don't know Washington.
The people here don't like them
and when this gets out, it's gonna be another scandal
in the first year of an underperforming administration.
Song Sparrow?
You put the check next to Fox Sparrow.
Don't you think I'd be more excited if it was a Fox Sparrow?
Yes, of course. Anybody would.
Plus, US-Australian relations are weirdly toxic right now
and so tonight is important. I get it.
Any dead body is bad. Murder is worse.
You're into this one.
I'm into that list.
It's not just about the birds.
It's always just about the birds.
Don't worry, Chief. I'll tread carefully.
Okay, so look.
I know you're worried about the optics of closing down the White House right now.
I've tried to care about this, but I really don't,
so you all help me talk to the people I need to talk to,
or I'll go downstairs, stand at the exit, thank every guest for coming,
then ask them if they know about the dead man upstairs.
What are you proposing to do?
Okay. I got it. I got it.
First, we get Kylie Minogue to keep playing. Another set.
Okay. Yes. Yes.
Fine, I'll do it.
I'll do it.
Willing to give it a shot. I can head down now.
Then… we line up people for Detective Cupp to talk to.
We approach them one by one. Pull them out of the room.
We don't reveal anything to the group about what has happened.
Detective Cupp will do that when she takes their statements.
Focus on the guests to start. We'll hold the staff for later.
We'll move them through as quickly as possible. Agreed?
- Agreed. - [Glick] Agreed.
Yeah, that plan isn't gonna work.
Why not?
- [frantic jazz playing] - [guest 1] Murder?
- [guest 2] Someone got killed? - [guest 3] I heard they were poisoned.
- [guest 4] Murder? - [guest 5] There's a dead body?
- This is a disaster. - Yes.
- A potentially major diplomatic incident. - Yes.
There's only one person who could put a stop to this.
Hugh Jackman?
You want me to tell them they can't leave?
Yes, Mr. President.
- Everyone? - Yes.
- The Prime Minister of Australia? - Yes.
You think Prime Minister Roos killed A.B. Wynter?
Seems unlikely, but finding a dead body on the third floor
during a State Dinner seems unlikely too.
Why don't we let everyone go,
and then you can call back in the people that you need to talk to?
If we let them all go, then I won't know who I need to call back.
Respectfully, Mr. President, this house needs to be treated like a crime scene,
and we take statements at a crime scene.
The best possible advantage we have is to find out what people saw and heard
when those things are freshest in their mind.
We have no idea who might have been involved in this.
It could be someone from the staff, a guest, anybody.
This is for your security as much as anything else.
There may be a murderer out there.
Or in here.
No.
[Morgan] Yeah, no. I can't do it.
I can't keep people here.
And, well, Harry says that there is strong evidence that this was a suicide.
That's what we're gonna go with for now unless something turns up later
to suggest otherwise. But that won't be tonight, so…
No.
- No. No, excuse me. - [Filkins] Senator--
- I've sat here long enough. - You are out of order.
Well, I reclaim my time.
- You don't have any time. - A.B. Wynter was killed.
- It was a suicide. - He was killed.
He was murdered.
And the Morgan administration shut down the investigation
because they didn't want anything to come out.
We are not getting into this.
Why not? Why not? What are we doing here?
- We are getting the facts out. - Uh-huh.
We are not indulging your politically motivated conspiracy theories.
- The facts-- - Oh, the facts? Really, Senator?
You want facts?
- I do. - Fact.
Detective Cupp was investigating the death of A.B. Wynter,
and President Morgan shut it down right then and there.
- [Filkins] He didn't. - Senator.
- No, he didn't. - You just heard.
- [Dokes] Senators! - He did not shut it down.
- [Bix] You said facts. - [yells] Senators!
Excuse me.
If I could finish.
The investigation was not shut down right then and there.
Not even close.
After telling Detective Cupp he wouldn't allow her to interview anyone,
President Morgan said he wanted to make a little speech in the East Room
to smooth things over and then let everyone go.
He started talking to Mr. Hollinger about what he was gonna say
when all of a sudden, Australian Prime Minister Roos,
Foreign Minister David Rylance,
and Ambassador Tamridge burst into the room.
They looked unhappy. Well, for Australians.
Mr. President.
Prime Minister Roos.
What the fuck is going on? Respectfully.
Yes. Thank you for that. Respect.
I was just on my way to find you. Uh, listen, I apologize.
Unfortunately, we had an incident here this evening.
- An incident? - I can't say more.
But one of our staff members passed away, which is very sad and unprecedented.
So we're just trying to work through things. But, uh, I am sorry.
And, of course, everyone is free to go.
And I'll go out and make that announcement now.
But I just wanted to say before I do that, that I truly hope you and I… [fades]
[intriguing music drowns out speech]
I'm sorry. What is… she doing?
What are you doing? [chuckles awkwardly]
[Morgan] Detective Cupp?
What am I doing?
I'm wondering why you're wearing A.B. Wynter's shirt.
- What? - [Cupp] A.B. Wynter.
Chief Usher. Dead man upstairs. He's wearing your shirt,
which is covered in blood, and you're wearing his, so…
I'm wondering why you're wearing a dead man's shirt.
[spectators murmuring]
Lock it down. Now.
[dramatic music playing]
[indistinct chattering]
[thunder crashing]
[music crescendos]
[solemn instrumental music playing]