Major Crimes s05e03 Episode Script
Foreign Affairs
1 [Distorted voice.]
This is a message to the United States and those who serve in its Armed Forces.
Today, I pledge my allegiance to committing jihad on a member of your military here in the American homeland.
There is no safe haven for those who make war on the Islamic State.
You cannot terrorize and murder those who follow the Prophet and escape punishment by running home.
This is how the faithful treat crusaders.
You may return to your country, but you will never be safe.
Death to America and all her soldiers.
[TV turns off.]
Morris: I know that was a terrible way to start your day, but this video, which I'm sure you heard we took down almost immediately when it appeared online four days ago, remains the FBI's best and only lead in a national manhunt.
So, I want to turn it over to Liz Soto from our counterterrorism office in D.
C.
Hello, everyone.
Sorry my voice is a little raw.
I've been working this case nonstop since we confirmed the video's authenticity.
So far, no luck tracing it back to an I.
P.
address, but there is nothing phony about this recording.
What you just witnessed is an authentic decapitation.
Sharon: Does the FBI think this victim was actually in the U.
S.
military? Or was.
Yes, but we have no idea who he is.
2 million active American service personnel worldwide 6 million more if you include veterans.
You're fishing in the ocean, guys.
Sharon: Unless you're implying that this video was shot in Los Angeles.
- Is that it? - We think so, yes.
Soto and her team got lucky last night.
Despite the absence of specific geographic markers, our Image Analysis got a lead.
That little dot in the sky turns out it's an LAPD airship.
If we track the flight plan of this helicopter from four days ago and compare it with the ISIS video, we can discover where the image was captured.
Our terrorist will be long gone.
But we could still find the victim or evidence of the murder.
Taylor: Okay, Los Angeles is a big place.
Our helicopters patrol an area of about 500 square miles.
The victim seems to have been decapitated on undeveloped land.
Well, 1/4 of L.
A.
County flyover is either wilderness or state park still one hell of a search.
We understand the challenge, but this act of terrorism was either directed or inspired by the Islamic State.
We have to find this killer, his phones, his computers.
And the trail begins with identifying the victim.
Which is why it is temporarily in the country's best interest to let the LAPD take the lead on this and have Major Crimes take on the assignment instead of your Counterterrorism Division so our ISIS friend doesn't feel us breathing down his neck.
Find and identify our victim, Captain, and the sooner, the better.
Sharon: This is our needle, and t is our haystack.
Sanchez: That's a lot of red lines, Buzz.
Well, the timeline the FBI gave us was an hour and a half, and this is where Air 12 was flying.
Well, how are they so certain of that? Fritz: Moon placement.
You can see it here in the background, faintly.
Tao: Three days after it turned full, so it's visible in the morning.
So, in calculating the orbit I was fine with "moon placement.
" Okay, M.
P.
s from Pendleton, Twentynine Palms, and Coronado have forwarded us the names of every serviceman who is AWOL, and Oderno is sending up every Missing Person report involving former military personnel.
If there even is a report.
We have almost 3,000 homeless veterans in this city.
Double that in the county.
It's the war that never ends.
So, are we really taking this asshole's word that his victim was a serviceman? Sanchez: Well, the military is.
They issued a worldwide alert bulletin to all members of the Armed Services and veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Makes me feel special.
Did ISIS take credit for the murder? No.
They only praised the attack on their Twitter feed.
Yeah, well, they could have gotten it off the news just like everybody else.
Still, the map is the map.
Chief Howard? Based off the flight plans, there are over 30 undeveloped areas where the murder could have been committed.
Tao: Not so.
I found a geographic marker on this topographical map the FBI missed.
You see? [Chuckling.]
There's nothing there.
Exactly.
When the guy tilts the camera up, there's a lot of height to the video's background.
You can see the moon in the sky, you can see the helicopter, but where can you stand in a complete wilderness area or park in L.
A.
, looking at the horizon, and not see hills, mountains, or ocean? And with the morning moon behind him, he'd be facing west.
With the camera pointed easterly, with his back to an airship.
Oh, he'd also want some kind of road.
He didn't carry the victim to where he chopped his head off.
We need a bigger map.
Fritz: Since the airship never flew over it, let's get rid of the Valley.
I've wanted to do that for years.
Tao: And we need to be far enough away from the hills so we don't see them underneath the moon.
Can we center and enlarge what's left, Buzz? [Monitor beeps.]
W-What's this area here, east of downtown? Sanchez: Uh, University Ridge Park.
Flynn: Oh, yeah.
I've found bodies there.
It's not as popular as Angeles Forest, but it has its fans.
Oh, there are places in University Ridge where you could face east and not see the hills or the skyline, ma'am.
Chief Howard, can you send up the airship in question? And transfer a live feed to you? Sure.
Air 12 is standing by.
Buzz, how much closer can you get to this road? [Monitor beeping.]
Air 12 to Base.
Are you receiving this feed? Acknowledge, Air 12.
This is 4 King 62.
We're receiving.
At least the airship's in the right position, and we know it's far enough away so the crew wouldn't have been able to see the murder.
Since we've established that, Chief, maybe we should have support fly over the park.
Air 12, this is 4 King 62.
Give our team on the ground a little closer attention, please.
Roger that, Chief.
Air 12 is responding.
[Helicopter blades whirring in distance.]
[Dogs barking.]
Hey, guys! The dogs have picked up a scent! Well, the dogs have got something.
They look awful excited down there.
Okay, Tao, uh, behind me.
All right, I'm facing west.
Now, when you look up, what do you see facing east? Nothing but sky.
All right, we need a 30-yard perimeter established from where I'm standing.
Uh, Flynn, call it in, but use your cellphone.
Radio discipline from everyone from here on out.
We do not want the media listening to a scanner, learning about this body.
[Cellphone beeps.]
Flynn: Hey.
Can you see what's going on? Yes.
We're going to dig.
[Helicopter blades whirring.]
All right, what's that? What is it? Is that the murder weapon from the video? As near as I can tell, yeah.
Pilot: She's holding up something.
Looks like a knife, partner.
Kendall: Okay, hold on.
I've got something.
Looks like Looks like It's the head.
Sykes: Ah.
Over here.
Okay.
We found it a body, a head, and the murder weapon.
Okay.
Quietly, quietly close and evacuate the park.
Will do.
Air 12, this is 4 King 62.
Thanks.
We found what we were looking for.
You can return to base.
Copy that, Chief.
We're done here, partner.
Return to base.
All right, you got it.
Wonder what the big deal was down there.
Well they're here.
Hey.
Uh, I-I know dinner's off.
Oh.
This murder is really time-sensitive.
I'm sorry.
That's not a problem.
I was just, um I was actually looking for Buzz.
He went to film a crime scene with Lieutenant Provenza.
Something I can help you with? Well Well, you probably have a lot going on right now, but I took the video from the ATM where Buzz's father and uncle were murdered, and I ran it through like six old VCRs from our communications department, and it's just it's just covered in static.
Ohhh.
That's too bad.
Yeah, but one of my professors says that it's just because the tape is dirty and that you guys have a process that you use to clean it all up.
Well, we do, but justifying the expense, we would have to have a fresh lead or a new suspect.
Well, but that's just what Buzz is looking for on the tape.
Oh, my God.
I mean, the guy gets a job at the LAPD and trains to become a reserve police officer all so that he can re-open the investigation into his father's murder, and it all comes to a crashing halt just because we can't see what's on some prehistoric ATM video? You know, the ATM video maybe there is somebody that I could speak to.
Okay.
Thank you.
Um, did you call your mother again about the baby? No.
And I've decided I'm not going to.
That baby needs to be put up for adoption the day it is born.
I mean, clearly, she she sees this whole situation as a second chance to be a better mother, and that is a terrible reason to have a kid.
Well, perhaps your mother has reasons she didn't share with you.
Such as? Maybe this child is helping to keep her sober.
Okay, well, good luck to that baby, then, because that's more than I could ever do.
Every single time I feel like I have a handle on her, she surprises me.
I mean, maybe I'll never really know who she is.
Your victim's name is probably Nicholas Greenbourne.
Sykes: Served in the Army 2004 to 2010, three tours in Iraq.
Uh, DMV lists his home address in Yucca Valley.
Did we I.
D.
him off his prints? No off the clothes he was reported wearing in the Missing Persons report, filed with the LAPD last Thursday.
And we are sure that this head belongs to this body? Cutting patterns match up.
See? Horrible.
But convincing.
Anything else? Two things.
Your victim when I removed the hood from his head, I found duct tape covering his mouth.
What is it that the killer didn't want him to say? [Door opens.]
What the hell do you think you're doing? We're fulfilling your ask, Agent Soto locating someone who might be your victim and now we're trying to I.
D.
him from The FBI requested your help with this investigation, not that you take Special Agent Soto, we are all on the same side here.
The LAPD lacks the assets to confront an international terrorist attack on the Armed Forces of the United States and should stand down now.
We've found inconsistencies with other, similar decapitations that just You're looking for consistency from ISIS? We're asking to know why his mouth was taped shut when the world was meant to hear him screaming.
We will answer all of those questions when we find our terrorist.
Morris: But until we do, we're under orders to transport the victim to D.
C.
So, if you'd all just step back from the gurney, we have a team Uh Without a court order, you're not taking this body anywhere.
We can't get a court order without publicly acknowledging that we've discovered the victim, and we're not prepared to do that yet for reasons pertaining I don't care what your reasons are.
Until I see legal documentation to the contrary, you have zero jurisdiction in my examination room.
I'm the authority here, so step back please.
You know, Agent Soto, if you're wrong about this and you could be you'll just end up returning this murder to us six months from now.
Fine, Doctor.
You can finish.
Thanks, but I don't need your permission.
Maybe it would be better if the two of you waited outside Hmm? with your team.
Okay.
Captain, you're right.
Agent Morris wants us to drag our feet on this.
But until he can tell us why, let me at least give Agent Soto the name of our victim.
Might as well look cooperative.
Thank you, Chief.
Doctor, you said there were two things.
Yes.
As I was about to say before we were so rudely interrupted in addition to the duct tape, your victim drank himself to an alcohol level of at least .
24.
Because Islamic extremists tend to overserve.
All right, Amy, inform Lieutenant Provenza as to our progress.
And we need to speak to the people who filed this Missing Persons report on Nicholas Greenbourne and ask them for their help.
Sykes: Miguel, Vince, Hailey, do any of you recognize the Oh, man.
Yeah.
That's what Nick was wearing when we all went out last Wednesday night.
Whoa.
On the shoes is that blood? What happened? Um, you both served with Nick? Infantry, 2004 to 2010.
Three tours in Iraq.
Okay, now the FBI is about to chop off my head.
Tao: You guys were deployed together? Yes.
Out of Diyala during the surge.
Are these the persons reporting? Have they given us a timeline yet? We're almost there, Chief.
Hold on.
Miguel: Nick struggles.
There's a lot of us never fully came back from Iraq.
Without structure, without a mission, he struggles in life and in work.
Carpentry jobs here and there if his cousin calls him, but other than that Anything on the side? Uh, like criminal? There's no way.
Okay, so, when you last saw him We all went out to dinner together, which is what we usually do when Nick visits.
And after, he asked me to to let Vince go out for a drink to celebrate our marriage next week.
Nick always has a reason to celebrate.
We tried to talk him into calling it a night 'cause he overdoes it, and then Vince and I end up We end up bailing on him, yeah.
This happens when Nick visits us.
He usually Ubers back to our house.
But Thursday morning, Nick wasn't there when you woke up.
You were worried? Well, yes.
I mean, at first, we thought he'd hooked up with someone, but the day went on.
Nick never called.
His car stayed parked outside our house.
He was in town to help us get ready for our wedding, but I mean, he knew how important it was to us.
He might not be the smartest man you'll ever meet, but he's not a flake.
Vince: I tried his cellphone a few times, but when he didn't answer or call back, I drove out to his place in Yucca to see if somehow he'd ended up back home, but he hadn't.
I mean, this is just crazy.
Where is he? How could he just disappear? Huh? Why is there blood on his shoes?! This is what the police are supposed to find out.
So, what bar did you leave Nick at? Uh it was where he wanted to go, honey.
What? Ms.
Leggett, um, why don't you step outside for a moment? Thank you.
[Door opens.]
And the name of the bar is? Gazelles Nightclub, in the Valley.
Miguel: Listen, listen, it's it's not a strip club.
The waitresses they just wear bikinis.
I know it.
It's off Lankershim.
Well, it's been there since I was 19.
How far is that from where Nick was buried? Far over 10 miles.
Looking for the owners.
They won't be there tonight.
It's closed on Mondays.
Or, uh used to be.
What? I mean, he could he could be a little obvious, you know, the way he hit on the, um, waitresses, but, I mean, they're used to that, right? Really? Do some of these waitresses have boyfriends or husbands? Uh, boyfriends? Oh, uh, I doubt it.
I mean, I wouldn't want my wife walking around like that.
[Chuckles.]
Before either of you left, did anyone ask you if you were or had ever been in the military? The place is full of Army guys some Marines, too.
They pop up here from Twentynine Palms on the weekend.
In a crowd like that, it's hard to say why one of us would stand out.
[Keyboard clacks.]
[TV turns off.]
[Sighs.]
Okay, off the record You doubt this beheading was directed by ISIS, as well.
The phrasing the killer used on the video is inconclusive.
And he said "the Prophet" without immediately saying "Blessings be upon him" or something like it, which is odd.
So, our killer is self-radicalized domestically? He didn't recite the Qur'an to validate his actions, so I don't know how deep his attachment to Islam is.
He may be what our profilers call a classic injustice collector.
Except the murder weapon was definitely a knife from the Middle East.
Which could denote a recruit trained overseas, yes.
Soto's running with that, and she's dragging Washington with her.
My guess is, sometime tomorrow, she'll have the necessary paperwork to come in here, take your evidence, and this will become a federal case focused solely on ISIS.
But we can look wherever we want.
And, unofficially, maybe you should.
And how would she work and take care of a child at the same time with no one to help her and nowhere permanent to live with her house-sitting and stuff? I don't know, but this makes minute 47 you've spent on the difficulties this new baby will face without saying one word about your mother having a child by the man who beat and abandoned you.
No feelings about that? Well, how do you think I feel, Dr.
Joe? How can I be sure if you won't say? All right! It sucks! And it's and it's wrong, and it never should have happened.
Making me the half-brother of Gary's kid is is very, very upsetting, and I-I-I do not want that child in my life.
Great.
Sorry to make you walk and talk for so long, but otherwise, we would have had to cancel.
We'll end with how you don't want Gary's child in your life, and I'll see you next week.
W-Wait.
Wait.
Y-You can't You can't just, like You can't just get me all mad and then just walk off, Dr.
Joe.
You can't do that.
I got you all mad? I wonder if that's true.
What the hell is a classic injustice collector? Uh, this is the definition I pass out at my seminars.
The FBI has their own way of explaining injustice collectors, but I guess they're not high on this theory? Officially, they have their focus, we have ours.
"Injustice collectors are never wrong, so disciplinary actions taken against them are always unfair and demeaning"? Really? That's how they see it, yes.
"Injustice collectors visualize themselves as judge and jury to those they consider enemies.
" Provenza: "Injustice collectors rationalize their own behavior, tend to demonize the people who disagree with them.
" My first four wives, for example.
And all of Santa Monica.
Would an injustice collector self-radicalize? Dr.
Joe: If it helped him achieve moral superiority, possibly.
But the ideology would have to fit with a pre-existing grievance.
If your perpetrator had a deep-seated resentment of the military, he could adopt ISIS to justify his actions.
But he was highly organized.
He thought a great deal about how and where he would kill his victim, and he wanted to get away with it.
Taylor: Which does indicate targeting.
Of the bar, if nothing else.
It's all plausible, but I'm having a problem fitting the killer's exit strategy into the profile.
In San Bernardino, which is a relative example [Telephone rings.]
there was no serious plan for escape, and the attack seemed spontaneous.
Major Crimes.
In Colorado Springs, too, there was no thought put into getting away.
Yeah.
One second.
Uh, Captain, it's Mike.
He said two guys just showed up at Gazelles to open the joint up.
Should we talk to them, or should we wait for Special Agent Soto and her gang of experts to do it? It'll take a while for the FBI to catch up with us.
Sharon: If Gazelles has security cameras, we might have time to get in there and grab surveillance footage from the night our victim disappeared.
Yeah, and then the Feds could take it away from us whenever they finally show up.
But okay.
Yes, Mike, see if Gazelles will cooperate.
Hey, and if either one of these guys look like they may have an ax to grind and may have used it recently, call me.
Will do.
The girls won't start work for another hour Ah.
Police officers.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Can I get you guys a drink water, juice, spirits? Are you on duty? We aren't here for a drink.
Another person just walked in here with you.
Where is he? That was my son.
He's in the back office.
May I help you? Hey, would you like to review my licenses? Hey, you, come here.
L.
A.
P.
D.
And my inventory? We're not with Vice.
Sir, tell me your name.
Asim Behdi.
Look me up.
I don't have any violations.
My business is 1,000% legitimate.
Did you ask for their warrant, Dad? Nemo, we have nothing to hide.
Ignore him.
He's not in charge.
Were you two working here Wednesday night? Yes.
Nemo tended bar with Chris, and I was managing the floor.
Do you remember this customer? Of course the big tipper.
Big tipper? Throwing $100s around.
Army veteran, right? Why? Has something happened? Tell me, Nemo how do you know this man was an Army veteran? He repeated it over and over to Kimberly, one of our dancers.
He was doing everything stupid people do to get her attention.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
He was a very kind man, a very generous man.
He was a jerk with too much money, pestering Kimberly, trying to buy her for the night.
Do you remember what time he left? Yeah.
I stopped serving him a little after midnight.
Offered me $200 for another tequila soda, but I said no.
Told him to call an Uber and go home.
He waited till Kimberly got off and then stumbled out.
Disgusting.
Sir, do you have cameras inside or outside the bar? Of course at the front door and in the parking lot.
Could you have video from last Wednesday night - available for - When I see a warrant.
Nemo! They are the police.
They aren't telling us anything, Dad.
This is some profiling bullshit, and I'm sick of it.
Everywhere we go.
I'm dragged out of lines at the airport.
People freak out when I walk into the movie theaters.
And now something happens to this Army guy, and the police come in saying, "Oh, it's the Muslims.
" Nemo, what are you talking about? Your grandfather was Muslim, not us.
I am an owner of a nightclub a mainstream-American occupation.
You know something else really mainstream-American, is a search warrant.
Also, civil rights.
You could sign a consent decree so we could take your security video.
Sanchez: And give us this Kimberly's phone number and address.
We'd like to talk to her.
Everybody wants to talk to Kimberly.
Of course.
[Chuckles.]
And I will e-mail you the video.
We will cooperate however we can.
[Sirens wailing in distance.]
First, Miguel leaves at about 9:15.
And then, an hour and 20 minutes later, Vince leaves.
Until finally, 12:36, Nick stumbles out, apparently sees his Uber driver, and walks off to his ride.
Except that's not what happened.
The Uber driver gets the request from Nick's cell at 12:39.
When the driver gets to Gazelles at 12:45, Nick is gone.
Now, GPS confirms the driver's story.
But, if you'll play the video forward a little Provenza: No, no, no, no.
Wait.
Uh, if Nick didn't call for his ride until three minutes later, who was he waving to here? Taylor: Maybe the FBI will be able to answer that question.
Special Agents Soto and Morris.
Captain, I have a federal court order directing you to turn over all evidence related to this act of terrorism to me right now.
Morris: And thank you and the L.
A.
P.
D.
for the great job you did at our request.
Flynn: Well, fortunately, we already have everything boxed up and ready to go.
I know the drill.
Let me help you guys.
Soto: Be sure and e-mail us all this surveillance video of our victim.
Our facial-recognition software is much better than yours.
Oh, I'm sure it is.
And, um you'll need this.
We're unable to see clearly what's on this video, and I know that the FBI can do wonders.
When we're trusted to do our jobs, yes, we can.
Thank you, Captain.
We'll be in touch.
We can't wait.
Uh, Captain Thank you.
I, uh Don't thank me, Buzz.
The FBI has jurisdiction over bank robberies.
Provenza: [Chuckling.]
Right.
Okay, Sykes is staked out at Gazelles.
Mike and Julio are waiting for Kimberly at her house.
With any luck, we should be able to get to our highly tipped waitress before the FBI even knows she exists.
And maybe our lowly paid carpenter mentioned to Kimberly where his $100 bills came from.
Or better yet, maybe she can tell us who he's waving to when he's leaving the club.
[Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
- Sanchez: Kimberly White? - Yeah.
L.
A.
P.
D.
? What can I do for you? Tao: We'd like to ask you a few questions about Wednesday night.
Uh, do you mind if we come in, Kimberly? [Sighs.]
[Keys jingle, lock disengages.]
Kimberly: I knew it was too good to be true.
[Keypad beeping.]
Lucky for you, I haven't made a deposit yet.
I'm shy about handing large amounts of cash over to my bank because of how nosy the federal government is.
Tell us about it.
[Sighs.]
This is Tuesday.
Here's Wednesday.
Nick would be the eight $100 bills.
Sanchez: Wow.
That's a lot of money.
Do you need to take all of them? I have my first real exhibition this week.
I could really use it.
- He only gave you $100s? - Uh-huh.
That was a big departure from the $5s he usually tossed my way.
And I know what you're thinking, but I didn't go home with him.
I was clear we weren't doing that, and he told me "No problem" and gave me his phone number in case I changed my mind.
[Chuckles.]
- He tell you how he made this money? - No.
Mostly, he just talked about how hot my ass looked.
- [Inhales deeply.]
- Kimberly do you have a boyfriend someone who might be jealous over the attention Nick gave you? No, but I have a girlfriend who lives in Austin and loves what I do because it means I can fly out to see her whenever I want to.
What is it, Tao? Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson.
All signed by the same Treasury Secretary.
And the serial numbers on the bills, if you take a look, are in sequential order.
Ah.
Are you about to perform a magic trick? I already have, because even though the bills look real, according to the Treasury Department, they don't exist.
- You're saying it's counterfeit? - Sanchez: Uh, no, ma'am.
He's saying all that money was destroyed in Iraq, along with another $600,000.
Fritz: Hold on.
Hold on.
During the surge, the Defense Department earmarked millions of dollars for our allies in the Sunni Awakening.
And now many of those same militia leaders are allied with ISIS.
And they say people don't change.
But you're saying, Mike, that this currency was never distributed to the Sunnis? No.
According to records, the Army personnel in charge of financial support were caught in an ambush and were ordered to torch the cash.
And then it shows up here, where our victim uses it to tip a girl in a strip joint.
A bikini bar, sir.
Technically, finding that money should trigger an inquiry by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division.
And the M.
P.
s would be able to tell us who was ordered to destroy that cash as if we didn't have a good idea already.
Amy, if you could start that inquiry, please.
While she's doing that, I can ask Morris if he'd use the Patriot Act to get us some useful financial information.
Okay.
In the meantime, let's see if any of these Henry Paulson $100s have shown up anywhere else recently.
I hear that getting married has become very expensive venues, photographers.
Samuel: Paying an L.
A.
caterer in U.
S.
currency is not a crime.
Yes, but the cash Vince gave her this morning to cover the rest of his deposit well, it has some peculiar features to it.
Such as? I mean, it's real, isn't it? It's too real comes from a batch of money that was supposed to be destroyed in Iraq.
Provenza: Yes, and according to the Army, the three men ordered to destroy this cash were your client, his friend Miguel, and Nick, our victim.
You better not be interviewing a suspect in my terrorist attack.
Well, that all depends on how you look at it.
Right now, we're doing a preliminary investigation of a robbery homicide, but it could connect to your case.
Which is why we asked you to join us.
We may need you.
Provenza:at Gazelles, uh, to a stripper uh, I'm sorry to a waitress right before he disappeared.
Your client's tax returns they show he's unemployed and making no income for three years.
Yes, his so-called job as a traveling pharmaceutical rep doesn't exist.
You've been lying to your fiancée.
Not a crime.
[Chuckling.]
Thank God, or we'd be here 24/7.
Still, your pretty little wife-to-be has a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office.
I doubt that she made the $100,000 down payment on your new condo or on the lease for your Mercedes.
So, Vince, where'd all the money come from? After a three-way split of the money that you were ordered to destroy, you would be left with about $200,000.
Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Money to burn.
Sanchez: Then it goes fast, especially when you've lied yourself into a corner with the woman you want to marry.
You're suggesting an Iraqi War veteran, who may very well be suffering from PTSD, robbed the Army, split the money up with his friends, spent all his cash, and then killed one of his best friends for more money? No, sir, we're saying that your client took his buddy to a bar, where he got him good and drunk, and he told Nick that he would wait outside to give him a ride, drove him to a pre-dug grave, and then dressed up like he was in ISIS and cut his friend's head off with a knife on video to make it look like an act of terrorism! And then he drove out to Yucca and stole all the guy's money.
[Chuckling.]
Julio, when you lay it all out like that, it sounds a little premeditated.
This This is the ISIS murder? [Chuckling.]
No.
This is the "I want to kill my friend and steal his money to pay for my wedding and honeymoon" murder.
Confer with your client, counselor.
We've already spoken to the district attorney's office, and they're willing to take death off the table if we get a quick confession to Murder One.
No way.
No! No way.
I didn't kill anybody! Okay, Vince, you had your chance.
Amy? Andy? ISIS slip right into America, despite everything we fought for.
I'm so insulted right now.
I did three tours in Iraq, serving my country with Nick, and you think I just dressed up like some Muslim and killed him? Unreal! Okay, Miguel.
You're lucky that your friend Vince is an idiot 'cause now you have choices.
Not great choices, but better than life in prison for all the money you stole from the Army while you were in Iraq.
- What money? I didn't take any - No, let's not start this way, okay? That's the way Vince started, and it's just gonna piss everybody off.
You get an honorable discharge, and six months later, your wife opens a $200,000 investment account and goes to work as a broker? Don't even try to explain it.
Just listen.
Option 1 we let the Army court-martial you for theft and dereliction of duty.
During wartime, Miguel.
That's 25 years in prison for the dereliction alone.
No.
[Stammers.]
I won't do 25 years.
Okay, well, option 2 you admit to the theft, and you answer all of our questions truthfully, and in return for your cooperation, the Army has agreed to give you seven years.
I can't be away from my baby girl that long.
That's too bad.
Because your third option is life without parole as an accomplice to the murder of Nick Greenbourne.
Nick is H-He's really dead? How? [Sighs.]
Have you ever seen this knife before? [Sighs.]
Man.
[Gulps.]
Man, look, y'all that money we took we took it as hazard pay.
A-And we deserved it, too.
Burning up money because we couldn't hand it out to the Muslims? What about us, huh? It's okay to give to the Muslims, but the people who fought for them had to come back with nothing? What was I supposed to get? Seven years in a military prison.
If you start telling us the truth about Nick.
You volunteered.
You signed up.
You broke your oath.
You want to go away for life be my guest.
Nick still had most of his cash.
Poor guy.
He inherited this shitty house in Yucca, and, you know, for him, success meant being able to buy a six-pack every night.
That wasn't enough for Vince.
No, Vince wanted the American dream beautiful wife, great car.
He just just didn't have the skills to make it, man.
Like you do.
[Scoffs.]
The knife.
Vince took it off a dead Republican guard, brought it with the money.
Put a false bottom in a footlocker 600 grand.
Morris: Okay.
I think, uh Special Agent Soto and I can take it from here.
Right.
We'll, uh, call off our surveillance of Gazelles, inform Washington.
And thank you all for your assistance.
Ah.
And before I go a clear DVD of what was on your video which, by the way, was completely unrelated to this case.
Long-range.
Mm.
Well poor guys.
Looked pretty awful.
Mm.
I wish you luck with it.
[Door closes.]
Thank you, Captain.
You're welcome, Buzz.
I hope it helps more than it hurts.
Buzz, are you gonna watch that tonight? I-If I finish work early enough, I might.
Pardon me.
This is Special Agent Soto, and I'm Special Agent Morris of the FBI.
I'm afraid the period in which you could make a deal with the California Justice System has come to an end.
Whoa.
FBI? What does the FBI have to do with this? We're arresting your client on charges related to terrorism.
Screw you! Terrorism?! Does the FBI actually expect this terrorism charge to stick? Well, now that they know who did it, they'll be able to reverse-engineer Vince's Internet uplink.
Though I don't know if what he did will count as terrorism.
Let the courts decide.
video in which you decapitated your friend in the name of ISIS, you incited others to do the same to United States military officers around the world.
And the federal government takes you at your word.
That is awesome.
Catching a terrorist? I mean, how many guys can say that their mothers beat ISIS? Well, it wasn't ISIS at all just a regular sociopath, although there are similarities.
Gus this was terrific.
Thank you for keeping it warm for me.
I can't believe you just whipped this up in our kitchen.
We don't cook at all.
[Laughs.]
[Laughs.]
Thanks.
My boss said I have promise says if I work days on the floor and nights in the kitchen, I could probably move up quick.
And the guy owns four restaurants.
Oh, Gus, that's wonderful.
Isn't that wonderful? Sure.
I mean, I'd like to see him go to college, but if he'd rather do this [Sighs.]
That's your son stubborn and a little opinionated.
Okay, I-I am in no way opinionated.
Oh.
No way.
[Laughs.]
[Cellphone chiming.]
You just have to let it roll off your back.
I'm only thinking about your long-term future here, if that's okay.
And I'm just hoping to do well enough so that Paloma's new family will let me visit her soon.
You see, that's just another way we're different.
I'd do anything to talk with my little sister again.
You you'd do anything not to have one.
My sister's just a few miles away from here, and I have to keep my distance.
Yours Yours isn't even born yet, and you're trying to get the baby as far away from you as possible.
The baby should be put up for adoption.
I am not wrong here.
I'm not.
Not being wrong doesn't make you right.
[Cellphone chiming.]
And Buzz.
What is it? "I sent something for you in your e-mail.
" Why do people text to say that they've e-mailed? Why not just say what you want to say in the text? No opinions at all.
That is not an opinion.
That is a question.
I'll be right back.
Gus, you are very patient.
With him, it's necessary.
But it pays off.
- Don't you think? - I do.
I most definitely do.
Okay.
Buzz: "Hey.
This is the video from the ATM security camera of my father and uncle's murder.
" Oh, my God.
"Your mother had the FBI clear up the recording.
I don't know anymore if you should see it.
" What? But we agreed you could watch it, so if you want here's the link.
Buzz.
" [Key clacks.]
This is a message to the United States and those who serve in its Armed Forces.
Today, I pledge my allegiance to committing jihad on a member of your military here in the American homeland.
There is no safe haven for those who make war on the Islamic State.
You cannot terrorize and murder those who follow the Prophet and escape punishment by running home.
This is how the faithful treat crusaders.
You may return to your country, but you will never be safe.
Death to America and all her soldiers.
[TV turns off.]
Morris: I know that was a terrible way to start your day, but this video, which I'm sure you heard we took down almost immediately when it appeared online four days ago, remains the FBI's best and only lead in a national manhunt.
So, I want to turn it over to Liz Soto from our counterterrorism office in D.
C.
Hello, everyone.
Sorry my voice is a little raw.
I've been working this case nonstop since we confirmed the video's authenticity.
So far, no luck tracing it back to an I.
P.
address, but there is nothing phony about this recording.
What you just witnessed is an authentic decapitation.
Sharon: Does the FBI think this victim was actually in the U.
S.
military? Or was.
Yes, but we have no idea who he is.
2 million active American service personnel worldwide 6 million more if you include veterans.
You're fishing in the ocean, guys.
Sharon: Unless you're implying that this video was shot in Los Angeles.
- Is that it? - We think so, yes.
Soto and her team got lucky last night.
Despite the absence of specific geographic markers, our Image Analysis got a lead.
That little dot in the sky turns out it's an LAPD airship.
If we track the flight plan of this helicopter from four days ago and compare it with the ISIS video, we can discover where the image was captured.
Our terrorist will be long gone.
But we could still find the victim or evidence of the murder.
Taylor: Okay, Los Angeles is a big place.
Our helicopters patrol an area of about 500 square miles.
The victim seems to have been decapitated on undeveloped land.
Well, 1/4 of L.
A.
County flyover is either wilderness or state park still one hell of a search.
We understand the challenge, but this act of terrorism was either directed or inspired by the Islamic State.
We have to find this killer, his phones, his computers.
And the trail begins with identifying the victim.
Which is why it is temporarily in the country's best interest to let the LAPD take the lead on this and have Major Crimes take on the assignment instead of your Counterterrorism Division so our ISIS friend doesn't feel us breathing down his neck.
Find and identify our victim, Captain, and the sooner, the better.
Sharon: This is our needle, and t is our haystack.
Sanchez: That's a lot of red lines, Buzz.
Well, the timeline the FBI gave us was an hour and a half, and this is where Air 12 was flying.
Well, how are they so certain of that? Fritz: Moon placement.
You can see it here in the background, faintly.
Tao: Three days after it turned full, so it's visible in the morning.
So, in calculating the orbit I was fine with "moon placement.
" Okay, M.
P.
s from Pendleton, Twentynine Palms, and Coronado have forwarded us the names of every serviceman who is AWOL, and Oderno is sending up every Missing Person report involving former military personnel.
If there even is a report.
We have almost 3,000 homeless veterans in this city.
Double that in the county.
It's the war that never ends.
So, are we really taking this asshole's word that his victim was a serviceman? Sanchez: Well, the military is.
They issued a worldwide alert bulletin to all members of the Armed Services and veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Makes me feel special.
Did ISIS take credit for the murder? No.
They only praised the attack on their Twitter feed.
Yeah, well, they could have gotten it off the news just like everybody else.
Still, the map is the map.
Chief Howard? Based off the flight plans, there are over 30 undeveloped areas where the murder could have been committed.
Tao: Not so.
I found a geographic marker on this topographical map the FBI missed.
You see? [Chuckling.]
There's nothing there.
Exactly.
When the guy tilts the camera up, there's a lot of height to the video's background.
You can see the moon in the sky, you can see the helicopter, but where can you stand in a complete wilderness area or park in L.
A.
, looking at the horizon, and not see hills, mountains, or ocean? And with the morning moon behind him, he'd be facing west.
With the camera pointed easterly, with his back to an airship.
Oh, he'd also want some kind of road.
He didn't carry the victim to where he chopped his head off.
We need a bigger map.
Fritz: Since the airship never flew over it, let's get rid of the Valley.
I've wanted to do that for years.
Tao: And we need to be far enough away from the hills so we don't see them underneath the moon.
Can we center and enlarge what's left, Buzz? [Monitor beeps.]
W-What's this area here, east of downtown? Sanchez: Uh, University Ridge Park.
Flynn: Oh, yeah.
I've found bodies there.
It's not as popular as Angeles Forest, but it has its fans.
Oh, there are places in University Ridge where you could face east and not see the hills or the skyline, ma'am.
Chief Howard, can you send up the airship in question? And transfer a live feed to you? Sure.
Air 12 is standing by.
Buzz, how much closer can you get to this road? [Monitor beeping.]
Air 12 to Base.
Are you receiving this feed? Acknowledge, Air 12.
This is 4 King 62.
We're receiving.
At least the airship's in the right position, and we know it's far enough away so the crew wouldn't have been able to see the murder.
Since we've established that, Chief, maybe we should have support fly over the park.
Air 12, this is 4 King 62.
Give our team on the ground a little closer attention, please.
Roger that, Chief.
Air 12 is responding.
[Helicopter blades whirring in distance.]
[Dogs barking.]
Hey, guys! The dogs have picked up a scent! Well, the dogs have got something.
They look awful excited down there.
Okay, Tao, uh, behind me.
All right, I'm facing west.
Now, when you look up, what do you see facing east? Nothing but sky.
All right, we need a 30-yard perimeter established from where I'm standing.
Uh, Flynn, call it in, but use your cellphone.
Radio discipline from everyone from here on out.
We do not want the media listening to a scanner, learning about this body.
[Cellphone beeps.]
Flynn: Hey.
Can you see what's going on? Yes.
We're going to dig.
[Helicopter blades whirring.]
All right, what's that? What is it? Is that the murder weapon from the video? As near as I can tell, yeah.
Pilot: She's holding up something.
Looks like a knife, partner.
Kendall: Okay, hold on.
I've got something.
Looks like Looks like It's the head.
Sykes: Ah.
Over here.
Okay.
We found it a body, a head, and the murder weapon.
Okay.
Quietly, quietly close and evacuate the park.
Will do.
Air 12, this is 4 King 62.
Thanks.
We found what we were looking for.
You can return to base.
Copy that, Chief.
We're done here, partner.
Return to base.
All right, you got it.
Wonder what the big deal was down there.
Well they're here.
Hey.
Uh, I-I know dinner's off.
Oh.
This murder is really time-sensitive.
I'm sorry.
That's not a problem.
I was just, um I was actually looking for Buzz.
He went to film a crime scene with Lieutenant Provenza.
Something I can help you with? Well Well, you probably have a lot going on right now, but I took the video from the ATM where Buzz's father and uncle were murdered, and I ran it through like six old VCRs from our communications department, and it's just it's just covered in static.
Ohhh.
That's too bad.
Yeah, but one of my professors says that it's just because the tape is dirty and that you guys have a process that you use to clean it all up.
Well, we do, but justifying the expense, we would have to have a fresh lead or a new suspect.
Well, but that's just what Buzz is looking for on the tape.
Oh, my God.
I mean, the guy gets a job at the LAPD and trains to become a reserve police officer all so that he can re-open the investigation into his father's murder, and it all comes to a crashing halt just because we can't see what's on some prehistoric ATM video? You know, the ATM video maybe there is somebody that I could speak to.
Okay.
Thank you.
Um, did you call your mother again about the baby? No.
And I've decided I'm not going to.
That baby needs to be put up for adoption the day it is born.
I mean, clearly, she she sees this whole situation as a second chance to be a better mother, and that is a terrible reason to have a kid.
Well, perhaps your mother has reasons she didn't share with you.
Such as? Maybe this child is helping to keep her sober.
Okay, well, good luck to that baby, then, because that's more than I could ever do.
Every single time I feel like I have a handle on her, she surprises me.
I mean, maybe I'll never really know who she is.
Your victim's name is probably Nicholas Greenbourne.
Sykes: Served in the Army 2004 to 2010, three tours in Iraq.
Uh, DMV lists his home address in Yucca Valley.
Did we I.
D.
him off his prints? No off the clothes he was reported wearing in the Missing Persons report, filed with the LAPD last Thursday.
And we are sure that this head belongs to this body? Cutting patterns match up.
See? Horrible.
But convincing.
Anything else? Two things.
Your victim when I removed the hood from his head, I found duct tape covering his mouth.
What is it that the killer didn't want him to say? [Door opens.]
What the hell do you think you're doing? We're fulfilling your ask, Agent Soto locating someone who might be your victim and now we're trying to I.
D.
him from The FBI requested your help with this investigation, not that you take Special Agent Soto, we are all on the same side here.
The LAPD lacks the assets to confront an international terrorist attack on the Armed Forces of the United States and should stand down now.
We've found inconsistencies with other, similar decapitations that just You're looking for consistency from ISIS? We're asking to know why his mouth was taped shut when the world was meant to hear him screaming.
We will answer all of those questions when we find our terrorist.
Morris: But until we do, we're under orders to transport the victim to D.
C.
So, if you'd all just step back from the gurney, we have a team Uh Without a court order, you're not taking this body anywhere.
We can't get a court order without publicly acknowledging that we've discovered the victim, and we're not prepared to do that yet for reasons pertaining I don't care what your reasons are.
Until I see legal documentation to the contrary, you have zero jurisdiction in my examination room.
I'm the authority here, so step back please.
You know, Agent Soto, if you're wrong about this and you could be you'll just end up returning this murder to us six months from now.
Fine, Doctor.
You can finish.
Thanks, but I don't need your permission.
Maybe it would be better if the two of you waited outside Hmm? with your team.
Okay.
Captain, you're right.
Agent Morris wants us to drag our feet on this.
But until he can tell us why, let me at least give Agent Soto the name of our victim.
Might as well look cooperative.
Thank you, Chief.
Doctor, you said there were two things.
Yes.
As I was about to say before we were so rudely interrupted in addition to the duct tape, your victim drank himself to an alcohol level of at least .
24.
Because Islamic extremists tend to overserve.
All right, Amy, inform Lieutenant Provenza as to our progress.
And we need to speak to the people who filed this Missing Persons report on Nicholas Greenbourne and ask them for their help.
Sykes: Miguel, Vince, Hailey, do any of you recognize the Oh, man.
Yeah.
That's what Nick was wearing when we all went out last Wednesday night.
Whoa.
On the shoes is that blood? What happened? Um, you both served with Nick? Infantry, 2004 to 2010.
Three tours in Iraq.
Okay, now the FBI is about to chop off my head.
Tao: You guys were deployed together? Yes.
Out of Diyala during the surge.
Are these the persons reporting? Have they given us a timeline yet? We're almost there, Chief.
Hold on.
Miguel: Nick struggles.
There's a lot of us never fully came back from Iraq.
Without structure, without a mission, he struggles in life and in work.
Carpentry jobs here and there if his cousin calls him, but other than that Anything on the side? Uh, like criminal? There's no way.
Okay, so, when you last saw him We all went out to dinner together, which is what we usually do when Nick visits.
And after, he asked me to to let Vince go out for a drink to celebrate our marriage next week.
Nick always has a reason to celebrate.
We tried to talk him into calling it a night 'cause he overdoes it, and then Vince and I end up We end up bailing on him, yeah.
This happens when Nick visits us.
He usually Ubers back to our house.
But Thursday morning, Nick wasn't there when you woke up.
You were worried? Well, yes.
I mean, at first, we thought he'd hooked up with someone, but the day went on.
Nick never called.
His car stayed parked outside our house.
He was in town to help us get ready for our wedding, but I mean, he knew how important it was to us.
He might not be the smartest man you'll ever meet, but he's not a flake.
Vince: I tried his cellphone a few times, but when he didn't answer or call back, I drove out to his place in Yucca to see if somehow he'd ended up back home, but he hadn't.
I mean, this is just crazy.
Where is he? How could he just disappear? Huh? Why is there blood on his shoes?! This is what the police are supposed to find out.
So, what bar did you leave Nick at? Uh it was where he wanted to go, honey.
What? Ms.
Leggett, um, why don't you step outside for a moment? Thank you.
[Door opens.]
And the name of the bar is? Gazelles Nightclub, in the Valley.
Miguel: Listen, listen, it's it's not a strip club.
The waitresses they just wear bikinis.
I know it.
It's off Lankershim.
Well, it's been there since I was 19.
How far is that from where Nick was buried? Far over 10 miles.
Looking for the owners.
They won't be there tonight.
It's closed on Mondays.
Or, uh used to be.
What? I mean, he could he could be a little obvious, you know, the way he hit on the, um, waitresses, but, I mean, they're used to that, right? Really? Do some of these waitresses have boyfriends or husbands? Uh, boyfriends? Oh, uh, I doubt it.
I mean, I wouldn't want my wife walking around like that.
[Chuckles.]
Before either of you left, did anyone ask you if you were or had ever been in the military? The place is full of Army guys some Marines, too.
They pop up here from Twentynine Palms on the weekend.
In a crowd like that, it's hard to say why one of us would stand out.
[Keyboard clacks.]
[TV turns off.]
[Sighs.]
Okay, off the record You doubt this beheading was directed by ISIS, as well.
The phrasing the killer used on the video is inconclusive.
And he said "the Prophet" without immediately saying "Blessings be upon him" or something like it, which is odd.
So, our killer is self-radicalized domestically? He didn't recite the Qur'an to validate his actions, so I don't know how deep his attachment to Islam is.
He may be what our profilers call a classic injustice collector.
Except the murder weapon was definitely a knife from the Middle East.
Which could denote a recruit trained overseas, yes.
Soto's running with that, and she's dragging Washington with her.
My guess is, sometime tomorrow, she'll have the necessary paperwork to come in here, take your evidence, and this will become a federal case focused solely on ISIS.
But we can look wherever we want.
And, unofficially, maybe you should.
And how would she work and take care of a child at the same time with no one to help her and nowhere permanent to live with her house-sitting and stuff? I don't know, but this makes minute 47 you've spent on the difficulties this new baby will face without saying one word about your mother having a child by the man who beat and abandoned you.
No feelings about that? Well, how do you think I feel, Dr.
Joe? How can I be sure if you won't say? All right! It sucks! And it's and it's wrong, and it never should have happened.
Making me the half-brother of Gary's kid is is very, very upsetting, and I-I-I do not want that child in my life.
Great.
Sorry to make you walk and talk for so long, but otherwise, we would have had to cancel.
We'll end with how you don't want Gary's child in your life, and I'll see you next week.
W-Wait.
Wait.
Y-You can't You can't just, like You can't just get me all mad and then just walk off, Dr.
Joe.
You can't do that.
I got you all mad? I wonder if that's true.
What the hell is a classic injustice collector? Uh, this is the definition I pass out at my seminars.
The FBI has their own way of explaining injustice collectors, but I guess they're not high on this theory? Officially, they have their focus, we have ours.
"Injustice collectors are never wrong, so disciplinary actions taken against them are always unfair and demeaning"? Really? That's how they see it, yes.
"Injustice collectors visualize themselves as judge and jury to those they consider enemies.
" Provenza: "Injustice collectors rationalize their own behavior, tend to demonize the people who disagree with them.
" My first four wives, for example.
And all of Santa Monica.
Would an injustice collector self-radicalize? Dr.
Joe: If it helped him achieve moral superiority, possibly.
But the ideology would have to fit with a pre-existing grievance.
If your perpetrator had a deep-seated resentment of the military, he could adopt ISIS to justify his actions.
But he was highly organized.
He thought a great deal about how and where he would kill his victim, and he wanted to get away with it.
Taylor: Which does indicate targeting.
Of the bar, if nothing else.
It's all plausible, but I'm having a problem fitting the killer's exit strategy into the profile.
In San Bernardino, which is a relative example [Telephone rings.]
there was no serious plan for escape, and the attack seemed spontaneous.
Major Crimes.
In Colorado Springs, too, there was no thought put into getting away.
Yeah.
One second.
Uh, Captain, it's Mike.
He said two guys just showed up at Gazelles to open the joint up.
Should we talk to them, or should we wait for Special Agent Soto and her gang of experts to do it? It'll take a while for the FBI to catch up with us.
Sharon: If Gazelles has security cameras, we might have time to get in there and grab surveillance footage from the night our victim disappeared.
Yeah, and then the Feds could take it away from us whenever they finally show up.
But okay.
Yes, Mike, see if Gazelles will cooperate.
Hey, and if either one of these guys look like they may have an ax to grind and may have used it recently, call me.
Will do.
The girls won't start work for another hour Ah.
Police officers.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Can I get you guys a drink water, juice, spirits? Are you on duty? We aren't here for a drink.
Another person just walked in here with you.
Where is he? That was my son.
He's in the back office.
May I help you? Hey, would you like to review my licenses? Hey, you, come here.
L.
A.
P.
D.
And my inventory? We're not with Vice.
Sir, tell me your name.
Asim Behdi.
Look me up.
I don't have any violations.
My business is 1,000% legitimate.
Did you ask for their warrant, Dad? Nemo, we have nothing to hide.
Ignore him.
He's not in charge.
Were you two working here Wednesday night? Yes.
Nemo tended bar with Chris, and I was managing the floor.
Do you remember this customer? Of course the big tipper.
Big tipper? Throwing $100s around.
Army veteran, right? Why? Has something happened? Tell me, Nemo how do you know this man was an Army veteran? He repeated it over and over to Kimberly, one of our dancers.
He was doing everything stupid people do to get her attention.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
He was a very kind man, a very generous man.
He was a jerk with too much money, pestering Kimberly, trying to buy her for the night.
Do you remember what time he left? Yeah.
I stopped serving him a little after midnight.
Offered me $200 for another tequila soda, but I said no.
Told him to call an Uber and go home.
He waited till Kimberly got off and then stumbled out.
Disgusting.
Sir, do you have cameras inside or outside the bar? Of course at the front door and in the parking lot.
Could you have video from last Wednesday night - available for - When I see a warrant.
Nemo! They are the police.
They aren't telling us anything, Dad.
This is some profiling bullshit, and I'm sick of it.
Everywhere we go.
I'm dragged out of lines at the airport.
People freak out when I walk into the movie theaters.
And now something happens to this Army guy, and the police come in saying, "Oh, it's the Muslims.
" Nemo, what are you talking about? Your grandfather was Muslim, not us.
I am an owner of a nightclub a mainstream-American occupation.
You know something else really mainstream-American, is a search warrant.
Also, civil rights.
You could sign a consent decree so we could take your security video.
Sanchez: And give us this Kimberly's phone number and address.
We'd like to talk to her.
Everybody wants to talk to Kimberly.
Of course.
[Chuckles.]
And I will e-mail you the video.
We will cooperate however we can.
[Sirens wailing in distance.]
First, Miguel leaves at about 9:15.
And then, an hour and 20 minutes later, Vince leaves.
Until finally, 12:36, Nick stumbles out, apparently sees his Uber driver, and walks off to his ride.
Except that's not what happened.
The Uber driver gets the request from Nick's cell at 12:39.
When the driver gets to Gazelles at 12:45, Nick is gone.
Now, GPS confirms the driver's story.
But, if you'll play the video forward a little Provenza: No, no, no, no.
Wait.
Uh, if Nick didn't call for his ride until three minutes later, who was he waving to here? Taylor: Maybe the FBI will be able to answer that question.
Special Agents Soto and Morris.
Captain, I have a federal court order directing you to turn over all evidence related to this act of terrorism to me right now.
Morris: And thank you and the L.
A.
P.
D.
for the great job you did at our request.
Flynn: Well, fortunately, we already have everything boxed up and ready to go.
I know the drill.
Let me help you guys.
Soto: Be sure and e-mail us all this surveillance video of our victim.
Our facial-recognition software is much better than yours.
Oh, I'm sure it is.
And, um you'll need this.
We're unable to see clearly what's on this video, and I know that the FBI can do wonders.
When we're trusted to do our jobs, yes, we can.
Thank you, Captain.
We'll be in touch.
We can't wait.
Uh, Captain Thank you.
I, uh Don't thank me, Buzz.
The FBI has jurisdiction over bank robberies.
Provenza: [Chuckling.]
Right.
Okay, Sykes is staked out at Gazelles.
Mike and Julio are waiting for Kimberly at her house.
With any luck, we should be able to get to our highly tipped waitress before the FBI even knows she exists.
And maybe our lowly paid carpenter mentioned to Kimberly where his $100 bills came from.
Or better yet, maybe she can tell us who he's waving to when he's leaving the club.
[Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
- Sanchez: Kimberly White? - Yeah.
L.
A.
P.
D.
? What can I do for you? Tao: We'd like to ask you a few questions about Wednesday night.
Uh, do you mind if we come in, Kimberly? [Sighs.]
[Keys jingle, lock disengages.]
Kimberly: I knew it was too good to be true.
[Keypad beeping.]
Lucky for you, I haven't made a deposit yet.
I'm shy about handing large amounts of cash over to my bank because of how nosy the federal government is.
Tell us about it.
[Sighs.]
This is Tuesday.
Here's Wednesday.
Nick would be the eight $100 bills.
Sanchez: Wow.
That's a lot of money.
Do you need to take all of them? I have my first real exhibition this week.
I could really use it.
- He only gave you $100s? - Uh-huh.
That was a big departure from the $5s he usually tossed my way.
And I know what you're thinking, but I didn't go home with him.
I was clear we weren't doing that, and he told me "No problem" and gave me his phone number in case I changed my mind.
[Chuckles.]
- He tell you how he made this money? - No.
Mostly, he just talked about how hot my ass looked.
- [Inhales deeply.]
- Kimberly do you have a boyfriend someone who might be jealous over the attention Nick gave you? No, but I have a girlfriend who lives in Austin and loves what I do because it means I can fly out to see her whenever I want to.
What is it, Tao? Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson.
All signed by the same Treasury Secretary.
And the serial numbers on the bills, if you take a look, are in sequential order.
Ah.
Are you about to perform a magic trick? I already have, because even though the bills look real, according to the Treasury Department, they don't exist.
- You're saying it's counterfeit? - Sanchez: Uh, no, ma'am.
He's saying all that money was destroyed in Iraq, along with another $600,000.
Fritz: Hold on.
Hold on.
During the surge, the Defense Department earmarked millions of dollars for our allies in the Sunni Awakening.
And now many of those same militia leaders are allied with ISIS.
And they say people don't change.
But you're saying, Mike, that this currency was never distributed to the Sunnis? No.
According to records, the Army personnel in charge of financial support were caught in an ambush and were ordered to torch the cash.
And then it shows up here, where our victim uses it to tip a girl in a strip joint.
A bikini bar, sir.
Technically, finding that money should trigger an inquiry by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division.
And the M.
P.
s would be able to tell us who was ordered to destroy that cash as if we didn't have a good idea already.
Amy, if you could start that inquiry, please.
While she's doing that, I can ask Morris if he'd use the Patriot Act to get us some useful financial information.
Okay.
In the meantime, let's see if any of these Henry Paulson $100s have shown up anywhere else recently.
I hear that getting married has become very expensive venues, photographers.
Samuel: Paying an L.
A.
caterer in U.
S.
currency is not a crime.
Yes, but the cash Vince gave her this morning to cover the rest of his deposit well, it has some peculiar features to it.
Such as? I mean, it's real, isn't it? It's too real comes from a batch of money that was supposed to be destroyed in Iraq.
Provenza: Yes, and according to the Army, the three men ordered to destroy this cash were your client, his friend Miguel, and Nick, our victim.
You better not be interviewing a suspect in my terrorist attack.
Well, that all depends on how you look at it.
Right now, we're doing a preliminary investigation of a robbery homicide, but it could connect to your case.
Which is why we asked you to join us.
We may need you.
Provenza:at Gazelles, uh, to a stripper uh, I'm sorry to a waitress right before he disappeared.
Your client's tax returns they show he's unemployed and making no income for three years.
Yes, his so-called job as a traveling pharmaceutical rep doesn't exist.
You've been lying to your fiancée.
Not a crime.
[Chuckling.]
Thank God, or we'd be here 24/7.
Still, your pretty little wife-to-be has a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office.
I doubt that she made the $100,000 down payment on your new condo or on the lease for your Mercedes.
So, Vince, where'd all the money come from? After a three-way split of the money that you were ordered to destroy, you would be left with about $200,000.
Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Money to burn.
Sanchez: Then it goes fast, especially when you've lied yourself into a corner with the woman you want to marry.
You're suggesting an Iraqi War veteran, who may very well be suffering from PTSD, robbed the Army, split the money up with his friends, spent all his cash, and then killed one of his best friends for more money? No, sir, we're saying that your client took his buddy to a bar, where he got him good and drunk, and he told Nick that he would wait outside to give him a ride, drove him to a pre-dug grave, and then dressed up like he was in ISIS and cut his friend's head off with a knife on video to make it look like an act of terrorism! And then he drove out to Yucca and stole all the guy's money.
[Chuckling.]
Julio, when you lay it all out like that, it sounds a little premeditated.
This This is the ISIS murder? [Chuckling.]
No.
This is the "I want to kill my friend and steal his money to pay for my wedding and honeymoon" murder.
Confer with your client, counselor.
We've already spoken to the district attorney's office, and they're willing to take death off the table if we get a quick confession to Murder One.
No way.
No! No way.
I didn't kill anybody! Okay, Vince, you had your chance.
Amy? Andy? ISIS slip right into America, despite everything we fought for.
I'm so insulted right now.
I did three tours in Iraq, serving my country with Nick, and you think I just dressed up like some Muslim and killed him? Unreal! Okay, Miguel.
You're lucky that your friend Vince is an idiot 'cause now you have choices.
Not great choices, but better than life in prison for all the money you stole from the Army while you were in Iraq.
- What money? I didn't take any - No, let's not start this way, okay? That's the way Vince started, and it's just gonna piss everybody off.
You get an honorable discharge, and six months later, your wife opens a $200,000 investment account and goes to work as a broker? Don't even try to explain it.
Just listen.
Option 1 we let the Army court-martial you for theft and dereliction of duty.
During wartime, Miguel.
That's 25 years in prison for the dereliction alone.
No.
[Stammers.]
I won't do 25 years.
Okay, well, option 2 you admit to the theft, and you answer all of our questions truthfully, and in return for your cooperation, the Army has agreed to give you seven years.
I can't be away from my baby girl that long.
That's too bad.
Because your third option is life without parole as an accomplice to the murder of Nick Greenbourne.
Nick is H-He's really dead? How? [Sighs.]
Have you ever seen this knife before? [Sighs.]
Man.
[Gulps.]
Man, look, y'all that money we took we took it as hazard pay.
A-And we deserved it, too.
Burning up money because we couldn't hand it out to the Muslims? What about us, huh? It's okay to give to the Muslims, but the people who fought for them had to come back with nothing? What was I supposed to get? Seven years in a military prison.
If you start telling us the truth about Nick.
You volunteered.
You signed up.
You broke your oath.
You want to go away for life be my guest.
Nick still had most of his cash.
Poor guy.
He inherited this shitty house in Yucca, and, you know, for him, success meant being able to buy a six-pack every night.
That wasn't enough for Vince.
No, Vince wanted the American dream beautiful wife, great car.
He just just didn't have the skills to make it, man.
Like you do.
[Scoffs.]
The knife.
Vince took it off a dead Republican guard, brought it with the money.
Put a false bottom in a footlocker 600 grand.
Morris: Okay.
I think, uh Special Agent Soto and I can take it from here.
Right.
We'll, uh, call off our surveillance of Gazelles, inform Washington.
And thank you all for your assistance.
Ah.
And before I go a clear DVD of what was on your video which, by the way, was completely unrelated to this case.
Long-range.
Mm.
Well poor guys.
Looked pretty awful.
Mm.
I wish you luck with it.
[Door closes.]
Thank you, Captain.
You're welcome, Buzz.
I hope it helps more than it hurts.
Buzz, are you gonna watch that tonight? I-If I finish work early enough, I might.
Pardon me.
This is Special Agent Soto, and I'm Special Agent Morris of the FBI.
I'm afraid the period in which you could make a deal with the California Justice System has come to an end.
Whoa.
FBI? What does the FBI have to do with this? We're arresting your client on charges related to terrorism.
Screw you! Terrorism?! Does the FBI actually expect this terrorism charge to stick? Well, now that they know who did it, they'll be able to reverse-engineer Vince's Internet uplink.
Though I don't know if what he did will count as terrorism.
Let the courts decide.
video in which you decapitated your friend in the name of ISIS, you incited others to do the same to United States military officers around the world.
And the federal government takes you at your word.
That is awesome.
Catching a terrorist? I mean, how many guys can say that their mothers beat ISIS? Well, it wasn't ISIS at all just a regular sociopath, although there are similarities.
Gus this was terrific.
Thank you for keeping it warm for me.
I can't believe you just whipped this up in our kitchen.
We don't cook at all.
[Laughs.]
[Laughs.]
Thanks.
My boss said I have promise says if I work days on the floor and nights in the kitchen, I could probably move up quick.
And the guy owns four restaurants.
Oh, Gus, that's wonderful.
Isn't that wonderful? Sure.
I mean, I'd like to see him go to college, but if he'd rather do this [Sighs.]
That's your son stubborn and a little opinionated.
Okay, I-I am in no way opinionated.
Oh.
No way.
[Laughs.]
[Cellphone chiming.]
You just have to let it roll off your back.
I'm only thinking about your long-term future here, if that's okay.
And I'm just hoping to do well enough so that Paloma's new family will let me visit her soon.
You see, that's just another way we're different.
I'd do anything to talk with my little sister again.
You you'd do anything not to have one.
My sister's just a few miles away from here, and I have to keep my distance.
Yours Yours isn't even born yet, and you're trying to get the baby as far away from you as possible.
The baby should be put up for adoption.
I am not wrong here.
I'm not.
Not being wrong doesn't make you right.
[Cellphone chiming.]
And Buzz.
What is it? "I sent something for you in your e-mail.
" Why do people text to say that they've e-mailed? Why not just say what you want to say in the text? No opinions at all.
That is not an opinion.
That is a question.
I'll be right back.
Gus, you are very patient.
With him, it's necessary.
But it pays off.
- Don't you think? - I do.
I most definitely do.
Okay.
Buzz: "Hey.
This is the video from the ATM security camera of my father and uncle's murder.
" Oh, my God.
"Your mother had the FBI clear up the recording.
I don't know anymore if you should see it.
" What? But we agreed you could watch it, so if you want here's the link.
Buzz.
" [Key clacks.]