CSI: NY s06e17 Episode Script
Pot of Gold
Table for three for Smith ready.
I want a large one - Pastrami on rye to go.
- 39.
That's me.
- Hey, Mac.
The usual? - Number Four Club.
Easy on the dressing.
A man who knows what he wants.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Place gets pretty cut-throat in here, huh? Yeah, but the pastrami's worth it.
Looks serious.
Always is.
Here you go, Mac.
You, uh, you sure you don't wanna dine in? - No, l, I gotta go.
- I'll put it on your tab.
Oh, and here.
With this crowd, I always take two.
Just in case I forget something.
Thanks again.
Number 40.
Pastrami sandwich, please.
- Who found him? - Don't know.
Anonymous call to 91 1.
According to the ME techs, both bodies were close to room temp.
Means TOD was roughly 24 hours ago.
According to his wallet, this guy over here is Michael Paley.
Small calibre gunshot to the back of the head.
This is definitely what you'd call blunt force trauma.
- Got an lD on this one? - Negative.
Got an impact mark.
Hey, Mac.
Take a look at this.
- It's pure gold.
- I can top that.
Just found this in a shoe print.
- Four-leaf clover? - Natural genetic mutation.
There's only one for every 10,000 three-leaf clovers.
Hang on.
Gold? Four-leaf clover right before Saint Patrick's Day? Where the hell are we? At the end of the rainbow? I'll tell you this much.
Neither of these guys had the luck of the lrish.
# Out here in the fields # I fight for my meals # I get my back into my living # Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah # I wonder if our gunshot vic is the same Michael Paley who publishes that blog.
Paley and Vandemann dot com? It's possible.
Means our second vic could be Cam Vandemann.
Sorry, who are we talking about here? Paley and his partner, Vandemann, are a couple of budding investigative journalists.
Local muckrakers is more like it.
Earlier this year, they broke a story about homeless people being forced to hide in Battery Park.
- Made the mayor look heartless.
- The cops didn't look good either.
Paley and Vandemann have a knack for getting in people's faces.
So maybe somebody returned the favour.
# I cannot reach the dizzy heights # I'm buried underneath a veil of light # And in this grave I place my confidence # How can I not believe that I won't rise again # But I can't control the fall # And I know not where I've gone # And I can't control the fall # And I know not where I've gone # Hmm.
What's up? We have two bodies, but we got four sets of prints.
A couple match the tread patterns on our vic's tennis shoes.
They're easy enough to spot.
There's a third pair of dress shoe prints that based on their positioning, scuff patterns and high-velocity blood spatter appear to be our killers.
Then there's a fourth that look like work boot prints.
That's where I pulled the clover from.
They start over there by the door, make their way over to the bodies and then they end up over here.
So maybe our killer has an accomplice.
See that skitter pattern on the floor? How it goes under this old tank? It's positive for GSR.
You think the gun got knocked beneath it.
If it did, it's not there any more.
Maybe the fourth set of prints belongs to whoever retrieved it.
All right.
So our two vics are over there at the table.
Mr Dress Shoes comes in.
Boom! Down goes Paley.
But before he can fire another shot, our second vic gets a jump on him, gun skitters off And that's when Mr Work Boots comes in to the rescue, helps his buddy beat the hell outta Vandemann, and grabs the gun and they split.
If that's true, we're looking for two different people.
And two different weapons.
OK, Stella.
News flash.
Uh, that's definitely your blogger, Michael Paley, and here's the bullet that killed him.
- But this is not Cam Vandemann.
- Really? I did some detailed fluoroscopic analysis and ran it through a photo-imaging programme to simulate the vic's facial features prior to trauma.
This is what he should look like.
And here's who he doesn't look like.
I pulled the second shot off the Paley and Vandemann blog site.
So the real Cam Vandemann is still out there.
He may be a target, maybe a suspect.
Either way, I'm afraid our second vic is still a John Doe.
But I did discover a couple more things that may help clue us in to his identity.
His blood work revealed high levels of antibodies for Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, rabies and malaria.
These multiple doses are consistent with a vaccination for some type of international travel.
Meanwhile, your call of blunt force trauma and COD was clearly on the mark.
And while we're on the topic, there is something else we should take a closer look at.
I found a series of faint wound impressions along the victim's scalp.
Looks almost alphanumeric with some kind of fine line detail.
It will take more work to make sense of them.
Whatever these marks are could lead us to a murder weapon.
What you gawking at? I think it's some kind of blue-green algae.
- I found it on our John Doe's shirt.
- What's with the junk pile? I don't know.
That all looked new to the scene.
I thought maybe the vics brought it in there with them.
What was in the container? Nothing but water.
Did you get anything more exciting? Confusing, maybe.
I ran the four-leaf clover from the work boot print.
According to EDNA and a little DNA analysis, it's not just any clover.
It's hop clover.
Which is indigenous to islands.
You tell me, Lindsay.
How the hell did it wind up in a shoe print in New York city? - I want a large one.
- Large one coming up.
- Do you want some, hun? - 72.
- Pie and macaroni salad.
- Got it.
- Reed? - Hey.
I got your message.
It sounded urgent.
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
I'm OK.
It's, uh, it's actually a friend of mine that worried about.
Who's that? Cam Vandemann.
What do you know about him? I know we're both bloggers interested in breaking stories that the media's too spineless to touch.
That's not what I mean, Reed.
- He's not guilty of murder.
- How do you know? Because he reached out to me.
He knows the cops are looking for him.
He's afraid, Mac.
- Then tell him to come to me.
- I did.
But he said the story's too big.
He's asking you to come to him.
Do you really wanna put yourself in a position of possibly aiding and abetting a double-homicide suspect? No, I don't.
But you know what? I have no other choice.
Cam Vandemann didn't kill anybody.
He's in way over his head.
I can hear it in his voice.
He's, he's he's desperate, Mac.
I'm reminded every day of what it's like to go after a headline without the right help.
So will you please just go talk to him? Alone.
- When? - Tonight.
I'll text you with the details as soon as he sends them.
You're asking me to take a bit of a chance here.
Yes, I know.
But you know, sometimes you gotta take chances, Mac.
If only so you can give one to somebody else.
Hey, Mac! I got something for you.
I memorised the takeout menu Read the back.
The pretty brunette you spoke to last night asked me to give it to you.
Dear Number 39 I just wanted to say thank you.
I had a really long day.
I've had a few months of them to be honest.
So when I came into the deli, l was thinking about leaving Manhattan.
But then I told myself if at least one stranger could show me some tiny shred of kindness, it would mean I should stay.
And suddenly, there you were, talking with me, looking me in the eye, smiling at me like you meant it.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that it felt really good and thanks to you, I'm staying right where I am.
Yours, Number 40.
Can I get you anything else? No.
I'm good.
Thanks.
- Thanks.
- Hey.
You won't believe this.
You know our John Doe's head injuries? Sid and I got a good picture of the wounds by using subdermal photography.
Then I was able to use the image files to crunch the numbers and letters, and this is what I got.
This looks like the markings on gold bullion.
to be exact.
Current value $500,000.
And we found a pure gold impact mark on the warehouse floor right next to the second vic's head.
The T reasury agent I spoke to said a gold bar matching those exact numbers was deposited at the Federal Reserve this morning.
What kind of killer goes from the crime scene to the bank? Detectives, this is a secure vault close to the public with over $200 billion worth of gold in storage.
What exactly is it you're looking for? A very expensive murder weapon.
Oh! So this is what all the money in the world looks like, huh? So pretty.
Come on.
The bar we want came in as part of a local shipment for international trade.
It can't be too deep in the pile.
No.
- I got a Golden Ticket.
- Let me see it.
You see those scratches? Positive for blood.
It arrived yesterday morning as part of a private transfer and a purchase by the Chinese government.
Who had access to the bar since then? No one but vault security, all of whom are screened upon every entry and exit.
Once it got here, there's no way it left.
Where was it before it got here? Deposit records say it came straight from its place of manufacture Elemental Precious Metals.
Gentlemen, I hope you appreciate the value of that evidence.
More than you know.
Hey, I found out where the stain on our John Doe's shirt is from.
- Blue-green algae? - Arthrospira Maxima.
I ran it through GCMS and found three other ingredients.
Barley, hops and yeast.
Are we talking about what I think we're talking about? T urns out there's one pub in New York that uses algae to microbrew its own green organic beer.
Ah! Bottom's up! - Wow.
- Yeah.
I know.
Always this crazy in the middle of the day? They're on a citywide pub crawl.
T rying to set a world record.
- Care to join in the fun? - No, actually.
We're on the clock.
You ever seen this guy? I know him.
What? He finally fall off his last barstool? - You know him? - Yeah.
His name's Charlie Cooper.
Kicked him out of here a few times.
- Kicked his arse, too.
- Why is that? I met a girl a few months ago.
I told Charlie I was thinking of popping the question.
He said he'd hook me up with a great diamond engagement ring for cheap.
T urned out to be cubic zirconium, so she dumps me and sleeps with him.
Why would Cooper be hanging out with two journalists? Aside from the fact that he's a blowhard? No clue.
But I can tell you this much.
The only thing Cooper liked more than his own voice was making a fast buck.
If he found someone who let him get away with both, hey, two for one.
Chug, chug, chug! Chug, chug, chug! - It was ransacked? - Totally.
Someone tore up Paley and Vandemann's apartment.
- You put out an alarm? - Yes.
I got guys watching the place in case Vandemann returns.
- We'll find this guy.
- Hey, guys.
As soon as we got Cooper's name from Danny and Lindsay, I ran a customs check on all his international travel.
Let me guess.
He's been in and out of China.
And the antibodies in his blood match the CDC-recommended travel vacs for the Far East.
But here's the kicker.
Before we found his body lying next to Paley's in that warehouse, guess where Cooper worked.
- Where's that? - Elemental Precious Metals.
That's the firm that made our gold bar.
- They made a mint on reclaimed gold.
- Reclaimed? I mean, jewellery, dental fillings, circuit boards, you name it.
You melt it, then turn it into bars for sale on the open market.
Or to use as murder weapons.
The firm is owned by a third generation broker called Thom Weir.
If he can tell us who wanted Paley and Cooper dead - We're golden.
- Exactly.
You're right.
I'll bring Weir in.
Thank you.
- Hello? - Come on in! - Are you here for the open house? - Yes.
Oh.
It's you.
I'm sorry? Have we met before? No, but I'm guessing you're the beautiful brunette woman in the green coat.
Dear Number 40, I hope this note reaches you and you won't find me too forward in sending it.
Someone I know recently reminded me that sometimes you have to take chances, if only to give one to someone else.
So if you'd like to discuss your decision to stay in Manhattan in a little more detail, I know a great deli.
Tomorrow at eight? Number 39.
We're not the only gold reclamation firm in the city but we are the most profitable.
$1,200 an ounce, it's hard not to be.
Mr Weir, tell us about Charlie Cooper.
Charlie.
He was an account representative.
His job was to coordinate the sale and trade of our products to overseas markets.
China primarily.
Was he at odds with any of your other employees? Charlie? No.
He got along with everybody.
- lncluding you? - Especially me.
He had brokered a very large deal for me to Beijing a few days ago.
Is that the shipment that was moved to the Federal Reserve? - It was.
- And your firm made all that gold? That's correct.
Detectives, are you aware there is now more gold being produced by reclamation firms like mine than is coming out of the world mines? The point being? I just think you're digging in the wrong place.
My firm had no part in Charlie's death.
Except for the fact that he was beaten to death with one of your gold bars.
I came down here without an attorney out of respect for a late colleague, so if there's anything else I can do for you Actually there is.
Since Mr Cooper was already dead by the time that bar was included in your firm's shipment to the Reserve, we'll need a detailed accounting of where your inventory's been stored with all the staff who had access to it.
- That may take a little while.
- The sooner the better.
Thank you.
Thank you.
- Do you believe him? - No.
He's involved in this somehow.
But his hands are way to soft for murder.
Thanks for coming, Mac.
- Where is he? - I'm here.
Just tell him what happened, Cam.
Paley and I were working a big story on international gold fraud.
Got a tip from a Chinese source, followed it back to Manhattan.
All we had to do was meet one more contact and we could have posted it all on our blog.
I'm more interested in who killed Michael Paley and Charlie Cooper than I am in your story.
I was running late for a meeting.
Damn crosstown bus I was on had a flat.
And just as I was coming in .
.
I saw them killed right in front of me.
And all I could do was watch.
That's not entirely true, is it? There's something you're leaving out.
The killer had a gun.
Remember? What happened to it, Cam? Can you tell me that? Look, I did what you asked me, man.
Now you gotta step up and tell him the truth.
I thought he was gone.
I didn't know what else to do so I went in.
I saw where the gun fell during the fight so I went to get it.
But then he came back.
Back off! You hear me? I swear to God, I will blow your friggin' head off.
And then I ran.
And I didn't stop until I lost them.
OK, OK.
Lost who? Who was in the warehouse with you? You didn't tell him? No, he's gotta hear it from you.
He doesn't care about me.
All he wants is this.
Wow, wow.
Hey.
You listen to me.
I want you to slowly remove that weapon and carefully put it on the ground now! No, I'm not gonna do that, man.
- Not till I know you can help me.
- What the hell are you doing, Cam? This gun is all I have to prove my innocence.
- It's all I have to protect myself.
- Put it down right now! - For God's sake.
Do what he says.
- No.
- Freeze! - No! Wait! You don't understand.
OK? He was in uniform.
The killer was a cop.
Your shooter can't be one of us.
The round Sid pulled outta Paley was from a.
22.
It's not police issue or a weapon a cop would use to take someone out.
Did you check patrols around the crime scene? Yes.
On the 4 to 12 tour that night, only 2 cars worked that sector.
One was at the station with a collar.
The other one was jammed with jobs.
Look, that warehouse is dark by day.
By night, who knows what Vandemann saw? I swear to God, he didn't tell me anything else.
What about the gold fraud he and Paley were investigating? - You got an inside scoop on that? - No.
Look, Cam is a friend of mine.
He's not my partner.
I've no idea what he's working on.
But you've gotta believe me.
I'm only trying to help.
I think you just did.
There was a battery with leads and a metal spoon at the crime scene.
A container of water as well.
It was all there to test the gold bars authenticity? Reverse electroplating.
Any gold present in the container would have been transferred via electrical charge to the spoon.
- They never got a chance to test it.
- So we will.
So, what do we have? A little bit of gold.
And a whole lot of something else.
It's counterfeit.
This bar is only cheap, dirty tungsten.
Same density as gold, but only 10 bucks a pound.
Hey, Stella.
Remember the four-leaf clover I found that turned out to be impossibly lrish? Yes.
An indigenous species.
Why? When Lindsay was in the alley running fresh prints on Vandemann, she found this.
OK, this is Kilkenny limestone - and made of fossils from the ancient lrish seabed.
Come on.
How is all this stuff making it across the Atlantic? T rust me.
That's what I've been wondering.
Then I found this.
The lrish Hunger Memorial.
It's a small site in Battery Park devoted to raising public awareness about the Great lrish Famine.
According to the info here, it's pretty much brought in seed by seed and stone by stone from the Old Country.
- You said Battery Park, right? - Yeah.
Why? OK.
See that building? Right next door to the memorial? Paley and Vandemann live there.
Flack's got unis posted there right now.
But while we're looking for Vandemann, he might be looking at us.
See anything interesting? Got Vandemann locked up tight in protective custody.
- He tell you any more of the story? - Not yet.
Once he has a hot meal and sees we're not gonna kill him, he'll talk.
Where have we got with the gun? Well, we know it was jammed.
It hadn't been cleaned in a while.
After the first shot, the casing backed up in the recoil shield and the cylinder bound up.
That would explain why Cooper was beaten to death instead.
And the registration? Sadly, this is the part of the gun that the killer did take care of.
- The serial numbers are toast.
- We steel-wooled it.
Acid etched it.
Yeah, even hit it with a little bit of the hot sauce and no go.
Well, let's try something else.
- Ferro-fluid? - Yeah.
Sometimes ferromagnetic shavings will align over nanoscale imperfections that still exist where a gun was stamped.
Take a magnet.
How does he do that? Hey, looks like we got something.
Linds, that's the bartender we talked to at the pub.
Looks like it's time for another round.
Hang on, ladies.
I'll be right with you.
- Here you go, Debbie.
- Thanks, Finn.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Who's next? Two green beers? - Two shots.
Finnegan! We wanna talk.
Get out my way! Police! Get out the way! Move! Move! Move! Get out the way! Move! Move! Police! Move! Move! Detectives in pursuit of suspect heading west on 44th toward 5th.
We need backup.
Right now! Move! Move! Move, move, move! Move! Move! Police! - Get out of the way! - Coming through.
Get out of my way.
Erin go bragh.
You know the old stereotype about lrish temper? It's not really a problem for me.
But those bagpiping cops out in the bullpen, having to file reports instead of knocking a few back at the Knights of Columbus they're ready to boil you like cabbage.
How long do you think it'll be before Finnegan finally gives you up? I have nothing to say until my lawyer is present.
That's fine.
Between the evidence and what Vandemann told us, we got the whole story.
Yeah.
It's called salted gold.
T urns out when you plate tungsten with gold, you can fool pretty much any X-ray or scale and a whole lot of investors.
But not our lab.
Or a pair of bloggers who heard about salted gold showing up in China and followed the story right to its source Elemental Precious Metals.
Even found a contact on the inside.
Unfortunately, when they first met Charlie Cooper, he was not among friends.
Finnegan told you about the shyster who was selling your secrets.
And when you couldn't convince Paley and Vandemann to put a lid on the story, you hired him to do the job for you.
You already had a gun, so you gave him one of your firm's security uniforms and off he went.
And it seemed like a pretty easy hit.
Put a bullet in both their heads, make it back in time for last call.
'Till your gun jams and it turns out it's Cooper, not Paley.
And hell hath no fury like an lrishman scorned.
Dark warehouse at night, scared out of his mind over seeing what happened, Vandemann thought you were a cop.
Back off! You hear me? I swear to God, I will blow your friggin' head off.
But we know better, don't we? I'm not going down for this alone.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
You really have nothing to say? Probably thinks he can pay a lawyer to clean up this mess, too.
What can I say, detectives? Silence is golden.
Fair enough.
But just in case you beat the murder rap, I'm sure our friend from the T reasury Department has lots of ways of making you talk.
Mr Weir, I'm Agent Pangle.
I'm here to charge you under US Code Section 485 with the following offences Counterfeiting and forgery of precious metals, sale and distribution of same, violation of international trade agreements governing the sale and distribution of precious metals - Hey, Mac.
- Hey.
Um, so, Cam's trying to put his apartment back together, not to mention his whole life, but he asked me to, uh, stop by and show you something.
NYPD helps Paley and Vandemann meltdown gold scam.
- Oh, nice! - Cool, yeah? Look, I'm sorry if I played this one wrong.
I really was trying to do right.
I know.
And Reed Believe it or not I appreciate you convincing me to take a chance.
So, you, uh You done for the day? Yeah.
Hey, you wanna grab a green beer or something? Uh Can we take a rain check on that? There's somewhere I gotta be.
Yeah.
Yeah, man.
We'll do it next time.
- All right.
- Cool.
- Do I look OK? - Yeah.
You look good, man.
I'll see you.
# Think I'm all right # Told my heart # She would never let me go So, how exactly did you find me? I'm a police detective.
I was duty bound to investigate.
Mind if I join you? I was kind of hoping you would.
Hi.
I'm Aubrey Hunter.
Mac Taylor.
Well - Menu? - Yeah.
So, what's good? Everything.
# See these stars All I ever wanted was a sign # But all I ever wanted # Was to let you know #
I want a large one - Pastrami on rye to go.
- 39.
That's me.
- Hey, Mac.
The usual? - Number Four Club.
Easy on the dressing.
A man who knows what he wants.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Place gets pretty cut-throat in here, huh? Yeah, but the pastrami's worth it.
Looks serious.
Always is.
Here you go, Mac.
You, uh, you sure you don't wanna dine in? - No, l, I gotta go.
- I'll put it on your tab.
Oh, and here.
With this crowd, I always take two.
Just in case I forget something.
Thanks again.
Number 40.
Pastrami sandwich, please.
- Who found him? - Don't know.
Anonymous call to 91 1.
According to the ME techs, both bodies were close to room temp.
Means TOD was roughly 24 hours ago.
According to his wallet, this guy over here is Michael Paley.
Small calibre gunshot to the back of the head.
This is definitely what you'd call blunt force trauma.
- Got an lD on this one? - Negative.
Got an impact mark.
Hey, Mac.
Take a look at this.
- It's pure gold.
- I can top that.
Just found this in a shoe print.
- Four-leaf clover? - Natural genetic mutation.
There's only one for every 10,000 three-leaf clovers.
Hang on.
Gold? Four-leaf clover right before Saint Patrick's Day? Where the hell are we? At the end of the rainbow? I'll tell you this much.
Neither of these guys had the luck of the lrish.
# Out here in the fields # I fight for my meals # I get my back into my living # Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah # I wonder if our gunshot vic is the same Michael Paley who publishes that blog.
Paley and Vandemann dot com? It's possible.
Means our second vic could be Cam Vandemann.
Sorry, who are we talking about here? Paley and his partner, Vandemann, are a couple of budding investigative journalists.
Local muckrakers is more like it.
Earlier this year, they broke a story about homeless people being forced to hide in Battery Park.
- Made the mayor look heartless.
- The cops didn't look good either.
Paley and Vandemann have a knack for getting in people's faces.
So maybe somebody returned the favour.
# I cannot reach the dizzy heights # I'm buried underneath a veil of light # And in this grave I place my confidence # How can I not believe that I won't rise again # But I can't control the fall # And I know not where I've gone # And I can't control the fall # And I know not where I've gone # Hmm.
What's up? We have two bodies, but we got four sets of prints.
A couple match the tread patterns on our vic's tennis shoes.
They're easy enough to spot.
There's a third pair of dress shoe prints that based on their positioning, scuff patterns and high-velocity blood spatter appear to be our killers.
Then there's a fourth that look like work boot prints.
That's where I pulled the clover from.
They start over there by the door, make their way over to the bodies and then they end up over here.
So maybe our killer has an accomplice.
See that skitter pattern on the floor? How it goes under this old tank? It's positive for GSR.
You think the gun got knocked beneath it.
If it did, it's not there any more.
Maybe the fourth set of prints belongs to whoever retrieved it.
All right.
So our two vics are over there at the table.
Mr Dress Shoes comes in.
Boom! Down goes Paley.
But before he can fire another shot, our second vic gets a jump on him, gun skitters off And that's when Mr Work Boots comes in to the rescue, helps his buddy beat the hell outta Vandemann, and grabs the gun and they split.
If that's true, we're looking for two different people.
And two different weapons.
OK, Stella.
News flash.
Uh, that's definitely your blogger, Michael Paley, and here's the bullet that killed him.
- But this is not Cam Vandemann.
- Really? I did some detailed fluoroscopic analysis and ran it through a photo-imaging programme to simulate the vic's facial features prior to trauma.
This is what he should look like.
And here's who he doesn't look like.
I pulled the second shot off the Paley and Vandemann blog site.
So the real Cam Vandemann is still out there.
He may be a target, maybe a suspect.
Either way, I'm afraid our second vic is still a John Doe.
But I did discover a couple more things that may help clue us in to his identity.
His blood work revealed high levels of antibodies for Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, rabies and malaria.
These multiple doses are consistent with a vaccination for some type of international travel.
Meanwhile, your call of blunt force trauma and COD was clearly on the mark.
And while we're on the topic, there is something else we should take a closer look at.
I found a series of faint wound impressions along the victim's scalp.
Looks almost alphanumeric with some kind of fine line detail.
It will take more work to make sense of them.
Whatever these marks are could lead us to a murder weapon.
What you gawking at? I think it's some kind of blue-green algae.
- I found it on our John Doe's shirt.
- What's with the junk pile? I don't know.
That all looked new to the scene.
I thought maybe the vics brought it in there with them.
What was in the container? Nothing but water.
Did you get anything more exciting? Confusing, maybe.
I ran the four-leaf clover from the work boot print.
According to EDNA and a little DNA analysis, it's not just any clover.
It's hop clover.
Which is indigenous to islands.
You tell me, Lindsay.
How the hell did it wind up in a shoe print in New York city? - I want a large one.
- Large one coming up.
- Do you want some, hun? - 72.
- Pie and macaroni salad.
- Got it.
- Reed? - Hey.
I got your message.
It sounded urgent.
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
I'm OK.
It's, uh, it's actually a friend of mine that worried about.
Who's that? Cam Vandemann.
What do you know about him? I know we're both bloggers interested in breaking stories that the media's too spineless to touch.
That's not what I mean, Reed.
- He's not guilty of murder.
- How do you know? Because he reached out to me.
He knows the cops are looking for him.
He's afraid, Mac.
- Then tell him to come to me.
- I did.
But he said the story's too big.
He's asking you to come to him.
Do you really wanna put yourself in a position of possibly aiding and abetting a double-homicide suspect? No, I don't.
But you know what? I have no other choice.
Cam Vandemann didn't kill anybody.
He's in way over his head.
I can hear it in his voice.
He's, he's he's desperate, Mac.
I'm reminded every day of what it's like to go after a headline without the right help.
So will you please just go talk to him? Alone.
- When? - Tonight.
I'll text you with the details as soon as he sends them.
You're asking me to take a bit of a chance here.
Yes, I know.
But you know, sometimes you gotta take chances, Mac.
If only so you can give one to somebody else.
Hey, Mac! I got something for you.
I memorised the takeout menu Read the back.
The pretty brunette you spoke to last night asked me to give it to you.
Dear Number 39 I just wanted to say thank you.
I had a really long day.
I've had a few months of them to be honest.
So when I came into the deli, l was thinking about leaving Manhattan.
But then I told myself if at least one stranger could show me some tiny shred of kindness, it would mean I should stay.
And suddenly, there you were, talking with me, looking me in the eye, smiling at me like you meant it.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that it felt really good and thanks to you, I'm staying right where I am.
Yours, Number 40.
Can I get you anything else? No.
I'm good.
Thanks.
- Thanks.
- Hey.
You won't believe this.
You know our John Doe's head injuries? Sid and I got a good picture of the wounds by using subdermal photography.
Then I was able to use the image files to crunch the numbers and letters, and this is what I got.
This looks like the markings on gold bullion.
to be exact.
Current value $500,000.
And we found a pure gold impact mark on the warehouse floor right next to the second vic's head.
The T reasury agent I spoke to said a gold bar matching those exact numbers was deposited at the Federal Reserve this morning.
What kind of killer goes from the crime scene to the bank? Detectives, this is a secure vault close to the public with over $200 billion worth of gold in storage.
What exactly is it you're looking for? A very expensive murder weapon.
Oh! So this is what all the money in the world looks like, huh? So pretty.
Come on.
The bar we want came in as part of a local shipment for international trade.
It can't be too deep in the pile.
No.
- I got a Golden Ticket.
- Let me see it.
You see those scratches? Positive for blood.
It arrived yesterday morning as part of a private transfer and a purchase by the Chinese government.
Who had access to the bar since then? No one but vault security, all of whom are screened upon every entry and exit.
Once it got here, there's no way it left.
Where was it before it got here? Deposit records say it came straight from its place of manufacture Elemental Precious Metals.
Gentlemen, I hope you appreciate the value of that evidence.
More than you know.
Hey, I found out where the stain on our John Doe's shirt is from.
- Blue-green algae? - Arthrospira Maxima.
I ran it through GCMS and found three other ingredients.
Barley, hops and yeast.
Are we talking about what I think we're talking about? T urns out there's one pub in New York that uses algae to microbrew its own green organic beer.
Ah! Bottom's up! - Wow.
- Yeah.
I know.
Always this crazy in the middle of the day? They're on a citywide pub crawl.
T rying to set a world record.
- Care to join in the fun? - No, actually.
We're on the clock.
You ever seen this guy? I know him.
What? He finally fall off his last barstool? - You know him? - Yeah.
His name's Charlie Cooper.
Kicked him out of here a few times.
- Kicked his arse, too.
- Why is that? I met a girl a few months ago.
I told Charlie I was thinking of popping the question.
He said he'd hook me up with a great diamond engagement ring for cheap.
T urned out to be cubic zirconium, so she dumps me and sleeps with him.
Why would Cooper be hanging out with two journalists? Aside from the fact that he's a blowhard? No clue.
But I can tell you this much.
The only thing Cooper liked more than his own voice was making a fast buck.
If he found someone who let him get away with both, hey, two for one.
Chug, chug, chug! Chug, chug, chug! - It was ransacked? - Totally.
Someone tore up Paley and Vandemann's apartment.
- You put out an alarm? - Yes.
I got guys watching the place in case Vandemann returns.
- We'll find this guy.
- Hey, guys.
As soon as we got Cooper's name from Danny and Lindsay, I ran a customs check on all his international travel.
Let me guess.
He's been in and out of China.
And the antibodies in his blood match the CDC-recommended travel vacs for the Far East.
But here's the kicker.
Before we found his body lying next to Paley's in that warehouse, guess where Cooper worked.
- Where's that? - Elemental Precious Metals.
That's the firm that made our gold bar.
- They made a mint on reclaimed gold.
- Reclaimed? I mean, jewellery, dental fillings, circuit boards, you name it.
You melt it, then turn it into bars for sale on the open market.
Or to use as murder weapons.
The firm is owned by a third generation broker called Thom Weir.
If he can tell us who wanted Paley and Cooper dead - We're golden.
- Exactly.
You're right.
I'll bring Weir in.
Thank you.
- Hello? - Come on in! - Are you here for the open house? - Yes.
Oh.
It's you.
I'm sorry? Have we met before? No, but I'm guessing you're the beautiful brunette woman in the green coat.
Dear Number 40, I hope this note reaches you and you won't find me too forward in sending it.
Someone I know recently reminded me that sometimes you have to take chances, if only to give one to someone else.
So if you'd like to discuss your decision to stay in Manhattan in a little more detail, I know a great deli.
Tomorrow at eight? Number 39.
We're not the only gold reclamation firm in the city but we are the most profitable.
$1,200 an ounce, it's hard not to be.
Mr Weir, tell us about Charlie Cooper.
Charlie.
He was an account representative.
His job was to coordinate the sale and trade of our products to overseas markets.
China primarily.
Was he at odds with any of your other employees? Charlie? No.
He got along with everybody.
- lncluding you? - Especially me.
He had brokered a very large deal for me to Beijing a few days ago.
Is that the shipment that was moved to the Federal Reserve? - It was.
- And your firm made all that gold? That's correct.
Detectives, are you aware there is now more gold being produced by reclamation firms like mine than is coming out of the world mines? The point being? I just think you're digging in the wrong place.
My firm had no part in Charlie's death.
Except for the fact that he was beaten to death with one of your gold bars.
I came down here without an attorney out of respect for a late colleague, so if there's anything else I can do for you Actually there is.
Since Mr Cooper was already dead by the time that bar was included in your firm's shipment to the Reserve, we'll need a detailed accounting of where your inventory's been stored with all the staff who had access to it.
- That may take a little while.
- The sooner the better.
Thank you.
Thank you.
- Do you believe him? - No.
He's involved in this somehow.
But his hands are way to soft for murder.
Thanks for coming, Mac.
- Where is he? - I'm here.
Just tell him what happened, Cam.
Paley and I were working a big story on international gold fraud.
Got a tip from a Chinese source, followed it back to Manhattan.
All we had to do was meet one more contact and we could have posted it all on our blog.
I'm more interested in who killed Michael Paley and Charlie Cooper than I am in your story.
I was running late for a meeting.
Damn crosstown bus I was on had a flat.
And just as I was coming in .
.
I saw them killed right in front of me.
And all I could do was watch.
That's not entirely true, is it? There's something you're leaving out.
The killer had a gun.
Remember? What happened to it, Cam? Can you tell me that? Look, I did what you asked me, man.
Now you gotta step up and tell him the truth.
I thought he was gone.
I didn't know what else to do so I went in.
I saw where the gun fell during the fight so I went to get it.
But then he came back.
Back off! You hear me? I swear to God, I will blow your friggin' head off.
And then I ran.
And I didn't stop until I lost them.
OK, OK.
Lost who? Who was in the warehouse with you? You didn't tell him? No, he's gotta hear it from you.
He doesn't care about me.
All he wants is this.
Wow, wow.
Hey.
You listen to me.
I want you to slowly remove that weapon and carefully put it on the ground now! No, I'm not gonna do that, man.
- Not till I know you can help me.
- What the hell are you doing, Cam? This gun is all I have to prove my innocence.
- It's all I have to protect myself.
- Put it down right now! - For God's sake.
Do what he says.
- No.
- Freeze! - No! Wait! You don't understand.
OK? He was in uniform.
The killer was a cop.
Your shooter can't be one of us.
The round Sid pulled outta Paley was from a.
22.
It's not police issue or a weapon a cop would use to take someone out.
Did you check patrols around the crime scene? Yes.
On the 4 to 12 tour that night, only 2 cars worked that sector.
One was at the station with a collar.
The other one was jammed with jobs.
Look, that warehouse is dark by day.
By night, who knows what Vandemann saw? I swear to God, he didn't tell me anything else.
What about the gold fraud he and Paley were investigating? - You got an inside scoop on that? - No.
Look, Cam is a friend of mine.
He's not my partner.
I've no idea what he's working on.
But you've gotta believe me.
I'm only trying to help.
I think you just did.
There was a battery with leads and a metal spoon at the crime scene.
A container of water as well.
It was all there to test the gold bars authenticity? Reverse electroplating.
Any gold present in the container would have been transferred via electrical charge to the spoon.
- They never got a chance to test it.
- So we will.
So, what do we have? A little bit of gold.
And a whole lot of something else.
It's counterfeit.
This bar is only cheap, dirty tungsten.
Same density as gold, but only 10 bucks a pound.
Hey, Stella.
Remember the four-leaf clover I found that turned out to be impossibly lrish? Yes.
An indigenous species.
Why? When Lindsay was in the alley running fresh prints on Vandemann, she found this.
OK, this is Kilkenny limestone - and made of fossils from the ancient lrish seabed.
Come on.
How is all this stuff making it across the Atlantic? T rust me.
That's what I've been wondering.
Then I found this.
The lrish Hunger Memorial.
It's a small site in Battery Park devoted to raising public awareness about the Great lrish Famine.
According to the info here, it's pretty much brought in seed by seed and stone by stone from the Old Country.
- You said Battery Park, right? - Yeah.
Why? OK.
See that building? Right next door to the memorial? Paley and Vandemann live there.
Flack's got unis posted there right now.
But while we're looking for Vandemann, he might be looking at us.
See anything interesting? Got Vandemann locked up tight in protective custody.
- He tell you any more of the story? - Not yet.
Once he has a hot meal and sees we're not gonna kill him, he'll talk.
Where have we got with the gun? Well, we know it was jammed.
It hadn't been cleaned in a while.
After the first shot, the casing backed up in the recoil shield and the cylinder bound up.
That would explain why Cooper was beaten to death instead.
And the registration? Sadly, this is the part of the gun that the killer did take care of.
- The serial numbers are toast.
- We steel-wooled it.
Acid etched it.
Yeah, even hit it with a little bit of the hot sauce and no go.
Well, let's try something else.
- Ferro-fluid? - Yeah.
Sometimes ferromagnetic shavings will align over nanoscale imperfections that still exist where a gun was stamped.
Take a magnet.
How does he do that? Hey, looks like we got something.
Linds, that's the bartender we talked to at the pub.
Looks like it's time for another round.
Hang on, ladies.
I'll be right with you.
- Here you go, Debbie.
- Thanks, Finn.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Who's next? Two green beers? - Two shots.
Finnegan! We wanna talk.
Get out my way! Police! Get out the way! Move! Move! Move! Get out the way! Move! Move! Police! Move! Move! Detectives in pursuit of suspect heading west on 44th toward 5th.
We need backup.
Right now! Move! Move! Move, move, move! Move! Move! Police! - Get out of the way! - Coming through.
Get out of my way.
Erin go bragh.
You know the old stereotype about lrish temper? It's not really a problem for me.
But those bagpiping cops out in the bullpen, having to file reports instead of knocking a few back at the Knights of Columbus they're ready to boil you like cabbage.
How long do you think it'll be before Finnegan finally gives you up? I have nothing to say until my lawyer is present.
That's fine.
Between the evidence and what Vandemann told us, we got the whole story.
Yeah.
It's called salted gold.
T urns out when you plate tungsten with gold, you can fool pretty much any X-ray or scale and a whole lot of investors.
But not our lab.
Or a pair of bloggers who heard about salted gold showing up in China and followed the story right to its source Elemental Precious Metals.
Even found a contact on the inside.
Unfortunately, when they first met Charlie Cooper, he was not among friends.
Finnegan told you about the shyster who was selling your secrets.
And when you couldn't convince Paley and Vandemann to put a lid on the story, you hired him to do the job for you.
You already had a gun, so you gave him one of your firm's security uniforms and off he went.
And it seemed like a pretty easy hit.
Put a bullet in both their heads, make it back in time for last call.
'Till your gun jams and it turns out it's Cooper, not Paley.
And hell hath no fury like an lrishman scorned.
Dark warehouse at night, scared out of his mind over seeing what happened, Vandemann thought you were a cop.
Back off! You hear me? I swear to God, I will blow your friggin' head off.
But we know better, don't we? I'm not going down for this alone.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
You really have nothing to say? Probably thinks he can pay a lawyer to clean up this mess, too.
What can I say, detectives? Silence is golden.
Fair enough.
But just in case you beat the murder rap, I'm sure our friend from the T reasury Department has lots of ways of making you talk.
Mr Weir, I'm Agent Pangle.
I'm here to charge you under US Code Section 485 with the following offences Counterfeiting and forgery of precious metals, sale and distribution of same, violation of international trade agreements governing the sale and distribution of precious metals - Hey, Mac.
- Hey.
Um, so, Cam's trying to put his apartment back together, not to mention his whole life, but he asked me to, uh, stop by and show you something.
NYPD helps Paley and Vandemann meltdown gold scam.
- Oh, nice! - Cool, yeah? Look, I'm sorry if I played this one wrong.
I really was trying to do right.
I know.
And Reed Believe it or not I appreciate you convincing me to take a chance.
So, you, uh You done for the day? Yeah.
Hey, you wanna grab a green beer or something? Uh Can we take a rain check on that? There's somewhere I gotta be.
Yeah.
Yeah, man.
We'll do it next time.
- All right.
- Cool.
- Do I look OK? - Yeah.
You look good, man.
I'll see you.
# Think I'm all right # Told my heart # She would never let me go So, how exactly did you find me? I'm a police detective.
I was duty bound to investigate.
Mind if I join you? I was kind of hoping you would.
Hi.
I'm Aubrey Hunter.
Mac Taylor.
Well - Menu? - Yeah.
So, what's good? Everything.
# See these stars All I ever wanted was a sign # But all I ever wanted # Was to let you know #