Original air date: February 20, 1999

Written by: Harry Dunn

Directed by: Fred K. Keller

While Miss Parker tries to figure out why her father is marrying Brigitte, Jarod helps a young woman who believes a local racist killed the man who raised her.

Jarod’s Discoveries: Pool

Jarod’s Occupations: Pool Hustler

Jarod’s Aliases: Jarod Pepper

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Jarod becomes an expert pool player to win access to a racist who is suspected of murdering an African-American man.

Jarod strikes up a conversation with Earl Dupree, the African-American owner of a jazz club in Memphis, Tennessee.  As the pair converse, the sound of cheers erupts from the pool area, where a man named Eddie Fontenot is beating an opponent.  Eddie collects his winnings and exits the bar.  Outside the club, he is confronted by Billie Vaughn, a hot-tempered 18-year-old girl armed with a gun.  Jarod takes the gun from her hand.  Afterward, Earl tells Jarod that Billie was raised by his brother, Marvin.  One day, Eddie challenged Marvin to a game of pool.  Marvin was looking for a “big score,” as he was anxious to send Billie away to drama school.  He accepted Eddie’s challenge, went to his house, and beat him game after game, collecting some $50,000 in winnings.  But later that night, Marvin was killed.  Eddie, a well-known racist with many important connections, made sure that the police investigation was brief.

Meanwhile, back at the Centre, Miss Parker and her father discuss Brigitte.  Miss Parker wonders if he intends to begin a “second family of Parkers.”  Her father assures that Brigitte cannot have children.  He invites his daughter to a family get-together the following evening, and encourages her to bring Thomas along.  Later, Miss Parker instructs Sam the Sweeper to break into Brigitte’s house and steal her medical records.  She gives the files to Broots and instructs that he read through them.

Jarod takes a room above Earl’s nightclub.  He strikes up a conversation with Billie, who recounts how her real father died in a car accident when she was a child.  A few years later, her mother became ill and also died.  Marvin was her parents’ closest family friend, and since there were no other living relatives, he adopted her.  Marvin was very proud of the way Billie could sing.  He dreamed that, some day, she could become a singer just like her mother.  Jarod tells Billie that he would like to help her.  He believes that if he can hustle his way into Eddie’s world, he can find evidence linking him to Marvin’s murder.  But first, he must learn how to play pool.  A short time later, Billie gives him a tutorial.

Jarod uses his laptop to access the Memphis City Hall archives.  His research turns up evidence that Marvin was, in actuality, Billie’s father.  Jarod asks Earl why he never told Billie the truth.  Earl explains that Billie’s mother, Janice, was a white woman.  She had been engaged to a local man, but when she met Marvin, the two fell in love.  A year later, Billie was born.  Janice’s family disapproved of the interracial marriage.  When Janice grew ill, she made Marvin promise never to tell Billie that he was her father, as the world would be less cruel if everyone thought Marvin was her friend.  Marvin composed a letter explaining everything.  He gave the letter to Earl and asked that he give it to Billie when he died.  But Earl has never found the right moment to tell Billie the truth.  Later, Eddie challenges Jarod to a game of pool.

During dinner, Mr. Parker announces that he and Brigitte are to be married on the upcoming weekend.  Miss Parker chokes on her dessert, wondering why the ceremony is so rushed.  Mr. Parker explains that he and Brigitte are in love, and doesn’t want to waste any time.  Moments later, Broots informs Miss Parker that a Dr. Noah Lindquist diagnosed Brigitte as infertile.  But he cannot find any record of Lindquist’s existence.  Miss Parker believes that Brigitte will have a child, thereby insuring a relationship with her father, and his power base at the Centre, should the marriage dissolve.

Jarod beats Eddie at the pool game.  Shortly thereafter, Eddie proposes a rematch, to be held at his house.  Jarod again accepts the challenge.  Eddie arranges to have his driver pick up Jarod.  But on the night of the match, two thugs jump Jarod outside the nightclub.  When Jarod regains consciousness, he finds himself in Eddie’s house.  Eddie claims that the neighborhood around the nightclub is dangerous.  Luckily, his driver drove up and saved Jarod in the nick of time.  Jarod realizes it was Eddie’s thugs who attacked him.  Hampered by his injuries, Jarod loses the pool game.  He sets up a rematch for the following day.  Later, Jarod sneaks back onto Eddie’s estate.  He finds covered-over bullet holes in the walls.  He also tears a photograph from one of Eddie’s photo albums.  Jarod confronts Earl with the photograph.  The two converse, unaware that Billie is nearby.  Billie reacts when she realizes that Marvin was her father.  She runs off.

As a Justice of the Peace marries Mr. Parker and Brigitte, Miss Parker considers objecting to their union.  But she decides to say nothing, and the two are wed.

The big match between Eddie and Jarod gets underway.  During the game, Jarod broaches the subject of Marvin’s death.  He now believes that Marvin wasn’t killed over money.  He was murdered because of the color of his skin.  Jarod then produces the photo he tore from the album.  It is an engagement announcement shot of Eddie and Janice (Billie’s mother).  Jarod accuses Eddie of murdering Marvin because he lost his honor in front of his friends when he lost the pool game.  Suddenly, Billie steps forward, gun in hand.  She fires a shot into the ceiling.  Billie demands a confession from Eddie, then fires more rounds.  Terrified, Eddie admits that he killed Marvin.  But moments later, he adds that he would do it again if he could.  Billie hammers back the pistol, ready to shoot.  Jarod steps in front of the gun and convinces her not to give in to the hate.  Later, Eddie is charged with murder.

Later, Billie steps onto the stage of Earl’s nightclub and sings Someone To Watch Over Me.