Previously on
Love, what did you do?
We bury her in the woods.
Love, this is my son, Theo.
-I didn't know you had a son. -Stepson from my first marriage.
I got the twins wearing those Vital Rings.
-Does this have GPS? -We all wear them.
If Matthew has access to Natalie's ring,
he'll be able to see exactly where she is.
I put the ring on the sink so it looked like she washed her hands.
So... they know.
We've got this. Together.
Things are always better in the morning.
At least that's what Scout tells us.
And who am I to argue with Harper Lee?
Then again, Scout didn't help
to cover up the murder of the next-door neighbor's wife.
Here, in Madre Linda, safest neighborhood in the Golden State,
every passing morning brings more attention.
A woman has disappeared.
It's domestic noir come to life, and people are here for it.
Keep it going.
Hold, hold, hold.
Squeeze glutes.
Starting.
It's been three days since the sleepy town of Madre Linda was rocked
by the disappearance of Natalie Engler.
The 32-year-old realtor was last seen leaving her home for work.
Her vehicle was found outside a cabin near Redwoods State Park.
-Ready, sweetie? -Yeah.
All right, here we go.
Her husband, tech entrepreneur Matthew Engler,
who made his fortune in cutting-edge surveillance,
has not made a public statement.
God, I hope she just ran off somewhere.
For now, friends are hopeful
that the police will find her with the help of this community.
Reporting live from Madre Linda, Ryan Goodwin, Channel 3 News.
We got it.
Every day it's the same fucking story.
We need him to give a statement.
And our son is mercifully once again sleeping.
-Can I make you some eggs? -There's more vans than yesterday.
I wish they'd move on already.
You are worried.
I'm sure they will. Soon.
Your previous mistakes were cleaned up by the family fixer.
No media or police to deal with when they've been paid off.
When do you think everything will die down?
A week, maybe two.
How can you be so calm?
Experience. Try killing a celebrity comedian without a fixer.
Joe.
I'm scared.
Dr. Chandra said that we should give words to our emotions.
Well, I'm...
scared.
I'm not gonna let anything bad happen.
We have done everything right.
But the ring? That was a close call, but we fixed it.
We talked to the cops.
They didn't raise an eyebrow.
This won't take long.
Is there anything you can tell us about Natalie Engler
or her relationship with her husband?
We just moved here a few months ago with a newborn,
so we haven't had much time for socializing.
Yeah. She did help me lease my bakery, but other than that,
I don't really know them.
-I wish we could tell you more. -Can I refill your coffee?
Of course they're not gonna act like they're suspicious.
True. But we haven't given them a reason to be suspicious. What?
A few questions, sir.
Matthew, Channel 6. A quick statement, please.
Hey, hey.
Look.
Have the police said anything?
Get off my property or I'll have you removed.
-Matthew, statement. -Can you say something?
He's innocent, but he's acting guilty. That's strange but... good.
Good for us. If he goes down for this, we're free.
You're doing your Lady Macbeth thing again.
Like when you wanted to frame Ellie for killing Hendy.
You feel trapped and it's clouding your judgment.
It's probably best if no one goes down for this, right?
Like, if nobody finds the body, people will eventually assume she ran off.
Yeah. You're right.
What are we supposed to do in the meantime?
This.
Just normal life. We keep watching the news, just in case.
We go to work.
We take care of Henry.
I'll keep us safe, I promise.
So...
just be normal.
Exactly.
Something terrible happened to Natalie Engler.
We had nothing to do with it.
We are just the nice, normal neighbors next door.
Crying for the camera isn't for everyone, fine.
But he's just working.
I know why I'm acting normal, but why is he?
Fuck. The last thing I need is to inspire him to start watching me.
-Look! Grandma's here! -Thank you, Mustafa. Ciao.
Why were you talking to our trust lawyer?
Dreadful divorce nonsense. Don't get me started.
Is that woman still missing? I had to park two streets over.
-Come here, my darling, my darling.
Glamma missed you. Glamma missed you. Glamma missed you.
I'm sure the husband did it. You have to watch out for husbands.
Ray would love to have me killed.
You know, that's if I don't have him killed first.
-I assume there's coffee.
Let me get some coffee. Yeah. Yeah.
-Do you think he's warm? -I think he's just tired.
Maybe I should stay.
You're projecting your anxiety on your son.
Go run your bakery.
Forty and I are gonna have a beautiful day.
Hey, guys. What can I get you?
Thanks for asking. But we're here as concerned citizens.
We started the committee to find Natalie Engler.
Did she ever say anything to you about wanting to run away?
Or being scared of creepy Matthew?
Um, uh...
No.
Don't you think this is premature?
-We don't know if anything bad-- -Matter of time.
Oh, my God, have you seen the Tracy Paulson murder docuseries?
I have. Spoiler alert, it's the husband.
-Always the husband. -Always.
I heard Matthew wasn't even the first to call the police.
-Her sister did. -Love.
Have you ever heard Natalie and Matthew fighting?
Joe and I barely know them.
She showed me this place shortly before, you know--
This must be so difficult for you.
Thank you.
Honestly, the only thing I can do to feel normal is come here.
And...
these keto vanilla bean scones.
Sure you don't want one?
-Why not? Oh. -I would love a couple.
Brandon is coming off of an IF, so this will be a nice treat for him.
End of each day, check tables and study carrels for re-shelves.
That's where they go until the last...
Somehow, I chose the perfect place to be normal in.
An oasis of unpretentious regular people.
I love it here.
Hello?
My grown-up hall monitor of a boss notwithstanding.
Sorry about that.
I have to say, I'm still very unclear as to why you decided to volunteer here.
Unless you're one of those parents
trying to pad a nonexistent community-service résumé
to get his kid into one of the top schools.
Is she psychic?
Mm-hm.
Hey, Dante. This is Joe.
Dante Ferguson. Former Navy.
One hundred percent blind. Longtime friend of my new stern boss.
Dante will be your go-to for any questions. He knows all.
All-knowing Dante's listening to the news. It's about Natalie Engler.
Oh, no.
Madre Linda has her own Missing White Woman.
Missing White Woman Syndrome is America's favorite pastime next to porn.
-Missing White Woman...? -Syndrome.
When upper-class, attractive white ladies go missing,
they get tons of media coverage.
-Doesn't happen for other victims. -Yeah.
Well, the media has a thirst for anything salacious, right?
Why do I feel like I'm failing a test?
We're speaking of a specific phenomenon.
When white women receive disproportionately high attention,
a clear message is being sent.
White ladies deserve to be rescued. The rest of us can fend for ourselves.
Agreed. Obviously.
I'm not sure why you're saying "obviously"
when you didn't even know about the phenomenon.
Mm. She got you there, beanpole.
-How does he know I--? -Tender is the Night.
You knew her.
-We're neighbors. -Shush.
They're about to interview her friend.
-Mind if I have a bathroom break? -Bathroom's that way.
-Thank you. -Mm-hm.
-Dante, kill me now. -Is he cute?
Are you kidding me?
We set up a tip line,
and you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter,
Insta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Tumblr.
For those of you that are still using that.
Finding Natalie seems incredibly important to you.
Oh, my God, it's my number one priority. Natalie was my dearest and closest friend.
She hated her.
We all loved her.
I'm not really sure why her husband hasn't told you this,
but I think the public would like to hear from him.
And she just slipped in a Matthew dig on live television.
Bitchy, but not the worst thing for us.
Why do you think Natalie's disappearance
has struck such a chord in this community?
Natalie is a woman who cares deeply for this town and everyone in it.
In fact, one of the last things she did
was lease a space for a bakery for her next-door neighbor.
She lives right over there.
Did Sherry Conrad just tell the entire world
that one of the last people who saw the Missing White Woman was my wife?
I have to reassure you. Everything is fine. Still fine.
-Who the hell is this?
Hello?
Hi. Yeah, absolutely. What can I do for you, detective?
Fuck me.
When we spoke to you and your wife,
you said you barely knew Natalie.
Yeah. Yeah, that's true.
Then why is there security footage
of you two chatting in a grocery store parking lot
two days before she vanished?
Sweating? I need to get it together.
Coincidence. I like to say hi when I run into a neighbor.
How do you explain...
this exchange?
Does every inch of Madre Linda have a camera?
Do you typically receive prophylactics from your neighbors
when you just stop to say hi?
They don't suspect me. They are just doing their job.
I need to stop sweating.
-You can deal with that if you need to. -So they can observe my behavior.
No, it's fine. It's okay.
Condoms...
The thing is, Natalie has a weird sense of humor,
and she gave these to me as a joke.
I still don't know what she meant.
What do they want? A confession?
Wait. That's not a terrible idea.
I wasn't going to say this. But I think I need to come clean.
I live with a newborn...
and a very stressed wife.
There's nowhere...
for a man to enjoy himself, if you understand what I'm saying.
Add in a mother-in-law who stops by unannounced frequently--
We strongly advise you
to not do that anymore.
I will try to contain myself.
Masturbation saves the day for now.
-We're at A Fresh Tart and look at this.
We got Madre Linda's newest baking queen, Love Quinn.
-Are you--? -I'm making an ironic TikTok.
Delete it!
Okay.
-Sorry. -Thank you.
-Yep. It's deleted. -I'm just having a bad hair day.
Looks pretty good to me.
Stop that.
Stop what?
Flirting.
Yeah, okay. Yes. Yes.
-Yes, you are right. You are married. -Thank you.
Now, what can I get you?
Okay, so my house is swarming with reporters.
So I had to jump my fence just to go get some lunch,
which is also the story of why I forgot my wallet.
Ah.
And now I am gonna die starving and destitute.
Unless...
you were to...
My issue is that you're still flirting and I asked you not to.
I'm not flirting with you. I'm begging you for food.
Okay. Jesus fucking Christ.
Thank you, my lady and savior.
Okay.
-Carrot or chai walnut? -Carrot, please.
Fuck, did I just fail a secret personality test or something?
Oh, no, I, um...
That was my first recipe.
And I used to make it all the time for my brother when he would...
When he came around.
Well, let's see.
Are you fucking kidding me?
What the fuck?
Must be hard with Natalie missing.
You know, I love a media zoo.
How are you holding up? Do you have people you can talk to?
-I wasn't trying to pry. I'm, um--
Mom? I'm sorry. I can't--
Wait, slow down.
Oh, my God. Um...
Okay. Yes. I'm on my way. Mm-hm.
-Is everything okay? What's going on? -My baby is sick.
-Oh. -I need to go.
I need to close the bakery and turn off the ovens.
No, I know. You know what? I got it. I got it. I can do it.
I know how ovens work. It'll be fine. Go be with your baby. Go.
-Be with your baby. -Yeah.
-There's a spare key in the drawer. -Okay, in the drawer.
Yeah.
What if the detectives weren't just fishing?
What if they know more than they were saying?
But no one knew about Natalie and me except Love, at least, I think.
Unless--
There.
Matthew. What if there were more cameras?
What if she lied to me, her boring neighbor?
What if Matthew's building a case against me?
-Shit.
I never called you back. I must be calm.
You're a steady, stalwart Atticus Finch.
-I'm sorry, they had more questions. -I'm at the hospital.
Henry has the measles.
I've been kidnapped, held at knifepoint, held at gunpoint,
lost a finger, been locked in a cage,
but in my history of scared,
this...
is the most scared I've ever been.
That nurse has been gone an awfully long time.
It's a quick test. He'll be right back.
I looked at his blood work and he was infected about a week ago.
How? I thought the measles were eradicated.
Even with COVID,
there are parents who don't have their kids vaccinated.
You need to contact anyone who's been near Henry right away.
You've all had your immunizations?
-Yes. -Yeah.
I'm sure I did.
Oh, really, Ms. Peace, Love and Yoni Eggs?
-Are you sure you had Love vaccinated? -What does--? Yes, don't be ridiculous.
What are the symptoms?
-Fever? -Cough, runny nose, general discomfort.
Now, in severe cases, hearing loss, possible seizures.
Correction. This is the most scared I've ever been.
Is there medicine?
For the fever. Otherwise, it has to run its course.
We'll keep him a few more hours for observation.
Okay.
Thank you.
Hi, Margaret, it's Love.
Sorry to be delivering this news, but Henry has the measles.
I'm calling from the hospital.
Thought I should let you know
since we were all at Hudson's birthday party last week.
-Oh, my God. -I'm so sorry.
Oh, my God.
-Um--
-I'm getting a call. Do you mind? -I have to go.
-Hi, Sherry. I was about to call. -I just heard.
Poor little guy!
But you do not need to feel embarrassed.
Embarrassed?
Why don't I handle the calls so you can focus on Henry?
Um, that's very kind, but it's important that I do it myself.
Love? Love?
Ooh.
Did you hear about Love's baby?
-What happened? -What happened?
My heart is breaking for them.
Yes, I have to run, Mustafa. Can we finish this afternoon?
Good. Ciao.
How were those calls? I hope your friends weren't too upset.
Why were you on the phone?
If something's wrong, you need to tell me.
I'm buying a vineyard.
-You're doing what? -Buying a vineyard, Love.
So the money that was in flux is no longer there.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Your bakery will be fine.
You'll figure it out.
You're amazing.
-Now don't get upset. -I'm not upset. This is enlightening.
I keep asking myself, wondering:
"Why do I keep trying to win Sherry's approval
when she keeps stabbing me in the back like a fucking stealth cunt?"
It's obvious. I'm recreating my relationship with you.
You're under a lot of stress. I know you don't mean--
God. I want you to leave.
I came here for a fresh start, and you followed me here
and brought all your toxic garbage with you.
You have so much anger.
It's not healthy.
Is this retribution for my sins?
You have to get better.
I haven't always been the best person.
But being your dad...
is changing me.
You get better.
Just get better. I promise to be a man worthy of raising you.
Ryan Goodwin with the latest in the Natalie Engler investigation.
Friends close to Natalie Engler say she went missing
shortly after submitting the lease for this bakery,
owned by local resident Love Quinn-Goldberg.
Could this be the last place Natalie was seen?
Joe?
As if things weren't fucked enough.
So cops are asking you questions, and my name and business are on the news.
Acting normal isn't working. We need to do something.
You're right. You're right. Matthew's a threat.
But everybody already thinks that he did something to her.
You're saying--?
Frame him. Trying to think of a word not from a movie.
It's fine. I'm in.
How?
I do still have one thing from the box.
Natalie's scarf with her blood on it. I only kept it for insurance.
Take care of it.
Whoa. Oof.
Okay.
What? How? No. But it can't be.
I thought I was sweating because I'm guilty.
The measles, for fuck's sake! What else can go wrong?
That-- That came on fast.
I've gotta get to Matthew's house to plant the scarf.
Uh. I'm burning up. Room is spinning. Everything--
I've got to do this. All over a scarf.
Focus, focus.
I should lie down.
You sure about that?
This can't be good.
Weren't you in the middle of something?
Like saving your family?
Yes.
Yes, my family.
I have to plant Natalie's scarf at Matthew's.
You could hop the fence in the backyard.
No. No, he has cameras.
The one outside is broken. If you're worried, pop a hoodie on.
You'll look just like Matthew's douchebag kid.
Sealed and everything.
It's almost like you anticipated needing it all along.
-Shut up. -You shut up.
Where are you going?
Where you should be going. Boo Radley's house.
Okay.
One foot in front of the other.
Where is he?
Where's Henry?
Did you get vaccinated, Joe?
He's not moving! Somebody get a doctor! Somebody help me!
Joe?
Are you not feeling well?
I'm Nurse Fiona. I'm going to check you out.
Come in. Sit down.
Open up.
So you think you have a fever, huh?
-If the boys are being mean to you-- -I can take care of myself.
I know.
You can stay here as long as you like.
You're gonna be fine.
You know, I noticed that we don't have any record of your vaccinations.
-Did your mom ever take you to get a shot? -Yeah, of course.
I think maybe in the move, we lost a record or something, but...
she did it.
She was good.
No. No, you shouldn't have said that.
If you hadn't lied, you wouldn't be sick.
Tell the nurse. She was a terrible mother.
-Stop it. -She was selfish and crazy.
-Stop. -Didn't take care of you.
Go away. Go away!
-Where are you going? -It's too late now!
Hey! Look at me! Hey! Look at me! Look at me!
Calm down.
I think this is real.
What were you doing in my backyard?
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck!
Love.
-Hey. -Hi.
Um, here. I thought I would bring you dinner.
It's tacos.
Very thoughtful of you.
So how is your son doing?
-He's okay. -Yeah? That's good.
He's, uh...
He's not okay.
Some fucking brain-dead anti-vaxxer got him sick,
and it's probably getting other people infected
with some horrible life-threatening virus that shouldn't even be a thing anymore.
Hey, hey, hey.
It's okay.
-I'm sorry. -Hey. Mm-mm.
You don't have to apologize.
Oh. I locked up the store.
It was a really nice distraction from being at home.
Until the news crew arrived.
Mm.
Uh, when are you going back to school?
Uh, I don't know. I feel like...
we should probably wait until we know about Natalie.
So if you need some cheap-to-free labor at the bakery,
I'm your guy.
Yeah, come in whenever you want.
I could use the help.
Okay.
That would be great. Yeah.
Especially if it gets me away from my dad. Even better.
He's really that hard to live with?
Yeah.
He's just never really been a communicator,
but, you know, his wife's missing.
So if there was a time
to start expressing some form of emotion, it's now.
But he's not. He's, like, totally closed off.
I don't know. I just feel like it's gonna make him,
like, even that more unreachable.
You okay?
-Ms. Quinn-Goldberg? -Yes.
-A moment? -Yes. Thank you.
-Thank you. -Yeah, of course.
How did I end up here?
Oh, I was coming here to hide the scarf. Did he catch me trying to hide it?
I'm sick.
I was having a fever dream.
I must have hopped your fence.
I've got the measles.
-So you really-- -I've been immunized.
Surprised you weren't.
It's like he's waiting for me to give myself away.
What would a normal neighbor say right now?
Yeah, me too. I should've known.
I have a few gaps in my childhood.
I'm sorry about your wife.
I considered coming over, but I didn't wanna bother you.
There's that look again.
Does he know I kissed Natalie?
Is he the reason the police are up my ass?
-Natalie said you were becoming friends. -Shit.
-You had a glass of wine. -Game over.
Did she say anything to you about going to visit her sister?
Or he doesn't know anything.
He's just hoping I can help him find his missing wife.
I'm sorry.
She didn't mention it.
-You should rest.
I gave you some Tylenol to help bring down the fever.
Is it possible Matthew's a nice guy?
Thank you.
Sure.
-There's no updates on my son. -What's wrong with your son?
He's sick too.
He's in the hospital.
What if he doesn't get better?
What if they get punished for our sins?
I think...
it's not punishment, it's...
They reflect our sins back at us so clearly, it's blinding.
I never saw myself becoming a father.
Then I met Theo's mom. People become dads all kinds of ways.
I was even kind of excited about it, and Theo was a great kid.
But I was young and extremely ambitious.
I was a shitty stepdad and he hated me for it.
But now his mom's remarried, new family, and Theo hates her even more.
He's come back here almost by default.
Most of the time, I still have no idea what I'm doing.
All I know is that he needs me.
He needs me on some primal level, just like your son needs you.
Are you sure Natalie didn't say anything to you about taking a trip?
I'm sure she's fine.
She's done this for attention, and she's too embarrassed to come home.
You don't think anything's happened to her, do you?
What have we done, Love?
I wanna help, but safest thing
is to let him stay silent and hang himself in the court of public opinion.
He's okay.
-He's gonna be okay. -That's good.
Henry's okay.
And I promised him I'd be a good man, worthy.
I cannot frame an innocent man. I can't do it.
I'd be killing a mockingbird.
I know that you love Natalie, but you're not talking to the press.
-I don't care about the press. -You should.
If you don't tell your story, they will tell it for you.
You can't be there for Theo if you're behind bars.
Hey.
Oh, hey.
Oh, no, no. I didn't realize you were sick too.
-You poor thing. -It's okay. It's okay. I'm recovering.
-How is he? -He misses his daddy.
Don't ever scare us like that again, Mr. Dramatic.
I love you too much.
Did you do it?
What you're really asking is what kind of father I am.
Wish you could go through the front.
-Reporters, I get it. -Yeah.
-You sure I can't help you home? -I'm okay. I'm okay.
My wife and kid are coming back.
-You've done more than enough. -Okay. Get home safe.
Don't wanna find you passed out by the trash again.
Mm.
I did it.
But then...
I took it back.
Matthew's a decent man.
He already lost his wife. If we send him to prison--
What kind of people would we be?
Wow.
You get it.
We're better than that.
We are.
What does it mean to be a good father?
To protect, yes.
But can you be a good father
if you're a bad man?
It's not the kind of father I wanna be and the kind of mother you wanna be.
Thank God.
Our little Scout will be better for it.
The vigil was beautiful.
The whole town came.
Is he gonna come out? I don't get it.
Is this some kind of strategy?
Sherry and Kiki held out the longest,
but that's so they could grab the best flowers for a photo shoot.
A Natalie tribute, of course.
Tasteful as the day is long.
Let's go. Come on.
I don't think Matthew wanted to look even guiltier,
but not showing up to your wife's vigil...
-Matthew. -Matthew, sir.
He's out. Come on. Let's go. Camera up.
...ask you a couple quick questions, Matthew?
It would mean a lot to Natalie to see how many people came out here.
How many people care.
It wasn't a strategy.
He waited so long because he almost couldn't do it.
It's that hard for him to talk about her.
Because he cares.
I am worried about my wife. Natalie, if you're watching this,
please come home.
Or let me know you're okay.
The truth is, Matthew doesn't have to go down for this.
We need you.
I need you.
And if somebody out there has done something to my wife...
I will find you...
and you will be punished.
Thank you.
Has your wife ever left you before?
Have you notified her family?
Matthew, anything to...
That's it?
Contrary to popular belief, it's not always the husband.
But we're not going down for this either.
They've got nothing. Even if they find something,
we'll take care of it.
We always do.
Falco.
We found the ring.
Okay.
It's been said, "Nothing ever happens in the suburbs."
-Hey. -Hey.
It's an inadequate gesture for making sure I didn't die last week.
Unnecessary. Thank you. I'm glad you're better.
If you'll excuse me, I'm expecting a call.
Maybe it's more like, "Nothing ever really changes."
-Hey. -You're not closed yet, are you?
No, Gil, hey. You're just in time. What can I get you?
-How about half a dozen blueberry? -Coming right up.
Hey, I haven't seen Margaret.
-Wanna tell her I said hi? -Yeah, yeah, that's actually why I'm here.
Margaret would have come too,
but she took the girls to her mom's while they're recovering.
Oh. Were they sick?
Not anymore.
But they both had it.
Can't tell you how sorry we are for exposing Henry.
Both your daughters had measles?
Margaret really regrets not saying anything when you called.
She was just stunned to hear that Henry had to be hospitalized.
Our girls were pretty minor.
We hope you won't hold it against us.
You see, we just don't believe in subjecting kids
to toxic injections they don't need
to fight things their bodies were created to fight.
We don't judge people who do, of course.
Anyway, I-- Jeez. I didn't come here to get on a soapbox.
Again, we apologize.
The most important thing is that everyone is better now, right?
Thanks.
-Hey, Gil? -Yep?