Perception s03e13 Episode Script
Mirror
"It was Bagheera, the black panther, inky black all over.
But with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk.
He had a voice as soft as wild honey.
" Mmm.
Delicious.
[Laughter.]
I mean that.
When I read the words "wild honey," it lit up my gustatory cortex The region of the brain that registers taste.
And "watered silk" triggered my somatosensory cortex, home to my sense of touch.
That's why when we read literature, it makes us feel alive It serves up a-a feast for the senses.
So, this weekend, I am challenging Mr.
Lewicki here to put down the comic books and pick up some Kipling or some Faulkner or some Joyce.
And it wouldn't kill you knuckleheads to do the same thing.
Donnie: Whatcha writing? No peeking.
[Chuckling.]
What, are you keeping a diary now Little I's dotted with hearts? Very funny.
Uh, it's my vows for the wedding.
Thought Father Pat wanted those yesterday.
I know.
I am just, uh, just tweaking them a little.
You're not even close to finished, are you? [Cellphone rings.]
Moretti.
I'll be right there.
[Police radio chatter, sirens wailing.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Special Agent Moretti, FBI.
We're good here.
Open-and-shut case.
You mind giving me the details anyway? You know how it is.
I don't want to go back to the boss empty-handed.
Guy under the sheet is Ahmad Khan, Consul General of Bangladesh.
He was stabbed in the neck by his secretary.
Woman's name is Nasim Shah.
She confess? Didn't have to.
She was found holding the murder weapon.
She's on her way to county lockup.
You want to muscle in on a case, I got a dozen open homicides.
You're not taking this one.
"Taking"? It's FBI jurisdiction.
The victim's a foreign official.
And he was murdered on a city street.
This case belongs to the CPD.
[Buzzer.]
Ms.
Shah? Special Agent Moretti, FBI.
I'd like to talk to you about what happened tonight.
I swear, I did not kill the consul.
The police will not listen to me.
Okay.
Just Tell me what happened.
Uh, Mr.
Khan had just left the office.
He was meeting some friends for dinner a few blocks from the consulate.
But then I realized that he had left his phone in the office.
And so I went after him.
Mr.
Khan? [Gasp.]
The pain was excruciating.
I managed to crawl over to Mr.
Khan to pull out the knife.
[Gasp.]
That's when I fainted.
Did I miss something? Were you attacked, as well? N-no.
No.
But when I see someone in pain, their suffering becomes my suffering.
So you're saying you literally felt like you had been stabbed and the pain made you pass out? I know how it sounds.
But everything I've told you is true.
[Sighs shakily.]
[Sniffles.]
Chandra is punishing me.
Chandra? [Sniffles.]
The Hindu god of the moon.
In our culture, we bear the burdens of sins committed in our past lives.
This is my curse.
Man: Clear the gate.
Gate clear.
Daniel: Here she is.
[Door creaks, closes.]
Ms.
Shah, this is my associate, Dr.
Pierce.
He has a few questions he'd like to ask you.
Are you okay? The woman in my cell is sick.
All night, she was crying, saying that she would die without a fix.
Now she is quiet, but she cannot stop shaking.
- Ow! - Ow! Sorry.
Just confirming my theory.
I'm fine.
Thanks for asking.
When did you start experiencing other people's pain? When I was 5, a boy in my village tripped my sister and broke her leg.
I fell down, too, because the pain was so intense.
That's when the village elders said that I was cursed.
You're not cursed.
I think you have a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia.
I-I don't understand.
When most of us see someone being touched, our brains create a simulation of what we think that touch feels like.
But when you see someone being caressed or Or pinched or stabbed, your brain responds as if it was happening to you.
I'm guessing you also know what people are feeling - Whether they're happy, sad, jealous? - Yes.
That's because your brain mimics emotional reactions, too.
We all make micro-facial expressions that telegraph what we're feeling.
Most people can't perceive them, but a synesthete unconsciously picks up on them.
She's at the mercy of everyone around her and whatever they're going through.
She wouldn't stab anyone.
It'd be like plunging a knife into her own neck.
Yes.
That's exactly it.
P-please, please, can you get me out of this place? So, you think this woman is innocent, but you want me to charge her with murder anyway.
- Why? - Look, she's unusual, all right? She literally had withdrawal symptoms just because the junkie in the cell with her did, too.
Daniel says that she could suffer a serious psychological breakdown if we don't get her out of county lockup.
And take her where? It's not like things are gonna be much better for her at a federal jail.
Well, once you charge her, we can put her in a motel with a Marshal watching her.
Meanwhile, Daniel and I will go find the real killer, and then you can drop the charges.
Ah.
I see.
And I'm supposed to sell this little plan of yours to a judge how, exactly? If Nasim Stays in jail She could see someone get shanked, pass out again from the pain.
You'd be looking at a brain injury, maybe worse.
"Foreign national dies in U.
S.
custody" That's not a headline anyone wants to see, right? Mnh-mnh.
I hope you're putting some of that creativity into your vows.
Agent Moretti, Dr.
Pierce.
I'm Vice-Consul Rashid Prasad.
Please.
Thank you for making time for us.
You have our condolences.
Thank you.
The consul was a man of great service.
And Nasim is adored by everyone here.
I can't believe she would harm anyone.
We agree.
Good.
There must be some other explanation.
You know, there's a facility for the mentally ill nearby.
Perhaps one of those people got loose.
"Those people"? [Clears throat.]
Now that the consul is gone, you're in charge here now, is that right? Temporarily.
I'm still vice-consul until a new appointment is made.
I'm sure it's a very short list of candidates With your name at the top? I don't appreciate what you're implying.
We do need to be thorough in our investigation, Mr.
Prasad.
I'm sure that you can appreciate that.
Of course.
But I assure you, this is not how I would choose to advance my career.
Did the consul have any enemies that you're aware of? No.
But you should talk to the head of our security, Officer Mehta.
There were no specific threats against the consul that I knew of.
But there was a-an incident a few hours before the consul was murdered.
Tell us about it.
[Sighs.]
A reporter showed up, claiming to be writing an exposé for The Chicago Star-Herald.
The consul told me he'd already given this reporter an interview a few weeks before, told me to turn him away.
When I did, the reporter got very angry.
Started making accus accusations regarding the consul.
Such as? [Sighs.]
Please understand, I don't wish to insult the integrity of the consul, particularly now that he can't defend himself.
Officer Mehta, anything you share with us may help us find his killer.
Of course.
[Telephone rings.]
The reporter said that the consul was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Bangladesh.
What did he mean by that? He didn't say specifically Just that it was related to the recent cholera epidemic.
He also gave me this.
He said to call him if I cared about justice.
[Knock on door.]
Mr.
Pineda? [Engine idling.]
You hear that? It's a car running.
Mr.
Pineda? [Scoffs.]
[Doorknob rattling.]
I got it.
I got it.
Hold your breath.
[Coughs.]
[Coughs.]
[Engine shuts off.]
Grab his feet.
[Coughing.]
[Police radio chatter, sirens wailing.]
- What's this? - Diazepam.
One of the crime techs found it on an end table in the living room.
Not uncommon with suicide.
Takes the edge off so they can do the deed.
'Course, this wasn't a suicide.
- Daniel, no.
- Come on, Kate.
A reporter accuses the Bangladeshi consul of being complicit somehow in the deaths of thousands of people, and within a day, the reporter and the consul wind up dead? If someone wanted to murder Pineda, there are much easier ways of doing it than dragging him into a car and forcing him to inhale exhaust fumes.
So maybe he was already dead when they put him in the car.
The M.
E.
said that his skin discoloration is consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning.
Okay, so maybe he was unconscious.
I don't know.
We need to find out whatever story that reporter was working on.
I mean, that's got to be part of it.
I'll have cyber go through his phone and computer.
What about the crime scene photos? You can get your hands on those? I'll get them for you, but right now, there's just somewhere else that I've got to be.
Father Pat: Well, nobody serves better greasy food than Moretti's.
Plenty more where that came from.
Now, why are you trying to ply me with food? Come on, Father Pat.
Can't a couple of old friends just get together for a bite? Okay, here's the thing.
I'm hoping that you can let me get a look at Donnie's vows.
Don't you want to wait till the wedding day? Look, I just want to make sure that Donnie and I are on the same wavelength.
I don't want to write something funny if he's written something more serious, or vice versa.
So you haven't written yours yet.
Why does everyone assume that? Yes.
I've written lots of vows.
Just none that I like.
Fine.
But you're not gonna get the inspiration you need from Donnie's.
- Why do you think that? - 'Cause I'm not gonna show them to you.
It's not fair to Donnie, first of all.
And second of all, I happen to remember "Mount Moretti.
" What? That amazing volcano that you built for sister Margaret's science fair in the 4th grade.
You spent days complaining that you couldn't do it.
Then the night before, you pulled it off, won the whole science fair.
You can do this, Kate.
But why do I have to? It's a traditional catholic ceremony.
We're not even supposed to write our own vows.
There's nothing traditional about you two getting married, divorced, annulled, then remarried.
This is what Donnie wanted to do, so this is what we're gonna do.
[Sighs.]
- Who the hell are you? - [Australian accent.]
Hey, hey, hey.
Take it easy, mate.
I'm a friend.
I've never seen you before in my life.
I don't know how you got in here, but No, no, no, no, no.
Uh, sorry.
I'm a friend of Natalie's.
Great.
My hallucinations are making friends with each other.
[Laughs.]
Yeah, we are.
Met Natalie a few months ago in Bangladesh.
What a great lady.
Just an amazing energy.
When I told her I was headed to Chicago, she said I should crash with you.
Natalie would never say something like that.
Well, she was on a spiritual sabbatical.
That doesn't sound like her at all.
No, she's made some incredible progress in her practice since she left here.
She's really discovered her bliss, you know? She's so much happier.
And the, uh The few days that we spent together were, uh Mutually spiritual [Chuckles.]
If you catch my drift.
Okay.
Get out.
Mate, I'm sensing some real hostility here.
Really? Really? You're vulgar and disgusting, and I-I can't bear the thought of you and Natalie having mutual anything, even if you are both imaginary.
Now go.
Get your filthy feet off my couch and out of my house.
They're not even that dirty.
Oh, are you ki Look at them.
They're fi Dr.
Swank: I'll be damned if you weren't right, Dr.
Pierce.
There is a microscopic puncture mark along the hairline with residual traces of Diazepam around it.
Explains the metabolized levels we found in his bloodstream.
Enough to knock out a horse.
Would've assumed it was from the pills if you hadn't called.
Well, it's practically invisible.
How the hell did you know to look? - His feet were clean.
- I'm sorry.
Come again? It rained that night.
The yard between Pineda's house and the garage was a mess.
If he'd gone out there to kill himself, his feet would've been covered with mud.
I think the killer broke into the house Found Pineda sleeping, injected him with Diazepam [Both grunting.]
Subdued him which wouldn't have been that hard because of the Valium then left those pills on the end table to account for the drug showing up in the tox report.
He took Pineda's body through the yard, making sure that he didn't get footprints in the garage, put him in the car Started the engine [ Engine turns over.]
- And left him to die.
- Pretty slick.
Sounds professional.
Well, I'm changing the cause of death to homicide.
[Classical music playing.]
[Click, music stops.]
Cyber didn't find anything on Bangladesh or cholera on Scott Pineda's computer.
His hard drive was wiped.
So was his phone.
And the editor at the Star-Herald said that Pineda never filed his story.
What about phone-company records? The last call Pineda made before he died was to a doctor.
His name is Trevor Rhodes? Scott and I were roommates in college.
Why are you asking? He was murdered last night.
I'm very sorry.
Oh, God.
I never should've told him.
Told him what? I, uh I work in infectious diseases.
I-I-I volunteer for the World Health Organization.
You were working in Bangladesh.
Yeah.
Last year, they had over a quarter million cases of cholera.
And the Bangladeshis task their international consulates with sourcing vaccines.
Six months ago, I heard the Chicago consulate had ordered a shipment of one of the newer ones Uh, Bactra-Vox.
For one of the poorer regions of the country, so I went to Bangladesh to help administer it, but when the shipment arrived [ Indistinct talking.]
Damn it.
I was pissed, because instead of Bactra-Vox, they sent us Numoral An outdated vaccine.
All I could do was inoculate the locals with what we had and Pray to God no new strains of cholera appeared.
Let me guess Your prayers weren't answered.
It was devastating.
Thousands died Mostly kids, old people.
Where does Scott come in? [Sighs.]
When I got back to Chicago, uh, we met for dinner to catch up.
I told him about all the money and the lives wasted on this outdated vaccine.
And Pineda smelled a story.
We both just figured it was bureaucratic incompetence.
But then Scott went and interviewed the consul, and the guy lied right to his face.
He kept insisting that he had bought the newer vaccine for his people, not Numoral.
Maybe the consul didn't lie.
Maybe Navilet Pharmaceuticals did a bait-and-switch.
Well, that's what we thought, too.
But then Scott did some digging and found out something much worse.
There was a rumor that the W.
H.
O.
was going to decertify Numoral.
Scott discovered that Navilet had a whole stockpile just sitting in a warehouse that suddenly no one wanted to touch.
And then he tracked down some suspicious offshore deposits made by one of their senior VP's right around the time of the sale.
So Navilet bribed the consul to take the outdated vaccine off their hands? That was Scott's theory.
Do you know who at Navilet negotiated the vaccine deal? I assure you, my client didn't bribe anyone.
Mr.
Sloane is Navilet's senior vice-president of sales.
He wouldn't risk his or the company's reputation on a vaccine deal worth What, $50 million? I told the consul six months ago that I'd give him a discounted price on Bactra-Vox.
But demand was high, and it was gonna be eight weeks before the order was fulfilled.
The consul told me that cholera season was fast approaching and his government just couldn't wait that long.
So he agreed to purchase Numoral, hoping it would be as effective.
Unfortunately, we all know how that turned out.
It's tragic.
Oh, come on, you had inside information that the old vaccine was about to be yanked by the W.
H.
O.
, so you paid off the consul to take it.
I assume you work on commission, so who cares if a few poor people die so that you can line your pockets? Daniel.
I understand the impulse to find a bad guy, Dr.
Pierce, but what you're alleging simply isn't true.
We donate millions of dollars of lifesaving medicines every year.
And we reinvest a significant amount of our profits to help improve the living conditions of people in developing countries.
Oh, spare me the corporate bullshit.
You bribed the consul.
When the reporter found out about it, you had him killed.
- Have you lost your mind? - What? What I haven't figured out is why would you kill the consul, too? I didn't kill anyone.
- Oh, come on.
What else - Thank you for your time.
What the hell are you doing? They're lying through their teeth.
And you are making wild accusations.
Sloane paid off the consul Why would he kill him? Maybe the consul had a change of heart and threatened to come clean after all those people died.
Or maybe he just demanded a bigger kickback.
Assuming a kickback happened in the first place.
Until we have evidence, it's just speculation from a dead reporter.
But If the consul did take a kickback and he suddenly came into a lot of money, maybe he started spending it.
Someone would've noticed.
Like the woman who handles all of his affairs.
The consul was not greedy.
He led a simple life.
So you never noticed any change in his financial affairs An investment in real estate or an offshore account? No.
None of us joined the foreign service to get rich.
The consul believed that his purpose in life was helping others.
Perhaps he changed his mind? I don't think so.
Why are you asking these questions? [Sighs.]
We think the consul may have accepted a bribe in exchange for buying outdated cholera vaccines.
No.
No, I cannot believe that he would betray our country for money.
Many of us lost people that we love in the epidemic.
Officer Mehta He lost a son and a daughter.
I lost a cousin.
And how did the consul react to all this? He grieved with us.
It does not make sense.
[Knock on door.]
Rashid.
What are you doing here? It's my job to look after the welfare of our citizens.
Why are you talking to the FBI without your attorney? You don't understand.
Dr.
Pierce and Agent Moretti They don't believe I'm guilty.
Then why are you here? We're investigating a deal that your consul made with Navilet Pharmaceuticals.
Do you know anything about it? I'm aware the consul authorized the purchase of a vaccine for cholera, but that's all I know.
[Retches.]
Nasim? Are you okay? We should go.
Nasim? Nasim gets sick, and you go running out of the room? What's that about? Nasim threw up, but she's not the only one that felt sick.
How do you know Nasim didn't just eat some bad chicken for lunch? She threw up at the precise moment we told Rashid about the drug deal.
She was mirroring his feelings.
He was anxious.
Yeah, because he was the official taking kickbacks from the drug company.
Okay, but as I understand it, the consul would've had to sign off on this deal, so why would the number-two guy be the one getting kickbacks? Maybe they were co-conspirators, splitting the money.
We don't know yet.
At the very least, Rashid knew about it.
Think about it Sloane sells $50 million worth of useless vaccines at what, 2% commission? That's a million dollars.
Then he pays off the vice-consul to push the deal through.
Well, it's a nice theory.
What do you want from me? You can start with a subpoena for Navilet's financial records, see if they show the deposits that Sloane made into that offshore account.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
No judge is going to sign off on a fishing expedition against one of the biggest companies in town.
Well, if we can't go after Navilet, then let's get Rashid's financials.
He's a diplomat for a sovereign nation.
We start digging around there without evidence, [cellphone rings.]
I'll be getting calls from the State Department.
Moretti.
Yeah.
Look, I want to help you guys.
You know this.
But you got to bring me more than a puddle of puke.
Got it.
Yes.
I'm on it.
I'm sorry.
We're gonna have to talk about this later.
Daniel, I've got another case I need your help with.
- We have a new case? - Yes the case of the missing vows.
What? That was Father Pat on the phone.
I was supposed to have my wedding vows to him two days ago, and I've written thousands of versions, but all of them suck.
Now, you are a great writer.
You come up with all of these brilliant lectures.
- Oh, no.
No, no, no.
- I'm desperate.
I'm not writing your wedding vows for you.
- I don't see why not.
- Because it's wrong on so many levels.
I wouldn't even Maybe there's something here that you could just use as a jumping-off point.
Kate, I Daniel, please.
I have already let Donnie down so many times.
I am begging you here.
You are the only one who can help me.
[Typewriter clacking, dinging.]
"Today, I promise myself to you and this marriage.
"To be faithful, loving, and true, "without any of the increased brain activity "that's associated with hesitation or doubt.
"A true promise, made in earnest, "literally puts the brain at ease.
"And if you could scan my anterior cingulate cortex "right now, Donnie, you'd see that it has never been more relaxed.
" [Scoffs.]
Mate, that is awful.
Who asked you? No, I'm just saying, you know, are you writing wedding vows or the world's worst greeting card? You think you could do better? No, you're right.
I can't.
But Rumi can.
"In your light, I learn how to love.
"In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest, where no one sees you.
" I think I'm gonna throw up.
You okay, Doc? I'm fine.
You sure? 'Cause if you're not feeling well, I can just get you Lewicki.
Lewicki, Lewicki, I'm fine.
Just Get lost.
All right.
Australian: You know, you should really show that guy some respect.
You know, it's always "Lewicki this, Lewicki that.
" Why don't you try calling him by his first name for once? I have called him by his His first name.
[Knock on door.]
Hello, Dr.
Pierce, Agent M You're upset, doctor.
Did I do something wrong? You didn't tell us the truth about your relationship with Vice-Consul Prasad.
There's nothing to tell.
I've noticed how formal you are when you talk to people, always addressing them by their proper titles "Dr.
Pierce," "Agent Moretti," "Mr.
Khan.
" But you call the vice-consul by his first name Rashid.
And now you're blushing.
I don't have to be a synesthete to figure out what that means.
You're in love with him, yes? Mm.
We have been seeing each other.
But I am Hindu, and he is Muslim, and our families never would approve, so we kept it quiet.
You sensed how nervous Rashid was when we brought up the vaccine deal.
- We think he's hiding something.
- Hiding what? That he was involved in the murders of the consul and the reporter.
[Scoffs.]
What? No.
Rashid is not a killer.
He was not the only one who was nervous.
I was nervous, too, be Because of what happened to the contract.
The contract with Navilet? What happened to it? Rashid came to the office to pick it up.
He was supposed to deliver it to the drug company.
He brought me a coffee, as he sometimes does.
I was terrified.
I knew that the consul would lose his temper if he found out the paperwork was ruined.
Oh, what am I going to do? He'll fire me.
He'll send me back to Bangladesh.
I won't let that happen.
It's okay.
I've got another copy.
What do you mean? The consul gave me a copy to review.
It's in my office.
I'll get it.
All you need to do is sign for him.
You've signed his name before, haven't you? The consul told the reporter the truth after all.
He did buy the new vaccine.
Or at least thought he was buying it when he signed the paperwork.
I-I don't understand.
The contract that Rashid brought you, the one you forged the consul's signature on, was for the old vaccine.
[Exhales sharply.]
All those people who died I am to blame.
You couldn't have known.
Rashid was using you.
But if his feelings were not real, I should've been able to tell Because of my condition.
His feelings for you might be real.
That doesn't mean he's not a killer.
- This doesn't prove anything.
- We'll subpoena the contract.
Handwriting analysis will prove that Nasim signed it.
You switched out those contracts, Mr.
Prasad.
Nasim also told us that you brokered the deal with Navilet, that you met with Gordon Sloane a half a dozen times.
You cooked up this scam together, didn't you? - This is ridiculous.
- It was a win-win.
Sloane sells a warehouse full of drugs that nobody wants, and you get a big kickback.
It's only a matter of time before we find that offshore account and link it back to you.
I saw that silver Mercedes parked in your spot.
That does seem a little bit obvious, though, don't you think? After the reporter threatened to blow the lid off your little scheme, you realized that you had to kill him and the consul.
I didn't kill anyone.
If you've got evidence, then you charge me.
Otherwise No one said anything about charging you.
The State Department will have you expelled.
I'm sure the Bangladeshi government will be thrilled to have you back when they learn about your plan and all the lives it cost.
Oh, and don't think Gordon Sloane is gonna help you.
He's got millions of dollars to spend on lawyers, and they are all telling him to let you take the fall for this.
[Sighs.]
What do you want? Testify against Sloane.
The U.
S.
Attorney has assured me that if you cooperate, you'll serve a reduced sentence in a U.
S.
prison.
[Sighs.]
Look I didn't know this new strain of cholera was going to spread to my country Certainly not this fast.
Eventually, the new strain may find its way to South Asia, but in my opinion, it's not something your government should worry about right now.
The Numoral vaccine will meet your needs.
I assure you.
But Bactra-Vox is effective against the newer cholera strains.
How can I justify buying one that isn't, especially if the price is the same? Don't you want to sell me your best product? Well, the truth is, we've had some problems producing the new vaccine.
There's a backlog.
It'll be months before it's available in the quantities that you need.
Then I guess I'll have to see what your competitors are offering.
Hold on.
If you were willing to consider the older drug, I might be able to offer you An incentive.
How much? $100,000 to make sure the contract went through.
But I knew the consul wouldn't sign the contract.
He had all of my research on the vaccines.
So you and Sloane made the consul think he was buying the new vaccine.
Then you switched out the paperwork to cover your asses, so it looked like he knowingly bought the older drug.
You and Nasim were already in a relationship.
She was in love with you.
You knew that she'd forge the consul's signature when you asked.
Then the deal was done.
You thought you were in the clear, until the reporter showed up.
Yes.
When I overheard him talking to our security chief, I knew we had a problem.
Mehta: I'm sorry.
Scott: You're not gonna let me talk to the consul? Fine.
But you have no idea what your boss has done.
He took a payoff to ship a worthless vaccine, and now thousands of your people are dead.
He was onto the scheme.
So I called Gordon Sloane.
He told me not to worry, that he had a guy who could take care of it.
But I thought that meant he was going to bribe the reporter.
I never thought for a second he was going to kill him.
Brooks: Let me get this straight.
You think that you can charge my client with two murders because of a coffee-stained contract that was replaced with a clean copy? It wasn't a clean copy.
It was a completely different contract One the consul never would've signed.
Really? The consul tell you that? No, your client made sure that wouldn't be possible when he had the consul killed.
This is absurd.
Mr.
Sloane was at a shareholders meeting when the consul was killed.
There was at least 50 people who saw him there.
It's a meaningless alibi.
You told Rashid that you had a guy who could take care of it.
You hired a professional.
We don't have to listen to this.
We're gonna put you in jail for fraud, Sloane - 5, maybe 7 years.
- Take your best shot.
And after you get out, we're gonna turn you over to the Bangladeshis.
Yeah.
They want you extradited to face fraud charges in their country.
No reason for us to stand in their way.
Thing is about the Bangladeshi court system, it's extremely understaffed.
It could take years for your case to come to trial.
And all that time, you'll be sitting in a Bangladeshi prison.
Must be all kinds of diseases you could catch in there.
Better make sure your vaccinations are up to date.
Can they do that? What are you offering? Your client gives us the name of the killer he hired and pleads guilty to solicitation for murder.
Why don't you guys take a few minutes? [Door opens.]
Think he'll fold? I think we got a pretty decent shot.
- It it still doesn't add up.
- What? Rashid told us that the consul had nothing to do with the scheme.
So Why did Sloane kill him? Well, maybe the consul caught on after the reporter came to see him the first time.
Australian: You know, the capitalist economy is disgusting.
What? Daniel, are you okay? Your country gives corporations the same rights as people.
But people are flesh and blood, mate, you know? They're they're They're they're mothers, and they're fathers and they're children.
Our drug salesman has blood on his hands.
But it's not the consul's.
The U.
S.
Attorney is moving forward with Nasim's prosecution.
But Dr.
Pierce and I don't think that she did it.
We're wondering if there's anything else that you remember, if you can think of anyone else who might've wanted to hurt the consul.
Oh.
Um I'm sorry.
I-I can't think of anyone.
Mr.
Mehta, we understand that you lost a son and a daughter in the cholera epidemic.
How did you know that? Nasim.
We're very sorry.
My children had been vaccinated.
They were supposed to be safe.
The reporter told you that the vaccine the consul supplied was out of date, didn't he? I can only imagine how you felt.
And then when you found out that the man you worked for was responsible You must've been outraged.
That's why you told us about the reporter So that we'd uncover this awful crime.
But you didn't mention your children because you knew that would make you a suspect.
You seem like an honorable man, not the kind that would let an innocent woman go to prison for murder.
Nasim is a daughter, too.
How do you think her parents are gonna feel if they lose her? If I tell you what happened Will they let Nasim go? Depends what you tell us.
After the reporter told me about this Scheme I went to Rashid.
I'm shocked.
I didn't know anything about these kickbacks.
How could you let this happen?! Do you have any idea how many people died?! I told the consul our people deserve the newest vaccines, but he wouldn't listen to me.
Now I know why.
He can't get away with this.
The consul's family is powerful.
If I go to our superiors, nothing will come of it, and we'll be sent home.
I think it's best if we just forget this conversation happened.
That's when I realized what I had to do.
For the consul, death was quick.
For my children, it was not.
I didn't realize Nasim had come running after him and had seen everything.
I delivered justice.
I can accept the consequences.
Rashid lied to you.
He was the one who took the payoff.
The consul He had nothing to do with it.
Are you saying I killed an innocent man? I don't know what to say.
They're touching without being sappy.
They're just the right amount of funny.
They are perfect! Of course they are.
They're your words.
I found this at the back of your journal.
I didn't change a thing.
This is one of the first things that I wrote.
[Laughs.]
I was at a pancake house on Milwaukee, and I was waiting for Donnie to show up, and the words just Came to me.
Thank you.
There's no way I could've figured this out without you.
Oh, Donnie's gonna love it.
[Door opens.]
[Laughs.]
Doc? You have a visitor.
I'm glad you're both here.
I wanted to thank you for everything that you have done for me.
Of course.
Uh If you'll excuse me one second Max, is there a fax machine around here? Max: Sure.
Got to get these to Father Pat.
Agent Moretti is a special woman, isn't she? Hmm.
Dr.
Pierce, it is not my place to say, but Perhaps you should tell her how you really feel.
W [scoffs.]
I Daniel: The poets tell us to listen to our heart.
What a load of crap.
[Laughter.]
Seriously.
Have you ever listened to one through a stethoscope? It's just valves opening and closing and opening and closing.
It sounds like a sump pump.
It may feel like our emotions are down here, but they're really up here, knocking around our limbic systems.
When we face the hard decisions, we often have to choose between the emotional response and the rational one.
And more often than not, it seems emotion wins the day.
Some of us act out of greed.
Others are motivated by rage or revenge.
So, if our feelings are that destructive, maybe it's better if we hide them Tamp them down, keep them from boiling over.
Maybe.
But can we really deny our emotions forever? Sooner or later, will they bubble to the surface And force us to act?
But with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk.
He had a voice as soft as wild honey.
" Mmm.
Delicious.
[Laughter.]
I mean that.
When I read the words "wild honey," it lit up my gustatory cortex The region of the brain that registers taste.
And "watered silk" triggered my somatosensory cortex, home to my sense of touch.
That's why when we read literature, it makes us feel alive It serves up a-a feast for the senses.
So, this weekend, I am challenging Mr.
Lewicki here to put down the comic books and pick up some Kipling or some Faulkner or some Joyce.
And it wouldn't kill you knuckleheads to do the same thing.
Donnie: Whatcha writing? No peeking.
[Chuckling.]
What, are you keeping a diary now Little I's dotted with hearts? Very funny.
Uh, it's my vows for the wedding.
Thought Father Pat wanted those yesterday.
I know.
I am just, uh, just tweaking them a little.
You're not even close to finished, are you? [Cellphone rings.]
Moretti.
I'll be right there.
[Police radio chatter, sirens wailing.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Special Agent Moretti, FBI.
We're good here.
Open-and-shut case.
You mind giving me the details anyway? You know how it is.
I don't want to go back to the boss empty-handed.
Guy under the sheet is Ahmad Khan, Consul General of Bangladesh.
He was stabbed in the neck by his secretary.
Woman's name is Nasim Shah.
She confess? Didn't have to.
She was found holding the murder weapon.
She's on her way to county lockup.
You want to muscle in on a case, I got a dozen open homicides.
You're not taking this one.
"Taking"? It's FBI jurisdiction.
The victim's a foreign official.
And he was murdered on a city street.
This case belongs to the CPD.
[Buzzer.]
Ms.
Shah? Special Agent Moretti, FBI.
I'd like to talk to you about what happened tonight.
I swear, I did not kill the consul.
The police will not listen to me.
Okay.
Just Tell me what happened.
Uh, Mr.
Khan had just left the office.
He was meeting some friends for dinner a few blocks from the consulate.
But then I realized that he had left his phone in the office.
And so I went after him.
Mr.
Khan? [Gasp.]
The pain was excruciating.
I managed to crawl over to Mr.
Khan to pull out the knife.
[Gasp.]
That's when I fainted.
Did I miss something? Were you attacked, as well? N-no.
No.
But when I see someone in pain, their suffering becomes my suffering.
So you're saying you literally felt like you had been stabbed and the pain made you pass out? I know how it sounds.
But everything I've told you is true.
[Sighs shakily.]
[Sniffles.]
Chandra is punishing me.
Chandra? [Sniffles.]
The Hindu god of the moon.
In our culture, we bear the burdens of sins committed in our past lives.
This is my curse.
Man: Clear the gate.
Gate clear.
Daniel: Here she is.
[Door creaks, closes.]
Ms.
Shah, this is my associate, Dr.
Pierce.
He has a few questions he'd like to ask you.
Are you okay? The woman in my cell is sick.
All night, she was crying, saying that she would die without a fix.
Now she is quiet, but she cannot stop shaking.
- Ow! - Ow! Sorry.
Just confirming my theory.
I'm fine.
Thanks for asking.
When did you start experiencing other people's pain? When I was 5, a boy in my village tripped my sister and broke her leg.
I fell down, too, because the pain was so intense.
That's when the village elders said that I was cursed.
You're not cursed.
I think you have a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia.
I-I don't understand.
When most of us see someone being touched, our brains create a simulation of what we think that touch feels like.
But when you see someone being caressed or Or pinched or stabbed, your brain responds as if it was happening to you.
I'm guessing you also know what people are feeling - Whether they're happy, sad, jealous? - Yes.
That's because your brain mimics emotional reactions, too.
We all make micro-facial expressions that telegraph what we're feeling.
Most people can't perceive them, but a synesthete unconsciously picks up on them.
She's at the mercy of everyone around her and whatever they're going through.
She wouldn't stab anyone.
It'd be like plunging a knife into her own neck.
Yes.
That's exactly it.
P-please, please, can you get me out of this place? So, you think this woman is innocent, but you want me to charge her with murder anyway.
- Why? - Look, she's unusual, all right? She literally had withdrawal symptoms just because the junkie in the cell with her did, too.
Daniel says that she could suffer a serious psychological breakdown if we don't get her out of county lockup.
And take her where? It's not like things are gonna be much better for her at a federal jail.
Well, once you charge her, we can put her in a motel with a Marshal watching her.
Meanwhile, Daniel and I will go find the real killer, and then you can drop the charges.
Ah.
I see.
And I'm supposed to sell this little plan of yours to a judge how, exactly? If Nasim Stays in jail She could see someone get shanked, pass out again from the pain.
You'd be looking at a brain injury, maybe worse.
"Foreign national dies in U.
S.
custody" That's not a headline anyone wants to see, right? Mnh-mnh.
I hope you're putting some of that creativity into your vows.
Agent Moretti, Dr.
Pierce.
I'm Vice-Consul Rashid Prasad.
Please.
Thank you for making time for us.
You have our condolences.
Thank you.
The consul was a man of great service.
And Nasim is adored by everyone here.
I can't believe she would harm anyone.
We agree.
Good.
There must be some other explanation.
You know, there's a facility for the mentally ill nearby.
Perhaps one of those people got loose.
"Those people"? [Clears throat.]
Now that the consul is gone, you're in charge here now, is that right? Temporarily.
I'm still vice-consul until a new appointment is made.
I'm sure it's a very short list of candidates With your name at the top? I don't appreciate what you're implying.
We do need to be thorough in our investigation, Mr.
Prasad.
I'm sure that you can appreciate that.
Of course.
But I assure you, this is not how I would choose to advance my career.
Did the consul have any enemies that you're aware of? No.
But you should talk to the head of our security, Officer Mehta.
There were no specific threats against the consul that I knew of.
But there was a-an incident a few hours before the consul was murdered.
Tell us about it.
[Sighs.]
A reporter showed up, claiming to be writing an exposé for The Chicago Star-Herald.
The consul told me he'd already given this reporter an interview a few weeks before, told me to turn him away.
When I did, the reporter got very angry.
Started making accus accusations regarding the consul.
Such as? [Sighs.]
Please understand, I don't wish to insult the integrity of the consul, particularly now that he can't defend himself.
Officer Mehta, anything you share with us may help us find his killer.
Of course.
[Telephone rings.]
The reporter said that the consul was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Bangladesh.
What did he mean by that? He didn't say specifically Just that it was related to the recent cholera epidemic.
He also gave me this.
He said to call him if I cared about justice.
[Knock on door.]
Mr.
Pineda? [Engine idling.]
You hear that? It's a car running.
Mr.
Pineda? [Scoffs.]
[Doorknob rattling.]
I got it.
I got it.
Hold your breath.
[Coughs.]
[Coughs.]
[Engine shuts off.]
Grab his feet.
[Coughing.]
[Police radio chatter, sirens wailing.]
- What's this? - Diazepam.
One of the crime techs found it on an end table in the living room.
Not uncommon with suicide.
Takes the edge off so they can do the deed.
'Course, this wasn't a suicide.
- Daniel, no.
- Come on, Kate.
A reporter accuses the Bangladeshi consul of being complicit somehow in the deaths of thousands of people, and within a day, the reporter and the consul wind up dead? If someone wanted to murder Pineda, there are much easier ways of doing it than dragging him into a car and forcing him to inhale exhaust fumes.
So maybe he was already dead when they put him in the car.
The M.
E.
said that his skin discoloration is consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning.
Okay, so maybe he was unconscious.
I don't know.
We need to find out whatever story that reporter was working on.
I mean, that's got to be part of it.
I'll have cyber go through his phone and computer.
What about the crime scene photos? You can get your hands on those? I'll get them for you, but right now, there's just somewhere else that I've got to be.
Father Pat: Well, nobody serves better greasy food than Moretti's.
Plenty more where that came from.
Now, why are you trying to ply me with food? Come on, Father Pat.
Can't a couple of old friends just get together for a bite? Okay, here's the thing.
I'm hoping that you can let me get a look at Donnie's vows.
Don't you want to wait till the wedding day? Look, I just want to make sure that Donnie and I are on the same wavelength.
I don't want to write something funny if he's written something more serious, or vice versa.
So you haven't written yours yet.
Why does everyone assume that? Yes.
I've written lots of vows.
Just none that I like.
Fine.
But you're not gonna get the inspiration you need from Donnie's.
- Why do you think that? - 'Cause I'm not gonna show them to you.
It's not fair to Donnie, first of all.
And second of all, I happen to remember "Mount Moretti.
" What? That amazing volcano that you built for sister Margaret's science fair in the 4th grade.
You spent days complaining that you couldn't do it.
Then the night before, you pulled it off, won the whole science fair.
You can do this, Kate.
But why do I have to? It's a traditional catholic ceremony.
We're not even supposed to write our own vows.
There's nothing traditional about you two getting married, divorced, annulled, then remarried.
This is what Donnie wanted to do, so this is what we're gonna do.
[Sighs.]
- Who the hell are you? - [Australian accent.]
Hey, hey, hey.
Take it easy, mate.
I'm a friend.
I've never seen you before in my life.
I don't know how you got in here, but No, no, no, no, no.
Uh, sorry.
I'm a friend of Natalie's.
Great.
My hallucinations are making friends with each other.
[Laughs.]
Yeah, we are.
Met Natalie a few months ago in Bangladesh.
What a great lady.
Just an amazing energy.
When I told her I was headed to Chicago, she said I should crash with you.
Natalie would never say something like that.
Well, she was on a spiritual sabbatical.
That doesn't sound like her at all.
No, she's made some incredible progress in her practice since she left here.
She's really discovered her bliss, you know? She's so much happier.
And the, uh The few days that we spent together were, uh Mutually spiritual [Chuckles.]
If you catch my drift.
Okay.
Get out.
Mate, I'm sensing some real hostility here.
Really? Really? You're vulgar and disgusting, and I-I can't bear the thought of you and Natalie having mutual anything, even if you are both imaginary.
Now go.
Get your filthy feet off my couch and out of my house.
They're not even that dirty.
Oh, are you ki Look at them.
They're fi Dr.
Swank: I'll be damned if you weren't right, Dr.
Pierce.
There is a microscopic puncture mark along the hairline with residual traces of Diazepam around it.
Explains the metabolized levels we found in his bloodstream.
Enough to knock out a horse.
Would've assumed it was from the pills if you hadn't called.
Well, it's practically invisible.
How the hell did you know to look? - His feet were clean.
- I'm sorry.
Come again? It rained that night.
The yard between Pineda's house and the garage was a mess.
If he'd gone out there to kill himself, his feet would've been covered with mud.
I think the killer broke into the house Found Pineda sleeping, injected him with Diazepam [Both grunting.]
Subdued him which wouldn't have been that hard because of the Valium then left those pills on the end table to account for the drug showing up in the tox report.
He took Pineda's body through the yard, making sure that he didn't get footprints in the garage, put him in the car Started the engine [ Engine turns over.]
- And left him to die.
- Pretty slick.
Sounds professional.
Well, I'm changing the cause of death to homicide.
[Classical music playing.]
[Click, music stops.]
Cyber didn't find anything on Bangladesh or cholera on Scott Pineda's computer.
His hard drive was wiped.
So was his phone.
And the editor at the Star-Herald said that Pineda never filed his story.
What about phone-company records? The last call Pineda made before he died was to a doctor.
His name is Trevor Rhodes? Scott and I were roommates in college.
Why are you asking? He was murdered last night.
I'm very sorry.
Oh, God.
I never should've told him.
Told him what? I, uh I work in infectious diseases.
I-I-I volunteer for the World Health Organization.
You were working in Bangladesh.
Yeah.
Last year, they had over a quarter million cases of cholera.
And the Bangladeshis task their international consulates with sourcing vaccines.
Six months ago, I heard the Chicago consulate had ordered a shipment of one of the newer ones Uh, Bactra-Vox.
For one of the poorer regions of the country, so I went to Bangladesh to help administer it, but when the shipment arrived [ Indistinct talking.]
Damn it.
I was pissed, because instead of Bactra-Vox, they sent us Numoral An outdated vaccine.
All I could do was inoculate the locals with what we had and Pray to God no new strains of cholera appeared.
Let me guess Your prayers weren't answered.
It was devastating.
Thousands died Mostly kids, old people.
Where does Scott come in? [Sighs.]
When I got back to Chicago, uh, we met for dinner to catch up.
I told him about all the money and the lives wasted on this outdated vaccine.
And Pineda smelled a story.
We both just figured it was bureaucratic incompetence.
But then Scott went and interviewed the consul, and the guy lied right to his face.
He kept insisting that he had bought the newer vaccine for his people, not Numoral.
Maybe the consul didn't lie.
Maybe Navilet Pharmaceuticals did a bait-and-switch.
Well, that's what we thought, too.
But then Scott did some digging and found out something much worse.
There was a rumor that the W.
H.
O.
was going to decertify Numoral.
Scott discovered that Navilet had a whole stockpile just sitting in a warehouse that suddenly no one wanted to touch.
And then he tracked down some suspicious offshore deposits made by one of their senior VP's right around the time of the sale.
So Navilet bribed the consul to take the outdated vaccine off their hands? That was Scott's theory.
Do you know who at Navilet negotiated the vaccine deal? I assure you, my client didn't bribe anyone.
Mr.
Sloane is Navilet's senior vice-president of sales.
He wouldn't risk his or the company's reputation on a vaccine deal worth What, $50 million? I told the consul six months ago that I'd give him a discounted price on Bactra-Vox.
But demand was high, and it was gonna be eight weeks before the order was fulfilled.
The consul told me that cholera season was fast approaching and his government just couldn't wait that long.
So he agreed to purchase Numoral, hoping it would be as effective.
Unfortunately, we all know how that turned out.
It's tragic.
Oh, come on, you had inside information that the old vaccine was about to be yanked by the W.
H.
O.
, so you paid off the consul to take it.
I assume you work on commission, so who cares if a few poor people die so that you can line your pockets? Daniel.
I understand the impulse to find a bad guy, Dr.
Pierce, but what you're alleging simply isn't true.
We donate millions of dollars of lifesaving medicines every year.
And we reinvest a significant amount of our profits to help improve the living conditions of people in developing countries.
Oh, spare me the corporate bullshit.
You bribed the consul.
When the reporter found out about it, you had him killed.
- Have you lost your mind? - What? What I haven't figured out is why would you kill the consul, too? I didn't kill anyone.
- Oh, come on.
What else - Thank you for your time.
What the hell are you doing? They're lying through their teeth.
And you are making wild accusations.
Sloane paid off the consul Why would he kill him? Maybe the consul had a change of heart and threatened to come clean after all those people died.
Or maybe he just demanded a bigger kickback.
Assuming a kickback happened in the first place.
Until we have evidence, it's just speculation from a dead reporter.
But If the consul did take a kickback and he suddenly came into a lot of money, maybe he started spending it.
Someone would've noticed.
Like the woman who handles all of his affairs.
The consul was not greedy.
He led a simple life.
So you never noticed any change in his financial affairs An investment in real estate or an offshore account? No.
None of us joined the foreign service to get rich.
The consul believed that his purpose in life was helping others.
Perhaps he changed his mind? I don't think so.
Why are you asking these questions? [Sighs.]
We think the consul may have accepted a bribe in exchange for buying outdated cholera vaccines.
No.
No, I cannot believe that he would betray our country for money.
Many of us lost people that we love in the epidemic.
Officer Mehta He lost a son and a daughter.
I lost a cousin.
And how did the consul react to all this? He grieved with us.
It does not make sense.
[Knock on door.]
Rashid.
What are you doing here? It's my job to look after the welfare of our citizens.
Why are you talking to the FBI without your attorney? You don't understand.
Dr.
Pierce and Agent Moretti They don't believe I'm guilty.
Then why are you here? We're investigating a deal that your consul made with Navilet Pharmaceuticals.
Do you know anything about it? I'm aware the consul authorized the purchase of a vaccine for cholera, but that's all I know.
[Retches.]
Nasim? Are you okay? We should go.
Nasim? Nasim gets sick, and you go running out of the room? What's that about? Nasim threw up, but she's not the only one that felt sick.
How do you know Nasim didn't just eat some bad chicken for lunch? She threw up at the precise moment we told Rashid about the drug deal.
She was mirroring his feelings.
He was anxious.
Yeah, because he was the official taking kickbacks from the drug company.
Okay, but as I understand it, the consul would've had to sign off on this deal, so why would the number-two guy be the one getting kickbacks? Maybe they were co-conspirators, splitting the money.
We don't know yet.
At the very least, Rashid knew about it.
Think about it Sloane sells $50 million worth of useless vaccines at what, 2% commission? That's a million dollars.
Then he pays off the vice-consul to push the deal through.
Well, it's a nice theory.
What do you want from me? You can start with a subpoena for Navilet's financial records, see if they show the deposits that Sloane made into that offshore account.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
No judge is going to sign off on a fishing expedition against one of the biggest companies in town.
Well, if we can't go after Navilet, then let's get Rashid's financials.
He's a diplomat for a sovereign nation.
We start digging around there without evidence, [cellphone rings.]
I'll be getting calls from the State Department.
Moretti.
Yeah.
Look, I want to help you guys.
You know this.
But you got to bring me more than a puddle of puke.
Got it.
Yes.
I'm on it.
I'm sorry.
We're gonna have to talk about this later.
Daniel, I've got another case I need your help with.
- We have a new case? - Yes the case of the missing vows.
What? That was Father Pat on the phone.
I was supposed to have my wedding vows to him two days ago, and I've written thousands of versions, but all of them suck.
Now, you are a great writer.
You come up with all of these brilliant lectures.
- Oh, no.
No, no, no.
- I'm desperate.
I'm not writing your wedding vows for you.
- I don't see why not.
- Because it's wrong on so many levels.
I wouldn't even Maybe there's something here that you could just use as a jumping-off point.
Kate, I Daniel, please.
I have already let Donnie down so many times.
I am begging you here.
You are the only one who can help me.
[Typewriter clacking, dinging.]
"Today, I promise myself to you and this marriage.
"To be faithful, loving, and true, "without any of the increased brain activity "that's associated with hesitation or doubt.
"A true promise, made in earnest, "literally puts the brain at ease.
"And if you could scan my anterior cingulate cortex "right now, Donnie, you'd see that it has never been more relaxed.
" [Scoffs.]
Mate, that is awful.
Who asked you? No, I'm just saying, you know, are you writing wedding vows or the world's worst greeting card? You think you could do better? No, you're right.
I can't.
But Rumi can.
"In your light, I learn how to love.
"In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest, where no one sees you.
" I think I'm gonna throw up.
You okay, Doc? I'm fine.
You sure? 'Cause if you're not feeling well, I can just get you Lewicki.
Lewicki, Lewicki, I'm fine.
Just Get lost.
All right.
Australian: You know, you should really show that guy some respect.
You know, it's always "Lewicki this, Lewicki that.
" Why don't you try calling him by his first name for once? I have called him by his His first name.
[Knock on door.]
Hello, Dr.
Pierce, Agent M You're upset, doctor.
Did I do something wrong? You didn't tell us the truth about your relationship with Vice-Consul Prasad.
There's nothing to tell.
I've noticed how formal you are when you talk to people, always addressing them by their proper titles "Dr.
Pierce," "Agent Moretti," "Mr.
Khan.
" But you call the vice-consul by his first name Rashid.
And now you're blushing.
I don't have to be a synesthete to figure out what that means.
You're in love with him, yes? Mm.
We have been seeing each other.
But I am Hindu, and he is Muslim, and our families never would approve, so we kept it quiet.
You sensed how nervous Rashid was when we brought up the vaccine deal.
- We think he's hiding something.
- Hiding what? That he was involved in the murders of the consul and the reporter.
[Scoffs.]
What? No.
Rashid is not a killer.
He was not the only one who was nervous.
I was nervous, too, be Because of what happened to the contract.
The contract with Navilet? What happened to it? Rashid came to the office to pick it up.
He was supposed to deliver it to the drug company.
He brought me a coffee, as he sometimes does.
I was terrified.
I knew that the consul would lose his temper if he found out the paperwork was ruined.
Oh, what am I going to do? He'll fire me.
He'll send me back to Bangladesh.
I won't let that happen.
It's okay.
I've got another copy.
What do you mean? The consul gave me a copy to review.
It's in my office.
I'll get it.
All you need to do is sign for him.
You've signed his name before, haven't you? The consul told the reporter the truth after all.
He did buy the new vaccine.
Or at least thought he was buying it when he signed the paperwork.
I-I don't understand.
The contract that Rashid brought you, the one you forged the consul's signature on, was for the old vaccine.
[Exhales sharply.]
All those people who died I am to blame.
You couldn't have known.
Rashid was using you.
But if his feelings were not real, I should've been able to tell Because of my condition.
His feelings for you might be real.
That doesn't mean he's not a killer.
- This doesn't prove anything.
- We'll subpoena the contract.
Handwriting analysis will prove that Nasim signed it.
You switched out those contracts, Mr.
Prasad.
Nasim also told us that you brokered the deal with Navilet, that you met with Gordon Sloane a half a dozen times.
You cooked up this scam together, didn't you? - This is ridiculous.
- It was a win-win.
Sloane sells a warehouse full of drugs that nobody wants, and you get a big kickback.
It's only a matter of time before we find that offshore account and link it back to you.
I saw that silver Mercedes parked in your spot.
That does seem a little bit obvious, though, don't you think? After the reporter threatened to blow the lid off your little scheme, you realized that you had to kill him and the consul.
I didn't kill anyone.
If you've got evidence, then you charge me.
Otherwise No one said anything about charging you.
The State Department will have you expelled.
I'm sure the Bangladeshi government will be thrilled to have you back when they learn about your plan and all the lives it cost.
Oh, and don't think Gordon Sloane is gonna help you.
He's got millions of dollars to spend on lawyers, and they are all telling him to let you take the fall for this.
[Sighs.]
What do you want? Testify against Sloane.
The U.
S.
Attorney has assured me that if you cooperate, you'll serve a reduced sentence in a U.
S.
prison.
[Sighs.]
Look I didn't know this new strain of cholera was going to spread to my country Certainly not this fast.
Eventually, the new strain may find its way to South Asia, but in my opinion, it's not something your government should worry about right now.
The Numoral vaccine will meet your needs.
I assure you.
But Bactra-Vox is effective against the newer cholera strains.
How can I justify buying one that isn't, especially if the price is the same? Don't you want to sell me your best product? Well, the truth is, we've had some problems producing the new vaccine.
There's a backlog.
It'll be months before it's available in the quantities that you need.
Then I guess I'll have to see what your competitors are offering.
Hold on.
If you were willing to consider the older drug, I might be able to offer you An incentive.
How much? $100,000 to make sure the contract went through.
But I knew the consul wouldn't sign the contract.
He had all of my research on the vaccines.
So you and Sloane made the consul think he was buying the new vaccine.
Then you switched out the paperwork to cover your asses, so it looked like he knowingly bought the older drug.
You and Nasim were already in a relationship.
She was in love with you.
You knew that she'd forge the consul's signature when you asked.
Then the deal was done.
You thought you were in the clear, until the reporter showed up.
Yes.
When I overheard him talking to our security chief, I knew we had a problem.
Mehta: I'm sorry.
Scott: You're not gonna let me talk to the consul? Fine.
But you have no idea what your boss has done.
He took a payoff to ship a worthless vaccine, and now thousands of your people are dead.
He was onto the scheme.
So I called Gordon Sloane.
He told me not to worry, that he had a guy who could take care of it.
But I thought that meant he was going to bribe the reporter.
I never thought for a second he was going to kill him.
Brooks: Let me get this straight.
You think that you can charge my client with two murders because of a coffee-stained contract that was replaced with a clean copy? It wasn't a clean copy.
It was a completely different contract One the consul never would've signed.
Really? The consul tell you that? No, your client made sure that wouldn't be possible when he had the consul killed.
This is absurd.
Mr.
Sloane was at a shareholders meeting when the consul was killed.
There was at least 50 people who saw him there.
It's a meaningless alibi.
You told Rashid that you had a guy who could take care of it.
You hired a professional.
We don't have to listen to this.
We're gonna put you in jail for fraud, Sloane - 5, maybe 7 years.
- Take your best shot.
And after you get out, we're gonna turn you over to the Bangladeshis.
Yeah.
They want you extradited to face fraud charges in their country.
No reason for us to stand in their way.
Thing is about the Bangladeshi court system, it's extremely understaffed.
It could take years for your case to come to trial.
And all that time, you'll be sitting in a Bangladeshi prison.
Must be all kinds of diseases you could catch in there.
Better make sure your vaccinations are up to date.
Can they do that? What are you offering? Your client gives us the name of the killer he hired and pleads guilty to solicitation for murder.
Why don't you guys take a few minutes? [Door opens.]
Think he'll fold? I think we got a pretty decent shot.
- It it still doesn't add up.
- What? Rashid told us that the consul had nothing to do with the scheme.
So Why did Sloane kill him? Well, maybe the consul caught on after the reporter came to see him the first time.
Australian: You know, the capitalist economy is disgusting.
What? Daniel, are you okay? Your country gives corporations the same rights as people.
But people are flesh and blood, mate, you know? They're they're They're they're mothers, and they're fathers and they're children.
Our drug salesman has blood on his hands.
But it's not the consul's.
The U.
S.
Attorney is moving forward with Nasim's prosecution.
But Dr.
Pierce and I don't think that she did it.
We're wondering if there's anything else that you remember, if you can think of anyone else who might've wanted to hurt the consul.
Oh.
Um I'm sorry.
I-I can't think of anyone.
Mr.
Mehta, we understand that you lost a son and a daughter in the cholera epidemic.
How did you know that? Nasim.
We're very sorry.
My children had been vaccinated.
They were supposed to be safe.
The reporter told you that the vaccine the consul supplied was out of date, didn't he? I can only imagine how you felt.
And then when you found out that the man you worked for was responsible You must've been outraged.
That's why you told us about the reporter So that we'd uncover this awful crime.
But you didn't mention your children because you knew that would make you a suspect.
You seem like an honorable man, not the kind that would let an innocent woman go to prison for murder.
Nasim is a daughter, too.
How do you think her parents are gonna feel if they lose her? If I tell you what happened Will they let Nasim go? Depends what you tell us.
After the reporter told me about this Scheme I went to Rashid.
I'm shocked.
I didn't know anything about these kickbacks.
How could you let this happen?! Do you have any idea how many people died?! I told the consul our people deserve the newest vaccines, but he wouldn't listen to me.
Now I know why.
He can't get away with this.
The consul's family is powerful.
If I go to our superiors, nothing will come of it, and we'll be sent home.
I think it's best if we just forget this conversation happened.
That's when I realized what I had to do.
For the consul, death was quick.
For my children, it was not.
I didn't realize Nasim had come running after him and had seen everything.
I delivered justice.
I can accept the consequences.
Rashid lied to you.
He was the one who took the payoff.
The consul He had nothing to do with it.
Are you saying I killed an innocent man? I don't know what to say.
They're touching without being sappy.
They're just the right amount of funny.
They are perfect! Of course they are.
They're your words.
I found this at the back of your journal.
I didn't change a thing.
This is one of the first things that I wrote.
[Laughs.]
I was at a pancake house on Milwaukee, and I was waiting for Donnie to show up, and the words just Came to me.
Thank you.
There's no way I could've figured this out without you.
Oh, Donnie's gonna love it.
[Door opens.]
[Laughs.]
Doc? You have a visitor.
I'm glad you're both here.
I wanted to thank you for everything that you have done for me.
Of course.
Uh If you'll excuse me one second Max, is there a fax machine around here? Max: Sure.
Got to get these to Father Pat.
Agent Moretti is a special woman, isn't she? Hmm.
Dr.
Pierce, it is not my place to say, but Perhaps you should tell her how you really feel.
W [scoffs.]
I Daniel: The poets tell us to listen to our heart.
What a load of crap.
[Laughter.]
Seriously.
Have you ever listened to one through a stethoscope? It's just valves opening and closing and opening and closing.
It sounds like a sump pump.
It may feel like our emotions are down here, but they're really up here, knocking around our limbic systems.
When we face the hard decisions, we often have to choose between the emotional response and the rational one.
And more often than not, it seems emotion wins the day.
Some of us act out of greed.
Others are motivated by rage or revenge.
So, if our feelings are that destructive, maybe it's better if we hide them Tamp them down, keep them from boiling over.
Maybe.
But can we really deny our emotions forever? Sooner or later, will they bubble to the surface And force us to act?