Without a Trace s05e08 Episode Script
Win Today
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Weren't we were meeting out? - I decided I was in the mood to cook.
Oh, yeah? If I move in though, I'm bringing my knives.
The ones you have suck.
- You mean, when you move in.
- How was work? Hectic.
But I think I figured out a way to fix that.
What's this? You're kidding.
Aruba? You better pack.
We're leaving tomorrow night.
- For how long? - Two weeks.
Limo's picking you up at your place at 7.
You're welcome.
I don't understand though.
- How did you get time off from work? - They'll manage.
- Oh, the stove? - Off.
Alex Stark, 35, Caucasian.
Girlfriend says he owns a cleaning service that contracts out to office buildings on Wall Street.
- Who called in? - Girlfriend, staying over the night.
When she woke up he'd already left.
She let herself out, came back, found the blood on the floor.
Right.
It's a drilled lock.
Looks like a forced entry.
Someone went to a lot of trouble to get in.
But none of the valuables seem to be touched.
Could be a kidnapping.
- Do we know how much he's worth? - Not yet.
We know he paid cash for two plane tickets to Aruba leaving from LaGuardia tonight.
Okay.
We should have our guys contact Homeland Security.
Anybody that pays cash for an airline ticket should raise a red flag.
Hey, Jack.
Help me out.
There goes his security deposit.
The blood on the floor.
- Do you think he's dead? - We don't know.
Do you have any idea what your boyfriend was keeping in the safe? Is that what was there? Yeah.
He had an A&B locksmith install it about six months ago.
I have no idea what he'd keep inside.
Cash? Jewelry? - Drugs, maybe? - I've never seen him do any but we've only been dating for three months.
Whoever did this, if they took the safe, why would they hurt him? We need to know what kind of trouble he could be in.
Alex had a problem with one of his employees.
- And when was this? Three days ago.
We were meeting an old family friend of his, Cynthia, for brunch.
Alex was coming from work, but he was late.
And when he was a kid he was obsessed with rabbits.
The only thing his aunt could get him to eat were carrots.
- Well, he still really likes them.
- Oh.
- Sorry I'm late.
- It's nice to talk to someone who knows you so well.
Hi, honey.
- Hi.
Alex, you're bleeding.
Are you okay? What happened? I'm fine.
I just got into it outside work with one of the guys on the crew.
- Oh, my God.
- Who? This new hire, Justin.
I guess he wasn't happy with the hours I gave him.
- Did you call the police? - No.
Maybe you should.
No, I took care of it.
I fired the guy.
Everything's okay, baby.
I promise.
Is that Justin guy why he went missing? It's possible.
Do you know his last name? No.
You should talk to Alex's crew chief, Gary.
What else can you tell us about Cynthia? She was the closest thing to family he had.
His parents died when he was a kid.
He grew up with an aunt, but she passed away a year ago.
Do you know how we can get in touch? No.
But her last name was Neuwirth.
Gary? - Yeah.
Uh, I'm Special Agent Spade.
This is Special Agent Taylor.
We're with the FBI.
Oh, um, how can I help you? Can you tell us about a guy that used to clean here named Justin? Uh, I never had a Justin.
Uh, why? What's this all about? Alex Stark has gone missing.
Um, apparently he fired a guy named Justin from here? Alex fired somebody? That's funny.
He's only worked here six months.
I barely trust him changing the tp rolls around here.
Well, he says he's your boss.
- I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
- Why's that? It was clear the other night he wasn't very happy with his job.
What the hell are you doing? Stock order forms? You know what would happen if someone else caught you looking at these things? I was just curious about what goes on here.
Come on.
You see the amount of money they make here.
- You never wondered how they do it? - Sure.
But it's none of my business, and it's none of yours either.
I'm sorry, Gary.
I just wanna make something of myself.
For me and for Sara.
You wanna follow a dream, go to night school.
If you wanna keep this job, take out the trash like I pay you for.
I guess you gotta report this, don't you? We know Stark got into a fight.
Do you have any idea who it was with? No, I never saw any fight.
Well, we're gonna need an employee list.
Can you do that for us? Uh, I got one in my truck.
I'm guessing that fight didn't happen here.
I'm gonna set up a canvass between this building and the restaurant.
Stark may have been selling information from the investment bank.
His bank statements show big cash deposits right after he got hired.
Nothing over $ 10,000.
He didn't want the government to know.
And three days ago he emptied his account, $48,000.
Well, that could have been in the safe.
Um, any, uh, news on Cynthia Neuwirth? There's no New York listings, but I did find one in Boston.
I'll call in to the local P.
D.
To see if they can find her.
Great.
- You got a highlighter? Mine just quit.
- Yeah, sure, help yourself.
"Aces aren't the only thing that's wild.
Take a bet on me and let's see if it pays off big"? Didn't realize that was your type.
This site was in Stark's browser history.
He visits at least twice a week.
Why's he trolling personals if his girlfriend's moving in? I tried e-mailing the women he liked in order to find out.
But I ended up getting the same response from every one: Not interested.
If they don't wanna play the game, why buy the personals? The ads were paid for by a Kidwell Foods.
It's a front for an illegal poker club.
You can see the password in the quotes there.
"Professional, looking for love.
" "Adventurous, seeking a good time.
" You really did your homework on this.
Hey, Vice did it for us.
They had to abort their sting when, uh, money got pulled for Homeland Security.
All right.
I don't know.
Illegal betting, loan sharking.
If we bust in, they're gonna clam up just on principle.
Why not go in undercover? We know this week's password.
And if Stark lost his shirt, maybe some of the players are still talking about it.
Even if he didn't, there may be somebody in there that knows him better than his girlfriend.
Whoever goes, they can't wear a weapon or wire.
Intel says security is really tight in there.
We should notify N.
Y.
P.
D.
About what we're doing.
Hey, I'd be happy to go.
What? What, you forget the last time we played poker? You went all in with a 7-2.
- Sometimes it hits.
- When? So who's gonna go in, she asks, already knowing the answer.
The next time we're dealing with an illegal chess operation it can be your turn, okay? Just be careful with the government's money.
Why? They're not.
I'm compassionate.
Empty your pockets and turn around.
Just the phone and wallet.
"Robert Kaplan.
" Never seen you before.
I'm a friend of Alex's.
- This way.
Thank you.
He's good with Alex.
Changing 2000.
- Can I get you a drink, sir? - Uh, Scotch, neat.
Another Laphroaig.
Neat.
Hey.
Any word from Jack on the Bat Phone? No, and I'm not expecting to for a while.
It may take a few hands to establish his cover.
So we're doing a pool.
How much money Jack is gonna lose while he's under.
So, what can I put you down for? Pot's right.
River card is five of clubs.
I'll raise it.
Make it 80.
I don't think you have it.
Call.
Nice river.
I guess it's not your lucky day.
- No, I guess not.
- Where did you say you played before? There's a 20-40 up on 114th Street.
Mm-hm.
I've heard that's a pretty loose game.
Um Yeah.
Check to you, sir.
Bet is 40.
Sir? - Sorry.
- The bet has been raised to 40.
Ahem, right.
Right.
Um I'm feeling a little bit out of it.
- Um, where's your bathroom? - It's in the back.
Thank you.
Wow, Jack can't seem to catch a break, huh? You're the only one who's backing him.
Do you really think he's that good? Honestly, I just figured I'd go for the long shot.
Risk big, win big.
I like it.
Ah, Danny.
Hey.
Elena's here, I'm gonna put you on speakerphone.
All right.
Tell us you got something on the canvass.
All right, I got Justin.
I spoke to a gallery owner who witnessed a fight.
Stark took off, she got the other guy's information.
- She was afraid of getting sued.
- Great.
What's Justin's last name? Ferrara.
Justin Ferrara.
His address is on West 78th Street.
Got him.
I'm gonna have him brought in.
All right, and one more thing.
I wanna change my bet about Jack.
No, sorry, you can't.
I wrote it in Sharpie.
Bye.
I know you work for Brendan Dillon.
- Who? - You tell me what he wants with me.
I have no idea what you're talking about, lady.
You say you're Alex's friend and I've never seen you before.
Then you sit at a table that you've got no business at just to get close to me.
I met I met Alex at a bar, we were talking about poker.
I asked him where there was a good place to play Aah! Do you wanna live? Stop lying and tell me what Brendan wants.
He's got Alex and my money.
What else does he want? Don't know! I'll put the lotion in the basket, whatever it is you want.
Just You want another one? Do you? You tell me what Brendan hired you to do or I will empty this into you.
- One.
- I don't know.
- Two.
- Cynthia Neuwirth? There's no listing, but I did find one in Boston.
- Three.
- Boston.
The contract came out of Boston.
Okay, good.
Did he hire you to kill me? - Answer me.
- They wanted me to secure you.
And once I did, they wanted me to call, then they'd tell me what to do.
What about Alex and my money? There was two contracts.
There was two contracts.
I got you.
Look, if you let me go, I promise, I swear, that I will just I'll tell them I couldn't find you, okay? - Just let me go.
- No, you're gonna help me.
How am I gonna help you? You're gonna pretend you did your job.
You're gonna make your call.
You're gonna find out what they want you to do with me.
What if what they want is a bullet in your head? Well, then, that's what I do to you.
I just want my partner and my money back.
If I cross this Dillon guy, I'm as good as dead anyway.
Well, you know what Joe Torre says.
Oh, I don't know, what? "Go Yankees"? "Win today.
" And all he's got is George Steinbrenner to worry about.
Not some crazy bitch with a nail gun.
What's the number? Look, I'm just a contractor.
I'm freelance.
You kill me I take everything I know with me.
If you want me to help you have to tell me what's going on.
Justin Ferrara.
I'm Special Agent Johnson, this is Special Agent Spade.
We'd like you to tell us why you were fighting with Alex Stark the other morning.
- Is that his name? I bumped into him on the sidewalk and he went crazy.
I was protecting myself.
Your wife tells us you like to play poker.
She also told us that she's so terrified that the IRS is gonna show up that she was glad to get rid of this.
It's got Stark's fingerprints all over it.
What else are we gonna find if we search your car? Blood? Like the blood we found in his apartment? You think I killed him? I know that you accosted him outside that gallery.
Trying to get the money back that you lost playing poker.
- Maybe it didn't end there.
- He was losing money to me.
Three thousand dollars.
Then he called me one night saying he was ready to pay me back.
What the hell is going on here, Alex? You call me at 2 a.
m.
- Drag me to where you work.
- You need your money back, right? Well, I got something better.
Is this the guy, Alex? Because I really gotta get home.
Justin, this is Cynthia, my boss.
- Hi.
Hi.
What's this? An overseas order to buy 2 million shares of stock.
- So what? - The order's big enough that when I execute it tomorrow morning at 9:35 the stock is gonna jump.
Everyone who owns it will make money.
Give Cynthia money to buy shares right at the opening at 9:30.
She fills the order for the 2 million, the stock trades up, you make a killing.
This is totally illegal, right? You told me you were bringing someone serious.
I'm broke.
This is the only way that I can pay you.
I promise you that you're gonna make more than just your money back.
I'm going home.
- Sorry, Alex.
Wait.
I can have it in a couple hours.
I wouldn't have known it was a con except I got greedy.
I went back the following morning with an extra $5000.
When I saw Stark vacuuming the lobby, I knew.
- Why didn't you confront him then? There was a security guard.
So I waited until he left.
We got into it.
I told him if he didn't return my money, I'd call the cops.
I got it back the next day.
Is this the woman you saw? Yeah.
Where did you and Stark meet? At a card club over on Trinity Place.
Do you think he was scamming some of the other customers? Sure.
Everyone loved playing with him.
But I guess he was losing on purpose.
- A con artist? - Yeah.
He told me he wanted to sell his business and go back to college.
And Cynthia knew about it? It looks like they're partners.
Now, bearing all that in mind is there anything you remember that might help us? When I was coming back from the bathroom at the restaurant I saw them arguing.
Cynthia said she was trying to convince Alex to file a police report.
But now, I don't know.
Well, look, thank you very much for your help.
I was so glad to find someone who knew him.
I should have known something was going on.
Why? The way she looked at him.
Justin Ferrara's alibi checks out.
He was at a poker club on Trinity Place.
I got a woman matching Cynthia's description is suspected of real estate and insurance scams in Houston, Denver and Chicago.
Do we know if she works with a partner? No, but I bet she hooked up with Stark seven months ago.
- That's when he quit his data-entry job.
- Huh.
So Boston Organized Crime says Cynthia's been a person of interest because of her connection with Brendan Dillon.
Now, he's into extortion and possibly homicide.
Well, what's his connection with Cynthia? She was laundering his money through a restaurant and skimming off the top.
Maybe Dillon took Stark to try to get his money back.
I took him for 100 K.
And now that he's got Alex, he's got 80 grand back.
Well, you could look at it this way: You're up 20 grand.
Why don't you quit while you're ahead? Because I don't like to lose.
So you're gonna call your contact and you're gonna help me get Alex back.
Or I'm gonna do more than just nail your hand to the chair.
What's the number? - Yeah? Hey, it's Bob.
- What's up, Bob? - I've got the target.
Uh, that's great.
That's great work.
So, what do you want me to do? Where do you want me to drop her off? So everything went okay? Yeah, yeah.
It's great.
I just wanna get this bitch off my hands.
Look, man, I didn't expect you to call so soon.
- Let me make a call.
I'll get back to you.
- Just make it fast.
Good.
Now you're one step closer to getting out of here.
How old were you when you had your appendix out? - What? - I saw your scar.
I was 32.
What hospital, Bob? Uh St.
Vincent's.
I didn't expect you to call so soon.
- Let me make a call.
I'll get back to you.
Make it fast.
He's talking about a target and a drop.
It sounds like a kidnapping.
He definitely referred to the target as a woman.
All right, he went in as a poker player, not a kidnapper.
Why is he changing his cover? His cover must have been blown by Brendan Dillon.
- Look, I think we need to raid the club.
- No, no, no.
I'm sure Jack's got a plan.
Now, there's a parking structure near the poker club on Hudson and West 14th.
Tell him that's where the drop is.
Okay.
Yeah, well, now I owe you.
Yeah, thanks.
What? It took me about 10 minutes to figure out your tell in the club.
You blink when you bluff.
You just did that a minute ago on the phone.
What, you think I'm lying? Explain to me how you have an appendectomy at St.
Vincent's Hospital without leaving a record.
- A computer error? I don't know.
- No, no, no.
You used Alex's name.
You made me tell you about Brendan and then that guy on the phone The phone is helping you pretend to be someone you're not.
Who are you? Who? I'm a I'm with I'm with the FBI.
Viv.
Tech says Jack's phone stopped pinging right after we called him.
So either he's turned it off or he's been made.
Did he make any other calls before it went dead? No.
I don't think we can't wait any longer on raiding the club.
All right.
Lean on Vice for backup and hit it.
Great.
FBI.
Keep your hands where we can see them.
Get on the ground.
Don't move.
You, get on the ground now.
Everybody stop.
- Why do you have a gun? - I'm security.
- Get up.
I'm gonna ask you a question, okay? I wanna know if you've seen this man.
I asked you a question.
Have you seen this man? - I got nothing to say.
- I'm gonna ask you one more time.
Have you seen him? - You won't do it.
- You have no idea what I will do.
Don't test me.
I didn't know he was a narc.
Seemed like he was just a guy out to have some fun.
Hey, you gotta take it somewhere else.
Sorry.
I guess we got a little carried away.
Miss Neuwirth, you know this guy? Yeah.
We're kind of on-again, off-again.
I guess we're back on tonight.
- I need help.
- All right, honey.
So, uh, we gotta go.
It might be faster to take him out the back.
- All right.
Yeah.
Is he gonna puke? Oh, my boy's all bark, no bite.
He'll be fine.
She put him in her car and that was it.
- Make and model.
- Lexus ES.
Black.
Take him and put him on the bus with the rest of them.
Dealer says that Cynthia was here.
That security guy said that Jack left with her and that he was wasted.
I think she drugged him.
What the hell does she want with Jack? If you do this the FBI will be after you for the rest of your life.
Come on, it's 80 grand.
You've known the guy 10 months.
It's not worth it.
- I can't just leave you here.
- Sure you can.
I was looking for Alex Stark.
I'll stop.
It's not so simple.
Are you sure? Two guys were parked in front of your apartment.
- And you saw their faces? - One guy had dark hair, I think.
- I didn't get a good look.
- What about the tags? They were definitely Massachusetts plates.
- Oh, God, it's gotta be Brendan.
- Do you really think it's him? - What are we gonna do? - No, no.
No, you're not gonna do anything.
He doesn't know you exist.
We're gonna keep it that way.
What about that investor on the hook? If he bites, that's 80 grand.
We could pay Dillon back.
- It's too risky.
- Cynthia No.
I told you what I did to him.
He's not gonna be happy with me just paying him back.
He's gonna wanna hurt me.
We could split up.
You lay low, I can take care of the last mark.
We take our nest egg, we go.
We set up shop somewhere safe.
You would do that for me? Yes.
Cynthia I was lost before you saw me that day at the coffee shop.
And yes, this is a strange way to make a living.
But I love it.
And I wouldn't be doing it if it weren't for you.
I owe you.
I don't know.
Please.
I know I can do this.
This isn't even about the money, is it? It's about Alex.
I've I won't let anything happen to him.
It's complicated when you fall in love with your partner.
He's not my partner.
He's my son.
He's your son? Does Dillon know? No.
He's doesn't.
Nobody knows.
You must have been young.
How old were you? I was 17.
I couldn't deal with a baby.
My sister took care of him.
And what does he think happened to you? My sister told him I was dead.
And when she died, I knew I had to tell him the truth.
- Alex? - Yeah? I'm, uh, Cynthia Neuwirth.
I'm Uh, excuse me.
Hey.
Yeah, I'm just heading over.
Yeah, but let me call you back.
There's someone here.
I'm sorry.
Um Do we know each other? I recognized you from your pictures, heh.
I'm an old friend of your aunt's.
And your mother's.
You know, my aunt just died a few months ago.
I know.
I'm sorry.
Um, how did you know them? Elementary school.
I was in your mother's class.
She got me into a lot of trouble.
Do you have a minute? I mean, can I buy you a coffee or something? - Well, you've got someplace else to go.
- No, they'll wait.
Please.
I wanted to tell him, but I never could.
- You dragged him into the life.
- I built a relationship with him.
- Do you love your son? - Do I love him? - I love my son.
- Then why don't you? Why don't you let me go and you can tell him? Yeah.
Yeah.
If you find him, you send him to jail.
It's better than finding him dead.
You know something.
You tell me what you know.
Tell me.
There was blood in his apartment.
Hear anything from Boston P.
D? All of Dillon's men are accounted for.
He's not involved.
Who's that? - A guy we picked up at the club.
- Does he know anything? We'll see.
He sold a cloned cell phone to Stark last week.
Stark's phone is turned off so we can't triangulate the signal.
But I was able to pull some messages from his voice mailbox.
Alex, it's me.
You said you'd call when you had the money.
Is everything all right? Look, I'm really starting to worry that something's happened to you, okay? Maybe you're at the club.
I'll wait there.
You just meet me there if you get this.
New-message folder was empty.
Someone's been listening.
Whoever accessed these messages, do you know where they're calling from? Three different pay phones in Long Island City.
- Someone's being careful.
- Hmm.
Well, let's get an agent out to the island.
If they call again, maybe we can grab them.
Does Alex know your bank-account numbers? Passwords? Anything? No.
What's that got to do with anything? Dillon could use that information.
Use Alex as leverage to get his money back.
What, a ransom? - So where's the call? - Who knows.
- How did Dillon find out about him? - I don't know.
Besides the car what else made you think Dillon was onto you? That was it.
Nothing else.
And when was this? Last Friday.
What does it matter? Alex emptied out his bank accounts two days before that.
That's impossible.
Wake up, lady.
You've been conned.
You said yourself there was blood in Alex's apartment.
It's all part of the con.
Alex was counting on you to go to the apartment.
When he doesn't show, he figured you'd put it all on Dillon.
That you'd think it was too risky and you'd run.
But you don't show up to the apartment.
The girlfriend does.
He just wanted to take off with his girlfriend with your money.
He was just doing what you taught him to do.
Yeah.
I should have told him who I was.
- There's still a chance.
- Oh, no, it's a little late for that.
If he did all this to take off with his girlfriend we can use her to get him here.
It's worth a shot, yeah? Stark's girlfriend is downstairs.
She claims Jack called her, said she was in danger and that she should head to the FBI.
- What? Guys, I got something you wanna hear.
This call came in a minute ago.
I work for Brendan Dillon.
- What's Jack doing? I have your girlfriend.
Bring the money to Cynthia's Neuwirth's or your girlfriend's dead.
He's setting up a trap, hoping we're listening.
Maybe that's why he sent Stark's girlfriend here.
We have police outside Cynthia's house.
- He must mean somewhere else.
- Where did this call come in from? It was relayed from a tower near the poker club.
Someone's checking Stark's messages again under a different address in Long Island City.
- It could be Stark.
We should grab him.
No.
Let's follow him.
- I'm gonna give the location to Elena.
- All right, and I'll coordinate with P.
D.
I'm still on his tail.
He just turned into an alley.
You're off 14th Street? - Yeah, where are you? Yeah, I'm crossing Hang tight, I'll be there in two minutes, okay? I don't think I can wait.
No.
I guess he got the call.
Why'd you help me? Win today, right? FBI.
Don't move.
Stand down.
Put the gun down.
Son of a bitch, what have you done with him? Drop the gun.
No! We got him, Viv.
- They got him.
We're gonna need a medic.
Hey.
I heard you took the long odds on me.
Glad I was right.
- Me too.
Jack.
So Stark is ready to go to booking, but he's got a lot of questions.
Yeah, don't worry about it.
I'll take care of it.
Is Sara all right? She's fine.
Cynthia worked you over pretty good, huh? I was just afraid she was gonna do the same to me if I tried to leave.
All I wanted was to be able to start over with Sara.
Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen.
Was she gonna kill me? She was She just wanted her money back.
Adapted by:
- Hi.
- Weren't we were meeting out? - I decided I was in the mood to cook.
Oh, yeah? If I move in though, I'm bringing my knives.
The ones you have suck.
- You mean, when you move in.
- How was work? Hectic.
But I think I figured out a way to fix that.
What's this? You're kidding.
Aruba? You better pack.
We're leaving tomorrow night.
- For how long? - Two weeks.
Limo's picking you up at your place at 7.
You're welcome.
I don't understand though.
- How did you get time off from work? - They'll manage.
- Oh, the stove? - Off.
Alex Stark, 35, Caucasian.
Girlfriend says he owns a cleaning service that contracts out to office buildings on Wall Street.
- Who called in? - Girlfriend, staying over the night.
When she woke up he'd already left.
She let herself out, came back, found the blood on the floor.
Right.
It's a drilled lock.
Looks like a forced entry.
Someone went to a lot of trouble to get in.
But none of the valuables seem to be touched.
Could be a kidnapping.
- Do we know how much he's worth? - Not yet.
We know he paid cash for two plane tickets to Aruba leaving from LaGuardia tonight.
Okay.
We should have our guys contact Homeland Security.
Anybody that pays cash for an airline ticket should raise a red flag.
Hey, Jack.
Help me out.
There goes his security deposit.
The blood on the floor.
- Do you think he's dead? - We don't know.
Do you have any idea what your boyfriend was keeping in the safe? Is that what was there? Yeah.
He had an A&B locksmith install it about six months ago.
I have no idea what he'd keep inside.
Cash? Jewelry? - Drugs, maybe? - I've never seen him do any but we've only been dating for three months.
Whoever did this, if they took the safe, why would they hurt him? We need to know what kind of trouble he could be in.
Alex had a problem with one of his employees.
- And when was this? Three days ago.
We were meeting an old family friend of his, Cynthia, for brunch.
Alex was coming from work, but he was late.
And when he was a kid he was obsessed with rabbits.
The only thing his aunt could get him to eat were carrots.
- Well, he still really likes them.
- Oh.
- Sorry I'm late.
- It's nice to talk to someone who knows you so well.
Hi, honey.
- Hi.
Alex, you're bleeding.
Are you okay? What happened? I'm fine.
I just got into it outside work with one of the guys on the crew.
- Oh, my God.
- Who? This new hire, Justin.
I guess he wasn't happy with the hours I gave him.
- Did you call the police? - No.
Maybe you should.
No, I took care of it.
I fired the guy.
Everything's okay, baby.
I promise.
Is that Justin guy why he went missing? It's possible.
Do you know his last name? No.
You should talk to Alex's crew chief, Gary.
What else can you tell us about Cynthia? She was the closest thing to family he had.
His parents died when he was a kid.
He grew up with an aunt, but she passed away a year ago.
Do you know how we can get in touch? No.
But her last name was Neuwirth.
Gary? - Yeah.
Uh, I'm Special Agent Spade.
This is Special Agent Taylor.
We're with the FBI.
Oh, um, how can I help you? Can you tell us about a guy that used to clean here named Justin? Uh, I never had a Justin.
Uh, why? What's this all about? Alex Stark has gone missing.
Um, apparently he fired a guy named Justin from here? Alex fired somebody? That's funny.
He's only worked here six months.
I barely trust him changing the tp rolls around here.
Well, he says he's your boss.
- I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
- Why's that? It was clear the other night he wasn't very happy with his job.
What the hell are you doing? Stock order forms? You know what would happen if someone else caught you looking at these things? I was just curious about what goes on here.
Come on.
You see the amount of money they make here.
- You never wondered how they do it? - Sure.
But it's none of my business, and it's none of yours either.
I'm sorry, Gary.
I just wanna make something of myself.
For me and for Sara.
You wanna follow a dream, go to night school.
If you wanna keep this job, take out the trash like I pay you for.
I guess you gotta report this, don't you? We know Stark got into a fight.
Do you have any idea who it was with? No, I never saw any fight.
Well, we're gonna need an employee list.
Can you do that for us? Uh, I got one in my truck.
I'm guessing that fight didn't happen here.
I'm gonna set up a canvass between this building and the restaurant.
Stark may have been selling information from the investment bank.
His bank statements show big cash deposits right after he got hired.
Nothing over $ 10,000.
He didn't want the government to know.
And three days ago he emptied his account, $48,000.
Well, that could have been in the safe.
Um, any, uh, news on Cynthia Neuwirth? There's no New York listings, but I did find one in Boston.
I'll call in to the local P.
D.
To see if they can find her.
Great.
- You got a highlighter? Mine just quit.
- Yeah, sure, help yourself.
"Aces aren't the only thing that's wild.
Take a bet on me and let's see if it pays off big"? Didn't realize that was your type.
This site was in Stark's browser history.
He visits at least twice a week.
Why's he trolling personals if his girlfriend's moving in? I tried e-mailing the women he liked in order to find out.
But I ended up getting the same response from every one: Not interested.
If they don't wanna play the game, why buy the personals? The ads were paid for by a Kidwell Foods.
It's a front for an illegal poker club.
You can see the password in the quotes there.
"Professional, looking for love.
" "Adventurous, seeking a good time.
" You really did your homework on this.
Hey, Vice did it for us.
They had to abort their sting when, uh, money got pulled for Homeland Security.
All right.
I don't know.
Illegal betting, loan sharking.
If we bust in, they're gonna clam up just on principle.
Why not go in undercover? We know this week's password.
And if Stark lost his shirt, maybe some of the players are still talking about it.
Even if he didn't, there may be somebody in there that knows him better than his girlfriend.
Whoever goes, they can't wear a weapon or wire.
Intel says security is really tight in there.
We should notify N.
Y.
P.
D.
About what we're doing.
Hey, I'd be happy to go.
What? What, you forget the last time we played poker? You went all in with a 7-2.
- Sometimes it hits.
- When? So who's gonna go in, she asks, already knowing the answer.
The next time we're dealing with an illegal chess operation it can be your turn, okay? Just be careful with the government's money.
Why? They're not.
I'm compassionate.
Empty your pockets and turn around.
Just the phone and wallet.
"Robert Kaplan.
" Never seen you before.
I'm a friend of Alex's.
- This way.
Thank you.
He's good with Alex.
Changing 2000.
- Can I get you a drink, sir? - Uh, Scotch, neat.
Another Laphroaig.
Neat.
Hey.
Any word from Jack on the Bat Phone? No, and I'm not expecting to for a while.
It may take a few hands to establish his cover.
So we're doing a pool.
How much money Jack is gonna lose while he's under.
So, what can I put you down for? Pot's right.
River card is five of clubs.
I'll raise it.
Make it 80.
I don't think you have it.
Call.
Nice river.
I guess it's not your lucky day.
- No, I guess not.
- Where did you say you played before? There's a 20-40 up on 114th Street.
Mm-hm.
I've heard that's a pretty loose game.
Um Yeah.
Check to you, sir.
Bet is 40.
Sir? - Sorry.
- The bet has been raised to 40.
Ahem, right.
Right.
Um I'm feeling a little bit out of it.
- Um, where's your bathroom? - It's in the back.
Thank you.
Wow, Jack can't seem to catch a break, huh? You're the only one who's backing him.
Do you really think he's that good? Honestly, I just figured I'd go for the long shot.
Risk big, win big.
I like it.
Ah, Danny.
Hey.
Elena's here, I'm gonna put you on speakerphone.
All right.
Tell us you got something on the canvass.
All right, I got Justin.
I spoke to a gallery owner who witnessed a fight.
Stark took off, she got the other guy's information.
- She was afraid of getting sued.
- Great.
What's Justin's last name? Ferrara.
Justin Ferrara.
His address is on West 78th Street.
Got him.
I'm gonna have him brought in.
All right, and one more thing.
I wanna change my bet about Jack.
No, sorry, you can't.
I wrote it in Sharpie.
Bye.
I know you work for Brendan Dillon.
- Who? - You tell me what he wants with me.
I have no idea what you're talking about, lady.
You say you're Alex's friend and I've never seen you before.
Then you sit at a table that you've got no business at just to get close to me.
I met I met Alex at a bar, we were talking about poker.
I asked him where there was a good place to play Aah! Do you wanna live? Stop lying and tell me what Brendan wants.
He's got Alex and my money.
What else does he want? Don't know! I'll put the lotion in the basket, whatever it is you want.
Just You want another one? Do you? You tell me what Brendan hired you to do or I will empty this into you.
- One.
- I don't know.
- Two.
- Cynthia Neuwirth? There's no listing, but I did find one in Boston.
- Three.
- Boston.
The contract came out of Boston.
Okay, good.
Did he hire you to kill me? - Answer me.
- They wanted me to secure you.
And once I did, they wanted me to call, then they'd tell me what to do.
What about Alex and my money? There was two contracts.
There was two contracts.
I got you.
Look, if you let me go, I promise, I swear, that I will just I'll tell them I couldn't find you, okay? - Just let me go.
- No, you're gonna help me.
How am I gonna help you? You're gonna pretend you did your job.
You're gonna make your call.
You're gonna find out what they want you to do with me.
What if what they want is a bullet in your head? Well, then, that's what I do to you.
I just want my partner and my money back.
If I cross this Dillon guy, I'm as good as dead anyway.
Well, you know what Joe Torre says.
Oh, I don't know, what? "Go Yankees"? "Win today.
" And all he's got is George Steinbrenner to worry about.
Not some crazy bitch with a nail gun.
What's the number? Look, I'm just a contractor.
I'm freelance.
You kill me I take everything I know with me.
If you want me to help you have to tell me what's going on.
Justin Ferrara.
I'm Special Agent Johnson, this is Special Agent Spade.
We'd like you to tell us why you were fighting with Alex Stark the other morning.
- Is that his name? I bumped into him on the sidewalk and he went crazy.
I was protecting myself.
Your wife tells us you like to play poker.
She also told us that she's so terrified that the IRS is gonna show up that she was glad to get rid of this.
It's got Stark's fingerprints all over it.
What else are we gonna find if we search your car? Blood? Like the blood we found in his apartment? You think I killed him? I know that you accosted him outside that gallery.
Trying to get the money back that you lost playing poker.
- Maybe it didn't end there.
- He was losing money to me.
Three thousand dollars.
Then he called me one night saying he was ready to pay me back.
What the hell is going on here, Alex? You call me at 2 a.
m.
- Drag me to where you work.
- You need your money back, right? Well, I got something better.
Is this the guy, Alex? Because I really gotta get home.
Justin, this is Cynthia, my boss.
- Hi.
Hi.
What's this? An overseas order to buy 2 million shares of stock.
- So what? - The order's big enough that when I execute it tomorrow morning at 9:35 the stock is gonna jump.
Everyone who owns it will make money.
Give Cynthia money to buy shares right at the opening at 9:30.
She fills the order for the 2 million, the stock trades up, you make a killing.
This is totally illegal, right? You told me you were bringing someone serious.
I'm broke.
This is the only way that I can pay you.
I promise you that you're gonna make more than just your money back.
I'm going home.
- Sorry, Alex.
Wait.
I can have it in a couple hours.
I wouldn't have known it was a con except I got greedy.
I went back the following morning with an extra $5000.
When I saw Stark vacuuming the lobby, I knew.
- Why didn't you confront him then? There was a security guard.
So I waited until he left.
We got into it.
I told him if he didn't return my money, I'd call the cops.
I got it back the next day.
Is this the woman you saw? Yeah.
Where did you and Stark meet? At a card club over on Trinity Place.
Do you think he was scamming some of the other customers? Sure.
Everyone loved playing with him.
But I guess he was losing on purpose.
- A con artist? - Yeah.
He told me he wanted to sell his business and go back to college.
And Cynthia knew about it? It looks like they're partners.
Now, bearing all that in mind is there anything you remember that might help us? When I was coming back from the bathroom at the restaurant I saw them arguing.
Cynthia said she was trying to convince Alex to file a police report.
But now, I don't know.
Well, look, thank you very much for your help.
I was so glad to find someone who knew him.
I should have known something was going on.
Why? The way she looked at him.
Justin Ferrara's alibi checks out.
He was at a poker club on Trinity Place.
I got a woman matching Cynthia's description is suspected of real estate and insurance scams in Houston, Denver and Chicago.
Do we know if she works with a partner? No, but I bet she hooked up with Stark seven months ago.
- That's when he quit his data-entry job.
- Huh.
So Boston Organized Crime says Cynthia's been a person of interest because of her connection with Brendan Dillon.
Now, he's into extortion and possibly homicide.
Well, what's his connection with Cynthia? She was laundering his money through a restaurant and skimming off the top.
Maybe Dillon took Stark to try to get his money back.
I took him for 100 K.
And now that he's got Alex, he's got 80 grand back.
Well, you could look at it this way: You're up 20 grand.
Why don't you quit while you're ahead? Because I don't like to lose.
So you're gonna call your contact and you're gonna help me get Alex back.
Or I'm gonna do more than just nail your hand to the chair.
What's the number? - Yeah? Hey, it's Bob.
- What's up, Bob? - I've got the target.
Uh, that's great.
That's great work.
So, what do you want me to do? Where do you want me to drop her off? So everything went okay? Yeah, yeah.
It's great.
I just wanna get this bitch off my hands.
Look, man, I didn't expect you to call so soon.
- Let me make a call.
I'll get back to you.
- Just make it fast.
Good.
Now you're one step closer to getting out of here.
How old were you when you had your appendix out? - What? - I saw your scar.
I was 32.
What hospital, Bob? Uh St.
Vincent's.
I didn't expect you to call so soon.
- Let me make a call.
I'll get back to you.
Make it fast.
He's talking about a target and a drop.
It sounds like a kidnapping.
He definitely referred to the target as a woman.
All right, he went in as a poker player, not a kidnapper.
Why is he changing his cover? His cover must have been blown by Brendan Dillon.
- Look, I think we need to raid the club.
- No, no, no.
I'm sure Jack's got a plan.
Now, there's a parking structure near the poker club on Hudson and West 14th.
Tell him that's where the drop is.
Okay.
Yeah, well, now I owe you.
Yeah, thanks.
What? It took me about 10 minutes to figure out your tell in the club.
You blink when you bluff.
You just did that a minute ago on the phone.
What, you think I'm lying? Explain to me how you have an appendectomy at St.
Vincent's Hospital without leaving a record.
- A computer error? I don't know.
- No, no, no.
You used Alex's name.
You made me tell you about Brendan and then that guy on the phone The phone is helping you pretend to be someone you're not.
Who are you? Who? I'm a I'm with I'm with the FBI.
Viv.
Tech says Jack's phone stopped pinging right after we called him.
So either he's turned it off or he's been made.
Did he make any other calls before it went dead? No.
I don't think we can't wait any longer on raiding the club.
All right.
Lean on Vice for backup and hit it.
Great.
FBI.
Keep your hands where we can see them.
Get on the ground.
Don't move.
You, get on the ground now.
Everybody stop.
- Why do you have a gun? - I'm security.
- Get up.
I'm gonna ask you a question, okay? I wanna know if you've seen this man.
I asked you a question.
Have you seen this man? - I got nothing to say.
- I'm gonna ask you one more time.
Have you seen him? - You won't do it.
- You have no idea what I will do.
Don't test me.
I didn't know he was a narc.
Seemed like he was just a guy out to have some fun.
Hey, you gotta take it somewhere else.
Sorry.
I guess we got a little carried away.
Miss Neuwirth, you know this guy? Yeah.
We're kind of on-again, off-again.
I guess we're back on tonight.
- I need help.
- All right, honey.
So, uh, we gotta go.
It might be faster to take him out the back.
- All right.
Yeah.
Is he gonna puke? Oh, my boy's all bark, no bite.
He'll be fine.
She put him in her car and that was it.
- Make and model.
- Lexus ES.
Black.
Take him and put him on the bus with the rest of them.
Dealer says that Cynthia was here.
That security guy said that Jack left with her and that he was wasted.
I think she drugged him.
What the hell does she want with Jack? If you do this the FBI will be after you for the rest of your life.
Come on, it's 80 grand.
You've known the guy 10 months.
It's not worth it.
- I can't just leave you here.
- Sure you can.
I was looking for Alex Stark.
I'll stop.
It's not so simple.
Are you sure? Two guys were parked in front of your apartment.
- And you saw their faces? - One guy had dark hair, I think.
- I didn't get a good look.
- What about the tags? They were definitely Massachusetts plates.
- Oh, God, it's gotta be Brendan.
- Do you really think it's him? - What are we gonna do? - No, no.
No, you're not gonna do anything.
He doesn't know you exist.
We're gonna keep it that way.
What about that investor on the hook? If he bites, that's 80 grand.
We could pay Dillon back.
- It's too risky.
- Cynthia No.
I told you what I did to him.
He's not gonna be happy with me just paying him back.
He's gonna wanna hurt me.
We could split up.
You lay low, I can take care of the last mark.
We take our nest egg, we go.
We set up shop somewhere safe.
You would do that for me? Yes.
Cynthia I was lost before you saw me that day at the coffee shop.
And yes, this is a strange way to make a living.
But I love it.
And I wouldn't be doing it if it weren't for you.
I owe you.
I don't know.
Please.
I know I can do this.
This isn't even about the money, is it? It's about Alex.
I've I won't let anything happen to him.
It's complicated when you fall in love with your partner.
He's not my partner.
He's my son.
He's your son? Does Dillon know? No.
He's doesn't.
Nobody knows.
You must have been young.
How old were you? I was 17.
I couldn't deal with a baby.
My sister took care of him.
And what does he think happened to you? My sister told him I was dead.
And when she died, I knew I had to tell him the truth.
- Alex? - Yeah? I'm, uh, Cynthia Neuwirth.
I'm Uh, excuse me.
Hey.
Yeah, I'm just heading over.
Yeah, but let me call you back.
There's someone here.
I'm sorry.
Um Do we know each other? I recognized you from your pictures, heh.
I'm an old friend of your aunt's.
And your mother's.
You know, my aunt just died a few months ago.
I know.
I'm sorry.
Um, how did you know them? Elementary school.
I was in your mother's class.
She got me into a lot of trouble.
Do you have a minute? I mean, can I buy you a coffee or something? - Well, you've got someplace else to go.
- No, they'll wait.
Please.
I wanted to tell him, but I never could.
- You dragged him into the life.
- I built a relationship with him.
- Do you love your son? - Do I love him? - I love my son.
- Then why don't you? Why don't you let me go and you can tell him? Yeah.
Yeah.
If you find him, you send him to jail.
It's better than finding him dead.
You know something.
You tell me what you know.
Tell me.
There was blood in his apartment.
Hear anything from Boston P.
D? All of Dillon's men are accounted for.
He's not involved.
Who's that? - A guy we picked up at the club.
- Does he know anything? We'll see.
He sold a cloned cell phone to Stark last week.
Stark's phone is turned off so we can't triangulate the signal.
But I was able to pull some messages from his voice mailbox.
Alex, it's me.
You said you'd call when you had the money.
Is everything all right? Look, I'm really starting to worry that something's happened to you, okay? Maybe you're at the club.
I'll wait there.
You just meet me there if you get this.
New-message folder was empty.
Someone's been listening.
Whoever accessed these messages, do you know where they're calling from? Three different pay phones in Long Island City.
- Someone's being careful.
- Hmm.
Well, let's get an agent out to the island.
If they call again, maybe we can grab them.
Does Alex know your bank-account numbers? Passwords? Anything? No.
What's that got to do with anything? Dillon could use that information.
Use Alex as leverage to get his money back.
What, a ransom? - So where's the call? - Who knows.
- How did Dillon find out about him? - I don't know.
Besides the car what else made you think Dillon was onto you? That was it.
Nothing else.
And when was this? Last Friday.
What does it matter? Alex emptied out his bank accounts two days before that.
That's impossible.
Wake up, lady.
You've been conned.
You said yourself there was blood in Alex's apartment.
It's all part of the con.
Alex was counting on you to go to the apartment.
When he doesn't show, he figured you'd put it all on Dillon.
That you'd think it was too risky and you'd run.
But you don't show up to the apartment.
The girlfriend does.
He just wanted to take off with his girlfriend with your money.
He was just doing what you taught him to do.
Yeah.
I should have told him who I was.
- There's still a chance.
- Oh, no, it's a little late for that.
If he did all this to take off with his girlfriend we can use her to get him here.
It's worth a shot, yeah? Stark's girlfriend is downstairs.
She claims Jack called her, said she was in danger and that she should head to the FBI.
- What? Guys, I got something you wanna hear.
This call came in a minute ago.
I work for Brendan Dillon.
- What's Jack doing? I have your girlfriend.
Bring the money to Cynthia's Neuwirth's or your girlfriend's dead.
He's setting up a trap, hoping we're listening.
Maybe that's why he sent Stark's girlfriend here.
We have police outside Cynthia's house.
- He must mean somewhere else.
- Where did this call come in from? It was relayed from a tower near the poker club.
Someone's checking Stark's messages again under a different address in Long Island City.
- It could be Stark.
We should grab him.
No.
Let's follow him.
- I'm gonna give the location to Elena.
- All right, and I'll coordinate with P.
D.
I'm still on his tail.
He just turned into an alley.
You're off 14th Street? - Yeah, where are you? Yeah, I'm crossing Hang tight, I'll be there in two minutes, okay? I don't think I can wait.
No.
I guess he got the call.
Why'd you help me? Win today, right? FBI.
Don't move.
Stand down.
Put the gun down.
Son of a bitch, what have you done with him? Drop the gun.
No! We got him, Viv.
- They got him.
We're gonna need a medic.
Hey.
I heard you took the long odds on me.
Glad I was right.
- Me too.
Jack.
So Stark is ready to go to booking, but he's got a lot of questions.
Yeah, don't worry about it.
I'll take care of it.
Is Sara all right? She's fine.
Cynthia worked you over pretty good, huh? I was just afraid she was gonna do the same to me if I tried to leave.
All I wanted was to be able to start over with Sara.
Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen.
Was she gonna kill me? She was She just wanted her money back.
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