Unforgettable s03e11 Episode Script
True Identity
All right, hold up.
I got to take a leak.
Dude, you should hold it.
Yeah, that's what I'm intending.
No, I-I'm telling you.
I heard about this guy who tried to take a leak in Prospect Park, gets arrested for exposure, and now he has to register as a pervert.
That must be tough for you, man.
Holy Hey, Ben.
What's a 12-letter word for the theme of Paradise Lost? What kind of question is that for a bartender? Meaning of life, secret of happiness.
Those I got answers for.
Well, those are the easy ones.
Thought you knew everything, anyway.
I remember everything.
Like the fact that I never read Paradise Lost.
Hey, Pete.
Those drinks aren't on the house.
I can't keep covering you.
Yeah, I know, I know.
I just I rolled out and forgot my cards.
I'll get you back.
- You said that last time.
- No, I didn't.
Uh, yes, you did.
Last three times.
Two months ago.
Thursday, 10:33 p.
m.
You bought some vodka tonics for a bunch of chicks who never even thanked you, and then you came in three weeks later, said your girlfriend Barbie was cheating on you, downed four shots of tequila at six bucks a pop.
And then, it was what? Sunday, a week ago, 5:43 p.
m.
You came in with your new girlfriend Justine.
Said you were celebrating.
Five pints, and then there was the round that you bought for the house, which was seven white wines, six White Russians, five gin and tonics, and, of course, the single malt, 18 year, which I took you up on.
Thank you very much for that.
So that would bring your total to $341.
30.
$341.
35.
Pay up.
I'm a cop.
Don't make me toss you in the clink.
- Oh, it's Found it.
- Oh.
I owe you one.
Hey, Al.
Yeah.
What do we got? female.
Joggers found her an hour ago.
Name is Suzanne Mills.
I'm guessing that has something to do with why you're out here.
Ms.
Mills worked, until this morning, at Platinum Select.
That has everything to do with why I'm out here.
Platinum Select? The most exclusive matchmaking service on the East Coast? - Of course it is.
- It's not just a matchmaking service, it's more like the spawning ground for half the power couples in the city.
People pay Gwen Stein 50 grand to set up these mixers with pre-screened dates to find Mr.
Right.
According to her, 98.
7 of her matches end up in marriage.
Heard it on The Talk.
And that works? Let's just say it worked for two chairmen of the Federal Reserve, a minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets, and a former police commissioner of New York.
A who's who of people you'd rather we not piss off.
I'm just saying, this falls under the "tread lightly" category.
Uniforms canvassed the area.
Uh, nobody heard or saw anything.
Looks like her phone is missing.
No money or credit cards in her wallet, just her I.
D.
- Delson here.
- Okay.
Bruising around the neck and petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes would indicate strangulation.
Torn blouse, unbuttoned pants.
Sexual assault? Yeah, that goes along with the strangulation M.
O.
For what it's worth, there were no signs of the body being dragged.
I think she died right here.
What about her shoes? She wasn't jogging, she wasn't hiking.
So, what was she doing here this early in the morning? Meeting somebody? Sure as hell wasn't Mr.
Right.
I checked for similar patterns in the area going back six months.
Nothing remotely matching this M.
O.
- Cameras in the park? - Not a one.
Good place for a private rendezvous.
What about next of kin? That's tough.
What we know so far is she's from Joliet, both her parents are dead, and no siblings.
What's weird is, aside from her boss Gwen, there's not much evidence of anyone else in her life.
- Okay, keep digging.
- Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
So I'm thinking maybe she was an outdoors kind of girl.
There's all these topo maps.
Maybe she liked to hike.
Well, people tend to hike with friends.
Not me.
I hike alone.
Clears my head.
Al, look around you.
She was here a year and a half, but there's nothing on the walls, nothing personal.
Almost like she wasn't expecting to stay.
Sounds familiar.
Hey, you haven't been to my place in a while.
You ever hang that Miles Davis print I got you? - It's in a safe place.
- On a wall? Uh, leaning against a wall.
I think she died right here.
Look at her shoes.
Suzanne was a six and a half.
So? So these are an eight.
And there's a couple more pair in here.
So maybe someone else was living with her? Maybe.
Well, I don't know.
There's only one toothbrush.
This thing has been running since we been here.
Tell her to forget the green dress.
The silver's more flattering.
And, God, I told her to lay off the Mexican food.
Jay's got it as crystal meth, street grade.
Can't tell much else till they do the lab analysis.
No prints on the bag.
She also wants to live tweet the mixer.
She said she's the one paying for it, so No way.
Grab her phone.
And remind her not to talk about her dog like it's an actual child.
Thanks, Craig.
Sorry to keep you waiting, Detectives.
This thing with Suzanne is terrible, and we're all in shock.
What can I do for you? Just want to know how Suzanne seemed.
Actually, I know what I can do for you: get you up on that board.
I have a mixer in ten minutes for the Duchess Elizaveta.
Rich ladies love cute cops.
Especially ones with dimples.
What do you say? - You should totally do it.
- Yeah.
He's still looking for that special someone.
I'm good, thanks.
I'm happy with what I have.
- Had.
- Had.
Ms.
Stein, how was Suzanne doing at work? Any problems with other employees? Not a one.
She was the best handler that I had.
Handler? Suzanne would meet with the clients one-on-one, usually in their offices or their homes sometimes.
She pre-screened them.
And then, if I felt that a particular individual was worth the effort And could pay the price.
then we'd make the magic happen.
And how exactly do you do that? Let me guess.
Trade secret, right? Exactly.
But believe me, it's harder than you think.
True love takes a lot of hard work.
Not for you, apparently.
Well, sometimes you get lucky.
Jake and I just connected.
Jakey.
- All right? Thanks.
- Yeah.
Sure.
Jake, this is Lieutenant Burns and Detective Wells.
They're investigating Suzanne's death.
It's so terrible.
Anything we can do to help.
Thanks.
The guys are about ready, babe.
Okay? Unfortunately, Jake and I are the exception to the rule.
Most people they don't have the fairy tale.
Which is where I come in.
Your clients must get real demanding, huh? Yes.
The uber-rich usually are.
But Suzanne she really knew how to give them what they wanted.
Like drugs? Excuse me? We found a stash of meth at Suzanne's apartment.
Enough to suggest she could have been selling it.
I know nothing about that.
So, if one of those uber-rich clients needed a little pick-me-up to help them at their mixer, Suzanne would have said no? Are we done here, Detectives? I got to get back to work.
Sure.
I just need to see your client list.
That's impossible.
My clients require complete discretion.
Oh, come on.
Play nice.
Look at my dimples.
You know we'll just get a subpoena anyway.
You sure about that? Judge Reinhart Chief Judge Reinhart and his wife Sarah two of my most satisfied clients.
Have a good day.
You know, I think I got this.
Guys, Gwen's on her way up, but feel free to grab a drink and just chill.
All you have to do is wait for the woman of your dreams to walk right up those steps, all right? Have fun, relax, take it easy.
_ Jeff! Jeff, hey.
Excuse me.
Yeah, hey.
That vegan place over on Third? I love that place.
Yeah, yeah, me, too.
I love their cashew cheesecake.
It's awesome.
You know what? This place is so boring.
How about How about you go over there, get us a table.
I know they don't take reservations.
I'll see you there.
See you there.
What is she doing? What do you think? _ Oliver, tell me you remember me.
Don't break my heart.
Lanai? You're the one who got me up on the board.
Oh, wow.
Ah, I can't believe you're here.
Seems like it was fate, right? You know what I'd like to do? I'd like to get out of here, with you.
Somewhere private, talk surfing.
You live near here? I got a place in Tribeca.
Ooh.
I'll get us a car.
Oh, oh.
M-Make her stop.
No, no, no.
I can't.
She could do this all day.
You really want the Duchess to come out and find nothing but a $500 cheese board? No.
Charles, Charles, Charles! I loved your TED talk on cognitive enhancement.
I mean, ooh, ah.
Sexy.
Okay, fine.
You can have the client list, but only the clients pertaining to Suzanne.
That should work.
For now.
which is why, as a bioethicist, I must speak out.
Yes, you must, you must.
And And I'm sure that the Duchess will appreciate that.
Have a nice day.
Hi! You were having a little too much fun over there.
Fun? No, no.
I need a much more of a challenge fish in a barrel.
The kind of challenge I need is a challenge with dimples.
Hmm.
Let's go.
So on her credit card application, Suzanne Mills puts down that both her parents are deceased back in Illinois.
But here's the thing: I can't find any record of them.
Well, death records can be pretty spotty, right? Especially in a smaller town.
Yeah, but I can't find any record of Suzanne Mills at all.
Not in Joliet or anywhere else for that matter.
No high school graduation, no DMV records, summer jobs.
How about bank accounts? Mm, same thing.
There's nothing.
I'm telling you, Jay, it's like this girl didn't exist before she moved to New York 18 months ago.
Liver temp suggests time of death about six hours ago, so that puts it at 8:00 a.
m.
No sign of sexual assault.
And what about the toxicology report? Clean as a whistle.
She may have been dealing meth, but she sure wasn't using it.
This is interesting, which goes to cause of death.
You said she was strangled.
I did.
She was.
Twice.
These are handprints.
Looks like he tried to strangle her with his bare hands, and then, for some reason, couldn't finish the job.
I found a second set of bruises.
I think he stopped.
She was unconscious God, I hope she was unconscious.
He flipped her over, he finished the job with some kind of ligature I don't know what kind but that's what killed her.
So he knew her.
And he didn't want to look at her face while he was killing her.
Yeah.
I'm waiting for subdermal photography, so hopefully we can I.
D.
some of these interior bruises to find out what kind of ligature he used.
But you're right, it was an intimate killing.
She knew her killer.
Anything else? Uh, yeah.
She had some ink.
Nothing really exciting, just, you know, flowers and stuff.
But then there's this.
_ Tell her to forget the green dress.
- The silver is much more flattering.
- _ - Thanks, Craig.
- _ One of Gwen's employees, Craig Zadoc, had a very similar tattoo, only it was 79.
0710 degrees west.
Well, that can't be a coincidence.
What was that number again? It's around Niagara Falls.
A bed and breakfast.
Wow.
Looks like Suzanne and Craig were more than just coworkers.
We were engaged.
The coordinates were Suzanne's idea.
Niagara Falls? We used to go hiking on the weekends.
We went up there a couple times.
It's, um It's where I proposed to her.
How is it no one else knew you guys were engaged? It's a secret.
Because of Gwen.
Sh-She's got this thing that all her handlers had to be single.
She didn't want personal stuff interfering with work.
But Gwen wasn't single.
Yeah, well, that was Gwen.
She liked the rest of us to be available.
Suzanne and I were gonna wait till we found new jobs.
She said she had a plan, she asked me to be patient.
It's a nice story, Craig.
Only problem is, when your fiancée turns up dead, why didn't you go straight to the police? I-I panicked.
Yeah, a killer panics, Craig.
Why'd you panic? I told you, I loved her.
I would never hurt her.
But you do have a temper, don't you? You took two prior assault collars over the past ten years.
Then there's the outstanding arrest warrant pending from North Carolina.
I've done some bad stuff.
I used to drink back then, I'd pick fights in bars, but I've done my time, and I've stopped now.
That arrest warrant's for a speeding violation.
I swear to God, I would never hurt Suzanne.
I didn't come to you because I knew you'd find all this stuff.
Where were you yesterday morning? It was my day off.
Um, I was supposed to meet Suzanne for lunch.
When I couldn't reach her, I just I hung out at the apartment.
A guy came.
There was an exterminator guy.
Find him.
He'll tell you I was home.
Don't worry, we will.
You know anybody who was staying with Suzanne? A woman? No, I never saw anybody.
We also found some crystal meth in Suzanne's apartment.
No, no way.
S-Suzanne didn't do drugs.
Trust me, I know.
I mean Like I said, I've made mistakes.
Craig, do you know anybody who would want to hurt her? No.
Why would anybody want to hurt her? Someone from work.
A client she talked about.
No.
I I mean, she met so many guys, sometimes she would have to reject the weirder ones.
That would piss them off.
Someone in particular she talked about? No, but, I mean Gwen deals with some really high-end clientele.
I can't believe one of them could do something like this.
So, it's a no-go on the fiancé, huh? He's sticking in town, but I don't think he did it.
Exterminator puts him at his place pretty much when he says.
It'd be tough to make it over to Bushwick Park at the time of death.
Any more info on Suzanne's life? We tried to contact her supervisor from her last job as a waitress in Virginia Beach.
But the restaurant never existed.
What about her phone records? Uh, we think the phone was taken from the scene and turned off soon after the murder.
And maybe because of this.
That's a lot of calls from that one number.
Number belongs to this guy, Lee Ross, software developer.
Guy's, like, a paper billionaire.
He's got contracts with over half of Silicon Valley to create apps for his own Ross Glass.
Craig mentioned that some of the clients would get pretty pissed off if Suzanne had to tell them they didn't qualify.
Exactly.
Which is why I cross-referenced Ross with Gwen's client list.
Turns out, Platinum Select worked with them three months before they dropped him.
Don't know why.
Let's find out.
Look, it sucks Suzanne's dead, but I had nothing to do with it.
I barely knew her.
How many times you meet? Oh, three or four.
I did what she said got some new clothes, smoothed out the rough edges, and I think I'm ready to go; I'm ready for my 30 hand-picked hotties.
But then, a week before my par-tay, Suzanne calls me and tells me I am not approved as a client.
She say why you weren't approved? Guess the fact that I've been divorced.
Three times.
She said it wasn't good for Gwen's brand.
Still, my money's good, so I called her, see if they'd reconsider.
You called her 18 times, Lee.
Maybe after three or four, you figure they're not reconsidering.
What? No.
I didn't do that.
I called her once and left a message.
Where were you yesterday morning around 8:00? - On a jog.
- In Bushwick Park? No, the Reservoir in Central Park.
Can anybody confirm that? I was wearing my Glass.
Recorded everything.
Joe can download it for you.
You ever hang that Miles Davis print I got you? It's in a safe place.
Hey, Joe.
Hey.
These photos on your computer of Suzanne you take them? Sit down! You just became our number one suspect.
Look, I didn't do anything, okay? Then why'd you try to run? I don't know.
I freaked out.
Yeah, Suzanne came by to meet with Mr.
Ross, and we talked a little.
I thought she was cute, so I asked her out, but she said no.
Then you called her 17 times to get her to change her mind, and when that didn't work, you killed her.
What? No, I'm telling you, - I just found out - Joe, look at things my way, okay? On the one hand, I got a dead girl.
On the other hand, I got a guy who asked her out, and when she said no, stalked her, called her 17 times, took hundreds of photos of her without her knowing.
You see how this looks to me?! I didn't kill her.
You got to believe me.
Yeah, I did all those other things.
I know I got a problem that way, but I thought maybe I could kind of make it work out.
You thought wrong, Joe.
Where were you yesterday morning? I was doing errands for Mr.
Ross.
He told us he sent you on errands.
You got any proof you actually did them? Yeah.
People saw me.
I can tell you where I was.
- I can tell you.
- Start writing, Joe.
Stupid thing is, all the stuff I was doing it wasn't gonna make any difference.
Yeah, my experience and this is just me the stalking thing: not a turn-on.
Okay, yeah, I get it.
But that's not what I meant.
Suzanne she wasn't into guys.
How do you know? Just look at my pictures.
She was with this chick.
I got her going into Suzanne's house.
She's got a key.
They wear the same clothes.
They were holding hands in one of them.
So, see? It wasn't about me.
Keep writing.
Okay, Suzanne's mystery woman.
First-off, no one recognizes her at the building; it the same at Gwen's.
I talked to the fiancé Craig.
He says he doesn't know her, and he's not buying that Suzanne was dating her.
Wouldn't be the first time a fiancé's been surprised, right? I have a feeling our Suzanne has a lot of surprises.
This is what I wanted to show you guys.
- Yeah, that's Suzanne's building.
- Right.
Now, our mystery woman headed into Suzanne's building at 3:05 p.
m.
I didn't see any car in the surveillance photos, so I figured - The subway.
- Right.
If she took the subway, odds are she took the M train to the Marcy Avenue stop, 'cause it's only a couple blocks away from Suzanne's apartment.
Okay.
And I'm really proud of myself for this one.
I tracked all the way along the M train, and using facial recognition, cross-checked it with the subway security footage with all the photos we had of our mystery lady.
And guess who's coming out of the Seneca Ave stop.
Our mystery lady.
That's right.
How awesome is the Jay Man? I'm thinking maybe she was an outdoors kind of girl.
There's all these topo maps.
Maybe she liked to hike.
Wait a second.
That little happy pig.
Suzanne had a magnet with the exact same logo on her fridge.
"Smiling Pig Donuts.
" Yeah, I've seen them both come in here.
- Have any names? - Nah.
Just know that they come in together about once a week.
That one liked Bavarian Cream, and the other she always got a chocolate glazed.
Person finds a donut that they like, they stick to it.
One guy used to come in Okay, thank you, uh, Desiree.
Did you happen to hear where they were going or where they come from? Sorry.
Mostly, I just focus on the donuts.
You look like a maple frosted.
If you think of anything else, could you give us a call, please? Thanks.
Come on, Maple Frosted Guy.
Hey.
Group like that smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, eating donuts generally means a 12-step meeting, right? Suzanne did have a bag of meth in her apartment.
Maybe they were in recovery together.
I'm sorry, but this is where the anonymous part really gets in the way, Detectives.
We understand your resistance, but please.
This woman was killed yesterday.
We need all the help we can get to solve her murder.
Please, if there's anything at all you think you can tell us.
That's Maria and that's Claire.
Claire? - You're sure? - Yes.
I don't have their last names, of course.
Maria's struggling with a meth addiction, been in and out of the program for years.
Claire joined us about six months ago.
She'd had a cocaine problem.
She's been clean for two years.
So they didn't join the program together? No.
No, they met here.
And from what I could tell, they became really close.
Claire was like an older sister, trying to look out for Maria.
They wanted to help each other - improve their lives.
- Was it working? Recovery was a real struggle for Maria.
She was clean as of last week, but she told me she'd scored some meth, but that sh-she'd hidden it somewhere so she wouldn't use it.
But I could see she was thinking about it.
Was Claire struggling, too? No, Claire was doing great.
She just got her two-year chip.
Maria brought boxes of donuts to celebrate.
A lot of boxes.
I am so sorry to hear about Claire.
I thought she'd be the one who'd make it out of here alive.
Thank you.
Claire? - Yeah.
- I don't know, Al.
Why do you think that's her real name? Because 12-step meetings are all about honesty.
And from what I can tell, Claire took them pretty seriously.
Okay, well, if "Suzanne" is an alias for Claire, that would explain why we can't find - any history on her.
- Right.
So do the search again, this time using "Claire.
" - You got it, boss.
- Thank you.
Donuts? Really? Well, we're cops.
- What'd you get me? - A maple frosted.
Mm-mm.
Oh, and Maria's last name and address.
- No way.
Come on.
- Mm-hmm.
It's Maria Torres.
She's over on DeKalb in Bed-Stuy.
See, I figured if Maria bought boxes of donuts last week for Claire's anniversary, she probably used a credit card.
- And I was right.
- Nice work.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey.
- And nice donuts.
Maria Torres? All clear.
Al.
Okay, Al.
Here it is.
Facial recognition matched with a photo taken at the Mexican border.
Suzanne Mills is really Claire Johnson And doesn't look like a fun childhood.
Dad passed away when she was eight.
Her mom was in and out for petty larceny.
I've also got three social service complaints alleging physical and mental abuse against her stepdad.
At 16, she left home and started getting into trouble.
She was arrested in 2004 for stealing a sandwich and some gum in Hermosa Beach.
But then we got her for criminal possession of a controlled substance, twice, in 2008.
Now, ATM receipts show that she spent some time in Texas, Northern Mexico and Baja.
Then all of a sudden, two years ago, just like that, bang, she disappears.
And when does Suzanne show up? Uh, the earliest we pick up any activity on Suzanne is when she signed the lease for her apartment a year and a half ago.
It's expensive to create a whole new identity.
I doubt she did it alone.
Let's see who was helping her.
You got it, boss.
Murray, anything new on Maria? Yeah, she was born in Akron, Ohio.
Uh, went to NYU, took a few drug collars and dropped out.
The last thing I have is her working at a shoe store in Queens.
They said she quit four months ago.
I got a BOLO out.
- We're looking everywhere.
- Okay, thanks.
Whoever broke in here was looking for something specific.
Look at these power cords.
All the electronics phones, computers, tablets they're gone.
It sucks Suzanne is dead.
How many times you meet? Three, four? That software guy, Lee Ross at his office, he had this art piece behind his desk.
Coffee mugs, except one was missing.
The orange one.
It's right here.
Stuart, I'm not looking at anything right now.
I'm looking at a blank I'll call you back.
Been looking for this, Lee? Where'd you find it? We'll tell you if you tell us what it really is.
It's a travel mug.
Try again, Lee.
And a camouflaged Bluetooth data migration device.
It copies electronic files and hard drives fast.
Very fast.
Without anybody knowing it.
Well, that doesn't sound entirely legal.
Well, my investors don't seem to care.
Who are your investors? Oh, uh, Department of Defense, Military Intelligence Okay, but when Suzanne came here to prep you, you told her what this mug really was, didn't you? - Maybe.
- Sure, you did.
You were trying to impress her and Gwen.
Are you telling me Suzanne stole it? We're not telling you anything, except you're not getting this back today.
Look, the prototype cost me 200 grand.
Homeland is expecting them to go live in 2017.
Please be careful with it.
Don't worry.
We will.
So, welcome to the nerd porn portion of our program.
This is the most incredible integrated data migration system I have ever seen.
Al, I want this.
- I need this.
- Maybe for Christmas.
- What's on it? - Gigs of information on Gwen's clients.
Credit card numbers, driver's licenses, Social Security numbers.
So Claire, as Suzanne, used this mug to steal financial information.
But why? Because she was working for the Sinaloa Cartel.
- How'd you get that? - Claire was sending packets of data from this device to an office park in Tijuana that's a known front for the Sinaloa Cartel.
It was an easy call to make.
But what does a drug cartel need with all that I.
D.
information? They use the financial holdings of other people as a way to launder their drug money.
With complex financial profiles, it's really not that hard to hide large sums of money within different holdings, even deposit or withdraw at will without being detected.
Gwen's clients were the perfect dupes.
But how does Claire Johnson get hooked up with a Mexican drug cartel? Thought you'd never ask.
Claire was dating this guy in Mexico named Dean Morrison.
Now, Morrison turns out to be not such a good guy; in fact, the reason why they're in the papers is because he was found with his head cut off two years ago in a Michoacán parking structure, apparently the victim of the Sinaloa Cartel.
He had been working for them, doing the same thing as Claire, stealing financial information.
Problem is is he got greedy.
He thought he could sell the cartel's info to somebody else.
They found out about it and whacked him.
Six months later, Claire vanishes, and Suzanne Mills shows up in New York.
The cartel let her live if she'd continue to steal for them.
And they knew Gwen's client base was a treasure trove of hiding places for their money.
So what do you think went wrong? They caught wind that maybe she wanted to drop out, run away with this Craig guy? But the way she was killed, that was no cartel-style execution.
But it was definitely them at Maria's.
We still have one missing piece.
It's the one we've had all along.
Who killed Claire? You got to wonder about things when a young girl like Claire finds herself forced to work for the Sinaloa Cartel.
- How does that happen? - I don't know.
Claire seems like the perfect candidate to me.
She was alone, lost, confused about who she was.
I get it.
Not that this is gonna surprise you, but there was a time in my life where I could've gone down a very bad path.
Wrong guy who seemed like the right guy.
You know, he was so bad, which made him so good.
And, uh, he almost got me into some pretty serious trouble.
Well, you two weren't robbing banks together, right? Well, um Hi.
I have the, uh, subdermal photograph results from Claire aka Suzanne's neck.
Great.
I'm not really sure what I'm looking at, except a definitive bruising pattern.
True love takes a lot of hard work.
Sometimes you get lucky.
Jakey.
This is Lieutenant Burns and Detective Wells.
They're investigating Suzanne's death.
It's so terrible.
Anything we can do to help.
Could it be from a belt buckle? Yeah, could be.
Gwen's fiancé Jake was wearing a belt buckle that almost exactly matches that bruising pattern.
Let's go.
What do you want? Jake here? We have a warrant.
Which is a really good thing, because I am all flirted out.
He's in the kitchen.
Jake.
How can I help you, Detectives? You know what? This'll be easier back at the station.
I know how busy Ms.
Stein is.
We don't want to bother her.
If he goes, I go.
You heard the lady.
She's the boss.
You sure you want to talk about this here, Jake? It's about Claire.
Claire Johnson.
Never heard of her.
Who? You knew her as Suzanne Mills.
But Jake here which I'm assuming is so not your real name Jake knew her as Claire Johnson.
Jake? I don't understand.
What are they talking about? - No! - All right! Back off! All right? I'm gonna kill her! Jake, it's over.
No "Soy uno de ustedes.
" "I am one of you.
" That's what you said.
"Somos hermanos.
" "We are brothers.
" You called the cartel, didn't you? That's why they were there.
You thought they were gonna help you out.
Jake.
Or, uh, Jack Burton from San Diego.
You really think the Sinaloa Cartel gives a damn about you? They take care of their friends.
But you're not their friend.
Not anymore.
When you killed Claire, you blew their multimillion - dollar I.
D.
scam wide open.
You really thought those guys were gonna be happy to see you? Yeah.
All right.
This is what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna send you to Rikers.
We'll see what kind of protection you get from tus hermanos.
Good luck there right? Okay.
Okay.
But I want protective custody.
The best, you understand? You'll take what we give you.
When'd you start working for the cartel? Uh, when I was 18.
You know, a friend from high school hooked me up.
I been doing I.
D.
stuff every since.
What about Claire? Claire was new.
She got into some trouble down in Mexico, and they got her working.
She didn't want to, but we don't always get to choose, do we? So they placed you at Gwen's together? Well, Gwen had a ton of files on rich guys hard copies only that she kept in a safe.
I handed those off.
Claire was in charge of the digital stuff.
We both did a good job.
Yeah.
And then things got personal.
Whatever.
Tell me.
Well, there was something about her, you know? She was just this girl, this sweet girl, and she was the only one in the city who actually knew who I was, you know? I loved her.
But she was in love with someone else.
Craig Zadoc.
She told you about him.
Yeah.
When? Jack you don't start talking, your protective custody is gonna be cleaning out the bathrooms at La Mesa Prison in Tijuana.
Claire thought she was just gonna run off with this guy? Huh? You believe that? She was gonna run from the cartel.
Run from me.
She said she'd finally found something real with him.
With him.
So I grabbed her and I started squeezing.
And she just stared at me like she was surprised.
And I couldn't let go.
But I couldn't look at her, so I turned her around and I finished it.
She never should have made me love her.
Definitely cartel guys.
This is from a traffic cam outside of Gwen's apartment.
And this is from yesterday cab at JFK.
These guys flew in from Tijuana to New York, tossed up Maria's apartment, shot up Gwen's.
From what I can tell, they could still be in the city.
They're looking for Maria.
How would they know about Maria? Jake told them.
He said he called the cartel, told them Claire had an accident and that he needed to be extricated.
But first they wanted something.
Claire had told them she stole a device from one of Gwen's clients.
- Lee Ross.
- Right.
So they wanted it and the information on it.
Jake tried to be cooperative and find the device.
He couldn't find it at Claire's, he told them maybe it was at her good friend Maria's place.
But they never found it at Maria's because they weren't looking for anything as simple as a coffee mug.
Which means they think Maria still has it, and they're gonna kill her.
We got to find her before they do.
How the hell do you outrun a cartel, especially without a plan? Claire had the plan.
And Maria was Claire's only confidant, which means Maria is following Claire's escape plan.
So I'm thinking she was maybe outdoorsy.
There's all these topo maps.
Claire had a map at her apartment.
The Catskills.
Ellenville.
Jay, search under the names Claire Johnson, Suzanne Mills or Maria Torres for a house or cabin rental or purchase within a mile of Ellenville.
Nothing.
I just talked to Claire's fiancé Craig.
He doesn't know much.
He says the two of them generally talked about getting away from the city, romantic stuff.
Finding a farm somewhere, living off the grid.
Look under Craig Zadoc.
- No.
- Wait.
She was thinking ahead.
Try Claire Zadoc.
Got it.
Down payment was made by a Claire Zadoc at Ellenville First National Bank.
She bought 60 acres out on Ridge Road.
That's a cabin.
There, near that water tower.
Hold on, I'm getting a ping from Maria's cell.
It's ten seconds.
Probably turning it on and off, looking for messages.
She's on the Thruway headed north.
And if we know that, then the cartel does, too.
I'll cover you.
You get her.
Okay.
Maria, Carrie Wells, NYPD.
I'm here to help you.
Open the door.
Please.
I know you're scared, but I'm here to help.
Now, listen, we have to go.
- Carrie, we got company.
- Go.
Get down, get down, get down.
Shh.
Claire she warned me.
She said that if something happened to her that I should run.
That they could come after me.
Did they kill her? No, they didn't kill her.
Now I need you to be quiet.
Just stay calm, stay calm.
Hey, Maria.
You home? Don't answer.
Shh.
Maria.
I'm gonna open the door.
Stay down and be quiet.
Buenos días, gentlemen.
NYPD.
You're surrounded.
Toss your weapons on the ground, hands in the air and get on your knees.
Now! Drop your weapons! Drop 'em! On the ground, face down.
Face down.
Go on.
I got him.
Hey, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
That's a cabin.
There, near that water tower.
Shh, shh.
Drop your weapon! Nice.
The Feds have been doing this almost 45 years, never lost a witness.
You'll finally get that fresh start, Maria.
Thank you.
And please, call me Claire.
That's my name now.
So how's the commissioner? He happy we solved the case? Oh, no.
I just found out he's suing Gwen.
Said she tricked him into marrying a gold digger.
That's what you get when the blind lead the blind.
Hmm.
Did I just say that out loud? I never heard a word.
Good.
Fresh start.
That sounds nice.
You know, you never finished telling me about your little Bonnie and Clyde stint.
I bet Bonnie and Clyde did not need a matchmaking service.
And look how well they turned out.
Do you really think people need someone like Gwen Stein to, I don't know, make the magic happen? No.
I mean, look at us.
We have the magic.
- We do? - Sure.
You put a spell on me years ago.
Aw.
What kind of spell? I'll do anything you ask.
Anything? Like, anything? Within reason.
We almost got arrested in that closet at the Syracuse Library, remember? Uh, do I remember that? - I remember everything.
- Of course you remember, yes.
I tell you what, how about an easy one.
You let me buy you a drink.
No, that is way too easy.
Think of something more exciting.
I will.
After that drink.
Come on, Bonnie.
Okay, Clyde.
I got to take a leak.
Dude, you should hold it.
Yeah, that's what I'm intending.
No, I-I'm telling you.
I heard about this guy who tried to take a leak in Prospect Park, gets arrested for exposure, and now he has to register as a pervert.
That must be tough for you, man.
Holy Hey, Ben.
What's a 12-letter word for the theme of Paradise Lost? What kind of question is that for a bartender? Meaning of life, secret of happiness.
Those I got answers for.
Well, those are the easy ones.
Thought you knew everything, anyway.
I remember everything.
Like the fact that I never read Paradise Lost.
Hey, Pete.
Those drinks aren't on the house.
I can't keep covering you.
Yeah, I know, I know.
I just I rolled out and forgot my cards.
I'll get you back.
- You said that last time.
- No, I didn't.
Uh, yes, you did.
Last three times.
Two months ago.
Thursday, 10:33 p.
m.
You bought some vodka tonics for a bunch of chicks who never even thanked you, and then you came in three weeks later, said your girlfriend Barbie was cheating on you, downed four shots of tequila at six bucks a pop.
And then, it was what? Sunday, a week ago, 5:43 p.
m.
You came in with your new girlfriend Justine.
Said you were celebrating.
Five pints, and then there was the round that you bought for the house, which was seven white wines, six White Russians, five gin and tonics, and, of course, the single malt, 18 year, which I took you up on.
Thank you very much for that.
So that would bring your total to $341.
30.
$341.
35.
Pay up.
I'm a cop.
Don't make me toss you in the clink.
- Oh, it's Found it.
- Oh.
I owe you one.
Hey, Al.
Yeah.
What do we got? female.
Joggers found her an hour ago.
Name is Suzanne Mills.
I'm guessing that has something to do with why you're out here.
Ms.
Mills worked, until this morning, at Platinum Select.
That has everything to do with why I'm out here.
Platinum Select? The most exclusive matchmaking service on the East Coast? - Of course it is.
- It's not just a matchmaking service, it's more like the spawning ground for half the power couples in the city.
People pay Gwen Stein 50 grand to set up these mixers with pre-screened dates to find Mr.
Right.
According to her, 98.
7 of her matches end up in marriage.
Heard it on The Talk.
And that works? Let's just say it worked for two chairmen of the Federal Reserve, a minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets, and a former police commissioner of New York.
A who's who of people you'd rather we not piss off.
I'm just saying, this falls under the "tread lightly" category.
Uniforms canvassed the area.
Uh, nobody heard or saw anything.
Looks like her phone is missing.
No money or credit cards in her wallet, just her I.
D.
- Delson here.
- Okay.
Bruising around the neck and petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes would indicate strangulation.
Torn blouse, unbuttoned pants.
Sexual assault? Yeah, that goes along with the strangulation M.
O.
For what it's worth, there were no signs of the body being dragged.
I think she died right here.
What about her shoes? She wasn't jogging, she wasn't hiking.
So, what was she doing here this early in the morning? Meeting somebody? Sure as hell wasn't Mr.
Right.
I checked for similar patterns in the area going back six months.
Nothing remotely matching this M.
O.
- Cameras in the park? - Not a one.
Good place for a private rendezvous.
What about next of kin? That's tough.
What we know so far is she's from Joliet, both her parents are dead, and no siblings.
What's weird is, aside from her boss Gwen, there's not much evidence of anyone else in her life.
- Okay, keep digging.
- Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
So I'm thinking maybe she was an outdoors kind of girl.
There's all these topo maps.
Maybe she liked to hike.
Well, people tend to hike with friends.
Not me.
I hike alone.
Clears my head.
Al, look around you.
She was here a year and a half, but there's nothing on the walls, nothing personal.
Almost like she wasn't expecting to stay.
Sounds familiar.
Hey, you haven't been to my place in a while.
You ever hang that Miles Davis print I got you? - It's in a safe place.
- On a wall? Uh, leaning against a wall.
I think she died right here.
Look at her shoes.
Suzanne was a six and a half.
So? So these are an eight.
And there's a couple more pair in here.
So maybe someone else was living with her? Maybe.
Well, I don't know.
There's only one toothbrush.
This thing has been running since we been here.
Tell her to forget the green dress.
The silver's more flattering.
And, God, I told her to lay off the Mexican food.
Jay's got it as crystal meth, street grade.
Can't tell much else till they do the lab analysis.
No prints on the bag.
She also wants to live tweet the mixer.
She said she's the one paying for it, so No way.
Grab her phone.
And remind her not to talk about her dog like it's an actual child.
Thanks, Craig.
Sorry to keep you waiting, Detectives.
This thing with Suzanne is terrible, and we're all in shock.
What can I do for you? Just want to know how Suzanne seemed.
Actually, I know what I can do for you: get you up on that board.
I have a mixer in ten minutes for the Duchess Elizaveta.
Rich ladies love cute cops.
Especially ones with dimples.
What do you say? - You should totally do it.
- Yeah.
He's still looking for that special someone.
I'm good, thanks.
I'm happy with what I have.
- Had.
- Had.
Ms.
Stein, how was Suzanne doing at work? Any problems with other employees? Not a one.
She was the best handler that I had.
Handler? Suzanne would meet with the clients one-on-one, usually in their offices or their homes sometimes.
She pre-screened them.
And then, if I felt that a particular individual was worth the effort And could pay the price.
then we'd make the magic happen.
And how exactly do you do that? Let me guess.
Trade secret, right? Exactly.
But believe me, it's harder than you think.
True love takes a lot of hard work.
Not for you, apparently.
Well, sometimes you get lucky.
Jake and I just connected.
Jakey.
- All right? Thanks.
- Yeah.
Sure.
Jake, this is Lieutenant Burns and Detective Wells.
They're investigating Suzanne's death.
It's so terrible.
Anything we can do to help.
Thanks.
The guys are about ready, babe.
Okay? Unfortunately, Jake and I are the exception to the rule.
Most people they don't have the fairy tale.
Which is where I come in.
Your clients must get real demanding, huh? Yes.
The uber-rich usually are.
But Suzanne she really knew how to give them what they wanted.
Like drugs? Excuse me? We found a stash of meth at Suzanne's apartment.
Enough to suggest she could have been selling it.
I know nothing about that.
So, if one of those uber-rich clients needed a little pick-me-up to help them at their mixer, Suzanne would have said no? Are we done here, Detectives? I got to get back to work.
Sure.
I just need to see your client list.
That's impossible.
My clients require complete discretion.
Oh, come on.
Play nice.
Look at my dimples.
You know we'll just get a subpoena anyway.
You sure about that? Judge Reinhart Chief Judge Reinhart and his wife Sarah two of my most satisfied clients.
Have a good day.
You know, I think I got this.
Guys, Gwen's on her way up, but feel free to grab a drink and just chill.
All you have to do is wait for the woman of your dreams to walk right up those steps, all right? Have fun, relax, take it easy.
_ Jeff! Jeff, hey.
Excuse me.
Yeah, hey.
That vegan place over on Third? I love that place.
Yeah, yeah, me, too.
I love their cashew cheesecake.
It's awesome.
You know what? This place is so boring.
How about How about you go over there, get us a table.
I know they don't take reservations.
I'll see you there.
See you there.
What is she doing? What do you think? _ Oliver, tell me you remember me.
Don't break my heart.
Lanai? You're the one who got me up on the board.
Oh, wow.
Ah, I can't believe you're here.
Seems like it was fate, right? You know what I'd like to do? I'd like to get out of here, with you.
Somewhere private, talk surfing.
You live near here? I got a place in Tribeca.
Ooh.
I'll get us a car.
Oh, oh.
M-Make her stop.
No, no, no.
I can't.
She could do this all day.
You really want the Duchess to come out and find nothing but a $500 cheese board? No.
Charles, Charles, Charles! I loved your TED talk on cognitive enhancement.
I mean, ooh, ah.
Sexy.
Okay, fine.
You can have the client list, but only the clients pertaining to Suzanne.
That should work.
For now.
which is why, as a bioethicist, I must speak out.
Yes, you must, you must.
And And I'm sure that the Duchess will appreciate that.
Have a nice day.
Hi! You were having a little too much fun over there.
Fun? No, no.
I need a much more of a challenge fish in a barrel.
The kind of challenge I need is a challenge with dimples.
Hmm.
Let's go.
So on her credit card application, Suzanne Mills puts down that both her parents are deceased back in Illinois.
But here's the thing: I can't find any record of them.
Well, death records can be pretty spotty, right? Especially in a smaller town.
Yeah, but I can't find any record of Suzanne Mills at all.
Not in Joliet or anywhere else for that matter.
No high school graduation, no DMV records, summer jobs.
How about bank accounts? Mm, same thing.
There's nothing.
I'm telling you, Jay, it's like this girl didn't exist before she moved to New York 18 months ago.
Liver temp suggests time of death about six hours ago, so that puts it at 8:00 a.
m.
No sign of sexual assault.
And what about the toxicology report? Clean as a whistle.
She may have been dealing meth, but she sure wasn't using it.
This is interesting, which goes to cause of death.
You said she was strangled.
I did.
She was.
Twice.
These are handprints.
Looks like he tried to strangle her with his bare hands, and then, for some reason, couldn't finish the job.
I found a second set of bruises.
I think he stopped.
She was unconscious God, I hope she was unconscious.
He flipped her over, he finished the job with some kind of ligature I don't know what kind but that's what killed her.
So he knew her.
And he didn't want to look at her face while he was killing her.
Yeah.
I'm waiting for subdermal photography, so hopefully we can I.
D.
some of these interior bruises to find out what kind of ligature he used.
But you're right, it was an intimate killing.
She knew her killer.
Anything else? Uh, yeah.
She had some ink.
Nothing really exciting, just, you know, flowers and stuff.
But then there's this.
_ Tell her to forget the green dress.
- The silver is much more flattering.
- _ - Thanks, Craig.
- _ One of Gwen's employees, Craig Zadoc, had a very similar tattoo, only it was 79.
0710 degrees west.
Well, that can't be a coincidence.
What was that number again? It's around Niagara Falls.
A bed and breakfast.
Wow.
Looks like Suzanne and Craig were more than just coworkers.
We were engaged.
The coordinates were Suzanne's idea.
Niagara Falls? We used to go hiking on the weekends.
We went up there a couple times.
It's, um It's where I proposed to her.
How is it no one else knew you guys were engaged? It's a secret.
Because of Gwen.
Sh-She's got this thing that all her handlers had to be single.
She didn't want personal stuff interfering with work.
But Gwen wasn't single.
Yeah, well, that was Gwen.
She liked the rest of us to be available.
Suzanne and I were gonna wait till we found new jobs.
She said she had a plan, she asked me to be patient.
It's a nice story, Craig.
Only problem is, when your fiancée turns up dead, why didn't you go straight to the police? I-I panicked.
Yeah, a killer panics, Craig.
Why'd you panic? I told you, I loved her.
I would never hurt her.
But you do have a temper, don't you? You took two prior assault collars over the past ten years.
Then there's the outstanding arrest warrant pending from North Carolina.
I've done some bad stuff.
I used to drink back then, I'd pick fights in bars, but I've done my time, and I've stopped now.
That arrest warrant's for a speeding violation.
I swear to God, I would never hurt Suzanne.
I didn't come to you because I knew you'd find all this stuff.
Where were you yesterday morning? It was my day off.
Um, I was supposed to meet Suzanne for lunch.
When I couldn't reach her, I just I hung out at the apartment.
A guy came.
There was an exterminator guy.
Find him.
He'll tell you I was home.
Don't worry, we will.
You know anybody who was staying with Suzanne? A woman? No, I never saw anybody.
We also found some crystal meth in Suzanne's apartment.
No, no way.
S-Suzanne didn't do drugs.
Trust me, I know.
I mean Like I said, I've made mistakes.
Craig, do you know anybody who would want to hurt her? No.
Why would anybody want to hurt her? Someone from work.
A client she talked about.
No.
I I mean, she met so many guys, sometimes she would have to reject the weirder ones.
That would piss them off.
Someone in particular she talked about? No, but, I mean Gwen deals with some really high-end clientele.
I can't believe one of them could do something like this.
So, it's a no-go on the fiancé, huh? He's sticking in town, but I don't think he did it.
Exterminator puts him at his place pretty much when he says.
It'd be tough to make it over to Bushwick Park at the time of death.
Any more info on Suzanne's life? We tried to contact her supervisor from her last job as a waitress in Virginia Beach.
But the restaurant never existed.
What about her phone records? Uh, we think the phone was taken from the scene and turned off soon after the murder.
And maybe because of this.
That's a lot of calls from that one number.
Number belongs to this guy, Lee Ross, software developer.
Guy's, like, a paper billionaire.
He's got contracts with over half of Silicon Valley to create apps for his own Ross Glass.
Craig mentioned that some of the clients would get pretty pissed off if Suzanne had to tell them they didn't qualify.
Exactly.
Which is why I cross-referenced Ross with Gwen's client list.
Turns out, Platinum Select worked with them three months before they dropped him.
Don't know why.
Let's find out.
Look, it sucks Suzanne's dead, but I had nothing to do with it.
I barely knew her.
How many times you meet? Oh, three or four.
I did what she said got some new clothes, smoothed out the rough edges, and I think I'm ready to go; I'm ready for my 30 hand-picked hotties.
But then, a week before my par-tay, Suzanne calls me and tells me I am not approved as a client.
She say why you weren't approved? Guess the fact that I've been divorced.
Three times.
She said it wasn't good for Gwen's brand.
Still, my money's good, so I called her, see if they'd reconsider.
You called her 18 times, Lee.
Maybe after three or four, you figure they're not reconsidering.
What? No.
I didn't do that.
I called her once and left a message.
Where were you yesterday morning around 8:00? - On a jog.
- In Bushwick Park? No, the Reservoir in Central Park.
Can anybody confirm that? I was wearing my Glass.
Recorded everything.
Joe can download it for you.
You ever hang that Miles Davis print I got you? It's in a safe place.
Hey, Joe.
Hey.
These photos on your computer of Suzanne you take them? Sit down! You just became our number one suspect.
Look, I didn't do anything, okay? Then why'd you try to run? I don't know.
I freaked out.
Yeah, Suzanne came by to meet with Mr.
Ross, and we talked a little.
I thought she was cute, so I asked her out, but she said no.
Then you called her 17 times to get her to change her mind, and when that didn't work, you killed her.
What? No, I'm telling you, - I just found out - Joe, look at things my way, okay? On the one hand, I got a dead girl.
On the other hand, I got a guy who asked her out, and when she said no, stalked her, called her 17 times, took hundreds of photos of her without her knowing.
You see how this looks to me?! I didn't kill her.
You got to believe me.
Yeah, I did all those other things.
I know I got a problem that way, but I thought maybe I could kind of make it work out.
You thought wrong, Joe.
Where were you yesterday morning? I was doing errands for Mr.
Ross.
He told us he sent you on errands.
You got any proof you actually did them? Yeah.
People saw me.
I can tell you where I was.
- I can tell you.
- Start writing, Joe.
Stupid thing is, all the stuff I was doing it wasn't gonna make any difference.
Yeah, my experience and this is just me the stalking thing: not a turn-on.
Okay, yeah, I get it.
But that's not what I meant.
Suzanne she wasn't into guys.
How do you know? Just look at my pictures.
She was with this chick.
I got her going into Suzanne's house.
She's got a key.
They wear the same clothes.
They were holding hands in one of them.
So, see? It wasn't about me.
Keep writing.
Okay, Suzanne's mystery woman.
First-off, no one recognizes her at the building; it the same at Gwen's.
I talked to the fiancé Craig.
He says he doesn't know her, and he's not buying that Suzanne was dating her.
Wouldn't be the first time a fiancé's been surprised, right? I have a feeling our Suzanne has a lot of surprises.
This is what I wanted to show you guys.
- Yeah, that's Suzanne's building.
- Right.
Now, our mystery woman headed into Suzanne's building at 3:05 p.
m.
I didn't see any car in the surveillance photos, so I figured - The subway.
- Right.
If she took the subway, odds are she took the M train to the Marcy Avenue stop, 'cause it's only a couple blocks away from Suzanne's apartment.
Okay.
And I'm really proud of myself for this one.
I tracked all the way along the M train, and using facial recognition, cross-checked it with the subway security footage with all the photos we had of our mystery lady.
And guess who's coming out of the Seneca Ave stop.
Our mystery lady.
That's right.
How awesome is the Jay Man? I'm thinking maybe she was an outdoors kind of girl.
There's all these topo maps.
Maybe she liked to hike.
Wait a second.
That little happy pig.
Suzanne had a magnet with the exact same logo on her fridge.
"Smiling Pig Donuts.
" Yeah, I've seen them both come in here.
- Have any names? - Nah.
Just know that they come in together about once a week.
That one liked Bavarian Cream, and the other she always got a chocolate glazed.
Person finds a donut that they like, they stick to it.
One guy used to come in Okay, thank you, uh, Desiree.
Did you happen to hear where they were going or where they come from? Sorry.
Mostly, I just focus on the donuts.
You look like a maple frosted.
If you think of anything else, could you give us a call, please? Thanks.
Come on, Maple Frosted Guy.
Hey.
Group like that smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, eating donuts generally means a 12-step meeting, right? Suzanne did have a bag of meth in her apartment.
Maybe they were in recovery together.
I'm sorry, but this is where the anonymous part really gets in the way, Detectives.
We understand your resistance, but please.
This woman was killed yesterday.
We need all the help we can get to solve her murder.
Please, if there's anything at all you think you can tell us.
That's Maria and that's Claire.
Claire? - You're sure? - Yes.
I don't have their last names, of course.
Maria's struggling with a meth addiction, been in and out of the program for years.
Claire joined us about six months ago.
She'd had a cocaine problem.
She's been clean for two years.
So they didn't join the program together? No.
No, they met here.
And from what I could tell, they became really close.
Claire was like an older sister, trying to look out for Maria.
They wanted to help each other - improve their lives.
- Was it working? Recovery was a real struggle for Maria.
She was clean as of last week, but she told me she'd scored some meth, but that sh-she'd hidden it somewhere so she wouldn't use it.
But I could see she was thinking about it.
Was Claire struggling, too? No, Claire was doing great.
She just got her two-year chip.
Maria brought boxes of donuts to celebrate.
A lot of boxes.
I am so sorry to hear about Claire.
I thought she'd be the one who'd make it out of here alive.
Thank you.
Claire? - Yeah.
- I don't know, Al.
Why do you think that's her real name? Because 12-step meetings are all about honesty.
And from what I can tell, Claire took them pretty seriously.
Okay, well, if "Suzanne" is an alias for Claire, that would explain why we can't find - any history on her.
- Right.
So do the search again, this time using "Claire.
" - You got it, boss.
- Thank you.
Donuts? Really? Well, we're cops.
- What'd you get me? - A maple frosted.
Mm-mm.
Oh, and Maria's last name and address.
- No way.
Come on.
- Mm-hmm.
It's Maria Torres.
She's over on DeKalb in Bed-Stuy.
See, I figured if Maria bought boxes of donuts last week for Claire's anniversary, she probably used a credit card.
- And I was right.
- Nice work.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey.
- And nice donuts.
Maria Torres? All clear.
Al.
Okay, Al.
Here it is.
Facial recognition matched with a photo taken at the Mexican border.
Suzanne Mills is really Claire Johnson And doesn't look like a fun childhood.
Dad passed away when she was eight.
Her mom was in and out for petty larceny.
I've also got three social service complaints alleging physical and mental abuse against her stepdad.
At 16, she left home and started getting into trouble.
She was arrested in 2004 for stealing a sandwich and some gum in Hermosa Beach.
But then we got her for criminal possession of a controlled substance, twice, in 2008.
Now, ATM receipts show that she spent some time in Texas, Northern Mexico and Baja.
Then all of a sudden, two years ago, just like that, bang, she disappears.
And when does Suzanne show up? Uh, the earliest we pick up any activity on Suzanne is when she signed the lease for her apartment a year and a half ago.
It's expensive to create a whole new identity.
I doubt she did it alone.
Let's see who was helping her.
You got it, boss.
Murray, anything new on Maria? Yeah, she was born in Akron, Ohio.
Uh, went to NYU, took a few drug collars and dropped out.
The last thing I have is her working at a shoe store in Queens.
They said she quit four months ago.
I got a BOLO out.
- We're looking everywhere.
- Okay, thanks.
Whoever broke in here was looking for something specific.
Look at these power cords.
All the electronics phones, computers, tablets they're gone.
It sucks Suzanne is dead.
How many times you meet? Three, four? That software guy, Lee Ross at his office, he had this art piece behind his desk.
Coffee mugs, except one was missing.
The orange one.
It's right here.
Stuart, I'm not looking at anything right now.
I'm looking at a blank I'll call you back.
Been looking for this, Lee? Where'd you find it? We'll tell you if you tell us what it really is.
It's a travel mug.
Try again, Lee.
And a camouflaged Bluetooth data migration device.
It copies electronic files and hard drives fast.
Very fast.
Without anybody knowing it.
Well, that doesn't sound entirely legal.
Well, my investors don't seem to care.
Who are your investors? Oh, uh, Department of Defense, Military Intelligence Okay, but when Suzanne came here to prep you, you told her what this mug really was, didn't you? - Maybe.
- Sure, you did.
You were trying to impress her and Gwen.
Are you telling me Suzanne stole it? We're not telling you anything, except you're not getting this back today.
Look, the prototype cost me 200 grand.
Homeland is expecting them to go live in 2017.
Please be careful with it.
Don't worry.
We will.
So, welcome to the nerd porn portion of our program.
This is the most incredible integrated data migration system I have ever seen.
Al, I want this.
- I need this.
- Maybe for Christmas.
- What's on it? - Gigs of information on Gwen's clients.
Credit card numbers, driver's licenses, Social Security numbers.
So Claire, as Suzanne, used this mug to steal financial information.
But why? Because she was working for the Sinaloa Cartel.
- How'd you get that? - Claire was sending packets of data from this device to an office park in Tijuana that's a known front for the Sinaloa Cartel.
It was an easy call to make.
But what does a drug cartel need with all that I.
D.
information? They use the financial holdings of other people as a way to launder their drug money.
With complex financial profiles, it's really not that hard to hide large sums of money within different holdings, even deposit or withdraw at will without being detected.
Gwen's clients were the perfect dupes.
But how does Claire Johnson get hooked up with a Mexican drug cartel? Thought you'd never ask.
Claire was dating this guy in Mexico named Dean Morrison.
Now, Morrison turns out to be not such a good guy; in fact, the reason why they're in the papers is because he was found with his head cut off two years ago in a Michoacán parking structure, apparently the victim of the Sinaloa Cartel.
He had been working for them, doing the same thing as Claire, stealing financial information.
Problem is is he got greedy.
He thought he could sell the cartel's info to somebody else.
They found out about it and whacked him.
Six months later, Claire vanishes, and Suzanne Mills shows up in New York.
The cartel let her live if she'd continue to steal for them.
And they knew Gwen's client base was a treasure trove of hiding places for their money.
So what do you think went wrong? They caught wind that maybe she wanted to drop out, run away with this Craig guy? But the way she was killed, that was no cartel-style execution.
But it was definitely them at Maria's.
We still have one missing piece.
It's the one we've had all along.
Who killed Claire? You got to wonder about things when a young girl like Claire finds herself forced to work for the Sinaloa Cartel.
- How does that happen? - I don't know.
Claire seems like the perfect candidate to me.
She was alone, lost, confused about who she was.
I get it.
Not that this is gonna surprise you, but there was a time in my life where I could've gone down a very bad path.
Wrong guy who seemed like the right guy.
You know, he was so bad, which made him so good.
And, uh, he almost got me into some pretty serious trouble.
Well, you two weren't robbing banks together, right? Well, um Hi.
I have the, uh, subdermal photograph results from Claire aka Suzanne's neck.
Great.
I'm not really sure what I'm looking at, except a definitive bruising pattern.
True love takes a lot of hard work.
Sometimes you get lucky.
Jakey.
This is Lieutenant Burns and Detective Wells.
They're investigating Suzanne's death.
It's so terrible.
Anything we can do to help.
Could it be from a belt buckle? Yeah, could be.
Gwen's fiancé Jake was wearing a belt buckle that almost exactly matches that bruising pattern.
Let's go.
What do you want? Jake here? We have a warrant.
Which is a really good thing, because I am all flirted out.
He's in the kitchen.
Jake.
How can I help you, Detectives? You know what? This'll be easier back at the station.
I know how busy Ms.
Stein is.
We don't want to bother her.
If he goes, I go.
You heard the lady.
She's the boss.
You sure you want to talk about this here, Jake? It's about Claire.
Claire Johnson.
Never heard of her.
Who? You knew her as Suzanne Mills.
But Jake here which I'm assuming is so not your real name Jake knew her as Claire Johnson.
Jake? I don't understand.
What are they talking about? - No! - All right! Back off! All right? I'm gonna kill her! Jake, it's over.
No "Soy uno de ustedes.
" "I am one of you.
" That's what you said.
"Somos hermanos.
" "We are brothers.
" You called the cartel, didn't you? That's why they were there.
You thought they were gonna help you out.
Jake.
Or, uh, Jack Burton from San Diego.
You really think the Sinaloa Cartel gives a damn about you? They take care of their friends.
But you're not their friend.
Not anymore.
When you killed Claire, you blew their multimillion - dollar I.
D.
scam wide open.
You really thought those guys were gonna be happy to see you? Yeah.
All right.
This is what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna send you to Rikers.
We'll see what kind of protection you get from tus hermanos.
Good luck there right? Okay.
Okay.
But I want protective custody.
The best, you understand? You'll take what we give you.
When'd you start working for the cartel? Uh, when I was 18.
You know, a friend from high school hooked me up.
I been doing I.
D.
stuff every since.
What about Claire? Claire was new.
She got into some trouble down in Mexico, and they got her working.
She didn't want to, but we don't always get to choose, do we? So they placed you at Gwen's together? Well, Gwen had a ton of files on rich guys hard copies only that she kept in a safe.
I handed those off.
Claire was in charge of the digital stuff.
We both did a good job.
Yeah.
And then things got personal.
Whatever.
Tell me.
Well, there was something about her, you know? She was just this girl, this sweet girl, and she was the only one in the city who actually knew who I was, you know? I loved her.
But she was in love with someone else.
Craig Zadoc.
She told you about him.
Yeah.
When? Jack you don't start talking, your protective custody is gonna be cleaning out the bathrooms at La Mesa Prison in Tijuana.
Claire thought she was just gonna run off with this guy? Huh? You believe that? She was gonna run from the cartel.
Run from me.
She said she'd finally found something real with him.
With him.
So I grabbed her and I started squeezing.
And she just stared at me like she was surprised.
And I couldn't let go.
But I couldn't look at her, so I turned her around and I finished it.
She never should have made me love her.
Definitely cartel guys.
This is from a traffic cam outside of Gwen's apartment.
And this is from yesterday cab at JFK.
These guys flew in from Tijuana to New York, tossed up Maria's apartment, shot up Gwen's.
From what I can tell, they could still be in the city.
They're looking for Maria.
How would they know about Maria? Jake told them.
He said he called the cartel, told them Claire had an accident and that he needed to be extricated.
But first they wanted something.
Claire had told them she stole a device from one of Gwen's clients.
- Lee Ross.
- Right.
So they wanted it and the information on it.
Jake tried to be cooperative and find the device.
He couldn't find it at Claire's, he told them maybe it was at her good friend Maria's place.
But they never found it at Maria's because they weren't looking for anything as simple as a coffee mug.
Which means they think Maria still has it, and they're gonna kill her.
We got to find her before they do.
How the hell do you outrun a cartel, especially without a plan? Claire had the plan.
And Maria was Claire's only confidant, which means Maria is following Claire's escape plan.
So I'm thinking she was maybe outdoorsy.
There's all these topo maps.
Claire had a map at her apartment.
The Catskills.
Ellenville.
Jay, search under the names Claire Johnson, Suzanne Mills or Maria Torres for a house or cabin rental or purchase within a mile of Ellenville.
Nothing.
I just talked to Claire's fiancé Craig.
He doesn't know much.
He says the two of them generally talked about getting away from the city, romantic stuff.
Finding a farm somewhere, living off the grid.
Look under Craig Zadoc.
- No.
- Wait.
She was thinking ahead.
Try Claire Zadoc.
Got it.
Down payment was made by a Claire Zadoc at Ellenville First National Bank.
She bought 60 acres out on Ridge Road.
That's a cabin.
There, near that water tower.
Hold on, I'm getting a ping from Maria's cell.
It's ten seconds.
Probably turning it on and off, looking for messages.
She's on the Thruway headed north.
And if we know that, then the cartel does, too.
I'll cover you.
You get her.
Okay.
Maria, Carrie Wells, NYPD.
I'm here to help you.
Open the door.
Please.
I know you're scared, but I'm here to help.
Now, listen, we have to go.
- Carrie, we got company.
- Go.
Get down, get down, get down.
Shh.
Claire she warned me.
She said that if something happened to her that I should run.
That they could come after me.
Did they kill her? No, they didn't kill her.
Now I need you to be quiet.
Just stay calm, stay calm.
Hey, Maria.
You home? Don't answer.
Shh.
Maria.
I'm gonna open the door.
Stay down and be quiet.
Buenos días, gentlemen.
NYPD.
You're surrounded.
Toss your weapons on the ground, hands in the air and get on your knees.
Now! Drop your weapons! Drop 'em! On the ground, face down.
Face down.
Go on.
I got him.
Hey, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
That's a cabin.
There, near that water tower.
Shh, shh.
Drop your weapon! Nice.
The Feds have been doing this almost 45 years, never lost a witness.
You'll finally get that fresh start, Maria.
Thank you.
And please, call me Claire.
That's my name now.
So how's the commissioner? He happy we solved the case? Oh, no.
I just found out he's suing Gwen.
Said she tricked him into marrying a gold digger.
That's what you get when the blind lead the blind.
Hmm.
Did I just say that out loud? I never heard a word.
Good.
Fresh start.
That sounds nice.
You know, you never finished telling me about your little Bonnie and Clyde stint.
I bet Bonnie and Clyde did not need a matchmaking service.
And look how well they turned out.
Do you really think people need someone like Gwen Stein to, I don't know, make the magic happen? No.
I mean, look at us.
We have the magic.
- We do? - Sure.
You put a spell on me years ago.
Aw.
What kind of spell? I'll do anything you ask.
Anything? Like, anything? Within reason.
We almost got arrested in that closet at the Syracuse Library, remember? Uh, do I remember that? - I remember everything.
- Of course you remember, yes.
I tell you what, how about an easy one.
You let me buy you a drink.
No, that is way too easy.
Think of something more exciting.
I will.
After that drink.
Come on, Bonnie.
Okay, Clyde.