CSI: Crime Scene Investigation s05e04 Episode Script
Crow's Feet
Get a list of all the countries she's visited in the past 30 days.
Yeah, her passport.
- Try the State Department.
- My husband, please.
I have to tell my husband ! Please call my husband ! Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't go up.
Catherine Willows, Crime Lab.
I know who you are, but hotel rooms are under quarantine.
No one goes up, no one goes down.
Quarantine ? Come on, nasal spec.
It's okay, David.
False alarm.
We're clear.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Someone want to fill me in here ? David assessed a potentially infectious agent, and per protocol, he remained at the site and called it in.
Her red blotches are consistent with CDC photos of Ebola.
You did the right thing.
So what are we looking at ? Um, 419, suspicious circs.
Honestly, I have no idea.
Okay, it's my turn now.
Clear the scene.
CSI: Episode 5x04 Crow's Feet Sorry I'm late.
I was processing the scene.
Nothing probative.
There are 42 distinct laser burns on Julie Stern's body.
Lasers ? Lasers cauterize the skin as they destroy tissue.
Lack of blood and scabbing confirms their use, so best guess would be she recently underwent a cosmetic procedure.
That's consistent with the hotel manager's statement.
Said the vic had booked into the Safari Suite.
Please tell me that has nothing to do with hunting wild game.
Women who don't want their friends to know that they're freshening up will check into the suite while they heal.
Well, five-star hotel's got to be cheaper than a hospital stay.
So, could complications from this procedure have resulted in her death ? No.
Histamine levels are normal.
There's no post-op infection.
But look at her fingernails.
Mees lines; indicative of heavy metal poisoning.
I sent blood and hair samples to Tox.
Anything else ? I'm not sure if it's probative, but I found ten cc's of urine in her stomach.
Digestive system's intact.
There are no bruises or abrasions in her mouth, so there's only one way it could have gotten there.
Chugalug.
So two days ago the residence was tented for termites.
This morning, the bug guys came to clear the house.
They found the homeowner exterminated.
He's ID'd as Elliot Beckman, 42, lived alone.
- Body's in the family room.
- Who's been inside ? Just the exterminators and the paramedics who pronounced.
They entered and exited through the front door.
Good luck.
Exterminators use sulfuryl flouride.
It kills the bugs and then evaporates.
Agro scientists call it the "safety" fumigant.
You know, I'm sure he would disagree.
Eyeglasses on the floor.
Got vomit ? What flies when they're on and floats when they're off ? Feathers.
Long and blue.
I'll bag 'em.
His cheek is bruised.
What was he doing in here ? Per the R&R's, we conducted a thorough walk-through before releasing the gas.
No plants, people or animals were left behind.
All right, so you released the gas, then what ? I took off.
Can't stick around baby-sitting houses, you know ? Once you left the house, could Beckman have snuck back in in any way ? Yeah, if he had a death wish.
The house is toxic for the first 12 hours.
Not to mention it gets wrapped up tighter than a Christmas present.
You know tented houses, they're prime targets for burglars.
We secure these on the outside of every doorknob.
Clamshell locks.
Nobody gets inside.
Yeah, says you.
Yes, Mrs.
Stern was in my care.
And when was the last time you saw her, Dr.
Malaga ? I ablated her liver spots three days ago.
Checked on her yesterday at The Mediterranean.
I applied post-op ointment to prevent scabbing and infection.
She seemed in good spirits.
From the marks, it looks like you lasered over 40 spots.
In one session ? Well, post op, the patient's skin is very red and raw.
It's really quite ugly, to be blunt.
Most patients prefer to minimize the amount of time they spend in recovery.
So you supersized the procedure.
You did it all in one sitting ? It's perfectly safe.
We'll need a copy of her medical records.
I'm sorry, but her file contains medical history which includes information about other members of the family.
I would be breaching doctor-patient confidentiality if I let you have that.
Hey ! Do you have a problem with me, Doctor ? Excuse me ? Well, there are two of us here and you're only addressing my colleague, so Well, she's a very beautiful woman.
You have Venus de Milo aesthetics.
We'll be getting a court order for Mrs.
Stern's records.
I'd appreciate that.
Sara.
Looks like someone tampered with the tent.
Window's open.
Well, exterminators leave some windows open to help circulate the gas.
This could have been the victim's way in.
Once inside, he was overcome by the fumes.
He must be an idiot to go inside a tented house.
No.
Maybe he forgot something.
Figured the gas had dissipated.
Well, assuming you're right, and he went in and never left, shouldn't the window be open wider ? It's old.
The rope has snapped.
Okay.
Now, Mr.
Beckman never came out of the house.
Why is there a trail of sand leading away from it and straight to the neighbor's house ? That's a good question.
- Can I help you ? - Yeah, we're with the crime lab.
We're investigating the death of your neighbor next door.
Elliot ? What happened ? That's what we're trying to figure out.
Have you been in his house recently ? Look, I've been laid up for the past two days puking my guts out.
- I haven't left my place.
- Do you live alone, Mr ? Rory Kendell.
My wife bailed a few months ago.
Rory, have you felt dizzy or disoriented ? - How would you know ? - We're going to need a urine sample.
Why ? You may be suffering from sulfuryl flouride gas poisoning.
Urination's the only way for the poison to get out.
I got the flu.
If that's true, then your urine will be sulfuryl-flouride free.
But if you're lying, "you're in" big trouble.
What do Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and our victim all have in common ? Heavy metal.
Arsenic in her system, poisoning was chronic.
Looks like it began approximately three months ago.
Techs collected the ingestibles found at her home.
None were contaminated.
Can Tox confirm that arsenic poisoning was the cause of death ? Not yet.
Until the quants come back, we won't know if the concentration was lethal.
In poisoning cases, the killer's usually a relative.
Right.
Someone with access to the victim.
Next-of-kin is an only child, a son.
Who has a vineyard in Pahrump.
You sent a cop all the way to Pahrump to bring me in.
What couldn't we discuss on the phone ? When's the last time you saw your mother ? It was about three months ago.
She came to my vineyard for a visit.
- How'd that go ? - She left early.
- Said she felt sick.
- But you didn't think so.
Mom was uncomfortable around my four-year-old.
- Why's that ? - He made her feel old.
"Grandma" was a dirty word.
She could hardly look at him.
Nice ? Mr.
Stern, I also did a background check and you recently maxed out three credit cards.
My vines contracted black rot last spring.
It's an expensive problem.
Why are you checking my credit ? You're weren't worried about paying off your debt, were you ? - What the hell are you implying ? - You're about to come into some money.
When my dad died, he left my mother boatloads of cash.
On her last visit, I asked her for a loan.
Let me guess: she turned you down.
She'd spend thousands on designer clothes, jewelry, plastic surgery but wouldn't lend me a dime.
Do you use pesticides on your grapevines ? Yeah.
Organic's a fad.
- We're going to need a sample of that.
- Whatever.
We done ? - This one's easy: he drowned.
- What ? The termite fumigant entered his bronchioles causing his lungs to fill with fluid.
COD is pulmonary edema and respiratory arrest.
Just like a drowning victim.
Doc, tell me about the bruise on his cheek.
Zygoma's fractured.
Check the X-ray.
Given the force needed to cause this type of damage, the injury's more consistent with inflicted blunt force trauma than a simple fall, if that's what you're asking.
Arsenic is the active ingredient in the vineyard pesticide, but you're ruling it out as the source of the poisoning ? The pesticide is a copper-arsenate mix.
It's chemically different than the arsenic ingested by Mrs.
Stern.
And, FYI, that pesticide was outlawed by the EPA years ago.
This guy is poisoning the soil.
So he's not a killer, he's a polluter.
He should still be arrested, if you ask me.
People are saying that you found urine in the vic's stomach.
Not sure if it's hinky or kinky.
When I used to play ball for the Stars, we would pee on our palms during spring training to toughen them up, you know.
Remind me never to shake your hand.
- I'll put on a glove first.
- That's always a good idea.
Just came from Tox.
Rory Kendell's urine analysis is still pending.
I know we're not supposed to get ahead of the evidence here, but if he's not guilty I lifted several prints off the clamps you found by the open window.
I AFIS-matched them to a neighbor.
The guy's on file for a D&D in '82.
- It's Rory, right.
- No.
Zach Alfano.
- Who ? - He's the neighbor on the other side.
I called his house.
His daughter said he was picked up in an ambulance two days ago.
Apparently, he was vomiting, he couldn't breathe, he passed out.
Brass is taking a statement.
He's still in the hospital.
So why didn't you contact the police ? I had I had a tube down my throat till a half hour ago.
All right, let me get this straight: so you came in from a run and then what happened ? I heard screaming from inside the house.
By the time I got to Beckman, he'd already passed out.
I started to choke on the gas, so I got out of there.
Ran to my neighbor's house, Rory Kendell's, for help.
I remember my daughter calling 911.
Next thing I know I'm here.
The print on the doorbell is a match to Zach, and I found vomit in the bushes.
Both support his account.
Sara ? - We missed something.
- What ? The directionality of the floor rug.
The center of the rug is pointing towards the side window.
Confirms Zach's story.
We're back to Rory Kendell.
If he didn't leave the house for two days, how come he didn't answer the door when Zach Alfano rang the bell ? I was sick.
I figured it was some Girl Scout selling cookies.
We got back the results of your urine analysis.
There was sulfuryl fluoride in your system.
- You were at Elliot's house.
- No.
Here's a thought: after the exterminators left, you met up with Elliot.
You had a fight, you knocked him out, and you dragged him into the house through the side window.
You figured the fumigation would cover your tracks, that we'd chalk it up to an accident.
Why would I want to kill Elliot ? You've had five noise complaints against him last year.
- That's hardly reason to kill somebody.
- Or is it a reason to commit assault ? He filed charges against you last May.
I knocked on his door, and I asked him to turn down that classical crap.
He refused.
I overreacted.
I apologized.
Charges were dropped.
I swear.
Save the swearing for trial.
You're under arrest.
Renita Loakes, 38, from Seven Hills.
New case.
Started as a routine autopsy.
She was shopping at the Venetian, keeled over at Lacoste.
Physically, she was in excellent condition, so I figured spontaneous aortic dissection or maybe pulmonary embolism.
Then I noticed Mees Lines.
Ah just like Julie Stern.
I spotted the tiny pinpricks on her face, so I painted her with Toluidine Blue to highlight the marks.
Have a look at this.
Now check out Renita's face.
An exact match.
It's an acupuncture facial designed to reduce the signs of aging.
For only the second time in my career, in the space of two days, I found urine in the decedent's stomach.
That's more than a coincidence.
Two women, both fighting the toll of time, die prematurely.
Why ? - This is Renita's apartment.
- Thanks.
Dr.
Robbins did say Renita was in good shape.
"Supplement Diary.
" "Daily Youth Regimen: Coenzyme Q-10-- 50 mg; Bee Pollen-- 500 mg; Grape Seed: 200 mg; Deer Antler Drops;" "Chinese Mountain Ant Extract; Tincture of Wild Reishi.
" And that's just for breakfast.
How'd she have room for pancakes ? Do you think these supplements really do any good ? Why are you asking me ? I'm just asking a question, Catherine.
Scientifically, there's not a whole lot of evidence.
More lotions and potions.
You gonna ask me if this stuff works, too ? No.
I'm gonna process the bathroom.
- Hey, Catherine.
- Yeah ? You might want to come take a look at this.
Urine in the bedpan and in the glass.
She liked it fresh.
How's it going ? Ornithological database just ID'd the feathers I collected at the crime scene.
Hyacinth macaw.
So how come you and Brass didn't involve me in the interrogation ? Greg, you still have the solo to complete, and, technically, you're still a trainee, but you're doing a great job.
Thanks.
What are you doing with potassium nitrate ? I'm making a bomb.
Two bombs actually.
And sugar.
You're making sweet bombs ? I'm making smoke bombs.
Ready ? One, two, three.
Grissom.
We got smoke.
Coming from an uncapped electrical conduit.
Hey, I found it ! It's right behind the speaker.
Music traveled through the conduit directly into Rory's house.
No wonder he was so pissed off.
At one time, both houses must've been connected to the same electrical meter.
A single property.
How did you figure that ? We found fumigant in Rory Kendell's urine.
But he claimed he was never in the victim's house.
So you devised the experiment to prove he was lying ? Exactly.
But he was telling the truth.
So now what ? So you're the last one to see Elliot Beckman alive.
So did he drive away from his house ? We saw him walk away.
His his car was in the shop or something.
He was staying down at some motel down the street.
And that's the last time you saw him ? - Yeah.
- No.
Ted is our, our gas-man, so he stayed behind to release the fumigants.
I headed on over to the next job.
Saw the dude on the side of the road, so I-I gave him a lift to the motel.
That bird crapped in my truck.
Can you describe the bird ? It was blue.
What motel ? Four Aces, down there on Boulder Highway and Water Street.
Does it ever bother you that you make your living killing insects ? What kind of question is that ? "If you believe in me, you will never thirst.
" "Rivers of living water shall flow from your bellies.
" "John 7:38.
" You getting religious on me ? Apparently, some fringe health professionals have used the biblical passage as justification for Urine Therapy.
Drinking your own pee ? I ran an Amazon search, I found 15 books touting urine's supposed health benefits, including its magical powers to reduce the signs of aging.
- Listen to this.
- It is a perversion of medicine, not to mention the Bible.
I don't get it.
These women: the time, the pain, the effort.
For what ? Smoother skin ? Please.
- Make a muscle, Nicky.
- What ? Roll up your sleeve, make a muscle.
Oh.
Now, how much time and effort went into this ? I'm gonna guess five days a week at the gym, low carb, low fat, slow burn, and for what, Nicky ? For what ? That's a good point, but it's not the same thing.
- No.
It's nice, though.
- Well, thanks, I'm not even flexing it yet either.
Really ? But it's rock hard.
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt barge in.
No, no, it's all right, Super Dave.
Nice purse.
Paramedics just delivered it.
Got separated from Mrs.
Loakes when she was loaded into the ambulance.
- Anything else ? - No, no.
- Thanks, David.
- Sure.
"Dorian Spray.
" "One spray twice a day under the tongue.
" Hey, check out that second ingredient.
"Arsenicum.
" Holistic for arsenic.
An oral spray ? "For refills, contact Dr.
Malaga.
" This is a doctor's office ? According to Vartann, Dr.
Malaga bought the spa two years ago and incorporated his practice.
Hi, and welcome to the Sagebrush Spa.
Thanks.
I'm Nick Stokes.
This is Catherine Willows.
We're with the Crime Lab.
We're here to see Dr.
Malaga.
- Is he expecting you ? - Just tell him we're here.
Dr.
Malaga.
Botox injections: 500 bucks.
Restaylane injections: 500.
Micropeel: 300.
That's my car payment.
You don't actually think you need this stuff, do you ? It's Vegas, Nicky.
Everybody needs it.
You don't.
"Urine Therapy.
" "Nature's Elixir" My clients swear by it.
Let's go to my office.
You sold Dorian Spray to both Renita Loakes and Julie Stern.
Yeah.
It's my own formulation, and I can assure you that it's perfectly safe.
Doctor, you are aware that arsenic is a poison, right ? So is Botox.
But 2.
2 million people had injections last year.
And Foxglove is a deadly plant that also doubles as a cardiac medication.
I'm familiar with Digitalis.
Well, arsenic, extremely small doses, fights premature aging by improving skin elasticity.
Look, even if Mrs.
Loakes and Mrs.
Stern drank a whole case of that spray, the arsenic content wouldn't be lethal.
Well, they teach you about arsenic in medical school ? I did a course in holistic medicine a couple of years ago.
Did you also take a course in spa management ? Medical school left me with a lot of debts and with HMOs cutting their fees, my practice was barely breaking even.
You know, th-the whole profession is changing.
Doctors have to seek out their patients.
The HMOs don't recognize aging as a disease, so I'm free to charge whatever the market will bear.
Hang on.
You consider aging a disease ? With a 100% mortality rate.
Aging wreaks havoc with every one of our systems: respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, muscles, skeletonl and immune.
But you're not treating the body.
You're battling crow's feet.
Righteous indignation.
That's one step before acceptance.
- Acceptance of what ? - What I do.
The procedures and products.
You've seen the ads in all the beauty magazines.
You've studied all the before and after photos.
It's okay, Mrs.
Willows.
We all get older, and nobody wants to look their age.
I give you what you need.
I give you what you want.
So, what Ponce de Leon couldn't find, you did huh ? The fountain of youth.
Snake oil in a fancy bottle.
Medicine is about hope.
And like any good doctor, that's what I sell.
Medicine is about healing.
Hope is about prayer.
And it should be free.
We need Mrs.
Stern's and Mrs.
Loakes' medical records.
And, this time, we've got a court order.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Watson, I presume ? What do you need, Brass ? Well, it may be elementary, but I have a conundrum.
I just got back from the Four Aces.
The hotel manager said Elliot tried to check in with his bird.
The guy turned him down because he didn't have a cage, so supposedly Elliot went home to retrieve it, but neither he nor the bird ever returned.
Look Sara we need to find that bird.
Greg.
There were no flies in here when we processed the house.
Fumigation kills all household insects and it takes time new flies to find a portal of entry.
Well, bird could've flown up somewhere and died.
Carcass with a fresh colony of maggots.
The bird's not here.
It's a dead rat.
Which means the macaw was either birdnapped or he flew the coop.
I love you.
I love you, I love you I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Teaching him to speak ? Although the cockatoo is intelligent, birds don't speak.
To speak requires a cognitive ability to understand, which they don't.
They just imitate.
And Edwina is a she.
How can I help you ? I'm looking for a macaw.
Well, you came to the right place.
Buy Buy Birdie's the only exotic bird store in Clark County.
Has anyone tried to sell you a macaw in the last few days ? No.
Why ? Well, I'm trying to locate a missing Blue Hyacinth.
Very rare.
In my whole career, I've only sold one.
Do you remember the buyer's name ? Sure.
Mr.
Beckman.
He's in here all the time.
Bob likes to eat cashews out of my pocket.
Mr.
Beckman doesn't go anywhere without Bob.
Mr.
Beckman, um, died three days ago.
We found these feathers in his house.
Tail feathers.
That's not good.
- Why is that ? - Macaws only molt one tail feather at a time.
Get a pile like this, someone yanked.
Real hard.
So, Dr.
Malaga was telling the truth: both women were poisoned.
But that's not what killed them.
Yeah, so we can rule out arsenic as a cause of death.
Hey, Travis ? These are the vials from our decedents, right ? Yeah, I just finished with them yesterday.
Why ? Well, the red blood cells haven't separated from the serum.
- Is that relevant ? - Maybe.
I mean, normally, we'd see a yellow band of serum on top of the crimson blood.
These vials are solid crimson.
Which means the red blood cells have lysed.
Something caused the red blood cells to lyse, or pop.
The hemoglobin from inside those cells infiltrated the serum.
If a sufficient number of red blood cells lyse, a person dies.
So, what caused the lysis ? We answer that question, we solve this case.
So, the women were 30 years apart in age.
They lived on different sides of town.
They probably didn't know each other.
But they both drank their own urine and were patients of Dr.
Malaga's.
Well, were either one of their procedures sufficiently invasive as to compromise their blood ? Well, last Monday, two days before liver spot removal, Mrs.
Stern had a body wrap and hydrogen peroxide therapy.
Mrs.
Loakes also underwent hydrogen peroxide therapy On the same day ? Here's the menu of services provided by the spa.
Let's see "Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy: a three percent solution is injected directly into a client's vein, bathing the red blood cells in nourishing oxygen, boosting the immune system and reversing the signs of aging.
" Question is: is it deadly ? Well, let's find out.
I'll get the hydrogen peroxide.
- I'll get the blood.
- Okay.
Mr.
Martin, we have a warrant to search your apartment.
Please, stay with me.
Stay ahead of me.
Look, if you guys tell me what you're looking for, maybe I can help you out, um Look, shut up and stay still.
Brass ? How many watches do you own ? Couple of sport, couple of dress.
Why ? - Mr.
Martin has about 20 here.
- Twenty ? I'm a collector.
This is a little small for your wrist, don't you think ? Several rings, a necklace, cufflinks and a gold pen.
You know, these things all have one thing in common: you can kind of slip them into your pocket.
This is engraved: "Joan Arryington.
" I wonder what the odds are that Mrs.
Arryington is a client of Oden Pest Control.
Hello, Bob.
Look what I found.
I think we all know what happened here.
After your buddies left, you were poking around Mr.
Beckman's house.
But he surprised you.
A cage ! I can't believe that manager.
- What the hell are you doing ? - Just getting ready for the fume.
- You were rifling through my stuff - No, no, no, no, man.
I was just making sure everything was, is secure.
I'm going to call the police.
Somehow, you managed to get the bird in the cage, seal the tent and release the gas.
Despite his neighbor's best efforts, he was a goner.
- I'm not admitting to anything.
- You don't have to, Ted.
We know why the caged bird sings.
So, hand me the syringe with the three percent concentration.
Here you go.
No effect.
Upping the concentration of hydrogen peroxide to seven percent.
Concentration at 30%.
Lysis.
Concentration at 30 %.
That's ten times the three percent specified on the menu.
The death was in the decimal.
Dr.
Malaga has not committed a crime.
He injected a lethal batch of hydrogen peroxide into two of his patients.
Even if that were true, you may have uncovered a very tragic accident, a very horrible mistake, but certainly nothing criminal, or we'd be downtown right now.
No A.
D.
A.
's going to prosecute.
The procedures were elective.
Catherine, you don't need me to tell you how many people die every day as a result of physician error.
Well, I am not talking about other people.
I'm talking about Julie Stern and Renita Loakes.
Yeah, both of whom looked in the mirror and wanted to turn back time.
They put their trust in you because you're an M.
D.
Your professional degree made them feel safe.
- All procedures carry a risk.
- Is that what you tell yourself ? And when you screw up again, what happens ? His malpractice premiums go up.
I'll be notifying the victims' families.
You can count on a civil suit.
Yeah, her passport.
- Try the State Department.
- My husband, please.
I have to tell my husband ! Please call my husband ! Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't go up.
Catherine Willows, Crime Lab.
I know who you are, but hotel rooms are under quarantine.
No one goes up, no one goes down.
Quarantine ? Come on, nasal spec.
It's okay, David.
False alarm.
We're clear.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Someone want to fill me in here ? David assessed a potentially infectious agent, and per protocol, he remained at the site and called it in.
Her red blotches are consistent with CDC photos of Ebola.
You did the right thing.
So what are we looking at ? Um, 419, suspicious circs.
Honestly, I have no idea.
Okay, it's my turn now.
Clear the scene.
CSI: Episode 5x04 Crow's Feet Sorry I'm late.
I was processing the scene.
Nothing probative.
There are 42 distinct laser burns on Julie Stern's body.
Lasers ? Lasers cauterize the skin as they destroy tissue.
Lack of blood and scabbing confirms their use, so best guess would be she recently underwent a cosmetic procedure.
That's consistent with the hotel manager's statement.
Said the vic had booked into the Safari Suite.
Please tell me that has nothing to do with hunting wild game.
Women who don't want their friends to know that they're freshening up will check into the suite while they heal.
Well, five-star hotel's got to be cheaper than a hospital stay.
So, could complications from this procedure have resulted in her death ? No.
Histamine levels are normal.
There's no post-op infection.
But look at her fingernails.
Mees lines; indicative of heavy metal poisoning.
I sent blood and hair samples to Tox.
Anything else ? I'm not sure if it's probative, but I found ten cc's of urine in her stomach.
Digestive system's intact.
There are no bruises or abrasions in her mouth, so there's only one way it could have gotten there.
Chugalug.
So two days ago the residence was tented for termites.
This morning, the bug guys came to clear the house.
They found the homeowner exterminated.
He's ID'd as Elliot Beckman, 42, lived alone.
- Body's in the family room.
- Who's been inside ? Just the exterminators and the paramedics who pronounced.
They entered and exited through the front door.
Good luck.
Exterminators use sulfuryl flouride.
It kills the bugs and then evaporates.
Agro scientists call it the "safety" fumigant.
You know, I'm sure he would disagree.
Eyeglasses on the floor.
Got vomit ? What flies when they're on and floats when they're off ? Feathers.
Long and blue.
I'll bag 'em.
His cheek is bruised.
What was he doing in here ? Per the R&R's, we conducted a thorough walk-through before releasing the gas.
No plants, people or animals were left behind.
All right, so you released the gas, then what ? I took off.
Can't stick around baby-sitting houses, you know ? Once you left the house, could Beckman have snuck back in in any way ? Yeah, if he had a death wish.
The house is toxic for the first 12 hours.
Not to mention it gets wrapped up tighter than a Christmas present.
You know tented houses, they're prime targets for burglars.
We secure these on the outside of every doorknob.
Clamshell locks.
Nobody gets inside.
Yeah, says you.
Yes, Mrs.
Stern was in my care.
And when was the last time you saw her, Dr.
Malaga ? I ablated her liver spots three days ago.
Checked on her yesterday at The Mediterranean.
I applied post-op ointment to prevent scabbing and infection.
She seemed in good spirits.
From the marks, it looks like you lasered over 40 spots.
In one session ? Well, post op, the patient's skin is very red and raw.
It's really quite ugly, to be blunt.
Most patients prefer to minimize the amount of time they spend in recovery.
So you supersized the procedure.
You did it all in one sitting ? It's perfectly safe.
We'll need a copy of her medical records.
I'm sorry, but her file contains medical history which includes information about other members of the family.
I would be breaching doctor-patient confidentiality if I let you have that.
Hey ! Do you have a problem with me, Doctor ? Excuse me ? Well, there are two of us here and you're only addressing my colleague, so Well, she's a very beautiful woman.
You have Venus de Milo aesthetics.
We'll be getting a court order for Mrs.
Stern's records.
I'd appreciate that.
Sara.
Looks like someone tampered with the tent.
Window's open.
Well, exterminators leave some windows open to help circulate the gas.
This could have been the victim's way in.
Once inside, he was overcome by the fumes.
He must be an idiot to go inside a tented house.
No.
Maybe he forgot something.
Figured the gas had dissipated.
Well, assuming you're right, and he went in and never left, shouldn't the window be open wider ? It's old.
The rope has snapped.
Okay.
Now, Mr.
Beckman never came out of the house.
Why is there a trail of sand leading away from it and straight to the neighbor's house ? That's a good question.
- Can I help you ? - Yeah, we're with the crime lab.
We're investigating the death of your neighbor next door.
Elliot ? What happened ? That's what we're trying to figure out.
Have you been in his house recently ? Look, I've been laid up for the past two days puking my guts out.
- I haven't left my place.
- Do you live alone, Mr ? Rory Kendell.
My wife bailed a few months ago.
Rory, have you felt dizzy or disoriented ? - How would you know ? - We're going to need a urine sample.
Why ? You may be suffering from sulfuryl flouride gas poisoning.
Urination's the only way for the poison to get out.
I got the flu.
If that's true, then your urine will be sulfuryl-flouride free.
But if you're lying, "you're in" big trouble.
What do Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and our victim all have in common ? Heavy metal.
Arsenic in her system, poisoning was chronic.
Looks like it began approximately three months ago.
Techs collected the ingestibles found at her home.
None were contaminated.
Can Tox confirm that arsenic poisoning was the cause of death ? Not yet.
Until the quants come back, we won't know if the concentration was lethal.
In poisoning cases, the killer's usually a relative.
Right.
Someone with access to the victim.
Next-of-kin is an only child, a son.
Who has a vineyard in Pahrump.
You sent a cop all the way to Pahrump to bring me in.
What couldn't we discuss on the phone ? When's the last time you saw your mother ? It was about three months ago.
She came to my vineyard for a visit.
- How'd that go ? - She left early.
- Said she felt sick.
- But you didn't think so.
Mom was uncomfortable around my four-year-old.
- Why's that ? - He made her feel old.
"Grandma" was a dirty word.
She could hardly look at him.
Nice ? Mr.
Stern, I also did a background check and you recently maxed out three credit cards.
My vines contracted black rot last spring.
It's an expensive problem.
Why are you checking my credit ? You're weren't worried about paying off your debt, were you ? - What the hell are you implying ? - You're about to come into some money.
When my dad died, he left my mother boatloads of cash.
On her last visit, I asked her for a loan.
Let me guess: she turned you down.
She'd spend thousands on designer clothes, jewelry, plastic surgery but wouldn't lend me a dime.
Do you use pesticides on your grapevines ? Yeah.
Organic's a fad.
- We're going to need a sample of that.
- Whatever.
We done ? - This one's easy: he drowned.
- What ? The termite fumigant entered his bronchioles causing his lungs to fill with fluid.
COD is pulmonary edema and respiratory arrest.
Just like a drowning victim.
Doc, tell me about the bruise on his cheek.
Zygoma's fractured.
Check the X-ray.
Given the force needed to cause this type of damage, the injury's more consistent with inflicted blunt force trauma than a simple fall, if that's what you're asking.
Arsenic is the active ingredient in the vineyard pesticide, but you're ruling it out as the source of the poisoning ? The pesticide is a copper-arsenate mix.
It's chemically different than the arsenic ingested by Mrs.
Stern.
And, FYI, that pesticide was outlawed by the EPA years ago.
This guy is poisoning the soil.
So he's not a killer, he's a polluter.
He should still be arrested, if you ask me.
People are saying that you found urine in the vic's stomach.
Not sure if it's hinky or kinky.
When I used to play ball for the Stars, we would pee on our palms during spring training to toughen them up, you know.
Remind me never to shake your hand.
- I'll put on a glove first.
- That's always a good idea.
Just came from Tox.
Rory Kendell's urine analysis is still pending.
I know we're not supposed to get ahead of the evidence here, but if he's not guilty I lifted several prints off the clamps you found by the open window.
I AFIS-matched them to a neighbor.
The guy's on file for a D&D in '82.
- It's Rory, right.
- No.
Zach Alfano.
- Who ? - He's the neighbor on the other side.
I called his house.
His daughter said he was picked up in an ambulance two days ago.
Apparently, he was vomiting, he couldn't breathe, he passed out.
Brass is taking a statement.
He's still in the hospital.
So why didn't you contact the police ? I had I had a tube down my throat till a half hour ago.
All right, let me get this straight: so you came in from a run and then what happened ? I heard screaming from inside the house.
By the time I got to Beckman, he'd already passed out.
I started to choke on the gas, so I got out of there.
Ran to my neighbor's house, Rory Kendell's, for help.
I remember my daughter calling 911.
Next thing I know I'm here.
The print on the doorbell is a match to Zach, and I found vomit in the bushes.
Both support his account.
Sara ? - We missed something.
- What ? The directionality of the floor rug.
The center of the rug is pointing towards the side window.
Confirms Zach's story.
We're back to Rory Kendell.
If he didn't leave the house for two days, how come he didn't answer the door when Zach Alfano rang the bell ? I was sick.
I figured it was some Girl Scout selling cookies.
We got back the results of your urine analysis.
There was sulfuryl fluoride in your system.
- You were at Elliot's house.
- No.
Here's a thought: after the exterminators left, you met up with Elliot.
You had a fight, you knocked him out, and you dragged him into the house through the side window.
You figured the fumigation would cover your tracks, that we'd chalk it up to an accident.
Why would I want to kill Elliot ? You've had five noise complaints against him last year.
- That's hardly reason to kill somebody.
- Or is it a reason to commit assault ? He filed charges against you last May.
I knocked on his door, and I asked him to turn down that classical crap.
He refused.
I overreacted.
I apologized.
Charges were dropped.
I swear.
Save the swearing for trial.
You're under arrest.
Renita Loakes, 38, from Seven Hills.
New case.
Started as a routine autopsy.
She was shopping at the Venetian, keeled over at Lacoste.
Physically, she was in excellent condition, so I figured spontaneous aortic dissection or maybe pulmonary embolism.
Then I noticed Mees Lines.
Ah just like Julie Stern.
I spotted the tiny pinpricks on her face, so I painted her with Toluidine Blue to highlight the marks.
Have a look at this.
Now check out Renita's face.
An exact match.
It's an acupuncture facial designed to reduce the signs of aging.
For only the second time in my career, in the space of two days, I found urine in the decedent's stomach.
That's more than a coincidence.
Two women, both fighting the toll of time, die prematurely.
Why ? - This is Renita's apartment.
- Thanks.
Dr.
Robbins did say Renita was in good shape.
"Supplement Diary.
" "Daily Youth Regimen: Coenzyme Q-10-- 50 mg; Bee Pollen-- 500 mg; Grape Seed: 200 mg; Deer Antler Drops;" "Chinese Mountain Ant Extract; Tincture of Wild Reishi.
" And that's just for breakfast.
How'd she have room for pancakes ? Do you think these supplements really do any good ? Why are you asking me ? I'm just asking a question, Catherine.
Scientifically, there's not a whole lot of evidence.
More lotions and potions.
You gonna ask me if this stuff works, too ? No.
I'm gonna process the bathroom.
- Hey, Catherine.
- Yeah ? You might want to come take a look at this.
Urine in the bedpan and in the glass.
She liked it fresh.
How's it going ? Ornithological database just ID'd the feathers I collected at the crime scene.
Hyacinth macaw.
So how come you and Brass didn't involve me in the interrogation ? Greg, you still have the solo to complete, and, technically, you're still a trainee, but you're doing a great job.
Thanks.
What are you doing with potassium nitrate ? I'm making a bomb.
Two bombs actually.
And sugar.
You're making sweet bombs ? I'm making smoke bombs.
Ready ? One, two, three.
Grissom.
We got smoke.
Coming from an uncapped electrical conduit.
Hey, I found it ! It's right behind the speaker.
Music traveled through the conduit directly into Rory's house.
No wonder he was so pissed off.
At one time, both houses must've been connected to the same electrical meter.
A single property.
How did you figure that ? We found fumigant in Rory Kendell's urine.
But he claimed he was never in the victim's house.
So you devised the experiment to prove he was lying ? Exactly.
But he was telling the truth.
So now what ? So you're the last one to see Elliot Beckman alive.
So did he drive away from his house ? We saw him walk away.
His his car was in the shop or something.
He was staying down at some motel down the street.
And that's the last time you saw him ? - Yeah.
- No.
Ted is our, our gas-man, so he stayed behind to release the fumigants.
I headed on over to the next job.
Saw the dude on the side of the road, so I-I gave him a lift to the motel.
That bird crapped in my truck.
Can you describe the bird ? It was blue.
What motel ? Four Aces, down there on Boulder Highway and Water Street.
Does it ever bother you that you make your living killing insects ? What kind of question is that ? "If you believe in me, you will never thirst.
" "Rivers of living water shall flow from your bellies.
" "John 7:38.
" You getting religious on me ? Apparently, some fringe health professionals have used the biblical passage as justification for Urine Therapy.
Drinking your own pee ? I ran an Amazon search, I found 15 books touting urine's supposed health benefits, including its magical powers to reduce the signs of aging.
- Listen to this.
- It is a perversion of medicine, not to mention the Bible.
I don't get it.
These women: the time, the pain, the effort.
For what ? Smoother skin ? Please.
- Make a muscle, Nicky.
- What ? Roll up your sleeve, make a muscle.
Oh.
Now, how much time and effort went into this ? I'm gonna guess five days a week at the gym, low carb, low fat, slow burn, and for what, Nicky ? For what ? That's a good point, but it's not the same thing.
- No.
It's nice, though.
- Well, thanks, I'm not even flexing it yet either.
Really ? But it's rock hard.
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt barge in.
No, no, it's all right, Super Dave.
Nice purse.
Paramedics just delivered it.
Got separated from Mrs.
Loakes when she was loaded into the ambulance.
- Anything else ? - No, no.
- Thanks, David.
- Sure.
"Dorian Spray.
" "One spray twice a day under the tongue.
" Hey, check out that second ingredient.
"Arsenicum.
" Holistic for arsenic.
An oral spray ? "For refills, contact Dr.
Malaga.
" This is a doctor's office ? According to Vartann, Dr.
Malaga bought the spa two years ago and incorporated his practice.
Hi, and welcome to the Sagebrush Spa.
Thanks.
I'm Nick Stokes.
This is Catherine Willows.
We're with the Crime Lab.
We're here to see Dr.
Malaga.
- Is he expecting you ? - Just tell him we're here.
Dr.
Malaga.
Botox injections: 500 bucks.
Restaylane injections: 500.
Micropeel: 300.
That's my car payment.
You don't actually think you need this stuff, do you ? It's Vegas, Nicky.
Everybody needs it.
You don't.
"Urine Therapy.
" "Nature's Elixir" My clients swear by it.
Let's go to my office.
You sold Dorian Spray to both Renita Loakes and Julie Stern.
Yeah.
It's my own formulation, and I can assure you that it's perfectly safe.
Doctor, you are aware that arsenic is a poison, right ? So is Botox.
But 2.
2 million people had injections last year.
And Foxglove is a deadly plant that also doubles as a cardiac medication.
I'm familiar with Digitalis.
Well, arsenic, extremely small doses, fights premature aging by improving skin elasticity.
Look, even if Mrs.
Loakes and Mrs.
Stern drank a whole case of that spray, the arsenic content wouldn't be lethal.
Well, they teach you about arsenic in medical school ? I did a course in holistic medicine a couple of years ago.
Did you also take a course in spa management ? Medical school left me with a lot of debts and with HMOs cutting their fees, my practice was barely breaking even.
You know, th-the whole profession is changing.
Doctors have to seek out their patients.
The HMOs don't recognize aging as a disease, so I'm free to charge whatever the market will bear.
Hang on.
You consider aging a disease ? With a 100% mortality rate.
Aging wreaks havoc with every one of our systems: respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, muscles, skeletonl and immune.
But you're not treating the body.
You're battling crow's feet.
Righteous indignation.
That's one step before acceptance.
- Acceptance of what ? - What I do.
The procedures and products.
You've seen the ads in all the beauty magazines.
You've studied all the before and after photos.
It's okay, Mrs.
Willows.
We all get older, and nobody wants to look their age.
I give you what you need.
I give you what you want.
So, what Ponce de Leon couldn't find, you did huh ? The fountain of youth.
Snake oil in a fancy bottle.
Medicine is about hope.
And like any good doctor, that's what I sell.
Medicine is about healing.
Hope is about prayer.
And it should be free.
We need Mrs.
Stern's and Mrs.
Loakes' medical records.
And, this time, we've got a court order.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Watson, I presume ? What do you need, Brass ? Well, it may be elementary, but I have a conundrum.
I just got back from the Four Aces.
The hotel manager said Elliot tried to check in with his bird.
The guy turned him down because he didn't have a cage, so supposedly Elliot went home to retrieve it, but neither he nor the bird ever returned.
Look Sara we need to find that bird.
Greg.
There were no flies in here when we processed the house.
Fumigation kills all household insects and it takes time new flies to find a portal of entry.
Well, bird could've flown up somewhere and died.
Carcass with a fresh colony of maggots.
The bird's not here.
It's a dead rat.
Which means the macaw was either birdnapped or he flew the coop.
I love you.
I love you, I love you I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Teaching him to speak ? Although the cockatoo is intelligent, birds don't speak.
To speak requires a cognitive ability to understand, which they don't.
They just imitate.
And Edwina is a she.
How can I help you ? I'm looking for a macaw.
Well, you came to the right place.
Buy Buy Birdie's the only exotic bird store in Clark County.
Has anyone tried to sell you a macaw in the last few days ? No.
Why ? Well, I'm trying to locate a missing Blue Hyacinth.
Very rare.
In my whole career, I've only sold one.
Do you remember the buyer's name ? Sure.
Mr.
Beckman.
He's in here all the time.
Bob likes to eat cashews out of my pocket.
Mr.
Beckman doesn't go anywhere without Bob.
Mr.
Beckman, um, died three days ago.
We found these feathers in his house.
Tail feathers.
That's not good.
- Why is that ? - Macaws only molt one tail feather at a time.
Get a pile like this, someone yanked.
Real hard.
So, Dr.
Malaga was telling the truth: both women were poisoned.
But that's not what killed them.
Yeah, so we can rule out arsenic as a cause of death.
Hey, Travis ? These are the vials from our decedents, right ? Yeah, I just finished with them yesterday.
Why ? Well, the red blood cells haven't separated from the serum.
- Is that relevant ? - Maybe.
I mean, normally, we'd see a yellow band of serum on top of the crimson blood.
These vials are solid crimson.
Which means the red blood cells have lysed.
Something caused the red blood cells to lyse, or pop.
The hemoglobin from inside those cells infiltrated the serum.
If a sufficient number of red blood cells lyse, a person dies.
So, what caused the lysis ? We answer that question, we solve this case.
So, the women were 30 years apart in age.
They lived on different sides of town.
They probably didn't know each other.
But they both drank their own urine and were patients of Dr.
Malaga's.
Well, were either one of their procedures sufficiently invasive as to compromise their blood ? Well, last Monday, two days before liver spot removal, Mrs.
Stern had a body wrap and hydrogen peroxide therapy.
Mrs.
Loakes also underwent hydrogen peroxide therapy On the same day ? Here's the menu of services provided by the spa.
Let's see "Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy: a three percent solution is injected directly into a client's vein, bathing the red blood cells in nourishing oxygen, boosting the immune system and reversing the signs of aging.
" Question is: is it deadly ? Well, let's find out.
I'll get the hydrogen peroxide.
- I'll get the blood.
- Okay.
Mr.
Martin, we have a warrant to search your apartment.
Please, stay with me.
Stay ahead of me.
Look, if you guys tell me what you're looking for, maybe I can help you out, um Look, shut up and stay still.
Brass ? How many watches do you own ? Couple of sport, couple of dress.
Why ? - Mr.
Martin has about 20 here.
- Twenty ? I'm a collector.
This is a little small for your wrist, don't you think ? Several rings, a necklace, cufflinks and a gold pen.
You know, these things all have one thing in common: you can kind of slip them into your pocket.
This is engraved: "Joan Arryington.
" I wonder what the odds are that Mrs.
Arryington is a client of Oden Pest Control.
Hello, Bob.
Look what I found.
I think we all know what happened here.
After your buddies left, you were poking around Mr.
Beckman's house.
But he surprised you.
A cage ! I can't believe that manager.
- What the hell are you doing ? - Just getting ready for the fume.
- You were rifling through my stuff - No, no, no, no, man.
I was just making sure everything was, is secure.
I'm going to call the police.
Somehow, you managed to get the bird in the cage, seal the tent and release the gas.
Despite his neighbor's best efforts, he was a goner.
- I'm not admitting to anything.
- You don't have to, Ted.
We know why the caged bird sings.
So, hand me the syringe with the three percent concentration.
Here you go.
No effect.
Upping the concentration of hydrogen peroxide to seven percent.
Concentration at 30%.
Lysis.
Concentration at 30 %.
That's ten times the three percent specified on the menu.
The death was in the decimal.
Dr.
Malaga has not committed a crime.
He injected a lethal batch of hydrogen peroxide into two of his patients.
Even if that were true, you may have uncovered a very tragic accident, a very horrible mistake, but certainly nothing criminal, or we'd be downtown right now.
No A.
D.
A.
's going to prosecute.
The procedures were elective.
Catherine, you don't need me to tell you how many people die every day as a result of physician error.
Well, I am not talking about other people.
I'm talking about Julie Stern and Renita Loakes.
Yeah, both of whom looked in the mirror and wanted to turn back time.
They put their trust in you because you're an M.
D.
Your professional degree made them feel safe.
- All procedures carry a risk.
- Is that what you tell yourself ? And when you screw up again, what happens ? His malpractice premiums go up.
I'll be notifying the victims' families.
You can count on a civil suit.