CSI: NY s07e04 Episode Script

Good morning, Mac.
Here you go.
Thanks.
- Thanks a lot.
- Aquí tiene su desayuno, señor.
Buen provecho, señor.
Next week, according to the city manager, at that time, a decision will be made.
Now we have breaking news out of Midtown.
A man's body has been found this morning at the Deeberry Hotel, the victim of an apparent homicide.
Early reports indicate the man is associated with El Puño, the notorious Puerto Rican gang with ties in East Harlem.
In recent years, El Puño has become synonymous with acts of extreme violence.
Members and associates of the gang have been indicted A big fish here.
Our vic is Panthro Torres, leader of El Puño.
We've been trying to take him down for years.
Somebody got him first.
So, how did he end up in the awning? There's a suite registered to one of his aliases, on the sixth floor.
Long fall from a high window.
This is why they take your credit card when you check in.
Yeah, Torres definitely got into it with someone.
Thinking exiting out the window was not his idea.
Guy wakes up a big shot, ends up a shish kabob.
A lot can change in one day.
* Out here in the fields * * I fight for my meals * * I get my back into my living * * Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
* The U.
S.
Attorney's Office has a pending indictment against Panthro Torres, and they're offering us full cooperation.
Sounds like we could be in store for some serious repercussions.
Torres was the leader of El Puño, so this was likely a hit by a rival gang.
That means El Puño's gonna want blood.
From what I've heard, these aren't two-bit, three-block dope dealers.
Far from it.
They control East Harlem.
Drug trafficking, extortion, murder for hire, name it.
El Puño's a one-stop shop for all bad things.
Whoever killed Torres is gonna have a mark on their head.
Well, we got to find them before the streets do, or it's going to be war.
Ouch.
Torres was a big time gangster, but I guess it's true what they say-- You live by the gun You get gunshot wounds.
Through and through.
Defensive wound.
Looks like large caliber.
And a second gunshot wound to the chest.
So, this guy gets shot twice, and then goes through a window.
Bam! Gets impaled.
Who's bold enough to do that? No! There's no sign of forced entry.
This has rival gang hit written all over it.
Well, then, the killer had a key, or the victim let him in.
I'll cross-reference hotel surveillance with pictures of known gang members.
Manager says Torres checked in alone.
Guy with his share of enemies I don't see him traveling without a crew.
What the hell? I got something ugly in this bottle.
And we got two glasses And one bed.
Maybe he wanted a little privacy.
Hmm.
Well, somebody's got to kiss and tell.
They say there are six million ways to die.
Panthro Torres chose three.
Official C.
O.
D.
is cerebral hemorrhaging from a cracked skull due to his head hitting the awning.
Had he survived that, he certainly would have succumbed to exsanguination from impalement.
Not a bad way to go, considering option number three a ruptured vena cava, courtesy of a fragmented .
45.
Somehow, ouch doesn't quite cover it.
According to Torres' rap sheet, he was a suspect in five unsolved murders.
I doubt the families of those victims are shedding any tears.
I'll piece together the bullet, run it through IBIS.
Hopefully, we can get a hit on the murder weapon.
Thanks, Sid.
Hey.
You solve this thing yet? Can you give me till lunch? Torres' death leaves a void at the top of his crew, so I thought I'd look at his replacements.
Might be able to avoid a street war if we can talk to them.
So I'm gathering this as I go.
Seems, Torres was the face of this crew, but Lisa Brigosa she's the brains, and Rick Devarro is the street muscle.
Although, given his penchant for getting arrested, Rick's not too bright.
There's one other.
Luther Devarro.
Any relation to Rick? His older brother the founder of El Puño, but more of an advisor at this stage of his career.
I helped put him away He was released last week.
Gasoline on the fire.
It's one thing to be a street guy, another to be smart.
But it's dangerous when both those qualities are embodied in one person.
Hey, what do you got? Um, no prints on the lowball glasses from the hotel room, but I did get DNA.
Two separate profiles.
One from our vic, and the other one's not in CODIS.
Could be from our female companion.
Yeah, and I'm thinking the libation of choice was mescal, but get this, okay? I've seen everything in these bottles-- worms, spiders, live scorpions whose venom, by the way, okay, makes this drink an hallucinogenic.
Uh, well, I-- I-- I don't know anything about that.
Um, but I've never seen anything like this before, okay? Um, so I contacted the brand manufacturer, and it turns out, they don't put anything in the bottles.
So it was tampered with.
Yeah, but why? ** Detective Mac Taylor.
Lisa Brigosa.
Last I saw you, you were in Catholic school.
Back when I robbed nuns for fun.
Lot's changed since then.
I'm here to see Luther.
Just wait here, okay? Siéntate.
You want to see the man, you're gonna have to hand over your piece.
House rules.
That's not gonna happen.
I apologize for my brother.
It's been a long time.
Siéntate.
Fernando.
Take a look at this man.
If you're ever stupid enough to get arrested, this is the guy you want to put the handcuffs on.
He's a fair man.
¿Entiende? Fuera.
Next generation.
Teach them a little respect.
You've been away for a while.
Things have changed.
Question is-- for better or worse? In our time, it wasn't about guns.
It was the knuckle game, remember? I had snap in my shoulder.
I hit you, you were hurting.
What I remember is you beating a rival gang member to a pulp.
That's what put you away.
Defending the neighborhood.
This place has always welcomed me with open arms.
So did El Puño.
What you started only got stronger when you went away.
Yeah, no thanks to you.
Every couple of months, I'd find one of my men in the mess hall.
Didn't want you to get lonely.
What can I do for you, Detective? I think you know why I'm here.
I want to know if I'm gonna have a problem with your crew.
This your way of paying condolences? Last time I checked, it was one of my men who had holes burned into him.
And killing more people is going to make it right? What's the alternative turn it over to the NYPD? Cops like to see us as defendants or, better yet, deceased.
Doesn't have to be that way.
I didn't make the rules.
But your crew listens to you.
You want to teach the next generation? You tell them revenge lands them in prison or a grave.
You're a man of intelligence.
Reason with them.
Men can reason all they want.
Machines got minds of their own.
I want your assurance that this is not the beginning of a war.
I hear your concern but I can't make that assurance.
But what I can tell you is that Panthro will receive a proper burial, and my crew will pay the proper respects to his family.
Until then, if there is a God, and I believe that there is, I won't lift a finger.
On that, I give you my word.
Let's hope you keep your word.
'Cause if you don't, this fair man will lock you up again, and this time you won't get out.
Hazel Ortega, betrayed with a kiss her own.
I swabbed the lipstick print and ran the DNA trace through the system.
Didn't get a match to the lowball glass, but we got a match to a felony committed by our girl here.
Turns out it was gang-related.
Says here she lives near Garvey Park.
That's Mamba territory.
They're rivals of our vic's crew.
Yeah, I checked the Gang Intelligence Database.
Now, Hazel Ortega is considered inactive, but she was a member of the Mambas.
Yeah, since then, according to her tax records, she moved on to a different profession.
Eloquent Evenings.
It's an escort service.
They provide high-end call girls to "leaders of industry.
" Looks like number seven's our girl.
Purple Hazel.
Purple Hazel very catchy.
Now, hotel surveillance didn't give me any matches to current gang members, but I got She could have set him up.
Or shot him herself.
** ** Put a leash on that thing, Hazel.
Police.
You going somewhere? Yeah? Now you're coming with me.
Hands on the hood.
I didn't kill him.
You know, these talks would go a lot better if you weren't packing a .
45, which is the same caliber used to kill Torres, by the way.
You don't understand.
I carry that gun for protection.
Yeah, yeah.
You don't live here, you don't know.
Hazel, get down! Stay down, stay down! Hey! There were two of 'em with serious hardware.
I'm good.
I'm pissed.
Hazel Ortega got shot in my custody.
And they would have killed her if you didn't get off some shots.
There was nothing you could do.
This was an organized hit and she was the target.
She's conscious and her heart rate's stabilizing.
Tell the E.
R.
we'll be there in five minutes.
You got it.
We got aviation, K-9, and all available units searching the area.
The body of these ammo shells were inscribed with a letter "P," for El Puño.
They carve those Ps into their bullets as a method of ownership.
It's a kind of intimidation.
Well, it's working.
All the witnesses I spoke to, who saw the shooters-- they're not cooperating.
This is revenge for Torres.
Or maybe it's just supposed to look that way.
The Mambas could have carved the bullets just to throw us off.
Maybe it's their way of tying up loose ends.
Whatever the reason, somebody pumped rounds into an NYPD squad car.
I want them found.
Hey, what do you know about Fishzilla? Sounds like a bad name for a monster movie.
Close it's the nickname of that weird little thing I found at the bottom of the mescal bottle.
Yeah, its real name is snakehead fish, all right, and it's illegal in all 50 states.
Then it couldn't have been that easy to get.
How did it end up at our crime scene? Uh, I don't know, maybe it was left as a message.
You know, these things are pretty vicious.
They eat everything, even their own kind.
The message could be in the name.
Snakehead reference to the Mambas? I'm trying to track down where you can buy these things and then maybe I can figure out who purchased it.
How are you going to track it down if it's illegal and off the books? I-- I know a guy that knows a guy that knows a guy that knows another guy.
10-13.
Officer needs assistance at Pleasant Green Hospital Hostage situation.
Hospitalized prisoner holding a member of the service at gunpoint.
- Security to E.
R.
- Stay back.
- Security to E.
R.
stat.
- Stay back! You do not want to shoot a cop.
Don't come any closer.
I will shoot her.
Just, just calm down.
Back off.
I said back off! - Please, let me go.
- Let the officer go.
I've got to get the hell out of here.
Shut up! I will shoot her.
Get back! Hazel.
Don't pull that gun.
I'm Jo Danville, New York Crime Lab.
I don't want to see you or anybody else get hurt.
- Please put that gun down.
- I can't.
They'll kill me.
You're protected here.
The same way I was protected in that police car? I have a bullet in my arm that says "Hell, no.
" I didn't kill him.
You have to believe me.
I do, Hazel.
I don't run with the Mambas.
I've made some mistakes in the past that I'm not proud of, but I'm not like that anymore.
Don't make a mistake now.
Please put the gun down.
Not until you listen to me.
All I did was show up and do my job.
I was paid, I packed my things to leave, but Panthro wanted one last kiss.
He was alive when I walked out of there.
Hazel, listen to me.
There was only one exit and entrance out of that hotel suite.
Tell me who you saw.
I just wanted to get out of there.
Come on.
Hands behind your back.
Okay, cuff her.
- Let's go.
- Careful, damn it.
Where I grew up, there's a saying people who see but keep their mouths shut are the ones who live.
** The neighborhood's got their ears open, but I say it was the Mambas who shot that cop car.
They're trying to cover their tracks, but we got to, we got to retaliate, man.
No, there's going to be a lot of heat.
We should wait till it dies down before we make our move.
- You want to know what I think? - No, not really.
Why don't you go find some kids to play with? This is grown-up's talk here, son.
Why would I want to go anywhere else when I can learn from Mr.
Devarro? Learn from me? Learn from my mistakes.
Fact is, you want to start out like me, you might end up like Panthro.
- Muerto.
- Nah, man, not me.
Oh, yeah? What you know about that? Look, man.
Panthro was king snake.
Emphasis on "was.
" I'm not going to end up like him.
Rick, Fernando, come on.
Let's take a walk.
I'm not going anywhere.
No me haga pregunto otra vez.
A handshake used to mean something.
An officer was shot today, and a civilian wounded.
The ammo we found had your crew's signature on it.
When a guy like you gets released from prison a week before people start getting shot, I don't believe it's coincidence.
I don't hustle.
You know what that means? I don't look people in the eyes and lie to them.
Am I supposed to believe that? I have as much reason as you do to want to bring those kids in who shot Hazel Ortega.
I didn't give that order.
But I have it on good authority someone in my crew did.
The last thing I want is an army of badges canvassing my neighborhood with itchy trigger fingers.
Someone's son is liable to be out on his stoop holding a cell phone and catch bullets.
There's one way to take the heat off of your crew.
Send a uni to the corner bodega on 16th.
You'll find two remorseful young men who fit the description of your shooters.
This is a gift I hand to you, Detective.
I trusted you once.
If you're lying to me about this, next time, I'll be back with everything I have.
Hey.
So, Luther's tip paid off.
Two unis just picked up Ed Rios and Marty Lobos at that corner bodega.
Both are young soldiers in El Puño.
They were practically gift-wrapped, carrying a duffel bag containing a shotgun and a MAC-10.
They're both giving full confessions as we speak.
- Yeah? - Good.
One shooting solved, but Torres' killer is still out there.
Thank you.
News from the hospital.
Hazel Ortega's medical bill News has been paid.
Some kid Fernando Flores walked in with enough cash to cover all expenses.
That's a substantial amount of money.
I've seen Fernando with Luther.
I think it's time we kept an eye on him.
Hey, guys.
It's looking more and more like Hazel Ortega is innocent.
I compared the bullet from Torres' body to her .
45.
The stria don't match.
- Maybe she used a different gun.
- I don't think so.
What I saw in her eyes at that hospital was genuine fear.
She obviously saw something that terrified her in that hotel room.
Yeah, well, when I pieced together the bullet fragments that Sid gave me, that he pulled out of Panthro Torres' chest, I found the exact same inscription that was on the ammo from Hazel's shooting.
Two shootings.
Same signature.
One gang, El Puño.
So Torres' murder wasn't a rival hit by the Mambas.
It was an inside job.
Just like a snakehead, someone in El Puño's eating their own.
I want to talk to each one of their power players-- Lisa Brigosa, the Devarro brothers Rick and Luther and Fernando Flores.
Each one of them is either a potential suspect or a potential victim.
Luther Devarro, NYPD! Go ahead.
This is Rick Devarro we're dealing with, so let's be ready for anything.
All right? Fernando Flores works here.
We need to talk to him.
Danny, his place is empty.
The same here.
They knew we were coming.
They all packed up and got the hell out of here.
Yeah.
All right.
Fernando Flores was here earlier.
The store manager says he doesn't know where he went.
You talk to Mac? Fernando Flores! NYPD! Fortunately, the place was nearly empty at the time of the explosion.
There was one casualty.
Lisa Brigosa.
Looks like she was sitting at this table when the blast hit.
Two major members of this crew are murdered on the same day? Someone's trying to take out the leadership.
Fernando Flores was in this building right before it blew up.
He looked me straight in the eye and then took off.
Young upstart trying to take over.
He's supposed to be the next generation.
Maybe he couldn't wait.
Hey.
So, according to the witnesses, Brigosa ordered everyone out of the restaurant, claiming she had an important meeting to conduct.
Next thing they know, the place went up.
I want an APB on Fernando Flores.
Let's get his photo to every media outlet in the city.
The damage seems to be the worst over here.
This has got to be the origin of the blast.
A severed gas line.
Looks like someone left a palm print behind.
So he sealed up the place.
He cut the gas line.
He still needed a spark.
This bottle smells like gasoline.
Remnants of duct tape around the mouth.
Trace of a rag, used as a wick.
The makings of a Molotov cocktail.
We're going to need more than Fernando running from the scene to make this stick.
The blast may have destroyed the restaurant and burned her body, but it wasn't the cause of death.
Let me guess.
No smoke damage to her lungs.
None.
Lisa Brigosa was killed before the explosion.
What the charred clothing covered up were two bullet holes.
Mushroomed .
45s.
Same as Panthro Torres.
So we're not dealing with a rival gang.
Someone inside of El Puño is taking out its leaders.
That restaurant was El Puño's main location for laundering money.
It was the heart of the organization.
Why go the extra step of blowing it up? These are the remnants of two lowball glasses.
Our killer sat down and shared a drink with Lisa Brigosa before shooting her.
Just like he did with Torres.
Well That's not all he shared.
Fishzilla.
Cajun style.
Yo, Hawkes.
Check this.
I spoke to a friend of mine.
The smuggler was just arrested by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Department.
And his specialty? Snakeheads.
I guess there's a black market for everything.
Supply and demand.
Now, our fish smuggler remembers a tough-looking Puerto Rican guy buying from him.
He get a name? No, but he did specifically ask for three snakeheads.
So our killer asked for three, and only two have been used.
That's pretty simple math.
Which leaves one more victim yet to be determined.
Torres is down.
So is Lisa Brigosa.
That leaves two possible targets.
Rick and Luther Devarro.
The question is, which brother is Fernando Flores targeting? * While passing through the clouds of diamond dust * * As two mock suns arise beside our one * * The sundogs guide the way towards the east * * And set behind the valley of calm trees * * The destination * * Unfamiliar sands * * Amongst the ice fog * * A DC-8 awaits * * Our means of travel * * To visionary worlds * * Let us imagine * * Down in the valley the calm trees are swaying in time * ** Hey.
So we get a phone call from Fernando Flores, saying that he'll turn himself in on one condition.
He only wants to talk to you.
Detective, I hear you're a fair man.
That's why I'm here now.
To make a confession? I want to know why you killed Panthro Torres and Lisa Brigosa.
Taylor.
Mac, I ran the print.
Fernando Flores didn't do it.
Are you sure? I'm absolutely certain.
We need to hit up every hideout, hangout and business front belonging to El Puño.
The Devarro brothers have to be in one of them.
I've got all available units scouring East Harlem.
We'll let you know if we find them.
With all due respect, this is how it was meant to be.
You and me, brother.
I remember being a kid, growing up, watching you start El Puño, right here in this spot.
It was a different time.
A lot simpler.
Yeah, well, I couldn't wait to join, man.
You see that tag right there? That was my first.
Yeah.
- Had a lot of firsts up in this joint.
- You know what I'm saying? We're gonna hunt Fernando down for killing Panthro and Lisa.
Remind him and everybody else why they fear El Puño.
The Fist.
You're ready to buck up? What are you carrying? Fernando's innocent.
He's a good kid.
The only reason he ran out of the bar was because he saw a dead body and smelled gas.
All right, all right, all right.
If it wasn't him, we'll find out who did it.
But before that, somebody's got to settle up for the hit on Hazel Ortega.
Put the guns down and your hands up! You're crazy! You have the gun pointed at the wrong guy, Rick.
What you talking about? Luther, tell him.
Tell him he's next.
You hear this cop? Trying to play mind games.
This is none of your concern, Detective.
We found your prints behind the stove at the restaurant, Luther.
What? What's he trying to say, Luther? Huh? You killed Panthro? And Lisa? There was a time when crimes against the people in the neighborhood were not allowed.
You still preaching that neighborhood garbage? You were gonna kill me for that? I'm your brother.
Then let's put our guns down and talk about it.
Nah.
Nah.
Later for that.
Skate park at 124th.
All units respond.
You're a man of reason, Luther.
Come out, give yourself up.
It's too late for me, Detective.
I never intended to create something violent.
It was never about drugs and guns, money and power.
When they put me away, all that changed.
Torres, Lisa, and my brother took what I created just a group of guys trying to watch each other's back, taking care of their neighborhood and they turned it into some criminal enterprise.
Sitting in my cell, hearing about how El Puño was the most feared and violent gang.
Inmates coming up to me and paying respect.
I wanted to tear it down! Did you honestly think you could do that by killing the heads of the gang? They'll all be replaced by others.
I never intended to save the world, but somebody had to be held accountable.
Those that made the same promise I did.
Promise to protect the neighborhood, not to eat it alive.
To defend it, not to become the worst threat it had ever known.
Now you've caused even more bloodshed.
Killing people won't solve it.
We're fighting the same fight.
Why didn't you come to me? We could have taken them down together.
Because old habits die hard, and we're different kind of people.
I gain closure here, Detective, in the spirit of what I created.
I have no other choice.
It all ends here.
Tonight.
Don't, Mac.
I started it.
I end it.
That includes me.
The rules of the street.
This wasn't about taking over This was about making things right.