The Border (2008) s01e12 Episode Script

- Previously onThe Border
- Who's the girl?
- My daughter. Don't worry,
she's not yours.
- You think I'm not serious?
[Gunshot]
- You know, the age might fit.
- Jo's sister will take good
care of her. You go home, son.
- You think someone
hacked into ICS?
- He's good.
- As good as me?
- Seriously, this guy
was schooling me all day.
- You know, in our business,
it's sometimes hard to figure
out who's working for whom.
That's why it's good to know
who your friends are.
- One to New York
on the eight-fifteen.
- Boarding now. Platform 1.
Thanks.
- Leaving the country, huh?
- ICS. Would you
come with us, please.
- No. No.
You've got the wrong guy.
I haven't done anything.
- Yeah, we get that a lot.
- Gotta be a special
kind of stupid to cross
the border with kiddie porn.
- Let's go!
- Creating a computer file
and downloading images
of child pornography
is possession. That's 5 years.
- Add 10 if you transmit
it to another computer.
- That's distribution.
- I woulda thought a guy
who spent 4 years
in the can locked up for
this stuff would know the law.
- Two convictions for sexual
assault. Arrested twice
for indecent exposure.
- Say what you want
about our day tripper,
he was a model inmate.
- Qualified for early parole
to a half-way house.
- Never missed an appointment
with his P.O.
Didn't so much as loiter outside
of a Chuck E. Cheese.
- I've been living with this
for almost 30 years.
I can't change it anymore
than you can control
who you're attracted to.
- We don't hurt kids.
- Neither do I.
- Did you get a client
list off of his computer?
- Client list?
No, this guy's hand
to mouth, okay.
If he is pushing
this stuff to anyone,
he's not winning kiddie
porn salesman of the year.
- Abused kids are
twice as likely
to commit suicide,
suffer substance abuse--
- My kids aren't real.
- You lying son of a bitch.
- No! Wait!
- That's bullshit!
- You don't understand.
- That's bullshit!
- They're not real kids! They're
computer generated. I made them.
- The pictures are fakes?
- Yes.
I have to have them.
I need them.
But I don't want to hurt kids.
I made those photos so
I wouldn't hurt anyone.
- I don't care if you drew them
with crayons, it's still sick.
- Why did you run when
you saw the ICS agents
at the bus station?
- I panicked.
I haven't had very
positive experiences
with the police.
- Our friend Glen here's
a real criminal mastermind.
- JFK to Bangkok.
- Leave out of New York, avoid
the questions at Pearson.
- It was cheaper to fly out
of the States.
- Forgot to mention your
upcoming sex tour?
- I wasn't going for sex.
- Oh, a guy like you goes to
Thailand for what? The noodles?
- I'm taking Depo-Provera.
I'm celibate.
- Chemical castration?
Know what,
get it cut off first then
I might believe you.
- I'm trying to transcend
my earthly desires.
I was going to Thailand to visit
the great Buddhist temples
in Ayutthaya.
- So you're a Buddhist now?
- Yes, I became
a Buddhist in prison.
I was taking a temple tour.
- Your parole officer
buy that shit?
Look, we've got a search
warrant for your place.
You better pray we don't
find anything, asshole.
- How'd your pal at Metro know
that Burgess was leaving town?
- Oh, me and some of the guys
we, uh, keep an eye on
these slimeballs.
- Isn't that what his
parole officer is for?
- Yeah, but he's done with
that now. And as soon
as no one's watching
- Sergeant? You should see this.
- Jesus.
- Where's Glen?
- Immigration, Customs Security.
I'm sorry, Ma'am, we can't
discuss details of our
investigation.
- But you might want to keep
your kid away from him.
- That was extremely
unprofessional.
- Hey, the lady's got a right
to know who her kid is
living beside.
- Moose. Hate to break it to
you, but Burgess wasn't lying.
I spoke to his travel agent.
He was going on a temple tour.
- Well, just because
he booked an itinerary, doesn't
mean he was gonna stick to it.
- Well, maybe, but he steered
clear of all
the usual love nests.
- Hotel reservations?
- Mainly Buddhist
monasteries.
- Thanks.
Hey. What about this kiddie
porn on his computer?
- Guy's an artist.
Could be making a sweet living
in character design.
His images are so
photo-realistic,
he makes Lara Croft
look like Ms Pac Man.
Check it out.
Average person could never
tell the difference.
- That kid's not real?
- Nope,
none of them are. Oh, uh,
I did find one.
In a deleted e-mail
from some guy called Skinner.
- Who is she?
- No idea.
- Find out.
- Katie Johanson. She's been on
the FBI's missing person list
since she disappeared from her
house in Michigan 18 months ago.
- You're sure it's
the same girl?
- Yeah, she was 11 when
somebody broke into her house
and grabbed her.
Her mom was asleep.
- FBI have any leads?
- I put a call into the
Special Agent in Charge.
- What's the thumbnail say?
- Trail went cold for 6 months,
then this picture
popped up in Dusseldorf.
German police found it
in some perv's inbox.
He shot himself before
they could question him.
- So our Mr. Burgess is the
first lead we've had on this
girl in a over a year.
- Yup.
- Who's Skinner?
- I don't know.
- How long have you been
talking to each other?
- We don't.
As soon as I got his e-mail,
I deleted it.
The guy is a psycho.
- How did he get your address?
- I don't know.
- He took a little girl
from her bed in the middle of
the night and put her in a box.
She hasn't had contact
with another living
being in 18 months.
- Whoever he is,
he won't leave me alone.
Ever since I got out of jail.
It's like he knows
I'm trying to control my urges.
He'd send me pictures.
He knew my type.
- Is Katie your type?
- No.
- Helpless, prepubescent girls?
You like them young,
impressionable?
- I'm not Skinner.
I'm nothing like him.
I know what lives inside me.
I feel it right under the
surface all the time.
I do everything I can to
suppress it. But Skinner,
he revels in it.
- He shows no remorse
for his victims?
- He doesn't use
the word victims.
He calls them "conquests."
- Is that what he calls Katie?
- No.
She's different. He calls her
an experiment.
He calls her his "subject."
That's all I know.
- So, why didn't
Burgess report him?
- Said he didn't want to draw
attention to himself. Just
wanted to finish out his parole.
- I think it's a couple of sick
freaks comparing notes.
- You think Burgess is Skinner?
- Can't count it out.
But I doubt it.
- Good afternoon, Major.
You placed an inquiry on
Katie Johanson's file.
- We put a call into the S.A.C.
- Right.
That's why I'm here.
This is my case.
- Care to talk in my office?
- I was the one who took
the call the night
Katie disappeared.
Her mother cried on my shoulder.
I promised her I would
bring Katie home.
I never did.
It was my last case at the FBI.
- A lot of people
have logged hours on this.
Skinner covered his tracks.
- Katie got to me.
She loved math
and science.
Top of her class.
- We'll find her.
- I have no claim to
your investigation.
All I'm asking you
is to let me help you.
- We're not looking
for a pedophile.
- Really. What would you call
a guy who keeps a girl
captive in a box?
- A psychological sadist.
Skinner gets off
tormenting minds,
not bodies.
- Did he know her?
- We think Skinner posed
online as a teen boy,
found out where she lived.
Kidnapped her violently,
locked her up in a windowless,
sound-proofed room.
He calls it his Skinner Box.
- Uh, the real Skinner,
B.F., was a behavioural
psychologist.
He developed a conditioning
chamber for experimental
analysis of animal behavior. You
know, if Mickey pushes the lever
he gets lunch. If he pushes
the button, he gets barbecued.
- 18 months without
human contact.
I've seen guys lose it after
a month in the hole.
- Solitary confinement
- at its most barbaric.
- Any leads on Skinner?
- His e-mail to Burgess
is the first contact
we've had in a year.
- Burgess is our best
bet at getting Skinner.
Slade, route his
computer through ICS.
- Uh, I wouldn't risk it.
Skinner evaded
the FBI and Interpol.
We're not talking about
some lame swirl-face
tecnho wannabe here.
This guy's got skills.
- He's right. We cannot afford
to make any mistakes
that will tip him off.
- Gray, take Burgess home.
Get him talking to Skinner.
Don't let him out of your sight.
- Predator.
They make me seem
like an animal.
I'm the same as them
in every way
except this one small thing.
Can't they see that?
If I could cut it out
like a tumor
- Save it for your therapist.
- Can I do this in private?
- No.
- It's just,
the kind of things I have to
write to get his attention
- We're not interested in how
you do it. Just get him talking.
- He's changed his e-mail.
- Perfect.
- It's him.
- Slade?
He's instant messaging.
- Go to VOIP.
- You tip him off,
you're a dead man.
- Hello?
- Mr. Burgess.
Imagine how surprised I was
to receive your e-mail.
I thought you were ignoring me.
- Can you trace Skinner's call?
- Uh no!
He's using VOIP,
so I should be able
to track his protocol,
but he's routing his call
through so many intermediary
machines
Not to be all Eeyore here,
but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
- Call's untraceable.
Burgess has to get Skinner to
tell him where he's holding her.
- I've been meditating.
- But the thoughts
creep in.
- Yes.
- Your thoughts are natural.
What you feel isn't wrong.
One day society will
wake up and understand.
- When I see your girl,
I feel weak.
- She's getting a bit old
for you, isn't she?
- No, I think she's lovely.
She's
beautiful and
innocent.
- She's been very useful.
But her time with me
is coming to an end.
- She's still alive.
- What do you mean?
- I hate to discard her if
there's someone out there
who would appreciate all the
hard work I've put into her.
- I would love to make her mine.
- I thought you might.
But you're not the only one.
I'm auctioning her off
to the most
deserving bidder.
You have 48h to impress me.
- How are we gonna
impress this guy?
- Skinner is a sadist.
He loves to torment his victims.
The more pain
he causes you, Glen, the more
likely he'll keep talking.
- So we make Skinner
think he's causing
Burgess to relapse.
- Yes. He's all about control.
So make him feel like
he's in charge.
- You have to win.
- Mrs. Johanson.
I'm very sorry we haven't
found your daughter yet.
But we're very close now.
All I'm asking you
is to hang in there
just a little longer, okay.
- I'll hang in there.
Just tell me my girl's alive.
- We have every reason
to believe she is.
This is the room we think
Katie's in. Do you recognize it?
- I don't know this place.
Was she in this picture?
Was Katie in this room?
Answer me. Was she here?
- We think so.
- Oh, she must be so scared.
- She is a very strong girl.
- You made me a promise.
You said that if
she was still alive,
you'd find her
and bring her home.
- I know.
And I am going
to keep that promise.
- You want to bid in my auction?
- Yes.
- I've been extremely careful
not to compromise my experiment.
I will be equally as careful
in the selection of my
subject's new owner.
- Of course.
- I'm not sure you're
up to this, Glen.
The selection process
is rigorous.
- She needs me.
I'll do whatever
it takes to win her.
- I'm going to send
you an image.
And I want you to describe
your feelings towards it.
You have one hour.
- You have to eat your broccoli.
You can't eat junk all the time.
Your teeth will fall out.
Don't! I told you!
- She's hallucinating.
- Katie's brain may compensate
for the lack of stimulation.
- She's creating
her own friends.
- I don't think they're
all that friendly.
- Ah! Put them back!
Put them back in!
Don't look at me. Don't look
at me with that mouth!
Stop it!
- She's already so fragile.
- Don't touch me!
Get away! Don't touch me!
- What is gonna happen if
one of Skinner's creeps
gets to her before we do?
- You see how dirty
and unkempt she looks?
- Yeah, she hasn't had
a bath in over a year.
- That's really going to narrow
the field of bidders.
Most guys I know
they fantasize about
clean, pretty,
perfect little dolls.
And they want a willing partner.
- Willing? She's 12.
- They want it to be mutual.
They convince themselves it is.
She's damaged goods.
It's not going to be easy
to win her affection after
what she's been through.
- And that's going
to turn them off.
- Most of them, yes.
The others
- We can use this
to our advantage,
play up the rescue fantasy.
[Broken window]
- It's probably one
of the neighbors.
Wouldn't be the first time I've
had a brick through my window.
- Stay here. Keep
writing to Skinner.
- Shit!
- Any word from Gray?
- It's not like Gray
to go dark for this long.
- I'll send someone over.
- I thought you were the best.
- I am.
- Why don't we know where
Skinner is?
You've got his e-mail,
voice protocol why
is this so difficult?
- Look. He does not want
to be found, okay?
He's made it virtually
impossible.
- FBI has a guy out of Quantico.
- Crazy Larry Linux? Please.
- Cal tech?
- Vandals and skateboard punks.
- Microsoft--
- Don't even finish that
thought. Look, you could
turn over every circuit board
from Palo Alto to Pakistan,
you're not going to find anyone
better or faster than me.
- I hear you talking,
and all I hear is a guy
making excuses.
- That was very harsh.
- Burgess?
- Slade It's Gray.
Where are you?
- Burgess is gone.
There's blood on the floor,
I think someone grabbed him--
- Metro Police just found
a body. Caucasian male in his
forties. Three blocks
from Burgess's house.
- Okay.
Burgess was beaten
to death with a brick.
Cops found him in an alley
a few blocks from his house.
- One of his neighbors
decided to take matters
into his own hands.
- If Skinner finds out he's
dead, we've lost him.
We have one day to find Katie.
- Burgess was halfway through
an e-mail to him.
- Skinner's gonna wonder
what happened.
- You take over as Burgess.
- What, you, you,
you want me to go undercover
as a pedophile.
- If things go our way,
it's just till tomorrow.
Slade, can I talk to you?
- Yeah.
- Agent LaGarda's recruited
someone to help us with
tracking Skinner.
- Oh man.
No, she's not that good.
- She was good enough
to crack ICS.
She was Mannering's mole.
- What?
No.
- We need to bring
Katie Johanson home.
Can you focus?
- Yeah.
- You know Major Kessler?
- You'll be helping
Slade track Skinner.
But first I need you to help
turn Gray into Burgess.
- Okay.
- Let's get at it.
- You're okay?
- Yeah. Extraordinary.
- You can't eat junk all the
time. Your teeth will fall out.
Don't! I told you!
- I'm sorry.
Agent Mannering told me
I was helping out with an
internal security test.
- Psych expert said she created
a new reality
in order to survive.
- It's awful.
- Yep.
- I'm sorry you had to
find out this way--
- I thought you were
here to help. No?
We need a picture of Gray.
You know, faking stuff.
You're good at that.
- This is going to be
your mug shot.
So, just stand straight and look
right at the camera.
Good.
- So you've been living
at the reserve?
- Yup.
- You ever see Jo's
daughter? Dyani?
- Not really.
Can you turn your head
to the side.
- She okay, you think?
- She misses her mother.
- Yeah.
- 'Kay. We're done. Thanks.
- I know you're upset.
- I'm fine.
- Your leg is jackhammering
the floor.
You have every right
to be pissed.
I didn't tell you
at first because
I wanted to surprise you--
- I'm sorry
- Surprise?
No, no. A surprise,
a surprise is like,
"Hey, hey, I ordered pizza,"
or "Surprise!
I signed us up for yoga."
Not "Surprise! I'm lying
and I'm working for the enemy
and I'm just being the, the,
the Henson to my muppet."
You didn't even like me.
- That's not true.
- You know.
I always wondered what
you saw in me.
Now I know. Nothing.
- That's so not true.
- 'Kay, I installed new spyware
to trace all the incoming
traffic to this machine.
It'll bounce the info back to
ICS. And maybe we'll get lucky.
- So, you and Sally
know each other, huh?
- What?
Why? Did she say something?
Whatever Sally said
or didn't say doesn't
mean anything because
nothing she said was true.
Oh, and now
I get to call her.
[Ringing]
Hi. Bug's in.
So let's test the voice.
- Go ahead, Gray.
Let's hear your best Burgess.
- We have to be damn sure
he can't tell the difference.
I can't lose him now.
- Perfect. Okay, now hang up.
Get Skinner on the line.
I'll be right here.
- What happened?
- One of my new neighbors
phoned the police.
- And you're just barely
settled in.
Does this mean you'll
be moving again?
- Not easy finding
a place with no kids.
- Maybe you'd like to move
in with my subject.
- What's the neighborhood like?
- Quiet.
- In Canada?
- You're getting
ahead of yourself.
I have many other
interested bidders.
- You know I'd take
good care of her.
- I'm sure you would, Glen.
But let's see how you stack up
against the others.
I'm going to send you a link.
- Where are you going?
- Back to the office.
I don't trust her
alone in my space.
- Invite to a chat room. Sally?
You're seeing this?
- Choose a username
and password.
Something that'll
appeal to Skinner.
Try "Burrhus" and "Frederic".
B-u-r-r-h-u-s,
Frederic without the "k."
- Right. As in Burrhas
Fredrick Skinner?
- Exactly. Now put message title
"homunculus." It's Latin for
"little man". Skinner coined it
to describe human behavior, you
know that "little man"
that supposedly resides in all
of us. Represents soul,
will, self--
- She's got a dark,
greebly, phony
little man inside her.
- What did he say?
- Nothing. Keep going.
- You all right?
- Take a look at this.
Her eleventh birthday.
- Her mom give you that?
- Mm-hmm.
She wanted me to know
who Katie was.
She didn't want her
to end up being just
another FBI case number.
If we do find her,
she's going to be
a very different girl.
- Hi everyone!
- Not much competition
in the chat room.
It's down to "Burrhus" and
someone who calls himself
"Piaget."
I think I read something
about Piaget.
- "Jean Piaget
was a developmental
psychologist who believed
children were tiny
thought sacks."
- Well, this Piaget
is doing exactly what we are.
He's appealing to Skinner's ego.
- Is it working?
- I can't tell.
But whoever this "Piaget"
guy is, he's hard core.
He knows specifically
what he's gonna do to her.
- How's it going?
- Well, still
nothing on Skinner.
But I've got Piaget.
Scattering bits and bytes
like bread crumbs
to the witch's house.
Spyware picked up his trail.
He's using an Internet
service provider
in Scarborough.
- 'Kay, let's bring him in.
Moose, Darnell, Call the ISP.
Get "Piaget's" name and
address. Pick him up.
- Got it.
- That was awesome how fast
you tracked him.
- Yeah. Um,
oh, yeah, well,
okay. Uh, Anyway.
- Piaget's real name is Craig
Gordon. Corporate lawyer.
His record's clean.
- Since when do border cops
arrest Canadian citizens
for free expression?
- Since we found child
pornography crossing the border.
- Not on me, you didn't.
- On your friend.
Glen Burgess.
- Hmm. Don't know him.
- They call him "Burrhus"
in the chat rooms.
- Ah. Him?
Well, he's a sap
with a savior complex.
- We have to speed this up.
Katie's got less than 12h.
- We're keeping him busy while
Gray works on Skinner.
- Sally? What do you think?
- Good. Nice balance.
Vulnerable, submissive. Send it.
- As long as Gordon's
trapped he can't counter.
- See, I'm only here because
our society is so puritanical.
[Cellphone]
Now if I meet
a tasty young girl,
what's to stop me from
doing what comes naturally?
- I guess everybody's got the
right to express an opinion.
- You want to rip my head off
right now, don't you?
- I want to know
where Skinner is.
- Like you don't fantasize
about having some
sweet young virgin
- We're not talking
about me here, chief.
Where's Skinner?
- Mr. Gordon's lawyer is here to
take him home. He's free to go.
- Gentlemen.
- We're just gonna let him walk?
- It's all right.
We need him on the move.
Gray just lost
the bid for Katie.
Skinner picked Gordon.
- We think Gordon may be willing
to let Gray watch for a price.
- Gordon knows we're
watching him.
Why would he take the bait?
- Skinner bounced
to another chat room.
Gordon doesn't think
we know about it.
- Let's hope he goes
for the offer.
- Tell him it's not up
to Skinner anymore.
- Piaget's in charge now. We
need to make him feel powerful.
- Come on
He went for it.
- 'Kay, we're on.
- Gray's heading northwest,
just past Bruce Mines.
- Katie's in Canada.
- We don't know that yet.
Gordon could be leading us
on a wild goose chase.
- If Gordon is serious
about getting Katie,
he doesn't have much time.
Skinner is terminating
the experiment tonight.
- I'll call you back.
- Okay, so I scanned all
of Burgess's incoming and
outgoing network traffic.
Then I scanned all of Gordon's,
I was looking for a match.
- Slade. Did you find Skinner?
- Yeah. Yeah, yes, yes,
I mean, if he's still
sitting in front of his computer
watching the feed from his
Skinner Box, then, yes.
- Are you kidding? He would
never miss the final stage
of his experiment.
- Where is he?
- Uh, The Soo. U.S. side.
- Sault Ste. Marie.
- Plane is standing by.
- Good work.
- Sally's running a background.
She'll brief you on the way.
I rule! I RULE!
- Get out of the car!
Out of the car!
Arms up against the car.
Spread your legs.
- Gray's not moving.
- Where is he?
- Off Highway 17/Trans Canada.
Just outside Sault Ste. Marie.
- Okay, turn around.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Relax.
I just want to make sure you're
not planning anything stupid.
Get your arms up.
Good.
You know, your mug shot doesn't
do you justice, Glen.
- It's getting late, huh.
- Well, well. Anxious are we?
Pay up.
- You should be able to buy
Katie anything she wants, huh.
- Don't you worry.
I got big plans
for my little girl.
Lock your car. We'll take mine.
- Skinner's real name
is Steven Trafford.
- Who is he?
- He's a retired police officer
from Akron, Ohio. Now lives
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
- Does he have a record?
- Not even a parking ticket.
But here's where it
gets interesting.
He has a Nexus pass.
He crosses the border
from his Soo to ours every day.
- Why?
- He's building maintenance at
a shuttered plastics factory.
- And check this out.
None of these rooms in
the middle have windows.
- No shortage of Skinner Boxes.
- Are we ready?
- Skinner gave me the key.
- What is this place?
- I don't know.
He just gave me the address.
- Hey, so what are you
going to say to her?
- I wasn't planning on
doing a lot of talking.
- Yeah, well, you should
be nice to her.
You know, reassure her.
She hasn't seen anyone in over
a year. She might be scared.
- That is the point.
- You should try
and calm her down
then she'll go
with you easier.
- Who says I'm going
to take her anywhere?
I've got all the privacy
I need right here.
Your ticket gets
you into the fair,
but only I get to ride.
Hello, Katie.
- Get out!
Katie said you'd never find me.
But I knew you'd come.
- You've been waiting for me,
haven't you, baby?
- You're going to take me home
to my mom now, right?
- No, no, no.
We're not gonna go anywhere.
You're mine now, Katie.
- I'm not Katie.
- You can be
whoever you want.
- No!
- What are you--
- Don't move.
- Hands behind your back.
- Katie. Katie, my name is Gray.
I'm a police officer.
I'm here to help you, okay.
We're gonna get you out of here.
We're gonna get you to your mom.
Katie?
- You stay away from us!
Get out of our house, now!
Get out!
- Whatever you think,
I wasn't pretending
to care about you.
- How am I su--
How am I supposed
to process that information?
- Store it.
Delete it. It's up to you.
- Doctor says it's gonna
be a long road back.
- You got her out of there.
- I told myself I transferred
to Homeland Security
to protect my country
from terrorists.
Maybe I just couldn't face
another case like this.
- FBI's loss.