CSI: Miami s02e14 Episode Script

Preparing to drop the incendiary devices.
Dropping incendiary devices now.
Alexx woods, Eric delko.
Rick cuthbert, national park service.
Welcome to the glades.
Ash is pretty thick, Rick.
Had to turn my wipers on a few times.
Thought I was back in new jersey.
Yeah, well, we're clearing out the underbrush.
Who found our vic? Firefighters, we think he's on a hunt.
They were checking the firebreak.
He's about 30 yards in.
- In there? - Don't worry, it's safe.
Fire's controlled.
Any idea how he got there? Well, we figure that's his campsite down the firebreak.
All right, we'll secure it, and we'll process here.
Sounds like a plan.
Just, uh, watch for gators.
Yeah, you ranger boys love scaring us sobe people, don't you? Everybody's a comedian.
Our hunter had bad night.
Gunshot.
But no sign of a weapon.
Probably killed during the night.
Liver temp will tell us.
Look at the drag marks.
Somebody probably placed him here.
Wade thomas hinkle, sweetwater.
Help me turn him over.
A lot of blood.
This an arterial hit? Yeah, poor guy went in less than a minute.
Those birds know something.
What? Delko? Alexx, don't move.
Get the car keys.
Get the keys.
- Let's run! - No time, Alexx! We'll never make it! Eric! Grab this.
Alexx? Alexx, you okay? Horatio? Hang on, sweetheart.
Listen to me.
Listen to me, it's okay.
I'm just going to wash your eyes out, okay? There you go.
That feel better? I thought I was going to end up wearing a toe tag on my own table.
No, you're not, you're going to be fine.
Does that feel better? Hang in there.
Eric, the worst thing you can do is rub them, man.
Yeah, I know.
but you know what? You get caught in a flash over and them tell me that, all right? Well, I'm just saying Frank.
I'll take it from here, okay? Yep.
/ Thanks.
- How you doing? - I'm all right, H.
Just, uh, doesn't make sense.
I mean, we're supposed to be on the safe side of that break, and the fire just came out of nowhere.
Came out of nowhere.
It was like someone just turned it on.
You know what, Eric? Maybe somebody did.
This is the dead hunter's truck.
Yeah, campsite.
We got a bunch of 308s.
There's got to be close to a hundred rounds here.
You know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking Wade was a sneaky hunter.
I think he sat out here all night and let the controlled burn do his work.
Probably had a flashlight at the end of his rifle, spotted game running from the fire.
A lot of beer cans for one guy.
For three guys.
Means he had some friends.
Hey, hunters have to register with park services, don't they? Yeah.
/ We should check and see if he came with anybody.
That's a good idea.
I'll check out this pickup truck.
You okay? Yeah, yeah, it's just a dog.
I've got a bullet hole.
Gunshot residue.
Front to back in an upward trajectory.
Steep angle.
Just like the shot that killed your hunter.
I thought this was a controlled burn.
How'd it get itself over here? It didn't.
There's a second fire, Frank.
What the hell? Fire underground? Right underneath the soil, right here, is a peat fire smoldering.
That's what's burning.
We .
need to find the point of origin.
Look at this thing.
It's like one long fuse.
Fire could have traveled for hours underground.
You okay? / Yeah.
No time for recreation, Frank.
Explains why the fire didn't burn that way.
It's all water from here on out.
Look at this.
What do you got? It could be the source of our fire.
Roadside flare.
Those babies burn at 4,000 degrees.
Right into the ground, and right at our team.
Eric! Two reasons you start a fire.
to destroy or to distract.
Or maybe both.
Look at this.
She's about 25.
/ Yeah.
That would be my guess.
Doesn't make any sense she's all the way out here in the middle of the glades.
She had to come from somewhere, didn't she? Yeah.
Let's get Speed and take a look around, right? Yup.
Our girl from the everglades.
Going to take some time to ID her, her fingerprints got burnt in the fire.
Got to use dental records.
Okay.
How are you doing? I'm fine Once I took out my contacts, - but I can't see as well.
-That'll pass.
What do we have here? Well, she was hit with an irregular object with some sort of pattern.
Alexx, her skin is so badly burned, - we need to check the bone.
- I'll add that to my list.
What do you think killed her, the fire? No.
Blunt force trauma.
Hinge fractures, injury to the front of the skull crushing the rear of the skull.
What about physical findings? Wasn't raped.
But she has bite marks on her breasts.
The skin is definitely punctured, but there's so little detail, not enough for a mold.
That's because he gnashed at her.
Alexx, we're talking about a sexual predator, aren't we? So did you fall in? As a matter of fact, I did.
Well, you should wash up.
There's a lot of microorganisms out here, Frank.
I'm fine.
So is this the access road to alligator alley? Yup, straight line through the glades.
What happened to all the gators? Hunkered down in holes till the fire's done.
Animals are smarter than humans.
Look here.
Maybe this guy should have hidden his tracks.
Looks like there's a U-turn here.
Two sets of tracks.
There's three.
This one's compromised so it's no good, but this set here, it's low impact, it's the kind that's, uh, environmentally friendly.
The kind that tree huggers use.
Or rangers.
Yeah, Delko said that ranger was a wise ass.
Man, I can't believe you guys are jamming me on this.
Just answer the question, Rick.
I didn't pull off alligator alley and dump any girl.
We looked into your employment records.
Frank.
Shellie dumont.
Eight instances of sexual harassment and/or assault in the workplace.
Assault.
Man, I grabbed her a few times in the break room.
So, what, you grab a woman by the breast, - squeeze it a little bit, no big deal? - I used to see her, okay? She gets engaged, wants to pretend she's a virgin again and files a claim against me.
So then you're the victim? I didn't touch your girl.
I didn't start any fires, okay? I'm innocent.
What's going on with your cuffs, Rick, on your pants? They're singed.
I kicked over a flare at a road block last night.
I have witnesses, ask around.
I'm going to do that, Rick.
Thanks.
Mr.
Keating? That's Wade.
That's my buddy.
How does he look so good? You said he was in a fire.
My colleagues managed to protect his body under a fire blanket.
So I understand that the two of you got separated last night.
Yeah.
I went looking for him, but I got lost.
Don't know where my dog is either.
Animal control has got him.
And we've got your truck.
Your lip looks like it could use a little ice.
I'm okay.
Just a little kickback.
I understand there's a sticker on your truck.
That says you've been a competitive shooter for 14 years, and you didn't lean into your rifle recoil? All right.
Me and Wade, we got into a little a dustup over something stupid.
who's the best blind singer, Ronnie milsap or Ray charles? Well, Ronnie's got the range, but Ray's got the voice.
I tried to tell him the same thing.
But he took a swipe at me and Next thing you know, bust lip.
You've got a little blood on your vest.
Oh, well, I must have got that when I was skinning them squirrels.
Got me two of them last night.
You won't mind if I borrow your vest to verify that, would you? No, no.
I wouldn't mind that at all.
Had to call in a favor.
Was there any of our victim's blood on the hunting vest? Nope, and what he was telling you about skinning squirrels.
It's not squirrel blood, either.
What is it? Meow.
Cat blood? Ran it against known antibodies kept by fish and wildlife.
Mountain lion.
Less than 50 left in the glades.
Protected species.
So that means Joshua keating and our victim were poaching.
Still doesn't explain who killed our victim.
Hey.
Hey.
Looked closer at Cuthbert's tire tracks.
They support the ranger's story? Yeah, he was going at a consistent speed the whole time.
Never stopped.
Never had time to dump the body.
Same can't be said about our second vehicle.
It settled in the mud here.
So, there's a chance he got out and dumped the body.
Then accelerated away.
That's the car we need to find.
Well, factoring in the wheelbase, we're looking for a late-model ford sedan with a distinctive wear pattern.
So we went from 5,000 possibles to one.
We know what the tire looks like, just not the car.
Maybe there's a cop who does.
How do you figure? Route 141.
Alligator alley dumps out into a speed trap.
Right.
People driving through the glades lose track of how fast they're going.
Staties pop them when they hit civilization.
Interesting reading.
So I was speeding last night.
Where do I pay the fine? You are such a kidder, Dale.
We found, um tire tracks from your car near this lady's body.
Mm never seen her before.
Is there any reason that you were on the access road to alligator alley last night? I pull over all the time in the glades.
Nature calls.
It wasn't to dump a body and set a fire to disguise the situation, was it? No.
Speed, welcome.
What the hell is that? It's a z-nose.
It picks up the scent of, uh, fire.
potassium, sulfur.
Can you, uh, lift up your hands? It's negative.
Told you.
I was nowhere near that girl.
Do we have his car? No, but we can get it.
Okay.
Let's do that.
Big dents.
You don't need a microscope to see these.
Golf club maybe? Yeah, maybe.
Blonde hair.
Yeah, it looks like the same length from our girl from the everglades.
If it's got a follicular tag, we can get a match.
Hair might not be the only thing she left behind.
High roller club.
Julie bryant.
Did you say, uh, high roller club? Yeah, it's a frequent flyer card for gamblers.
The only place they gamble in the everglades is the menachee indian tribe.
Yeah, the tribe got a license to run a casino on their land.
Edge of the glades.
So, Julie bryant left there with the Stahl character.
He drove her out to the glades.
He jumped her in the car, and in the struggle This places Julie bryant in your car.
Don't know a Julie bryant.
Fine.
Then explain how these blonde hairs got in your car.
Pulled hairs.
DNA says they match our dead girl.
Well, I did pick up a hitchhiker.
She was blonde.
She was blonde.
You know, Dale, I bet that you pick up a lot of hitchhikers, don't you? Oh, she was drunk, horny.
You know, we had some fun.
Yeah, some fun.
You mean, you sexually assaulted her.
Hey, she came on to me.
You work the graveyard shift? No.
Here's why I ask.
I took a deeper look into your driving record, and you have numerous tickets, all in the everglades, all at night.
- I have trouble sleeping.
- You get in your car, you drive out to the everglades, looking for desperate young woman who have been busted out from the casino and have nowhere else to go.
I did her a favor, okay? She needed a ride.
Hey, Dale? Dale? Are you are you a sexual predator? She was into it, okay? And she was alive where I left her.
Where was that? Side of the road.
Before this guy tried to kill me.
Which guy? Some guy.
Just come hauling ass out of nowhere.
Didn't take you long, did it, bitch? I'm going to give you till three to get out of that car.
One.
Two.
Three.
She goes high-tailing it into the glades, and that's the last time I saw either of them.
So you're saying that you left her alone running for her life.
Yeah.
And they say that chivalry is dead, Frank? So what do you think? Is he a coward or a killer? Arthur? We spoke on the phone.
Did you bring the betting card? Yeah.
What's this? We had to print that.
It's evidence.
Julie bryant's a registered guest here.
Checked in with a Mike sheridan.
She hasn't used the card since yesterday.
Do you remember Julie? It's real high turnover here.
I mean, it's 90% capacity.
- His card's still active.
- Can you point him out? Lieutenant, people come here to get lost.
All right, table 23.
Table 23.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Hey, Mike? Mike sheridan? Hold on.
Hit me.
Twenty-two.
When was the last time you saw Julie bryant, Mike? Julie and I had an argument.
Well, we have reason to believe that it was more than an argument.
Well, Julie and I fight hard, then we make up.
Juices up the sex.
Sir, are you in? He's cashing out.
I'm on a roll here.
Besides, it's early.
Julie'll be back.
She always comes back.
Not this time, Mike.
Can I take my chips? Take your chips.
Thank you.
Just 'cause we had an argument doesn't mean I took her into the glades and killed her.
Well, somebody did, didn't they? When was the last time you were out there? About five years ago.
Gators, bugs, you can have it.
Place gives me the creeps.
What's that behind your ear? I don't know what the hell it is.
Well, it looks like, uh, amoebae and algae.
Could be N.
Fowleri, but I hope for your sake, it's not 'cause that stuff could kill you.
All right, look.
We had an argument here in the casino.
She was trying to tell me how to bet.
She took off, went down the road, flagged some guy down.
She was trying to make me jealous.
And you followed her, right? Well, they weren't hard to find.
There's not much between here and there.
I saw a car parked down the access road.
It didn't take you long, did it, bitch.
You get out of the car.
I'll give you till three, one! Two! Three! Oh, my god, he's going to kill me! Somebody help me! Somebody help me! Get back here, Julie.
She ran off and the guy took a u-ey out of there.
You chased her into the glades, didn't you? Yeah.
But not very far.
Julie! Where are you, Julie? Get out here now, Julie! It was dark, I couldn't see, I fell.
That was enough for me.
So you were going to just let her walk all the way back to the casino? I was trying to teach her a lesson.
How powerful, Mike.
I'm going to need your clothes from that night.
I already sent them to the hotel laundry.
Fair enough.
Speed.
I'll get them.
Thanks, man.
I heard you found our hunter's rifle in Keating's truck.
And this bullet, pulled from our hunter's body, came from his own gun.
Suicide? I don't buy it.
Why wouldn't Keating just tell us that his friend killed himself.
Some insurance policies, they don't pay on suicides.
Did you guys confirm from GSR.
That the gun discharged at close range? That was next.
There's no gunpowder residue.
What about the wound? There's no gunpowder stippling and there's a ragged entry.
This rifle was far away when the bullet was discharged.
What do you think, ten feet, 30 feet? I don't know, it's too hard to pinpoint, but either way, it was too far for a suicide.
I don't care what rifle was used, Wade hinkle was murdered.
I ain't no murderer.
But you are a poacher.
You and our victim were out hunting mountain lions and the proof is on your vest.
The two of you sat there waiting for the fire to burn them out.
That's not hunting.
That's torture.
/ Look, I didn't want to do it.
That's what the argument was really about.
The fire's too damn close.
It's five hours away, you wuss.
Those animals deserve better than this.
I'm getting the hell out of here.
Like hell you are.
Look, I left Wade there shooting, and the next thing I know, he turns up dead.
Except we found Wade's rifle in your pickup.
Look, was it an accident? Did you fall out of the chair and his gun went off? Look, Mr.
Keating, either you did it or you're covering for someone who did.
Okay, that's fine.
We have a list of your past hunting buddies from parks' register.
Nick grande? Harry lindloff? Brad ritchie? Chick fletcher? Mr.
Keating? I am not the kind of man who turns in his friends.
Sir, we're going to figure this out with or without your help.
Speed.
Hey.
Found, uh, Mike's pants.
Cleaned, pressed, and singed.
Good to know.
Thank you.
Do we, do we have any Oh, yeah.
Four domestic disturbance calls on Mike and Julie in the last 18 months alone.
All called in by neighbors.
So she couldn't speak up for herself then.
Or run away, until last night.
ER records from coconut grove are on their way over.
Julie sustained black eyes, cut lip, one broken arm.
And that's just on her last trip to the ER.
Well, he said the glades made him nervous.
Let's see how much.
I told you, she ran into the glades.
You haven't told us how you started the fire, Mike.
You still had those singe marks on your pants, and as we know, those don't come out in the wash, do they? Okay.
When Julie ran into the glades, I couldn't see.
I grabbed a flare from my trunk.
Julie! She didn't answer me.
I tripped, dropped the flare.
Sparks started flying, I couldn't find her, I just got out of there.
I would never hurt her intentionally.
Mike, let me ask you a question.
When was the last time you put Julie in the hospital? Mike, come on.
Black eyes, broken arms.
You are a classic abuser, my friend.
You killed her, didn't you, Mike? - I didn't kill her.
- Yes, you did.
No.
She got like that on her own, did she, sparky? That's not Julie.
What? I don't know who it is, but that's not Julie.
Let me give you a little heads up.
It is not a good idea to lie to me, okay? Well, you suit yourself guys, but that's not Julie.
Sit tight.
He could be lying It's hard to go far on limited information, Frank.
Don't take a bullet for me, Horatio.
I'm the one that assumed that gambling card belonged to our vic.
Okay, so let's go back to what we do know.
Well, all we know for certain is the hair we found in Dale stahl's car came from our vic.
DNA made the match.
/ Okay, So, the question becomes, who is our victim? So, Dale wants his car back.
I bet he does.
Take a look at this.
Whoever she is, she almost got away, didn't she? Horatio, she was beaten near Dale's car.
That's not proof he did it.
Puts old Dale on a very short list, doesn't it? Alexx.
Yeah.
Okay, I'll be right there.
We have an ID on the girl.
Pattern marks on the stock.
I don't know how I could've missed that.
I do.
The fire.
Your eyes are cooked.
My eyes are fine, okay? Stop talking like that.
They're going to send me home on a medical.
I'm not going to say anything.
And look, it's fine.
There's no harm done.
The suspect's still in custody.
Just not the right suspect.
So, what are you saying? That Valera was right? I mean, the mountain lion did it? Well, it's the right church, but the wrong pew.
You remember how Mr.
Keating said his dog got very excited? Yeah, the dog was barking like crazy.
And when he and Wade were arguing, the dog ran around and around? The rifle was propped up against the chair.
And dog shoots man.
Mr.
Keating, why didn't you just tell us the truth? I was afraid you'd put him down.
Poor old Shula I felt terrible.
Went over to Wade.
He tried to wake him up.
can I take him home with me now? I'm afraid not yet, Mr.
Keating.
Animal control is going to want to hold onto him for another day or two.
Red tape.
Probably thinks he's getting punished.
Well, um I'll catch you later.
Okay, Eric.
Do you want to call a family member? You can use my phone.
Shula is my family.
You probably think I'm crazy, don't you? No.
I'd never underestimate the love of a southern man for his dog.
So, who is she, Alexx? Her dental records say she's Sandi jane willis.
Got a naples address.
We ran her DNA through CODIS.
She was in missing persons three years ago.
Missing persons Missing persons.
so, somebody cared enough to put her in the database, didn't they? God's forgotten children? Alexx, what is this mark? Oh, the blunt force trauma? It took some getting, and it's not complete, but the killer was wearing brass knuckles or some kind of ring.
Well, why do you want my ring? That ring could help eliminate you as a suspect.
Or the imprint from your ring could prove that you killed Sandi willis.
You see, Dale I believe that you hit Sandi in the head with that ring.
You continued to hit her until her head was crushed on the ground, which killed her.
And then, after she was dead, you dragged her into the everglades and left her for the alligators.
Sound familiar? Dale, the problem with sexual predators is that they don't get satisfied by the kill.
They get turned on by it.
So, true to your species, you went back to the casino accidentally running into Julie bryant, who was attempting to escape from her abusive boyfriend.
The difference, Dale, between Sandi and Julie, is Julie outwitted you and escaped.
She got away, didn't she? Can I get my ring back? Sure, Dale.
You're going to get your ring back.
In about 75 years.
Thank you.
Excuse me? Where do I go to see someone who's been arrested? I'm sorry? I'm looking for a friend of mine who's been arrested, Mike sheridan.
You're Julie.
Yeah.
How'd you know? Julie, Mike's been arrested for starting that fire.
And this is your opportunity to get away from him.
Wherever I go, he'll just find me.
That is not true.
He really does love me, you know.
Mike does not love you.
If he hadn't come after me, I'd be dead by now.
Julie? / Look, I can't talk about this right now.
Where is he? / Julie? Please? Okay.
Mike is across the hall.
Thank you.
Take care.
Horatio? Who's the girl? That's, um That's Sandi willis.
Girl from the everglades? Yeah.
She's beautiful.
Yes, she is.
Listen, I'm going to go for a burger and a beer.
You want to go? My nickel.
That sounds good.
Can you give me five? Yeah.
Okay.
I'll see you outside.
Mrs.
Willis? Is this Sandi's mom? Mrs.
Willis, this is, um this is Horatio caine from miami P.
D.
Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Um, well you can you can do that at the mortuary.
Yeah.
Mrs.
Willis, um I was, I was there, and Sandi Sandi did not suffer, okay? Right.
No, I,I'm still here.
I'm here.