Without a Trace s03e20 Episode Script

Hey.
Brought you a bagel.
Oh, thank you.
Listen, I was thinking about your cousin's wedding and I would like to go.
I mean, I'm a little nervous to meet your family, obviously but you're right, I think it's time.
I already booked my flight.
Oh, well, I Actually, that's not true.
I didn't, but I'm going to.
I'm gonna go by myself.
Is something wrong? No, I just I don't wanna do this anymore.
What? I'm just tired of playing games.
And I'm not interested in waiting around while you figure out your problems.
My problems? So, what are you saying, we're done? I mean, we're done? Well, not just like that, but yeah.
I am.
It's Daisy Thorpe.
I'll call you and give you the details.
Sam, I need you to come with me.
We're gonna head upstate.
I don't know what's going on with you two but I want you to keep it out of the office.
Must be the locals.
Morning.
Who are you? Special Agent Malone, Special Agent Spade, FBI.
Who called you? Daisy Thorpe's parents.
Is there a problem? No, we need all the help we can get.
Yes, I can imagine.
You wanna fill me in? This place belongs to Curtis Horne our lead suspect in Daisy's disappearance.
What do you have on him? Killed Amber Bryce seven years ago.
We just couldn't prove it.
You look young to have been involved in that case.
Yeah, I wasn't, but we all lived through it.
Sheriff found her body.
Yeah, up near the old bridge.
Sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
She was 13, just like Daisy.
What tied Curtis Horne to the old crime? Besides being Amber's boyfriend? He was the last one seen with her.
They had an argument that morning, and he had no alibi.
How old was he? Seventeen.
Very bad news.
What did you have for physical evidence then? Nothing.
No prints.
Killer wore gloves.
There was no semen.
I'd like to speak to Mr.
Horne.
He's not gonna answer any of your questions.
He barely talks to us.
Well, I'm gonna talk to him anyway.
Amber was the reverend's daughter.
Nobody knew why he let her date this scum.
What makes you think he's scum? Not just him.
His whole family.
Older brother's doing time for manslaughter.
Father was in and out of the can until he shot himself last year.
Curtis.
What now? Curtis, this is agents Malone and Spade, FBI.
They'd like to ask you a few more questions about Daisy.
I already told you, I don't know her.
Maybe Maybe this will help.
Never seen her before.
Where were you yesterday afternoon? Right here, where I always am.
I'd be at work if anyone in this damn town gave me a job.
Why stick around if you can't get a job? To piss everyone off.
Now, if you're not gonna arrest me, you can just get the hell out of here.
You bet, sport.
Thanks for your help.
I'm gonna need all your files on Amber Bryce, okay? Oh, and could you do me a favor and set up a 24/7 surveillance on him? Oh, we won't let him out of our sight.
All that's missing is the banjo music.
Why did you wait 15 hours to call in this report? We thought she was acting out.
She's been doing that a lot lately.
How do you mean? It started a few months ago.
She started dyeing her hair, and all those piercings.
Her whole personality changed.
One minute she wouldn't speak to us, then the next she'd be screaming.
We chalked it up to adolescence.
Has she ever run away? A couple of times.
Usually after we had a big argument.
But she's never been gone all night.
Did you have a big argument recently? Yesterday morning, I came in to ask her what she wanted for breakfast.
Come on, you have to eat.
I'm not hungry.
How about scrambled eggs? How about I vomit? Sweetie, you have to eat something.
Could you please leave? Want one? What are these? You don't know? Wow, Mom, you really are pathetic.
Are you having sex? You scared me for a minute.
I asked you a question.
Daisy, who are you having sex with? You mean, who aren't I having it with.
I'm serious.
Everyone, Mom.
I'm having sex with everyone.
She said she was having sex with everyone? I was going to tell you, but then this happened.
Did Daisy have any contact with Curtis Horne that you know of? No.
Does Daisy have a boyfriend? No.
Those pills, do you still have them? Yes.
All right, I'm gonna need those.
I'm also gonna need her toothbrush.
What for? DNA.
It's just in case.
Hello? Hey, Viv.
It's Danny.
I'm sorry to bother you.
It's okay.
I'm just trying to open this stupid bottle of beta blockers.
I swear to God, if my heart doesn't kill me, these tops will.
What can I do for you? New case, 13 year old girl.
Jack has me doing background, so I'm pulling old cases of girls that age.
Twenty six of them are open, two of them are yours.
Only problem is, I cannot read your handwriting.
All right, the first one is a girl named Elaine Pratt.
Okay, Elaine's in her 70s.
Oh, that must be a seven and not a one.
I'm sorry.
The other one is Mary Stefano.
Hang on.
Hold I've got somebody on the other line, okay? Hello? Yeah.
What? Okay, hang on a second.
Hey, Danny, Mary's a mobster's daughter so I'm guessing it's not related.
I gotta go, okay? Is everything all right? Hello? Hey, it's me.
Hey.
I tracked down those pills.
Got them from a family planning clinic in Hudson Falls.
I'll fax you the subpoena for her chart.
Great.
All right, bye.
Martin, wanna see something weird? These are Daisy Thorpe's phone records, right? All the calls that are highlighted are calls that she made to Reverend Isaac Bryce, Amber Bryce's father.
What's she doing calling him? Exactly.
You've been banging on this drum for seven years.
I don't wanna hear it.
I have a 7 year old daughter.
I don't want her in the same place Amber was.
You don't even bring her up! I don't wanna hear it, Bob.
Reverend Bryce? Jack Malone, FBI.
I heard that you were in town.
This is just so terrible, what Daisy's parents are going through.
You have a close relationship with Daisy? Well, sure.
Her parents are both in the choir.
This is a very small community here.
It's my understanding that she'd been calling you a lot lately.
At home.
What are you implying? I'm not implying anything.
I wanna know why she was calling you.
Well, I really don't wanna talk about it.
She wanted to talk about Amber, okay? About what? I don't know, everything.
A few days ago, she came by here, she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Nice flowers.
Daisy I know you don't wanna talk to me but I was thinking, it's kind of part of your job description.
Daisy, please.
What kind of things did Amber like? Did she like poetry? What about E.
E.
Cummings? I don't remember.
What about animals? You know, my dad's a vet.
We've got tons of pets.
Did Amber have any? Dogs, cats? You must remember that.
You really need to leave.
Did she play any sports? She played tennis.
Tennis? Really? Where? On the courts over on Thayer? That's where my family plays.
My dad's been playing there for years.
Maybe he knew Amber.
My daughter is dead! That's all you need to know about Amber, she's dead! Now, please, go.
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't have exploded like that.
Why do you think she's so preoccupied with your daughter? You don't seem to fully understand how much what happened to Amber affected this town.
What about your daughter's relationship with Curtis Horne? Nothing good.
Everything about it was wrong.
Did you try and stop her from going out with him? Yes.
The night before she went missing we had a long talk with Amber.
She promised that the next day she would tell Curtis that she wouldn't see him anymore.
And that's why you think he killed her? I know that's why.
Daisy listed you as her emergency contact on her clinic chart.
They said our charts were confidential.
"Our charts"? You went with her? Are you and Daisy sleeping together? Me and Dais? No.
Do you know if she was sleeping with anyone? No.
She isn't.
What about the birth control pills? She got them to freak her mom out.
At least, that's what she told me.
Daisy's relationship with her parents is pretty strained.
They fight a lot, but no worse than anyone else.
What about Amber Bryce? Did you ever hear her mention that name? Are you kidding? She's obsessed.
This is so sick.
What? This whole Amber Bryce thing.
Some pervert has sex with a 13 year old girl and kills her.
No one in this town gives a damn.
Yes, they do.
Not enough to find out who did it.
They know who did it.
Who? Curtis Horne? Then why don't they do something? Why don't they arrest him? I'm sure they've tried.
Not hard enough! Dais, what's wrong? I mean, Amber was killed a long time ago.
She was 13 years old, Aaron.
She was our age.
How could you not care? How could this whole town not care? I told her not to go, but she went to see Curtis the next day.
You're sure about that? Yeah.
Car's gone.
Where the hell is the surveillance? Curtis Horne! FBI! Open up! He's not here, but this is.
Daisy's.
He's driving a light blue Volvo wagon, New York plates I told you to keep an eye on him.
I drove by three or four times an hour.
I wanted you to sit here and watch him.
I got other things to do.
Like what, go to the doughnut shop? Hey! You got a problem, take it to me.
All I asked for was a simple surveillance.
That's it.
He screwed up.
I will handle it.
I hope you handle it better than this.
Jack! Take a look at this.
Is that blood? Yeah.
And it looks like a partial bar code.
What do you wanna know? I wanna know about the knife that you sold Curtis Horne.
Curtis Horne.
I wouldn't sell that man a toothpick.
During the course of our investigation, we found a knife on his premises.
It was sold in your store two days ago.
Not to Curtis.
I sold that blade to Daisy.
You sold an 8 inch hunting knife to a 13 year old girl? Wouldn't have had to if they did their job the first time.
What's that supposed to mean? She needed it for protection.
Protection from what? Curtis Horne.
Half the kids in this town run scared of him.
Isn't that right, sheriff? What were you and Reverend Bryce talking about this morning? Sunday services.
Yes, of course you were.
Thank you.
That's it? Yeah, that's it.
Thanks for your help.
Okay.
Take care.
Hey, Bob.
See you next Saturday.
You bet.
Why do I get the distinct impression that he's lying? Well, Bob didn't do anything.
He just doesn't trust outsiders.
Seems to be an epidemic of that in this town.
People are scared.
You know, we're just here to help.
It'd be a real kick in the pants if we could get a little cooperation.
Now, how about those Amber Bryce files? Thank you for bringing him home, officer.
I appreciate it.
You're welcome, ma'am.
Take care.
You just gonna sit there? Do you want me to call the cops back and have them take you downtown? What? I can't hear you.
No.
Start talking.
What do you want me to say? Tell me what you were thinking when you decided to cut school and go drinking beers in the park with your buddies.
I don't know.
You don't know? You better figure it out, because your father and I work too damn hard for you to start acting like this.
Now is not the time for you to start pulling this crap.
Now is the time for this family to pull together.
Do you understand me? So your mom says you ride your bike around here a lot.
This is kind of a shortcut.
You have to be careful, though.
Of what? Making sure Curtis doesn't catch you.
If he does, he'll take you out to the old bridge, chop you into little bits.
Little bits? Really? That's what he did to Daisy.
You don't sound too sure about that.
What did you see? It was two days ago.
I'm telling you, Curtis, he killed Amber.
How do you know? I just do, okay? You have to trust me.
Why don't you go to the police? They'll never believe me.
They think it's you.
So, what are you gonna do? I don't know.
But I think he's gonna try to kill me too.
If you're screwing with me Why do you think I got this? I ran away as fast as I could after that.
Reed, do you know who Daisy and Curtis were talking about? No.
Looked through the old crime files? No, why? There's evidence missing.
Wasn't me.
All right, listen to this.
In the sheriff's initial notes he wrote there was hair caught in Amber Bryce's watch.
I've looked through all of this.
No mention of hair in any of this.
Did you check the medical examiner's inventory? And the homicide reports.
And there is nothing.
Maybe the sheriff made a mistake.
Yeah, well, that's one hell of a mistake.
You know, it said in your notes that you found hair on Amber Bryce.
Now, where is it? The file's seven years old.
I don't know.
Someone went through them and lost them.
If it was in the file in the first place, might make sense.
But we read all the reports.
No one mentions a hair.
But you found it, you wrote about it, you discovered who it belonged to and then you got rid of it.
Let's take it in there.
I was the first one on the scene.
In fact, I was the one who declared her dead.
While everyone went looking to call Homicide and the ME, I stayed.
She must have put up one hell of a fight.
Anyway, I looked her over.
That's when I saw the hairs.
They were blond.
Curtis has dark hair.
I know that.
So, what, you were just gonna bury it? If I was gonna bury it, they never would've appeared in my notes.
Did somebody ask you to get rid of it? No, it was nothing like that.
I knew her.
She would sit in the front pew in church and listen to her father deliver his Sunday sermon.
She always had a smile on her face.
I see her out there like that You know how long it takes for the MEs to get there.
She was just so exposed.
I got a blanket.
I knew right away that I'd made a mistake.
You don 't put anything on a corpse like that.
That's how you lose evidence.
I couldn't find it.
I was just a deputy back then.
The sheriff was a mean son of a bitch.
He would have fired me on the spot.
I didn't know what to do, so I decided to keep quiet.
And let the whole town think that the kid was responsible for her death.
If the case had ever come to trial, believe me, I would have said something.
Sheriff Padden, we found Curtis' car.
All right, don't touch anything till I get there.
Sam, I think I got something.
Is he alive? No.
Well, the medical examiner says he took a vicious beating, but no stab wound.
What about the marks on his face? We don't know.
Could be that the assailant was wearing a ring.
Could be a rock.
This wasn't busted this morning.
And this red paint wasn't there.
Now, the glove compartment is open, and there is crap all over the floor.
This car's been searched.
Not that we can trust these guys, but they claim they never touched anything.
Yeah, right.
We'll deal with them later.
Yeah.
For seven years, people warned me that this day would come.
They said that Curtis had to be stopped, that I couldn't let him do it again.
My answer was always the same: Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
But when Daisy disappeared, all that was washed away.
I couldn't say no anymore.
What the hell is this about? I can't let you get away with it anymore, Curtis.
I have somewhere to be.
I don't have time for this.
Move your car.
You aren't going anywhere.
I didn't do anything.
This is what you want? You don't leave me any choice.
Go ahead, then.
What? Go ahead and kill me.
My life hasn't meant a thing since Amber died.
So go ahead.
Because I don't care.
Let's do this now.
I loved Amber.
And there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish she was here.
Nice story, Horne, but you're about to meet your maker.
Stop! Let him go.
No, he has to pay! No, Bob.
No, not this way.
Let's get out of here.
Let's get out of here! Everybody! Then we all got back in our trucks.
He was there on the ground when we drove away.
What time was this? About noon.
You said Curtis was headed out when you saw him.
Do you know where he was going? No.
All these years, I've prayed to the Lord to give me strength to forgive him.
I failed.
Truth is I wanted Curtis to be the one just so all this could end.
At this point, it must be apparent even to you that Curtis is innocent.
Even your own sheriff knew it and tried to cover it up.
Might not be a bad idea to work on that forgiveness sermon that you give to your congregation.
We'll need a list of the men who were there.
And any blond haired men you can remember that your daughter knew.
How's it coming? Amber Bryce had a tennis coach with blond hair who's dead, a blond haired piano teacher who moved to Florida and a neighbor with blond hair who was in Taiwan on business the month Amber was murdered.
What have you got? Sex crimes database shows one guy, George Rogers, living in Drewville in '98.
Blond hair? And blue eyes.
Sounds like your type.
Only problem is he's been doing time in Rikers since '02.
For what? Sexual assault of a minor.
It doesn't help us find Daisy Thorpe, but you might have solved the old case.
Taylor.
Finally.
Yeah, I've been waiting for you guys to call.
Right.
Partial.
All right, thanks.
They got the DNA results back from the blood on the knife.
It's not a match for Curtis, but it's a partial match for Daisy.
How partial? Fifty percent.
You found a knife with blood on it? Yeah.
And according to the DNA, it belongs to you or your husband.
Did your daughter and your husband have a disagreement? We told you, Daisy has disagreements with both of us all the time.
Do they ever end in violence? Once.
A couple of weeks ago, she threw a bottle at me.
I found her by the old bridge.
Daisy, what are you doing? We have been looking everywhere for you.
Well, here I am.
Guess you win the prize, Mom.
My God, have you been drinking? Like a fish.
Daisy, why are you acting like this? What are you doing? Don't you know? I'm the bad seed.
Guess I take after Dad.
Well, except for the part about murdering people.
What are you talking about? Amber Bryce.
Dad killed her.
Okay, that's it.
It's true.
He was having sex with her and then he killed her.
Come on.
Get up, we're going home.
She played tennis on Thayer.
That's where he met her! We didn't live in Drewville then.
Yes, we did! We moved here when I was 6.
Honey, you were 61/2.
She was dead months before that.
Why are you lying for him? Why are you saying these things? Why do you hate him so much? You know what, just forget it, okay? Forget everything! I just wanna be alone! I checked her bedroom an hour later and she was asleep in bed with all her clothes on.
Mrs.
Thorpe, you work, correct? I'm a bookkeeper at Everwood Paper.
What hours do you keep? Nine to 5, sometimes 6.
Why? What about your husband? His hours are more flexible.
But what does that have to do with anything? Do you think it's possible that your husband's molesting your daughter? No.
No, it's not possible.
Matt would never do anything to hurt Daisy.
And how would you really know? I would know.
She's my daughter.
A mother would know something like that was happening.
Where's your husband right now? He took the car a few hours ago.
I've been calling him, but he hasn't picked up.
I don't know where he is.
If Matt Thorpe's been gone six hours, we should put it out nationwide.
Hey, I just checked his credit card.
He bought gas 30 minutes ago at a Sinclair gas station in Saratoga.
Did you get that? The Sinclair gas station in Saratoga.
Looks like he's headed south.
Yeah, Danny's already on it.
Did we check the phones? Right there.
A call from Thorpe's house to Curtis Horne.
Yeah, at 11:55 this morning.
Wait, that's right before Reverend Bryce and his posse tried lynching him.
Maybe that's where Curtis was headed.
To meet with Thorpe? What for? Well, maybe Thorpe knows where Daisy is.
And he's either holding her somewhere or he's killed her.
Okay, great.
State troopers.
They got him.
Where's your daughter? I don't know.
When I talk to you, you look at me.
You understand? Right in the eyes.
Now, where's your daughter? I don't know.
I know exactly what you've been doing with her.
I told you to look at me in the eye when I talk to you.
Now, what'd you do? Did you kill her? Kill her? She's my daughter.
You haven't exactly been treating her like your daughter, have you? I love her more than anything.
Really? Then tell me where she is.
I told you, I don't know.
I wanna find her more than you do.
Yeah, I'll bet.
You've been molesting her for years.
No! But she finally fought back.
No! Then how do you explain that? How do you explain that cut? I went to her to ask forgiveness.
She went crazy.
Stay away from me.
Daisy, just calm down.
Stay away, or I swear I'll slit your throat.
I know you're upset.
What I did was wrong.
Unbelievably wrong.
But can't we just put it behind us? I told Curtis! What? I told him everything! What you did to me, what you did to Amber! Amber, wh? You killed her! Sweetheart, please.
Someone is gonna get hurt.
You're never gonna touch me again.
Honey, please.
It only happened once.
One time.
Six weeks ago, I was rubbing her back like when she was little.
I don't I don't know what came over me.
But it only happened once.
I swear to God.
Just listen to yourself! One time? You think that's okay? You're a sick pedophile, Mr.
Thorpe.
Do you understand that? You need help.
Now, what about Curtis? We found him.
His face was beat up, was marked up.
What'd you do, try and shut him up? No.
I wanted him to tell me where she was.
What happened to your face? Never mind.
You said Daisy was here.
I lied.
I knew you wouldn't talk to me.
Tell me where she is.
You have to tell me! I don't have to tell you a thing.
She's my daughter! You should have thought about that before.
Tell me where she is, damn it! No.
Tell me! You did this to her.
She left because of you.
Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Go to hell.
Tell me where my baby is.
Hello? Curtis? Daisy? Honey, is that you? She hung up on me.
Good for her.
Where's the phone? Policeman took it.
Do you have the stuff? It's 518.
What's 518? Albany.
I think you should handle this one.
Yeah.
Daisy? I'm Samantha Spade.
I'm from the FBI.
We've been looking for you.
I'm going to New York City, and don't try to stop me.
What are you gonna do when you get to New York? I don't know.
But I'm going, and I'm gonna be fine.
Do you have any money? Two hundred bucks.
Two hundred dollars.
How long do you think $200 is gonna last you in New York City? I wanna talk to Curtis.
You can't talk to Curtis.
I wanna talk to Curtis.
Everyone thinks they know who the bad guys are Daisy, Curtis is dead.
What? What happened? He was trying to protect you.
From who? My dad? He should have come with me.
I told him to come with me, but he wouldn't.
Why not? Because once you're gone, I'm gonna be the first person they blame.
They'll say, "He left because he killed Amber and now he's done something to Daisy.
" Look, here's my number.
In case Well, you know, if you need anything.
There's this.
That's just to help you get started.
Thanks.
Daisy I'll never tell anyone.
Okay? I promise.
I know.
I guess he kept his promise.
Yeah, he did.
What about my dad? I don't wanna end up like Amber Bryce.
You're not gonna end up like Amber Bryce.
Your mom was right.
Your family wasn't even here when she was killed and your dad is going away for a long time.
So now what? You tell me.
Does my mom know? Yeah.
Is she mad? Not with you.
I don't wanna go home just yet.
Okay.
What do you want me to say? Nothing.
I would like you to clear Curtis' name.
My official statement.
My resignation is next.
That's probably good.
This town could do with a fresh start.
You take care.
You do the same.
You mad at me? You gotta be mad at somebody.
Man, I'm pissed.
Are you scared? Sure.
Of what? Losing you.
Losing your dad.
How about you? The same.
And I hate hospitals.
Me too.
The food sucks, the smells It's awful.
You guys are gonna have to sneak me in some pizzas or something.
You wanna help me with dinner? Sure.
I got it.
Thanks.
Hey.
I heard you found the girl.
Congratulations.
Yeah.
These all from the old case? Yeah.
Sending them back.
Jack said you had a lead on it.
Some guy doing time for sexual assault.
It just didn't pan out.
So it's still unsolved? Guess some cases aren't meant to be.
You wanted me to fight harder, didn't you? It shouldn't have to be a fight.
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