FADE IN:
[EXT. VARIOUS LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) -- NIGHT]
[INT. LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO FLOOR -- NIGHT]
(Card tables. Slot machines. Coins jingling as they come out of the machines. A white ball on a roulette wheel. Another card flipped over - an Ace of Diamonds to go with the King of Clubs --- twenty-one. A new stack of chips is placed on the table.) Card tables. Chips in a holder. The casino is buzzing.)
(Camera rises up above the casino room. Officer Boatwright patrols the room.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (from radio) Does anybody have eyes on our mystery guy?
(He walks and looks around the casino.)
OFFICER BOATWRIGHT: (to radio) Unit one, negative. I'm on the main casino floor. I'm heading over to BJ pit three.
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (from radio) Copy that, unit one.
(He continues walking through the casino and looking for someone.)
(CAMERA rises and focuses on the ceiling camera.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Security personnel monitor the security cameras.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - MAIN CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Officer Boatwright makes his way to the blackjack table. He hears an argument in progress.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Get out of my way.
VOICE 2: Make me get out of the way.
WILLIE CUTLER: Just get out of my way.
VOICE 2: What does this have to do -- ?
(Officer Boatwright sees two men pushing and shoving each other in the middle of the casino pit. Officer Boatwright runs over to break up the two men.)
OFFICER BOATWRIGHT: Break it up! Break it up!
VOICE: You're the guy -- !
(Suddenly, one of the men grabs Officer Boatwright's gun and fires, shooting him in the stomach. Officer Boatwright goes down.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(In the surveillance room, the Director of Surveillance sees the shots on the monitors. He talks into a microphone, relaying directions to casino security.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Shots fired. Main floor. BJ pit three. Dispatch, shooter is on the run.
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - MAIN CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Officer Boatwright's on the floor, bleeding from the gunshot wound in his stomach.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (from radio) All available security to BJ pit three.
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Boatwright's down. Get an ambulance.
VOICE: (o.s.) Yes, sir.
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Zoom in. Find the shooter. Find the shooter.
(In the surveillance room, surveillance uses the trackball to quickly shift cameras throughout the casino, looking for their shooter.)
VOICE: (o.s.) -- the eye in the sky.
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) I got him. Shooter's headed for the slot carousel.
(On the monitor, they see the shooter running across the casino floor.)
VOICE: (o.s.) All right. Left to right.
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) There he goes. He's headed for the guest elevators.
(They quickly shift cameras to keep an eye on the shooter.)
VOICE: (o.s.) Seven to eleven. Here we go.
(On the monitors, the shooter runs to the elevator just as the elevator doors open. He grabs the woman just stepping out and pulls her back into the elevator with him.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) He's got a hostage.
(The elevator doors shut quickly.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Give me the whole tower. Three across the board.
(The camera monitors quickly shift to the camera inside the elevators and stop
on ELEVATOR 2 on the shooter with the hostage.)
(One of the surveillance men grabs the phone and dials.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Get the police. We need SWAT. Now!
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - MAIN CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT]
(Police officers file through the casino floor.)
(The officer in charge briefs Brass.)
OFFICER: We got the suspect holed up on three. Floors above and below
evacuated.
BRASS: Where's the negotiator?
OFFICER: En route. At least an hour away.
BRASS: (sighs) Well, I'm here now.
(They enter the elevators.)
(The elevator doors close.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - THIRD FLOOR - NIGHT]
VOICE: (o.s.) All right, let's clear the floor.
(Officers escort a man and a woman off the floor.)
(Brass waits on the side as the officers clear the rooms nearby.)
OFFICER: Clear.
OFFICER2: (o.s.) Clear.
OFFICER: Clear.
OFFICER 2: (o.s.) Clear.
(The officer knocks on the room door.)
OFFICER: Las Vegas Police. Open the door.
(Brass steps forward.)
(The officer slides the room key through the lock and he opens the door.)
(A gunshot fires at the door.)
(Everyone pulls their guns out and pauses.)
BRASS: (dryly) Well, I guess this is the place.
WHITE FLASH TO:
[EXT. CUTLER RESIDENCE - FRONT - NIGHT]
LEGEND:
15 HOURS EARLIER
(Lower middle class neighborhood on a quiet street. Officer cars are parked
along the street, their lights flashing.)
BRASS: (v.o.) Just another domestic violence case. I wish I had a nickel --
[INT. CUTLER RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - LATER]
(Dr. Robbins, in booties, stands over Janice Cutler, dead on the living room
floor in a short robe with a nightgown underneath. Her head rests in a large
pool of blood-soaked carpet. Brass, Grissom and Warrick enter the room.)
BRASS: Janice Cutler. Shot in the mouth.
(David Phillips pulls her jaw down.)
BRASS: Single boy's the only smart one.
(Warrick snaps photos of the scene.)
ROBBINS: Judy and I deal with our marital problems a little differently --
counseling, separate vacations once a year.
(Warrick snaps a photo of the bullet casing on the carpet.)
ROBBINS: She's never pulled a gun on me yet.
(Warrick picks up the casing and looks at it.)
WARRICK: I got a shell casing. Nine millimeter.
DAVID PHILLIPS: That accounts for the high-velocity spatter.
(Grissom notes the blood-spattered wedding photo on the counter.)
GRISSOM: Where's the husband?
BRASS: Well, there was no car in the garage. We can broadcast out for him.
(Grissom looks around the room.)
GRISSOM: There's no other signs of disturbance in here. What about the rest of
the house?
BRASS: Nothing obvious.
GRISSOM: How many domestics have you seen where someone got shot in the face
and nothing else was disturbed?
WARRICK: What are you thinking?
GRISSOM: That you married people take things too personally.
(Warrick raises his camera and snaps a photo of Janice Cutler.)
SMASH CUT TO:
END OF TEASER
ROLL TITLE CREDITS
(COMMERCIAL SET)
FADE IN:
[INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY -- NIGHT]
(Robbins and Grissom stand around Janice Cutler's body on the autopsy table.)
ROBBINS: She's only been dead a few hours. Signs of sex prior to death. No
vaginal trauma to suggest it wasn't amicable.
GRISSOM: Assuming the husband had sex with her and then murdered her, he went
from amorous to murderous in near record time.
ROBBINS: Well, maybe you were right. It wasn't the husband. But no semen, so
I'd only be speculating.
GRISSOM: What about the bullet?
ROBBINS: Single gunshot wound. Based on powder burns and stipling, ...
(He opens her jaw.)
ROBBINS: ... muzzle was placed inside the mouth ...
(Camera zooms into the mouth and pauses on the tongue. Then angles upward to
the roof of the mouth. A gunshot is fired, then flash to a view of the woman's
head just behind her ear.)
ROBBINS: Bullet then fragmented in her head.
GRISSOM: Explains why Warrick couldn't find it at the scene.
ROBBINS: Yeah, shooter wanted to make sure he didn't miss.
GRISSOM: This was somebody who was emotionally close to her.
ROBBINS: Gil ... have you ever even been close to getting married?
GRISSOM: Once. When I was younger. Her name was Nicole Daley. I asked her to
marry me. We were classmates. She liked bugs, too. I gave her my
grandmother's ring, but my mother made me get it back.
(Robbins nods.)
GRISSOM: Second grade.
ROBBINS: Hmm.
CUT TO:
[INT. CUTLER RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM -- DAY]
(Sara is looking at the blood-spattered wedding photo on the counter.)
SARA: (to Warrick) Was it the happiest day of your life?
WARRICK: Me and Tina? Happened so fast. Time will tell. Why don't you take a
look at this phone here and tell me what you think.
(Warrick shows Sara the phone with blood on the #1.)
SARA: Blood on the keypad, away from the spatter.
WARRICK: A neighbor called it in. If someone was in the house, they'd have
dialed 9-1-1.
SARA: Dispatch never got a call. Maybe the husband started to dial ... changed
his mind and took off.
WARRICK: Maybe. I just wish it was a print and not a smudge.
(Sara looks around.)
SARA: Okay. Bedroom.
WARRICK: All right.
(Sara starts backing away and heading toward the bedroom. Warrick raises the
camera and snaps a photo of the phone keypad.)
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. CUTLER RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - DAY -- CONTINUOUS]
(Sara enters the bedroom and looks around.)
(She looks at the windows.)
(She snaps photos of the bedsheets. She peels away the covers and snaps more
photos.)
(She steps into the closet and looks around. She kneels down on the floor and
notices the grass clippings on the floor.)
(She picks up the nearest pair of shoes and looks at them. They're both clean
and clear of any signs of grass or dirt.)
(From her position on the floor, Sara notices a sock sticking out from under the
bed.)
(She picks it up and bags the sock.)
(Warrick enters the bedroom.)
WARRICK: Hey. I found these in his jacket.
(He shows her some brochures for THE GIRLS.)
WARRICK: Looks like the husband was planning a little vacation. A little
recreation on the side.
SARA: (re: sock) I found this under the bed. And grass -- not the kind you
smoke -- on the floor and in the closet, but all the shoes in the closet were
clean.
WARRICK: So someone was walking around here with grass on their shoes?
(Sara nods.)
WARRICK: Maybe it was the missing husband, or a desperate gardener.
SARA: Who was mowing more than the lawn?
CUT TO:
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY -- DAY]
(Brass and Sara walk through the hallway on their way to the interview room.)
BRASS: Good call on the grass stains. Police officers brought in your guy. He
was mowing a lawn down the street.
SARA: Well, he must be a great gardener, because Mrs. Cutler was paying him way
too much.
BRASS: Well ... (chuckles) Wait till you see him.
(Brass opens the door and they enter the interview room.)
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS]
(Timothy Johnson sits at the table.)
BRASS: Mr. Johnson? It's Timmy, right? (Timmy nods.) This is Sara Sidle from
the Crime Lab.
(Brass and Sara both sit down at the table opposite Timmy.)
TIMMY JOHNSON: (worried) I didn't kill Mrs. Cutler, if that's what you're
thinking.
SARA: How well do you know her?
TIMMY JOHNSON: We live across the street from the Cutlers.
BRASS: We?
TIMMY JOHNSON: My family. Mother, father, and brothers.
BRASS: So you still live at home?
TIMMY JOHNSON: Until I graduate next month.
SARA: So mowing lawns is just your sideline?
TIMMY JOHNSON: I don't play sports. Helps with the tuition.
BRASS: Did Mr. or Mrs. Cutler ever invite you in their house?
TIMMY JOHNSON: On a cold day, yeah. Sometimes she'd make me coffee.
SARA: But she writes you a check every month, like yesterday.
TIMMY JOHNSON: Yeah.
SARA: Did she hand you the check in her closet?
(She shows him the photo of the grass-stained sock he left behind.)
SARA: Or in her bedroom? You forgot your sock.
TIMMY JOHNSON: Okay. Yeah, I was there. I was hitting the wife.
BRASS: You had sex with her?
TIMMY JOHNSON: Yeah. But it wasn't my idea, all right? She was ... she was
really unhappy in her marriage. Me and Mrs. Cutler were in the middle of it
when ... when Mr. Cutler came home early.
FLASHBACK TO:
[INT. CUTLER HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)]
(Janice Cutler and Timothy Johnson are in bed when they hear the front door
open. She gets out of bed.)
JANICE CUTLER: He was supposed to be at work all night. Hide!
(Janice Cutler ties her robe and exits the bedroom. Timothy jumps out of bed
and quickly fumbles for his clothes.)
TIMMY JOHNSON: (v.o.) I guess that's when I lost my sock.
(He looks around, then quickly hides in the closet, shutting the door behind
him.)
CUT TO:
[INSIDE THE CLOSET - MOMENTS LATER]
(Timothy is dressed as Willie Cutler opens the door. He grabs Timothy and slams
him back against the wall.)
WILLIE CUTLER: How was she, you little son of a bitch? Now get out of here.
(He pushes him out.)
(End of flashback. Back to scene.)
TIMOTHY JOHNSON: Mr. Cutler was ... was so pissed, I ... I barely even
recognized him.
BRASS: You hear a gunshot?
TIMMY JOHNSON: No.
BRASS: So Mrs. Cutler was still alive when you left the house?
TIMMY JOHNSON: I don't know. I think so. I didn't see anything else.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM -- DAY]
(Warrick sprays the hooker flyer and hangs it inside the super glue fuming tank.
He ignites the super glue and closes the lid.)
SHORT TIME CUT TO:
(A large print appears on the photo for "SALLY". He flips the flyer over and
finds four prints on the back.)
(Nick walks in.)
NICK: So, I hear your marriage is on the rocks, and you're shopping for
hookers?
(Warrick laughs.)
WARRICK: No, but I think I found one that Mr. Cutler likes. (He points to
SALLY.) Thumb print on the front. Four fingerprints on the back.
NICK: "Sally. Sweet apple pie." Hmm. Do you really think it's a good idea to
sleep with a girl who advertises in a flyer?
WARRICK: Well, I don't really think there's any sleeping involved.
NICK: Hmm.
WARRICK: Don't be shy, though. Give her a call.
(Nick looks at Warrick. Really? Warrick smiles. Nick's game.)
NICK: All right, for your enjoyment.
(Nick picks up the speaker phone and dials the number, (702) 555-0190. A ring
or two later, someone answers.)
SALLY: (from phone) This is Sally. Who's this?
NICK: (to phone) Hi. This is, uh ... Dirk ... Diggler. I'm looking for a
date.
SALLY: (from phone) What kind of date?
NICK: (to phone) I'm taking a trip around the world. Want to go?
SALLY: (from phone) Yeah, I'll come with you. You sure you can afford the
airfare, darlin'?
NICK: (to phone) Is two g's enough?
SALLY: (from phone) Where you at?
NICK: (to phone) 3057 Westfall. It's right off of Charleston.
(Warrick points. Here? Nick motions him to be quiet.)
NICK: (to phone) It's a single level building, all the way in the back.
SALLY: (from phone) What do you look like?
NICK: (to phone) Um ... I have a little Tom Cruise thing going.
SALLY: (from phone) All right, half an hour, and I'll be there.
NICK: (to phone) All right.
(Nick hangs up. Warrick groans.)
WARRICK: Yeah, right.
NICK: (pleasantly amused) Ah, sweet apple pie! The Cruiser.
(Nick leaves the lab.)
CUT TO:
[EXT. LAS VEGAS SKYLINE - DAY (STOCK)]
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY -- DAY]
(Nick and an officer escort SALLY down the hall to an interview room.)
SALLY: Calling me to a crime lab is cute. It's still entrapment.
(He laughs.)
NICK: Well, you're not here about prostitution, sweetie.
SALLY: Really?
NICK: No. I need your help with a homicide.
(He opens the door and they enter.)
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM - CONTINUOUS]
NICK: Why don't you go ahead and have a seat? Thanks.
(Sally sits down. Nick sits down across her. Nick opens the folder and shows
her a photo of Willie Cutler.)
NICK: This man's wife was murdered last night. His name's Willie Cutler. Was
he ever a client?
SALLY: We dated.
NICK: Yeah.
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. HOTEL ROOM - FLASHBACK]
(Sally sits on Willie Cutler.)
SALLY: (v.o.) He was trying to play the, you know, "I'm a big baller" role.
SALLY: Do you got a present for me, baby?
(Willie takes out a wad of cash from his pants pocket and hands it to her.)
SALLY: (v.o.) He must have won some big jackpot or something -- I can tell
when money's new. He pulled this big wad out of his Wal-Mart pants.
(She puts the cash with her bag.)
SALLY: (v.o.) But he seemed harmless.
(They start kissing.)
(End of flashback. Back to scene.)
SALLY: Kind of sweet, actually. He offered me a deal on a vacation.
NICK: Deal? What, like a travel agent?
SALLY: I don't know. I guess. He offered me this.
(Sally takes a brochure out of her purse and shows it to Nick.)
SALLY: I've never been to Hawaii.
NICK: No ... no, me either.
(Nick takes a handkerchief out and takes the brochure from her. He flips it
over and reads the business card stapled on the back:
COWBOY DAN'S
WILLIAM CUTLER - TOUR REPRESENTATIVE )
SALLY: I'd let you take me to Hawaii.
(Surprised, he looks at her. She smiles back at him.)
NICK: Yeah, I'm working.
SALLY: So am I.
(He chuckles.)
CUT TO:
[EXT. NEON CITY EXCURSIONS (COWBOY DAN'S) - DAY]
(Catherine and Detective Vartann exit the car and head to the tour office. A
large orange banner hangs from the building roof.)
CATHERINE: "Tour historic Las Vegas."
VARTANN: History in Vegas gets imploded.
CATHERINE: It's probably just a drive past the Flamingo where Bugsy Siegel took
his leak.
(They stop in front of the front door, a closed sign displayed.)
CATHERINE: "Closed"? Now wait a minute. It should be open.
(Vartann tries the door and it opens.)
VARTANN: Well, it looks like it is.
(Catherine and Vartann enter.)
CATHERINE: Oh.
[INT. NEON CITY EXCURSIONS (COWBOY DAN'S) - DAY - CONTINUOUS]
(There's no one there.)
CATHERINE: Hello?
(The door closes behind them.)
CATHERINE: Anybody here?
(There's no answer.)
VARTANN: Las Vegas Police.
(Vartann steps forward a little and looks into the side office. He sees a body
on the floor.)
CATHERINE: Hello?
VARTANN: Catherine.
(He takes his gun out and checks the office. He steps into the office to check
on the person on the floor. Catherine uses her phone and calls it in.)
CATHERINE: (to phone) Control, this is CSI Willows.
(Vartann looks at her and shakes his head.)
CATHERINE: (to phone) We have a four-nineteen at 4172 Hamilton.
(Catherine takes her gun out.)
CATHERINE: (to phone) A business: Neon City Excursions. Suspect may still be
on the premises.
(She hangs up as they head further into the office.)
[INT. NEON CITY EXCURSIONS (COWBOY DAN'S) - HALLWAY -- DAY - CONTINUOUS]
(Vartann and Catherine walk through the hallway.)
(In the lobby, they find another body on the floor.)
(They continue further. Vartann checks for a pulse. In one of the offices,
they hear a thudding sound.)
(They check it out and find Willie Cutler hiding under the desk and bleeding
from a wound in his side.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Please! Please don't! Don't kill me. Don't kill me. Don't
kill me. Please, don't kill me.
CATHERINE: It's all right, sir. We're not going to hurt you; we're the police.
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL SET)
FADE IN:
[INT. HOSPITAL -- DAY]
(The nurse helps Willie remove his shirt. He groans. Sara waits on the side
with a baggie. Vartann waits with her.)
(Willie groans. The nurse removes his shirt.)
SARA: Thanks. I'll take that.
(Sara puts the shirt in the bag. Dr. Franks enters the room.)
DR. FRANKS: All right, bullet wound. Let's see what the paramedics left me.
(He rips the gauze bandage off the wound. Willie Cutler groans. Dr. Franks
looks at the wound.)
DR. FRANKS: Irregular laceration, subcutaneous tissue only. A few millimeters
deeper, it would have nicked the intercostal artery.
WILLIE CUTLER: That sounds bad.
DR. FRANKS: Yeah. Would've been a real mess. You're a lucky man. Flush out
the wound, dress it with 4 x 4 gauze, start an IV, hang cefazolin and get some
blood work done. Oh, and get him a tetanus shot.
(And with that, Dr. Franks leaves the room. Sara steps forward with the
camera.)
SARA: Ah, the warm fuzzy feeling of modern medicine.
WILLIE CUTLER: Can I get something to wear?
SARA: Uh, yes, in a few minutes. I need to document your wound. Do you think
you could lift your arms for me like this?
(He lifts his arms.)
SARA: Thank you. That's perfect.
(Sara snaps a photo of the wound.)
VARTANN: Why don't you tell us what happened.
WILLIE CUTLER: Um. Not much to tell, really. Uh ... Cowboy Dan had the office
working round the clock for the last week. We were putting together a campaign
for a new tour. I just got back from breakfast.
(Quick flashback to: [INT. NEON CITY EXCURSIONS (COWBOY DAN'S) - HALLWAY --
DAY] Willie Cutler is working in his office when the first gunshot fires.)
WILLIE CUTLER: (v.o.) I heard a shot, shouting.
(He stands up. There's multiple gunshots coming from the next room. People
groan.)
(Suddenly, he staggers backward, shot on the side. He looks around and ducks
under the desk.)
WILLIE CUTLER: (v.o.) I guess the guy didn't even know I was there.
(The door opens and a hooded man with a gun appears in the doorway. He looks
around, then leaves when he doesn't see anyone.)
(Willie Cutler hides under the desk. The door closes.)
(End of flashback. Back to scene.)
WILLIE CUTLER: I was so scared, I couldn't move. So I just played dead.
(Sara hands him a blanket. He covers himself.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Ow. I don't even know how long I was there. And then you guys
came in and found me.
SARA: Do you think that you could indicate on this diagram where you were
standing when you were shot?
(She shows him an office layout. He points to the office area between the desk
and the door.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Um ... I guess I was standing somewhere around here.
(Sara marks it with an 'X'.)
SARA: Thank you.
WILLIE CUTLER: Look, I need to call my wife. I should have been home by now,
and she's probably worried.
VARTANN: Um .... Mr. Cutler, when was the last time you were home?
WILLIE CUTLER: Um ... I guess it was, uh ... probably yesterday morning. Why?
SARA: Mr. Cutler. I am very sorry, but ... your wife is dead. She was found
shot last night in your home.
(He starts to cry.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Wh...?
(Vartann and Sara exchange looks.)
CUT TO:
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[INT. NEON CITY EXCURSIONS (COWBOY DAN'S) - DAY]
(Catherine snaps photos of the crime scene at Cowboy Dan's. David Phillips
kneels down next to the body.)
DAVID PHILLIPS: Single GSW to the forehead.
(Catherine snaps more photos of the body.)
DAVID PHILLIPS: Stipling makes it close range. At least he died with his boots
on.
(Quick flashback to: The gunman points the gun at Cowboy Dan and fires.)
CATHERINE: (v.o.) Cowboy Dan gets it first.
(The employee runs down the hallway. The shooter follows and fires.)
CATHERINE: (v.o.) The shooter finds his next target.
(The image of the employee, Roger Banks, stumbles and falls face down on the
carpet in front of Greg, who is in the room. The gunman fires four more times.
Roger Banks fades.)
CATHERINE: (v.o.) ... shoots him in the back.
(End of flashback.)
(Catherine walks into the room and notices the CONGRATULATIONS BANNERS and signs
on the wall.)
(Greg looks at Catherine. Roger Banks' desk is filled with cards.)
GREG: That's the vic's desk. He was getting a promotion.
(Catherine slings the camera over her shoulder and sighs.)
CATHERINE: Well, at least his day started out on a good note.
GREG: Looks like the gun's been wiped clean. (Catherine nods.) Doubt we'll
get any prints.
CATHERINE: So what do you got, five nine-mil shell casings?
GREG: Two went back with the body, three ... still in the walls.
(He points to the office next door.)
CATHERINE: So they're all accounted for.
(Greg nods.)
(Catherine walks over to the closed door with the pink rod sticking out of the
bullet hole.)
CATHERINE: So Willie Cutler must have been standing along this line when he was
grazed by the bullet.
GREG: Looks about right.
CATHERINE: It's consistent with his statement.
(Catherine opens the office door and looks inside as Greg snaps photos of Roger
Banks' desk. He snaps a photo of the phone.)
CATHERINE: And if the shooter never saw him, he got under the desk really
quickly.
GREG: I sure would have.
(Catherine chuckles.)
CATHERINE: So what do you think, Greg? Is Willie Cutler the luckiest guy in
the world or the unluckiest?
GREG: I wouldn't want his luck either way.
(Greg leans forward and snaps a photo of the blood-smeared #1 button on the
phone.)
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM -- DAY]
(Brass interviews Willie Cutler.)
BRASS: Geez, you lose your wife, your boss, your co-worker, all in 24 hours;
that's rough. My heart goes out to you, pal. Really. Looks like someone's out
to get you.
WILLIE CUTLER: What do you mean?
BRASS: Well, the way I see it, somebody's out to kill you and a lot of innocent
people are getting in the way.
WILLIE CUTLER: Yeah. That's got to be it.
BRASS: Yeah. Who'd want to kill you?
WILLIE CUTLER: I don't know. Maybe it's just some nutcase. A guy sees me on
the street, and I remind him of somebody he hates.
BRASS: Yeah, that's ... that's a pretty good theory. Want to hear another one?
WILLIE CUTLER: Sure.
BRASS: Well, this one starts with your wife banging the lawn boy.
WILLIE CUTLER: Hmm? Timmy?
BRASS: Timmy. What, you didn't know?
WILLIE CUTLER: No.
BRASS: Really? 'Cause according to Timmy, you found him in the bedroom and you
dragged him out of the closet.
WILLIE CUTLER: Well, he's lying. 'Cause I wasn't home.
BRASS: Oh, yeah, that's right. That's right. You were on the love boat with
Sally the Hooker.
WILLIE CUTLER: Look, my wife and I had some problems. You know, all married
couples do.
BRASS: Hey.
WILLIE CUTLER: I was getting a promotion at work. At least I thought I was.
So I threw myself a little celebration.
BRASS: I guess that makes you a premature celebrator. Tell me about that work-
promotion thing. Why were you passed up?
WILLIE CUTLER: Cowboy Dan just couldn't bring himself to promote a felon.
BRASS: Yeah, no, I've-I've read your record. I mean, it's minor league. I
mean, like, joyriding at 19.
WILLIE CUTLER: Stupid kid stuff. You know, it follows you around the rest of
your life.
BRASS: Oh, believe me, I know. Look, here's what we got here. Cowboy Dan is
dead. The guy who got your promotion is dead. It seems to me, that the one
with the most motive to kill in this sad tale... is you.
WILLIE CUTLER: I got shot, too.
BRASS: Well ... you know ... kinda. Look.
(Brass puts a report on the table. It reads:
-- OF TRANSACTION: 05/10/06
--REFERENCE NUMBER: FM053280
CUSTOMER NAME: CUTLER, WILLIAM
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 6045052068A
TRANSACTION AMOUNT: $50,000.00
AMOUNT SHOWN ABOVE WAS WIRED FROM:
FIRST MONUMENT HOME EQUITY ACCOUNT
AMOUNT SHOWN ABOVE WAS WIRED TO:
THE LUCKY DRAGON, LAS VEGAS )
BRASS: Last night you wired 50-k from your home equity account to a marker at
The Lucky Dragon.
WILLIE CUTLER: So?
BRASS: So, I mean, it wasn't for Chinese food. So maybe you hired a
professional killer to hit your wife, your boss, your co-worker.
WILLIE CUTLER: That's not true!
BRASS: Told them to take a little, you know, love bite out of you to, you know,
make you look nice and innocent, you know?
WILLIE CUTLER: I didn't kill my wife! I lost this money at the tables. You
know ... this has been the worst day of my life, and I still haven't had a
chance to see my wife's body -- I want to leave.
BRASS: But we're not done here, Willie.
WILLIE CUTLER: We're done! You can't prove that I killed anybody because I
didn't kill anybody. And if you're not going to charge me, I'm going to leave.
(Willie stands up.)
WILLIE CUTLER: I want to see my wife's body now!
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT -- HALLWAY - DAY]
(Brass and Grissom walk through the hallway.)
BRASS: Well, I pushed the guy as hard as I could, but there's a lot of media
heat on this one. I had to cut him loose.
GRISSOM: Well, he's got a bullet wound and a dead wife. For now, the evidence
says he's a victim.
BRASS: Well, that's what I told the unit who's shadowing him.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM -- DAY]
(Greg is looking through the photos and evidence. He holds a photo in his left
hand and picks up a shell casing evidence bag in the other. The label reads:
9 MM CASING SPEER
5-11-06
NEON CITY EXCURSION
GG
LVPD 060511-1439 GG
(He looks at the photo label in his other hand:
VICTIM: CUTLER, JANICE
FILE DATE: 05-11-06
ROUTING CODE: 39353-08-1911
CASE LVPD 06 05 11 - 1439 GG
LVPD ROUTING 742-125
(The photo is the same kind of bullet casing: SPEER.)
(He puts the evidence bag down and picks up another photo of the phone with the
blood smear on button #1.)
(He opens the file folder and takes out a photo of another phone with another
blood smear on button #1.)
(He thinks about it.)
(Quick flash to: [CUTLER RESIDENCE] Janice Cutler is dead. The killer dials:
111-1111.)
CUT TO:
(The killer dials another phone: 111-1111.)
WOMAN: (over phone) Sunstar Cabs.
(Camera moves and we see a dead body from Neon City Excursions.)
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. SUNSTAR CABS DISPATCH GARAGE - DAY]
(Camera pans across the yellow ad sign and phone number: 702-111-1111.)
(The taxi manager talks with Greg and Detective Vartann.)
TAXI MANAGER: Yeah, we had several pickups from that office park this morning,
but, uh, look, those drivers are all off right now, and they take one look at my
caller ID, they ain't pickin' up.
VARTANN: All right, well, what about drop-offs?
TAXI MANAGER: Oh, definitely got something for you there. Hey, Nicco.
NICCO: Yeah?
TAXI MANAGER: You'll love this. Nicco, tell these guys about that guy, huh?
NICCO: The drive-around-all-night guy?
TAXI MANAER: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
NICCO: Pick him up near Viking and Pecos around 2:45 A.M.
GREG: (to Vartann) That's right around the time Janice Cutler was killed.
(Vartann nods.)
GREG: It's right near her house. Is this your cab?
NICCO: Yeah.
GREG: Mind if I take a look?
NICCO: Okay.
(Greg heads over to the cab.)
VARTANN: So?
NICCO: He didn't know where he wanted to go, but he said I should drive anyway,
so I drive.
(Greg hooks up his laptop to the cab's driver cam.)
NICCO: He sees a store, he says 'stop.' Buys a beer. Then he says, 'drive,
stop, cigarettes, and drive some more.' I'm all around town. Five, six hours.
VARTANN: Did you get his name?
NICCO: Uh ... I think it was Sammy. Yeah. Yeah, that's what he said. He asked
me to wait for him by this office place, but by then it was at the end of my
shift.
(On Greg's laptop, a series of time-coded still photos is being downloaded.)
NICCO: I told him, I got to get home to my wife. And he asked me, do I love my
wife, and I told him, hey (he chuckles) She loves me. And he said, I was a
lucky man, which I am. And he left. He gave me a big tip.
(Greg carries the laptop.)
GREG: You need to check this out.
(He shows the video cam picture of SAMMY to Nicco.)
GREG: Is that the guy who called himself Sammy?
VARTANN: Looks a lot like Willie.
NICCO: (chuckles) Yeah. Yeah, that's the guy.
GREG: Yeah.
(He zooms in on the gun in the passenger's waistband.)
GREG: That's the gun.
SMASH TO BLACK.
(COMMERCIAL SET)
FADE IN:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BULLPEN -- NIGHT]
(Vartann is on the computer at his desk.)
(The information for WILLIE CUTLER appears:
DOB: 03-26-67
AGE: 39 HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 153 LBS EYES: BROWN
RACE: CAUCASIAN SEX: MALE
HAIR: BROWN
SIBLINGS: SAMMY CUTLER - BROTHER
CRIMINAL HISTORY:
STATUTE: NRS 200.0525
ARREST: GRAND THEFT AUTO
CONVICTIONS:
DISPOSITIONS: PROBATION 1 YEAR
CASE # LVPD#95 03 04 - 1007 ML )
(He runs a search on SAMUEL CUTLER:
DOB: 07-01-63
AGE: 42 HEIGHT: 5'9"
WEIGHT: 165 LBS EYES: BLUE
RACE: CAUCASIAN SEX: MALE
HAIR: BROWN
SIBLINGS: WILLIE CUTLER - BROTHER
CRIMINAL HISTORY
STATUTE: NRS 205.067
ARREST: BURGLARY
CONVICTIONS: SERVED AND RELEASED
DISPOSITIONS: SENTENCED 1 YEAR
STATUTE: NRS 205.0528
ARREST: GRAND THEFT AUTO
CONVICTIONS: RELEASED DECEMBER
DISPOSITIONS: SENTENCED 10 YEARS
CASE #: LVPD# 95 03 04 - 1008 ML )
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY]
(Brass shares his findings with Grissom.)
BRASS: So, Willie Cutler had an older brother, Sammy. Sammy did time in Chino
for grand theft auto.
GRISSOM: Willie had a vehicle-related felony on his record, too.
BRASS: Yeah, the same incident. See, Willie was a first-time offender, so he
pled out. But Sammy had a record, so the judge gave him a hard time. So he got
in trouble on the inside. He did an extended sentence. He got out six months
ago. I got a fax from the cab company I want to show you.
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BRASS' OFFICE -- CONTINUOUS]
(They enter his office. Brass shows the fax to Grissom.)
BRASS: Check it out.
(He hands the Radio Dispatch Record to Grissom.)
BRASS: They get called out to that office park where the shooting took place.
Driver said the fare was a no-show.
GRISSOM: "Requested destination -- Lucky Dragon casino."
BRASS: Hmm. I sent a unit out to look for Sammy.
GRISSOM: You know, this could be a revenge story. Willie gets a life, Sammy
goes to prison. Sammy gets out, tries to get even.
BRASS: Well, if Sammy was trying to get even, why did Willie keep quiet about
it?
GRISSOM: He's his brother's keeper. (off Brass' look) It's in the Bible.
CUT TO:
[EXT. LUCKY DRAGON (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[INT. LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO FLOOR -- NIGHT]
(Warrick hands out Samuel Cutler's mug photo to the security staff.)
WARRICK: This is the man that we're looking for. Please keep your eyes peeled.
He may have been here last night. I want you to cover every square inch of this
place. Let's spread out; let's move it.
CUT TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Warrick walks into the casino surveillance room. He starts handing out Samuel
Cutler's mug photo.)
WARRICK: So, this is Sammy Cutler. This is his mug shot. It's a few years
old, and this is what he looks like now.
(He shows them the photo taken from the taxi camera.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM -- NIGHT]
(Sara is working, the various photos spread out on the table in front of her.
Robbins walks in.)
ROBBINS: Hey, Sara, you're working the office shooting, right?
SARA: Yeah, and the dead wife.
(He brings the file folder to her.)
ROBBINS: Autopsy reports on the two DB's. Grissom wanted them ASAP, and I was
in the neighborhood.
(He drops the file folder on the table.)
SARA: Thanks. I'll pass them along.
(She picks up the file folder and looks through it as Robbins takes a moment to
look at the photos on the table.)
ROBBINS: Somebody at the office get knifed?
SARA: No.
ROBBINS: Kind of looks like a knife wound.
SARA: Victim survived the shooting. He said he was grazed by a stray bullet.
ROBBINS: Really? (He puts his glasses on.) This is an irregular laceration
with no defining features. A grazing GSW is usually accompanied by some
marginal abrasion. There's none here.
SARA: Any idea what might have caused a wound like this?
ROBBINS: Yeah, lots of things. Something sharp.
(He looks at the photos closely.)
ROBBINS: Hmm. What's this blue discoloration?
SARA: Kind of looks like ink. Doesn't it?
ROBBINS: Mm-hmm.
(Sara picks up a bagged pen.)
SARA: Catherine found this under Willie Cutler's desk. Thought the blood was
incidental.
[CU: SHIRT]
(Sara swabs the edge of Willie Cutler's bloodied shirt.)
(Camera pulls out and we see Grissom watching. She tests the swab.)
SARA: Sodium rhodizonate is negative. No lead in the tear. No bullet.
GRISSOM: So, Willie tried to make it look like he was shot.
(Quick flash to: Willie Cutler gouges his side himself with his own pen.)
GRISSOM: (v.o.) Grabs a ball point pin, drags it across his ribs.
(End of flash. Back to scene.)
(Grissom looks down and notices the blood on the shirt sleeve.)
SARA: Did I miss something?
GRISSOM: Don't know. We'll find out.
CUT TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT]
(Warrick stands behind the security staff as they watch the security
surveillance monitors.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: We've been running a major poker tournament here all
week. You know what the loser gets? Baseball caps. There's about four hundred
of them down there right now.
WARRICK: Keep looking.
(On the monitor, Warrick sees his wife, Tina, walking through the casino floor
with a man.)
(He steps aside and takes his phone out to call her.)
TINA: (from phone) Hey, baby.
WARRICK: (to phone) What's up?
TINA: Nothin' much.
WARRICK: Where you at?
TINA: I'm at the Venetian. Canyon Ranch, getting a ... manicure.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO - NIGHT]
TINA: Hope you're in for a good back scratching session tonight.
WARRICK: Who you talking about?
TINA: What?
WARRICK: Me or the guy standing next to you? Look up. You see that little dome
above your head? Give it a wave. That's me in the surveillance room, watching
you lie to me.
TINA: Warrick ...
WARRICK: Man, and I didn't even have to call that show 'Cheaters.'
TINA: You think you know what you're talking about?
WARRICK: Don't even bother coming home tonight. I'll just text you the storage
space your stuff'll be in.
TINA: You want to know what's up, huh? What's really up?
WARRICK: I can see what's up.
TINA: You can't see a damn thing. He's a VIP host helping me plan your
birthday party. I hope you enjoy spending it alone.
(She hangs up, then glares up at the surveillance camera.)
(On the monitor, Warrick watches her turn and walk away.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - DNA LAB -- NIGHT]
(Grissom cuts a piece of material off and places it on a slide. He cuts a piece
of material off from Willie Cutler's shirt sleeve and places it on another
slide.)
(Wendy walks in.)
WENDY SIMMS: Well, hey. What are you doing?
GRISSOM: Serology.
WENDY SIMMS: Serology? Now, I read about that in my history of forensic
science classes. So, what exactly is it you're trying to do?
GRISSOM: Lattes crust method for determining blood type.
WENDY SIMMS: You know, for you, I clear the decks. I mean, I can just rush
your samples through DNA.
GRISSOM: I need it faster than DNA. And I don't need a full profile anyway,
just ABO type.
WENDY SIMMS: You mind if I stick around and watch?
GRISSOM: Don't you have something better to do?
WENDY SIMMS: Yeah, I do, but some guy's using my lab.
(Grissom puts drops of liquid on the materials.)
WENDY SIMMS: Okay, now as I recall, the reagents have to be fresh. Right? So,
where did you get those?
GRISSOM: I keep some in my fridge for emergencies.
WENDY SIMMS: You got anything else in there? Bottle of tequila, perhaps?
Severed head?
GRISSOM: I don't keep tequila.
(Grissom puts it in the machine and switches the machine on.)
(Camera zooms in on the blood drops on the slides in the machine.)
(Cut to: Grissom looks at the slides under the scope. He writes something down
and puts the second slide under the scope.)
[SCOPE VIEW]
(Grissom sees something.)
(Quick flash of: A woman screams. A gun fires. Blood spatter hits Willie
Cutler's sleeve. Janice Cutler falls to the floor, dead. Willie Cutler lowers
the gun.)
(End of flash. Back to scene.)
(Grissom takes his cell phone out and calls Brass.)
BRASS: (from phone) Brass.
GRISSOM: (to phone) Jim, you have to bring in Willie Cutler.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BRASS' OFFICE - NIGHT]
(Brass is sitting behind his desk.)
BRASS: Willie got loose. He slipped our surveillance. What's up?
GRISSOM: We found high velocity spatter consistent with the wife on his shirt.
He was in the room when she was shot. He could have been holding the gun.
Maybe they were working together.
BRASS: That would explain what Sammy was doing at The Lucky Dragon. Willie
lost a lot of money there. So either he did it, or he's covering for his
brother.
GRISSOM: Yeah. Maybe he's got unfinished business there.
(Brass hangs up and gets up.)
CUT TO:
[EXT. THE LUCKY DRAGON (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT]
(The casino is busy. Willie Cutler is in the room. He appears to be looking
for someone. He suddenly turns and heads down into the casino.)
(He collides with a burley patron. They start arguing.)
CASINO PATRON: Ow! Man, what the hell is your problem?
WILLIE CUTLER: Oh, you're a tough guy? You wanna go through me then if you
...
(Willie starts shoving the guy. The guy shoves back.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Huh? You think you want some of this, huh?
(It's a full-on scuffle.)
(Officer Boatwright rushes over to break it up.)
OFFICER BOATWRIGHT: Hey, break it up, break it up!
(Willie grabs Officer Boatwright's gun and pulls away, giving him enough room
for Officer Boatwright to get a look at him.)
OFFICER BOATWRIGHT: Hey, aren't you ... ?
(He points the gun and fires a couple of times, shooting Officer Boatwright in
the stomach.)
(Patrons scream as chaos breaks out.)
(Officer Boatwright falls to the floor.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(In the surveillance room, the Director of Surveillance sees the shots on the
monitors. He talks into a microphone, relaying directions to casino security.)
DIRECTOR OF SURVEILLANCE: (to radio) Shots fired. Main floor. BJ pit three
...
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - MAIN CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Willie takes off running.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Get out of my way!
(He pushes and shoves his way as he runs across the casino floor.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Get out of my way!
(Willie runs across the floor straight to the elevators. Just as the elevator
doors open, he grabs the woman just stepping out and pulls her back into the
elevator with him.)
JACKIE: Hey! Hey! Get off of me! What are you doing? Help!
WILLIE CUTLER: Shut up, or I'll kill you.
JACKIE: Help! Help! Help! Help me!
(The security guards run to the elevators, but get there too late.)
(The elevator doors close.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL SET)
FADE IN:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HALLWAY FLOOR - NIGHT]
(A phone rings.)
(Officers have their guns pointed at the hotel room door. Brass is on the phone
listening to it ring.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(The phone rings.)
(Willie Cutler sits on the bed staring at the ringing phone.)
(Jackie sits on the floor near him.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HALLWAY FLOOR - NIGHT]
(Brass is still on the phone. He checks his radio.)
BRASS: (to radio) This is a radio check. Do you read me?
(The phone continues to ring. He turns and looks at the officer holding the gun
on the door.)
BRASS: Copy that?
(The officer nods.)
BRASS: The kill word is "Jim."
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(The phone rings. Willie Cutler glances at Jackie, scared and silent. Finally,
he picks up the phone.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Hello?
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HALLWAY FLOOR - NIGHT]
BRASS: Hey, Willie. It's me, uh, Jim Brass. Remember me? Guess what? I'm
right outside your door.
WILLIE CUTLER: I will blow her head off. I'll blow both our heads straight
off. You understand me?!
BRASS: Look, I understand. I understand, Willie, I do. Look, I just ... I
just want this to end peacefully. For everybody.
WILLIE CUTLER: I'm not coming out.
BRASS: Oh, I don't want you to come out, Willie. I want you to let me in.
Look, I'm not armed.
(Brass stands in front of the door.)
BRASS: Look through the peephole.
WILLIE CUTLER: Why do you want to come in here?
BRASS: Just to talk to you, Willie. I mean, you're a smart guy, I think maybe
you and I, we can figure a way out of this. Come on, check me out. Okay, look,
I'm going to put the phone down now, so you can see me, okay?
(Brass closes his phone. He holds his hands away from his body)
BRASS: Look ... no gun.
(After a long moment, the door opens. Brass enters.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(Brass enters the room and finds Willie Cutler, his arm around Jackie and
holding the gun to her back.)
BRASS: Hey, Willie. It's me. I'm alone, and I'm unarmed.
WILLIE CUTLER: Close that door.
(Brass closes the door.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Either I walk out here right now, or she dies.
BRASS: Look ... nobody's going to die, Willie. Not you, not her, not me, not
Sammy, not anyone.
(Willie pauses and considers Brass.)
WILLIE CUTLER: You sure about that?
BRASS: Oh, yeah, I'm sure about that.
WILLIE CUTLER: Then I want to talk to my brother.
BRASS: Okay, I can arrange that. We have him in custody downstairs.
(He points the gun at Brass.)
WILLIE CUTLER: You're lying!
BRASS: Hey, you got the gun. I'm not ... I wouldn't lie to you. But I need
you to do something for me. I need you to let this woman go, and I'll dial up
your brother downstairs.
WILLIE CUTLER: Where is he?
BRASS: He's in the holding room, which is in the basement of the casino.
WILLIE CUTLER: He was just trying to help me.
BRASS: Look, I'm just trying to help you too, Willie. So, point the gun at me,
not at her, and let this nice young woman go, come on.
WILLIE CUTLER: No way.
(He points the gun at Jackie.)
BRASS: Point the gun at me, Willie.
(He points the gun down.)
WILLIE CUTLER: You really have my brother?
BRASS: Yeah, I'm gonna call ... hold on.
WILLIE CUTLER: I want to talk to him.
BRASS: Hold on.
(Brass takes out his phone and makes a call.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(The phone rings; Warrick answers.)
WARRICK: (to phone) Brown.
BRASS: (to phone) This is Brass. Look, I need you to get Samuel Cutler on the
phone. I'm here with his brother, Willie, and he'd like to talk to him. So,
could you go down to the holding room and get Samuel Cutler on the line and call
me back?
WARRICK: Are you with Willie right now?
BRASS: Yes, I'm with him, and he'd like to speak with his brother.
WARRICK: We're still looking for him in surveillance. It could take some time.
BRASS: How much time?
WILLIE CUTLER: I don't see his face, she dies!
(Willie grabs Jackie and forces her down on the ground, the gun pointed at her
head.)
BRASS: (to phone) Okay, okay, okay. Look, look. I need you to get Samuel
Cutler up here as soon as possible.
WARRICK: Okay, Brass, we're doing the best we can. I want you to hang in
there, take care of yourself. If he's in this casino, we're going to find him.
BRASS: Thank you.
(Brass hangs up.)
BRASS: He'll be here. Okay? Now, I just want you to point the gun at me.
(Willie raises the gun and points it at Brass.)
BRASS: That's good. Not at her. That's it-- cause it's just you and me now,
all right? I'm the hostage, all right?
(Willie pushes Jackie on the bed.)
BRASS: What's your name?
JACKIE: Jackie.
BRASS: Jackie. It's going to be okay, Jackie. It's going to be okay, Willie.
It's just you and me now. This is all going to be over soon.
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HALLWAY FLOOR - NIGHT]
(Out in the hallway, SWAT takes up position.)
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(Willie Cutler talks with Brass.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Oh, yesterday I spent $5,000 on a hooker because I thought I was
getting a $15,000 promotion. When I went to work, I got the news that I'd been
"passed over."
BRASS: So now you're five large in the hole, hmm?
WILLIE CUTLER: Well, way I saw it, I was fifteen in the hole. So I went to a
cash machine and I wired myself 50-K. Every cent I own. For a second I was
up, I was killing 'em. They were serving me cocktails, and calling me "sir."
And then the pit boss got involved and I hit a bad streak. So I called Sammy.
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT -- FLASHBACK]
(Willie is at the blackjack table playing multiple hands. One after the other -
all the hands - bust.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Bust, bust, bust, bust, bust! Damn it!
(He slams his fists on the table.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Dammit! Ah, God!
(The woman sitting next to him sighs impatiently, picks up her chips and
leaves.)
WILLIE CUTLER: What? What?
(Just then, Sammy Cutler in a ball cap and sunglasses, arrives.)
SAMMY CUTLER: Willie?
WILLIE CUTLER: What?
SAMMY CUTLER: Let me get you out of here.
(Sammy pushes Willie out of the casino.)
WHITE FLASH TO:
BACK TO SCENE:
BRASS: What happened when you got home?
WILLIE CUTLER: Things got worse ...
WHITE FLASH TO:
[INT. CUTLER RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT -- FLASHBACK]
(Willie talks with Janice.)
WILLIE CUTLER: I lost everything. Our entire savings. I'm sorry.
JANICE CUTLER: You stupid lowlife. That was my money, too! You are such a
loser. Just like your degenerate brother.
(Sammy grabs Janice by the throat and points the gun at her.)
SAMMY CUTLER: Son of a bitch!
WHITE FLASH TO:
BACK TO SCENE:
WILLIE CUTLER: Sammy told me to stay put, and he said I should clean up the
mess. He said he was going to take care of me.
BRASS: Why didn't you call the cops?
WILLIE CUTLER: I can't turn him in. And I knew I'd get blamed.
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB -- NIGHT]
(Grissom and Catherine are reviewing security video. On the monitor, Willie
Cutler is at the blackjack table.)
GRISSOM: Willie Cutler's marker was signed by a blackjack pit boss; this is
last night's surveillance.
(On the monitor, Willie is getting angry and frustrated. The pit boss goes up
to him. The chair next to Willie is empty.)
CATHERINE: So the pit boss gives Willie the heave-ho, with chips still on the
table.
GRISSOM: Yeah, that's about a $10,000 marker. Casino owed him money; that's
why Willie went back.
CATHERINE: And what about Sammy?
GRISSOM: (shrugs) I haven't seen him.
CUT TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(Willie continues talking.)
WILLIE CUTLER: I tried to find him myself. I figured I could get him to Mexico
or something. I drove around for hours. Nothing. So I went back to my office,
and that's when I saw Cowboy Dan and Roger. And I knew what Sammy meant when he
said he was going to take care of me. He was going to give me a clean slate.
He was going to kill everyone that wronged me.
BRASS: But she hasn't wronged you. Jackie hasn't done anything to hurt you.
So why would you want to hurt her? Let's cut her loose.
WILLIE CUTLER: I don't want to hurt anybody.
BRASS: That's right, Willie. You don't want to hurt anybody. You kill
somebody, even by accident, you can never take it back. People never look at
you the same again. And you know what? You can't look at yourself the same way
again, either.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE -- NIGHT]
(Grissom is behind his desk when there's a knock on his door. Sara rushes in.)
SARA: Griss? You got to see this. I found it on the Internet.
(She hands him the printout:
darienchronicle.com
Feb 13, 2006
Copyright Darien Chronicle
AMERICAN TOURIST KILLED IN CAR CRASH IN TIJUANA, MEXICO
A traffic accident ended in a fatality Tuesday night. The incident
occurred at 7:--
intersection of Perez Parkway and Bodega. The victim was traveling west on
P--
to yield a red light. An oncoming vehicle was traveling eastbound and
struck the
approximately 50 mph.
The victim was identified as Samuel Cutler from ---
(Grissom looks at Sara.)
CUT TO:
[INT. THE LUCKY DRAGON - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT]
(Willie continues to talk.)
WILLIE CUTLER: Me and Sammy?
(He sniffles.)
WILLIE CUTLER: We used to be so tight.
BRASS: Mm.
WILLIE CUTLER: And that stupid car. He always felt so guilty about dragging me
into that, but it wasn't his fault. He wasn't to blame.
BRASS: Well ...
(Brass' phone rings. Willie gets to his feet quickly; the gun pointed at
Brass.)
BRASS: Just the phone. Just the phone.
(The phone rings; Brass stands up and shows the phone to Willie. He answers
it.)
BRASS: Take it easy. (to phone) Yeah.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE]
GRISSOM: (to phone) Jim? Sammy Cutler's dead. He died in a car crash in
Mexico two months ago. Willie had to know. He's been playing us.
BRASS: I got it, yeah. Thanks. (Brass hangs up.) Hey, Willie. Sammy's not
coming up. But I guess we both know that, right?
WILLIE CUTLER: Yeah. It's a good thing I have the gun.
(Brass and Willie look at each other.)
BRASS: Jim!
(Willie fires twice, hitting Brass in the chest. Brass falls to his knees just as the hotel room door bursts open. SWAT quickly steps into the room, their guns raised and firing at Willie.)
(Jackie screams. Willie falls to the floor, dead.)
(TOP VIEW DOWN: On Brass, gasping on the floor.)
VOICE: (faded) Man down! Man down! Get the paramedics!
(Camera pushes in slowly on Brass. We hear the sounds of a heart beating.)
(Blood spurts from the side of Brass' mouth.)
(Camera holds on Brass.)
FADE TO BLACK
THE END.
