Elementary s02e02 Episode Script
Solve for X
Give me everything you got! Now! Are you deaf?! Come on! Please, I don't want any trouble.
Please! I don't want any trouble! Dr.
Watson? Joey! Hey-hey! Hi.
Long time.
Been a while, huh? Yeah.
What, three years? Yeah.
Uh, you remembered Dad's birthday.
Well, a day late, but yeah.
Hmm.
You caught me.
Mm.
Nice thing about coming the day after, you're less likely to run into my mom.
It's nice of you to come and see him.
I liked him.
He was a good man.
You're a good doctor.
Hey, let me buy you a coffee; we can catch up.
I'm supposed to meet a friend I work with, so Come on, just one cup.
Well, I think we're wrapped up here.
make sure we got pictures.
And then police have been stationed at the hospital.
In case Benny wakes up, somebody from the team Detective Bell.
Sorry I'm late.
You're not late-- you texted me and said you heard on your scanner there'd been a shooting.
I texted you back, told you I didn't need any help.
Actually, you wrote, and I quote: "Yes, please, now, triple-smiley face, with tongue protruding".
What? Yeah, see, that's not from me.
That's from someone named Bella, and you got it last December.
My name is Bell, no "A," but I can see how you might've confused us.
It's not like you're into details or anything.
How embarrassing.
Anyway, now that I'm here Vic's name is Felix Soto.
He's a math tutor.
Lives here alone.
I was under the impression that two men had been shot.
Two were.
Second victim, guy named Benny Charles, was shot in the driveway right out there.
Funny thing is, far as we can tell, they didn't know each other.
About 90 seconds before Mr.
Charles got shot last night, he mugged someone around the corner.
I think he ducked into the driveway to count his loot.
Wrong place, wrong time? Well unless you believe in karma.
Yeah.
So I'm assuming, from the absence of his body, that Mr.
Charles survived.
Barely.
First officers on the scene managed to stop the bleeding, but he never regained consciousness.
He's in surgery now.
I'm hearing it doesn't look good.
Hey, where's your better half this morning? One mystery at a time, Detective.
So not much evidence to suggest it was a robbery gone wrong-- too many valuables have been left behind.
A neighbor heard Mr.
Soto arguing with another man a few nights ago, but never got a good look at the guy.
We're reaching out to his family, see if they can think of anyone who had beef with him.
Interesting space, huh? Minimalist.
The other rooms aren't.
There's art and pictures hung up.
I wondered for a second if maybe the shooter took some down, but aren't any nail holes.
You always been this observant? I'm asking that quite sincerely.
I was wondering if exposure to my methods had helped you in any way.
Actually, before you came along, I'd never closed a case before.
Neither had the rest of the department.
Most of us were thinking of packing up, leaving, letting the city fend for itself.
We need to find the black light.
The what? There's a chemical known as C.
A.
M.
phosphor on the walls-- smells like spent matchsticks.
Smell it.
Smell it.
It's the primary ingredient of an ink which can only be seen when exposed to when it exposed to ultraviolet light.
Hmm? Oh.
Thank you.
What is it? Well, I'm going to take a very literal stab in the dark and say maths.
Question is does it have anything to do with Mr.
Soto's death? Still can't believe you're a cop.
I-I'm not a cop.
I'm a consulting Yeah.
A consulting detective.
Still, you, like, go to crime scenes and put away bad guys.
Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but yeah.
Well, sometimes we do.
Um What about you? You're graduating this year, right? Uh I don't know.
I, um had a kind of rough time junior year.
I was thinking about my dad a lot.
Probably partying a little more than I should've.
Actually, um, I left right before my spring semester.
Oh.
Yeah.
I'm sorry to hear that.
It is what it is, right? Besides, I got some stuff going on, stuff I'm very excited about.
Yeah? This is my bar.
You bought a bar? Well, I'm about to buy a bar, me and a buddy.
And, you know, we're just getting together the funding right now, but we are this close, Doc.
Oh.
Joan.
You should call me Joan now.
Ah, sorry.
Old habits.
You don't like it? No.
It's just I just remember how excited you were about studying to become an engineer, how happy it made your dad.
Mm.
Well, the school took away my scholarship when I dropped out, so so without that, can't exactly go back.
Yeah.
It's funny, it's like I can't help wondering if we were supposed to run into each other this morning.
My partner and me, we have big plans for this place, and I know that anyone that invests with us is gonna double their money.
Like, at least.
Are you asking me for a loan? No, I'm-I'm offering you an opportunity.
And you were always so good to me.
You know? You you held my hand when Dad got sick.
Now I just, you know, maybe I can pay you back a little.
Hey, I even found this little spot in the back room to hang his picture.
You know, just so he can always be there, always.
So, how much do you need? If you're looking for Sherlock, he's downstairs.
Okay.
I will go there now.
His name is Harlan Emple.
He is the Rachel P.
Hanson Professor for Applied Mathematics at Columbia University, and holder of the Smithfield Endowed Chair of Algebraic Geometry at the Huntington Institute.
And he is here to help you make sense of the equations you found.
Okay, I get that.
What I don't get is why he isn't wearing a shirt.
Every great thinker has a process, Watson.
In Harlan's case, he doesn't like anything to come between him and the numbers.
I know you can feel quite Victorian about such matters, so I've given him a little bell to ring should he feel the need to disrobe entirely.
Having said that, I can't guarantee he won't sit on the furniture.
How do you know him again? In 1999, he devised a mathematical model which he believed could accurately predict crime patterns in and around New York City.
Ultimately, didn't work, but I found the premise quite fascinating.
We've been corresponding ever since.
Do you really think this guy was killed over math? Mr.
Soto obviously went to great lengths to conceal his calculations.
Whether they have any real value, or are just the numerical ramblings of a math-obsessed madman, is for Harlan to determine.
Eggs? Uh, no, thanks.
Hey, I was wondering if it was possible to get an advance on my salary.
Define "advance".
$5,000.
I ran into someone this morning.
He's the son of an old friend of mine.
He's trying to get this business off the ground.
I thought I'd help him out.
I just maxed out on my IRA contributions, so I cannot take money back, otherwise I will get massive penalties.
You must really believe in this young man.
Well, I'd like to see him take a shot at this.
Not quite the same thing, though, is it? Sherlock! I know what the formula is! And it is a doozy.
Okay, so the first thing you need to know is that the guy who wrote this was a genius.
Guys with an "S".
There were two mathematicians at work here.
One was Felix Soto.
These parts of the equation are a match for handwriting samples I took from his home.
These scribbles are from another man yet to be identified.
How-how do you know it was a man? There is an inconsistency to the gradient here.
Some of the letters slant to the right, others to the left.
Also, the stem of the "P" here and the "D" here are looped instead of doubled back.
It doesn't guarantee the writer was male, but it's a strong indicator.
Fine.
Then these guys are geniuses.
The point is, I know what they were working on.
It's P versus NP! Come on, it's one of the most famous problems in math history.
Harlan, if we were mathematicians, you would not be here.
In simplest terms, P versus NP asks if every problem whose solution can be quickly verified by a computer can also be quickly solved by a computer.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Only it's not.
It is filthy.
Some experts have even theorized that it can't be solved.
Could it be a motive for murder? That depends.
You think a million dollars could be a motive for murder? I'm sorry.
You're saying this is worth a million dollars? No, but it is getting there.
I mean, this is the farthest I have ever seen anyone take P versus NP.
I mean, if I if I had to guess, I would say that these guys are months, maybe weeks from solving it.
But who would pay a million dollars for the solution to a mathematical problem? The Clay Mathematics Institute in Rhode Island.
They're a non-profit dedicated to promoting math interest.
But the thing that they are most famous for is The Millennium Prizes.
They offer a million dollars to anyone who can solve just one of the seven hardest problems in the world.
And P versus NP is one of the seven.
We know that the dead man, Soto, was working with a partner.
And you said that Soto's neighbor heard him arguing with another man a few nights ago.
Perhaps the partner thought he could complete the problem himself.
Take the prize money without having to share it.
For what it's worth, your victim would not have been working with just any mathematician.
P versus NP is the kind of problem that people devote their lives to.
There is a whole P versus NP community.
A community which you could help us gain access to? Well, I sort of travel in different mathematical circles.
But I do know somebody who's pretty involved.
Tanya Barrett.
She's a professor at Triboro College.
I heard about what happened to Felix on the news this morning.
I still can't believe it.
Were you two close? I met him when I wrote my articles, but that was years ago.
It's our understanding, Professor Barrett, that you are a veritable who's who guide to the world of P versus NP.
When I wrote my articles, I profiled all the mathematicians who had really devoted themselves to the problem.
That's how I met Felix.
Do you know if he was close to any of the other people that you interviewed? I don't think so.
Why? We have reason to believe that before he died, he was collaborating with a partner.
That doesn't sound like Felix.
He was very competitive.
But I'll be happy to walk you through the names that I do have.
These are the journals that published me.
So, um, what made you start wanting to write about P versus NP? Oh, when I was young and very full of myself, I decided to spend a summer trying to solve it.
When I looked up, three years had gone by.
P versus NP may well be unsolvable.
So I walked away.
Do you know who wrote this proof? Cyril Nauer, a total savant.
He lives in Brooklyn.
Look familiar? That's the same handwriting as our mystery mathematician.
You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Mr.
Nauer, would you? Cyril Nauer looks like the Unabomber.
Both are mathematicians, both are loners.
Let's hope only one of them ever aspired to mass casualties.
Detective Bell, I believe we may have a strong suspect in the murder of Felix Soto.
That's good.
I just found out we got a second victim.
He was shot on a sidewalk in Hell's Kitchen last night, dragged into an alley.
Initial ballistics report says it was the same gun that killed Felix Soto.
Any connection between the two men? Right now, all I have is a name.
Cyril Nauer.
So, want to give me the name of your suspect? Two mathematicians, both collaborating on the same infamous problem, both killed within an hour of each other by the same shooter.
Obviously, not a coincidence.
Your friend said that a solution to P versus NP is worth a million dollars, right? It's hard to imagine there's only two people trying to solve it.
You think they were killed by a competitor.
Would make sense, wouldn't it? I mean, someone realizes how far they've come, murders them to keep them from solving it first.
Question is, how did they realize how far they'd come? Both men clearly paranoid about having their work uncovered.
They recorded every digit in invisible ink.
Maybe one of them bragged to the wrong person.
Says here that CSU found some dog hairs under the arms of Cyril Nauer's coat.
Transferred, presumably, when the shooter dragged Mr.
Nauer into the alleyway.
Is there a picture? Yeah.
They sent the samples to the lab to try to determine the dog's Boston terrier.
So perhaps our shooter owns a dog.
Almost something, I suppose.
You know, we never finished our conversation from yesterday.
I asked you for an advance? Just out of curiosity, Watson, who exactly asked you for $5,000, and what is their connection to the man who died under your care three years ago? You told me you had a doctor's appointment yesterday.
That was a lie.
You went to visit your former patient's grave.
You've done so quite regularly since moving in with me.
It's your sleeves; they tend to give you away.
I'm able to detect the fragrance of carnations, but no carnations ever appear at the brownstone.
You leave them for him, do you not? I don't mean to pry.
It's just that you went there yesterday, and when you returned, you hoped to secure a rather substantial loan for the "son of a friend".
neither of whom you wished to discuss.
I'd want to make sure that this person is not taking advantage of you.
Yeah, I guess we never really talked about this, did we? His name was Gerald Castoro.
He was my patient.
He needed surgery to remove his right adrenal gland.
He had a tumor inside it.
A pheochromocytoma.
It's rare.
And the procedure to remove it is pretty straightforward.
I nicked his vena cava.
I don't know how.
I just He lost his entire volume of blood into his abdomen in seconds.
He was a nice man.
He was a dock worker.
Few weeks before the surgery, I got to know his family.
His wife, his son.
Mrs.
Castoro did what most people would do in her situation.
She sued me.
I went to court.
I had to listen to her say a lot of terrible things about me.
It was a difficult process, as you can well imagine.
Gerald's son, Joey he was only 17 back then.
He wrote me a letter.
He said that he didn't blame me, that it wasn't my fault.
That he forgave me.
At the time, it meant a lot.
Is this the first time he's asked you for money? He needed a car to get back and forth from college.
His mother needed him around a lot.
Detective? Hey.
I'm at Cyril Nauer's apartment.
There's some stuff here I think you should see.
Okay, so, that's Cyril Nauer's place right there, second floor.
Figured I'd just poke around, see if I could find any more black bulbs like the one you found at Felix Soto's place.
There weren't, but I managed to find this in one of the fixtures.
Is that a bug? CSU is going over everything with a fine-toothed comb.
But obviously, someone was listening in on Mr.
Nauer.
Think they might have been watching him, as well.
That's a municipal building.
Those cameras are theirs.
Even the one pointing directly at his apartment? Taxi! Where you going? Up.
Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Keep your vehicle perfectly still, I'll give you $20 for going absolutely nowhere.
Yeah.
Signal jumper.
Someone's been using it to hijack that camera's video feed, broadcast it to a remote location.
Presumably the same person who put a listening device inside Mr.
Nauer's apartment.
Good news is, the jumper's transmissions can be traced back to a receiver.
You find the receiver Find the person who's been spying on Nauer.
Detective Bell? I'm Linus Roe.
I was told you wanted to speak with me.
Your Web site says that Roe Encryption Technologies offers the highest level encryption services for online retailers, banks and investment firms.
No mention there of illegal surveillance.
I can't imagine why there would be.
Because your company's been filming Cyril Nauer in his home.
I'm sorry.
Am I supposed to know that name? We found a signal jumper on a camera just outside Mr.
Nauer's apartment.
Now, the department's Technical Assistance Response Unit says it was broadcasting to your company's server.
I don't know anything about that.
Well, someone here knows something about it, Mr.
Roe.
And that person may even be responsible for Mr.
Nauer's death.
Cyril Nauer is dead? I thought you said you didn't know him.
Okay, you're right.
We were monitoring Cyril Nauer.
It was my idea.
But I am telling you that no one at this company would hurt him, not in a million years.
All right, well, back up.
Start with why you were spying on him.
Because of his work on something called P versus NP.
It's Filthy maths.
Virtually unsolvable, worth a million dollars.
Yes, we're familiar with it.
Is that why you were surveilling him? Because your company needed money? You're thinking of the Millennium Prize, right? No.
A solve for P versus NP is only worth a million to them.
To us, it's worth tens, maybe hundreds more.
I mean, mathematicians are drawn to P versus NP because it's math's great white whale, but the truth is a solution would have massive real world implications.
Such as? A correct proof would essentially render all modern encryption obsolete.
With the right software, you could hack into any system in the world.
They won't be able to stop you.
It's one equation.
How is that possible? Encryption consists of setting up problems so complicated that a computer can't solve them.
Solving P versus NP lets you run through the possible answer fast enough to crack the code.
I mean, you could come and go as you please through any server on the planet.
It's a skeleton key.
It's the key to building the skeleton key.
I mean, once you had the solution, you'd still need to write the code to apply it.
The digital world would be your oyster.
You're saying a solution would make your company about as useful as a Pet Rock? Certainly sounds like the kind of thing a man in your position would kill to prevent.
You don't understand.
I wanted Cyril to solve P versus NP.
I approached him months ago because I believed if anyone could solve it, it would be him.
I offered to fund his work on the condition that if he did solve it, we would keep the proof under wraps.
At least until he helped me to design cryptography to defeat it.
So Roe Encryption would be proof-proof.
The only company in the world capable of defending against P versus NP technology.
Oh, Cyril refused; money didn't mean anything to him.
He wanted the acclaim.
But when we found out that he was working with a man named Felix Soto, we infiltrated his home, as well.
We took some photos of the work they'd done.
It was a total waste of time.
They weren't anywhere near a solution.
That's not our understanding.
We took the pictures to an expert.
She said they were nowhere near figuring it out.
Can you tell us her name? Uh, Tanya Barrett.
She wrote a bunch of articles on P versus NP a few years ago.
You talk to her, she'll confirm everything I just told you.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything I knew yesterday.
I just didn't think my work with Linus had anything to do with Felix Soto's death.
Did you know when you reviewed the pictures of their work that they had been obtained illegally? I had a feeling, but I didn't press it.
The university had cut two of my classes this year.
I needed the money.
It's my understanding that you told Mr.
Roe that the calculations were no good.
That was a lie, correct? From the second I saw it, I knew that the work was Felix and Cyril's.
They had taken P versus NP farther than I'd ever seen anyone.
And still, they were only a third of the way through.
They had years of work ahead of them.
I thought if I told Linus that the work was bogus, that he'd back off.
I knew it was wrong.
But so was what Linus was doing.
I guess I convinced myself that one bad thing could cancel out another.
You're a dog owner, correct? Boston terrier? How'd you know that? You registered him with the city when you procured a pet license in 2010.
We found some dog hairs on Cyril Nauer's body that we think were transferred from the killer.
DNA test showed it came from a Boston terrier.
Guess what else you registered with the city.
.
9 millimeter handgun in 2009.
It's precisely the same kind of weapon used to perforate Misters Soto and Nauer two nights ago.
This gun was stolen from my apartment last month.
There was a burglary.
I filed You filed a police report.
Yes, we know.
Only, the gun wasn't stolen, was it? You wanted to be able to say it was in the event someone linked you to the two murders.
Maybe you thought you could build on what Soto and Nauer had done.
Carry their ball over the goal line.
In great success, you claim the Millennium Prize and one million dollars.
Maybe you were hoping to sell the solution to Linus Roe yourself someday, make even more money.
This is insane.
I didn't kill anyone.
Then you shouldn't have any problem accounting for your whereabouts between two nights ago.
I was at dinner with a friend in Midtown.
I got to the restaurant around 8:30.
I didn't leave until after 10:30.
My friend's name is Wayne Kaneshiro.
I suggest you contact him.
So, still trying to track Wayne Kaneshiro down, but in the meantime, I reached out to that restaurant Ms.
Barrett said she went to.
They said they'd e-mail me the security footage from two nights ago.
There we go.
I see two underage drinkers, an affair-in-progress and a bartender who's been stealing from the till.
Not a single college professor.
Hold up.
Hold up.
That's about 20 minutes before Felix Soto was shot.
Skip to the end.
See when she leaves.
She was telling the truth.
She's not our shooter.
So, you won't go for a jog along the river but you will do sit-ups facing a wall at 2:00 a.
m.
Detective Bell texted to say that he had located Tanya Barrett's dining companion, Wayne Kaneshiro.
As if the video evidence weren't enough, he has confirmed that he was with her between 8:30 and 10:30 the night of the murders.
We remain devoid of a suspect.
Calisthenics stimulates the heart, which increases blood flow to the frontal lobe, which stimulates deductive thinking.
Also, the river smells like rancid cod.
What is up with the nerd brigade? These are the other contenders to the P versus NP throne.
We may be wrong about Tanya, but perhaps we were right about the killer's motive.
Well, how would they have known, uh, how much progress Soto and Nauer made? I mean you don't think there were more people spying on them, do you? Watson, conundrum.
Conundrum, Watson.
Oh.
On another matter, and against my better judgment, I've decided to advance you the money that you requested.
Oh.
Thanks.
Uh, why-why "against your better judgment"? You don't think it the least bit coincidental that both you and young Mr.
Castoro decided to visit the cemetery the day after his father's birthday? Yes.
Of course I do.
But you still want to give him the money.
It's complicated.
You don't know him.
I also know-- as does he-- that you blame yourself for the man's death.
Because it was my fault.
It was an accident.
And as loathe as I am to admit it, accidents happen.
Joey's goodwill obviously means a great deal to you.
But the fact that he has on more than one occasion attached a dollar figure reveals his character.
Or at least it does to me.
I'm an expert on poisons, Watson.
I know virtually everything there is to know about them.
But I've come to learn over the last few years that there is nothing on this planet quite so toxic as guilt.
Are you gonna advance me the money or not? It's in th box.
Hey.
There's over $20,000 in here.
I only asked for $5,000.
It's every scrap of cash I currently have at my disposal.
Consider the difference a kind of buyout.
It's a no-strings-attached transaction which will represent the end of all business between you and Joey.
I-I don't understand.
It's quite simple, really.
I'm providing you with the means to buy the young man out of your life.
He gets the money he needs, you get the peace of mind knowing that he'll never approach you again.
I told you.
I don't mind that he approached me.
I do.
You've made your mistakes, Watson.
So have I.
And if there's anything that's become apparent during our time together, it's that the great majority of those mistakes belong firmly in the past.
Hmm? Take the money.
Use it.
Consider it my gift to you.
Have you considered that Tanya Barrett might be working with a partner? Somebody who committed the crimes for her while she alibied herself in Midtown? Considered and discarded.
Why go to the trouble of allying yourself with partner and then arming them with a weapon that can be traced back to you? Hmm, you're right.
That would only make it easier to connect her to the crimes.
Unless, of course, that's the intention.
What if Ms.
Barrett is our lead suspect because someone wants her to be? Are you saying someone's trying to frame her? Professor Barrett, might I have a word? I'm late for a class, Mr.
Holmes.
And I don't feel like being accused of any more murders.
All of my accusations were based on multiple pieces of evidence pointing firmly in your direction.
I've started to think that might not be a coincidence.
What are you talking about? Did you happen to mention to anyone else that you had seen Cyril and Felix's work, hmm? Anyone who might have felt threatened by their progress? No, of course not.
Do you have any enemies? Jilted lover, perhaps? Or a student unhappy with a very bad grade? Are you saying you think I've been framed? I'm saying it might explain why you're such an alluring suspect.
No.
This is crazy.
You're thinking of someone.
Who is it? I got out of a long-term relationship a few months ago.
My ex, Jason, was very upset.
He sent me a couple of e-mails.
Threatening ones? I didn't take it personally.
He's always had a temper.
I just thought he was letting off steam.
These e-mails.
Do you think I might be able to see them? Give me your e-mail address and a couple of hours, and I'll forward you the e-mails when my class lets out.
Good morning! I'm sorry.
I don't know either of them.
Their names were Felix Soto and Cyril Nauer.
Ring any bells? But you were romantically involved with Tanya Barrett.
Yes, until a few months ago.
Who ended the relationship? Tanya.
What's all this about anyway? It's our understanding it was a pretty nasty split.
There were some unpleasant moments, like most breakups.
Why? Tanya was nice enough to share with us some of the e-mails that you sent.
On November the 11th, "You'll be sorry you let me go.
You've made a serious mistake".
Uh, December 3, 2012: "You deserve to be hurt the way that you hurt me.
" Is Tanya trying to get a restraining order or something? Because I'm telling you right now These two men were shot and killed with a .
9 millimeter handgun two days ago.
We think that whoever murdered them may be trying to frame Tanya for the crimes.
What are you talking about? You think I shot these guys? Just because Tanya dumped me? Jason, we know you knew them.
Tanya told us you met them back when she was writing her articles for P versus NP.
I've never seen these guys before in my life.
Your e-mails tell a different story.
The threats you made against Tanya were enough for us to get a warrant to search your account.
In another e-mail you wrote in 2010, you complained about getting dragged to interviews she was doing for her articles, you mention Mr.
Soto and Mr.
Nauer by name, and you accuse her of caring more about P versus NP than she did your relationship.
I didn't write this.
Nor did you place an online order for .
9 millimeter ammunition earlier today.
Here's the confirmation, in case you want to re-familiarize yourself.
Makes me think maybe you had a couple more mathematicians in your crosshairs.
He wants a lawyer.
Oh, one probably isn't gonna be enough.
I just got a call from Stuyvesant Memorial.
That mugger that got shot outside of Felix Soto's place? The one who didn't stand a chance in hell? He's awake.
Get his statement before he takes another turn.
He identifies Jason Harrison as his shooter, we got him.
Look, man, I'm just saying, why don't you talk to the D.
A.
Yeah, tell him to go easy on me.
Or maybe you can describe the person who shot you and take comfort in the knowledge they won't be back to finish the job.
She about five-six, mid-30s, if I had to guess.
You said "she.
" Yeah, she.
Long brown hair, glasses.
Yeah, that's her.
That's the bitch shot me.
Right after she shot that other dude in the house.
Are you positive? She was standing two feet from me.
All right? That's her.
No doubt.
Benny Charles insists he was shot by Tanya Barrett.
She, of course, has an alibi.
She was dining with Wayne Kaneshiro at the time and could not have shot Charles, Soto or Nauer.
And yet further analysis of the hairs found on Nauer's body have confirmed that they don't come from just any Boston terrier, but the one owned by Ms.
Barrett.
She also once owned the same type of handgun used to commit the murders.
Jason Harrison, meanwhile, he has means and motive to frame Tanya.
Several e-mails seem to implicate him.
But Benny Charles insists he was shot by Tanya Barrett.
Who has an alibi.
You know we're going in circles here, right? We're in a roundabout.
We just need to find the proper exit.
You're not gonna take my advice, are you? You're not gonna pay Joey to go away.
I think there are better ways to spend $22,000.
You could buy 8,800 beers, for example.
Mm, tempting.
But no.
So we're gonna continue to let him utilize you as his own personal ATM.
I didn't say that.
You said 8,800 beers, right? That's only $2.
50 a beer.
That's what the fat man paid.
Put down ten dollars, left with four beers.
That's pretty cheap, isn't it? Cheap beer, presumably.
Yeah, but this is New York, and that isn't exactly a dive bar.
The only time you see drinks that cheap is during happy hour.
But the time is exactly Time stamp says 9:46.
Yeah.
Digital time stamp.
You forgot to carry the one.
Only joking.
I'm sure your maths is impeccable.
Your plan to get away with two murders, however Are you out of your minds? The other day, you told us you had dinner with a friend in Midtown.
You said you were there between 8:30 and 10:30, only you weren't.
You were there between 5:30 and 7:30.
Oh, that's ridiculous.
You said you got the footage from the security cameras in the restaurant.
And it did confirm your alibi.
According to the date-time stamp, you and your friend, Mr.
Kaneshiro, arrive at 8:37 and leave at 10:44.
Then I don't understand.
Why are you harassing me? When we met with Linus Roe the other day, he explained to us that aside from its applications in the world of theoretical maths, the solution to P versus NP would have very real consequences, very practical consequences, for computer science.
It would be child's play, for example, to hack the hard drive which stores and records security footage in a Midtown restaurant and add three hours to the date-time stamp.
A few days ago, we thought that you killed Felix Soto and Cyril Nauer in the hopes of solving P versus NP yourself someday.
Now we know you killed them because you'd already solved it.
You teamed up with a computer programmer, who could write the code required to steal several hundred million dollars from various financial institutions.
Problem was, he needed time to write the appropriate code for each one.
Time that you feared you might not have when you learned that Nauer and Soto were just a hop, skip and a jump away from their own solution to P versus NP.
You killed them, lest they take their work public and send shockwaves through the digital security industry.
I don't know where you're getting this.
Wayne Kaneshiro is where we're getting this.
Your dinner date from the other night.
And the computer programmer you've been working with.
Mr.
Kaneshiro had written code which allowed you to hack your ex's e-mail plant incriminating letters.
He'd given Detective Bell a statement saying that the two of you were in the restaurant between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30.
Once we were able to demonstrate that was a lie, he told us everything.
Hey.
Hey, sorry I'm late.
That's okay.
So, you said on the phone you had news.
I've decided to make an investment.
This is huge.
Um, seriously, I told my partner I'm not investing in the bar, Joey.
I'm investing in you.
You know, before your father's surgery, he and I spent a lot of time together.
But what you probably don't know is how much we talked about you.
He was so proud that you were gonna become an engineer, and then when you earned that scholarship, he was Anyway, listen, I want to offer you a new scholarship.
A check for $22,000-- enough to finish your undergraduate degree.
Um, that is a a very generous offer.
But school just isn't for me right now.
Maybe after That is the only help that I feel comfortable offering.
So you you clearly have the cash but you'll only let me have it if I do what you think is right.
I want to do what's right by your dad.
My dad.
The one guy who isn't here right now to help me because of you.
I'm sorry.
Just You don't deserve that.
I will support you in whatever you do.
If you open up a bar, it'll be my new watering hole.
If you need to talk, I am just a phone call away.
But I am only going to pay for your education.
So you tell me, what do you want? Hey.
What are you doing? I am taking one last look at P versus NP.
What do you mean, "last look"? The NSA has asked the NYPD to surrender everything and anything pertaining to the problem, including Tanya Barrett.
They want her in federal custody? They claim it's in the interest of protecting the country against her breakthrough.
She alleges she never kept any hard copies, and she says she will only explain her work in exchange for a deal.
District attorney, however, has little interest.
So it seems, in spite of everything the proof may not usher modern encryption into obsolescence after all.
How was coffee? Joey said that he would think about my offer, but I am not holding my breath.
I thought your plan was quite clever.
You demonstrated your goodwill without allowing him to take further advantage.
You know that if he had taken me up on that offer, I was going to pay you back, right? You know I have about as much interest in money as I do Hummel figurines.
Either way, thank you.
You know, I-I'd quite like to go with you next time.
To the cemetery.
the mistake that you made, it, uh changed the course of your life.
The man seems to have left quite an impression, as well.
I'd just like to pay my respects.
I'd like that.
Please! I don't want any trouble! Dr.
Watson? Joey! Hey-hey! Hi.
Long time.
Been a while, huh? Yeah.
What, three years? Yeah.
Uh, you remembered Dad's birthday.
Well, a day late, but yeah.
Hmm.
You caught me.
Mm.
Nice thing about coming the day after, you're less likely to run into my mom.
It's nice of you to come and see him.
I liked him.
He was a good man.
You're a good doctor.
Hey, let me buy you a coffee; we can catch up.
I'm supposed to meet a friend I work with, so Come on, just one cup.
Well, I think we're wrapped up here.
make sure we got pictures.
And then police have been stationed at the hospital.
In case Benny wakes up, somebody from the team Detective Bell.
Sorry I'm late.
You're not late-- you texted me and said you heard on your scanner there'd been a shooting.
I texted you back, told you I didn't need any help.
Actually, you wrote, and I quote: "Yes, please, now, triple-smiley face, with tongue protruding".
What? Yeah, see, that's not from me.
That's from someone named Bella, and you got it last December.
My name is Bell, no "A," but I can see how you might've confused us.
It's not like you're into details or anything.
How embarrassing.
Anyway, now that I'm here Vic's name is Felix Soto.
He's a math tutor.
Lives here alone.
I was under the impression that two men had been shot.
Two were.
Second victim, guy named Benny Charles, was shot in the driveway right out there.
Funny thing is, far as we can tell, they didn't know each other.
About 90 seconds before Mr.
Charles got shot last night, he mugged someone around the corner.
I think he ducked into the driveway to count his loot.
Wrong place, wrong time? Well unless you believe in karma.
Yeah.
So I'm assuming, from the absence of his body, that Mr.
Charles survived.
Barely.
First officers on the scene managed to stop the bleeding, but he never regained consciousness.
He's in surgery now.
I'm hearing it doesn't look good.
Hey, where's your better half this morning? One mystery at a time, Detective.
So not much evidence to suggest it was a robbery gone wrong-- too many valuables have been left behind.
A neighbor heard Mr.
Soto arguing with another man a few nights ago, but never got a good look at the guy.
We're reaching out to his family, see if they can think of anyone who had beef with him.
Interesting space, huh? Minimalist.
The other rooms aren't.
There's art and pictures hung up.
I wondered for a second if maybe the shooter took some down, but aren't any nail holes.
You always been this observant? I'm asking that quite sincerely.
I was wondering if exposure to my methods had helped you in any way.
Actually, before you came along, I'd never closed a case before.
Neither had the rest of the department.
Most of us were thinking of packing up, leaving, letting the city fend for itself.
We need to find the black light.
The what? There's a chemical known as C.
A.
M.
phosphor on the walls-- smells like spent matchsticks.
Smell it.
Smell it.
It's the primary ingredient of an ink which can only be seen when exposed to when it exposed to ultraviolet light.
Hmm? Oh.
Thank you.
What is it? Well, I'm going to take a very literal stab in the dark and say maths.
Question is does it have anything to do with Mr.
Soto's death? Still can't believe you're a cop.
I-I'm not a cop.
I'm a consulting Yeah.
A consulting detective.
Still, you, like, go to crime scenes and put away bad guys.
Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but yeah.
Well, sometimes we do.
Um What about you? You're graduating this year, right? Uh I don't know.
I, um had a kind of rough time junior year.
I was thinking about my dad a lot.
Probably partying a little more than I should've.
Actually, um, I left right before my spring semester.
Oh.
Yeah.
I'm sorry to hear that.
It is what it is, right? Besides, I got some stuff going on, stuff I'm very excited about.
Yeah? This is my bar.
You bought a bar? Well, I'm about to buy a bar, me and a buddy.
And, you know, we're just getting together the funding right now, but we are this close, Doc.
Oh.
Joan.
You should call me Joan now.
Ah, sorry.
Old habits.
You don't like it? No.
It's just I just remember how excited you were about studying to become an engineer, how happy it made your dad.
Mm.
Well, the school took away my scholarship when I dropped out, so so without that, can't exactly go back.
Yeah.
It's funny, it's like I can't help wondering if we were supposed to run into each other this morning.
My partner and me, we have big plans for this place, and I know that anyone that invests with us is gonna double their money.
Like, at least.
Are you asking me for a loan? No, I'm-I'm offering you an opportunity.
And you were always so good to me.
You know? You you held my hand when Dad got sick.
Now I just, you know, maybe I can pay you back a little.
Hey, I even found this little spot in the back room to hang his picture.
You know, just so he can always be there, always.
So, how much do you need? If you're looking for Sherlock, he's downstairs.
Okay.
I will go there now.
His name is Harlan Emple.
He is the Rachel P.
Hanson Professor for Applied Mathematics at Columbia University, and holder of the Smithfield Endowed Chair of Algebraic Geometry at the Huntington Institute.
And he is here to help you make sense of the equations you found.
Okay, I get that.
What I don't get is why he isn't wearing a shirt.
Every great thinker has a process, Watson.
In Harlan's case, he doesn't like anything to come between him and the numbers.
I know you can feel quite Victorian about such matters, so I've given him a little bell to ring should he feel the need to disrobe entirely.
Having said that, I can't guarantee he won't sit on the furniture.
How do you know him again? In 1999, he devised a mathematical model which he believed could accurately predict crime patterns in and around New York City.
Ultimately, didn't work, but I found the premise quite fascinating.
We've been corresponding ever since.
Do you really think this guy was killed over math? Mr.
Soto obviously went to great lengths to conceal his calculations.
Whether they have any real value, or are just the numerical ramblings of a math-obsessed madman, is for Harlan to determine.
Eggs? Uh, no, thanks.
Hey, I was wondering if it was possible to get an advance on my salary.
Define "advance".
$5,000.
I ran into someone this morning.
He's the son of an old friend of mine.
He's trying to get this business off the ground.
I thought I'd help him out.
I just maxed out on my IRA contributions, so I cannot take money back, otherwise I will get massive penalties.
You must really believe in this young man.
Well, I'd like to see him take a shot at this.
Not quite the same thing, though, is it? Sherlock! I know what the formula is! And it is a doozy.
Okay, so the first thing you need to know is that the guy who wrote this was a genius.
Guys with an "S".
There were two mathematicians at work here.
One was Felix Soto.
These parts of the equation are a match for handwriting samples I took from his home.
These scribbles are from another man yet to be identified.
How-how do you know it was a man? There is an inconsistency to the gradient here.
Some of the letters slant to the right, others to the left.
Also, the stem of the "P" here and the "D" here are looped instead of doubled back.
It doesn't guarantee the writer was male, but it's a strong indicator.
Fine.
Then these guys are geniuses.
The point is, I know what they were working on.
It's P versus NP! Come on, it's one of the most famous problems in math history.
Harlan, if we were mathematicians, you would not be here.
In simplest terms, P versus NP asks if every problem whose solution can be quickly verified by a computer can also be quickly solved by a computer.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Only it's not.
It is filthy.
Some experts have even theorized that it can't be solved.
Could it be a motive for murder? That depends.
You think a million dollars could be a motive for murder? I'm sorry.
You're saying this is worth a million dollars? No, but it is getting there.
I mean, this is the farthest I have ever seen anyone take P versus NP.
I mean, if I if I had to guess, I would say that these guys are months, maybe weeks from solving it.
But who would pay a million dollars for the solution to a mathematical problem? The Clay Mathematics Institute in Rhode Island.
They're a non-profit dedicated to promoting math interest.
But the thing that they are most famous for is The Millennium Prizes.
They offer a million dollars to anyone who can solve just one of the seven hardest problems in the world.
And P versus NP is one of the seven.
We know that the dead man, Soto, was working with a partner.
And you said that Soto's neighbor heard him arguing with another man a few nights ago.
Perhaps the partner thought he could complete the problem himself.
Take the prize money without having to share it.
For what it's worth, your victim would not have been working with just any mathematician.
P versus NP is the kind of problem that people devote their lives to.
There is a whole P versus NP community.
A community which you could help us gain access to? Well, I sort of travel in different mathematical circles.
But I do know somebody who's pretty involved.
Tanya Barrett.
She's a professor at Triboro College.
I heard about what happened to Felix on the news this morning.
I still can't believe it.
Were you two close? I met him when I wrote my articles, but that was years ago.
It's our understanding, Professor Barrett, that you are a veritable who's who guide to the world of P versus NP.
When I wrote my articles, I profiled all the mathematicians who had really devoted themselves to the problem.
That's how I met Felix.
Do you know if he was close to any of the other people that you interviewed? I don't think so.
Why? We have reason to believe that before he died, he was collaborating with a partner.
That doesn't sound like Felix.
He was very competitive.
But I'll be happy to walk you through the names that I do have.
These are the journals that published me.
So, um, what made you start wanting to write about P versus NP? Oh, when I was young and very full of myself, I decided to spend a summer trying to solve it.
When I looked up, three years had gone by.
P versus NP may well be unsolvable.
So I walked away.
Do you know who wrote this proof? Cyril Nauer, a total savant.
He lives in Brooklyn.
Look familiar? That's the same handwriting as our mystery mathematician.
You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Mr.
Nauer, would you? Cyril Nauer looks like the Unabomber.
Both are mathematicians, both are loners.
Let's hope only one of them ever aspired to mass casualties.
Detective Bell, I believe we may have a strong suspect in the murder of Felix Soto.
That's good.
I just found out we got a second victim.
He was shot on a sidewalk in Hell's Kitchen last night, dragged into an alley.
Initial ballistics report says it was the same gun that killed Felix Soto.
Any connection between the two men? Right now, all I have is a name.
Cyril Nauer.
So, want to give me the name of your suspect? Two mathematicians, both collaborating on the same infamous problem, both killed within an hour of each other by the same shooter.
Obviously, not a coincidence.
Your friend said that a solution to P versus NP is worth a million dollars, right? It's hard to imagine there's only two people trying to solve it.
You think they were killed by a competitor.
Would make sense, wouldn't it? I mean, someone realizes how far they've come, murders them to keep them from solving it first.
Question is, how did they realize how far they'd come? Both men clearly paranoid about having their work uncovered.
They recorded every digit in invisible ink.
Maybe one of them bragged to the wrong person.
Says here that CSU found some dog hairs under the arms of Cyril Nauer's coat.
Transferred, presumably, when the shooter dragged Mr.
Nauer into the alleyway.
Is there a picture? Yeah.
They sent the samples to the lab to try to determine the dog's Boston terrier.
So perhaps our shooter owns a dog.
Almost something, I suppose.
You know, we never finished our conversation from yesterday.
I asked you for an advance? Just out of curiosity, Watson, who exactly asked you for $5,000, and what is their connection to the man who died under your care three years ago? You told me you had a doctor's appointment yesterday.
That was a lie.
You went to visit your former patient's grave.
You've done so quite regularly since moving in with me.
It's your sleeves; they tend to give you away.
I'm able to detect the fragrance of carnations, but no carnations ever appear at the brownstone.
You leave them for him, do you not? I don't mean to pry.
It's just that you went there yesterday, and when you returned, you hoped to secure a rather substantial loan for the "son of a friend".
neither of whom you wished to discuss.
I'd want to make sure that this person is not taking advantage of you.
Yeah, I guess we never really talked about this, did we? His name was Gerald Castoro.
He was my patient.
He needed surgery to remove his right adrenal gland.
He had a tumor inside it.
A pheochromocytoma.
It's rare.
And the procedure to remove it is pretty straightforward.
I nicked his vena cava.
I don't know how.
I just He lost his entire volume of blood into his abdomen in seconds.
He was a nice man.
He was a dock worker.
Few weeks before the surgery, I got to know his family.
His wife, his son.
Mrs.
Castoro did what most people would do in her situation.
She sued me.
I went to court.
I had to listen to her say a lot of terrible things about me.
It was a difficult process, as you can well imagine.
Gerald's son, Joey he was only 17 back then.
He wrote me a letter.
He said that he didn't blame me, that it wasn't my fault.
That he forgave me.
At the time, it meant a lot.
Is this the first time he's asked you for money? He needed a car to get back and forth from college.
His mother needed him around a lot.
Detective? Hey.
I'm at Cyril Nauer's apartment.
There's some stuff here I think you should see.
Okay, so, that's Cyril Nauer's place right there, second floor.
Figured I'd just poke around, see if I could find any more black bulbs like the one you found at Felix Soto's place.
There weren't, but I managed to find this in one of the fixtures.
Is that a bug? CSU is going over everything with a fine-toothed comb.
But obviously, someone was listening in on Mr.
Nauer.
Think they might have been watching him, as well.
That's a municipal building.
Those cameras are theirs.
Even the one pointing directly at his apartment? Taxi! Where you going? Up.
Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Keep your vehicle perfectly still, I'll give you $20 for going absolutely nowhere.
Yeah.
Signal jumper.
Someone's been using it to hijack that camera's video feed, broadcast it to a remote location.
Presumably the same person who put a listening device inside Mr.
Nauer's apartment.
Good news is, the jumper's transmissions can be traced back to a receiver.
You find the receiver Find the person who's been spying on Nauer.
Detective Bell? I'm Linus Roe.
I was told you wanted to speak with me.
Your Web site says that Roe Encryption Technologies offers the highest level encryption services for online retailers, banks and investment firms.
No mention there of illegal surveillance.
I can't imagine why there would be.
Because your company's been filming Cyril Nauer in his home.
I'm sorry.
Am I supposed to know that name? We found a signal jumper on a camera just outside Mr.
Nauer's apartment.
Now, the department's Technical Assistance Response Unit says it was broadcasting to your company's server.
I don't know anything about that.
Well, someone here knows something about it, Mr.
Roe.
And that person may even be responsible for Mr.
Nauer's death.
Cyril Nauer is dead? I thought you said you didn't know him.
Okay, you're right.
We were monitoring Cyril Nauer.
It was my idea.
But I am telling you that no one at this company would hurt him, not in a million years.
All right, well, back up.
Start with why you were spying on him.
Because of his work on something called P versus NP.
It's Filthy maths.
Virtually unsolvable, worth a million dollars.
Yes, we're familiar with it.
Is that why you were surveilling him? Because your company needed money? You're thinking of the Millennium Prize, right? No.
A solve for P versus NP is only worth a million to them.
To us, it's worth tens, maybe hundreds more.
I mean, mathematicians are drawn to P versus NP because it's math's great white whale, but the truth is a solution would have massive real world implications.
Such as? A correct proof would essentially render all modern encryption obsolete.
With the right software, you could hack into any system in the world.
They won't be able to stop you.
It's one equation.
How is that possible? Encryption consists of setting up problems so complicated that a computer can't solve them.
Solving P versus NP lets you run through the possible answer fast enough to crack the code.
I mean, you could come and go as you please through any server on the planet.
It's a skeleton key.
It's the key to building the skeleton key.
I mean, once you had the solution, you'd still need to write the code to apply it.
The digital world would be your oyster.
You're saying a solution would make your company about as useful as a Pet Rock? Certainly sounds like the kind of thing a man in your position would kill to prevent.
You don't understand.
I wanted Cyril to solve P versus NP.
I approached him months ago because I believed if anyone could solve it, it would be him.
I offered to fund his work on the condition that if he did solve it, we would keep the proof under wraps.
At least until he helped me to design cryptography to defeat it.
So Roe Encryption would be proof-proof.
The only company in the world capable of defending against P versus NP technology.
Oh, Cyril refused; money didn't mean anything to him.
He wanted the acclaim.
But when we found out that he was working with a man named Felix Soto, we infiltrated his home, as well.
We took some photos of the work they'd done.
It was a total waste of time.
They weren't anywhere near a solution.
That's not our understanding.
We took the pictures to an expert.
She said they were nowhere near figuring it out.
Can you tell us her name? Uh, Tanya Barrett.
She wrote a bunch of articles on P versus NP a few years ago.
You talk to her, she'll confirm everything I just told you.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything I knew yesterday.
I just didn't think my work with Linus had anything to do with Felix Soto's death.
Did you know when you reviewed the pictures of their work that they had been obtained illegally? I had a feeling, but I didn't press it.
The university had cut two of my classes this year.
I needed the money.
It's my understanding that you told Mr.
Roe that the calculations were no good.
That was a lie, correct? From the second I saw it, I knew that the work was Felix and Cyril's.
They had taken P versus NP farther than I'd ever seen anyone.
And still, they were only a third of the way through.
They had years of work ahead of them.
I thought if I told Linus that the work was bogus, that he'd back off.
I knew it was wrong.
But so was what Linus was doing.
I guess I convinced myself that one bad thing could cancel out another.
You're a dog owner, correct? Boston terrier? How'd you know that? You registered him with the city when you procured a pet license in 2010.
We found some dog hairs on Cyril Nauer's body that we think were transferred from the killer.
DNA test showed it came from a Boston terrier.
Guess what else you registered with the city.
.
9 millimeter handgun in 2009.
It's precisely the same kind of weapon used to perforate Misters Soto and Nauer two nights ago.
This gun was stolen from my apartment last month.
There was a burglary.
I filed You filed a police report.
Yes, we know.
Only, the gun wasn't stolen, was it? You wanted to be able to say it was in the event someone linked you to the two murders.
Maybe you thought you could build on what Soto and Nauer had done.
Carry their ball over the goal line.
In great success, you claim the Millennium Prize and one million dollars.
Maybe you were hoping to sell the solution to Linus Roe yourself someday, make even more money.
This is insane.
I didn't kill anyone.
Then you shouldn't have any problem accounting for your whereabouts between two nights ago.
I was at dinner with a friend in Midtown.
I got to the restaurant around 8:30.
I didn't leave until after 10:30.
My friend's name is Wayne Kaneshiro.
I suggest you contact him.
So, still trying to track Wayne Kaneshiro down, but in the meantime, I reached out to that restaurant Ms.
Barrett said she went to.
They said they'd e-mail me the security footage from two nights ago.
There we go.
I see two underage drinkers, an affair-in-progress and a bartender who's been stealing from the till.
Not a single college professor.
Hold up.
Hold up.
That's about 20 minutes before Felix Soto was shot.
Skip to the end.
See when she leaves.
She was telling the truth.
She's not our shooter.
So, you won't go for a jog along the river but you will do sit-ups facing a wall at 2:00 a.
m.
Detective Bell texted to say that he had located Tanya Barrett's dining companion, Wayne Kaneshiro.
As if the video evidence weren't enough, he has confirmed that he was with her between 8:30 and 10:30 the night of the murders.
We remain devoid of a suspect.
Calisthenics stimulates the heart, which increases blood flow to the frontal lobe, which stimulates deductive thinking.
Also, the river smells like rancid cod.
What is up with the nerd brigade? These are the other contenders to the P versus NP throne.
We may be wrong about Tanya, but perhaps we were right about the killer's motive.
Well, how would they have known, uh, how much progress Soto and Nauer made? I mean you don't think there were more people spying on them, do you? Watson, conundrum.
Conundrum, Watson.
Oh.
On another matter, and against my better judgment, I've decided to advance you the money that you requested.
Oh.
Thanks.
Uh, why-why "against your better judgment"? You don't think it the least bit coincidental that both you and young Mr.
Castoro decided to visit the cemetery the day after his father's birthday? Yes.
Of course I do.
But you still want to give him the money.
It's complicated.
You don't know him.
I also know-- as does he-- that you blame yourself for the man's death.
Because it was my fault.
It was an accident.
And as loathe as I am to admit it, accidents happen.
Joey's goodwill obviously means a great deal to you.
But the fact that he has on more than one occasion attached a dollar figure reveals his character.
Or at least it does to me.
I'm an expert on poisons, Watson.
I know virtually everything there is to know about them.
But I've come to learn over the last few years that there is nothing on this planet quite so toxic as guilt.
Are you gonna advance me the money or not? It's in th box.
Hey.
There's over $20,000 in here.
I only asked for $5,000.
It's every scrap of cash I currently have at my disposal.
Consider the difference a kind of buyout.
It's a no-strings-attached transaction which will represent the end of all business between you and Joey.
I-I don't understand.
It's quite simple, really.
I'm providing you with the means to buy the young man out of your life.
He gets the money he needs, you get the peace of mind knowing that he'll never approach you again.
I told you.
I don't mind that he approached me.
I do.
You've made your mistakes, Watson.
So have I.
And if there's anything that's become apparent during our time together, it's that the great majority of those mistakes belong firmly in the past.
Hmm? Take the money.
Use it.
Consider it my gift to you.
Have you considered that Tanya Barrett might be working with a partner? Somebody who committed the crimes for her while she alibied herself in Midtown? Considered and discarded.
Why go to the trouble of allying yourself with partner and then arming them with a weapon that can be traced back to you? Hmm, you're right.
That would only make it easier to connect her to the crimes.
Unless, of course, that's the intention.
What if Ms.
Barrett is our lead suspect because someone wants her to be? Are you saying someone's trying to frame her? Professor Barrett, might I have a word? I'm late for a class, Mr.
Holmes.
And I don't feel like being accused of any more murders.
All of my accusations were based on multiple pieces of evidence pointing firmly in your direction.
I've started to think that might not be a coincidence.
What are you talking about? Did you happen to mention to anyone else that you had seen Cyril and Felix's work, hmm? Anyone who might have felt threatened by their progress? No, of course not.
Do you have any enemies? Jilted lover, perhaps? Or a student unhappy with a very bad grade? Are you saying you think I've been framed? I'm saying it might explain why you're such an alluring suspect.
No.
This is crazy.
You're thinking of someone.
Who is it? I got out of a long-term relationship a few months ago.
My ex, Jason, was very upset.
He sent me a couple of e-mails.
Threatening ones? I didn't take it personally.
He's always had a temper.
I just thought he was letting off steam.
These e-mails.
Do you think I might be able to see them? Give me your e-mail address and a couple of hours, and I'll forward you the e-mails when my class lets out.
Good morning! I'm sorry.
I don't know either of them.
Their names were Felix Soto and Cyril Nauer.
Ring any bells? But you were romantically involved with Tanya Barrett.
Yes, until a few months ago.
Who ended the relationship? Tanya.
What's all this about anyway? It's our understanding it was a pretty nasty split.
There were some unpleasant moments, like most breakups.
Why? Tanya was nice enough to share with us some of the e-mails that you sent.
On November the 11th, "You'll be sorry you let me go.
You've made a serious mistake".
Uh, December 3, 2012: "You deserve to be hurt the way that you hurt me.
" Is Tanya trying to get a restraining order or something? Because I'm telling you right now These two men were shot and killed with a .
9 millimeter handgun two days ago.
We think that whoever murdered them may be trying to frame Tanya for the crimes.
What are you talking about? You think I shot these guys? Just because Tanya dumped me? Jason, we know you knew them.
Tanya told us you met them back when she was writing her articles for P versus NP.
I've never seen these guys before in my life.
Your e-mails tell a different story.
The threats you made against Tanya were enough for us to get a warrant to search your account.
In another e-mail you wrote in 2010, you complained about getting dragged to interviews she was doing for her articles, you mention Mr.
Soto and Mr.
Nauer by name, and you accuse her of caring more about P versus NP than she did your relationship.
I didn't write this.
Nor did you place an online order for .
9 millimeter ammunition earlier today.
Here's the confirmation, in case you want to re-familiarize yourself.
Makes me think maybe you had a couple more mathematicians in your crosshairs.
He wants a lawyer.
Oh, one probably isn't gonna be enough.
I just got a call from Stuyvesant Memorial.
That mugger that got shot outside of Felix Soto's place? The one who didn't stand a chance in hell? He's awake.
Get his statement before he takes another turn.
He identifies Jason Harrison as his shooter, we got him.
Look, man, I'm just saying, why don't you talk to the D.
A.
Yeah, tell him to go easy on me.
Or maybe you can describe the person who shot you and take comfort in the knowledge they won't be back to finish the job.
She about five-six, mid-30s, if I had to guess.
You said "she.
" Yeah, she.
Long brown hair, glasses.
Yeah, that's her.
That's the bitch shot me.
Right after she shot that other dude in the house.
Are you positive? She was standing two feet from me.
All right? That's her.
No doubt.
Benny Charles insists he was shot by Tanya Barrett.
She, of course, has an alibi.
She was dining with Wayne Kaneshiro at the time and could not have shot Charles, Soto or Nauer.
And yet further analysis of the hairs found on Nauer's body have confirmed that they don't come from just any Boston terrier, but the one owned by Ms.
Barrett.
She also once owned the same type of handgun used to commit the murders.
Jason Harrison, meanwhile, he has means and motive to frame Tanya.
Several e-mails seem to implicate him.
But Benny Charles insists he was shot by Tanya Barrett.
Who has an alibi.
You know we're going in circles here, right? We're in a roundabout.
We just need to find the proper exit.
You're not gonna take my advice, are you? You're not gonna pay Joey to go away.
I think there are better ways to spend $22,000.
You could buy 8,800 beers, for example.
Mm, tempting.
But no.
So we're gonna continue to let him utilize you as his own personal ATM.
I didn't say that.
You said 8,800 beers, right? That's only $2.
50 a beer.
That's what the fat man paid.
Put down ten dollars, left with four beers.
That's pretty cheap, isn't it? Cheap beer, presumably.
Yeah, but this is New York, and that isn't exactly a dive bar.
The only time you see drinks that cheap is during happy hour.
But the time is exactly Time stamp says 9:46.
Yeah.
Digital time stamp.
You forgot to carry the one.
Only joking.
I'm sure your maths is impeccable.
Your plan to get away with two murders, however Are you out of your minds? The other day, you told us you had dinner with a friend in Midtown.
You said you were there between 8:30 and 10:30, only you weren't.
You were there between 5:30 and 7:30.
Oh, that's ridiculous.
You said you got the footage from the security cameras in the restaurant.
And it did confirm your alibi.
According to the date-time stamp, you and your friend, Mr.
Kaneshiro, arrive at 8:37 and leave at 10:44.
Then I don't understand.
Why are you harassing me? When we met with Linus Roe the other day, he explained to us that aside from its applications in the world of theoretical maths, the solution to P versus NP would have very real consequences, very practical consequences, for computer science.
It would be child's play, for example, to hack the hard drive which stores and records security footage in a Midtown restaurant and add three hours to the date-time stamp.
A few days ago, we thought that you killed Felix Soto and Cyril Nauer in the hopes of solving P versus NP yourself someday.
Now we know you killed them because you'd already solved it.
You teamed up with a computer programmer, who could write the code required to steal several hundred million dollars from various financial institutions.
Problem was, he needed time to write the appropriate code for each one.
Time that you feared you might not have when you learned that Nauer and Soto were just a hop, skip and a jump away from their own solution to P versus NP.
You killed them, lest they take their work public and send shockwaves through the digital security industry.
I don't know where you're getting this.
Wayne Kaneshiro is where we're getting this.
Your dinner date from the other night.
And the computer programmer you've been working with.
Mr.
Kaneshiro had written code which allowed you to hack your ex's e-mail plant incriminating letters.
He'd given Detective Bell a statement saying that the two of you were in the restaurant between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30.
Once we were able to demonstrate that was a lie, he told us everything.
Hey.
Hey, sorry I'm late.
That's okay.
So, you said on the phone you had news.
I've decided to make an investment.
This is huge.
Um, seriously, I told my partner I'm not investing in the bar, Joey.
I'm investing in you.
You know, before your father's surgery, he and I spent a lot of time together.
But what you probably don't know is how much we talked about you.
He was so proud that you were gonna become an engineer, and then when you earned that scholarship, he was Anyway, listen, I want to offer you a new scholarship.
A check for $22,000-- enough to finish your undergraduate degree.
Um, that is a a very generous offer.
But school just isn't for me right now.
Maybe after That is the only help that I feel comfortable offering.
So you you clearly have the cash but you'll only let me have it if I do what you think is right.
I want to do what's right by your dad.
My dad.
The one guy who isn't here right now to help me because of you.
I'm sorry.
Just You don't deserve that.
I will support you in whatever you do.
If you open up a bar, it'll be my new watering hole.
If you need to talk, I am just a phone call away.
But I am only going to pay for your education.
So you tell me, what do you want? Hey.
What are you doing? I am taking one last look at P versus NP.
What do you mean, "last look"? The NSA has asked the NYPD to surrender everything and anything pertaining to the problem, including Tanya Barrett.
They want her in federal custody? They claim it's in the interest of protecting the country against her breakthrough.
She alleges she never kept any hard copies, and she says she will only explain her work in exchange for a deal.
District attorney, however, has little interest.
So it seems, in spite of everything the proof may not usher modern encryption into obsolescence after all.
How was coffee? Joey said that he would think about my offer, but I am not holding my breath.
I thought your plan was quite clever.
You demonstrated your goodwill without allowing him to take further advantage.
You know that if he had taken me up on that offer, I was going to pay you back, right? You know I have about as much interest in money as I do Hummel figurines.
Either way, thank you.
You know, I-I'd quite like to go with you next time.
To the cemetery.
the mistake that you made, it, uh changed the course of your life.
The man seems to have left quite an impression, as well.
I'd just like to pay my respects.
I'd like that.