Without a Trace s06e09 Episode Script

Previously on Without a Trace Detective Morris Special Agent Johnson, thank you for coming.
Oh, it's my pleasure.
Any luck finding your waitress? No.
What do you have? I've got three other victims, possibly tied to our human trafficking case.
I want to set up a task force under my supervision.
What do you want me to do? I just need for you to fight for this for me.
You owe Olczyk a couple of steak dinners.
He agreed to join the unit with the task force.
Good thing you're a trained negotiator.
I'm sorry, I couldn't get you a closer location, but I believe this is the room that brought Gotti down.
When was that, like 1989? - What about personnel? - You get to pick.
Two bodies, temporary duty, 20 days.
You make any progress, maybe more.
Is your name in the hat? Because we could use you.
Thanks, but I think one of us doing double duty is enough.
You're probably right.
Okay.
- Hey, Jack.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Enjoy.
You know, we better go! Mama! No, I don't want to go! No, I take you off! Lindsay Bynum.
Bynum, Bynum? One purse.
One key ring, two keys.
Hey, let me help you! - I'm fine.
I'm fine.
- I want to help.
- No - You're pregnant.
Yes, and I can walk.
- What happened? - Lindsay Bynum, she's 42 years old, she's from Crestwood, New York.
Her family called in when she didn't come home last night.
Apparently, she got in this accident.
She was visiting a prisoner at a women's correctional facility up the road.
What's her relationship to the inmate? Actually, they were cell mates up until about a month ago.
Bynum did seven years for embezzlement.
She was a financial advisor until she got caught stealing money from clients.
Any sign of a struggle, blood? Nothing, but come here.
I want you to see something.
Second set of tire tracks.
Excuse me, sir.
This was underneath the driver's seat.
Thank you.
Interesting way to smuggle drugs.
Yeah, could be whatever she was doing in jail caught up with her here.
Without A Trace Season 6 Episode 9 - One wrong move - A²S Team Yeah, NYSP is covering the coffee shops and the rest stops for the morning commute.
Hopefully, somebody saw the car that picked up Bynum.
What about the pills we found in her headband? OxyContin.
And she's been visiting her old cell mate every week since her release.
Carolyn Nesbitt, she's doing 20 years for distribution, we think that she might be the cell block dealer.
And you think Bynum's the supplier? - It's pointing that way.
- This is not necessarily about drugs.
Bynum went away for embezzlement.
It's just another way to go.
Lindsay's trial was a nightmare.
My brother Cory went to court every day.
Always the supportive husband, hadn't slept in months.
And with all the stress, he had a heart attack.
Just like that, he's dead.
After the sentencing, Lindsay asked Natalie and I to become guardians to Mason and Ryan.
When was the last time you saw Lindsay? Yesterday Yesterday morning, before she left for work.
When she didn't come home, we called the police.
- Where was she working? - At Java State, on Third.
It took her a while to find a job, but the manager there saw she was smet.
Mason.
Why don't you and your brother give us a moment alone with your aunt and uncle? Why? It's not like we don't know our mom is screwed up.
- Mason - What, so she's gone again? What did you expect?! All right, this is stupid! - Mason, take it easy.
- No.
Ryan Why don't you go into the den and watch some TV.
Have either of you noticed anything suspicious about Lindsay's behavior? Suspicious how? Well, we've been led to believe that she's been dealing drugs.
You're kidding me, right? Have you seen any strangers around, maybe another ex-con? Look, I know what you're thinking, but Lindsay isn't just some criminal.
She's a mom who made a mistake.
When the AT&T processing plant moved away, a lot of people lost their jobs.
dropped her.
She was desperate.
Desperate enough to steal from the clients who stuck by her.
She did her time.
I just wish people could cut her some slack.
Take a seat.
I'm Special Agent Spade, I'm with the FBI.
I want to ask you some questions about Lindsay Bynum.
- What about her? - Well, she's missing.
We think you were the last person to talk to her and I want to know why she was here yesterday.
To reminisce.
Really.
Maybe you could explain this to me.
We found it in her car.
You're the only person she visits here.
Is she your dealer? You dealing together? Wrong on both counts.
All right, listen, we can take this to the warden if you want, or you can talk to me, your choice.
I got cancer, all right? Lindsay brought me dope for the pain.
It was a one-time thing.
What the hell are you doing? Put that away.
You fixing to wind up in here again? I was just just trying to help.
Except I didn't ask for help.
I lost my job at Java State last week.
An old accounting client of mine tracked me down.
Son of a bitch makes a stupid scene and I get fired.
I mean, what if the guy comes looking for me? Then you'll deal with it.
In the meantime, you get another job.
I've tried.
Okay? I filled out like 15 applications in the past three days.
Nobody calls.
I just feel like I'm never going to get my life back.
It doesn't mean you quit trying.
I never thought it would be this hard.
I'm gonna die in this place, I don't have to think about making it outside.
You have a shot.
Don't come back here.
First month out of the joint, nobody thinks they'll get through.
What about this ex-client that came after her? Did she say anything else about him? That was it.
So we've ruled out the women, these are the men that Bynum stole from.
These six alibi out, these three testified against Bynum in the civil suit, and these two lost 100K a piece.
Any of them fit the description of the assailant in the coffee joint? I don't know, the Java State manager wouldn't talk because of liability reasons, so I'm trying to get around him.
What about the results from the lab on the tire tracks that we found next to her car? The tires are Bridgestone Turanza 225s, they're common in Infinitis and in Lexuses.
Well, let's run that against her list of former clients.
You got it.
Can I sit with you? So your aunt says that sometimes after school, you go and you hang out at your mom's work.
Java State has Wi-Fi, I surf the web.
Did you ever see anybody fight your mother? Maybe threaten her? Do you think somebody hurt her? We don't know anything yet.
I wish she'd come back.
We're trying to find her.
I need your help.
If I show you some pictures of ex-clients do you think you can tell me if you've seen them lately? Okay.
Lindsay never said anything about somebody coming after her.
She said it was a former client.
Do you know if she's had contact with any of them recently? We haven't seen any of those people since the trial.
Okay.
Were either of you aware that she'd been fired last week? She didn't say anything to me, but then again, we don't share that much.
Mrs.
Bynum? I didn't know, but maybe she didn't need that job anymore.
I don't know how he does it, but Mason spills on everything he wears.
Natalie, this is for you.
It's for the boys, you know, for school supplies, groceries, whatever.
No, I couldn't take that.
You should save up your money.
Please, I really want to pitch in.
Okay.
Thank you.
Lindsay, what is this? Where did you get all this money? People lose fingers for that kind of thing.
I'm sorry, I'm really sorry.
I'm just used to protecting my stuff.
You still haven't answered my question.
Look, it's not what you think, okay? I'm just doing some consulting work.
Come on.
Don't look at me like that, okay? Everybody is giving me all this crap.
She had thousands of dollars in cash, and you just let it go? - I know, okay, I - Mrs.
Bynum, Lindsay's a felon, she is not allowed to work in the financial industry anymore.
I just assumed she was being paid under the table.
- And who would do that? - Nobody, no one trusts her.
So these guys learned that that Brad creep who abducted your first girl, Jen, is dead, and they still manage to nab the waitress, Angela.
Plus they closed shop with 12 girls in tow.
That's a lot of cargo to move out of town.
Maybe they stayed local.
Either way, it means they've got drivers, more vehicles than the van we ID'd, probably more muscle to keep an eye on the girls.
It all spells deep pockets.
Task force? - Task force.
- Hey, Viv, it's Danny.
I have a woman on line who's looking for you, and it might be connected to your missing waitress.
- Okay, put her through.
- Okay.
Johnson.
Okay, ma'am, you need to calm down.
Did she did she tell you where she was? Did she leave a number? All right, ma'am, I need you to listen carefully.
I need your permission to pull your phone records, is that all right? Okay, I'll call you right back.
Thank you.
Angela Richter's mother in Texas got a call from her.
- Where was she? - She didn't say.
She begged her mom to help her, and then had to hang up before she could say anything else.
So I found this call here on the Bynums' phone records that was made the day before Lindsay showed up with the cash to Pratt & Edelstein CFA.
Her former business partner, Richard Ludlow, works there.
- Ludlow? - Yeah, why? I just spoke to the DA that prosecuted the Bynum case.
And he told me they tried everything in the book to get her to turn on him and she wouldn't do it.
I bet you he's the one who gave her the cash.
But this guy lost his reputation and business because of her, why would he help her out? Well, they embezzled money together, she took the fall.
Let's find out what kind of car he drives.
Okay.
Richard Ludlow.
All right, we're looking for a Lexus IS or an LS model, or an Infiniti G35 or G37.
Here we go.
Richard Ludlow of Crestwood, New York.
Drives a 2003 Lexus IS.
Well, according to your assistant, the day Lindsay called you, she also went down to your office.
What were you fighting about? Lindsay asked me for a job and I couldn't give her one.
She got upset That was it.
I think seven years ago, you got away with embezzlement, but Lindsay covered your ass.
Now she's out, feeling that you owe her and she's blackmailing you.
Where do you get this stuff? How do you explain the tire marks from your car at the accident's scene? I was there.
She called me after the accident.
Oh what, so now your friends? She messed up seven years ago.
We moved on.
She borrowed somebody's cell phone after the accident and called me.
You mean she borrowed somebody's cell phone? Whose cell phone? Some woman who stopped for her.
She asked me to give her a ride to her brother-in-law's hardware store.
Why would she call you and not her brother-in-law? She said they'd been having problems.
You all right? Yeah, I'm just a little rattled.
So what happened? I saw my friend Carolyn today.
She's got cancer.
I don't know, I think I was just upset.
I hit a pothole and lost control.
At least you're okay.
Do you want to call your family? No, it's okay, don't worry about it.
I probably should talk to them in person.
Things are getting really weird and edgy over there.
What the hell happened here? He started a fight at the pep rally.
- Mason, are you drunk? - Yeah, and suicidal.
He spit in a linebacker's face.
Mason, just take a seat.
Honey, why would you do that? I don't know, I just felt like it.
I can handle it from here, okay? Look, I'm his mother, okay? I wanna help him.
You're nobody's mother here, if you cared about them so much, you wouldn't have gotten thrown in jail.
They lost their father because of you.
Get out.
Get out! Go! Or I swear to God I'm gonna kill you.
Look, I was worried about dropping her off at the at the hardware store, but she said that he'd reached out to make up.
You got motive and opportunity.
But Lindsay conveniently points the finger at somebody else? Come on.
I'm telling you what happened.
Approximately what time did you drop her off? A little bit before 7:00 p.
m.
This is Angela Richter, she was abducted two months ago.
I I.
I don't think I know her.
Well, how come she used your cell phone to call her mother about three hours ago? How could that be? I got a cell phone right here.
Where were you 3 hours ago? I'm a plumber, I was working on a job at some club on East End Ave.
Who hired you? I don't know, it was a cash job.
Tell us about this club.
Look, I'm not trying to get anybody in trouble, but you know, the furniture was cheap, the blinds were all drawn, and and there were these girls there.
So it was a brothel? That'd be my bet.
Are you sure you didn't see that girl in there? Okay, maybe she was there, but she she she looked different.
Sorry, I can come back.
It's fine.
Just don't use the sink.
Thanks.
- Finished working? - Almost.
Girl needed the john.
Move.
Who's in there? Open this door.
Someone was using the other one, I really needed to pee.
She was only in there for a minute.
We're gonna need the address of the club.
Okay.
So it would appear that you and Lindsay are not on the best of terms.
We we get along okay.
Really? Who was the guy that choked her and threatened to kill her 4 days ago? Who was that, your evil twin? Okay, I I didn't tell you about that because I knew it would give you the wrong idea.
- It would.
- We made up later and that was it.
So you're okay with her being around and helping out with the boys? Yeah, sure.
You forgave her for your brother's heart attack? Okay, look, you know, it hasn't been easy, and yes, there's a part of me that's glad she disappeared, but beyond that fight, I didn't do anything to her.
Where were you last night? I was at home.
Why? Not according to the alarm company.
Their records indicate that you punched in the security code to the store at 6:44 p.
m.
, which is around the time that Lindsay was dropped off.
I didn't I wasn't there.
I didn't that wasn't me.
It wasn't you? Then who was it? Okay, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna answer any more questions.
I think it's my right to to see a lawyer.
Oh, yeah, yeah, you're right, it is.
You didn't tell us about your uncle's fight with your mother.
- It wasn't a big deal.
- He threatened her, choked her.
- I'd say it's a pretty big deal.
- He didn't mean it.
I need you to tell me what your uncle did to your mom, okay? Why are you dogging me? Uncle Jake didn't do anything to her.
I want to know who you're lying for.
Nobody.
I don't believe you.
What? You're trying to protect your aunt? - God, no.
- Ryan? No.
Hey, look, I get it.
He's your little brother, you want to take care of him.
He can't do it alone.
Look at me.
You're not getting out of here till you tell me what I want to know, you got that? Look, it wasn't his fault.
It's all my mom's for leaving us.
Nice hit, Mason.
Good job.
Boy, you boys are so strong now.
Last time I saw you hit, it was Wiffle ball in the backyard.
You were the worst pitcher.
I made pretty good cookies though, didn't I, chocolate chip with sprinkles? We would eat them waiting for the first star.
Geez, who put on the Disney Channel? - Just talking about old times.
- Right.
And you flash forward to what, to Today Show? "The Ex-con, the Loser and the Thief.
" What you talkin' about? I'm saying, things aren't so rosy here in Crestwood.
- Shut up, Mas.
- He's a thief, Mom.
He's been stealing so he can buy stuff for kids at school, iPods, Game Boys.
So they'll sit next to him in the cafeteria and invite him to a stupid party.
He doesn't know what he says.
You've been sneaking people's credit card info when you're in their houses baby-sitting.
Ryan, are you crazy? - How long have you been doing this? - Just a couple months.
You realize what kind of trouble you could get into? What are you jumping on me? You did it, too.
Yeah, well, look where it got us.
Let's go.
Wait a minute, Mason.
Nobody had caught on yet.
But it was almost $6,000.
I told my mom, she said she'd take care of it.
How do you think she was gonna do that? I don't know.
These neighbors that your brother stole from, do you have any idea who any of them are? No.
I never asked and he didn't say.
Go! Go! FBI, freeze! - Hands in the air! Now! - Get down! Get down on the floor! Clear! Hands in the air! Clear.
Clear.
Clear.
Give me your hands! Give me your hands! Please, don't hurt me.
I'm so sorry about this.
It was my first time, really, and it was so stupid.
Well, normally, we'd turn you over to local police for booking but I need some information from you.
I'm not sure what I can tell you other than what you already know.
Well, this wasn't an ordinary brothel.
The women were being held there against their will.
Now, besides the madam and the guard at the front desk, did you see anyone policing these girls? No, I just saw the girls.
Can't you ask them? Well, right now I'm asking you.
Do you recognize either of these two men? No.
Well, the girls were held on a pretty tight leash.
Take another look.
No, I'm sorry.
Mr.
Remar, a cooperative john at this point would be telling me all that he knows.
An uncooperative john, since there were abducted girls on the premises, could be held, pending federal trafficking charges.
Now what kind of john are you? Maybe I did see something.
Get the hell out! You think some idiot john is gonna save you? Huh? Who owns you? I said, "Who owns you?" The boss.
That's right and don't you forget it.
You want something? Huh? So after seeing that, all I wanted to do was get the hell out of there.
So I went into the room with a girl, and I waited until enough time had passed.
The girls in the hallway were gone by the time we got there.
Did you hear them leave or hear someone talk about moving them? No.
I'd like you to stay here and work with our sketch artist and describe the man that you saw.
I'll do my best.
And when I'm done? You'll be released to NYPD for booking on solicitation charges.
Did he see anything? He's gonna give us a sketch of an enforcer.
Good.
Our madam lawyered up, and the other johns were all either still up front or "busy.
" You get anything from any of the girls? Now, they're too scared to tell me their right names.
But I think I found something.
This the phone from the club? Yeah, around the time of the beating 3 calls, to a burner cell that's not picking up.
You think they called somebody to pick up the girls? They could have taken out Angela too 'cause of her phone calls.
These girls are worth around half a million dollars a year? Then let's hope that they decided to salvage their investment instead of killing them.
We'll track the phones, see if we can get a location.
Okay, so your aunt told me that we could talk a little bit more.
And I figured you'd be hungry.
Not that chips and sodas aren't good, right? Thanks, I'm not that hungry.
Listen, Ryan I know you're very scared.
Your mom's missing.
You're at the FBI.
You feel a little guilty, right? You brother told us about the stealing and that your mother promised that she was gonna fix it.
Can you tell me how she was gonna do that? She was gonna pay the neighbors back their money.
Pay them not to tell the police.
How was she gonna get the money? She was supposed to sell some jewelry for this one woman.
She did it once and it went okay.
And the next time? Well, I mean, she was going to drive down to Virginia to do it, to avoid people who knew her.
I supposed to get my uncle's truck keys from inside the store on my way home from school.
So you're the one who used your uncle's alarm code? I mean, I was supposed to leave the keys in the mailbox, but I didn't want her to leave without me.
So I waited Ryan.
- What are you doing here? - I wanna go with you.
No, you and I talked about this, okay? I have to do this, but you cannot come with me.
I could read maps.
You might fall asleep alone.
No, sweetie, it's so dangerous.
It's so dangerous.
You said everything would be fine.
It's gonna be okay.
- Promise? - Yes, I promise, I promise.
Ryan, go get in the truck right now.
Get in the truck and stay there.
Get back in the truck, I'm okay.
She told me not to tell anybody.
Then she left with them.
Have you ever seen the people inside the car before? No.
Did your mom ever say anything about the woman, who she was, where she lived how they met? Well, I think my mom knew her from prison.
What makes you think that? Well, my mom called her Marie, but she called my mom Babyface.
That was her nickname in prison.
So where are we with this Marie woman? Well, so far I've found four from Lindsay's section.
Two are still locked up, one died of a drug overdose two months ago, and one was released a year ago.
The one that as released, what's her name? Marie Bassineaux.
Marie Bassineaux.
Okay.
B-A-S-S-I-N - E-A-U-X.
- Right.
Oh, she's been busy.
First offense at 18.
She drove the getaway car for her boyfriend during a smash-and-grab.
She's a badass.
And six months ago, she was charged with another robbery, released on a technicality.
Then one of her accomplices was found shot to death.
A real badass.
Lindsay's in way over her head.
- Tell us what you did to Lindsay.
- I told you, nothing.
Last time I saw her was over a bow of jailhouse stew.
All right, stop lying.
We know that you roped Lindsay into moving stolen goods for you.
We know that she did it once before and got paid $5,000.
And we know that the plan was for her to move more.
What happened? You didn't want to split the cut, so you got rid of a partner? Yeah, sounds like a story a DA made up at my last trial.
Didn't work there, either.
See this picture? That's Lindsay's son.
Cute.
See, here's the thing: at your last trial, they didn't have such a sweet-faced kid testifying against you, now, did they? He saw you punch his mother in the face.
And then he said she got in a car and drove away with you.
That makes you the last person to see her alive.
The kid's lying man.
Even if he is, who do you think the jury's gonna believe? I'll bet a year's salary it takes them ten minutes to put you away for life.
Okay, I saw her, but that was it.
Hey, Babyface.
You're right on time.
Hey, Marie.
Don't take the first stuff.
And no more than one piece per store.
You know what? I can't do this anymore.
- Look, don't play with me.
- I'm not playing with you.
We had a deal, bitch.
Ryan, get back in the truck.
I'm okay, just get back in the truck.
You can beat the crap out of me all you want, but I'm not changing my mind.
I've already made enough mistakes.
Hey, baby, baby, baby, leave her alone.
Leave her alone, all right? We'll find somebody else.
Lindsay got in the store truck with the kid, Zero and me drove off, end of story.
So, she blew you off and you just left her there? That punch I gave her was gonna bruise.
She wasn't gonna look like a housewife no more.
Who put you and Lindsay together? Look, man, she got out and I offered her a job, all right? She got desperate and took it.
You stay here until we check out your story.
Can I get a soda or something while I wait? No.
You know, according to the signal from the tower, a call from the brothel went to a cell phone in this area, so we're gonna split up and see if we can find it.
Let's go.
That could be it.
That's small enough to have been in a residential area.
Feel like breaking something? I got one dead.
She's alive! I need a medic, southeast corner of the yard.
Come on, Angela.
Hang in there.
You can sit please.
Come on.
We have a problem, Ryan.
Your story doesn't match Marie's.
Then she's lying.
We found your mom's blood on the inside of the truck, so she got in there after Marie hit her, exactly what Marie said.
No, my mom left with her.
- That's not what happened.
- You know, it is.
Ryan, you and your mom were apart for for a long time.
You were seven when she was sent to prison, right? I know you love your mom very much, but I also know that you were driving your uncle's truck, because the front seat was all the way forward, and you needed that so you could reach the pedals, right? Tell me what happened after Marie left.
And I want the truth this time.
I was so afraid she'd leave again.
Ryan, get back in here Ryan, what are you doing? Get back in the truck.
Come on, Ryan, you got to calm down.
I will when you tell me why we headed to get the money? No, we can talk about this tomorrow! Tell me now! Listen, all I thought about in prison was trying to be a better mom to you and Mason.
Making up for lost time.
The thing about prison is, though, you know, it takes away the pieces of you, takes away the very pieces that make you a better person.
I was just trying to fix things.
I was wrong, I was I was I was wrong.
But they'll lock me up and we'll be apart again.
No, I'll talk to the judge, it's my fault, I'll tell him it's all my fault.
But he might say I deserve it.
It'll be like when you were in prison all over again.
- No, it won't, I promise.
- It will! We're never gonna be a family again, are we? I don't know.
Probably not anytime soon.
Screw you, Mom! Come on, Ryan.
Ryan, what are you doing? Ryan, what are you doing?! Ryan, get out of the car! Get out of the car! If you're not going to get the money, I will.
Ryan, come on.
You've got to trust me! Ryan! Mom! I I found her in the bushes and she wasn't breathing.
I'm so sorry.
Come here.
Angela? I'm special agent Vivian Johnson.
Now, I know you've been through a lot, and if I could wait, I would, but we're trying to find some of the girls that have been hurt like you, and so I'd like to ask you a couple questions.
I I don't know how I can help.
Well, we're trying to find a man that was at the club.
You witnessed a beating, right? Suzanne? And when we raided the club, he wasn't there, did he leave with you? He was there when I left.
What did this man look like? Slender, dark hair, always dresses nice.
You know, a suit and tie.
What kind of john are you? It was my first time, really.
Is this him? Who owns you? I said, who owns you? - The boss.
- Yeah, that's right.
So don't forget it.
Yeah, that's him.
Do they still have Remar? NYPD released him 45 minutes ago.
Thank you for your help.
We're gonna see to it that you get all the help that you need, okay? Will you catch him? Yeah.
Without A Trace Season 6 Episode 9 - One wrong move - A²S Team