Numb3rs s01e07 Episode Script
Counterfeit Reality
What do you got, Ray? We're looking for two perps with|machine guns for a triple homicide.
They went on a cash-grabbing spree,six|stores in less than a half-hour.
So they knew what were they after.
Well, you'd think,but take a look at the targets:got|a shoe store, a CD store,jewelry store, an electronics I mean, they blew right past the|bank and a check-cashing place.
That's unusual.
This jewelry store was the last stop.
Opened fire as they fled the scene.
We'd love to help you, Ray.
I mean, it's not exactly a federal case.
Actually, we got a video|from four of the stores.
Picture's pretty much|useless.
We need it bumped up.
What are you talking about?LAPD's|got a great crime lab.
Yeah, but the FBI's got your|brother the math professor.
My brother? One of our techs read about some video enhancement program|he's involved with at the university.
We were kind of hoping We all use math every day every day to forecast weather to tell time to handle money.
.
to handle money We also use math to analyze|crime analyze crime reveal patterns reveal patterns predict behavior behavior.
Using numbers, we can solve|the biggest mysteries we know.
Here's a still from the camera in|the jewelry store; low-res digital.
Most surveillance cameras don't retain|enough information to blow up clearly.
When we zoom in- we can't.
The information's just not there.
But Charlie provided me|with a predictive algorithm.
A mathematical equation to help the|computer guess at what's between the dots.
Extrapolations of information|based on the surrounding pixels.
In fact, the equation looks|a little something like this.
Wow.
You don't really care|about the equation.
Let's just say we can't|fully appreciate it.
How long to enhance all the footage? We're halfway done, so we'll have|a fl-play version in an ho or two.
Okay.
That's a Steyr TMP automatic.
That's an expensive weapon.
Mm-mm.
And look at|the watch- Bell & Ross.
There's got to be, what, at least a half a million|dollars in jewels in those cases and they pass it up It helps out my thrill-kill theory.
Excuse me.
Thrill killers get a rush|off of fear and chaos.
These two appear|deliberate and organized.
They've have a plan.
|They're after something.
- Yeah, but if it's not for money and it's not for kicks|- Right, we'll be right there.
We've got another crime scene.
Shell casings match|a Steyr TMP automatic.
Crime scene's over there.
Wait.
Hold on a sec.
Looks like someone went|on a shopping spree: iPods, tennis shoes, a watch This is one of the stores that was hit.
Wait a minute.
These, too.
- All cash transactions?|- Yeah, it's cash.
Yeah.
Same here.
Eppes.
Hey.
I found something|interesting on the video.
Several hours before the crimes at every single|store that's robbed,two teenage boys appear.
Whatere they doing? Shopping.
Shopping? Wait a minute.
Hold on a second.
Two teenagers they're male, white, got one|with spiky blonde hair,the other with a goatee? Tell me you already have them.
You could say that.
The two ad boys are Chris and Jason|Miller.
They're brothers, 19 and 16.
M.
E.
puts their death at about 2:00 P.
M.
So that's what, like a half an hour before|the robberies took place.
We'll have to wait for Forensics|to confirm it,but it seems like We got two kids shopping the same stores|that were robbed, between 10:00 and noon.
d they're both dead by 2:00.
Chris borrowed $300|last month for his car.
He paid me back last night.
- In cash?|- Mm-hmm.
Do you mind?Thank you.
Where'd he get it? They're teenagers.
They don't tell me anything.
Poker? Poker, maybe? It'll be returned,as soon as we're|sure it's not connected in any way.
Did either of them have jobs? Chris, my oldest,he's been working|at a movie studio in North Hollywood.
Where'd you hear that? I don't know if I'd|call us a movie studio.
Couple of low-budget|productions rented space here.
Mainly we got manufacturing;we got|wrought iron, got a box company.
Chris' mother said he|worked here for four months.
Yeah, pretty good worker, too.
But now I|gotta drive all the way in from Duarte.
Oh, yeah, must be tough on you, huh? Hey, hey, I am sorry about|that kid, but problems go on.
See, last night, one of my tenants bailed on me,no|notice, no nothing I don't need this in my life.
Sorry to disturb you.
You say your tenants moved|out in the middle of the night? And then the kid who works|here was killed the next day.
What kind of operation went on here? They put out a newsletter, I think.
Never read it, just saw|therinting equipment.
You knew them? You dealt with|them face-to-face? Uh, no.
Actually, Chris dealt with them.
I never met 'em.
You got something? Not sure.
at is that, ink? Could be.
Got a piece of paper? Yeah.
Look at this.
It's paper, but feels like fabric.
Got a cotton-linen feel to it.
Let me see.
It's weird.
This is shiny.
You better put in a|call to Secret Service.
You're right.
It's counterfeit.
See the watermarks? Yeah.
Sure.
You shouldn't, under|an ultraviolet light.
Paper's another giveaway.
Someone have a genuine bill? - Yeah.
Here you go.
|- Great.
Thanks.
There you go.
You see the difference? It's pretty goodork, though.
Most of us at the Secret Service are|dealing with poor quality counterfeits.
We call 'em "P-notes.
" They're actually printed|on home computers.
That actually works? Dark|restaurant,busy grocery store.
You'd be surprised.
This is a different game, though.
This is old school,engraving|and printing.
Paper's got good feel, magnetic ink.
Magnetic? Real bills employ|different magnetic inks.
That's how a bank's sorters|distinguish different denominations.
Our guys are old-school philosophy|and state-of-the-art technology.
Our guys? The Secret Service has|been tracking this crew.
They've resurfaced periodically|over the last five years.
- The tip-off is the|denomination.
- Hey Most counterfeiters print 50s and|hundreds.
Higher return, right? Yeah, and higher risk.
Big bills get more scrutiny.
These guys are conservative and patient.
They|only print small bills and they never spend How do they profit if|they don't spend the bills? Well, they can sell them in bulk.
They can lay|off a million of these and get $300,000, $400,000.
Yeah, usually to gangs or other criminal|enterprises,who then use it to fund more crime.
No, they're hand-rendered by an|artist,then the engraving process begins.
Someone actually draws these? You've been tracking these guys for|five years.
You must have active suspects.
Not yet,no.
We'll, uh, we'll run a search,tell banks to keep an eye out for|bills with a similar serial range and maybe this time we'll get lucky.
You don't sound optimistic.
These guys have been beating our playbook|since before I inherited the case.
We'll work the money.
I think you should work|the homicides separately.
It's actually Grounded Theory.
This problem screams for|a case-oriented approach.
Excuse me? In Grounded Theory,the homicides would have|one solution,the counterfeiting another.
In a case-oriented approach,the homicides become a variable|set interacting in some complex manner with the counterfeiting Can I have a word with you? Sure.
Can you explain to me what your brother isoing|in a federal office,wandering into the middle of Well, first of all,he happens to be a Bureau-approved|consultant,and second of all,this seems like Okay, you still could have|briefed me ahead of time.
Come on.
I don't think|this is about my brother.
All right.
That's fair.
So I guess you left Albuquerque.
Yeah.
I left Albuquerque.
Look,your mom got sick.
You had to move|back home.
I've always understood that.
Well, look, let's just|focus on the work, okay? That was never a problem, was it? Chris Miller discovers they're printing|counterfeit,he steals some money.
He and his brother|decide to go shopping.
Bad guys find out, kill the brothers,rob|ba the phony cash to coverheir tracks.
Right, so they're thorough and ruthless.
I don't know.
The counterfeiters'M.
O.
- small bills, patience-that|suggests someone older, experienced,someone who lays low.
- Yeah, not our|gunmen.
- Mm-mm.
They got high-end watches, weapons.
I think we're dealing|with a multi-person crew.
Yeah, and a multi|- personality crew.
A group like that won't last|long,too much internal friction.
Kim says she thinks they've been working|together something like five years.
Well, maybe the younger guys are|working with an older counterfeiter.
That'd be a good place to start.
- Speaking of Agent Hall,everything okay with you guys?|- Yeah.
- Couldn't help noticing.
|- No, it's just a little interagency politics.
- They're all worked out.
|- All right.
See you tomorrow.
Okay.
Hello? Hello.
Hey.
What are you doing? I'm running a comparison between the counterfeit bills you found earlier|today and the older bills that that Secret Service agent lady gave us.
There's a possibility that the small differences|may yield some data about their current operation.
By the way, I did not mean|to cause a problem earlier.
You don't have to apologize r anything.
Agent Hall and I are are I mean, we worked it out.
So You know if I left a box of stuff here? What kind of stuff? It's just this one box in particular.
When I moved back from Albuquerque,I thought|I got everything, but it's not in my apartment.
I can't remember where I put it.
You check the garage? Yeah.
That you, Dad? Hey, let me get the door.
You must have some kind of sixth sense.
I buy rib-eye, and|you just materialize.
Well, actually You say rib-eye? Yeah.
With, like, a baked potato? Oh, very nice, Charlie.
How long is this going to be? This is just for a few days.
I needed to look at this|as soon as I possiblcould.
Now, the spiral patterns in money are|based on a technique called guilloche.
It's like a wheel within a wheel within a wheel;a pattern|created by the additions and multiplications of nested sine waves.
Same was used by Faberge to|create those little famous eggs.
Well, that explains it.
What does this have to do with the case? I think they have a new artist.
In fact, I'm sure of it.
How can you tell that? I've been running a wavelet analysis|of these spirals I'm talking about.
Mathematicians at Dartmouth use a similar process|to test authenticity of masterpiece paintings.
Here, look it Ten dollars.
Right?Now we don't often think about|it,but someone must've drawn this design, right? You're right.
I want you to think of that|artist as a runner on the beach.
He's leaving footprints,which|record every decision he makes; faster, slower, closer to|the water,farther away Now these are counterfeit bills.
A second artist trying|to copy the original a second runner.
Now, when that second runner tries to follow|the exact path as the first,it's impossible.
Even if he's being careful,he can't match the|footprints without leaving evidence of himself.
Different foot size, different|stride-that's how you spot a forgery.
And when a third runner tries to match the footprints,he'll|leave evidence as well,but in a different way These two counterfeit bills|have two different footprints Hence the new artist.
- You find that artist|- Charlie,we can't find the counterfeiter,let alone the artist.
You keep on saying he's|an artist, this guy.
He's not really an artist,|is he?He's more like a copier.
It's actually, it's more like being able to|draw,you know, say, the Mona Lisa,freehand.
Oh, I see.
What I can do now, Don,is to take this|initial comparative analysis and Hey, David, it's Don.
Look, I want to expand the search, okay?Not|just counterfeiters, but art forgers.
- Eight art forgers fit our profile.
|- Great.
- There's another case you need to look at.
It stuck with me because it happened in Venice,in my neighborhood.
|- Right.
It was the weapons used that really|caught my attention.
A dy was abducted One Margo Hughes.
Confronted by to men armed with what|the LAPD report describes as "exotic machine pistols.
" - Just like our guys in|Steyr-TMPs.
- I think so.
- All right,I'll borrow this.
Thanks.
|- Okay.
You think my wife's abduction|had something to do with her art? It's an angle we're investigating.
These are some of her pieces right here.
You mind? No, go ahead.
Your wife did reproductions.
Yeah, she calls it her|"Miniaturist Phase.
" Reduces classic portraits to|see if their power survives.
Incredible detail These are what, ink? Done freehand.
Margo's amazing like that.
Look, what's going on? - We're hoping to compare some of your wife's reproducons|- We'd like to borrow some of your wife's work,if that's okay.
I'll personally take responsibility that|you'll get it back and it'll be safe.
Yeah.
Look, you're here to pick out samples,not|talk about an open investigation.
- Poor guy.
He seemed so upset.
|- Yeah, well, he's a potential suspect, Charlie.
Something bothering you? No.
Nothing's bothering me.
Something seems to be bothering you.
Yeah, well, there's|nothing bothering me.
I've compared Margo's work|to the counterfeit $10 bills.
These are two dimensional represtations of a|multi-dimensional graph actually plotted in 72 dimensions.
Just simplify it, okay?Just|put it in layman's terms.
Bottom line-I've made comparisons with the works|of over a dozen known forgers and counterfeiters.
None of them had any similarities.
But these graphs match.
They're identical.
Margo Hughes drew this ten-dollar bill.
I mean, she has been|missing for three weeks.
Okay, and as far as we know,they've|only introduce their ten.
If they follow pattern,|they'll release a 20 soon.
What's your guesstimate of how long|it would take to draw one of these 20s? Hard to say,but if I were Margo|Hughes,I'd be taking my time.
- As soon as they're done with her|- She becomes a liability.
They'll have no choice but to kill her.
That's what I'm thinking.
ok,?is the counterfeiters kidnapped Margo Hughes|to get her to make a template to make phony money.
Right? All agreed? Now my problem is if we don't break some kind of lead soon|and find these guys,I don't think we're saving this woman.
Great.
Thanks.
Okay, we told banks to watch for the|bogus tens.
They've been showing up.
We have Bakersfield, San|Bernardino and Palm Springs.
That's great.
So we find out who's spending it|and work our way back,the same way we work drugs The problem is, the banks can't link|the bills to a specific depositor.
They're in circulation and|there's no way to trace them.
People shop Patterns can be|quantified into equations.
The Secret Service and the Treasury Department|have been working on this problem for decades.
Predicting money flow,tracing counterfeit in|circulation-it's unpredictable; there are too many variables.
at makes it challenging, not impossible.
Right now,|the dispersal seems fairly contained.
And that works Then what do you need from us? Data.
Lots of it.
Everything from where these bills are turning up|- and not just from banks,from stores, from restaurants, I'd like to follow the|evidence from the warehouse.
The lab was able to reconstruct an ink sample|from the scrapings you took off the floor.
- All right.
Good.
|- Let me get you a list of known counterfeiters.
I find that even the one's who're retired|tend to keep up on the latest technology.
We're looking for|counterfeit ten dollar bills.
Now, they've shown up in three geographic|clusters.
We're gog to isolate the one in San Bernardino.
That means checking into grocery stores, gas|stations,restaurants, just door-to-door canvassing.
The bills you're looking|for are good, not perfect.
This sheet details some of the|differences to help you ID them.
Find a bill, call it|in immediately, please.
The more we find, the faster we find them,the better our|chances of figuring out where the next ones will come from.
And I know I don't need to reiterate this,but|there is a 24-year-old woman's life at stake here.
So let's go.
Thank you.
You can move your San Bernardino search grid|south of Foothill and west of Mount Vernon.
Okay? Exactly.
Yeah.
Bye.
Charlie, I wish I understood|what we're doing here.
It's a probability algorithm.
That doesn't help me.
The bills start at|zero-zero-the counterfeiters.
We start here- point XY.
As we locate each bill,we get a better idea|of the dispersion,a better idea of where Right.
You're not going to|look in the next room Or certainly not on the|ceiling, or in the parking lot.
So the more bills you find in a given|area,the closer you are to the counterfeiters? It's not just the number of bills.
I assign values based on the purchases.
So, for instance, two or three bills showing up in a tire shop|may hold less significance than a single bill in a corner market.
Someone may travel way|across town for tires.
But a quart of milk, carton of|cigarettes,that they'd get closer to home.
I think we both get it.
Yes.
You and your brher are a lot alike.
You think so? Most people can't get|over how different we are.
Well, yeah, the interests are pretty different,but the approach-this|one part exuberance, two parts obsession-that's pretty much When Don and I first moved in together,we had to|have separate CD racks because I never put mine You and Don lived together? In Albuquerque.
You didn't know? He didn't You know, we lost|touch for a while, so He may very well have told|me,um, but, uh, you know what? I didn't put that Kim together|with, uh, you know,you, Kim.
Aw, it's all right.
I know how Don is.
Eddie Zakarian? Counterfeiting, right? Anytime I see a Fed badge,I know it's|not about undercollecting sales tax.
I guess that comes from having|a criminal record like yours.
No, it comes from having been|one of the best in the business.
But I'm not in the business anymore.
Haven't been for 25 years.
You people need to put it|in a newsletter or something.
What do we have to thank for|this inspirational rehabilitation? Fatherhood.
Keeps you out of prison.
These two yours? Yeah.
Goes back a way though,different time.
Before everybody in the world|had a computer,became a printer.
What do you make of this? Nice.
Near perfect.
It's O.
V.
I.
O.
V.
I.
? Optically variable ink.
Takes three different|inks to print money, right? Black for the front, green for the back and then there's this|- O.
V.
I.
It changes color from green to|black,depending on how you look at it.
Who could've mixed it? Other than me? Try Marty Blanchard.
It'd explain why s shop's|got so much new equipment.
Mm.
What? His name came out pretty fast.
Oh, I'm sorry-honor|among thieves, right? Listen, back in the day,who do|you think gave me up, anyway? What goes around comes around.
Um, you know, I'm, I'm|beginning to wonder, uh, if I properly weiged|the exchange velocity Look, don't, don't do that.
Don't second|- guess yourself.
Every time we tighten the search grids, more|bills show up.
So jt be patient, all right? Just sit tight, let|us do our job, please.
So you and, uh you and Kim, Kim Kim and you Yeah.
Is that a, um that a serious thing? Yeah.
Seems kind of weird I|didn't know about it.
I don't know who you|dated three years ago.
I got a hit.
Dive bar in our San Bernadino grid.
Cash register turned up|seven of our counterfeits.
- Seven?! - I'm|sorry- seven?! Yeah.
Statistically, one or two bills fit into the pattern sprea|Someone with seven, spending them in a local neighborhood Guy drops 70 bucks in a dive bar,he's either buying rounds|for the house,or he's wasted off his ass.
Either way, he's Right the first time.
Bartender said he remembered a regular guy in last|night, buying everybody drinks, playing Mr.
Big Shot Lance Cummings.
I'm gonna pay Mr.
Cummings a visit.
I'll take the ride.
- You sit tight, all right?|- Sure.
Hey, Charlie? You sure you want to be|looking through that stuff? Dad,do you recognize this lady? Uh, yeah, it's Kim, isn't it? That's Kim Hall.
Yeah.
She and Don lived together in New Mexico|and, uh, he never told me about it.
Well, you know your brother.
Yeah.
'52 Ford, right? Fifty-three.
My dad had an old one when I was a kid.
Same engine, four-barrel carb He shouldn't have gotten rid of it.
Do you want something? Oh, yeah, sorry.
I'm, uh, Agent Eppes with the FBI.
This is Agent Hall.
You were around Wiley's last night? Mighta been Some counterfeit money showed up|in the register.
Ten-dollar bills.
Bartender seemed to notice|you spending ten-dollar bills.
That bartender was drunker than I was.
I had nothing but twenties.
I|remember 'cause I, uh, I just hit the ATM.
- Yeah?|- Yeah.
Okay.
He got on the phone 30|seconds after you left.
Kevin, what the hell|are you thinking, man? You paid me with counterfeit! What're you talking about? The FBI was just here.
All right.
Don't do anything stupid.
You calling me stupid,|you son of a bitch?! So, after two minutes and 48 seconds of profanity,the upshot|is that Cummings and two other guys hijacked a truck full And the guy who hired them|to pull the hijacking job Paid them with counterfeit.
Right.
The guy he's talking to|- Kevin Kevin Merriman.
He's done time|for extortion,interstate fraud.
He's a real|jack-of-all-trades.
We traced his number.
It's a 213 area code.
Los Angeles.
Back we go.
I wonder if every print shop in|L.
A.
is run by a former counterfeiter.
Zakarian said Blanchard should be here.
Likes to work at night.
Is it just me, or is there something|going on between Don and Kim Hall? Did you know that you always evade|a question with a silent shrug? There it is again.
- You know, I-I hate it when you|profile me.
- I'm not going to stop.
Redgrave told me she|used to be with Bureau.
It was about three years|ago; Albuquerque office.
So she worked for Don.
Yeah, she, she used to work for him.
And, you know Yeah? Can I be out of this now? Saved by the bell.
Lake.
Where're you at? Working a lead on the ink.
Old-timer named Martin Blanchard.
You know what, trying dropping|a name, Kevin Merriman.
Looks like he supplied the counterfeit|that went on to San Bernardino.
Hold on a second.
This|might be Blanchard now.
Martin Blanchard? - Something I can for you?|- I'm Special Agent David Sinclair, FBI.
David! Gun! Terry, what's going on? Terry, talk to me.
It's just a bruise.
I'm fine.
Better than Blanchard.
Anything on the shooters? Pretty sure it's our guys.
Same Steyr-TMP shells.
I mean, obviously, they didn't|want us talking to Blanchard.
We should run down Blanchard's past associates,see if|we can track any of them back to the counterfeiters.
Kim's already got a couple agents on it.
I think, if you're up for it,|you should go at Kevin Merriman.
See you can find out where he got|that bogus cash to pay his crew.
I'm up for it.
Let's go.
Lance Cummings is under arrest in San|Bernadino and very annoyed with you.
With his testimony about your involvementn the truck hijackings|and the stolen goods in your house,I'm assuming your attorney wants We want the counterfeiters|more than we want you.
Thanks but no thanks.
Hey, you're a predicate felon.
These are not light charges against you.
Take a step back and|look at the big picture.
I am looking at the big picture.
A live prisoner versus a dead rat.
Hey.
How's it going? They've been there for a couple hours.
Yeah.
Not getting anything we need.
He gave us the truck heists and the bogus|bills,but he won't name the counterfeiters.
He's afraid they're gonna|find him and kill him.
He's probably right.
Oh, guys, I really think we're|running out of time on Margo Hughes.
How are your people|doing on the dead printer? - They're digging.
|- Yeah? Anything we can do to get|them to dig a little faster? They're doing their jobs, Don.
I can go back in, try and work him.
Think it'll do any good? No.
Agent Eppes, there's|someone waiting to see you.
Jordan Hughes.
All right.
Agent Eppes Agent Eppes,I was wondering if|you found anything- anything at all on my wife- Mr.
Hughes, I'm sorry, we are not at the point in|the investigation where I can share any details; no.
- I can tell you, we're doing everything|- Humanly possible?! Yeah.
They've been telling|me that for 22 days.
Th-The police haven't called in|seven.
My wife's family won't talk to me.
All I do is sit home, you know, just|sit at home,wondering what's going on.
I understand.
I'm sure it's very difficult.
I|hope to be able to tell you something very soon.
You know something, don't you? Hey, if you could just tell me that|there's some progress, at least Okay, there is some progress.
I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more.
Mr.
Hughes,I see you|got your wife's art back.
I liked the way she wrote, uh,|"Jordan" in all of her pieces.
I'm surprised you saw|that.
No one ever has.
I was looking a little|closer than most people.
She spent so much time|alone in her studio it was her way of talking to me.
Hey, Charlie.
Hi.
Look who's here.
Hi.
Hey, Amita.
Wow, talk about inflation.
I just wanted to see how that robbery|case turned out,the one that I did the Same case|- turned out to be counterfeiting,and there may be a hidden message in this bill.
What kind of message would|counterfeiters put on their money? Not counterfeiters- the artist they kidnapped|to copy the bills for them.
She put hidden messages|to her husband in her art.
Maybe she put something in here|to tell us where they've got her.
Interesting.
Well, have fun, you two.
Well, what about these|points that you've marked? Oh, intentional flaws|- clues, I think.
I've found 27 flaws all|along this watermark.
It looks like you've gone over|the surface pretty thoroughly.
I've checked both front and back.
In combinatorics,we often|consider the angle of observation.
Have you done that yet? I found Margo Hughes's message.
It was hidden in the counterfeit bills! She's now talking to us.
She's placed flaws in this watermark,that|are hard to find, but easy to isolate.
Now, she needed to be careful.
She didn't want the counterfeiters seeing these|flaws, so she put together a graphic projection that Looking straight on, what does this look|like?Just a bunch of different thick lines.
Angle it, get an edge on view It makes a word.
Using the same principle, I was able to mathematically|perform the same process with the watermark.
I unfortunately just haven't|been able to crack this code yet.
Look, maybe it's not a code.
We don't know it's a code, right? It|could be something much more simple.
Let me see Zakarian's file.
Who's that? He's an old-time counterfeiter.
|Terry and I spoke with him.
Here.
I thought the|number sounded familiar.
- Zakarian owns a warehouse in Highland Park.
The address is 173852nd Street.
|- Whoa.
Hold on, Terry.
- Remember what I said about the|counterfeiters' profile being an older influence, - The family bond would explain what's kept them together for so long.
|- All right.
Let's pick 'em up.
Come on! What is this?! This is your sons|holding a woman hostage.
This is six homicides.
I'm totally lost|here.
You've seen my record.
- Even back in the day,I was strictly nonviolent.
|- Maybe you are,but your sons aren't.
What's it gonna be? u gave us Blanchard's name, then you had your|sons kill him before we could talk to him.
You were hoping we'd pin this|all on Blanchard.
Case closed.
- That's it.
I'm done talking to you.
|- We know about your warehouse.
Matter of fact, right now,we have an|FBI SWAT team moving into position.
Lot of guns, Eddie.
|Sharpshooters.
The whole deal.
I was trying to give them|a stake for the future - slow, patient, small bills,staying under the radar|- They wanted a faster payoff I tried to tell them-that's not how|you make a long career in this business.
They have no patience Our team is going to hit the warehouse.
You know better than anybody, your sons|are going to die if you don't help us.
Four men.
Zakarian's sons and two more.
All armed, automatic weapons.
They're holding Margo Hughes on|the rooftop level of the warehouse.
A basic square oriented to the north.
Approaching from the|south,you'll see windows.
Directly ahead of you,near the|southwest corner,is the first entrance.
Inside is a kitchen and living area.
I don't see the hostage.
You stay here.
Right.
Stand by for my go.
Please, no.
I've done everything you asked.
- Please.
|- On me.
Three,two, one.
Execute.
Get down! Drop the gun!Drop dead! Follow me! Clear right! Clear left! All clear! All clear.
I got the hostage.
The hostage is safe.
You're going to be all right.
My name is Don Eppes.
I'm a special|agent with the FBI.
It's over.
You all right? You hurt? Hey, Terry.
We got Margo.
She's|alive.
Call her husband.
Hey! Oh, God! That's the good part.
Yup.
I forgot how much I missed that.
It's a good thing, right? Yeah.
Everyone's already at Kinsella's.
Figure the Secret Service owes the|FBI a few rounds if you want to come.
Well, actually, I got a|bit of work to do here, so.
Okay.
We are going to trip over|each other again, Don.
If you and Terry can be|partners,we can at least try to Yeah.
Definitely.
Okay.
Well First rounds on me.
- Good night,Terry.
|- Good night.
More interagency politics? Don? Charlie? You all right? Hey.
I found this box.
I thought I'd What? Bring it over|at 2:00 in the morning? Yeah.
What did you do? You opened it? What is with you, man? Even when we were kids, you were|always going through my stuff.
You always had cool stuff.
Seems like you left a lot of|good friends back there, huh? Yeah, well.
- Family first.
Right?|- Right.
Look, I was going to tell you.
I just I don't know.
I mean, we|were in two different worlds.
You know how it is.
And Mom got sick and I don't know.
I understand.
Yeah? Yeah.
We're from uh, om|two different worlds.
- Well, not so much lately.
|- Yeah.
See me all the time now.
Mmm.
I've learned a lot from you, actually.
Thanks.
Okay.
You want to watch the rest of the movie? Okay.
Sure.
It's a great flick.
It's about baseball.
The most statistically|- driven sport in the world.
You want a beer? No, thanks.
Chip? I'm okay.
They went on a cash-grabbing spree,six|stores in less than a half-hour.
So they knew what were they after.
Well, you'd think,but take a look at the targets:got|a shoe store, a CD store,jewelry store, an electronics I mean, they blew right past the|bank and a check-cashing place.
That's unusual.
This jewelry store was the last stop.
Opened fire as they fled the scene.
We'd love to help you, Ray.
I mean, it's not exactly a federal case.
Actually, we got a video|from four of the stores.
Picture's pretty much|useless.
We need it bumped up.
What are you talking about?LAPD's|got a great crime lab.
Yeah, but the FBI's got your|brother the math professor.
My brother? One of our techs read about some video enhancement program|he's involved with at the university.
We were kind of hoping We all use math every day every day to forecast weather to tell time to handle money.
.
to handle money We also use math to analyze|crime analyze crime reveal patterns reveal patterns predict behavior behavior.
Using numbers, we can solve|the biggest mysteries we know.
Here's a still from the camera in|the jewelry store; low-res digital.
Most surveillance cameras don't retain|enough information to blow up clearly.
When we zoom in- we can't.
The information's just not there.
But Charlie provided me|with a predictive algorithm.
A mathematical equation to help the|computer guess at what's between the dots.
Extrapolations of information|based on the surrounding pixels.
In fact, the equation looks|a little something like this.
Wow.
You don't really care|about the equation.
Let's just say we can't|fully appreciate it.
How long to enhance all the footage? We're halfway done, so we'll have|a fl-play version in an ho or two.
Okay.
That's a Steyr TMP automatic.
That's an expensive weapon.
Mm-mm.
And look at|the watch- Bell & Ross.
There's got to be, what, at least a half a million|dollars in jewels in those cases and they pass it up It helps out my thrill-kill theory.
Excuse me.
Thrill killers get a rush|off of fear and chaos.
These two appear|deliberate and organized.
They've have a plan.
|They're after something.
- Yeah, but if it's not for money and it's not for kicks|- Right, we'll be right there.
We've got another crime scene.
Shell casings match|a Steyr TMP automatic.
Crime scene's over there.
Wait.
Hold on a sec.
Looks like someone went|on a shopping spree: iPods, tennis shoes, a watch This is one of the stores that was hit.
Wait a minute.
These, too.
- All cash transactions?|- Yeah, it's cash.
Yeah.
Same here.
Eppes.
Hey.
I found something|interesting on the video.
Several hours before the crimes at every single|store that's robbed,two teenage boys appear.
Whatere they doing? Shopping.
Shopping? Wait a minute.
Hold on a second.
Two teenagers they're male, white, got one|with spiky blonde hair,the other with a goatee? Tell me you already have them.
You could say that.
The two ad boys are Chris and Jason|Miller.
They're brothers, 19 and 16.
M.
E.
puts their death at about 2:00 P.
M.
So that's what, like a half an hour before|the robberies took place.
We'll have to wait for Forensics|to confirm it,but it seems like We got two kids shopping the same stores|that were robbed, between 10:00 and noon.
d they're both dead by 2:00.
Chris borrowed $300|last month for his car.
He paid me back last night.
- In cash?|- Mm-hmm.
Do you mind?Thank you.
Where'd he get it? They're teenagers.
They don't tell me anything.
Poker? Poker, maybe? It'll be returned,as soon as we're|sure it's not connected in any way.
Did either of them have jobs? Chris, my oldest,he's been working|at a movie studio in North Hollywood.
Where'd you hear that? I don't know if I'd|call us a movie studio.
Couple of low-budget|productions rented space here.
Mainly we got manufacturing;we got|wrought iron, got a box company.
Chris' mother said he|worked here for four months.
Yeah, pretty good worker, too.
But now I|gotta drive all the way in from Duarte.
Oh, yeah, must be tough on you, huh? Hey, hey, I am sorry about|that kid, but problems go on.
See, last night, one of my tenants bailed on me,no|notice, no nothing I don't need this in my life.
Sorry to disturb you.
You say your tenants moved|out in the middle of the night? And then the kid who works|here was killed the next day.
What kind of operation went on here? They put out a newsletter, I think.
Never read it, just saw|therinting equipment.
You knew them? You dealt with|them face-to-face? Uh, no.
Actually, Chris dealt with them.
I never met 'em.
You got something? Not sure.
at is that, ink? Could be.
Got a piece of paper? Yeah.
Look at this.
It's paper, but feels like fabric.
Got a cotton-linen feel to it.
Let me see.
It's weird.
This is shiny.
You better put in a|call to Secret Service.
You're right.
It's counterfeit.
See the watermarks? Yeah.
Sure.
You shouldn't, under|an ultraviolet light.
Paper's another giveaway.
Someone have a genuine bill? - Yeah.
Here you go.
|- Great.
Thanks.
There you go.
You see the difference? It's pretty goodork, though.
Most of us at the Secret Service are|dealing with poor quality counterfeits.
We call 'em "P-notes.
" They're actually printed|on home computers.
That actually works? Dark|restaurant,busy grocery store.
You'd be surprised.
This is a different game, though.
This is old school,engraving|and printing.
Paper's got good feel, magnetic ink.
Magnetic? Real bills employ|different magnetic inks.
That's how a bank's sorters|distinguish different denominations.
Our guys are old-school philosophy|and state-of-the-art technology.
Our guys? The Secret Service has|been tracking this crew.
They've resurfaced periodically|over the last five years.
- The tip-off is the|denomination.
- Hey Most counterfeiters print 50s and|hundreds.
Higher return, right? Yeah, and higher risk.
Big bills get more scrutiny.
These guys are conservative and patient.
They|only print small bills and they never spend How do they profit if|they don't spend the bills? Well, they can sell them in bulk.
They can lay|off a million of these and get $300,000, $400,000.
Yeah, usually to gangs or other criminal|enterprises,who then use it to fund more crime.
No, they're hand-rendered by an|artist,then the engraving process begins.
Someone actually draws these? You've been tracking these guys for|five years.
You must have active suspects.
Not yet,no.
We'll, uh, we'll run a search,tell banks to keep an eye out for|bills with a similar serial range and maybe this time we'll get lucky.
You don't sound optimistic.
These guys have been beating our playbook|since before I inherited the case.
We'll work the money.
I think you should work|the homicides separately.
It's actually Grounded Theory.
This problem screams for|a case-oriented approach.
Excuse me? In Grounded Theory,the homicides would have|one solution,the counterfeiting another.
In a case-oriented approach,the homicides become a variable|set interacting in some complex manner with the counterfeiting Can I have a word with you? Sure.
Can you explain to me what your brother isoing|in a federal office,wandering into the middle of Well, first of all,he happens to be a Bureau-approved|consultant,and second of all,this seems like Okay, you still could have|briefed me ahead of time.
Come on.
I don't think|this is about my brother.
All right.
That's fair.
So I guess you left Albuquerque.
Yeah.
I left Albuquerque.
Look,your mom got sick.
You had to move|back home.
I've always understood that.
Well, look, let's just|focus on the work, okay? That was never a problem, was it? Chris Miller discovers they're printing|counterfeit,he steals some money.
He and his brother|decide to go shopping.
Bad guys find out, kill the brothers,rob|ba the phony cash to coverheir tracks.
Right, so they're thorough and ruthless.
I don't know.
The counterfeiters'M.
O.
- small bills, patience-that|suggests someone older, experienced,someone who lays low.
- Yeah, not our|gunmen.
- Mm-mm.
They got high-end watches, weapons.
I think we're dealing|with a multi-person crew.
Yeah, and a multi|- personality crew.
A group like that won't last|long,too much internal friction.
Kim says she thinks they've been working|together something like five years.
Well, maybe the younger guys are|working with an older counterfeiter.
That'd be a good place to start.
- Speaking of Agent Hall,everything okay with you guys?|- Yeah.
- Couldn't help noticing.
|- No, it's just a little interagency politics.
- They're all worked out.
|- All right.
See you tomorrow.
Okay.
Hello? Hello.
Hey.
What are you doing? I'm running a comparison between the counterfeit bills you found earlier|today and the older bills that that Secret Service agent lady gave us.
There's a possibility that the small differences|may yield some data about their current operation.
By the way, I did not mean|to cause a problem earlier.
You don't have to apologize r anything.
Agent Hall and I are are I mean, we worked it out.
So You know if I left a box of stuff here? What kind of stuff? It's just this one box in particular.
When I moved back from Albuquerque,I thought|I got everything, but it's not in my apartment.
I can't remember where I put it.
You check the garage? Yeah.
That you, Dad? Hey, let me get the door.
You must have some kind of sixth sense.
I buy rib-eye, and|you just materialize.
Well, actually You say rib-eye? Yeah.
With, like, a baked potato? Oh, very nice, Charlie.
How long is this going to be? This is just for a few days.
I needed to look at this|as soon as I possiblcould.
Now, the spiral patterns in money are|based on a technique called guilloche.
It's like a wheel within a wheel within a wheel;a pattern|created by the additions and multiplications of nested sine waves.
Same was used by Faberge to|create those little famous eggs.
Well, that explains it.
What does this have to do with the case? I think they have a new artist.
In fact, I'm sure of it.
How can you tell that? I've been running a wavelet analysis|of these spirals I'm talking about.
Mathematicians at Dartmouth use a similar process|to test authenticity of masterpiece paintings.
Here, look it Ten dollars.
Right?Now we don't often think about|it,but someone must've drawn this design, right? You're right.
I want you to think of that|artist as a runner on the beach.
He's leaving footprints,which|record every decision he makes; faster, slower, closer to|the water,farther away Now these are counterfeit bills.
A second artist trying|to copy the original a second runner.
Now, when that second runner tries to follow|the exact path as the first,it's impossible.
Even if he's being careful,he can't match the|footprints without leaving evidence of himself.
Different foot size, different|stride-that's how you spot a forgery.
And when a third runner tries to match the footprints,he'll|leave evidence as well,but in a different way These two counterfeit bills|have two different footprints Hence the new artist.
- You find that artist|- Charlie,we can't find the counterfeiter,let alone the artist.
You keep on saying he's|an artist, this guy.
He's not really an artist,|is he?He's more like a copier.
It's actually, it's more like being able to|draw,you know, say, the Mona Lisa,freehand.
Oh, I see.
What I can do now, Don,is to take this|initial comparative analysis and Hey, David, it's Don.
Look, I want to expand the search, okay?Not|just counterfeiters, but art forgers.
- Eight art forgers fit our profile.
|- Great.
- There's another case you need to look at.
It stuck with me because it happened in Venice,in my neighborhood.
|- Right.
It was the weapons used that really|caught my attention.
A dy was abducted One Margo Hughes.
Confronted by to men armed with what|the LAPD report describes as "exotic machine pistols.
" - Just like our guys in|Steyr-TMPs.
- I think so.
- All right,I'll borrow this.
Thanks.
|- Okay.
You think my wife's abduction|had something to do with her art? It's an angle we're investigating.
These are some of her pieces right here.
You mind? No, go ahead.
Your wife did reproductions.
Yeah, she calls it her|"Miniaturist Phase.
" Reduces classic portraits to|see if their power survives.
Incredible detail These are what, ink? Done freehand.
Margo's amazing like that.
Look, what's going on? - We're hoping to compare some of your wife's reproducons|- We'd like to borrow some of your wife's work,if that's okay.
I'll personally take responsibility that|you'll get it back and it'll be safe.
Yeah.
Look, you're here to pick out samples,not|talk about an open investigation.
- Poor guy.
He seemed so upset.
|- Yeah, well, he's a potential suspect, Charlie.
Something bothering you? No.
Nothing's bothering me.
Something seems to be bothering you.
Yeah, well, there's|nothing bothering me.
I've compared Margo's work|to the counterfeit $10 bills.
These are two dimensional represtations of a|multi-dimensional graph actually plotted in 72 dimensions.
Just simplify it, okay?Just|put it in layman's terms.
Bottom line-I've made comparisons with the works|of over a dozen known forgers and counterfeiters.
None of them had any similarities.
But these graphs match.
They're identical.
Margo Hughes drew this ten-dollar bill.
I mean, she has been|missing for three weeks.
Okay, and as far as we know,they've|only introduce their ten.
If they follow pattern,|they'll release a 20 soon.
What's your guesstimate of how long|it would take to draw one of these 20s? Hard to say,but if I were Margo|Hughes,I'd be taking my time.
- As soon as they're done with her|- She becomes a liability.
They'll have no choice but to kill her.
That's what I'm thinking.
ok,?is the counterfeiters kidnapped Margo Hughes|to get her to make a template to make phony money.
Right? All agreed? Now my problem is if we don't break some kind of lead soon|and find these guys,I don't think we're saving this woman.
Great.
Thanks.
Okay, we told banks to watch for the|bogus tens.
They've been showing up.
We have Bakersfield, San|Bernardino and Palm Springs.
That's great.
So we find out who's spending it|and work our way back,the same way we work drugs The problem is, the banks can't link|the bills to a specific depositor.
They're in circulation and|there's no way to trace them.
People shop Patterns can be|quantified into equations.
The Secret Service and the Treasury Department|have been working on this problem for decades.
Predicting money flow,tracing counterfeit in|circulation-it's unpredictable; there are too many variables.
at makes it challenging, not impossible.
Right now,|the dispersal seems fairly contained.
And that works Then what do you need from us? Data.
Lots of it.
Everything from where these bills are turning up|- and not just from banks,from stores, from restaurants, I'd like to follow the|evidence from the warehouse.
The lab was able to reconstruct an ink sample|from the scrapings you took off the floor.
- All right.
Good.
|- Let me get you a list of known counterfeiters.
I find that even the one's who're retired|tend to keep up on the latest technology.
We're looking for|counterfeit ten dollar bills.
Now, they've shown up in three geographic|clusters.
We're gog to isolate the one in San Bernardino.
That means checking into grocery stores, gas|stations,restaurants, just door-to-door canvassing.
The bills you're looking|for are good, not perfect.
This sheet details some of the|differences to help you ID them.
Find a bill, call it|in immediately, please.
The more we find, the faster we find them,the better our|chances of figuring out where the next ones will come from.
And I know I don't need to reiterate this,but|there is a 24-year-old woman's life at stake here.
So let's go.
Thank you.
You can move your San Bernardino search grid|south of Foothill and west of Mount Vernon.
Okay? Exactly.
Yeah.
Bye.
Charlie, I wish I understood|what we're doing here.
It's a probability algorithm.
That doesn't help me.
The bills start at|zero-zero-the counterfeiters.
We start here- point XY.
As we locate each bill,we get a better idea|of the dispersion,a better idea of where Right.
You're not going to|look in the next room Or certainly not on the|ceiling, or in the parking lot.
So the more bills you find in a given|area,the closer you are to the counterfeiters? It's not just the number of bills.
I assign values based on the purchases.
So, for instance, two or three bills showing up in a tire shop|may hold less significance than a single bill in a corner market.
Someone may travel way|across town for tires.
But a quart of milk, carton of|cigarettes,that they'd get closer to home.
I think we both get it.
Yes.
You and your brher are a lot alike.
You think so? Most people can't get|over how different we are.
Well, yeah, the interests are pretty different,but the approach-this|one part exuberance, two parts obsession-that's pretty much When Don and I first moved in together,we had to|have separate CD racks because I never put mine You and Don lived together? In Albuquerque.
You didn't know? He didn't You know, we lost|touch for a while, so He may very well have told|me,um, but, uh, you know what? I didn't put that Kim together|with, uh, you know,you, Kim.
Aw, it's all right.
I know how Don is.
Eddie Zakarian? Counterfeiting, right? Anytime I see a Fed badge,I know it's|not about undercollecting sales tax.
I guess that comes from having|a criminal record like yours.
No, it comes from having been|one of the best in the business.
But I'm not in the business anymore.
Haven't been for 25 years.
You people need to put it|in a newsletter or something.
What do we have to thank for|this inspirational rehabilitation? Fatherhood.
Keeps you out of prison.
These two yours? Yeah.
Goes back a way though,different time.
Before everybody in the world|had a computer,became a printer.
What do you make of this? Nice.
Near perfect.
It's O.
V.
I.
O.
V.
I.
? Optically variable ink.
Takes three different|inks to print money, right? Black for the front, green for the back and then there's this|- O.
V.
I.
It changes color from green to|black,depending on how you look at it.
Who could've mixed it? Other than me? Try Marty Blanchard.
It'd explain why s shop's|got so much new equipment.
Mm.
What? His name came out pretty fast.
Oh, I'm sorry-honor|among thieves, right? Listen, back in the day,who do|you think gave me up, anyway? What goes around comes around.
Um, you know, I'm, I'm|beginning to wonder, uh, if I properly weiged|the exchange velocity Look, don't, don't do that.
Don't second|- guess yourself.
Every time we tighten the search grids, more|bills show up.
So jt be patient, all right? Just sit tight, let|us do our job, please.
So you and, uh you and Kim, Kim Kim and you Yeah.
Is that a, um that a serious thing? Yeah.
Seems kind of weird I|didn't know about it.
I don't know who you|dated three years ago.
I got a hit.
Dive bar in our San Bernadino grid.
Cash register turned up|seven of our counterfeits.
- Seven?! - I'm|sorry- seven?! Yeah.
Statistically, one or two bills fit into the pattern sprea|Someone with seven, spending them in a local neighborhood Guy drops 70 bucks in a dive bar,he's either buying rounds|for the house,or he's wasted off his ass.
Either way, he's Right the first time.
Bartender said he remembered a regular guy in last|night, buying everybody drinks, playing Mr.
Big Shot Lance Cummings.
I'm gonna pay Mr.
Cummings a visit.
I'll take the ride.
- You sit tight, all right?|- Sure.
Hey, Charlie? You sure you want to be|looking through that stuff? Dad,do you recognize this lady? Uh, yeah, it's Kim, isn't it? That's Kim Hall.
Yeah.
She and Don lived together in New Mexico|and, uh, he never told me about it.
Well, you know your brother.
Yeah.
'52 Ford, right? Fifty-three.
My dad had an old one when I was a kid.
Same engine, four-barrel carb He shouldn't have gotten rid of it.
Do you want something? Oh, yeah, sorry.
I'm, uh, Agent Eppes with the FBI.
This is Agent Hall.
You were around Wiley's last night? Mighta been Some counterfeit money showed up|in the register.
Ten-dollar bills.
Bartender seemed to notice|you spending ten-dollar bills.
That bartender was drunker than I was.
I had nothing but twenties.
I|remember 'cause I, uh, I just hit the ATM.
- Yeah?|- Yeah.
Okay.
He got on the phone 30|seconds after you left.
Kevin, what the hell|are you thinking, man? You paid me with counterfeit! What're you talking about? The FBI was just here.
All right.
Don't do anything stupid.
You calling me stupid,|you son of a bitch?! So, after two minutes and 48 seconds of profanity,the upshot|is that Cummings and two other guys hijacked a truck full And the guy who hired them|to pull the hijacking job Paid them with counterfeit.
Right.
The guy he's talking to|- Kevin Kevin Merriman.
He's done time|for extortion,interstate fraud.
He's a real|jack-of-all-trades.
We traced his number.
It's a 213 area code.
Los Angeles.
Back we go.
I wonder if every print shop in|L.
A.
is run by a former counterfeiter.
Zakarian said Blanchard should be here.
Likes to work at night.
Is it just me, or is there something|going on between Don and Kim Hall? Did you know that you always evade|a question with a silent shrug? There it is again.
- You know, I-I hate it when you|profile me.
- I'm not going to stop.
Redgrave told me she|used to be with Bureau.
It was about three years|ago; Albuquerque office.
So she worked for Don.
Yeah, she, she used to work for him.
And, you know Yeah? Can I be out of this now? Saved by the bell.
Lake.
Where're you at? Working a lead on the ink.
Old-timer named Martin Blanchard.
You know what, trying dropping|a name, Kevin Merriman.
Looks like he supplied the counterfeit|that went on to San Bernardino.
Hold on a second.
This|might be Blanchard now.
Martin Blanchard? - Something I can for you?|- I'm Special Agent David Sinclair, FBI.
David! Gun! Terry, what's going on? Terry, talk to me.
It's just a bruise.
I'm fine.
Better than Blanchard.
Anything on the shooters? Pretty sure it's our guys.
Same Steyr-TMP shells.
I mean, obviously, they didn't|want us talking to Blanchard.
We should run down Blanchard's past associates,see if|we can track any of them back to the counterfeiters.
Kim's already got a couple agents on it.
I think, if you're up for it,|you should go at Kevin Merriman.
See you can find out where he got|that bogus cash to pay his crew.
I'm up for it.
Let's go.
Lance Cummings is under arrest in San|Bernadino and very annoyed with you.
With his testimony about your involvementn the truck hijackings|and the stolen goods in your house,I'm assuming your attorney wants We want the counterfeiters|more than we want you.
Thanks but no thanks.
Hey, you're a predicate felon.
These are not light charges against you.
Take a step back and|look at the big picture.
I am looking at the big picture.
A live prisoner versus a dead rat.
Hey.
How's it going? They've been there for a couple hours.
Yeah.
Not getting anything we need.
He gave us the truck heists and the bogus|bills,but he won't name the counterfeiters.
He's afraid they're gonna|find him and kill him.
He's probably right.
Oh, guys, I really think we're|running out of time on Margo Hughes.
How are your people|doing on the dead printer? - They're digging.
|- Yeah? Anything we can do to get|them to dig a little faster? They're doing their jobs, Don.
I can go back in, try and work him.
Think it'll do any good? No.
Agent Eppes, there's|someone waiting to see you.
Jordan Hughes.
All right.
Agent Eppes Agent Eppes,I was wondering if|you found anything- anything at all on my wife- Mr.
Hughes, I'm sorry, we are not at the point in|the investigation where I can share any details; no.
- I can tell you, we're doing everything|- Humanly possible?! Yeah.
They've been telling|me that for 22 days.
Th-The police haven't called in|seven.
My wife's family won't talk to me.
All I do is sit home, you know, just|sit at home,wondering what's going on.
I understand.
I'm sure it's very difficult.
I|hope to be able to tell you something very soon.
You know something, don't you? Hey, if you could just tell me that|there's some progress, at least Okay, there is some progress.
I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more.
Mr.
Hughes,I see you|got your wife's art back.
I liked the way she wrote, uh,|"Jordan" in all of her pieces.
I'm surprised you saw|that.
No one ever has.
I was looking a little|closer than most people.
She spent so much time|alone in her studio it was her way of talking to me.
Hey, Charlie.
Hi.
Look who's here.
Hi.
Hey, Amita.
Wow, talk about inflation.
I just wanted to see how that robbery|case turned out,the one that I did the Same case|- turned out to be counterfeiting,and there may be a hidden message in this bill.
What kind of message would|counterfeiters put on their money? Not counterfeiters- the artist they kidnapped|to copy the bills for them.
She put hidden messages|to her husband in her art.
Maybe she put something in here|to tell us where they've got her.
Interesting.
Well, have fun, you two.
Well, what about these|points that you've marked? Oh, intentional flaws|- clues, I think.
I've found 27 flaws all|along this watermark.
It looks like you've gone over|the surface pretty thoroughly.
I've checked both front and back.
In combinatorics,we often|consider the angle of observation.
Have you done that yet? I found Margo Hughes's message.
It was hidden in the counterfeit bills! She's now talking to us.
She's placed flaws in this watermark,that|are hard to find, but easy to isolate.
Now, she needed to be careful.
She didn't want the counterfeiters seeing these|flaws, so she put together a graphic projection that Looking straight on, what does this look|like?Just a bunch of different thick lines.
Angle it, get an edge on view It makes a word.
Using the same principle, I was able to mathematically|perform the same process with the watermark.
I unfortunately just haven't|been able to crack this code yet.
Look, maybe it's not a code.
We don't know it's a code, right? It|could be something much more simple.
Let me see Zakarian's file.
Who's that? He's an old-time counterfeiter.
|Terry and I spoke with him.
Here.
I thought the|number sounded familiar.
- Zakarian owns a warehouse in Highland Park.
The address is 173852nd Street.
|- Whoa.
Hold on, Terry.
- Remember what I said about the|counterfeiters' profile being an older influence, - The family bond would explain what's kept them together for so long.
|- All right.
Let's pick 'em up.
Come on! What is this?! This is your sons|holding a woman hostage.
This is six homicides.
I'm totally lost|here.
You've seen my record.
- Even back in the day,I was strictly nonviolent.
|- Maybe you are,but your sons aren't.
What's it gonna be? u gave us Blanchard's name, then you had your|sons kill him before we could talk to him.
You were hoping we'd pin this|all on Blanchard.
Case closed.
- That's it.
I'm done talking to you.
|- We know about your warehouse.
Matter of fact, right now,we have an|FBI SWAT team moving into position.
Lot of guns, Eddie.
|Sharpshooters.
The whole deal.
I was trying to give them|a stake for the future - slow, patient, small bills,staying under the radar|- They wanted a faster payoff I tried to tell them-that's not how|you make a long career in this business.
They have no patience Our team is going to hit the warehouse.
You know better than anybody, your sons|are going to die if you don't help us.
Four men.
Zakarian's sons and two more.
All armed, automatic weapons.
They're holding Margo Hughes on|the rooftop level of the warehouse.
A basic square oriented to the north.
Approaching from the|south,you'll see windows.
Directly ahead of you,near the|southwest corner,is the first entrance.
Inside is a kitchen and living area.
I don't see the hostage.
You stay here.
Right.
Stand by for my go.
Please, no.
I've done everything you asked.
- Please.
|- On me.
Three,two, one.
Execute.
Get down! Drop the gun!Drop dead! Follow me! Clear right! Clear left! All clear! All clear.
I got the hostage.
The hostage is safe.
You're going to be all right.
My name is Don Eppes.
I'm a special|agent with the FBI.
It's over.
You all right? You hurt? Hey, Terry.
We got Margo.
She's|alive.
Call her husband.
Hey! Oh, God! That's the good part.
Yup.
I forgot how much I missed that.
It's a good thing, right? Yeah.
Everyone's already at Kinsella's.
Figure the Secret Service owes the|FBI a few rounds if you want to come.
Well, actually, I got a|bit of work to do here, so.
Okay.
We are going to trip over|each other again, Don.
If you and Terry can be|partners,we can at least try to Yeah.
Definitely.
Okay.
Well First rounds on me.
- Good night,Terry.
|- Good night.
More interagency politics? Don? Charlie? You all right? Hey.
I found this box.
I thought I'd What? Bring it over|at 2:00 in the morning? Yeah.
What did you do? You opened it? What is with you, man? Even when we were kids, you were|always going through my stuff.
You always had cool stuff.
Seems like you left a lot of|good friends back there, huh? Yeah, well.
- Family first.
Right?|- Right.
Look, I was going to tell you.
I just I don't know.
I mean, we|were in two different worlds.
You know how it is.
And Mom got sick and I don't know.
I understand.
Yeah? Yeah.
We're from uh, om|two different worlds.
- Well, not so much lately.
|- Yeah.
See me all the time now.
Mmm.
I've learned a lot from you, actually.
Thanks.
Okay.
You want to watch the rest of the movie? Okay.
Sure.
It's a great flick.
It's about baseball.
The most statistically|- driven sport in the world.
You want a beer? No, thanks.
Chip? I'm okay.