Titre VO : "Like Water for Murder"
Ce script appartient au site twiztv.com
***
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
MUSIC IN
EXT. ROCKAWAY BEACH - DAY
MUSIC OUT
JESSICA HUGHES
Come on. You’re so slow. Whoo-ooh! Let’s go. Whoo! [LAUGHS] All right, your turn. Oh.
TIM CAMPBELL
Unh-uh. Unh-uh. [GRUNTS]
MUSIC IN
[SCREAMS]
LATER -
MUSIC OUT
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
A shark washed up on Rockaway last year. No one figured out why. This one brought a little company with him.
MAC TAYLOR
Got an I.D. on the vic?
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Nothing on the body. We’re canvassing locals and I put a call in to Missing Persons.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Who found ‘em?
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
The Abercrombie twins over there.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Looks like her hand was the appetizer.
[ZOOM INTO CS OF ARM]
MAC TAYLOR
Shark attack victim. Sounds like a job for Chief Brody and the Coast Guard, not my forensics team.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
That’s what I thought ‘til I noticed her neck. Take a real good look, Doc.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Strangulation marks.
[ZOOM INTO ECS OF VICTIM’S PUPILS]
DR. SHELDON HAWKES (CONTINUED)
Petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes.
MUSIC IN
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
So what kind of shark strangles his meal before he takes a bite?
[REENACTMENT]
[SCREAM]
[TO OPENING SEQUENCES]
THEME MUSIC IN
SHOW TITLE - OPENING SEQUENCES
OPENING CREDITSEND OF TEASER
EXT. ROCKAWAY BEACH - DAY
MUSIC IN
[HAWKES AND STELLA TAKE PHOTOS OF THE VICTIM AND SHARK]
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Severed femoral artery, major tissue damage, massive blood loss, [MUSIC OUT] all postmortem injuries.
STELLA BONASERA
Seems kind of coincidental. That a shark would attack a dead body and then wash up on the shore right beside it.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Not the only thing that doesn’t make sense. There’s very little evidence consistent with her being a floater. It’s as if she were strangled and tossed to the shark while she was still warm. Stell?
STELLA BONASERA
I’ve seen this woman before. Somewhere. I--.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
You know her?
STELLA BONASERA
I can’t quite place it, but, her face is so familiar.
QUINN SHELBY
Rust-colored spots. Carcharius Taurus. Sand tiger shark. Went on a cage dive in the Bahamas, saw one up close and very alive.
MAC TAYLOR
What are you doing here, Quinn? Jersey Crime Lab too boring for you?
QUINN SHELBY
I’m still a criminalist there. But every other month I inspect labs for the Forensics Board. It’s been five years since yours has been reaccredited.
MAC TAYLOR
Our review isn’t scheduled for another couple of weeks.
QUINN SHELBY
Everything moved up. The Board wants things done ASAP, so for the next couple of days I’ll be monitoring protocol and evaluating your team’s techniques then I’ll file a report. Don’t worry, Mac. I’ll stay out of the way and quietly observe.
MAC TAYLOR
[LAUGHS]
QUINN SHELBY
What’s so funny?
MAC TAYLOR
I’ve never known you do anything quietly. Staying out of the way? It’s not your style.
MUSIC IN
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
INT. M.E.’S OFFICE - AUTOPSY ROOM - DAY
[MONTAGE SEQUENCE - DR. SID HAMMERSTEIN PROCESSES THE VICTIM, HAWKES DISSECTS THE SHARK, LOOKS AT ITS STOMACH CONTENTS, FINDS THE VICTIM’S MISSING HAND]
MUSIC OUT
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Tiger sharks are known as the wastebaskets of the sea. They’re amazing creatures. The teeth aren’t attached to the jaw, but embedded in flesh and muscle.
MAC TAYLOR
That’s why they can tear apart a human body so easily.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Yeah.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
I found her hand in the shark’s alimentary canal. The topography of the rips in the flesh here are a match, to the vic’s wrist. I also found this, clenched in her hand. And this was digested around the same time.
MAC TAYLOR
Hmm. Let’s get these up to the lab, figure out what they are.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
And, one more thing. Our victim’s stomach contents. You’ll probably wanna have someone ladle through that. Now, the cause of death is definitely strangulation, but I found bright red blood in her lung tissue.
MAC TAYLOR
Hmm. She was poisoned before she was strangled?
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Don’t know the chemical of choice. I’m waiting on a result from Tox.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Could this be two failed attempts at suicide? Poison. A hanging. Finally she jumped.
MAC TAYLOR
Or, one failed attempt at murder. After the poison didn’t work, she was strangled then dumped.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
And then there’s the poor shark. Well, if you see it from his point of view, he’s noshing on the finest prime rib he’s had in months and dies of food poisoning? I mean, there’s a chance she killed him.
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - CORRIDOR - DAY
[WALLA]
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - TRACE LAB - DAY
STELLA BONASERA
Wanna take a look at the vic’s stomach contents?
QUINN SHELBY
Most people don’t usually invite me to participate in the process.
STELLA BONASERA
Most people are intimidated by your job.
QUINN SHELBY
Mac tell you to do this? Just like him to throw a curve ball.
STELLA BONASERA
No, he didn’t. But I just thought you might wanna see what I was looking at. So you know Mac?
QUINN SHELBY
From a long time ago. Actually, we both applied for the job he has now. The crystals look like cocoa butter seeds caused when chocolate is agitated. Helps to refine high-end chocolate.
STELLA BONASERA
I didn’t you realize you could major in chocolate forensics.
QUINN SHELBY
Hmm. Wouldn’t that be great? No, I’ve seen those kind of crystals before. Um, my specialization at the Jersey Crime Lab is microscopy. But the yellow substance. Any ideas?
STELLA BONASERA
Alkaline extraction indicates some kind of plant material. Now I’m running a morphological search right now. And it is turnera aphrodisiaca from Central America, otherwise known as damiana.
QUINN SHELBY
Any psychoactive properties?
STELLA BONASERA
Let’s see. Damiana can be smoked, producing effects similar to cannabis sativa. It’s used in herbal tea to promote lucid dreaming and it’s added to tequila to enhance lovemaking.
QUINN SHELBY
I am all for a good margarita.
STELLA BONASERA
I’m with you on that.
QUINN SHELBY
However, this sounds more like a drug.
STELLA BONASERA
Maybe the killer used it to subdue the vic before he strangled her.
MUSIC IN
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - TRACE LAB - DAY
[MONTAGE/FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - HAWKES BLENDS CUT OUT PIECES OF SHARK, LINDSAY LOOKS CLOSELY AT THE SHARK’S SKIN AND THE ITEM HELD IN VICTIM’S SEVERED HAND. QUINN SELBY LOOKS ON.]
MUSIC OUT
LINDSAY MONROE
This thing is photo-luminescent. It’s designed to be seen in the dark.
DANNY MESSER
Well, my big discovery, that this is all-purpose tarp. It’s plastic. Sharks will eat anything, huh?
LINDSAY MONROE
Yeah, they will. [WITH ROBERT SHAW IN “JAWS” ACCENT] A shark swallow ya whole.
DANNY MESSER
Not too good on the accent. [WITH ROBERT SHAW IN “JAWS” ACCENT] $10,000 will get you me by myself. For that you get their--
DANNY MESSER/LINDSAY MONROE
[WITH ROBERT SHAW IN “JAWS” ACCENT] -- head, the tail, you get the whole damn thing.
LINDSAY MONROE
[LAUGHS] That’s such a good movie.
DANNY MESSER
Yeah. We should rent it.
LINDSAY MONROE
This is hard.
DANNY MESSER (V.O.)
All right, so we found phosphine--
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - WAR ROOM - DAY
DANNY MESSER (CONTINUED)
--and tear gas in the plastic tarp.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
I liquefied the shark tissue samples, got the same result.
STELLA BONASERA
She has trace amounts of phosphine on her skin.
MAC TAYLOR
So, she was wrapped in the tarp, shark ate it, ingested the toxin and died.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Okay, so that’s what killed Jaws, but that’s not a poison that makes the blood turn bright red.
STELLA BONASERA
Well, the answer to that question is carbon monoxide. Sid found it in the vic’s lung tissue.
LINDSAY MONROE
This piece of rock I found in the victim’s bra, it’s from a gravestone.
[CELL PHONE RINGS]
MAC TAYLOR
[INTO CELL PHONE] Taylor.
DANNY MESSER
All right. So we have a vic who was strangled, poisoned with carbon monoxide, has phosphine on her skin--
DANNY MESSER (CONTINUED)
--and the piece of gravestone in her clothing. This keeps getting more bizarre.
MAC TAYLOR
Stella. You’re with me.
STELLA BONASERA
What is it?
MAC TAYLOR
We got another body.
MUSIC IN
EXT. ROCKAWAY BEACH - DAY
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Folks were on the beach minding their own business when the body rolled in with the tide.
MAC TAYLOR
And less than a mile from where we found the other vic.
STELLA BONASERA
Tarp looks familiar. No lividity. Petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes, just like our Rockaway vic.
MAC TAYLOR
There’s no strangulation marks. Same abrasions on her hands.
STELLA BONASERA
Same M.O.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Found a couple business cards in her pocket that look like hers. Louise Perry, real estate agent.
[FLASHBACK]
[BACK TO SCENE]
STELLA BONASERA
That’s it. That’s, that’s how I know the first vic. Ever since the fire I’ve been looking to buy a new condo. I was in a real estate office and she was there. Our first vic is also a real estate agent.
MAC TAYLOR
You sure?
STELLA BONASERA
I’m positive.
MAC TAYLOR
We have two women dead, similar M.O.s, found within a mile of each other, both with the same job.
STELLA BONASERA
Maybe we’re looking at a disgruntled client. Someone who’s upset about a sale or a loss of his property.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Two bodies within 24 hours doesn’t play like a coincidence.
MAC TAYLOR
No, it doesn’t.
MUSIC OUTEND OF ACT ONE
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
EXT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - DAY
[PRESS WALLA]
STELLA BONASERA
How did the press get this so fast?
REPORTER #1
Detective Taylor, are these murders connected?
MAC TAYLOR
No comment.
REPORTER #2
Detective Bonasera, did you identify the victims?
STELLA BONASERA
We won’t release any I.D.s until the victims’ families have been notified.
REED GARRETT
Hey, Mac. Mac.
STELLA BONASERA
Looks like you got company. I’ll see you inside.
REED GARRETT
Two women, same kind of jobs. Is this a serial killer?
MAC TAYLOR
[TO ND UNIFORMS] He’s okay. [TO REED] Reed, I thought you were working the city desk for the paper.
REED GARRETT
Nope, not anymore. I got my own blog now. “New York, 24/7 News.”
MAC TAYLOR
Don’t you wanna get your facts straight before you sensationalize a story?
REED GARRETT
I thought that’s what I was doing. You know, help me out.
MAC TAYLOR
We’ve got two female victims, both floaters, both brutally murdered.
REED GARRETT
[OVERLAPPING] Crime blotter stuff. Mac, come on.
ND UNIFORM (OFF CAMERA)
Hey, hey, you. Get behind the line right now.
REED GARRETT
Were the murders connected? Are there any suspects? Is, is it true, is this a serial killer?
MAC TAYLOR
Reed, you gotta understand something. This is psychological. Yell murder in this city, people don’t even blink. Yell serial killer, we got a panic on our hands.
REED GARRETT
[OVERLAPPING] I, I get it, I get it, I do. I’m sorry.
MAC TAYLOR
You remind me of your mother. When Claire wanted something, she went after it, she wouldn’t let go ‘til she got it. But you want the facts and you’re gonna have to wait for the science like the rest of us. When I have something solid, you’ll be my first call.
REED GARRETT
I have your word?
MAC TAYLOR
Yeah.
REED GARRETT
Okay.
INT. M.E.’S OFFICE - DAY
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
The second victim, Louise Perry’s C.O.D. is asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning. But that’s not all there is. Take a look at these. Right here. These weren’t on our first vic.
[ZOOM INTO ECS OF MARKS ON VICTIM’S NECK]
MAC TAYLOR
Irregular lacerations on the back of her neck.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
No redness or inflammation along the edges.
QUINN SHELBY
They were inflicted postmortem.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
I’ve often said we don’t get enough guests down here in autopsy, although there’s been quite a few people by to see the shark. I’ve still got on ice if--.
MAC TAYLOR
Sid, Inspector Shelby is here to document the chain of evidence.
QUINN SHELBY
Thanks, Doctor. Maybe later.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
All right. Well, uh, let me try to impress you in some other fashion. I found, uh, shreds of a paper-like material under her fingernails.
[FLASHBACK]
DR. SID HAMMERBACK (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
Uh, there does appear to be some kind of adhesive on the paper.
[BACK TO SCENE]
MAC TAYLOR
I’ll have Hawkes take a closer look.
QUINN SHELBY
Didn’t you say there were other similarities between her and the first vic, Chrissy Watson?
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Yes, stomach contents. Both victims had eaten chocolate and damiana just prior to death.
MAC TAYLOR
So we have two real estate agents working for different companies, both with the same stomach contents, and CO poisoning.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Right.
MAC TAYLOR
Wanna offer your assessment?
QUINN SHELBY
I can’t speak to motive, but I can take a look at the Tox report.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
Um--.
QUINN SHELBY
Based on the carboxyhemoglobin levels, I’d say that Louise Perry was somehow gassed in a confined, possibly sealed, space. Only way to get the CO saturation you’re seeing. And since that rules out anything from the ocean, I’d say you’ve got a tough job ahead of you, Mac. You’re hunting a land shark.
DR. SID HAMMERBACK
She’s good.
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - CORRIDOR - DAY
DANNY MESSER
Hey, Mac. The phosphine on the tarp is consistent with fumigation. They shoot tear gas into the buildings to make sure no one’s left inside.
MAC TAYLOR
There must be a hundred buildings in the city being fumigated right now.
DANNY MESSER
235, to be exact.
STELLA BONASERA
I think I got something. The damiana herb--
[FLASHBACK]
STELLA BONASERA (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
--we found in both our vic’s stomachs--
[BACK TO SCENE]
STELLA BONASERA (CONTINUED)
--was combined with Criolio, the most expensive dark chocolate money can buy.
MAC TAYLOR
Who sells it?
STELLA BONASERA
It’s not on the market yet. There’s only one company that makes the blend, and they’re premiering it this week.
MAC TAYLOR
Where?
INT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - NIGHT
MUSIC IN
INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE/CHOCOLATE FACTORY - NIGHT
[MONTAGE SEQUENCE OF FASHION SHOW, MODELS WALKING DOWN THE RUNWAY, PREPARING, DRESSING BACKSTAGE, GUESTS EATING CHOCOLATES FROM THE BUFFET TABLES]
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
Welcome to the Chocolate Style Show. For the businesswoman on the go, a white truffle suit with dark chocolate accents. This chic confection features bite-sized milk chocolates, deliciously tempting to eye and palate.
CHARLES KOHL
Go, go, go.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
Double dip into your sexy sweet tooth in this luxurious cocoa mixed with detachable and edible strawberry. Make any night a semi-sweet fantasy in chocolate cookies with cream-filled centers.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
It’s freezing in here.
STELLA BONASERA
Well, chocolate melts at blood temperature. The cold keeps their clothes on.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Very good to know. So I hear you have an inspector in-house.
STELLA BONASERA
Yeah, I think at some point she worked with Mac. They were both up for this job.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
He doesn’t mind her looking over his shoulder?
STELLA BONASERA
Actually, it’s weird. He seems to be fine with it.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Is she pretty, this inspector? I’m just saying.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
And now for the ultimate in chocolates, here’s damiana.
MAC TAYLOR
Twelve o’clock. Yellow flowers and chocolate. That’s our girl.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Hey, Project Runway. Who did your dress?
MUSIC OUT
MUSIC IN
CHARLES KOHL
The first time I mixed damiana with chocolate, it was at a party. People were having sex on the couch, on the floor--
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Charles Kohl?
CHARLES KOHL (CONTINUED)
--in the kitchen. It was a revelation. Do you care to blow your mind?
STELLA BONASERA
Care to blow yours?
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
You recognize either of those women, Mr. Kohl?
CHARLES KOHL
Never seen them before.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
You sure about that?
CHARLES KOHL
Yeah. I’m sure.
STELLA BONASERA
That’s funny. The one thing these two ladies have in common is that their last meal was your damiana chocolate.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
And since it’s not on the market yet, we were wondering how they got it.
CHARLES KOHL
Look around. I have dozens of employees and they all work here at the factory. They all had access to samples.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
We’ll need a list.
CHARLES KOHL
And you’ll need a warrant. You sure you don’t want a sample?
STELLA BONASERA
Hmm. I was taught never to take candy from strangers.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Chocolate factory aside, Charlie’s lying.
STELLA BONASERA
Yeah. Like any good designer, I’m sure he gave a few previews. Why don’t you run him through the system, see if he has any priors? Ooh. Does it blow your mind?
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - NIGHT
MUSIC OUT
QUINN SHELBY (V.O.)
You’ve got a--
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - CORRIDOR - NIGHT
QUINN SHELBY (CONTINUED)
--great team, Mac.
MAC TAYLOR
But? Nothing’s ever perfect with you, Quinn.
QUINN SHELBY
Well, Detectives Messer and Monroe. They’re obviously a little more than just coworkers.
MAC TAYLOR
I don’t get involved in my team’s personal lives.
QUINN SHELBY
Mac, I’m just giving you a heads up. As a result of what was obviously a personal exchange between Monroe and Messer, Monroe got distracted and left her evidence out, unattended. And we can all try and compartmentalize, but nobody can help the fact that sometimes life gets in the way. And, when things get messy, mistakes are made.
QUINN SHELBY (CONTINUED)
And I believe I’m quoting you on that one.
MAC TAYLOR
Point taken.
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT
MAC TAYLOR
Got your message. What’s going on?
LINDSAY MONROE
Pop quiz. What do carbon monoxide and phosphorescence have in common?
MAC TAYLOR
I suspect you’re gonna tell me.
LINDSAY MONROE
I’m gonna do you one better. I’ll show you. [LINDSAY CLIMBS INTO THE TRUNK OF A CAR] Shut it. It’s okay.
[LINDSAY USES A HANDLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK FROM INSIDE]
MAC TAYLOR
An emergency handle.
LINDSAY MONROE
It’s a perfect match to what our first vic had--
[FLASHBACK]
LINDSAY MONROE (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
--clenched in her hand.
[BACK TO SCENE]
LINDSAY MONROE (CONTINUED)
It’s a thermal plastic polymer with a thioxanthene dye mixed in to make it fluoresce.
MAC TAYLOR
So, Chrissy Watson was transported in the trunk of a car.
LINDSAY MONROE
In a Lincoln or Ford sedan built after 2002. That’s the only kind of car with this specific kind of handle. Maybe Louise Perry was transported in a car as well. That would explain the carbon monoxide poisoning.
MAC TAYLOR
Saturation levels of CO were abnormally high in both vics. Car would have had to have been modified so that the exhaust pumped directly into the trunk and somehow the trunk was sealed to contain the gas.
LINDSAY MONROE
And maybe that worked with Louise Perry. But something happened with Chrissy Watson. She didn’t get enough CO.
MAC TAYLOR
She woke up.
[REENACTMENT]
MUSIC IN
MAC TAYLOR (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
Grabbed the trunk handle. When the killer saw the trunk open, he went back and finished the job.
LINDSAY MONROE (V.O.)
And that would explain the strangulation marks.
[BACK TO SCENE]
MUSIC OUT
MAC TAYLOR
The M.O. on both vics was the same, but with Chrissy he made a mistake.
LINDSAY MONROE
Good thing she held onto the evidence.
MAC TAYLOR
Which I hear you may have left unattended.
LINDSAY MONROE
What?
MAC TAYLOR
You were in the lab with Danny? Inspector Shelby.
[FLASHBACK]
MUSIC IN/OUT
[BACK TO SCENE]
LINDSAY MONROE
Oh, but Danny was right there. I mean, I’m sure that he put it away. Oh, that’s a bad excuse, Mac. I’m sorry. I know it’s my responsibility. I know we’re talking about evidence that could convict somebody of murder.
MAC TAYLOR
Lindsay, tell you the truth, I’m more concerned about you.
LINDSAY MONROE
I’m okay, Mac.
MAC TAYLOR
You put up a good front, but whatever is or is not going on between you and Danny you cannot let it affect your job.
LINDSAY MONROE
I should never have gotten involved with somebody I work with. It was stupid. Really stupid.
MUSIC IN
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - LAYOUT ROOM - NIGHT
[MONTAGE SEQUENCE - HAWKES AND DANNY PROCESS PAPER TAKEN FROM LOUISE PERRY’S NAILS]
MUSIC OUT
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
This paper that Sid recovered from the vic’s nails has letters on it. I think this one says, “Rights” or “Ritz” maybe.
DANNY MESSER
Maybe’s no good. You gotta be exact, okay, ‘cause we’re under observation.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Come on, man. She’s cool.
DANNY MESSER
No, I know, I know. I just, uh, feel like I’m in detention or something, you know. I think this one might say “obey.”
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
I was never that good at Wheel of Fortune.
DANNY MESSER
[CHUCKLES] It’s real easy, Doc. You just gotta keep buying the vowels. Maybe our vic scratched this off from wherever she was being held.
[REENACTMENT]
[TO NEW SCENE]
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - CORRIDOR/MAC’S OFFICE - DAY
REED GARRETT
Hey, Mac. I thought you said I was gonna be your first call.
[CLOSE ON NEWSPAPER HEADLINE, “SERIAL KILLER INVESTIGATION”]
REED GARRETT (CONTINUED)
After we talked yesterday, I updated my blog. I told people that I have a confidential source that was keeping me in the loop. My hit counter is off the charts. People are craving information about this case and now I look like an idiot.
MAC TAYLOR
This story didn’t come from me.
REED GARRETT
Yeah, but they have information about this then that means you must have known. I trusted you.
MAC TAYLOR
Look, you shouldn’t have promised something you couldn’t deliver.
REED GARRETT
This is my career we’re talking about.
MAC TAYLOR
Reed. Your expectations of our relationship do not and will never dictate when or with whom I reveal evidence in a murder case, is that clear?
REED GARRETT
Yes.
MAC TAYLOR
There are worse things in being scooped. Two women were murdered.
REED GARRETT
Yeah, and I wanna write about ‘em. Okay, who they are. What their families are going through, who’s responsible. I--.
MUSIC IN
MAC TAYLOR
When I have something worth writing about, I’ll let you know.
[KNOCKING ON GLASS]
QUINN SHELBY
Mac, I know I am just here to evaluate your team and your lab and what you’re investigating--.
MAC TAYLOR
[CLEARS THROAT] Is this, uh, about Detective Monroe again?
QUINN SHELBY
No. It’s about the CO poisoning of your vics, Chrissy Watson and Louise Perry. Seemed familiar. So I called my lab. A colleague of mine had a case about three months ago. A body washed up on the Jersey shore. The vic’s name was Ben Melvoy. He was an attorney. He had carbon monoxide poisoning and he was found wrapped in a fumigation tarp.
MAC TAYLOR
A male vic who’s not a real estate agent. Inconsistent with our killer’s M.O.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE/STREETS - DAY
INT. M.E.’S OFFICE - AUTOPSY ROOM - DAY
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
So I emptied the stomach contents, and didn’t find any additional skin.
MAC TAYLOR
So let’s go inside the intestine.
MUSIC IN
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Right.
[MONTAGE SEQUENCE - HAWKES USES A PROBE TO LOOK INSIDE THE SHARK’S INTESTINAL TRACT, FINDS PIECES OF HUMAN SKIN WITH SIMILAR MARKINGS. MAC PUTS THE PIECES BACK TOGETHER.]
[HIGHLIGHT OF MARKINGS TO REVEAL “L2729”]
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - A/V LAB - DAY
[CLOSE ON DISPLAY OF MARKINGS]
STELLA BONASERA
L2729.
MUSIC OUT
MAC TAYLOR
Its tearing around the wounds’ edges is consistent with some kind of jagged implement.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Found trace in the laceration. It’s slate.
[FLASHBACK]
DR. SHELDON HAWKES (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
Matches the gravestone Lindsay found on the first vic’s clothes.
[BACK TO SCENE]
DR. SHELDON HAWKES (CONTINUED)
She’s running a more detailed analysis, see if we can date the stone. L
QUINN SHELBY
So the killer used gravestone to carve these.
STELLA BONASERA
Or at least something made of the same kind of material. But why?
MAC TAYLOR
Whatever the reason, this is the strongest physical evidence linking our killer to the vics.
[ND TECH HANDS A FILE TO STELLA]
MAC TAYLOR (CONTINUED)
Hawkes, follow up with Lindsay on the trace.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Uh-huh.
MAC TAYLOR
Stella, run an image search. Scan every database. Go outside the perimeters of the lab if you have to. I wanna know what made these marks and what L2729 means.
STELLA BONASERA
We might have someone who can answer that. Charles Kohl. The guy who makes damiana. Flack checked him out.
STELLA BONASERA (CONTINUED)
In 2005 the German government issued a red letter on him through Interpol.
MAC TAYLOR
Wire fraud, outstanding civil judgment for sexual harassment.
STELLA BONASERA
He also lied about knowing Chrissy Watson. Charles signed the visitor log at her open house the day she was killed.
MUSIC IN
MAC TAYLOR
Maybe Charles has more than one signature.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY BRIDGE/SKYLINE/STREET - DAY
INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE/CHOCOLATE FACTORY - DAY
MUSIC OUT
[WALLA]
[CHARLES KOHL AND WORKERS MAKE CHOCOLATE]
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Mr. Kohl around?
MUSIC IN
[CHARLES KNOCKS OVER A ROLLING TRAY OF CHOCOLATES AS HE RUNS, FLACK FOLLOWS. KOHL RUNS INTO STELLA, WHO KICKS HIM TO THE GROUND.]
STELLA BONASERA
How’s that for a sample, huh?
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Let’s go.
EXT. NYPD - DAY
INT. NYPD - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
MUSIC OUT
STELLA BONASERA
You signed in at an open house held by Chrissy Watson.
CHARLES KOHL
No, I didn’t.
STELLA BONASERA
Oh, yes, you did. Your signature.
CHARLES KOHL
I looked at an apartment, huh? So what?
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
You lied to us, that’s what.
STELLA BONASERA
You were Chrissy’s last client the day she died. What happened?
CHARLES KOHL
I’m in the market for a $5 million apartment. I have real estate agents all over me. She was pressuring me to go see a place.
MUSIC IN
[REENACTMENT]
CHRISSY WATSON
You know, I don’t usually make appointments in the evening. But, given that this place is absolutely perfect for you. You deserve this, Charles. You need it. What’s it gonna take for me to make this sale?
CHARLES KOHL
You know, I have some ideas.
CHRISSY WATSON
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY] Stop it. What, what are you doing?
CHARLES KOHL
You wanna make this sale or not? Huh?
CHRISSY WATSON
Get your hands off of me or I will call the police. Oh, get off of me.
[BACK TO SCENE]
CHARLES KOHL
She was sending me mixed signals is what she was doing.
STELLA BONASERA
Yeah, I bet.
CHARLES KOHL
I left. I never saw her again.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Louise Perry. Was she sending you mixed signals, Charles? She’s dead. Murdered. Just like Chrissy. She also had some of your exclusive, not on the market yet, chocolate just before she died.
CHARLES KOHL
I never met this woman before.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
How about this guy? Lawyer from Jersey. You ever been to Jersey?
STELLA BONASERA
Maybe three months ago?
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
MUSIC OUT
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - A/V LAB - DAY
LINDSAY MONROE
I identified the additional trace in Chrissy Watson’s lacerations. Sycamore and ash, rich in copper, zinc and silicon.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Those last components are major players in the ash from September 11 there was a story in the paper a couple days later about a sycamore tree that fell on some church. The branches actually protected the structure from the debris and ash. And I think, yeah, I think there was a graveyard there.
LINDSAY MONROE
So whatever our killer used to carve those lacerations could be from the graveyard at that church.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Yeah. Let’s find that church.
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - CORRIDOR/MAC’S OFFICE - DAY
QUINN SHELBY
I’ve completed my evaluation of the lab. Aside from the anomaly I observed with Detective Monroe, your team’s ability to follow protocol exceeds the established standards. I’ll recommend reaccreditation to the Board.
MAC TAYLOR
That’s it. You’re done? I thought these things usually take at least week. th. And
QUINN SHELBY
Is that an invitation for me to stay?
MAC TAYLOR
You were always good at that.
QUINN SHELBY
What?
MAC TAYLOR
Flirting.
QUINN SHELBY
[CHUCKLES] I can’t help it. I still have a thing for you. Why didn’t you ever call me?
MAC TAYLOR
Quinn, I was married.
QUINN SHELBY
It was just a kiss, Mac. I know. A moment of weakness.
MAC TAYLOR
It was a mistake. I loved my wife.
QUINN SHELBY
Don’t I know it. Every day I worked alongside you, you never let me forget that.
MAC TAYLOR
It wasn’t my intention to make things difficult.
QUINN SHELBY
You know, I’ve thought about this moment so many times, about what I would say to you when I finally got the chance. And here I am and all I keep thinking is, does he ever wonder what if?
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Mac, we got a lead on the gravestone trace. It came from St. Angelo’s Church.
MAC TAYLOR
All right. Be right there. Quinn, no matter how good they are, some memories need to be forgotten.
QUINN SHELBY
I get it.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
EXT. ST. ANGELO’S CHURCH/GRAVEYARD - DAY
STELLA BONASERA
Hey, I ran a search on L2729. Unfortunately, our letter/number combo is used a 101 ways, and counting. Did you guys find anything here?
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Any of these gravestones could be the source of what the killer used to carve his vics.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Showed photos of the vics to the priest. Doesn’t recognize ‘em. Neither do any of the other daily guests out there.
STELLA BONASERA
And why here? What does this place have to do with these murders?
MAC TAYLOR
Maybe the killer’s a member of the congregation.
STELLA BONASERA
Okay. Well, too bad we don’t have a name or a photo.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
How can someone kill three people and not leave a piece of themselves behind?
MAC TAYLOR
Flack, I want a list of anyone who attends services or uses the church as sanctuary.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
I’ll see what I can do.
STELLA BONASERA
The killer’s M.O. doesn’t add up. First he kills Ben Melvoy, the attorney from New Jersey. And then three months go by and he kills Chrissy Watson then Louise Perry, the two real estate agents.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Yeah, I’m not seeing how this guy’s picking his vics. None of this makes sense.
MAC TAYLOR
We’re dealing with a psychopath. A predator who takes what he wants and doesn’t need a reason for doing it. We may never know why. Our job is to find out the who.
STELLA BONASERA
So we go back to the evidence.
MAC TAYLOR
Hawkes, I want samples of every one of these gravestones. If any of ‘em match, I wanna know it.
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
I’m on it.
MAC TAYLOR
Ride back?
STELLA BONASERA
Yeah, sure.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET IN FRONT OF ST. ANGELO’S CHURCH - DAY
STELLA BONASERA
L2729, it’s so specific. I mean, he carved it in both his vics. But narrowing down its meaning is nearly impossible.
[MAC WATCHES TWO HOMELESS MEN FIGHTING OVER A BAG AT A BUS STOP]
HOMELESS MAN #1
Come on.
HOMELESS MAN #2
It’s my bag.
INT. MAC’S TRUCK - DAY (CONTINUOUS)
STELLA BONASERA
Look. Just to name a few. It’s the name of a chapter of International Firefighters. The name of an ingredient in skin care. The size of a bracket used in aircraft manufacturing. You know, this code or message or whatever it is doesn’t mean anything. I mean, it’s some random part in a, in a game.
[MAC SEES A BILLBOARD ON A BUS STOP ADVERTISING, “TRUST ME! CHRISSY WATSON, REAL ESTATE AGENT.”]
MAC TAYLOR
Hold that thought.
[POLICE SIREN]
MUSIC IN
STELLA BONASERA
Chrissy Watson?
[MAC REVERSES HIS TRUCK]
STELLA BONASERA (CONTINUED)
Mac!
MAC TAYLOR
I know how he picks ‘em.
[MAC POINTS AT THE FIRST BUS STOP WHERE A BILLBOARD OF BEN MELVOY IS ADVERTISED, “I’LL TAKE CARE OF YOU. BEN MELVOY, ATTORNEY AT LAW.”]
STELLA BONASERA
Ben Melvoy. Two vic’s ads on the same street. It can’t be a coincidence.
[MAC DRIVES HIS AVALANCHE DOWN THE STREET, LOOKING FOR MORE BILLBOARDS]
STELLA BONASERA
It’s Louise Perry. The second vic we found on Rockaway.
MAC TAYLOR
He picked the ads with faces and phone numbers.
[CLOSE ON LOUISE’S BILLBOARD, “LOUISE PERRY, REAL ESTATE AGENT, “COME HOME WITH ME!”]
MAC TAYLOR (CONTINUED)
“Come home with me.” The ones who offered something better, some kind of sanctuary.
STELLA BONASERA
And if our killer started back at the church.
MAC TAYLOR
Moving north. The ads are in order with time of death.
[FLASHBACK]
MAC TAYLOR (V.O.) (CONTINUED)
First Ben Melvoy, next Chrissy Watson, then Louise Perry.”
[BACK TO SCENE]
MAC TAYLOR (CONTINUED)
If our theory’s right, the next victim’s ad should be up ahead.
STELLA BONASERA
I don’t know, Mac. I’m not seeing anymore personalized ads. Maybe there’s only three vics.
MAC TAYLOR
Stella.
STELLA BONASERA
P.J. Davis. If he’s picking them off in order, then--.
MAC TAYLOR
She could be his next target.
MUSIC OUTEND OF ACT THREE
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS/INT. MAC’S AVALANCHE - DAY
MUSIC IN
STELLA BONASERA
[INTO CELL PHONE] Hey, Flack. P.J. Davis isn’t picking up the phone. Great. Great. Give it to me. Okay, got it.
MAC TAYLOR
You get an address?
STELLA BONASERA
Yeah. 2352 Park Ave. It’s her last open house of the day.
EXT. BROWNSTONE - DAY
INT. BROWNSTONE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
PJ DAVIS
May I help you?
MATT COOPER
Yeah. I saw your sign outside. I love these old places. I just want to take a quick look around.
PJ DAVIS
Sorry, hon. I only show by appointment.
MATT COOPER
I’ll be quick.
PJ DAVIS
All right. This place has a bedroom to die for.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - DAY
[POLICE SIRENS/HORN]
STELLA BONASERA
Come on.
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - TRACE LAB - DAY
DANNY MESSER
I’m not getting anywhere on the stuff under the vic’s fingernails.
LINDSAY MONROE
Maybe it’s not the words. What about the adhesive?
DANNY MESSER
The adhesive was, um, pressuresensitive. It’s removable.
LINDSAY MONROE
And given the emergency handle it was probably on a Lincoln or a Ford.
DANNY MESSER
Why would someone put a removable sticker inside a car?
MUSIC OUT
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - DAY
MUSIC IN
[MATT COOPER RUNS TO THE STREET, HAILS A CAB]
MATT COOPER
Taxi! [WHISTLES] Taxi. Come on, man.
[MAC PARKS HIS AVALANCHE AT THE CURB, HE AND STELLA ENTER THE BROWNSTONE]
MATT COOPER (CONTINUED)
Come on. Come on.
MAC TAYLOR
The door’s open.
PJ DAVIS
Can I help you?
INT. NEW YORK CRIME LAB - TRACE LAB - DAY
LINDSAY MONROE
Okay. Using the keywords “obey” and “rights,” we’re searching for stickers that were issued by the city to drivers. Looks like they were all required to pay a fee, for this.
DANNY MESSER
The Taxicab Passenger Bill of Rights.
LINDSAY MONROE
That’s what was under the victim’s nails. Every cabbie’s required to put one in the backseat. Tells the passengers what their rights are. You know, air conditioning, seatbelts that work. People see this every day, but they never pay attention to it.
DANNY MESSER
Mac. The stuff underneath the vic’s fingernails, it’s from the Taxicab Passenger Bill of Rights.
EXT. BROWNSTONE - DAY
MATT COOPER
Taxi? Stop. Going to 29
INT. BROWNSTONE - DAY
STELLA BONASERA
So the vics were in the cab.
MAC TAYLOR
Once they were inside--
INTERCUT WITH -
th and Lex.INT. CAB - DAY
MAC TAYLOR (V.O.)
(V.O.) the killer had them trapped. The cab’s rigged (ON CAMERA) so that CO emissions from the tailpipe pour into the backseat.
MATT COOPER
Hey. The windows, man. A little fresh air? [COUGHS] Hey. Hey, just pull over. [THE BACKSEAT DOORS ARE LOCKED] Just, hey. [COUGHS]
MAC TAYLOR
(V.O.) Once the vics realize (ON CAMERA) there was something wrong, they tried to escape.
MATT COOPER
Hey! Hey, man! Hey! Pull over!
MAC TAYLOR
(V.O.) He watched them (ON CAMERA) beg for their lives.
[MATT IS OVERCOME BY THE FUMES AND DIES IN THE BACKSEAT OF THE CAB]
MUSIC OUT
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - DAY
EXT. ROCKAWAY BEACH - DAY
MUSIC IN
[WALLA]
[HAWKES AND ND TECHS BRING A TARPCOVERED MATT COOPER ONTO THE BEACH. FLACK, MAC AND REED WALK TO THE SCENE.]
REED GARRETT
I really appreciate this.
CABBIE (V.O.)
(WHISPERS INAUDIBLY)
DR. SHELDON HAWKES
Same marks. They look postmortem. Mac, it looks like we’re dealing with the same M.O.
MAC TAYLOR
I want every cab checked. Background checks on the drivers and I want their trip logs.
DETECTIVE DON FLACK
Mac, there are 11,000 cabs in this city.
MAC TAYLOR
Our killer’s a cabdriver. Any New Yorker could be his next victim.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - DAY
[MONTAGE SEQUENCE OF CABS ON THE STREETS]
TO BLACK
MUSIC OUT
SHOW TITLE
FADE OUT
THEME MUSIC IN
CLOSING CREDITS
MUSIC OUT
MAC TAYLOR (V.O.)
Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.
THE END - EPISODE #417 TRT – 41:11
