Cold Case s04e12 Episode Script

STILLMAN: All right.
Young adult male, body too decomposed toake a proper ID.
Anything else in there to identify him? A damaged cell phone, backpack at the bottom of the drum.
STILLMAN: What are they doing down there? The sister is the one who put us on to the location.
STILLMAN: The family can't see this.
Looks like multiple fractures base of the skull.
Kid was beaten to death.
Like in the video.
We'll take the drum, bag the hands, check the fingernails for DNA, could have fought his assailant.
We have the cell number? Well, Main Line PD already dumped his number after he went missing.
No calls after James left home.
Video assault was originally posted from inside Hanford Prep Academy.
The same high school the victim attended.
Looks like you're taking a trip out to the Main Line.
Want me to handle this one, boss? No, I got it.
RUSH: This a high school or a country club? VALENS: The place gives me the willies.
'Cause these kids drive better cars than we do? No, 'cause it's high school and you're the only female in sight.
Excuse me, officers.
Detectives.
Valens and Rush, Philly Homicide.
Gene Emmerick, Headmaster.
I wish you'd called ahead to tell me you were coming.
Computer labs this way? Excuse me, did you say homicide? Yeah, James Hoffman, he was a student here.
Oh, my God.
I knew Jes.
Top-notch student.
That's terrible news.
We're gonna need to see any online records in the computer lab.
Whatever you need.
We're an open book.
We'll need to talk to whoever monitors computer usage.
We use students to monitor the computer room.
Great, if you could get us a list of names.
Like, any who knew James Hoffman.
Not a problem.
I just need to get the written permission of their parents before you talk to them.
Oh, that won't be necessary.
If you could just show me those logs, Mr.
Emmerick.
Hey.
Hold up, sport.
Name? Lucas.
What's your hurry, Lucas? I'm just late for my next class.
What, gym? You don't look like a kid who hurries to P.
E.
Calculus, a short cut.
Go ahead, I'll walk with you.
No, it's cool.
No, no, it's not.
You knew James Hoffman? Sort of used to be friends, kind of.
Sort of, kind of want to tell me here or down at the station, Lucas? We used to eat lunch in the computer lab together.
Compare test scores.
He'd always ace me out.
Then he started tanking.
Tanking what? His grades.
His life.
He got all weird and angry.
We stopped talking.
When was that? A couple months before he went missing.
All the Ivy's are getting rid of early decision.
There's no angle left unless you're a hook.
A hook? Yeah, like a legacy, athlete, minority, special circumstance.
I think I got an uncle who's part Native American.
I'd look into it.
Pacific Islander's good, too.
Dude, my parents are all over me about the essay right now.
Yeah, you're supposed to write about your passion.
Whatever that means.
I'm passionate about Giselle Bundchen.
Tell me about it, man.
I stayed up all night last night and I only inked out a page.
Let me see.
No way.
Come on, Jay, you know I don't pirate.
All right, man.
Promise not to laugh.
Hey.
Come on, man, give that back.
Hey, Tanner, what are you doing? What are you doing?! What did you do that for? What the? Do something.
Do something, come on, hit me.
Come on, come on, hit me.
Come on, pretend I'm your dad.
What? You're an idiot.
Take your fist and take a swing, come on.
Tanner, leave him alone.
He didn't do anything to you.
That's what I thought.
VALENS: The tattoo on his left wrist? You're sure about that? Yeah.
Like one of those little anarchy symbols.
Why? Who was this clown? Tanner Lennox.
But you didn't hear it from me.
He's untouchable.
Yeah, why's that? His dad just donated the new science building, that's why.
Go on.
You're going to be late for calculus.
You had a beef with James, Tanner? It's nothing personal.
This interview is over.
I'm taking my son home.
We just need to ask Tanner a few questions, Mr.
Lennox.
Not without my lawyer you're not.
Why, you got something to hide? LENNOX: Come on, Tanner.
We have your son on videotape assaulting another student.
RUSH: James Hoffman, whose body turned up this morning, stuffed in drum down at The Bottom.
So either we talk to your son today, Mr.
Lennox, right here, real civil like Or we get a warrant for his arrest, and stick him in a holding cell all weekend STILLMAN: Until his daddy's attorney gets him arraigned Monday morning.
You're on video? What the hell? Tanner? Yeah.
Yeah, you're right, that was me pounding on James, but it's not what you think.
Over! Over! Over! Over! Over! How do you feel? Alive.
Welcome to the world, young buck.
What'd I tell you? Yeah.
Next time, thumbs on the outside, unless you want to break them.
Thanks, Aries.
You, you, fight.
Bunch of rich kids throwing down in the hood? It's a fight club.
Some people like to drink, do drugs.
We like toight.
What, you saying James was a part of this? He took to battle like a caged amal.
Hey, neighbor.
I usually move the car before the street sweeper.
I just overslept.
Oh, give it to me, I'll take care of it.
Oh, no, that's okay.
I'll just pay it.
Why? Just give it to me.
Well, I don't want to put you out.
It's no big deal, realreally.
Hey.
Scotty, you remember my neighbor, Toni? Yeah, how could I forget? You, uh, follow up my case? The case of the missing basketball? We got Encyclopedia Brown on it.
We, sorry, I got to go.
I'm already late.
Thanks.
Forget it.
Look at you, dawg.
What? (chuckles): Trying to tap that.
Come on, she's a broke, single mom.
Yeah, you're just helping her out, big-shotting that ticket.
Justeing neighborly.
You know you can't fix it.
That's the biggest cop lie invented.
Think I'm working a favor? I find that offensive.
Yeah, you're not interested, just let me know.
I'll ask her out.
Back off, slick.
Anyway, they got a name on that kid was the ringleader of ts fight club.
He's Cole Palmer, senior, a.
k.
a.
"Aries.
" Aries was the Greek God of War.
Rawfodog spelled backwards? "God of War.
" So the same kid posted the video.
Not bad, huh? Yeah, dude.
You really need a girlfriend.
Morning, Cole.
Or should we call you Aries? You could have just e-mailed me.
Why'd you post that video assault of James Hoffman? Assault? That sounds criminal.
We know all about the little fight club you were running.
Yeah, you left James to rot in the drum down in The Bottom.
You're making it sound like I knew he was dead.
You were down there with him.
We moved on from that location a long time ago.
I got no idea who killed James.
We lock you up for inciting a riot, maybe that'll jog your memory.
A riot? What, like two kids lacing up the gloves in the backyard? Your average hockey fight? I used to box, kid.
What you're doing ain't the same thing.
Oh, that's right.
Only cops get to beat the crap out of people.
This kid's really starting to bother me.
I wonder who'd win, you two threw down, I bet you big boy here packs a whopper.
You think this is some kind of game, jackass? Define assault for me again.
What happened to James? James is just another domesticated dog on a leash headed down a path to misery.
What are you talking about? Inside of every dog there is a wolf.
I just let 'em out.
Hey, is that my phone? Yeah, that was your dad.
I told him you wet your pants.
Your old man calls you eight times a day? Talk about an electronic umbilical cord.
What's he do anyway? What does that have to do with anything? Your father, does he got a life or is he too busy scheduling yours? He's a computer programmer and he's plenty busy.
Hey, dyou want to make money? Yeah, sure, someday.
Well, my pop made a fortune on Wall Street but that didn't stop his trophy wife from banging her personal trainer.
Can you just give me back my phone? What are you taking all these AP exams for? For college credit.
What are you doing? You're off to grad school.
Eventually.
Med school, law school.
Which is it, lawyer, doctor, what? I don't know yet, ay? Did you ever read Jack London? The Call of The Wild, yeah.
So what? So you lack inspiration, Buck.
And you can't wait for it.
You have to go after it with a club.
What are you talking about? You should know that man has only two primal passions: to get and beget.
Do you feel me, Buck? My name's not Buck.
Do you ever wonder why marginal students get into great colleges every year? No, because they don't.
Yes, they do.
You want to change an F into a B, you just put a three on top.
The system's rigged.
I know how the system works.
All you know is not to touch a hot stove or run with scissors.
When was the last time you did anything that you wanted to do? Hey, at least I got a plan in life.
Well, guess what, Buck.
Everybody's got a plan until they get hit in the mouth.
Hey, pick it up! Yes.
Pick it up and give me back my damn phone! Yes, that's what I want to see, Buck.
Stop calling me Buck! And this clenched fist, that's The Call of the Wild.
And when you're ready to answer it, you just give me a call.
Buck answered the call-- total transformation.
What did you mean, "The system's rigged"? The headmaster helped kids like Tanner Lennox get over on the game.
He helped them cheat, fudged their scores.
Shocker: Hanford Prep isn't totally merit-based.
What's that got to do with James? James found out.
Blew a gasket, called the headmaster out.
So Emmerick killed James? Come on.
Or let some punk kid torpedo his career, maybe end up in jail? You're right, that's insane.
You remember wn Tanner Lennox took his AP Board test for college? I think he may have taken them over.
I'd have to check.
Oh, we already did, with the ETS Testing Service.
He took them twice.
Failed the first time.
But then you were the proctor in the room the second time around.
Near-perfect score.
Tell us.
Is it common practice to allow students to have their cell phones on during the test? You're accing me of helping students cheat on a college board exam? The rich ones, yeah.
Is there a point to all this false conjecture? James Hoffman called you out the same day he died.
James was a brilliant student, but I've seen it before with kids under stress.
He became paranoid, volatile.
Volatile? It's unfortate, but you can never predict how a student will handle the admissions process.
Remember, you need to have three recommendations lined up: two from teachers and preferably one from an alumni of your first-choice school.
Excuse me.
Please, hold all questions till the end.
Thank you.
No, I just, I just want to know which test date u'll be proctoring.
Why, Mr.
Hoffman? Because I'll want to make sure to bring my cell phone, too.
Or does my dad need to donate a wing to the school for me to g that sort of special attention? Sit down, Mr.
Hoffman.
No, no, I want to know.
Which of you here is claiming you're one-eighth Native American on their applications? I'm Eskimo, does that count? JAMES: Tell me.
How many hours flying over Guatemala qualifies as community service? James No, seriously.
Is this process merit-based, or can we just make it all up? That's enough, James.
Sit down.
Look at you.
You're like gerbils in a cage.
When was the last time any of you did anything because you wanted to do it? Not for your parents, not to get into college.
When was the last time you felt alive? Son, you're bleeding.
How about that? Looks like I found my passion.
This incident slip your mind when James went missing? I had no reason to believe it was related.
JEFFERIES: Or you didn't want the world to know you had a price tag.
For the record, I did inform someone about what happened, James's father.
And he hit the roof.
VERA: One, two, nine, four, four, three, three, nine.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Expires 10-09.
got to call you back.
Take care of that ticket yet? Yeah, I just got to call in a favor.
What, you don't think I got the juice? Juice? No, I think you got a credit card.
You should have just skipped the favor BS and asked her out.
Save 40 bucks.
Yeah, single mom, neighbor, pain-in-the-ass kid, the whole package.
That sounds like me.
Except for the neighbor part.
No offense.
None taken.
What makes you think I want an overweight, underpaid white man? No offense.
See what you started? Go squeeze some more juice out of that plastic.
That was Franny.
Found skin under James' fingernails.
We got a match? Yep.
???? Back this way, Mr.
Hoffman.
Dad? Why don't you wait here with me? It's okay, Alexa.
Go ahead.
Like a soda? Anything? No, thanks.
Sohere's news about my brother's case? Alexa, did you notice any changes with your brother, justefore he went missing? He was a little stressed out.
The college thing is a lot to handle.
Yeah, I guess.
You remember how he got that black eye? No, not really.
Your dad had pretty high expectations for your brother.
My dad would never hurt my brother.
No? He went through a lot.
Especially after my mom left.
What about you? I just I just want him to be proud of me, too.
ke he was of James? I admit James and I got into an argument.
You're skin was under his fingernails, Darryl.
Come on.
Well, something happened.
I-I didn't understand.
That night? The past few months, he'd been checking out, coming home late at night, out of pocket for hours at a time like he like he was on drugs or something.
You confronted him? Well, after I got the phone call from the headmaster about Jam that day.
The incident at school th Emmerick? I I couldn't believe it.
All the tuition and the hard work, he He was just throwing it away.
What the hell is going on? Trying to hit the chimney.
What is wrong with you, James? Were you trying to get expelled? Remember when me and Lex were kids and you used to play with us in the snow for hours? James, what are you talking about? Then after Mom left, you just you just sort of stopped doing that.
Damn it, James, I am talking to you.
Is that what you call it? I must have called youen times, lt you messages.
You don't even call back.
Oh, yeah, must have turned it off.
Well, why'd you turn off your phone? More importantly, why do you have to call me (glass breaks) ten times a day? I should have cut that cord a long time ago.
Are you on drugs? Nope.
Never been more clear-headed in my life.
So you are going to flush everything that we have worked for down the drain, is that it? Is that the plan, James? We? The plan? You know, all this time I've been busting my hump, doing what you wanted me to do.
Then it occurred to me, why do I want to be like you? What? You've been a miserable, suffocating jerk for so long, no wonder Mom left.
Your mother left because she couldn't handle raising two kids.
You're saying it's my fault? No, damn it.
That's not what I meant.
I don't want to talk about this anymore.
Hey, come back here.
Hey.
What has gotten into you? You're the one who changed, Dad.
Why can't it be more like before? Before? Yeah, before.
Before you cared so much about my scores, my grades.
I-I don't understand, James.
No, why can't you just be happy with me? Get your own life, Dad.
That was the last time I saw him.
It had to be tough, the past eight yrs, raising kids on your own.
I just wanted him to have every advantage, be prepared for when life let you down.
Darryl, you're saying James destroyed his cell phone that night? Yeah.
So whose phone was that in the oil drum? Off to work? Oh, late jump? Late night.
Oh, by the way, I took care of that thing for you.
What thing? Parking ticket.
Oh, oh, thanks.
Appreciate it.
It's nothing, really.
Something else you want to tell me? Uh, no, uh I just realized how nice it is to talk to you without that damn ball bouncing.
For a second there, I thought you were going to ask me out.
Me? Were you? Absolutely.
Let me think about it.
Think about it? Sunday night, I'll buy.
Since you paid for the ticket.
Sunday night it is.
VALENS: Hey, what you cramming for Lucas? AP chem.
Am I in trouble? I tried to call you, but I guess we had an old cell number.
You switch phones in the last year? Get a new number? No.
Maybe you lent it to somebody.
Not that I remember.
No? 'Cause the cell phone we found with James's body, we pulled the serial number.
Yeah, checked it with the service provider-- the phone was registered to you.
Stand up, Lucas, let's go.
I lent my cell phone to James.
Why? He called.
Said he needed me to come pick him up.
From where? Uh, Overbrook Station.
When was this? The night he disappeared.
He was in trouble.
Big time.
You scared the hell out of me.
Let's get out of here.
What's up? Just drive, man, just go! Go where? What's going on, James? Dude Dude, is that blood? You're getting it all over my dad's leather seats.
I screwed everything up.
Let me just sit here, okay? Let me let me just sit here.
Okay.
I got so lost, you know? Yeah sure I thought he was right 'cause I was mad at my dad but then I just kind of lost sight again.
Of what? Of me.
I got to make it right.
Give me your phone.
What? I'll give it back late Please.
Hey, what happened, James? This guy, I think we killed him.
VALENS: They killed someone? I don't know, I guess.
Their fight club? I'm not going to get in trouble, am I? I mean, I'm waiting to hear from colleges.
I checked on this kid's story, boss.
There was an assault of an adult male, white, that evening, a few blocks from Mantua train station.
Martin Jacobsen, 42.
Discovered unconscious with a critical head injury-- subdural hematoma.
Blood on the brain.
He died two days later, ruled a homicide.
The R-5 stops in Mantua.
It's the same train James took to The Bottom.
He was telling the truth about killing someone.
, who'd he mean by "we"? Got the dump back on Lucas's cell phone that night.
Only one call made, to Cole Palmer.
?? If they killed a man, could be James went to meet Cole later on.
To get their stories straight.
And Cole cleaned up the loose end.
???? No strangers to violence as a lure to young men.
Girls cut themselves, guys fight.
JEFFRIES: Show of strength, confused with power.
STILLMAN: But it's always a dead end.
Because violence just begets more violence.
And someone ends up dead.
That guy's dead? You remember him? His name was Martin Jacobsen.
He left a wife and a four-year-old boy.
Beaten to death.
Look at him.
Look at him.
You think you know everything, but you don't.
Don't know what Buck? Black eyes, bruises I show up like this every day at school, and all the adults are asleep at the wheel.
Nobody asks why.
So you do it for the attention? No, to feel alive.
To feel like I matter.
Killing James make you feel alive, too, Cole? I didn't kill him.
What happened that night? We had just gotten off the train, and everything went to hell.
You scratched him? You should have wailed on your old man, if you ask me, man.
Boosh! That's not the point, you know? He's always meant well.
No, the point is, you dad thinks your accomplishments are a reflection of him, as long as you look good on paper.
No, forget it.
Is that guy lost? The car won't start and I'm in a kind of a sketchy neighborhood.
What a tool.
Yeah, if you can get here as soon as possible,I'd appreciate it.
Just like my dad.
-What's he doing? -?? Hey! Hey, cut that out.
Give that back.
Buy, sell, buy, sell, everything must go! Kid, what are you doing?! Hey, Tanner! Yo, Tanner! Hey, get off him, huh? Whathe hell's wrong with you? He'll be all right.
Oh, my God! Hey.
Tanner, you idiot.
Oh, my God.
Hey, come on, he's fine, man.
Does he look fine to you? We gotta get this guy some help.
No, we gotta get the hell outta here, man.
Come on, Cole.
We gotta get outta here.
Screw it, I'm gone.
Hey! Hey! James, we've got to go.
No! We can't just leave this guy here.
That's not my problem.
Everybody's got a plan, right, Cole? What's your plan now?! Cole! I just took off.
You got scared.
I never wanted anybody to die.
Why did James call you? He wanted to go to the police.
But that never happened.
I called Tanner and told him to go meet James at the Bottom and settle it.
Settle it? But you never went.
It was Tanner's mess, not mine.
You want to talk deal with my son, it'll be through my lawyer after he makes bail.
There won't be any deal then, Mr.
Lennox.
Tanner killed Martin Jacobsen, the same night James disappeared.
We got testimony from an eyewitness.
Dad Just keep your mouth shut, Tanner.
You were only TANNER: I can't go to jail.
Worst case, they prosecute you as a juvenile.
Prosecute? Dad.
RUSH: Over 16, any violent act is automatically tried as aieadult.
You became a man the minute you started beating that guy, Tanner.
I didn't mean to kill anybody.
Tanner, shut up.
Just let me handle this mess.
Don't tell me to shut up! I'm sick of you always telling me what to do.
u met James down at The Bottom.
Didn't you? Man up, Tanner.
James had to go.
Tanner you're a Lennox.
Do not go down a loser.
I'm not a loser.
Shut up, damn it.
He was just a kid, Dad.
You do this, you're going down.
Then you're coming with me.
Stay in the car.
I'll handle this.
Get out here, son! JAMES: Mr.
Lennox? Shut up.
Over here.
Tanner td me everything you dumb ass kids did tonight.
We got to go to the police.
Don't be stupid.
The only thing that's gonna save your ass is if everybody eps their mouth shut.
'Cause all it takes is one screw-up like this to derail your whole life.
Screw-up? We killed a y.
LENNOX: Son, after tonight, there'll be no mention of this ever again.
Understand? You're a bright kid, James, with a hell of a future, but I know your father's financial situation.
Do the right thing, and I can pull some strings.
Tuition will not be an issue.
The right thing? You wouldn't know the right thing if it bit you in the ass.
My dad never made a lot of money, Mr.
Lennox, but he knows right from wrong.
That's very touching.
Your point? You screw up, you man up.
Sorry, Mr.
Lennox.
You can take your offer and shovit.