CSI: Crime Scene Investigation s03e16 Episode Script

(indistinct radio transmission) (tires squealing) (sirens wailing) (thudding, tires squealing) We've got multiple crossing vehicles.
(tires screeching, horn honking) Lincoln 34, what's your status on pursuit? Suspect appears intoxicated.
(radio transmission) (sizzling) Driver, cut the engine and throw the keys out the window.
Driver, cut the engine and throw the keys out the window! Excuse us.
Excuse me, sir.
Thank you.
Death the cheapest show in Vegas.
Yeah, it doesn't surprise me.
You remember the MGM fire? We found people burned to their slot machines 'cause they wouldn't leave the action.
Only in Vegas.
This guy's got a piece of wood sticking out of his head.
Alex James, age 42.
Found his wallet in the glove compartment.
SUV is registered to him.
No previous record.
How was he able to drive? I once saw a guy walk 15 blocks with three bullets in his face.
The victim was traveling west on Flamingo.
The Desert Palm isn't too far from here.
I guess he was en route to the hospital.
I don't much care where he was going.
I want to know where he's been.
I like coming in the back way.
Yeah, makes us VIPs tonight.
Let me help you, ma'am.
Sir? No, thanks.
Oh, it's not luggage.
Thank you, though.
You must be OSI.
I'm Warrick Brown.
This is Catherine Willows.
You said you had a situation in your casino? A kidnap.
Is it a high profile? Yes.
We'd like to deal with this locally before we involve the FBI.
Well, until we know the victim was taken over state lines, the FBI has no jurisdiction.
Do you have any contact from the kidnappers? A ransom note was left at the front desk.
Who are we looking for here? A five-year-old boy.
Whose five-year-old boy? Tavian Tombs.
Tavian Tombs, professional basketball player.
Very high profile.
eight people to make sure that something like this does not happen.
Where the hell was everybody? Out spending my money? You're supposed to be the head of security, and you let my son get kidnapped right from under my nose.
Mr.
Tombs? You better have a good reason for being here.
We're here to find your son.
We're with the Crime Lab, and I'm assuming that that's our ransom note.
It's my note, my kid, my show.
Look, I've seen you take out three guys on the glass and still finish.
I'm not here to bang boards with you.
I'm here to do my job.
It's your son, it's your call.
I'm going to dunk on you again.
Yeah.
"I have Isaiah.
"Bring $5 million "to the northwest corner of Telfair and Juniper, How many of you touched this letter? I did.
We all did.
I just want my boy back.
Did this note come in an envelope? Yeah I threw it in the wastebasket.
We have a better chance of getting uncompromised prints off of this.
You said that Captain Brass was here? Yeah.
He's interviewing the nanny.
(sighing) We were at the carnival, me and the boys.
(children cheering, laughing) They wanted to ride on the carousel.
I said no.
But you gave in.
Special weekend.
Dad's in town.
Everybody's together.
Trust me, they don't understand "no.
" (children cheering, laughing) Jason! Jason, where's Isaiah? Jason! Where's your brother?! Jason, where's your brother?! He was right there.
And then he I swear to you, I looked everywhere, but I knew he was gone.
(sighs) So I brought the kids back here and had to tell Tavian.
And his wife.
(scoffs) They're not married.
And even if they were, it'd still be Tavian's show.
A woman who knows her employer.
I should.
He's my brother.
It took you that long to pull the paper together? Soft Count Room wouldn't go any faster.
The casino's fronting the ransom money? Mr.
Tombs has a multimillion-dollar line of credit with us.
We strongly advise that you don't hand over that money.
At least let us mark it.
You know how long it'd take to mark $5 million large? The kidnapper knows.
Longer than the drop-off time.
Now, the letter said corner of Telfair and Juniper.
That's where this bag is going.
(garbled radio transmission) Sharp force trauma.
Shouldn't we get the spike out of his head before we try to get any prints off it? I'm afraid if we try to remove it, we'll eradicate the prints.
(shutter clicks) I'm not going to get any prints off of this.
Well, he sure is dirty.
I mean, he isn't homeless.
This is his car, right? Yeah.
I'm going to scrape his nails.
Hand me a bindle.
Hey, fellas, you're never going to guess what I found under the seat.
A.
38 Special.
Catherine wanted to know if you have anything.
She can't convince Tavian to change his mind about the ransom money.
x 11 plain white copy paper.
It's mass-produced.
You can get it anywhere.
The envelope, unfortunately, is self-adhering.
No DNA.
No.
What about the text? It's just standard laser, nondescript.
So you got nothing.
Nothing I can see.
(writing) (lid clamping) (suction whirring) (whirring stops) Looks like something out of Nosferatu.
Yeah, only the wooden stake is in his head, not his heart.
I've never seen that before a wooden stake embedded in the high parietal scalp in the midline.
Hold his head down firmly, will you? On three.
One two three! Irregular puncture defect to the scalp, laceration to the sagittal sinus.
The wound track stops at the falx cerebri.
No gross penetration of the cerebrum.
That stake is what kept him driving.
Tamponading? Well, the application of more than normal pressure to the wound acts like a plug, temporarily keeping him alive.
The spike probably struck between the brain hemispheres most likely lodging into the parietal bones and holding it in place.
They say it's a game of inches a centimeter to the left or right, and he would have bled out and died instantly.
Yeah, but head trauma this severe, surgery would've probably killed him anyway.
That, or live an extra hour in excruciating pain.
They weren't lying.
They all touched it.
Everybody's who's got a piece of Tavian got a hand on that ransom note.
Even the bellman and the desk clerk left prints on the envelope.
Any unidentified prints? Just a few smudges, a couple of partials.
So prints don't help.
No.
Liquid extraction results.
Yeah, that was detected on the ransom note menthol and nicotine.
Nicotine.
So we're looking for a smoker menthol smoker.
Everybody hold.
We don't make a move until after he's taken the money.
(both sighing) Stand down.
We're way past the drop time here.
Yeah.
Well, let's give it a couple more.
So, what's your take on this? Inside or outside job? No, I think it's just some freak with a nicotine habit and access to a laser printer.
Did you see the action he got? One phone call, $5 million gets delivered to his hotel? Yeah, that money's not doing him any good now, huh? Yeah.
It's just gone bad.
Oh, man.
Hey! Hey! What are you doing? Put the guns down! Put the guns down! (sighs) What the hell are you doing? Tavian wanted me to be sure the transfer got done.
This is our job not yours, not Tavian's.
What are you concerned about here the kid or your job? I didn't do nothing.
Nobody took the money didn't even show.
I been here all night just like you.
They spotted you.
You understand? The kidnappers saw you.
They made us.
(cell phone rings) I was doing what Tavian asked me to, man.
Brass.
It's him.
I'll take the perimeter.
Body's in an unnatural position.
Maybe this is only the dump site.
His body's also coated.
Makes me think whoever did this didn't even stop the car.
Something had to have gone wrong.
Something did.
Do not let them cut him.
I don't want them even touching him.
We're taking the body.
Mr.
Tombs I'm sorry, but in a crime like this, an autopsy's mandatory.
Evidence from your son's body may lead us to the suspect.
You're telling me what I can and can't do? It's not your call anymore.
(sighs) How you doing over there? I got scat.
Feces? Yep.
Under the fingernail? Yep.
He wiped his own ass? No, Nick, it's not human.
It's scat.
Could be from a bat.
Bat scat.
Bat guano.
Well, whatever.
It's a lot better than what I got.
As far as I can tell, the wood's Douglas Fir with a side of God knows what.
I'm no geologist, but these splinters are intertwined with some kind of mineral.
Is it sparkly? Oh, yeah.
Let me see.
I think it's quartz.
Or fluorite.
Great.
That limits it to every outdoor area in Greater Nevada.
Mountain ranges, mine shafts, quarries underground sewers.
All home to bats.
(sighing) Hey.
Why don't you let me handle this? Thanks.
I'm not ready to deal with another murdered kid.
I'll process the evidence.
No apparent cause of death.
I'll send a blood sample to Tox.
The foam around his mouth? Could indicate pulmonary edema.
Found bruising in the lower extremities and the knees, but these injuries are a few days old.
The bruises are at various stages of healing.
Well, that could be from roughhousing with his older brothers.
What about this bruise? Well let's see, it extends around the body like so.
Ah, I've seen this before.
Did you find rope at the scene? We haven't found the scene.
This is Outer City Salvage Company, owned and operated by Alex James, our stake-in-the-head guy.
Las Vegas Police.
I have a warrant.
I'll clear the back.
Thanks.
(chuckling) When's the last time you saw a dinosaur like this? Lemons on the reels.
Not since Sam Braun ran the town.
Old Vegas.
Buckshot pellets.
Looks like he loaded his own.
A melting furnace.
What's that for? Melting precious metals.
Quenched it in the tub? Hey, fellas, take a look at this.
More precious metals.
Pawn tickets.
Easily traceable.
Topographical maps of the Sierra Nevada.
Delamar Quadrangle, Lincoln County, La Madre Mountain Clark County.
Hey, Nick.
Blood spatter and a bullet hole, maybe? Through-and-through.
Oh, yeah.
Medium caliber.
This is our primary crime scene? Except that our vic had a stake in his head.
He wasn't shot.
Yeah, but he had a.
38 in his car.
We're looking for another body.
It was a tip.
A $10,000 gold chip? I don't think so.
If it was a tip, you wouldn't have had to lose the bellman's outfit to cash it in.
Now where'd you get this? I found it, sort of.
You found it sort of.
Tavian is always surrounded by women.
Guys, too, but they want autographs.
The chicks they want something else.
Now, usually his boys turn them away, but this one got through.
Excuse me, I need to see Tavian.
There were definitely chicks a lot hotter, but I guess when you can have anything They leave together? No, just the opposite.
They got into it right there.
You're a lousy father to Tramelle.
And you think the whole world worships you.
But the truth is, you're just a deadbeat.
Whatever.
This what you want? Casino taxes me $24 an hour regardless of what I make.
And do you know how much a zillionaire like Tavian Tombs tips? Zip.
Nothing.
Not even change I can throw in the fountain.
And why? Because he's comped all the way around.
R.
F.
B room, food, beverage including tips.
So, when ten large goes sliding across the floor, and nobody sees it? Get out of the way, 'cause Kevin's coming through.
I want you to see him more.
I want you to be a part of his life.
Spend time with him.
Yeah, I get the picture.
Hey, I tried to give it back.
This is yours.
Keep it.
Yeah, yeah, sure you did.
So, uh, what about my money? Don't be stupid.
Who's the blonde he's talking about? I don't know.
Look, big casinos honor each other's chips.
So, how you tracking these? Bar code, embedded transmitters, what? Look, it's okay.
It's easy for the guys at the lab to figure this out, but we'll let the other casinos know you helped us out.
Her name is Bridget Willis.
She's on his list.
Thank you.
Hey, Griss, ballistics matched the.
38 bullet to the gun in the victim's car.
As for the splinters on the stake you were right.
Quartz.
Fluorite.
Dolomite, barite, calcite, antimony.
Well, the Mass Spec dug deeper.
Arsenic and cyanide.
Now, as of late, that's what's used to extract gold.
Do you have any idea how many mine shafts there are in the state of Nevada? Yeah, hundreds.
Including gold and silver mines in Nelson, Searchlight, Goodsprings.
You name it.
I've got Lockwood running a background check on our vic.
Maybe we'll get lucky.
Bridget Willis? Mm-hmm.
I'm Detective Jim Brass, Vegas PD.
This is Catherine Willows from the Crime Lab.
You're here to talk to my son Tramelle? Yeah.
We already have.
I was in college.
He was the "man," Mr.
Final Four.
I thought I'd won the lottery.
Then I got pregnant, and he went in the lottery, so Take a look around.
Guess what we fight about.
Money.
He's rich, I'm not.
I've accepted that.
But he does have responsibilities.
Tramelle.
A weekend here and there doesn't make a father.
Tramelle's not one of his "boys.
" He's his son.
Kid comes home with a armful of presents and a broken heart every time.
Ms.
Willis is Tramelle your only child? No.
I have a little girl.
Why wasn't she with Tavian's other kids at the carnival? She wasn't invited.
I'm not taking her.
I'm not taking your girl.
Tramelle's been talking about this weekend for months.
She just wants to come.
Then what you better do is explain to her that I'm Tramelle's father, not hers.
What difference does one little girl make? It's all about what's mine.
Mommy.
What's for lunch? Just a minute, okay, sweetie? So, instead, I took her to Sweet Creatures at the Forum Shops.
(laughs) Don't fill it too much, sweetie.
Oh, yes, I've been there.
Works wonders on the disappointments of little girls.
That's what I was hoping for.
For you.
Thanks.
Have you taken a look? I'm just trying to learn.
Well? Well, the fiber you tweezed from that sweatshirt Trace pegged it as sisal.
Sisal? Rope? Most likely from the restraint.
What's under the scope? Take a look.
Oh, hair.
But cuticle's a single layer.
Overlapping.
It's not human.
It's canine.
Sweatshirt was riddled with dog hair.
Many different breeds.
You think the kidnapper used it as a lure? Kids love dogs.
I know when I was a kid, I was all over them.
That's a good start.
Thanks.
Found them in Isaiah's stomach contents.
Pill casings.
Starts to break down as soon as it hits the mouth.
The shell is porous.
In the stomach, the medicine leeches out, enters the bloodstream.
The case is left behind.
Eventually, the casing's broken down, as well, but by then, the medicine's already working.
I see a USP number.
Well, it should be listed in the PDR, but I couldn't find it.
What have you got? Pill casings.
He was drugged? Looks that way.
Well, we lifted dog hair from the sweatshirt we found near the body.
So, our kidnapper had contact with dogs.
Multiple breeds.
Dog lover? Dog walker? Hey, how about a vet? Try the reference of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals and Biologicals.
Acepromazine Maleate.
Tranquilizer.
Four pills wouldn't have been fatal for a child Isaiah's size.
Based on the blood levels, these remnants were probably a second dose.
It wasn't the money drop that went bad.
The problem was Isaiah died.
I'll call Brass.
I'll have him check vet clinics, kennels, pet supply stores, and we'll extend the radius out from the dump site.
Okay.
Our man Alex James is quite the land owner.
According to the Mining Laws of 1872, public land can still be patented for five dollars an acre a law which is still in effect.
That's all this guy did was buy and sell publicly owned government land.
Funny thing is, there was one mine that he sold over and over again.
Now, why would he do that? Now, there lies the mystery.
So, who was the last person he sold to? Joe McPherson.
Local.
Where is he now? No one knows.
He's been missing for 48 hours.
(chuckles) There lies the mystery.
Where's the mine? What's with the gate? It's a bat gate.
It keeps people out, lets the bats in.
Old mines are considered bat habitats and preserves.
Who puts the bat gates in? Batman.
What have you got? Insect chitin.
It's usually found near the entrance of caves.
Guano.
We got bats.
Oh.
Good.
Probably California Leaf-nosed Bats.
They don't bite, do they? They're like bees, Nick.
You don't bother them, they won't bother you.
Well, hey, let's let's not bother them, okay? I'm serious.
Are you seeing this? Gold.
We're rich.
I'm not so sure.
Another buckshot casing.
And these look like impact patterns.
So, he was loading his own.
But not with pellets.
With gold.
Pawn shop jewelry, a melting furnace.
You know, Lockwood said that James sold this parcel of land multiple times.
I think he was running a scam.
He was salting the mind.
(gunshot) Insect party.
Yeah.
Cockroaches, cave crickets.
Carabid beetles.
All heading deeper into the cave.
Why? Maybe they got tired of eating bat guano.
So, this is three blocks from the place where Isaiah's body was found.
Why don't you guys take the kennel? Metcalf and I are going to take the dog run.
(dogs barking) (barking continues) (ferocious barking) (barking) Cath? We found something.
I think you're going to want to take a look at this.
Jacob Price.
Local.
He works the night shift here.
Looks like somebody beat us to him.
Partner you think? Or a guy who knows how to finish.
I don't want to hear this.
Yeah, well I've been on the job a long time, and I know what a tragedy like this can do to a family.
I told you, I don't want to hear it.
What's going to happen is one day Kenisha or Tramelle or one of your other kids is going to come to you and say, "What happened to Isaiah?" And they're going to want to know the truth.
Nothing you say is going to change anything.
The guy who took Isaiah worked in a kennel.
He was used to handling dogs, not children.
When Isaiah tried to escape, he was restrained, and when that didn't work, he was drugged.
Now, drugs have a different effect on adults than on children.
It's called "the paradoxical effect.
" So, when the tranquilizers weren't working, this guy Price upped the dosage.
Now, as a father, I can understand why you'd want this guy dead.
What? Whoa.
You think I killed him? Yes, I do.
I didn't kill anybody.
I don't even know who he is.
But if I'd gotten to him before you, I swear I would not have stopped to think about it.
(dog barking) Don't fill it too much, sweetie.
You said the bigger the better.
(coughing) Air's getting thick.
Smells like trinitrotoluene.
(coughs) Look familiar? Yeah.
But how did it get in the back of the guy's head? Fuse line.
Dynamite.
(coughing) Chest wound.
Possibly from our.
38.
Looks about two days old.
Joe McPherson.
Local.
Mr.
MIA.
You know, wooden support beams, fuse line, TNT I think, uh, Alex James was trying to hide this body in the back of his mine.
You scammed me.
No.
That was my life savings.
Take it easy.
Listen, now-now, now, lookit.
L-I, I can explain everything, all right? Listen, Joe.
Joe, come on, l-I sold you the wrong mine.
L-It's an honest mistake.
You're a liar! (grunting) (gunshot) Like most fuses, it probably burnt too quickly and he couldn't outrun the blast.
(yelling) Or the wooden stake.
Okay.
Sample from the kennel is on your right.
Your bear is on the left.
Visible match.
(knocking at door) Bridget Willis? Las Vegas police.
Tramelle, where's your mother? I don't know.
She left with my sister.
She said my daddy would come get me.
She's not here.
I'll put out an APB.
So, Tavian was paying Bridget child support three grand a month.
Three grand a month? Tavian Tombs has been a $12 million-a-year player for eight seasons, not including endorsements.
Well, he made his deal with Bridget when Tramelle was born.
Bad timing for her.
Motive for us.
She was right to assume that Tavian would immediately pay that ransom.
What's five million to a guy who makes hundreds of millions? And it is his son.
I'm sure he would have paid any amount.
So, how does that dog kennel guy Price figure into all this, and was killing him part of the plan? I don't know.
I think that Bridget Willis killed him because he killed Isaiah.
(yelling) In her act of redemption, she gives Tramelle to Tavian.
Affirmative.
They're clear to go.
Come here.
Hello, Tramelle.
Hi.
Okay.
According to Greg, the blood on the bullet's a direct match to Joe McPherson.
It's a done deal.
You know, I was talking to a lady in the County Records Office.
She said those land patents have been changing hands for over 50 years.
That figures.
There's a sucker born every minute.
Yup, and they all come to Vegas.