CSI: NY s04e17 Episode Script

Come on! You're so slow! Let's go! All right, your turn! Let's go.
A shark washed up on Rockaway last year.
No one figured out why.
This one brought a little company with him.
You got an ID on the vic? Nothing on the body.
We're canvassing locals, and I put a call into Missing Persons.
Who found them? The Abercrombie twins over there.
Looks like her hand was the appetizer.
Shark attack victim.
Sounds like a job for Chief Brody and the Coast Guard, not my forensics team.
That's what I thought, till I noticed the neck.
Take a real good look, Doc.
Strangulation marks.
Petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes.
So what kind of shark strangles his meal before he takes a bite? Severed femoral artery, major tissue damage, massive blood loss: all postmortem injuries.
Seems kind of coincidental that a shark would attack a dead body, and then wash up onshore right beside it.
Not the only thing that doesn't make sense: there's very little evidence consistent with her being a floater.
It's as if she was strangled and tossed to the shark while she was still warm.
Stell? I've seen this woman before.
Somewhere You know her? I can't quite place it, but her face is so familiar.
Rust-colored spots.
Carcharias taurus: sand tiger shark.
Went on a cage dive in the Bahamas.
Saw one up close and very alive.
What are you doing here, Quinn? The Jersey Crime Lab too boring for you? I'm still a criminalist there, but every other month I inspect labs for the Forensics Board.
It's been five years since yours has been reaccredited.
Our review isn't scheduled for another couple of weeks.
Everything moved up.
The Board wants things done ASAP so for the next couple of days I'll be monitoring protocol and evaluating your team's techniques; then I'll file a report.
Don't worry, Mac.
I'll stay out of the way and quietly observe.
Ha.
What's so funny? I've never known you to do anything quietly, and staying out of the way it's not your style.
Tiger sharks are known as the wastebaskets of the sea.
They're amazing creatures.
The teeth aren't attached to the jaw, but embedded in flesh and muscle.
That's why they can tear apart a human body so easily.
Yeah.
I found her hand in the shark's alimentary canal.
The topography of the rips in the flesh here are a match to the vic's wrist.
I also found this clenched in her hand.
And this was digested around the same time.
Let's get these up to the lab and figure out what they are.
And one more thing.
Our victim's stomach contents.
You'll probably want to have someone ladle through that.
Now, cause of death is definitely strangulation, but I found bright red blood in her lung tissue.
Hmm, she was poisoned before she was strangled? Don't know the chemical of choice; I'm waiting on a result from Tox.
Could this be two failed attempts at suicide? Poison A hanging Finally, she jumped? Or one failed attempt at murder.
After the poison didn't work, she was strangled, then dumped.
And then there's the poor shark.
Well, if you see it from his point of view, he's noshing on the finest prime rib he's had in months and dies of food poisoning.
I mean, there's a chance she killed him.
Want to take a look at the vic's stomach contents? Most people don't usually invite me to participate in the process.
Most people are intimidated by your job.
Mac tell you to do this? Just like him to throw a curve ball.
No, he didn't.
But I just thought you might want to see what I was looking at.
So you know Mac? From a long time ago.
Actually, we both applied for the job he has now.
The crystals look like coa butter seeds, caused when chocolate is agitated.
Helps to refine high-end chocolate.
I didn't realize you could major in chocolate forensics.
Hm, wouldn't that be great.
No, I've seen those kind of crystals before.
My specialization at the Jersey Crime Lab is microscopy, but the yellow substance-- any ideas? Alkaline extraction indicates it's some kind of plant material.
I'm running a morphological search right now, and it is Turnera aphrodisiaca from Central America, otherwise known as Damiana.
Any psychoactive properties? Let's see.
Damiana can be smoked, producing effects similar toCannabis sativa.
It's used in herbal tea to promote lucid dreaming, and it's added to tequila to enhance lovemaking.
I am all for a good margarita.
I'm with you on that.
However, this sounds more like a drug.
Maybe the killer used it to subdue the vic before he strangled her.
This thing is photoluminescent.
It's designed to be seen in the dark.
Well, my big discovery: that this is all-purpose tarp.
It's plastic.
Sharks will eat anything, huh? Yeah, they will.
"That shark, swallow you whole.
" Not too good on the accent.
"$10,000 will get you me by myself-- for that you get "The head, the tail you get the whole damn thing.
" That's such a good movie.
Yeah, we should rent it.
This is hard.
All right, so we found phosphene and tear gas on the plastic tarp.
I liquefied the shark's tissue samples and got the same result.
She has trace amounts of phosphene on her skin.
So, she was wrapped in the tarp, shark ate it, ingested the toxin and died.
Okay, so that's what killed Jaws, but that's not a poison that makes the blood turn bright red.
The answer to that question is carbon monoxide.
Sid found it in the vic's lung tissue.
This piece of rock I found in the victim's bra, it's from a gravestone.
Taylor.
All right, so we have a vic who was strangled, poisoned with carbon monoxide, has phosphene on her skin and a piece of gravestone in her clothing.
This keeps getting more bizarre.
Stella, you're with me.
What is it? We've got another body.
Folks were on the beach, minding their own business when the body rolled in with the tide.
Less than a mile from where we found the other vic.
Tarp looks familiar.
No lividity.
Petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes, just like our Rockaway vic.
There's no strangulation marks.
Same abrasions on her hands.
Same MO.
Found a couple business cards in her pocket that look like hers: Louise Perry, That's it.
That's that's how I know the first vic.
Ever since the fire, I've been looking to buy a new condo.
I was in a real estate office, and she was there.
Our first vic is also a real estate agent.
You sure? I'm positive.
We have two women dead, similar MOs, found within a mile of each other, both with the same job.
Maybe we're looking at a disgruntled client, someone who's upset about a sale or a loss of his property.
Two bodies within 24 hours doesn't play like a coincidence.
No, it doesn't.
How did the press get this so fast? Detective Taylor, are these murders connected? No comment.
Detective Bonasera, did you identify the victims? We won't release any IDs until the victims' families have been notified.
Hey, Mac! Looks like you've got company.
I'll see you inside.
Two women, same kind of job.
Is this a serial killer? He's okay.
Reed, I thought you were working the city desk for the paper.
Nope, not anymore.
I've got my own blog now, New York 24/7 News.
Then don't you want to get your facts straight before you sensationalize a story? I thought that's what I was doing.
Help me out.
We got two female victims, both floaters, both brutally murdered Crime blotter stuff, Mac.
Come on.
I mean, are the murders connected? Are there any suspects? Is it true, is this a serial killer? Reed, you got to understand something.
This is psychological.
You yell "murder" in this city, people don't even blink.
Yell "serial killer," we've got a panic on our hands.
I get it.
I get it.
I do.
I'm sorry.
You remind me of your mother.
When Claire wanted something, she went after it.
She wouldn't let go till she got it.
But you want the facts, then you're going to have to wait for the science like the rest of us.
When I have something solid, you'll be my first call.
I have your word? Yeah.
Okay.
The second vic Louise Perry's COD is asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning, but that's not all there is.
Take a look at these.
Right here.
These weren't on our first vic.
Irregular lacerations on the back of her neck.
No redness or inflammation along the edges.
They were inflicted postmortem.
I've often said we don't get enough guests down here in Autopsy, although there's been quite a few people by to see the shark.
I've still got it on ice if you Sid, Inspector Shelby is here to document the chain of evidence.
Thanks, Doctor.
Maybe later.
All right, well, let me try to impress you in some other fashion.
I found shreds of a paperlike material under her fingernails.
There does appear to be some kind of adhesive on the paper.
I'll have Hawkes take a closer look.
Didn't you say there were some other similarities between her and the first vic, Chrissy Watson? Yes, stomach contents.
Both victims had eaten chocolate and Damiana just prior to death.
So we have two real estate agents working for different companies, both with the same stomach contents.
And CO poisoning.
Right.
Want to offer your assessment? I can't speak to motive, but I can take a look at the tox report.
Um Based on the carboxyhemoglobin levels, I'd say that Louise Perry was somehow gassed in a confined, possibly sealed space.
Only way to get the CO saturation you're seeing.
And since that rules out anything from the ocean, I'd say you've got a tough job ahead of you, Mac.
You're hunting a land shark.
She's good.
Hey, Mac.
The phosphene on the tarp is consistent with fumigation.
They shoot tear gas into the buildings to make sure no one's left inside.
There must be a hundred buildings in the city being fumigated right now.
I think I've got something; the Damiana herb we found in both our vics' stomachs was combined with criollo, the most expensive dark chocolate money can buy.
Who sells it? It's not on the market yet.
There's only one company that makes the blend, and they're premiering it this week.
Where? Miami, L.
A.
, Paris, Milan Welcome to the Chocolate Style Show.
For the businesswoman on the go, a white truffle suit with dark chocolate accents.
This chic confection features bite-sized milk chocolates deliciously tempting to eye and palate.
Go! Go! Go! Go! Double dip into your sexy sweet tooth in this luxurious coa knit with detachable and edible strawberry Make any night a semi-sweet fantasy in chocolate cookies with cream-filled centers.
It's freezing in here.
Chocolate melts at blood temperature.
The cold keeps their clothes on.
Very good to know.
So I hear you have an inspector in house.
Yeah, I think at some point she worked with Mac.
They were both up for his job.
He doesn't mind her looking over his shoulder? Actually, it's weird.
He seems to be fine with it.
She pretty? This inspector? Just saying.
And now for the ultimate in chocolate, here's Damiana.
Yellow flowers and chocolate, that's our girl.
Hey,Project Runway, who did your dress? The first time I mixed Damiana with chocolate, it was at the party.
People were having sex on the couch, on the floor, in the kitchen.
Charles Kohl.
It was a revelation.
Do you care to blow your mind? Care to blow yours? You recognize either of those women, Mr.
Kohl? Never seen them before.
You sure about that? Yeah, I'm sure.
That's funny.
The one thing these two ladies have in common is that their last meal was your Damiana chocolate.
And since it's not on the market yet, we were wondering how they got it.
Look around.
I have dozens of employees and they all work here at the factory.
They all had access to samples.
We'll need a list.
And you'll need a warrant.
You sure you don't want a sample? I was taught never to take candy from strangers.
Chocolate factory aside, Charlie's lying.
Yeah, like any good designer, I'm sure he gave a few previews.
Why don't you run him through the system, see if he has any priors? Mmm.
Does it blow your mind? You've got a great team, Mac.
But? Nothing's ever perfect with you, Quinn.
Well, Detectives Messer and Monroe.
They're obviously a little more than just co-workers.
I don't get involved in my team's personal lives.
Mac, I'm just giving you a heads-up.
As a result of what was obviously a personal exchange between Monroe and Messer, Monroe got distracted, and left her evidence out, unattended.
We can all try and compartmentalize, but nobody can help the fact that sometimes life gets in the way.
And when things get messy, mistakes are made.
And I believe I'm quoting you on that one.
Point taken.
Got your message.
What's going on? Pop quiz.
What do carbon monoxide and phosphorescence have in common? I suspect you're going to tell me.
I'm going to do you one better.
I'll show you.
Shut it.
It's okay.
An emergency handle.
It's a perfect match to what our first vic had clenched in her hand.
It's a thermoplastic polymer with a thioxanthene dye mixed in to make it fluoresce.
So Chrissy Watson was transported in the trunk of a car.
In a Lincoln or Ford sedan built after 2002; that's the only kind of car with this specific kind of handle.
Maybe Louise Perry was transported in a car as well.
That would explain the carbon monoxide poisoning.
The saturation levels of CO were abnormally high in both vics.
The car would've had to have been modified so that the exhaust pumped directly into the trunk, and somehow the trunk was sealed to contain the gas.
And maybe that worked with Louise Perry, but something happened with Chrissy Watson.
She didn't get enough CO.
She woke up.
Grabbed the trunk handle.
When the killer saw the trunk open, he went back and finished the job.
That would explain the strangulation marks.
The MO on both vics was the same, but with Chrissy, he made a mistake.
Good thing she held onto the evidence.
Which I hear you may have left unattended.
What? You were in the lab with Danny.
Inspector Shelby Oh, but Danny was right there.
I mean, I'm sure that he put it away.
Oh, that's a bad excuse.
Mac, I-I'm sorry.
I know it's my responsibility.
I know we're talking about evidence that could convict somebody of murder Lindsay, to tell you the truth, I'm more concerned about you.
I'm okay, Mac.
You put up a good front, but whatever is or is not going on between you and Danny, you cannot let it affect your job.
I should never have gotten involved with somebody I work with.
It was stupid, really stupid.
has letters on it.
I think this one says "rights" or "rits" maybe.
Maybe's no good.
You got to be exact, okay, 'cause we're under observation.
Come on, man.
She's cool.
No, I know.
I know.
I just, uh, feel like I'm in detention or something.
You know? I think this one might say "obey.
" I was never that good atWheel of Fortune.
It's real easy, Doc.
You just got to keep buying the vowels.
Maybe our vic scratched this off from wherever she was being held.
Hey, Mac.
I thought you said I was going to be your first call.
After we talked yesterday, I updated my blog.
I told people that I have a confidential source that was keeping me in the loop.
My hit counter is off the charts.
People are craving information about this case, and now I look like an idiot.
This story didn't come from me.
Yeah, but if they have information about this, that means you must have known.
I trusted you.
Look, you shouldn't have promised something you couldn't deliver.
This is my career we're talking about.
Reed your expectations of our relationship do not and will never dictate when or with whom I reveal evidence in a murder case.
Is that clear? Yes.
There are worse things than being scooped.
Two women were murdered.
Yeah, and I want to write about 'em.
Okay, who they are, what their families are going through, who's responsible.
All right? When I have something worth writing about, I'll let you know.
Mac, I know I am just here to evaluate your team and your lab and what you're investigating.
Is this, uh about Detective Monroe again? No, it's about the CO poisoning of your vics.
Chrissy Watson and Louise Perry seemed familiar, so I called my lab.
A colleague of mine had a case about three months ago-- a body washed up on the Jersey Shore.
The vic's name was Ben Melvoy.
He was an attorney.
He had carbon monoxide poisoning and he was found wrapped in a fumigation tarp.
Male vic who is not a real estate agent.
Inconsistent with our killer's MO.
I know, but he does have something that Louise Perry had.
Lacerations.
And notice how they all slant to the left? I don't think these are accidental.
Could be some kind of handwriting, possibly letters, numbers.
The killer wrapped his vics in tarps as if to preserve them-- first Ben Melvoy, then Chrissy Watson, finally Louise Perry.
Only problem is Chrissy Watson doesn't match the pattern.
She didn't have any lacerations on her.
That we saw.
There was a large shark bite on her neck and shoulder.
If Chrissy Watson has the same marks as Ben Melvoy and Louise Perry Then he's using all his vics to try and tell us something.
Hawkes? What's going on? Meet me in Autopsy.
I want to know what the killer is trying to say.
So I emptied the stomach contents.
Didn't find any additional skin.
So let's go inside the intestine.
Great.
L2729.
This tearing around the wound's edges is consistent with some kind of jagged implement.
I found trace in the laceration.
It's slate-- matches the gravestone Lindsay found in the first vic's clothes.
She's running a more detailed analysis to see if we can date the stone.
So the killer used gravestone to carve these.
Or at least something made of the same kind of material.
But why? Whatever the reason, this is the strongest physical evidence linking our killer to the vics.
Hawkes, follow up with Lindsay on the trace.
Stella, run an image search, scan every database.
Go outside the parameters of the lab if you have to.
I want to know what made these marks and what "L2729" means.
We might have someone who can answer that.
Charles Kohl, the guy who makes Damiana.
Flack checked him out.
In 2005, the German government issued a red letter on him through Interpol.
Wire fraud, outstanding civil judgment for sexual harassment.
He also lied about knowing Chrissy Watson.
Charles signed the visitor log at her open house the day she was killed.
Maybe Charles has more than one signature.
Mr.
Kohl around? Hey! How's that for a sample, huh? Let's go.
You signed in at an open house held by Chrissy Watson.
No, I didn't.
Oh, yes, you did.
Your signature.
I looked at an apartment, huh? So what? You lied to us.
That's what.
You were Chrissy's last client the day she died.
What happened? I'm in the market for a $5 million apartment.
I have real estate agents all over me.
She was pressuring me to go see a place.
You know, I don't usually make appointments in the evening.
But given that this place is absolutely perfect for you You deserve this, Charles.
You need it.
What's it going to take for me to make this sale? You know, I have some ideas.
Stop it.
W-What are you doing? You want to make this sale or not, huh? Get, get your hands off of me or I will call the police.
Get off of me! She was sending me mixed signals is what she was doing.
Yeah, I bet.
I left.
I never saw her again.
Louise Perry.
Was she sending you mixed signals, Charles? She's dead, murdered just like Chrissy.
She also had some of your exclusive, not-on-the-market-yet chocolate just before she died.
I never met this woman before.
How about this guy? Lawyer from Jersey.
You ever been to Jersey? Maybe three months ago? I identified the additional trace in Chrissy Watson's lacerations: sycamore and ash, rich in copper, zinc and silicon.
Those last components were major players in the ash from September 11.
And there was a story in the paper a couple days later about a sycamore tree that fell on some church.
The branches actually protected the structure from the debris and ash, and I think Yeah, I think there was a graveyard there.
So whatever our killer used to carve those lacerations could be from the graveyard at that church.
Yeah.
Let's find that church.
I've completed my evaluation of the lab.
Aside from the anomaly I observed with Detective Monroe, your team's ability to follow protocol exceeds the established standards.
I'll recommend reaccreditation to the Board.
That's it? You're done? I thought these things usually take at least a week.
Is that an invitation for me to stay? You were always good at that.
What? Flirting.
I can't help it.
I still have a thing for you.
Why didn't you ever call me? Quinn, I was married.
It was just a kiss, Mac.
I know-- a moment of weakness.
It was a mistake.
I loved my wife.
Don't I know it.
Every day I worked alongside you, you never let me forget that.
It wasn't my intention to make things difficult.
You know, I've thought about this moment so many times, about what I would say to you when I finally got the chance.
And here I am, and all I keep thinking is does he ever wonder "what if?" Mac, we got a lead on the gravestone trace.
It came from St.
Angelo's Church.
All right.
I'll be right there.
Quinn, no matter how good they are, some memories need to be forgotten.
I get it.
Hey, I ran a search on L2729.
Unfortunately, our letter-number combo is used 101 ways and counting.
Did you guys find anything here? Any of those gravestones could be the source of what the killer used to carve his vics.
Showed photos of the vics to the priest.
Doesn't recognize 'em.
Neither do any of the other daily guests out there.
Then why here? What does this place have to do with these murders? Maybe the killer's a member of the congregation.
Okay.
Well, too bad we don't have a name or a photo.
How can someone kill three people and not leave a piece of themselves behind? Flack, I want a list of anyone who attends services or uses the church as sanctuary.
I'll see what I can do.
The killer's MO doesn't add up.
First he kills Ben Melvoy, the attorney from New Jersey.
And then, three months go by, and he kills Chrissy Watson and Louise Perry, the two real estate agents.
Yeah, I'm not seeing how this guy is picking his vics.
None of this makes sense.
We're dealing with a psychopath.
A predator who takes what he wants and doesn't need a reason for doing it.
We may never know why.
Our job is to find out the who.
So we go back to the evidence.
Hawkes, I want samples of every one of these gravestones.
If any of them match, I want to know it.
I'm on it.
Ride back? Yeah, sure.
L2729-- it's so specific.
I mean, he carved it in both his vics, but narrowing down its meaning is nearly impossible.
Look, just to name a few it's a name of a chapter of International Firefighters, the name of an ingredient in skin care, the size of a bracket used in aircraft manufacturing.
You know, maybe this code or message or whatever it is doesn't mean anything.
Maybe it's some random part in a in a game.
Hold that thought.
Chrissy Watson? Mac! I know how he picks 'em.
Ben Melvoy.
Two vics' ads on the same street.
It can't be a coincidence.
It's Louise Perry, the second vic we found on Rockaway.
He picked the ads with faces and phone numbers.
"Come home with me.
" The ones who offered something better, some kind of sanctuary.
And if our killer started back at the church Moving north.
The ads are in order with time of death.
First, Ben Melvoy.
Next, Chrissy Watson.
Then, Louise Perry.
If our theory's right, the next victim's ad should be up ahead.
I don't know, Mac.
I'm not seeing any more personalized ads.
Maybe there's only three vics.
Stella? P.
J.
Davis.
If he's picking them off in order, then She could be his next target.
Hey, Flack? P.
J.
Davis isn't picking up her phone.
Great.
Great.
Give it to me.
Okay, got it.
He get an address? Yeah, 2352 Park Ave.
It's her last open house of the day.
Can I help you? Yeah, I saw your sign outside.
I love these old places.
I just wanted to take a quick look around.
Sorry, hon, I only show by appointment.
I'll be quick.
All right.
This place has a bedroom to die for.
Oh, come on! I'm not getting anywhere on the stuff under the vic's fingernails.
Maybe it's not the words.
What about the adhesive? The adhesive was, um, pressure-sensitive.
It was removable.
And given the emergency handle, it was probably on a Lincoln or a Ford.
Why would someone put a removable sticker inside a car? Taxi! Taxi? Come on, man.
Come on.
Come on! The door's open.
Can I help you? Okay, using the keywords "obey" and "rights," I'm searching for stickers that were issued by the city to drivers.
Looks like they were all required to pay a fee for this.
Taxicab Passenger Bill of Rights.
That's what was under the victim's nails.
Every cabbie is required to put one in the backseat.
It tells the passengers what their rights are.
You know, air conditioning, seatbelts that work.
People see this every day, but they never pay attention to it.
Mac, the stuff underneath the vic's fingernails-- it's from the Taxicab Passenger Bill of Rights.
Taxi! Stop! Going to 29th and Lex.
So the vics were in the cab.
Once they were inside the killer had them trapped.
The cab's rigged so that CO emissions from the tailpipe pour into the backseat.
Hey! The windows, man.
A little fresh air? Hey! Hey, just pull over.
Just Hey! Once the vics realized there was something wrong, they tried to escape.
Hey! Hey, man! Hey! Pull over! He watched them beg for their lives.
Let me out.
Let me out! I really appreciate this.
Same marks.
They look postmortem.
Mac, it looks like we're dealing with the same MO.
I want every cab checked, background checks on the drivers.
I want their trip logs.
Mac, there are 11,000 cabs in this city.
Our killer's a cab driver.
Any New Yorker could be his next victim.