Elementary s01e17 Episode Script
Possibility Two
Both victims work for ZBZ Security.
Company has a contract with the Turtle Bay Historical Society right next door.
Now, nothing's missing from the museum.
We're canvassing the area for the gun, shooter, any possible witnesses.
So, thoughts? Holmes? Thoughts? Sorry, sorry.
I was waiting for Miss Watson.
I'm training her to analyze every environment with the keen eye of the true detective.
Watson, thoughts? Um, um Looks like both men have been shot in the chest one time.
Judging from the scuff marks on the concrete, looks like they chased the suspect up here, who then fired twice and then ran.
It's tough to say where he went.
The reason it's difficult to say where he ran is that no one ran anywhere at all.
Here we have two deceased gentlemen, both of them wearing the uniform of ZBZ.
Or so it would appear.
This man's patches were recently sewn on, and his clothes are store-bought, not made by a uniform company.
So he was posing as a guard.
Nothing is missing from the museum, so we assume that he was looking for access to the parking lot.
It's easy to rifle through the cars if you look like you work for the security firm.
Now, what was in his pockets? Pockets? Pockets.
Yeah, see, you thought he was a victim, so you were looking for identification.
But here we have one, two, three, four car registration cards.
Each one has the owner's address on it.
See the game? Pick an expensive car, then you call an associate, who burgles the home of its owner while they're out.
This man is a real security guard.
He saw this fellow lurking around, followed him.
Bad man shoots good man.
Good man, while still alive, wrests control of gun from bad man, fires one shot.
Here we are.
One more thing.
His cell phone.
You're gonna check the last number he dialed; that's his partner.
He's probably robbing a place right now.
Would you like to talk to the burglar? According to this, his name is Loco Maurice.
You mustn't allow your failure to discourage you.
Didn't fail.
Not discouraged.
You didn't solve the case, but you did notice the incongruity of the scuff marks.
The next step is learning to extrapolate your way to the truth.
Detection is not just a skill, Watson.
It's a point of view.
You must train yourself to be alert to the bizarre, the unusual, that which has no place in any given picture.
Like that stretch limo with the driver staring straight at us? Sherlock Holmes? My name's Crabtree.
We got your name from a Mr.
Musgrave in London.
Local police told us we'd find you here.
Oh.
You say "we.
" All I see is a you.
I'm a driver and attaché for Mr.
Gerald Lydon of Lydon Industries.
You know the company? You make everything from Scotch Tape to diamond-tipped drill bits.
Well, we have all the tape and drill bits that we need.
Thank you very much.
Mr.
Lydon has a proposal for you.
I sit before you a lucid man.
Vital, I might say.
I hold 18 patents and I can do 11 pull-ups at age 58.
And I own exactly I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to be comparing.
Well, the point, Mr.
Holmes, is that in my good moments, I'm every bit the man I was.
But there are fewer and fewer of those because I have dementia.
And it's getting worse, which is why Ms.
Tompkins is following me around.
You have my condolences.
I don't want your condolences.
I want your help.
Have you ever heard of hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy? Hereditary CAA.
It's a genetic disorder.
Less than 20,000 cases recorded.
Dementia is one of the early symptoms.
And death is the final symptom.
And when it comes to me, it will complete my murder, because somebody did this to me, and I need you to find out who.
So, it's a hereditary disorder.
You have to be born with it.
And there's no history of it in my family.
They can do a lot of things in labs now, you know.
And I've consulted with some of the top geneticists, and they tell me that it's possible that somebody gave me this disease, because they want me out of power! With all due respect, maybe these geneticists are right.
"Possible" does not mean "likely".
It just means it's not impossible.
That's what my family says, that's what the police say, that I'm paranoid, that I'm delusional.
I hate to say this, but those are also symptoms of CAA.
Look, they tell me that you're the best.
Mr.
Holmes, what will it cost to buy you over to my side? I only take cases when I believe I'm acting in good faith.
Now, since I think that naturally occurring dementia is by far and away the most likely explanation for your plight, I would not be doing that.
Would you pull over, please, Crabtree? I really am truly sorry.
And I wish you the best of luck.
I read the last stack of books.
No questions asked.
But, uh, Jeremy Bentham is a utilitarian philosopher.
That has nothing to do with being a detective.
Bentham is the father of modern criminology.
He said that crime is the result of free will.
Uh, you're gonna put the acid away before we answer the door, right? Delivery for you, Mr.
Holmes.
Thank you, Crabtree, but I'm afraid I Oh, my God.
Is that? A bee in a box? Yes, it is.
Fairly unimpressive as far as bribes go.
Not if you're an apiculturist.
That's an osmia avoseta-- solitary bee famed for building exquisite nests from flower petals.
It's on the verge of extinction.
Crabtree, this is exquisite.
I cannot accept it.
Please tell Mr.
Lydon not to contact me again.
I told him you are a man of convictions.
Perhaps now he'll believe me.
This is ridiculous.
Single stick is your hobby.
It's not gonna help me solve crimes.
Aim for the pate.
Good morning, Captain.
Are you in bed with a guy named Gerald Lydon? He tried to hire me.
I declined.
Well, that's not what he thinks.
You should get down here.
He's asking for you.
Why? I don't know, but we just arrested him.
He shot his driver-- guy named Crabtree.
He's being charged with murder.
Lydon says he can't remember.
His nurse witnessed the whole thing, though.
There was some kind of episode Yeah, well, I've been patient.
Excuse me.
I want to see my father! No-- Hey, that's not gonna happen, okay? Your dad killed somebody.
This is a crime scene.
You guys got to step back.
My father is sick.
Lydon's sons.
They're hands-on.
Anyway, he's asking for you.
Says you're the only one he'll see.
Crabtree worked for me for 23 years.
I know his partner; I helped them adopt their daughter.
I don't know how I could think that he would hurt me.
I'm-I'm having a hard time holding on to what's real and what isn't.
Uh, this-this conviction that someone did this to me I don't know where it comes from.
And maybe it is a delusion, but everything in my life feels so slippery, except for that.
That feels solid.
Help me! Hey, why do you have the box with the bee in it? We took Gerald Lydon's case.
We did? Well, frankly, I couldn't say no to him.
It would have felt like denying a dying man his last wish.
We are taking this home, and then we're going to the genetics lab which confirmed his diagnosis.
At Watt Helix, we always say our work isn't just about genetics.
It's about healthier food.
It's about a longer life.
It's about you.
Utter pabulum.
You'd think corporate science would maintain some vestige of dignity.
His portrait was painted by Kirian Boyd; that's impressive.
This place is a tower of ego.
So, you're Sherlock Holmes? Hi.
And Joan Watson, right? Yes.
Hi.
I'm Raph Keating; I'm president here.
This is Natasha Kademan.
She heads up the medical research team.
'Tash, meet Holmes and Watson.
Hi.
Natasha Kademan.
I know that name.
You wrote your dissertation on "The Warrior Gene," did you not? Ms.
Kademan conducted a study which many say isolated the gene responsible for sociopathic behavior.
Sterling work.
And why are you plowing these fields? My funding dried up.
The receptionist said you have a question about Gerald Lydon.
Lydon thinks someone gave him CAA? Did you know about this? Sure.
He used to talk about it when he came in.
It sounded delusional.
And it may well be.
But Mr.
Lydon insists that geneticists, whose names escape him at the moment, assure him that it is technically possible.
You diagnosed his condition, your lab has researched the disease extensively.
Is it? I guess if you had unlimited money, a great lab, you probably could do it.
The CAA comes from a mutation of the APP gene.
There may be seven people out there that might be able to crack it.
Could I have their names and addresses, please? Seriously? Mm-hmm.
Hey, what's this? You're a detective now; you tell me.
Uh, it looks like you left your dry cleaning ticket for me.
Yes.
The reason being as well as being colleagues, we are now embarking on a quite unusual domestic partnership, so we should aggregate our errands, not duplicate them.
So, I get the dry cleaning and you get what? I shall clean our refrigerator once monthly.
Agreeable? You should pick that up early.
We're leaving for Norway tomorrow.
What? I've been delving into our "magnificent seven" geneticists, and I have discovered a connection which merits further exploration.
This is Dr.
Ingvald Moller.
He runs a lab in Oslo, which specializes in the study of rare genetic disorders.
He looks very Scandinavian.
He does.
Now, his lab is affiliated with the National University, which means it's publically funded, and yet Dr.
Moller recently put a down payment on a home on the Geiranger Fjord, which was once owned by the Norwegian royal family.
Lovely place.
Well outside what a public servant could afford.
And interestingly, his loan papers were cosigned by one Carter Lydon.
Okay, so you think that Carter paid this guy to figure out how to give his father CAA.
Interesting.
But why do we have to go to Norway? Carter Lydon lives right here.
I would rather question a scientist than a businessman.
And Norway has fjords and glaciers, and women reared on a diet of wild-caught salmon.
Oh, that explains it.
Looks like a molecule.
"The thing itself"-- that's a weird way to put it.
The warrior gene.
The warrior gene-- where's the dissertation? This is Natasha Kademan's monograph.
I seem to remember something in the conclusion.
"When it comes to understanding sociopathic behavior, "understanding the warrior gene is paramount.
It is the thing itself.
" So Natasha sent this.
She knows what's going on.
Now she's panicking.
Now she's trying to figure out her next move.
And if she's as smart as she seems to be, now she's realizing we are her best option.
Ms.
Kademan? Hello? We found electrician's tape covering the lock on one of the back doors.
It looks like someone slipped in to commit a burglary, found Ms.
Kademan working late.
What were they trying to burgle, blood samples? No, I think not.
Ms.
Kademan's murder was connected to the Gerald Lydon case.
The Gerald Lydon case is closed.
I'm not talking about the murder of his chauffeur.
I am talking about the investigation into who gave the man a substance which induced his CAA.
Our most promising suspect at the moment is Lydon's son, Carter.
CAA is inherited; you can't just give it to somebody.
Ms.
Kademan thought it was possible.
In fact, she thought that's exactly what happened.
You believe her? She made someone nervous enough to stab her half a dozen times.
I'm inclined to explore further.
this was no robbery.
That portrait was done by Kirian Boyd.
It is by far the most valuable object in here.
Oh, but it was until it was stained with several drops of the killer's blood.
The victim's blood is all over the place.
What makes you think that came from the killer? Excellent question.
Watson.
Uh, um Well, the spatters on the floor indicate that she was facing away from the portrait when she was stabbed.
Um, all of her wounds are on her anterior side, so it's tough to see how her blood ended up on the portrait.
Um, now if she tried to fight back, then Then it's easy to see how a blow to the killer's face might result in those stains.
Kudos, Watson.
Adequately done.
Oh, my God.
'Tash.
Who's that? Victim's fiancé.
Came down for the I.
D.
I knew that she was working with a dementia patient named Gerald Lydon, but 'Tash never told me that she thought somebody dosed him.
I'm-I'm a geneticist, too, so I'm pretty sure she would've said something.
Honestly, I thought you were gonna ask me about that guy Benny.
Benny? Cordaro? Cordero? He was in prison for stabbing someone when 'Tash was doing her warrior gene research.
He claimed that she used his blood without permission.
He came down here, like, a month ago to scream at her.
Well, we'll look into it.
Oh, I haven't seen those since organic chem.
Natasha thought you could induce CAA.
You think that's how you do it? Certainly seems possible.
But this-- Oh, don't touch.
Obviously, this is a rendering of a molecule, but the elements aren't labeled, so I can't tell which molecule.
Until I do, I can't say for certain.
Well, she did give you a list of the best geneticists in the world; have you thought about asking one of them? You mean our pool of suspects? Hmm.
If I haven't decoded this thing by morning, we'll send it to someone unconnected with the case.
I worked hard on that dinosaur.
I spent some time with that picture Natasha sent last night.
I figured out most of the elements, and then the rest I sent on to my old genetics professor.
In the middle of the night? Well, he has insomnia, so he's always up between 2:00 and 4:00 anyway.
You were romantically involved with your genetics instructor.
Jerry was amazed by this.
He said it was like looking at something out of Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbook.
It's a man-made chemical from the polycyclic hydrocarbon family.
It's like we thought.
This is a mutagen that targets the stretch of the genome that is responsible for hereditary CAA.
That's quite beautiful.
So, all we have to do now is prove that someone paid a genius to develop this and then used it on Gerald Lydon.
That should be a fascinating day's work.
It's cold.
Did you pick up my sweaters? Seriously? I will thank you for the molecular formula when I'm sufficiently warm to do so.
Hi.
She say, "Wait one second, almost commercial.
" She say she never seen you before.
Uh, I'm here for a friend.
Wow, that's quite a coat.
It's warm.
Um, don't you want money? She says $75.
For four sweaters? Okay, $19 then.
Um, could I get a receipt? No.
So, Benny, you're saying you were mad at Ms.
Kademan.
Hell yeah, I was mad at her.
I signed up for her study to get brownie points with the parole board.
She called me an incurable sociopath.
You think that didn't add time to my sentence? So you went to Ms.
Kademan's office a few weeks ago to threaten her, and last night you killed her.
No.
You don't have an alibi.
Yeah, but it wasn't like that.
What's with Main Moon Dry Cleaning? I'll admit the new management is not much for efficiency, but I find them charming.
That's Benjamin Cordero.
Career blackmailer, general blackguard.
Also innocent of the murder of Natasha Kademan, which I would very much like to get back to solving.
We don't need your DNA, genius.
You're a convicted felon.
We got a sample on file.
Which means you got a very short window to cooperate with us.
So, you want to make a statement? You delay, but time will not! That's a quote-- Benjamin Franklin.
I know who said it.
I just don't know why you're shouting it through the mirror! This crime has a certain elegance to it.
It involves careful planning, scientific innovation, a country home in the Norwegian fjords.
That prosaic individual has no place in it.
He had beef with Natasha Kademan.
He's been to jail for a stabbing.
Okay by you if we run his DNA? It's not my place to tell you your job.
But by the time you get your results back, I will be that much closer to proving that someone, most probably Carter Lydon working in concert with a Norwegian geneticist, poisoned Gerald Lydon with a hitherto nonexistent compound and then murdered Natasha Kademan when she found out what they were up to.
Oh, I take it back.
Your version sounds much more plausible.
Sorry, you think there's actually something to my dad's story? We do.
And we think that elements within the company may be responsible.
Elements? What elements? I'd rather not say.
What I would like is root access to your company's servers.
We may be able to build a case by tracking e-mails.
Uh, I mean, I don't know if I can do that, guys.
I mean, there are big changes coming here.
I don't even know what job I'm gonna have next week.
Your job? We're talking about your father.
My father doesn't need your help.
That's for him to determine.
Thanks for your text.
Mm-hmm.
And actually, it's not my dad's decision.
He was declared legally incompetent this morning.
Your services are no longer needed.
Get out.
Actually, our contract with your father calls for termination in writing, countersigned by both parties.
Sign here.
It worked.
The thing with the termination letter.
I mean, obviously we don't even have a contract with Gerald Lydon, but I noticed that Carter bites his nails.
People who bite their nails tend to chew writing implements as well.
Well, he never asked for it back.
You know, maybe we can get a DNA sample.
If he killed Natasha, then we've got him.
I just need a plastic bag.
Not a bad gambit, Watson, though a hair sample would be better.
A hair sample? What do you want from me? Nothing.
I have a sample already.
Carter, like many people who slick their hair back, carries a comb, so I picked his pockets.
If you want to be a detective, you should get in the habit of carrying evidence bags.
Detective Bell.
We may well have cracked the case.
Benny Cordero's DNA came back a match for the blood at the scene.
I hate to burst your bubble, but we're booking him for murder.
That's not my blood.
No way, no how.
It's not even possible.
Look, we test 13 different genetic markers.
Every single one of them was a perfect match.
Then somebody set me up.
Look, I know this looks bad.
Doesn't look like anything.
We know what happened.
It's over.
W-What if I did have an alibi? I live in this courtyard building, and the couple across the way, they don't close their blinds that much.
I notice stuff with the husband and the nanny.
Just holding hands first, then some kissing.
So the night the Kademan lady got killed, I got my camera out, I put the zoom lens on.
So you're saying your alibi is that you were home, taking blackmail shots of one of your neighbors? Well yeah.
Are these the same sweaters I picked up yesterday? You're a detective now; you tell me.
Yes, same sweaters.
You left them outside my room by accident? I was setting up to practice my calligraphy at the same time I was unpacking the dry cleaning.
There was a mishap.
We agreed that you were in charge of the dry cleaning, but we didn't say how often you'd have to go.
Fine, well, I'm picking another place.
When they're your clothes, you're free to go wherever you like.
My clothes have to go to Main Moon.
I'm sensitive to the chemicals in dry cleaning, and they use only the gentlest emollients.
Really? Yes.
Now, as much as I love dry cleaning, I'm trying to get some thinking done.
Oh, so you still think Benny Cordero didn't kill Natasha? Never mind the fact that no one plans a blackmail and commits murder on the same evening, the man has no connection to the Lydons, and his supposed victim texted us the formula for inducing CAA and got stabbed Can't be a coincidence.
I'm trying to think of alternative explanations.
Possibility one is obvious, which is why Mr.
Cordero put it forth himself.
Someone got ahold of his blood and then planted it at the crime scene.
Not unheard of, but also an investigative dead end.
I can't prove that it didn't happen.
I get absolutely nowhere looking into it.
There's no evidence that anyone other than Benny Cordero was at Watt Helix that night, which is why I'm considering possibility two.
It's blank.
Possibility two has stubbornly refused to reveal itself.
Well, keep staring at the wall.
I'm sure it's hiding in there somewhere.
Hi again.
Little accident with the sweaters.
Slow day yesterday? She say, "Why you ask that?" So she understands English, she just doesn't speak it? I'm only asking because, uh, that mink coat is in the same exact place it was yesterday, so that means that hasn't been turned on since I left.
She say, "Slow day yesterday.
" Do dry cleaners get robbed a lot? I just noticed that you have six very expensive security cameras here and then two more at the front door.
Seems like a lot.
They came when we buy place.
Problem? No, that's not That's not a problem.
Thanks.
I figured it out.
I-I'm sorry to interrupt, um, but I know exactly what you were up to.
I sincerely doubt that.
Would you excuse us for a moment? There is a reason why you keep sending me to Main Moon.
They don't do any business, they don't even know how much to charge, and they have a load of security cameras.
There's definitely something going on.
Watson, I admire your enthusiasm.
I have no idea what you're on about.
You wanted me to notice.
I wanted my sweaters.
Now, I know I have counseled you to be alert, but that doesn't mean that there is a conspiracy lurking behind every door.
Okay, so what are you up to then? After you went to bed, I spent a good hour trying to reckon how an innocent man's blood could wind up at the scene of a murder if it wasn't planted there.
Then I remembered something that you said.
The late Mrs.
Kademan gave us a list of the top geneticists in the world.
Why not ask them? Everyone, say hello to Miss Watson.
Hi.
Good morning.
I left Dr.
Moller from Norway off the list.
Now, the others were a bit confused at first, but after I posed the problem to them, we had quite a lively discussion, didn't we? Yes.
Turns out, there is another possibility.
Jurgi, would you please explain your breakthrough to Miss Watson? It's quite simple, really, though I should give you a grounding in cellular biology.
Another time perhaps, Jurgi.
Actually, you know what, I'll call you all back.
Thank you.
He's a brilliant man, little bit long-winded.
Gist of it is: law enforcement runs a standard DNA test called STR analysis.
It's actually a bit imprecise.
It tests 13 loci against each other, when there are countless possibilities.
All assembled agree that technology has advanced to the point where you could manufacture a match of 13 loci.
So you're saying you can fake a DNA sample? All you would need is access to a top-tier lab and access to someone's genetic code.
And I'm not just saying that you could do it, I just regathered my round table to tell them that in this case, someone did do it.
How could you possibly know that? I called in a favor from the medical examiner's DNA lab.
They provided a sample of the blood found at the scene of Natasha Kademan's murder for a full workup.
A friend of Jurgi's at Columbia handled the analysis.
All 13 loci tested in STR analysis were a perfect match for Benny Cordero, but there were no other loci at all in the sample.
So you're saying someone stripped a blood sample of its genetic material and then created a match for the loci they knew the police would check? Only a geneticist would be able to carry that out.
It seems like everyone connected to this case is a geneticist.
But only one pointed us in the direction of Benny Cordero in the first place.
So, this morning, my consultant marches into my office and says the damndest thing.
He thinks it's possible to manufacture a DNA sample.
Thing is, he was right.
The blood that we found at the scene of your fiancée's murder, it didn't belong to Benny Cordero.
It was just designed to look that way.
Well, that sounds kind of crazy.
Now, you work for Ubient Pharmaceuticals, right? I bet they have nice labs.
What are you saying? Paul, come on.
We know the sample was faked.
We know you pointed us at Benny Cordero in the first place.
We know you had access to his genetic makeup via your fiancée.
We know your employer has probably the top lab in the city.
We also have a pretty good idea of the equipment you'd need to manufacture a fake DNA sample.
Now, we can get a court order to look at it, but as it turns out, we don't need to.
We shared everything we know with your bosses.
They gave us access.
Our crime scene unit is processing the lab as we speak.
You may think you've covered your tracks, but if you made the sample there, we' find it.
Why did you murder your fiancée? Right after we got engaged, 'Tash and I had complete genetic workups done.
Natasha asked them to check us both for the warrior gene, the gene that she isolated in her research-- just being thorough.
Turns out, I have it.
My DNA says I'm a sociopath.
She said it wouldn't change anything, but I could feel her pulling away.
Then the late-night phone calls started, the long hours at work.
She was moving on.
Moving on and stepping out.
You think she was cheating on you? A guy knows.
And I even had a name.
Lincoln Dunwoody.
I knew that she was planning to leave, and she doesn't get to make that call.
So you're saying you murdered her out of jealousy? I guess I knew for a while that it was gonna end like this.
That's why I made the blood.
But last Tuesday, she called to cancel our dinner date on my birthday.
That was it.
So where does Carter Lydon fit in? The formula for inducing hereditary CAA? I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about the plan to poison Gerald Lydon.
Look, I killed 'Tash.
Okay? I am telling you that.
But I don't know how to induce CAA.
I don't even remember what it stands for.
Hey.
I caught most of the Reeves stuff from the bullpen, then Bell filled me in on the rest.
Look, I know you thought it was all connected and that finding Natasha's killer was gonna help explain what happened to Gerald Lydon, but it didn't work out that way.
But we do have a murderer in custody, and you got around a fake DNA sample.
Strange name.
Did you know there's no one called Lincoln Dunwoody in the whole of New York? At first, I thought Natasha Kademan's paramour was using a fake name for their affair.
But when you separate the two names, treat them as two surnames rather than one nonexistent person, you get a very interesting result.
This Lincoln family has a long history of generous philanthropy.
So, too, does this Dunwoody family.
The Lincoln family's patriarch is James Lincoln.
He recently retired after a sudden and unexpected diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
There's no history of the disease in his family.
Hmm.
That is weird.
I don't think Natasha Kademan was having an affair at all.
I think she was trying to expose a plot to poison these men.
Well, you only know of two cases, right? I mean, CAA is incredibly rare, but that could be just a coincidence.
What if there was a third person stricken? Is there? I don't know.
But I do know that a woman called Greta Dunwoody recently retired as president of her family's foundation.
She's dropped off the society pages, and no one is quite sure what's happened to her.
Well, we need to find her.
Apparently, the family's keeping shtum.
But read the list of grants.
Well, they just donated $20 million to St.
Bede's Hospital.
If she was sick, I would say that would be a good place to start looking.
Ms.
Dunwoody? They told us we'd find you in here.
Um these are for you.
They're beautiful.
Thank you.
You're not my son, are you? No, we we just thought we'd check in on you.
Oh, that's nice.
Do you mind if I practice? I have to keep practicing if I want to get into Juilliard.
Amazing.
The brain decays, but muscle memory remains.
Gerald Lydon wasn't the only target.
Someone's poisoning these people.
You're cleaning the fridge out now? It's my half of our agreement.
Well, I was hoping you could help me figure out who's giving rich people CAA.
Yes, that was first on my list.
Now the refrigerator.
You have a suspect.
Who? You're a detective; you tell me.
Fine.
Uh Okay, it's not Carter Lydon.
I mean, he has a motive to want his father sick, but he has no reason to attack strangers.
Maybe he cosigned that loan for that guy in Norway because he wanted him to help with his father's case.
So who does have motive to attack three seemingly unconnected strangers? The victims are three rich people.
They all have charitable foundations.
The only people that would benefit from wealthy philanthropists coming down with CAA are the people raising money to study the disease.
Induce CAA in some of New York's wealthiest, then sit back and wait for donations to flow in.
Not all the victims would contribute, so you'd have to dose more than one.
Did you know the Lincoln Foundation gave a rather generous grant to the research labs at Watt Helix? Natasha's company.
She was a whistle-blower.
There's got to be, what, 50 people working in research there? But how many of them are capable of inventing an entirely new molecule which attacks a specific gene? Well, it's got to be the smartest person there.
Of course, that person might not still work there on a daily basis.
Mr.
Watt, did you know that before Ms.
Kademan was killed, she was working to expose a scandal? It's quite a story.
She thought that someone at Watt Helix was inducing mutations in wealthy people to attract funding for research into CAA.
We think she was right.
That's shocking.
I assume you have evidence.
Whoever developed the molecule was brilliant.
A towering intellect.
Someone a lot like you.
I hope that's not an accusation.
Brian Watt is a decorated physician.
He has a sterling reputation.
Why would he risk that for whatever you're describing? We spent a good deal of time puzzling over that ourselves, didn't we? Yeah.
We came up with a theory, but we couldn't be sure of it until we got a good look at you.
You have hereditary CAA, don't you, Mr.
Watt? That's why you're semi-retired, and that's why you haven't said a word since you came in.
We know it's in your family.
Probably why you got into genetics in the first place, find a way around the death sentence that you carry in your DNA.
But you got sick.
Research wasn't going fast enough.
So in your more lucid moments, you hatch a plan to attract bigger and bigger money.
All you'd have to do is to introduce the chemical you developed into someone's I.
V.
All the victims had procedures at Stuyvesant Memorial, a hospital where you still hold privileges.
You're wrong.
Well, then, you won't mind if we take a look inside your home, will you? 'Cause there won't be any more of the chemical needed for further attacks.
We have team of detectives heading to his home as we speak.
A stunning arrest today, as entrepreneur Dr.
Brian Watt has been charged in a bizarre string of poisonings Hi there.
Are my sweaters ready? I didn't think so.
This is Detective Bell from the NYPD.
I told him about the world's worst dry cleaner's, and he got curious.
Do you know who bought this place from the Korean couple who used to own it? It's a shell company.
I can't even pronounce it, but my friends at the NYPD know all about it.
They think it's linked to smuggling, human trafficking other fun stuff.
So now I know why you're so terrible at dry cleaning.
Because the only thing your owners want you to clean is their money.
And given all the security cameras you have in here, I bet if we execute this search warrant we brought with us, we'd find plenty of it.
Is that true? All right, get up.
Put your hands behind your back.
Everything Is crystal clear I did it! Close that door immediately! What's up? I was examining the osmia avoseta that Gerald Lydon gave me, and it got loose.
Oh, so there's an almost-extinct bee flying around in here? Yes, and I would rather it didn't get out.
Okay.
Well, I took care of it.
That dry cleaner you sent me to, you deduced what they were up to.
Bell sent in somebody to search it, and everybody's arrested.
Thought I was gonna have to send you back there three times more times.
Well done.
Why didn't you tell me when I came to you yesterday? I wanted you to learn to trust your own instincts.
When the world stops making sense Good detective knows that every task, every interaction, no matter how seemingly banal, has the potential to contain multitudes.
I live my life alert to this possibility.
I expect my colleagues to do the same.
Company has a contract with the Turtle Bay Historical Society right next door.
Now, nothing's missing from the museum.
We're canvassing the area for the gun, shooter, any possible witnesses.
So, thoughts? Holmes? Thoughts? Sorry, sorry.
I was waiting for Miss Watson.
I'm training her to analyze every environment with the keen eye of the true detective.
Watson, thoughts? Um, um Looks like both men have been shot in the chest one time.
Judging from the scuff marks on the concrete, looks like they chased the suspect up here, who then fired twice and then ran.
It's tough to say where he went.
The reason it's difficult to say where he ran is that no one ran anywhere at all.
Here we have two deceased gentlemen, both of them wearing the uniform of ZBZ.
Or so it would appear.
This man's patches were recently sewn on, and his clothes are store-bought, not made by a uniform company.
So he was posing as a guard.
Nothing is missing from the museum, so we assume that he was looking for access to the parking lot.
It's easy to rifle through the cars if you look like you work for the security firm.
Now, what was in his pockets? Pockets? Pockets.
Yeah, see, you thought he was a victim, so you were looking for identification.
But here we have one, two, three, four car registration cards.
Each one has the owner's address on it.
See the game? Pick an expensive car, then you call an associate, who burgles the home of its owner while they're out.
This man is a real security guard.
He saw this fellow lurking around, followed him.
Bad man shoots good man.
Good man, while still alive, wrests control of gun from bad man, fires one shot.
Here we are.
One more thing.
His cell phone.
You're gonna check the last number he dialed; that's his partner.
He's probably robbing a place right now.
Would you like to talk to the burglar? According to this, his name is Loco Maurice.
You mustn't allow your failure to discourage you.
Didn't fail.
Not discouraged.
You didn't solve the case, but you did notice the incongruity of the scuff marks.
The next step is learning to extrapolate your way to the truth.
Detection is not just a skill, Watson.
It's a point of view.
You must train yourself to be alert to the bizarre, the unusual, that which has no place in any given picture.
Like that stretch limo with the driver staring straight at us? Sherlock Holmes? My name's Crabtree.
We got your name from a Mr.
Musgrave in London.
Local police told us we'd find you here.
Oh.
You say "we.
" All I see is a you.
I'm a driver and attaché for Mr.
Gerald Lydon of Lydon Industries.
You know the company? You make everything from Scotch Tape to diamond-tipped drill bits.
Well, we have all the tape and drill bits that we need.
Thank you very much.
Mr.
Lydon has a proposal for you.
I sit before you a lucid man.
Vital, I might say.
I hold 18 patents and I can do 11 pull-ups at age 58.
And I own exactly I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to be comparing.
Well, the point, Mr.
Holmes, is that in my good moments, I'm every bit the man I was.
But there are fewer and fewer of those because I have dementia.
And it's getting worse, which is why Ms.
Tompkins is following me around.
You have my condolences.
I don't want your condolences.
I want your help.
Have you ever heard of hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy? Hereditary CAA.
It's a genetic disorder.
Less than 20,000 cases recorded.
Dementia is one of the early symptoms.
And death is the final symptom.
And when it comes to me, it will complete my murder, because somebody did this to me, and I need you to find out who.
So, it's a hereditary disorder.
You have to be born with it.
And there's no history of it in my family.
They can do a lot of things in labs now, you know.
And I've consulted with some of the top geneticists, and they tell me that it's possible that somebody gave me this disease, because they want me out of power! With all due respect, maybe these geneticists are right.
"Possible" does not mean "likely".
It just means it's not impossible.
That's what my family says, that's what the police say, that I'm paranoid, that I'm delusional.
I hate to say this, but those are also symptoms of CAA.
Look, they tell me that you're the best.
Mr.
Holmes, what will it cost to buy you over to my side? I only take cases when I believe I'm acting in good faith.
Now, since I think that naturally occurring dementia is by far and away the most likely explanation for your plight, I would not be doing that.
Would you pull over, please, Crabtree? I really am truly sorry.
And I wish you the best of luck.
I read the last stack of books.
No questions asked.
But, uh, Jeremy Bentham is a utilitarian philosopher.
That has nothing to do with being a detective.
Bentham is the father of modern criminology.
He said that crime is the result of free will.
Uh, you're gonna put the acid away before we answer the door, right? Delivery for you, Mr.
Holmes.
Thank you, Crabtree, but I'm afraid I Oh, my God.
Is that? A bee in a box? Yes, it is.
Fairly unimpressive as far as bribes go.
Not if you're an apiculturist.
That's an osmia avoseta-- solitary bee famed for building exquisite nests from flower petals.
It's on the verge of extinction.
Crabtree, this is exquisite.
I cannot accept it.
Please tell Mr.
Lydon not to contact me again.
I told him you are a man of convictions.
Perhaps now he'll believe me.
This is ridiculous.
Single stick is your hobby.
It's not gonna help me solve crimes.
Aim for the pate.
Good morning, Captain.
Are you in bed with a guy named Gerald Lydon? He tried to hire me.
I declined.
Well, that's not what he thinks.
You should get down here.
He's asking for you.
Why? I don't know, but we just arrested him.
He shot his driver-- guy named Crabtree.
He's being charged with murder.
Lydon says he can't remember.
His nurse witnessed the whole thing, though.
There was some kind of episode Yeah, well, I've been patient.
Excuse me.
I want to see my father! No-- Hey, that's not gonna happen, okay? Your dad killed somebody.
This is a crime scene.
You guys got to step back.
My father is sick.
Lydon's sons.
They're hands-on.
Anyway, he's asking for you.
Says you're the only one he'll see.
Crabtree worked for me for 23 years.
I know his partner; I helped them adopt their daughter.
I don't know how I could think that he would hurt me.
I'm-I'm having a hard time holding on to what's real and what isn't.
Uh, this-this conviction that someone did this to me I don't know where it comes from.
And maybe it is a delusion, but everything in my life feels so slippery, except for that.
That feels solid.
Help me! Hey, why do you have the box with the bee in it? We took Gerald Lydon's case.
We did? Well, frankly, I couldn't say no to him.
It would have felt like denying a dying man his last wish.
We are taking this home, and then we're going to the genetics lab which confirmed his diagnosis.
At Watt Helix, we always say our work isn't just about genetics.
It's about healthier food.
It's about a longer life.
It's about you.
Utter pabulum.
You'd think corporate science would maintain some vestige of dignity.
His portrait was painted by Kirian Boyd; that's impressive.
This place is a tower of ego.
So, you're Sherlock Holmes? Hi.
And Joan Watson, right? Yes.
Hi.
I'm Raph Keating; I'm president here.
This is Natasha Kademan.
She heads up the medical research team.
'Tash, meet Holmes and Watson.
Hi.
Natasha Kademan.
I know that name.
You wrote your dissertation on "The Warrior Gene," did you not? Ms.
Kademan conducted a study which many say isolated the gene responsible for sociopathic behavior.
Sterling work.
And why are you plowing these fields? My funding dried up.
The receptionist said you have a question about Gerald Lydon.
Lydon thinks someone gave him CAA? Did you know about this? Sure.
He used to talk about it when he came in.
It sounded delusional.
And it may well be.
But Mr.
Lydon insists that geneticists, whose names escape him at the moment, assure him that it is technically possible.
You diagnosed his condition, your lab has researched the disease extensively.
Is it? I guess if you had unlimited money, a great lab, you probably could do it.
The CAA comes from a mutation of the APP gene.
There may be seven people out there that might be able to crack it.
Could I have their names and addresses, please? Seriously? Mm-hmm.
Hey, what's this? You're a detective now; you tell me.
Uh, it looks like you left your dry cleaning ticket for me.
Yes.
The reason being as well as being colleagues, we are now embarking on a quite unusual domestic partnership, so we should aggregate our errands, not duplicate them.
So, I get the dry cleaning and you get what? I shall clean our refrigerator once monthly.
Agreeable? You should pick that up early.
We're leaving for Norway tomorrow.
What? I've been delving into our "magnificent seven" geneticists, and I have discovered a connection which merits further exploration.
This is Dr.
Ingvald Moller.
He runs a lab in Oslo, which specializes in the study of rare genetic disorders.
He looks very Scandinavian.
He does.
Now, his lab is affiliated with the National University, which means it's publically funded, and yet Dr.
Moller recently put a down payment on a home on the Geiranger Fjord, which was once owned by the Norwegian royal family.
Lovely place.
Well outside what a public servant could afford.
And interestingly, his loan papers were cosigned by one Carter Lydon.
Okay, so you think that Carter paid this guy to figure out how to give his father CAA.
Interesting.
But why do we have to go to Norway? Carter Lydon lives right here.
I would rather question a scientist than a businessman.
And Norway has fjords and glaciers, and women reared on a diet of wild-caught salmon.
Oh, that explains it.
Looks like a molecule.
"The thing itself"-- that's a weird way to put it.
The warrior gene.
The warrior gene-- where's the dissertation? This is Natasha Kademan's monograph.
I seem to remember something in the conclusion.
"When it comes to understanding sociopathic behavior, "understanding the warrior gene is paramount.
It is the thing itself.
" So Natasha sent this.
She knows what's going on.
Now she's panicking.
Now she's trying to figure out her next move.
And if she's as smart as she seems to be, now she's realizing we are her best option.
Ms.
Kademan? Hello? We found electrician's tape covering the lock on one of the back doors.
It looks like someone slipped in to commit a burglary, found Ms.
Kademan working late.
What were they trying to burgle, blood samples? No, I think not.
Ms.
Kademan's murder was connected to the Gerald Lydon case.
The Gerald Lydon case is closed.
I'm not talking about the murder of his chauffeur.
I am talking about the investigation into who gave the man a substance which induced his CAA.
Our most promising suspect at the moment is Lydon's son, Carter.
CAA is inherited; you can't just give it to somebody.
Ms.
Kademan thought it was possible.
In fact, she thought that's exactly what happened.
You believe her? She made someone nervous enough to stab her half a dozen times.
I'm inclined to explore further.
this was no robbery.
That portrait was done by Kirian Boyd.
It is by far the most valuable object in here.
Oh, but it was until it was stained with several drops of the killer's blood.
The victim's blood is all over the place.
What makes you think that came from the killer? Excellent question.
Watson.
Uh, um Well, the spatters on the floor indicate that she was facing away from the portrait when she was stabbed.
Um, all of her wounds are on her anterior side, so it's tough to see how her blood ended up on the portrait.
Um, now if she tried to fight back, then Then it's easy to see how a blow to the killer's face might result in those stains.
Kudos, Watson.
Adequately done.
Oh, my God.
'Tash.
Who's that? Victim's fiancé.
Came down for the I.
D.
I knew that she was working with a dementia patient named Gerald Lydon, but 'Tash never told me that she thought somebody dosed him.
I'm-I'm a geneticist, too, so I'm pretty sure she would've said something.
Honestly, I thought you were gonna ask me about that guy Benny.
Benny? Cordaro? Cordero? He was in prison for stabbing someone when 'Tash was doing her warrior gene research.
He claimed that she used his blood without permission.
He came down here, like, a month ago to scream at her.
Well, we'll look into it.
Oh, I haven't seen those since organic chem.
Natasha thought you could induce CAA.
You think that's how you do it? Certainly seems possible.
But this-- Oh, don't touch.
Obviously, this is a rendering of a molecule, but the elements aren't labeled, so I can't tell which molecule.
Until I do, I can't say for certain.
Well, she did give you a list of the best geneticists in the world; have you thought about asking one of them? You mean our pool of suspects? Hmm.
If I haven't decoded this thing by morning, we'll send it to someone unconnected with the case.
I worked hard on that dinosaur.
I spent some time with that picture Natasha sent last night.
I figured out most of the elements, and then the rest I sent on to my old genetics professor.
In the middle of the night? Well, he has insomnia, so he's always up between 2:00 and 4:00 anyway.
You were romantically involved with your genetics instructor.
Jerry was amazed by this.
He said it was like looking at something out of Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbook.
It's a man-made chemical from the polycyclic hydrocarbon family.
It's like we thought.
This is a mutagen that targets the stretch of the genome that is responsible for hereditary CAA.
That's quite beautiful.
So, all we have to do now is prove that someone paid a genius to develop this and then used it on Gerald Lydon.
That should be a fascinating day's work.
It's cold.
Did you pick up my sweaters? Seriously? I will thank you for the molecular formula when I'm sufficiently warm to do so.
Hi.
She say, "Wait one second, almost commercial.
" She say she never seen you before.
Uh, I'm here for a friend.
Wow, that's quite a coat.
It's warm.
Um, don't you want money? She says $75.
For four sweaters? Okay, $19 then.
Um, could I get a receipt? No.
So, Benny, you're saying you were mad at Ms.
Kademan.
Hell yeah, I was mad at her.
I signed up for her study to get brownie points with the parole board.
She called me an incurable sociopath.
You think that didn't add time to my sentence? So you went to Ms.
Kademan's office a few weeks ago to threaten her, and last night you killed her.
No.
You don't have an alibi.
Yeah, but it wasn't like that.
What's with Main Moon Dry Cleaning? I'll admit the new management is not much for efficiency, but I find them charming.
That's Benjamin Cordero.
Career blackmailer, general blackguard.
Also innocent of the murder of Natasha Kademan, which I would very much like to get back to solving.
We don't need your DNA, genius.
You're a convicted felon.
We got a sample on file.
Which means you got a very short window to cooperate with us.
So, you want to make a statement? You delay, but time will not! That's a quote-- Benjamin Franklin.
I know who said it.
I just don't know why you're shouting it through the mirror! This crime has a certain elegance to it.
It involves careful planning, scientific innovation, a country home in the Norwegian fjords.
That prosaic individual has no place in it.
He had beef with Natasha Kademan.
He's been to jail for a stabbing.
Okay by you if we run his DNA? It's not my place to tell you your job.
But by the time you get your results back, I will be that much closer to proving that someone, most probably Carter Lydon working in concert with a Norwegian geneticist, poisoned Gerald Lydon with a hitherto nonexistent compound and then murdered Natasha Kademan when she found out what they were up to.
Oh, I take it back.
Your version sounds much more plausible.
Sorry, you think there's actually something to my dad's story? We do.
And we think that elements within the company may be responsible.
Elements? What elements? I'd rather not say.
What I would like is root access to your company's servers.
We may be able to build a case by tracking e-mails.
Uh, I mean, I don't know if I can do that, guys.
I mean, there are big changes coming here.
I don't even know what job I'm gonna have next week.
Your job? We're talking about your father.
My father doesn't need your help.
That's for him to determine.
Thanks for your text.
Mm-hmm.
And actually, it's not my dad's decision.
He was declared legally incompetent this morning.
Your services are no longer needed.
Get out.
Actually, our contract with your father calls for termination in writing, countersigned by both parties.
Sign here.
It worked.
The thing with the termination letter.
I mean, obviously we don't even have a contract with Gerald Lydon, but I noticed that Carter bites his nails.
People who bite their nails tend to chew writing implements as well.
Well, he never asked for it back.
You know, maybe we can get a DNA sample.
If he killed Natasha, then we've got him.
I just need a plastic bag.
Not a bad gambit, Watson, though a hair sample would be better.
A hair sample? What do you want from me? Nothing.
I have a sample already.
Carter, like many people who slick their hair back, carries a comb, so I picked his pockets.
If you want to be a detective, you should get in the habit of carrying evidence bags.
Detective Bell.
We may well have cracked the case.
Benny Cordero's DNA came back a match for the blood at the scene.
I hate to burst your bubble, but we're booking him for murder.
That's not my blood.
No way, no how.
It's not even possible.
Look, we test 13 different genetic markers.
Every single one of them was a perfect match.
Then somebody set me up.
Look, I know this looks bad.
Doesn't look like anything.
We know what happened.
It's over.
W-What if I did have an alibi? I live in this courtyard building, and the couple across the way, they don't close their blinds that much.
I notice stuff with the husband and the nanny.
Just holding hands first, then some kissing.
So the night the Kademan lady got killed, I got my camera out, I put the zoom lens on.
So you're saying your alibi is that you were home, taking blackmail shots of one of your neighbors? Well yeah.
Are these the same sweaters I picked up yesterday? You're a detective now; you tell me.
Yes, same sweaters.
You left them outside my room by accident? I was setting up to practice my calligraphy at the same time I was unpacking the dry cleaning.
There was a mishap.
We agreed that you were in charge of the dry cleaning, but we didn't say how often you'd have to go.
Fine, well, I'm picking another place.
When they're your clothes, you're free to go wherever you like.
My clothes have to go to Main Moon.
I'm sensitive to the chemicals in dry cleaning, and they use only the gentlest emollients.
Really? Yes.
Now, as much as I love dry cleaning, I'm trying to get some thinking done.
Oh, so you still think Benny Cordero didn't kill Natasha? Never mind the fact that no one plans a blackmail and commits murder on the same evening, the man has no connection to the Lydons, and his supposed victim texted us the formula for inducing CAA and got stabbed Can't be a coincidence.
I'm trying to think of alternative explanations.
Possibility one is obvious, which is why Mr.
Cordero put it forth himself.
Someone got ahold of his blood and then planted it at the crime scene.
Not unheard of, but also an investigative dead end.
I can't prove that it didn't happen.
I get absolutely nowhere looking into it.
There's no evidence that anyone other than Benny Cordero was at Watt Helix that night, which is why I'm considering possibility two.
It's blank.
Possibility two has stubbornly refused to reveal itself.
Well, keep staring at the wall.
I'm sure it's hiding in there somewhere.
Hi again.
Little accident with the sweaters.
Slow day yesterday? She say, "Why you ask that?" So she understands English, she just doesn't speak it? I'm only asking because, uh, that mink coat is in the same exact place it was yesterday, so that means that hasn't been turned on since I left.
She say, "Slow day yesterday.
" Do dry cleaners get robbed a lot? I just noticed that you have six very expensive security cameras here and then two more at the front door.
Seems like a lot.
They came when we buy place.
Problem? No, that's not That's not a problem.
Thanks.
I figured it out.
I-I'm sorry to interrupt, um, but I know exactly what you were up to.
I sincerely doubt that.
Would you excuse us for a moment? There is a reason why you keep sending me to Main Moon.
They don't do any business, they don't even know how much to charge, and they have a load of security cameras.
There's definitely something going on.
Watson, I admire your enthusiasm.
I have no idea what you're on about.
You wanted me to notice.
I wanted my sweaters.
Now, I know I have counseled you to be alert, but that doesn't mean that there is a conspiracy lurking behind every door.
Okay, so what are you up to then? After you went to bed, I spent a good hour trying to reckon how an innocent man's blood could wind up at the scene of a murder if it wasn't planted there.
Then I remembered something that you said.
The late Mrs.
Kademan gave us a list of the top geneticists in the world.
Why not ask them? Everyone, say hello to Miss Watson.
Hi.
Good morning.
I left Dr.
Moller from Norway off the list.
Now, the others were a bit confused at first, but after I posed the problem to them, we had quite a lively discussion, didn't we? Yes.
Turns out, there is another possibility.
Jurgi, would you please explain your breakthrough to Miss Watson? It's quite simple, really, though I should give you a grounding in cellular biology.
Another time perhaps, Jurgi.
Actually, you know what, I'll call you all back.
Thank you.
He's a brilliant man, little bit long-winded.
Gist of it is: law enforcement runs a standard DNA test called STR analysis.
It's actually a bit imprecise.
It tests 13 loci against each other, when there are countless possibilities.
All assembled agree that technology has advanced to the point where you could manufacture a match of 13 loci.
So you're saying you can fake a DNA sample? All you would need is access to a top-tier lab and access to someone's genetic code.
And I'm not just saying that you could do it, I just regathered my round table to tell them that in this case, someone did do it.
How could you possibly know that? I called in a favor from the medical examiner's DNA lab.
They provided a sample of the blood found at the scene of Natasha Kademan's murder for a full workup.
A friend of Jurgi's at Columbia handled the analysis.
All 13 loci tested in STR analysis were a perfect match for Benny Cordero, but there were no other loci at all in the sample.
So you're saying someone stripped a blood sample of its genetic material and then created a match for the loci they knew the police would check? Only a geneticist would be able to carry that out.
It seems like everyone connected to this case is a geneticist.
But only one pointed us in the direction of Benny Cordero in the first place.
So, this morning, my consultant marches into my office and says the damndest thing.
He thinks it's possible to manufacture a DNA sample.
Thing is, he was right.
The blood that we found at the scene of your fiancée's murder, it didn't belong to Benny Cordero.
It was just designed to look that way.
Well, that sounds kind of crazy.
Now, you work for Ubient Pharmaceuticals, right? I bet they have nice labs.
What are you saying? Paul, come on.
We know the sample was faked.
We know you pointed us at Benny Cordero in the first place.
We know you had access to his genetic makeup via your fiancée.
We know your employer has probably the top lab in the city.
We also have a pretty good idea of the equipment you'd need to manufacture a fake DNA sample.
Now, we can get a court order to look at it, but as it turns out, we don't need to.
We shared everything we know with your bosses.
They gave us access.
Our crime scene unit is processing the lab as we speak.
You may think you've covered your tracks, but if you made the sample there, we' find it.
Why did you murder your fiancée? Right after we got engaged, 'Tash and I had complete genetic workups done.
Natasha asked them to check us both for the warrior gene, the gene that she isolated in her research-- just being thorough.
Turns out, I have it.
My DNA says I'm a sociopath.
She said it wouldn't change anything, but I could feel her pulling away.
Then the late-night phone calls started, the long hours at work.
She was moving on.
Moving on and stepping out.
You think she was cheating on you? A guy knows.
And I even had a name.
Lincoln Dunwoody.
I knew that she was planning to leave, and she doesn't get to make that call.
So you're saying you murdered her out of jealousy? I guess I knew for a while that it was gonna end like this.
That's why I made the blood.
But last Tuesday, she called to cancel our dinner date on my birthday.
That was it.
So where does Carter Lydon fit in? The formula for inducing hereditary CAA? I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about the plan to poison Gerald Lydon.
Look, I killed 'Tash.
Okay? I am telling you that.
But I don't know how to induce CAA.
I don't even remember what it stands for.
Hey.
I caught most of the Reeves stuff from the bullpen, then Bell filled me in on the rest.
Look, I know you thought it was all connected and that finding Natasha's killer was gonna help explain what happened to Gerald Lydon, but it didn't work out that way.
But we do have a murderer in custody, and you got around a fake DNA sample.
Strange name.
Did you know there's no one called Lincoln Dunwoody in the whole of New York? At first, I thought Natasha Kademan's paramour was using a fake name for their affair.
But when you separate the two names, treat them as two surnames rather than one nonexistent person, you get a very interesting result.
This Lincoln family has a long history of generous philanthropy.
So, too, does this Dunwoody family.
The Lincoln family's patriarch is James Lincoln.
He recently retired after a sudden and unexpected diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
There's no history of the disease in his family.
Hmm.
That is weird.
I don't think Natasha Kademan was having an affair at all.
I think she was trying to expose a plot to poison these men.
Well, you only know of two cases, right? I mean, CAA is incredibly rare, but that could be just a coincidence.
What if there was a third person stricken? Is there? I don't know.
But I do know that a woman called Greta Dunwoody recently retired as president of her family's foundation.
She's dropped off the society pages, and no one is quite sure what's happened to her.
Well, we need to find her.
Apparently, the family's keeping shtum.
But read the list of grants.
Well, they just donated $20 million to St.
Bede's Hospital.
If she was sick, I would say that would be a good place to start looking.
Ms.
Dunwoody? They told us we'd find you in here.
Um these are for you.
They're beautiful.
Thank you.
You're not my son, are you? No, we we just thought we'd check in on you.
Oh, that's nice.
Do you mind if I practice? I have to keep practicing if I want to get into Juilliard.
Amazing.
The brain decays, but muscle memory remains.
Gerald Lydon wasn't the only target.
Someone's poisoning these people.
You're cleaning the fridge out now? It's my half of our agreement.
Well, I was hoping you could help me figure out who's giving rich people CAA.
Yes, that was first on my list.
Now the refrigerator.
You have a suspect.
Who? You're a detective; you tell me.
Fine.
Uh Okay, it's not Carter Lydon.
I mean, he has a motive to want his father sick, but he has no reason to attack strangers.
Maybe he cosigned that loan for that guy in Norway because he wanted him to help with his father's case.
So who does have motive to attack three seemingly unconnected strangers? The victims are three rich people.
They all have charitable foundations.
The only people that would benefit from wealthy philanthropists coming down with CAA are the people raising money to study the disease.
Induce CAA in some of New York's wealthiest, then sit back and wait for donations to flow in.
Not all the victims would contribute, so you'd have to dose more than one.
Did you know the Lincoln Foundation gave a rather generous grant to the research labs at Watt Helix? Natasha's company.
She was a whistle-blower.
There's got to be, what, 50 people working in research there? But how many of them are capable of inventing an entirely new molecule which attacks a specific gene? Well, it's got to be the smartest person there.
Of course, that person might not still work there on a daily basis.
Mr.
Watt, did you know that before Ms.
Kademan was killed, she was working to expose a scandal? It's quite a story.
She thought that someone at Watt Helix was inducing mutations in wealthy people to attract funding for research into CAA.
We think she was right.
That's shocking.
I assume you have evidence.
Whoever developed the molecule was brilliant.
A towering intellect.
Someone a lot like you.
I hope that's not an accusation.
Brian Watt is a decorated physician.
He has a sterling reputation.
Why would he risk that for whatever you're describing? We spent a good deal of time puzzling over that ourselves, didn't we? Yeah.
We came up with a theory, but we couldn't be sure of it until we got a good look at you.
You have hereditary CAA, don't you, Mr.
Watt? That's why you're semi-retired, and that's why you haven't said a word since you came in.
We know it's in your family.
Probably why you got into genetics in the first place, find a way around the death sentence that you carry in your DNA.
But you got sick.
Research wasn't going fast enough.
So in your more lucid moments, you hatch a plan to attract bigger and bigger money.
All you'd have to do is to introduce the chemical you developed into someone's I.
V.
All the victims had procedures at Stuyvesant Memorial, a hospital where you still hold privileges.
You're wrong.
Well, then, you won't mind if we take a look inside your home, will you? 'Cause there won't be any more of the chemical needed for further attacks.
We have team of detectives heading to his home as we speak.
A stunning arrest today, as entrepreneur Dr.
Brian Watt has been charged in a bizarre string of poisonings Hi there.
Are my sweaters ready? I didn't think so.
This is Detective Bell from the NYPD.
I told him about the world's worst dry cleaner's, and he got curious.
Do you know who bought this place from the Korean couple who used to own it? It's a shell company.
I can't even pronounce it, but my friends at the NYPD know all about it.
They think it's linked to smuggling, human trafficking other fun stuff.
So now I know why you're so terrible at dry cleaning.
Because the only thing your owners want you to clean is their money.
And given all the security cameras you have in here, I bet if we execute this search warrant we brought with us, we'd find plenty of it.
Is that true? All right, get up.
Put your hands behind your back.
Everything Is crystal clear I did it! Close that door immediately! What's up? I was examining the osmia avoseta that Gerald Lydon gave me, and it got loose.
Oh, so there's an almost-extinct bee flying around in here? Yes, and I would rather it didn't get out.
Okay.
Well, I took care of it.
That dry cleaner you sent me to, you deduced what they were up to.
Bell sent in somebody to search it, and everybody's arrested.
Thought I was gonna have to send you back there three times more times.
Well done.
Why didn't you tell me when I came to you yesterday? I wanted you to learn to trust your own instincts.
When the world stops making sense Good detective knows that every task, every interaction, no matter how seemingly banal, has the potential to contain multitudes.
I live my life alert to this possibility.
I expect my colleagues to do the same.