Without a Trace s01e20 Episode Script

Easy, Dante.
Save some for later.
I'm cool.
All right, champ.
How are you feeling? - Fine.
- Good.
Where's your brother? I don't know.
You know Dre.
He'll probably stroll in with a couple babes right before the bell.
I saw Marquez out in the hallway.
Kid looks like he's gonna crap his shorts.
This fight's already won, baby.
You just got to do what you do.
All right.
Dante's had enough company, okay? He needs some alone time now.
All right.
You get him, champ.
You need anything, kid? No, I'm good.
Thanks.
He's gone.
He's completely gone.
I know what this means.
When was the last time you saw him? You think I'll get his autograph? You can ask him when he comes out of the locker room.
Make sure to wish him luck.
I'll tell him to win so he gets the title shot.
- Can we go to that fight, too? - Let's watch him win this fight first.
Hey, Dave.
Thanks very much for the backstage passes.
I'm sorry there's nothing to see.
Nobody can find the Jones kid.
- What, no-show? - No, he was here.
According to the trainer, he left him a couple of minutes alone in his room he checked back in, he was gone.
I guess he got cold feet.
What's "cold feet"? It means he ran, which he didn't.
What's going on down there? Guard covering that exit went AWOL.
- So the fight's off? - For now it is.
It was 20 minutes ago.
Look, hang tight for a sec, okay? Sorry, kid.
Hey.
Yeah, it's me.
You got to come pick up Reggie.
Yeah, I've got to work.
Dante Jones, 25-year-old welterweight.
Twenty-eight wins, one loss.
He's got a fearsome left jab and a heart like a bull.
- Right jab.
He's left-handed.
- Sorry.
NYPD check out his apartment yet? Not yet.
He lives in the Bronx with his mother.
His brother lives a couple of blocks away.
Good for him.
He stayed in the old hood.
The cops did a full search of the arena.
No evidence of foul play but a security guard who was covering the nearest exit skipped out at some point that night.
- Anybody find the security guard yet? - No.
I got to tell you, this sounds a lot like a publicity stunt to me.
For what? Why? You know, think about it, by the end of the day Dante Jones is gonna be the lead story on every newscast in America.
I mean, it's better than biting somebody's ear off.
I know boxing is a dirty business, but this kid is clean.
Viv, are you and Dante dating, or.
Watch it.
She's got a wicked left hook.
Takes you by surprise.
- It's good to know.
- As I was saying he's done a ton of charity work.
He went to night school to get his college degree.
This kid came up the right way.
He had 1,000 opportunities to slip, but he didn't.
So he's immune? If he had won that fight last night, he'd have a guaranteed shot at the title.
He was the 2-to-1 favorite.
$500,000 purse.
Believe me, he didn't run away.
Okay.
Danny, I want you and Samantha to check on the security guard.
See if you can find him.
Vivian, you and Martin talk to the family, talk to the trainer.
I'm gonna go talk to Don King.
- How's Reggie? - A little confused.
He was about five minutes away from meeting his hero, then this happens.
- What'd you tell him? - That I'd find out what happened.
That's a hell of a promise.
I don't know what could've happened.
Dante was so excited about last night.
It means so much to him.
Were you at the fight? I stayed at home.
I support him in every way I can, but it's always hard for me to get near that ring.
Has Dante had any problems with anyone lately? Not that I can think of.
Girlfriend troubles? He hasn't had a steady girl in a couple of years.
Can you try and walk us through yesterday? He has this ritual that he goes through before every fight.
We stay at the gym in the Catskills, then we drive into town in the morning.
I make him grilled cheese, pea soup and then he takes a nap right here on the couch.
- What time did he leave for the fight? - About 5:00.
The promoter sent a limousine, but Dante doesn't go into all that star treatment.
He took the subway by himself.
And your son Andre? - He wasn't at the fight.
- Why not? He and Dante are very close, but you know brothers.
Come on, Mom, stick and move.
You think you can take me? Careful, boy, I brought you into this world, I can take you out, okay? - Sweaty kiss.
- Hey, bro.
What up? - How you doing, Mom? - Hey, baby.
What are you thinking? We just rolled up from the city to see how you doing.
- You two know each other, right? - What's up, champ? You know you're not supposed to bring him here.
We just wanted to drop in, man.
No big deal.
Dre, do you want me to take care of it? I don't want to see you up here again, you hear me? - Hey, Dante.
- All right, come on.
Just go, okay? Just go.
Please.
That's it.
Work off the jab.
Come on.
When was that? A couple of days before the fight.
And you haven't seen Andre since? - He called, said he was going to Vegas.
- You know where he's staying? He didn't say.
I tried to call him on his cell phone but he never answered.
I thought maybe he heard about Dante and jumped on a flight back here.
And who was the guy that was with him? I'd never seen him before.
Dante said he was one of Andre's old drug buddies.
You were supposed to guard the exit, Ron.
I took off.
I wasn't feeling well.
Where have you been all night? The cops are looking for you.
- I was with a lady friend.
- I thought you weren't feeling well.
I'm never too sick for some things, you know.
I get it.
We're playing the "Let's Watch Ron Screw Up the Rest of His Life" game.
I swear to God I don't know anything.
Two years you've been steady, responsible, reliable.
One night, you take off.
Half an hour later, a boxer disappears.
Now I don't think that's a coincidence, Ron.
I don't know what to tell you.
Another 100 points for lying to a federal officer.
Bonus round's coming up.
Don't stop now.
You've almost got the dinette set.
All right.
I was just standing there minding my own business.
These two guys came up to me, told me to clear out.
Now I like this game a lot better, don't you? - Me, too.
- What else? They looked like made guys to me.
Did you do exactly what they asked you to do? I'm not paid enough to get involved with that crap.
I'm not even armed.
Did you get a good look at them? Yeah, I guess.
I'm gonna need you to take a look at some photos, okay? Yeah, fine, whatever.
Jones spent the evening before the fight at his training facility in the Catskills.
Jack wants us to head up there.
Keep digging into this guy's background.
I don't trust him.
Agent Malone.
- Mr.
Rowland.
- How are you? Fine, thank you.
I really don't know what to say.
Opportunity of a lifetime, the kid just walks away.
- Must be disappointing.
- Yeah, it is.
I believed in Dante.
- And I lost a lot of money on him.
- But you're insured for the fight, right? In case of postponement beyond your control.
What are you inferring? You and I both read the same papers.
It's a big story.
- A rematch is an even bigger payday.
- Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what this is doing to my credibility right now? Mr.
Rowland, with all due respect, but you're involved in boxing.
I don't think your credibility is in any jeopardy.
Okay, fair enough.
I understand your perception.
The government shares it.
That's why they want a boxing czar.
But for us, boxing's a business, and it should be run like one.
If Dante walked away, how do you explain the vanishing security guard? I can't.
I wasn't in charge of security.
What do you know about his brother? I think everybody is aware of Andre's problems.
But he's got a good heart and he's loyal to his brother.
We haven't been able to find him.
Have you heard from him? No.
But the brothers are close.
Maybe they're together.
There's 1,000 ways to quit a fight, but I never seen anyone just walk away.
And Dante? Never.
A couple of guys who may be involved in organized crime were looking for Dante that night.
Any idea what that was about? No.
Dante was clean.
His biggest problem was his brother.
Every time Andre got in a jam, Dante would bail him out.
- With money? - Whatever it took.
- His fists? - They're his best assets.
Dante and Andre got into an argument up in the Catskills over some guy that Andre brought up to the camp.
You were there.
Did you recognize the guy? Never seen him in my life.
I tried to tell him, let Andre deal with Andre.
But Dante felt responsible for him.
Sometimes the pressure would get to be too much, he'd just crack.
- How so? - The night before the fight I went back into the city to take care of some last-minute business and Dante called me.
Gil, it's me.
What's going on, kid? You okay? It's all screwed up.
Hold on.
What's wrong? It's all my fault.
What is? I'm sorry for everything.
Wait.
What was he so wrecked about? I asked him before the fight.
He said he didn't wanna talk about it.
I got to tell you, I don't understand why anyone would come all the way out here just to get in shape.
I got 19 gyms a block away from my apartment.
You also have three gentlemen's clubs within walking distance.
I like a little variety in my workout.
- I'm going this way.
- I'm going this way.
Bye.
Hello? Danny! How's he doing? He'll never admit it, but he's a little amped-up.
You think he needs to be relieved? It's Danny.
He'll be fine.
Did he get a look at the shooter? He's giving the sketch artist a composite right now.
We'll fax it to you.
Stick around, all right? See what you can dig up.
You got it.
Bye.
What've we got on, what's his name, Andre, the brother? Yeah, no luck with the Vegas field office.
They can't find him at any of the hotels.
Anything on Dante's finances? He had at least five people on his payroll, including his mother and his brother.
His combined income over the last five years is $2 million.
And all he has in his savings is a little over $6,000.
There's a lot of ways for a broke boxer to get in trouble.
A couple of items stand out.
A check for $50,000 made out to an escrow company in Long Island a week before he disappeared.
- Big purchase for a guy with low funds.
- He was expecting a big payday.
There's also a series of monthly checks paid to a Danielle Marks for the past year.
Girlfriend? According to his mother, he didn't have one.
- Mistress, palimony? - Or both.
Okay, I'll check out Danielle Marks.
You and Martin check out the real estate deal.
We got your name from the escrow company.
Their records show that you sold Dante Jones a house last week.
Yes.
Dante called me a few months ago.
He saw our ad in the Sunday Times.
- How much is this one? - 3.
5.
Million? - Any way you can shave off a zero or two? - Wouldn't that be great.
I don't know what I'd do with a house that big.
Guess I'd need kids and stuff, you know, fill up the place.
- Are you married? - Me? No.
It's just my mother and brother and I got to have room for them, too.
- Will they be living with you? - No, but they'll be around.
They're always around.
A couple of weeks later he found a house he liked.
- Out in Port Jeff.
- A far cry from the Bronx.
He wanted something very different from where he grew up.
Buying a dream house, talking about starting a family doesn't sound like a guy who was planning to run.
Wanna know the part I heard? This guy felt trapped by his life and he wanted a clean start.
- You sound pretty convinced.
- Just speaking from experience.
This must be where Dante sleeps.
"A Spiritual Guide to Financial Independence.
" You really can't blame these guys.
Most of them end up punch drunk and working security at a casino.
Can't they hire a business manager? Add another 5% and pray they don't screw you? So I get it.
You train every waking hour, you get beat in the head for a living and all the money you win gets stolen by some corrupt manager.
And the benefits are what? Getting to wear satin shorts to work? Don't knock it till you try it.
Yeah.
Okay, great.
Yeah.
The guy who shot at you? Dante's trainer ID'd him from the sketch as Andre's drug buddy.
Then I know why he came here.
Look at this.
Where there's blood, there's a body.
Miss Marks, we came across a number of checks from Dante Jones' bank account that were made out to you.
- That sounds about right.
- Can you tell me what they were for? Child support.
For Christina, my little girl.
I wasn't aware that Dante had any children.
He doesn't.
His brother, Andre, is Christina's father.
So Dante was covering Andre's payments? Yeah.
Andre always said he wanted to be involved with the baby but when it came time to pay he'd be real hard to find.
I don't understand what the problem is! - What is the problem? - The problem? You have me coming all the way into the city to get paid.
- Didn't I tell you I was working on it? - What's going on? Your brother is not honoring his responsibilities.
Didn't I already give you money for Christina this month? I'm a little low, man.
All I need is a couple of days, and she tripping.
Two days.
Tell your brother how you gambled it away.
That's right.
Every single penny of your baby girl's money.
You keep your mouth shut! This is between me and my brother! Then maybe I should ask Dante for the money! The baby could be his, for all I know! - Whoa, that's.
- Bitch! What's the problem with you? Is that all you got? No.
Okay.
Let's not.
So you were sleeping with Dante, too? No.
I just said that to piss Andre off.
Right.
And he believed you? That would be why he hit me.
I gather this wasn't the first time he'd been violent with you.
But after that, I stayed away.
And Dante started sending me checks directly.
Do you recognize this man? No.
Never seen him before.
Approximately how long has it been since you've seen Andre? It had been about a year.
Until Wednesday night.
He brought Christina this gold unicorn necklace.
It had to be expensive.
And then he gave me $2,000 in cash.
- Must've been feeling pretty flush.
- That's Andre for you.
Find him now, bet he's broke.
Does he have a bookie that he uses here in town? Yeah.
The guy works out of an office building in Chelsea.
Sure I know Andre.
He used to be a good customer.
He had an uncanny ability to pick a loser.
- Works out pretty well for you.
- It's bad form to gloat.
Especially with kindly federal agents turning a blind eye to my entrepreneurial venture.
How much did Andre owe you? I'll be honest with you.
At times, Andre was into me for a tidy sum.
But his debts were always honored.
Not always by Andre, but they were honored.
$27,000.
That's what my brother owes, right? Give or take.
Tell me exactly how much.
I want this clean.
We're good.
Then that's it, understand? Don't take any more bets from my brother.
Whatever you say, champ.
Man, I know you got to do what you got to do, but I'm asking you.
He's sick.
All right.
- And how long ago was that? - A few months.
Have you seen him since? Dante, no.
Andre, yes.
And you still took bets from him? If it wasn't me, it was gonna be somebody else.
If I stopped taking bets from guys with gambling problems, I'd lose my mirth.
So how was Andre's luck the second time around? Not any better.
He got in pretty deep, over $300,000.
Still outstanding? No, he paid off the whole thing a couple of days ago.
What day exactly? Thursday.
Came in with a certified check for the entire amount.
Any idea where he came up with that kind of money? I never ask.
So where does Andre come up with $300,000? Didn't get it from his brother.
Dante didn't have that kind of cash.
Didn't the mother say Andre helped out with Dante's investments? Brother skimming from brother? Dante catches him, threatens to cut him off, Andre gets violent.
Yeah, right up there.
Dog tracked the scent down the road.
Hello, Andre.
I don't understand.
Andre said he was going to Vegas.
It doesn't make any sense.
We checked all the airlines.
Andre never left town, Mrs.
Jones.
Then where did he go? We don't know right now.
We're doing our best to find out.
Did Andre say anything that might indicate that he was in trouble? Nothing specific.
But he always had his own special way of finding trouble.
Do you have any children? A son.
One son.
That's better.
He gets all your love.
You see, with two, you try to love them both the same, but you can't.
Whatever trouble Andre may have been in I'm sure it wasn't your fault, Mrs.
Jones.
Please find Dante for me.
He's all I have left.
Excuse me.
Our bookie did a little legwork for us.
Word on the street is the big money was moving away from Dante in the hours before the fight.
Somebody must've known something.
That explains the cold feet.
Dante didn't wanna take a fall.
It also explained Andre's mystery money.
He must've arranged the fix.
Dante ran and then, unfortunately, Andre paid the price.
I'm sorry to have to be the one to break it to you.
What am I gonna say to Christina? Her birthday's next week.
She'll ask where he is.
I know this may seem like an inappropriate time but there are some questions that I have to ask you.
Where were you that night? I was at home with Christina and my sister.
We watched Survivor.
And your sister will verify that.
And she'll also verify that I didn't kill his sorry ass.
Did Andre happen to mention that he had recently come into over $300,000? - $300,000? - Yes.
I might be the last person he'd tell.
Like I said, he came by with the necklace for Christina.
He gave me some cash.
He didn't talk to me.
He spent the whole time on my phone.
I can't say as I'm surprised.
At times I was amazed that Andre lasted as long as he did.
We know he paid off a huge debt to his bookie the night before the fight.
Is there any chance he took the money as payment for a fix? I can tell you one thing: That fight wasn't fixed.
You sound pretty sure.
I know what a fix looks like.
I saw one three years ago.
You left it all in the ring.
It just didn't go our way.
You hurt? No, I'm good.
It's okay, bro.
We'll get them next time.
- What's up, man? - Don't give me that! You know what! Get these the hell off of me.
Okay.
That moment with Andre, I knew he took a fall.
I could see it in his face.
And you think Andre arranged it.
That was his way of helping.
If he took a fall that night, he'd get a title shot in the next one.
Andre said it was a lock.
But it didn't turn out that way.
No.
And it set him back two years.
Not to mention what it did to his soul.
Dante would do anything to stop that from happening again.
Including killing his own brother? You sure you don't want something to eat? This guy just called me and told me he was here.
No, he's here.
Okay.
All right.
- What happened? - I didn't start it.
- It was Justin's fault.
- What was? He took my Dante picture from my binder.
He wouldn't give it back.
- I asked him.
- And? He said to come and get it.
He said I was a wuss like Dante.
So when I grabbed him to get it back, he ripped it up.
And then what happened? I punched him in the face and he started bleeding.
Where was Mrs.
Cuellar? It was recess.
Everyone was yelling she was coming.
So I ran.
You did what? I ran.
And how did you get here? I walked.
You walked all the way downtown from school because you got into a fight? - Mom, he ripped it up.
- Yeah, I heard that part.
I'm gonna call Mrs.
Cuellar and let her know what happened.
But you listen to me.
You don't hit people just because you don't like what they say.
Okay? - Okay? - Okay.
And you don't ever leave school without my or your father's permission.
Is that understood? You don't run away.
Okay.
Did you find Dante? We're doing our best.
Come on.
Back to school.
What's up, Reggie? Remember our friend Ron Moody, the security guard? He deposited $10,000 into his personal savings account this morning.
- That sounds like a payoff.
- Yes, it does.
You are a liar.
- What? - Where'd you get the money? The kid.
The boxer.
He gave it to me.
When did he give it to you? That night.
He told me not to tell anyone.
Was this before or after the two made men made you clear out? It was his idea.
There's $10,000.
You know what to say, right? Yeah.
Two guys with guns cleared me out of here.
I got it.
- And you never saw me, understand? - No problem.
And then you left.
That was the plan.
The cover story? Everything.
You know, I'd hate to break it to you, but I think your boy Dante panicked.
Yeah, yeah.
Viv, is everything all right with Reggie? You can't protect them from everything.
That call that Andre Jones made from his girlfriend's house was to a guy named Michael Chambers.
This guy was busted for an options scam out of a boiler-room stock outfit.
Served 18 months.
Been out almost three years.
Since then he's been making his living in the world of high-stakes gambling.
He last surfaced in an investigation of cash gifts to college basketball recruits.
A fixer.
At the time of his arrest, several other boiler-room employees were questioned including a young intern, who is now a boxing promoter.
- Dante's promoter, Chris Rowland? - Right.
Can I take a look at that? This is the guy who took a shot at me.
Mikey Chambers.
Remember me? No? Maybe this will refresh your memory.
I'm not sure what you want me to remember.
You shot at me in the Catskills.
Remember that fight that you fixed that didn't go as planned? You went up there to make Andre pay, but then I got in your way.
I don't remember that.
Do you remember the handgun that I found in your car? 'Cause I got a warrant.
I'm running ballistics on these bullets right now.
They come back positive I've got you for attempted murder of me, a federal officer.
And when Andre's autopsy report comes back-- - I didn't kill Andre.
- Then who did? I want a lawyer.
Okay.
Let's take a walk then, Mikey.
It's a long way from pushing stock scams to promoting title fights.
I was an intern.
I answered phones and made coffee.
I was there for about two months.
Long enough to make the acquaintance of Michael Chambers.
Convicted security trader Michael Chambers.
Also a fight fixer.
I know who he is.
Do you have any idea why Andre brought Michael Chambers - to Dante's camp the day before the fight? - Why don't you ask him? Agent Malone, we've been very cooperative up to this point, but-- If you would just excuse me for one second.
Meet Michael Chambers.
- Shake his hand, Michael.
- Shake my hand, Michael.
- Here's his statement.
- Thank you.
- What is this? - Let's go.
What's he doing here? He's cooperating.
If he said I killed Andre-- I'd like to help you, Chris, but that ship has sailed.
All I did was give him the $300,000.
The rest was up to him.
- Chris, that's enough.
- Hold on.
I did not kill anyone.
You gave Andre $300,000 to get Dante to throw the fight.
- But when he ran away-- - I did not kill anyone.
Chambers is out of control.
He threatened Andre.
He said he would kill them both.
That was him.
I'm gonna need a written statement to that effect.
Fine.
So I just ran Rowland's phone records.
A couple of weeks ago, he made a call to the realtor, Marissa Kelly, at her home.
What's the connection there? We ran her credit cards, and she rented a car the night of the fight.
And according to the rental car company, it hasn't been returned yet.
She lives in the city, right? Yeah, West 68th.
It's only two blocks from her office.
Better find out who she rented the car for.
I was only trying to help Dante.
We were seeing each other.
We started dating when he was looking for his house.
What about the phone calls from Chris Rowland? They were from Dante.
He was in Rowland's office doing business.
Where is he now? I don't know.
He came over the morning of the fight.
He was very upset.
Marissa.
- My brother is dead.
- What? What happened? He wanted to fix the fight.
Everything got all messed up.
Oh, my God, Dante.
I got to get away as soon as the fight's over.
Okay.
The money from the escrow.
Can you get it for me? - It'll take a few days.
- I got to have something now.
I'll call the bank and see if they'll release it, but I'm not sure.
You got to try for me.
Dante, I don't know if I can get involved in this.
Please, Marissa.
Okay.
I'll try.
I can't believe this is happening to me.
He was gonna lay low for a couple of days.
Out of town.
Then he was supposed to drop the car off at a bus station.
And I was gonna go down and meet him.
You said he wasn't gonna leave until after the fight.
What happened? I don't know.
I guess he couldn't go through with it.
Andre Jones' autopsy results.
Okay, the shot came from a.
38 caliber.
Negative match on Chambers' gun.
Coroner puts the approximate time of death between 9:00 and 11:00 p.
m.
on Thursday night.
- The night before the fight.
- Yeah.
There's more.
The coroner found two foreign substances mixed with the blood on his face.
Titanium dioxide and a compound called bismuth oxychloride.
Which together give the captivating color and shine to lipstick.
He was with a woman when he died.
Goodbye.
That was the reverend.
He's been kind enough to take care of Andre's service.
Always clowning around, the two of them.
- Big smiles.
- Couldn't keep them apart.
It's just so difficult, not knowing where he is.
If he's okay.
I know what happened, Mrs.
Jones.
You do? Andre went back up to the camp the night before the fight.
He was killed because he was trying to fix the fight.
I don't understand what you're saying.
The coroner found traces of lipstick on his face.
It was there when he died.
If I go into your bathroom, I'll find the same lipstick, won't I? You were trying to protect Dante from all the bad things in the world.
But you couldn't protect Dante from Andre.
- Andre was always dragging him down.
- Andre loved his brother.
And Andre was finding it harder and harder to make his own mark.
Be his own man.
That's why he arranged the first fix, right? After that, Dante almost lost everything.
But then, there was Andre again, trying to drag him back down.
You had an impossible choice.
You killed one son to save the other.
I didn't know how to help him.
With Dante, everything always came so easy.
Andre couldn't get from underneath his shadow.
Dante felt responsible Iike it was his brotherly duty to make things right.
And no matter what he did for Andre, every time Andre slipped Dante fell with him.
What happened that night? I heard them arguing.
They said they're gonna kill us both.
How could you do this to me? Again! They promised it was gonna work out different this time.
Like it worked out the last time? I lost two years because of you.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, man.
I needed the money.
I'm getting a half-mil for the fight, Dre! - You could have asked me! - For what, man? You give Rowland his cut, then you pay your bills then you give Uncle Sam some money, man, you wouldn't have it, man.
All you had to do was come and talk to me.
Before it got to this.
I know, man.
I messed up, man.
I mess up everything.
It's okay, man.
There was nothing left to do.
If I told the police they would've found out that Dante took a fall the last time.
And all those men that Andre was bringing into his life would've destroyed them both.
He was asleep.
Dante helped me.
We didn't know what to do.
We took the body to the woods.
- Where's Dante now? - I don't know.
He didn't tell me he was gonna go.
I know he'll never forgive me.
But what I did I did for him.
Dante's rental car was just spotted at a bus station outside of Philadelphia.
- All right, I'll meet you there.
-I'm on my way.
Nothing at the East Gate.
Nothing here.
Excuse me, was somebody reading this? Young fella.
He was just sitting there.
Viv, you got anything? What've you got? Viv, you copy me? Waiting area.
I've got a visual.
It's not your fault, Dante.
I wanted things to change.
I just couldn't do anything about it.
You did everything that you could.
I'm not testifying against my mother.
My guess is the DA won't make you.
You're an accessory after the fact.
They'll be more interested in what you've got on Chambers and Rowland.
- And then what? - And then they'll go to jail.
And me? That's up to you.
Let's go without the cuffs on this one.
He's fine.
Okay.
Let's go.
- We did what we had to do.
- Doesn't mean it feels good.
No kidding.
- So what are you gonna tell Reggie? - What he needs to know.
Dante Jones is a great boxer.