1.05 The Paper Clock

Jarod impersonates an attorney to free a janitor imprisoned for a murder he did not commit.

When Jarod begins experiencing dreams about his mother, he telephones the Centre and asks to speak with Sydney. Sydney instructs Broots not to inform Miss Parker about the development, preferring instead to leave her out of the loop. When Sydney picks up the call, Jarod informs him that he discovered the wonders of Radio Shack and easily foils Broots’ telephone trace. As the conversation continues, Jarod demands to know the truth about his past. The pair strike up a deal: Sydney will turn over a piece of Jarod’s past in exchange for the return of the digital simulations, or DSAs, that Jarod stole from the Centre, which contain the only existing record of over 25 years worth of research.

After Jarod finishes the call, he heads for a courthouse, where he assumes the identity of Attorney Jarod Holmes, a junior associate at Sloane and Associates. He meets with Isaac Dexter, a transvestite who claims he was forced to defend himself when three men attempted to kill him. Unless he can stage a successful defense, he faces a long prison sentence. Later, Jarod meets with his new associates, Attorneys Benjamin Sloane and Bradley Dumont, who congratulate him on his victory in court. Later, Jarod questions Dumont about the Marcus Whitaker trial, a case that Sloane lost years earlier. Sloane appointed Dumont to head the appeal, something Jarod finds puzzling, as it could be handled by a first year law student. Jarod convinces Dumont to allow him to author the appeal. Sydney discusses the trade with Jarod with the Centre’s Director, who promises to discuss the proposal with the Tower. Isaac is extremely grateful to Jarod for winning his case. He offers his services as Jarod’s personal chauffeur. Jarod accepts his offer and heads for the state prison, where he uses binoculars to survey the inmates. He tells Isaac he is searching for a man named Marcus Whitaker. Jarod also tells Isaac that despite his incarceration, Marcus never did anything to anyone.

The Director informs Miss Parker that the Tower approved Sydney’s deal. Parker is incredulous, and promises to pursue the matter. According to the Director, Miss Parker’s father cast the deciding vote. Jarod views another of the DSAs. In it, a Young Jarod tells Young Sydney that in his dream, his mother is hanging clothes to dry in a yard. But he cannot see her face. Afterward, Jarod views a videotape of a news broadcast focusing on the Marcus Whitaker case. Whitaker, a janitor, was accused of murdering Audrey Price, whose body was discovered inside the West Los Angeles apartment where she lived. Whitaker has a most unusual benefactor in the case: real estate magnate, Michael Metzger, who owns the building where the murder occurred.

Later, Jarod shows up at a book signing, where he befriends author and lawyer Alan Edwards by telling him his name is John Coney, Jr. Edwards, it turns out, attended Dartmouth College with “John’s” father. Later, while conversing with Edwards, Jarod mentions the Whitaker case, which Edwards successfully prosecuted. Edwards claims that Sloane never came up with a successful defense. When Jarod mentions the existence of a shoe print that might have exonerated Whitaker, Edwards tells him it was somewhat stunning that Sloane, one of the best attorneys money can buy, overlooked such a crucial piece of evidence.

Jarod pays the slow-witted Whitaker a visit in jail. As they converse, Whitaker shows him a clock made out of paper, something a pen pal taught him how to construct. Later, Whitaker accounts for his whereabouts on the night of the murder. He describes how he brought Price some flowers, as he had done every day. But when he entered her apartment, he discovered her body on the floor. Next to the body was an owl made of stone (something the police never recovered). Whitaker also reveals that Metzger was Price’s boyfriend which is news to Jarod.

When Jarod returns to his lair, he researches phone records and discovers that Metzger contacted Sloane on his boat shortly after the murder. Jarod realizes that Sloane put Whitaker behind bars to keep the wealthy Metzger from going to jail. Later, Sydney keeps his end of the agreement by sending Jarod a photograph of his mother. Jarod promises to meet Sydney at a location they had agreed upon earlier. Jarod informs Sloane that the court has accepted a motion to review new evidence in the Whitaker trial. An outraged Sloane instructs his secretary, Annie, to find Dumont. Unbeknownst to him, Isaac has taken Dumont out for a very long ride. Later, Jarod pieces together audio recordings of Sloane’s voice, which he then uses to trick Annie into going to Sloane’s boat for purposes unknown.

When Sydney arrives in town, Miss Parker announces that the Centre double-crossed him, and she intends to make the rendezvous herself and take Jarod into custody. In court, Jarod calls Sloane to the witness stand. He has Sloane verify that he went to great lengths to establish that Metzger was a guest on his boat at the time of the murder. Jarod then presents a record of Metzger’s phone call to the boat, an incriminating print from a deck shoe, and even the stone owl, stained with Price’s blood, which was retrieved from Sloane’s boat. Ever since the murder, Sloane has used his knowledge of what really happened to blackmail Metzger. Upon hearing the new evidence, Judge Patrick orders that Sloane be taken into custody and charged as an accessory to murder. The judge also issues a bench warrant for Metzger’s arrest. Whitaker is then set free. Later, when Miss Parker arrives at the court house, Jarod slips away without giving up the DSAs. Later, Jarod rides a bull at a rodeo arena.