Without a Trace s06e17 Episode Script

What are you doing here? Just on my way to work.
I thought I'd swing by and see how you were doing.
Don't you have daughters of your own? Yeah.
I just wanted to check up on you.
I come here, and I pretend to be a normal teenager.
Because if I do that long enough, maybe I'll get back to where I was.
I'm trying to move on.
You should do the same.
Okay.
Matthew? Matthew! Matthew! Matthew! Matthew! Dad! MAN Connor, remember that that 'Vette that we had on the hit list? What, the, th-the yellow '08? Yeah.
I just found out the owner works at Ike's down in the Village.
All right.
Well, I'll, um I'll do a drive-by and see if it's there.
Hey, man! Hey, what do you think you're doing, guy? This is this is my car.
Bank's taking it back.
Like hell they are! No, no, no.
I I made my payments.
You have to take that up with them.
Look, this is a mistake.
I doubt that.
Unhook the car.
Look, man, I'm just doing my job.
Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be.
Okay.
I'm going to bring my boys out here, and we're going to straighten your ass right out.
Looks like somebody put a lot of holes in this thing.
Yeah, but it didn't happen here.
There are no glass fragments.
It's just where it got ditched.
Well, who's our missing person? Name Connor Banes.
His girlfriend called it in when he didn't come home last night.
Cops found the truck here at 3:00 this morning.
And he's not your average tow truck driver either.
Take a look.
"Hero Saves Boy From Bus.
" He jumped in front of it to grab the kid.
It's pretty incredible.
This his blood? We're still checking on that.
Any suspects? Well, his last call was a car repo that didn't go over too well, but we're still running that down.
Looks like he's the one who needs saving now.
ƬÃû: WITHOUT A TRACE µÚ6¼¾µÚ17¼¯ ·­Ò룺¸à ÈËID Уԣº¸à ÈËID ʱ¼äÖ᣺¿¨Èø The blood on the truck is a match to Connor Banes.
Okay.
And I hear we've also found the owner that repo Corvette.
Yes, indeed.
Ted Andrelli.
He says he went to round up his buddies to stop Banes from towing his car.
When he came back, Banes was gone, so was the car.
Can anyone vouch for him? Bartender and two waitresses say he was drinking there until the end of the night.
Okay.
So do we have anything else on our missing person? Right here.
Okay.
Honorably discharged from the Marines in '94.
No criminal record.
Nothing funky in his financials.
He looks totally clean.
Nice work.
What time did you get here? Early.
His girlfriend's on her way in.
Good.
Hi.
What's that? Just a little something that came my way.
Oh, yeah? What is it? Brian Donovan.
Came your way how? You do whatever you want with it.
Three years, I've begged Connor to quit and do something safer.
He's out at night, lousy parts of town, cash on him.
We don't think that this was robbery.
The truck wasn't stripped down, the radio was still there.
Was he having any problems with colleagues, customers, anyone? He probably did, but he never said anything about it.
What kind of person is he? He's a hard guy to reach.
I always believed that there was a better man inside him.
If I just stuck around long enough, he'd come out.
For once, I was right.
When did this better man show up? Two weeks ago, when he saved that boy.
Honey, are you all right? I'm I'm fine.
I'm good.
I'm good.
Oh, sweetie No, no, no, no, no.
It's okay.
I I can't even feel them.
Everybody's calling you a hero, Connor.
What happened? I I don't know.
You know, I I I saw the kid in the street, and then I I don't even remember what I did.
You need to sit down.
Paramedics say you're probably in shock.
No, I'm not in shock.
I'm, I'm fine.
Well, can you sit down just in case? Okay.
I feel different, Judy.
What do you mean? I don't know.
It's like I've been asleep for the past few years, and now I'm finally awake.
He was different after that.
He was sweet.
He talked more.
He got into helping people.
And this behavior continued? Until a couple of days ago.
Then it all just went away.
He got moody, quiet.
He wouldn't say why.
Did anything else unusual happen during this period of time? Last night, I got a couple of hang-up calls.
And the phone rang a third time, and someone asked for Connor.
When I said he wasn't home, they hung up.
Okay.
Yeah.
Connor off-loaded the 'Vette.
He left maybe 9:30.
Said he was going home.
Well, he never made it.
And then, around 9:45, someone using a burner phone called his home.
Then they called his cell.
Anybody call here looking for him? If they had, I'd remember.
I was working dispatch.
Man! I can't wrap my head around this.
Does he have a beef with anybody that you know of? Nobody that would shoot at him.
What about the other people he took cars from? Most of these calls are repossessions.
All of them are.
That's all he does.
Why is that? Helping motorists really isn't his bag.
He doesn't like dealing with customers.
And dealing with the repos is easier? How often do things go bad? All the time.
Mostly, people yell.
Sometimes, somebody takes a swing.
Connor's had his ass kicked a few times.
I I think he likes all that.
What? Getting his ass kicked? Maybe he doesn't.
Just my gut.
He never once filed a police report.
Let me show you something here.
He did a tow three days ago, and he wrote the cell phone and his home number here.
That's not on any of the others? No.
It doesn't appear on any other invoice.
You know this guy, Bobby Kruger? There's no dispatch code on this.
I didn't send Connor on this run.
Excuse me.
Oh! Well, here he is.
I wanted to see how it feels.
How what feels? To be the big man.
The cheese.
Get the perspective on unbridled power.
Feel the surge! Etcetera, etcetera.
Usually, people introduce themselves before they sit in my chair.
Claire Bryson.
Jack Malone.
I took the liberty to clear some time on your calendar.
Um first meeting's from 3:00 to 5:00 this afternoon and same time on Friday.
Don't worry.
We take breaks.
Take breaks from what? Therapeutic assessment related to lethal action.
Right.
OPR.
Standard stuff.
No need to get your panties in a bunch.
Right.
It's just my career we're talking about.
Oh, how's your wing? Better.
What clipped you? A.
45.
Big gun, big hurt.
So, I'll see you this afternoon.
Um, actually, I'm in the middle of a big case right now.
Aren't you always? Nice chair.
Excuse me.
Bobby Kruger? Hi.
Hey, uh, thanks for coming in.
I'm Special Agent Fitzgerald.
Were you expecting a man? Hope you're not disappointed.
Uh, I, uh, I need to ask you a few questions.
Just a few? Okay, so, um your relationship with Connor Banes- tell me about that.
Who? Connor Banes, this guy.
He towed my car.
That isn't a relationship, even by my standards.
All right.
I- I-I was gonna ask you why Connor gave you his number, but Well, actually, it's not what you think.
He was concerned about me.
Battery's cashed.
Need to hitch this baby up.
Lucky for you I drove by and saw you.
You know, I was gonna call AAA, so maybe I should just do that.
No need to.
I'm here now.
We'll just take care of this off the books.
I'll get you fixed right up.
It's okay, man.
I got her taken care of.
Walk away, Frank.
Walk away? This is my tow.
Not anymore.
This ain't a repo, Banes.
Get in your rig and move out.
I'm not letting you near her.
Now leave or I'll call the cops.
What, all of a sudden, you grew some balls? You get lost, Frank! You okay? Yeah.
He said the man was unlicensed, and to call if I saw him again.
I didn't see him, so I didn't call.
And, and you're sure that Banes referred to him as "Frank"? That's right- Frank.
Okay, that's, that's very helpful.
Thank you.
So Banes' boss, he thinks that he knows who this Frank is.
He's Frank Mullen.
He used to work here.
And what's his story? He got fired.
Women complained that he sexually harassed them.
Well, no wonder.
The guy's a pervert.
Assault, aggravated sexual battery, attempted murder.
And get this, he's on parole for rape.
You know, maybe saving that kid got Banes feeling indestructible, you know? Yeah, well, if that's the case, he picked the wrong guy to mess with.
So now I'm gonna get hauled in every time I talk to a pretty girl? Not just the pretty ones.
I did my time.
I don't gotta listen to this.
Actually, you do.
Operating that tow without a license is a violation of your parole, and you know what that means.
That's why you killed Banes, to shut him up.
You got no proof.
Don't need any.
If this goes before a jury, they're gonna hear about Banes, the guy who's trying to do good in the world, and then they're gonna meet you.
Which way do you think the verdict's gonna go? Maybe you forget about this license thing, I'll remember something helpful.
We're listening.
I didn't touch the guy.
I admit I went to go have a chat with him, but he had bigger problems than me.
Connor! Connor! You son of a bitch! Did you think I was gonna forget you? Yeah, well, saving that kid, that doesn't make you a hero.
I know what you are.
Back off.
Where you going? You can't hide from me! You're gonna answer for this! You hear me?! You hear me?! You're gonna pay! Whatever my beef with Connor was, that guy's was triple.
I figure I'll just let nature take its course.
Then you won't have a problem giving us a sketch? No problem at all.
Now how about that parole violation? What about it? 'Bye.
We get anything on that disposable cell phone? Manufacturer's still tracking down where it was sold.
What about Frank Mullen's story? It's holding up.
A neighbor says he saw Connor Banes arguing with a man outside his apartment.
All right, well, we got to show this to everyone who knows Banes, starting with his boss and girlfriend.
No, I called her with this guy's description, it didn't ring a bell.
I'm assuming he's someone from Banes' past.
Or maybe he played good Samaritan and it went south.
He got a rush out of saving this kid, right? Well, maybe that's what put him on the right se of this guy.
Guys, I think Banes could be hiding something.
I went over his W-2s, and he worked at a gas station in Queens four years ago, only he didn't put that on his résumé.
Bring the boss in.
You got it.
Spade.
Um, uh, yeah.
You know, show him up to Interview One.
Thanks.
Hey, what are we doing? I thought I was taking you to lunch.
Yeah, in a minute.
Why don't you, uh, take a seat? Kind of feeling like a suspect here.
Tell me about Sarah Wright.
Because it says here that when she was 16 years old, you tried to rape her.
Does it also say that the charges were dropped? Tell me what happened, Brian.
Clear this up for me.
I worked for a caterer back then.
We were doing a big party at the Wrights' house.
Sarah, their daughter, got drunk and started hitting on me.
She wouldn't stop.
I knew she was underage, so I told her to stay the hell away from me.
:She ran off crying, and I forgot about it.
Until the next day, I got taken into a room kind of like this one, and I find out that she accused me of trying to rape her.
Police figured out she was lying, the charges were dropped.
When were you gonna tell me about this? Why would I tell you about something I didn't do? Because I need to know who you are before I let you in my baby's life.
So you run a background check on me? This is your idea of us getting to know each other? Is there anything else you want to tell me? Because now would probably be a good time.
Oh, so what? I'm supposed to list all the skeletons in my closet now? Can you pass that test? I dn't think so.
Am I free to leave? Yeah.
Yeah.
Great.
Oh, God No, I can't help you.
I've never seen him.
Did you have any problems with Cnor when he was working for you? In what sense? In the sense that he left you off his résumé.
Why is that? Probably knew that as a reference, I'd do him more harm than good.
So there was a problem.
What was it? Connor is a heroin addict.
I caught him shooting up on a job.
Had to fire him.
But I've been there myself.
So I became his NA sponsor, helped him get clean.
How long was he using? Since he came to New York.
Have you spoken with him recently? It'd been a while, and he called me yesterday.
He was in bad shape.
Three years clean.
Then this guy comes to my place and suddenly I'm digging up the old phone numbers.
But you did the right thing and called me instead.
Yeah.
You saw in the paper where I saved that little boy? Yeah.
That was a hell of a thing you did.
Yeah.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
Made me feel good.
Hey, man, take it where you can get it.
Yeah, I started chasing it; trying to help everyone I could.
Just trading one high for another.
Ah, spoken like a true addict.
Truth is could save a busload of nuns, wouldn't make up for what I did.
We can't change the past, Best you can do is make amends to the people you screwed over.
How do you make amends to a dead person, Joe? Thanks for the ear, Joe.
I've seen guys bottom out like that before.
They get clean, take an honest look at their lives, the things they've done- it's too much to deal with.
This person who died you know anything about that? No.
Sorry.
Wish I did.
Hey, Viv, Viv, you got to see this.
What's up? I dug deeper into Connor's past before he came to New York.
I think I know why that guy came after him.
Four years ago, there was a fire in Davenport, Iowa- Connor's hometown.
Here, take a look.
A woman and her young son died this morning in a tragic fire in Davenport.
The victim's live-in boyfriend Connor Banes was the sole survivor.
Investigators are still determining the cause.
Did you reach out to Davenport PD? Yeah, I'm waiting on the file.
And I spoke to the lead investigator.
He told me off the record they think Banes started the blaze.
Nicole Simmons, 32.
Her son from a previous relationship, Andrew.
Both died from smoke inhalation.
How did Banes survive? Well, according to his statement, he was reupholstering a chair in his workshop behind his house.
By the time he noticed the fire, it was too late.
Lucky guy.
According to the cops, they think he was responsible for the fire.
But unfortunately, they couldn't prove anything.
So why is he still a suspect? Well, for starters, he had a shaky alibi, and he admitted to being in a fight with Nicole two hours before the fire.
And then one day, all of a sudden, he packs his bags, blows town and moves to New York.
Danny, bring me that sketch.
Why? Because you're pregnant or lazy? Come on, come on! I might have an idea on that guy that confronted Banes.
Let me see.
Uh-huh.
Nate Simmons of Davenport, Iowa.
Father of Nicole Simmons.
All right, I'll check the hotels around Banes' apartment.
Okay Agent Spade, courier just dropped this off for you.
Thanks.
It's like looking in a mirror, isn't it? I don't know where Connor is.
We talked to your wife, Mr.
Simmons.
She said that you've been after Banes ever since he left Iowa, and that you're pretty obsessed with him.
He killed my daughter and my grandson.
My wife forgives, I can't.
Okay, so you drove a thousand miles to seek revenge.
I came here for justice.
All I wanted was the truth.
Oh, I think you were after more than just the truth.
We found a gun in your hotel room.
And I bet we're going to be able to match it to the bullet we found in his truck.
Well, I wanted to kill him.
God help me, I had those thoughts.
He took our only child.
And I deserve to know what really happened.
Go back to Iowa, Nate.
Not until you admit what you've done.
I got nothing new to tell you.
I trusted you.
I trusted you with my daughter.
I was in my workshop.
At 1:30 in the morning? Nicole and I had had a fight, and I was trying to clear my head.
You would have heard them scream.
I did.
It was too late.
You heard them scream? If you heard them scream, you could have saved them.
I don't know what you want me to tell you.
I want the truth! Did you kill them?! Yes! Yes, I killed them! Nicole and Andrew are dead because of me! It's my fault! It's my fault.
I heard Nicole screaming for me.
And I thought it was because she was still mad at me.
So so, I ignored her.
Nicole! Andrew! Nicole! Andrew! I was too late.
There was no way in.
Well, you should have found a way in, huh?! I know.
I know.
If we hadn't had that fight if I if I just if I hadn't ignored her, I I could have got to them.
You're not a man, Connor.
You're a coward.
You're going to have to live with that every day.
Seeing him didn't change a damn thing.
I had hoped for a measure of closure from it, but, uh I don't really know what that means.
And what about the gun we found in your room? I left it there.
I was afraid I'd use it.
We're going to need you to postpone your trip home until we get ballistics back.
Just sit tight.
So Connor has been trying to atone for the fire.
Yeah, and he gets a high from doing these heroic acts.
Then Nate Simmons killed that buzz, and now Connor's back to facing the same old demons.
Guys I got something on that disposable phone.
I hope it's a name and address.
Not quite, but the phone manufacturer did pinpoint the South Bronx as the area where the phone was sold.
Now, yesterday a traffic cam caught Connor's truck in that same neighborhood.
Could be a good place for a junkie looking for a score.
Yeah.
Oh, Agent Malone, I'm so sorry.
I lost track of ti.
I should have called you.
If you need to reschedule, no problem.
I've decided I can't see you.
I'm going to refer you to another doctor.
Dr.
Sigmond.
He's on the, uh, on the fourth floor.
He's not me, but he's more than capable.
Well, there's a first.
Usually takes shrinks three or four rounds with me before they throw in the towel.
I've been with the FBI for 30 years.
I'm very good at my job.
I get a lot of satisfaction from doing it well.
I don't need to talk to you to know that you'd be wasting my time.
You know what, I'm just a little bit confused.
You were the one who wanted to talk to me.
That was, uh, before I educated myself.
Warrantless searches, witness intimidation, violation of FBI case protocol, you know.
What's amazing about this OPR investigation isn't what you did it's that you've done it all before.
And I stand behind every single one of my actions, and I don't care about the consequences.
That's a bold statement.
After all, what are you without your job? I'm a guy with a lot of free time.
To do what? Your life is here.
What other explanation is there for your excessive involvement with your agents? Your obsession with the victims? Because I care about finding them.
Why do you care? Because somebody has to.
They need me.
The families need me.
And yes, sometimes it gets a little too personal, but I can't apologize for that.
That's an obvious answer.
Let's talk about what's underneath it.
No, let's talk about something else.
Let me ask you something.
If you were missing, would you want me on the case? Oh, yes.
Then what's the difference? Tell me about Jan Long.
She is, um She's somebody that I found.
You bulldozed your way through Agent Johnson's case to find the man who raped her.
What sort of professional detachment was that? What do you think I should have done- let him kill her? Why her? You know, you've dealt with other missing persons.
What was it about her? There are deeper truths here if you wish to explore them.
And I will with Dr.
Sigmond.
I will allow myself to take the full psychological evaluation as requested.
That's fine.
Right, that way, you won't have to figure out why you developed an unnatural bond with that young victim instead of fixing your relationship with your own daughters.
Am I right? Because I was just guessing.
Okay, guys, just one second.
Hey, mister! Mister! You looking for somebody to talk? Yeah, I am.
Um Um, listen, if you're not comfortable talking out here, I'd be glad to get you a coffee.
I don't care who see me.
I help lock up one of these hoodlums that ruin this neighborhood, I'll die happy.
All right, that works for me.
Listen, have you seen him before? No, I can't say I have.
But I seen this truck, though.
Most definite.
When was this? Yesterday, drove straight into a nest of hornets.
Get in! Did you recognize the guys with the guns? Yeah, I seen them around.
They're drug dealers.
What about the on who got into the truck? Little 'hopper name Michael Grant.
Bad as the ones chasing him.
You know, if your man got in the middle of any of them, he done stepped in it, honey and deep.
Thanks for your time.
You want to know what this is? This is a waiver of paternal rights signed by the father of my child who now wants nothing to do with me.
Nothing to do with me or the baby.
Well, he didn't exactly come through, did he? He never had a chance, Jack.
Not with you here.
You don't trust my judgment, do you? I mean, I just want to know how dare you?! How dare you play God with my personal life?! These are serious allegations.
You can't ignore them.
You have no idea what you're talking about, Jack.
You just dig up dirt on this guy.
You have no idea what you've done! It's none of your business! I I just did what I thought was right.
How long are you gonna keep using that as an excuse to screw people over? Here.
I don't know him.
That's a lie, Michael, 'cause we have a witness that saw you in his truck yesterday, and you're also the last person who called him with this phone right here that, by the way, was inside your pocket.
Ain't no law against that.
Right, but there are laws against shooting a man, right? It's not looking good for you, honey.
So let's start with an easy one: Why did Connor pick you up? I stole a stash from the Lamont Avenue crew.
They were chasing me when Connor showed up.
I was, like, "Damn, this dude should be wearing a cape.
" And what? I was afraid they were still on me when he dropped me, so I hid the stash in his truck.
And you needed it back, so you called him.
Said my mom was in trouble.
Crew I stole the drugs for would have killed me if I didn't get them.
All right, thanks, man.
Where's your mother? You said she needed a ride to the hospital.
Right, but she fine now.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What's that crap doing in my truck? Sorry, man, I had to make you my two-hour storage.
But it's all good.
The hell it is.
Give me this.
I'm not your damn drug mule.
Look, man, you don't want to be doing this.
I'm not helping you put this junk on the street.
Hey, you, drop it! You made this mess with that piece of paper.
Man, go clean him up.
And then what happened? I did what I had to do.
Where's Banes? I don't gotta tell you that.
And I'm a minor.
You talked to me without an adult, so you can't use none of the rest.
Then what difference does it make? I went after him.
Then when I found him, got crazy.
Over here.
Say your prayers, man.
Hey just do it.
Man, it's your last chance.
I said start begging.
I am begging you kill me.
What's the matter with you? Shoot me! Hey, man, what the hell?! Please, please? I'm begging you.
Couldn't do it, not with him crying like that.
Then what did you do? I left him.
I told my boys I made him a floater.
Where is he? Here, here.
We got him.
Yeah, he's alive.
We need an ambulance right away.
Hey.
Hey.
I wanted to check on you before I go.
Uh, apparently, I'm gonna live.
I guess I should thank you.
Oh, just glad we found you.
It's okay.
I, uh assume that you know about the fire I, uh assume that you know about the fire about Nicole and Andrew.
They came up in our investigation, yes.
Because of me, two people that I love are dead.
Listen, you didn't set that fire.
And being human isn't a crime.
I think it's time for you to forgive yourself.
It's okay.
Do you, um Do you put much stock in dreams? Not really.
Mm.
Me either.
It's always water.
It's always water that comes floating in under a door and it just keeps coming and coming.
And then I wake up and I'm sweaty and I can't breathe.
What do you think it means? What do you think it means? I told you, I don't put much stock in dreams.
Me either.
So, in this dream tell me what you're afraid of.
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