Without a Trace s07e08 Episode Script
Better Angels
Previously on Without a Trace They made an offer.
Well, I guess you're gonna take that job.
Well, I'd have to consider it, wouldn't I? I didn't think it would happen like this.
I talked to that Wall Street guy.
And? I turned him down.
Just thought, I'd stick around and see what opportunities opened up.
Well, I-I think that's smart.
You know, you have a lot of potential.
I think I'll take that as a compliment.
Have you seen my keys? You know you don't have to go.
Please listen to me.
You weren't invited.
It's not a good idea.
I have to go.
- Rob - It'll be okay.
I promise.
I'll be back in a few.
Call me when you leave? I will.
Kyle leaving so early fills our hearts with sadness, and perhaps even anger.
We may want to seek vengeance, but that is not what Kyle would want, and that is not why we are here today.
We come together to honor the dead, and to find love and support in the living.
We are here to remember Kyle for the man he was and how he touched each and every one of us.
Let's all bow our heads.
Let us pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven The services lasted till 10:00 A.
M.
After, we held the reception in the Friendship Hall.
So, no one on your staff reported any problems? - No.
Here's the guestbook.
- Okay.
Now, did you see this man at the service? He looks familiar, but I don't know.
I'm not sure.
I'm gonna need to speak with everyone on your staff to see if they saw him.
Absolutely.
We don't want any problems.
Thank you.
Any luck? Actually, I don't think there's much luck here.
That's not funny.
Anyway, I got some information on our missing person.
Rob Simms is the COO of a company that charters private jets.
He was attending a funeral for one of his mechanics died in a fire.
What happened? He was doing routine maintenance on one of the company's jets when a fire broke out, and some of the employees think that Rob's to blame.
As a matter of fact, Rob got into a shouting match with one of them, a guy named Dale Kinecki.
He's here.
He was at the funeral.
- How many people signed that guestbook? - I don't know.
Say about 40? Maybe Kinecki got a little help from his friends.
Without A Trace Season 7 Episode 08 "Better Angels" I shouldn't have let him go to the funeral.
Did you have any reason to think there would be some trouble? It was a emotional situation, I thought it would be better if he stayed home.
You know, a staff member at the mausoleum saw Dale Kinecki following Rob away from the funeral service.
Do you have any idea if Rob had a problem with him? Problem? No.
Rob Rob hired Dale.
They've worked together for seven years.
He blames your fiancé for the death of that mechanic.
That accident wasn't Rob's fault.
If the CEO orders cutbacks, it's Rob's job to implement them.
- That's all.
- Whose fault did Rob think it was? That's what I tried to get him to tell me.
You really know how to seduce a girl.
Those 1,445 guys think they can hide their malt beverages from me? Nobody hides nothing from Mr.
Rob Bob Simms.
Did something happen with the lawyers today? Nope.
The way they see it, it's not the company's fault.
And that is what they want me to say to the NTSB.
Did they ask you to lie? Rob, I'm being serious.
If they asked you to do something - that you don't want to do - Of course they didn't ask me to lie.
They just don't want the whole truth.
Spence, the lawyers, everybody just wants me to say it's just another unfortunate workplace accident.
And it can't be that for you? Not this time.
I brought him home to sleep it off, and the next day, he woke up and said it was just an aberration, and that he'd start going back to meetings.
What kind of substance abuse problem are we talking about here? He had a drug problem as a teenager but he's been sober for 12 years.
What did he mean when he said, not this time? Had there been a similar incident at the company before? I asked him what he meant, but he wouldn't answer me.
The next morning, he went to the NTSB hearing.
What did he tell them? I don't know.
You'll have to ask his boss.
That's the Spence he mentioned? Yeah.
Spence Liccardi.
He was there at the deposition.
Okay.
Thank you.
Let me call you a little bit later, and we can deal with it then.
Okay.
Okay.
If Rob was feeling guilty, and went on a bender, I can't find any proof of it in his financial records.
You know, it would be so much easier for us to solve cases if drug dealers would just accept credit cards.
Yes.
I'm gonna check around.
I'm gonna see if anyone saw anything that made them think he was falling off the wagon.
Samantha Are you Are you doing anything tonight? I thought that I would you know, pick up some Chinese and come over and I told you my mom was in town all week to see the baby, right? Yes, you did.
I've just been in denial about it.
Rain check? Absolutely.
Hey.
Did you get the video of the NTSB hearing yet? It's downloading.
Maybe these employees are right about Simms's culpability for this fire.
Yeah.
He could be covering up for someone.
Either way, he's not dealing with the guilt very well.
- Here we go.
- We will now convene the NTSB hearing with regard to Mr.
Robert Simms.
And, Mr.
Simms, where were you on the date of the incident? In my office.
When I heard the alarm, I ran to the hangar, but it was too late.
I'm referring to my notes.
It says here that the company believes the chief mechanic was responsible for the fire.
That would be the mechanic who perished in the fire? Yes.
Kyle Ryan And why do you believe he was at fault? What I said is what's in the report.
I'm aware of your statement.
I'd like to hear it in your own words.
Do you believe your chief mechanic was at fault? - I'd like to ask for a recess.
- Let's talk.
Whose fault do you believe it was? Mine.
It was my fault.
- Mr.
Simms! - I have to go.
Rob, get back here! You know, it appears you were quite upset that day, Mr.
Liccardi.
Rob was very erratic that day.
Honestly, I was caught off-guard by what he said.
Why? Because he told the truth? The accident happened because an undetected electrical fire triggered the ignition fuel.
- It was not Rob's fault.
- But his claims would expose you to lawsuits from the family of the deceased.
- Correct? - Yes, they would.
Well in that case, that gives you motive to keep him quiet.
I didn't do anything to Rob.
But you ordered the cutbacks that he believed caused the fire.
Is that correct? The cutbacks had nothing to do with it.
Well, not according to Dale Kinecki.
He blamed Rob for the fire.
And the last call he made on his cell was to you.
Now, look, Mr.
Liccardi, you may or may not have anything to do with Rob's disappearance, but one thing I know for sure: your company is in trouble.
And the last thing you want in your life right now is the FBI.
I may be able to help you in one aspect.
This where you'll find Dale Kinecki He's working at the Trenton-Mercer Airport.
I sent him there a couple days ago to calm his ass down.
You sure it wasn't to hide him? I'd look pretty stupid giving him up to you now, wouldn't I? You said it.
- Okay, where is Rob Simms? - I don't know.
Why didn't you say that to the cops that found you? They had bad manners.
You know, you can go straight to the holding cell if you want to.
You want to do that? Because if you're innocent, I think it's a better idea if you talk to me.
Last I saw Rob, I just wanted to let him know I wasn't about to forget what happened.
Hey! You got a lot of sack showing up here.
I just I just wanted to pay my respects.
Well, it's a little late for that.
Maybe if you hadn't worked Kyle like a dog, he'd still be here.
- Look, I want to make up for it.
- How? - You gonna bring him back? - I will see to it that his family is taken care of.
But I need something from you.
From me? Really? You'll get money for it.
Ten grand.
And what exactly do you want for ten grand? You're working for Trans Charter, right? Yeah.
I need you to get me on a plane to L.
A, but I don't want my name on the manifest.
Ten grand? That's right.
I'll see what I can do.
I don't suppose he told you why he didn't want his name on the manifest? And for ten grand, I wasn't asking a lot of questions.
All right.
- Special Agent Taylor.
- Hey.
I got off the phone with Trans Charter Air.
They confirmed that a passenger matching Rob's description to L.
A.
yesterday.
You know, the company has their planes built in Long Beach, California.
Maybe Rob knew his company was at fault, so he was looking for evidence without his CEO tripping to it.
Or he's the one who's at fault, and he just wanted to get out of Dodge before he got arrested.
You get anything off the ping? When we focused the phone tracking on the West Coast, we got a hit on his cell phone in South L.
A.
LAPD recognized the location as a known crack house.
I've got a satellite link with LAPD.
We're going live now.
Smile, Rob.
You're on Candid Camera.
- You summoned? - Yes, I did.
How long is your mother staying in town? A week, I've told you that, like, six times, Jack.
You comfortable with her looking after the baby? Well, I hadn't really ever why? Well I'm going to get to that.
Tech has been looking through Rob Simm's computer, and they checked the browser and the history.
And it seems that he has been conducting an extensive search for a guy named Roger Davis.
Okay.
Well, Roger Davis was with the LAPD, then he retired to Jersey.
What does this have to do with my mother and Finn? LAPD.
All roads lead back to La-La Land.
Okay, so you're asking me to go to Los Angeles.
I'm asking us to go to Los Angeles.
Do you have any idea how that would look, Jack? Like two colleagues investigating a case.
"Two colleagues"? I could invite some others if you want.
No, you and me is fine.
The most boring car the US government can provide.
A convertible's no good for you.
You'll get sunburn.
- Bad for your skin.
- Yeah, but good for our soul.
- Where are we staying tonight? - Some motel chain down by the airport.
The paperwork is in the car.
- The room is confirmed.
- "Room"? Well, you know, with the government cutbacks and everything I'm kidding, kidding.
- Rooms, plural.
- Just checking.
His name's Roger Davis.
I'm sorry, he doesn't look familiar Why would my brother be talking to a police detective? I don't know.
When did you say he came back to L.
A? Last night.
I've never seen that guy.
Or that one.
What do they have to do with my son? We found Rob's driver's license in a crack den.
We know he used to have a drug problem.
Do you think he might be using again? I really don't anything about what he's up to.
Robby's been clean since he left town.
You're sure? I guess not.
When was the last time that you saw him? Couple of months ago.
We had coffee at the Santa Monica Airport.
He was in town buying some jets for his company.
He seemed perfectly fine.
How long since you've seen him? It's been years.
And why is that? We don't get along.
Never did, really.
I think he "bristled" is the nice way to say it, at my parenting style.
So you were a hard-ass.
When my son was younger, he was a screw-up.
I felt like I had to put my foot down.
When Rob comes to town, he calls, but he doesn't come over.
That's because of the relationship with your father.
Yeah.
When was the last time he actually called you? Last week.
He asked about some boxes of his we had in the attic, but I'd thrown them out.
Do you know what he was looking for? They were from his old room so, I just figured he'd gotten sentimental.
Do you think it has anything to do with why he came back to L.
A? It's possible.
Can you think of any reason why he might come to Los Angeles? You can call me if you think of anything, if you have any questions.
Rob's a good man.
I'm sure he is.
Okay, thanks.
One of the L.
A.
suspects claims that he found Rob's bag in the street.
- Just lying there? - That's what he says.
Who knows? Anyway, LAPD is going to focus their canvass in that area.
All right, that cop Rob was hunting down is being taken to Interview 1.
Maybe he'll tell us the truth.
I love it when you get optimistic Did you know Mr.
Simms from when you lived in L.
A? I'd never seen the guy until a few days ago.
Then why did he contact you? Double homicide.
Happened back in '92, '93.
Couple.
Both stabbed to death in their own home.
Names were Bill and Emily Jackson.
They lived out in the Hancock Park area of L.
A.
Their daughter found them.
I thought he was one of those junior detective types, the kind that are obsessed with unsolved cases but there was a little more to it.
So you never had any good suspects? The papers had it right.
We had a few in the beginning, but we never got any real traction.
The murders were 15 years ago.
Why the interest now? I I used to live in L.
A.
And I think I might have seen something.
What'd you see? I'm not sure.
Tell me what you know and I'll help you figure out if it's relevant.
I'm not ready to do that yet.
I want to make sure that I'm right.
How are you going to do that? I kept a notebook.
I just want to get it and make sure that I'm rembering everything correctly.
Look Here's the name of a detective still working for the LAPD.
He was a patrolman working on the case.
Call him whenever you're ready.
I will.
Why didn't you come forward 15 years ago? I wanted to pretend it never happen.
But something recently stirred up some memories.
Whoever did that to those people, it wasn't right.
I know.
I checked with my friend on the force.
He never called.
So your suspects, not enough proof, or just threads that didn't pan out? The latter.
Whoever did it was invisible, at least as far as we were concerned.
- Did he ever call you again? - That was it.
I'll tell you, he had his facts down about the case.
He had done his homework.
I'm just saying that if we had GPS, we would have gotten here 20 minutes ago.
What, men don't ask directions? That is a cliché that is beneath you.
- You got lost.
- If you say so.
You got lost.
Special Agent Malone, FBI.
This is Special Agent Spade.
This is Gil.
He saw your guy.
- Hi, Gil.
- I didn't do anything.
Why don't you tell me something that makes me believe that, Gil.
I was collecting empties.
- Get in the car.
- No.
Look - Get in the car.
- I know what this is about.
- I'm not doing this - Turn around.
- Now get in the car.
- All right, all right.
He left the backpack there.
I just took the cash.
I mean, if I didn't grab it, someone else would have.
That's true.
Thanks for your time, Gil.
Excuse us.
I have a feeling whoever took Rob, it wasn't the L.
A.
welcome wagon.
Well, somebody didn't want him poking around in that murder.
All Right.
Thanks, Detective.
Davis didn't recognize the sketch of the guy who pulled Rob off the street.
I'm not surprised, considering LAPD had no real suspects for the murder.
But I'm not buying that this guy's not connected to the whole thing.
But what's motivating, this guy to come forward after 15 years? - Guilt over the dead mechanic? - Oh, come on.
I know it's very Psych 101, but it's the best I got.
Okay, LAPD faxed over the case summary and police reports from the Jackson murders.
- Who found them? - The daughter.
She came back from a sleepover and the back door was open.
Now, a ten-inch knife was missing.
From the Jackson's kitchen set, which is consistent with their wounds.
The police labeled it a robbery gonewrong.
The killer tried to clean up his path in and out of the house, so he was concerned about getting caught.
He didn't want to leave any witnesses.
The wife has knife wounds to her back.
- The killer definitely chased her down.
- They get any good forensics? The husband had a piece of torn T-shirt in his hand.
The DNA sample didn't match anyone in the database or any of their acquaintances.
So the question here is: Can we tie Simms or anybody he knows to the dead couple? That's why I made copies.
Hey, Ma, it's Samantha.
I'm calling to check on Finn, see how he's doing.
Hope he got into his bath okay.
You know, why don't you just call me? - Okay, bye.
- Hey.
LAPD is releasing a photo of Simms, at all the divisions and substations, along with an alert about the murder.
Anybody that knows anything has to call us.
So what? We're just gonna - wait? - Well, we could drive around.
You know, L.
A.
is 400 square miles.
We'll hit something eventually.
What are we doing here, Jack? We're, you know standing here in L.
A, waiting for somebody to tell us where to go.
As a metaphor, that's fine; as an answer, it stinks.
Then I would go with the metaphor.
You didn't bring me 3,000 miles to drink bad coffee and wait around.
Probably not.
You know how I feel about you, right? How I've always felt about you? And the truth is, before I had a baby, it would've been fine for us to come here and have a a good time.
But our good time always ends up messy and it's too hard to pick up the pieces.
I'm not trying to make it hard.
I need stability, consistency I don't even need it.
My child needs it.
Don't answer that.
Two seconds, you can call him back.
Let's finish this conv Hello? Jack, the dead couple's daughter lives about a quarter-mile from where Simms was abducted.
What's the address? That would be 1850 Sixth Street.
- Her name is Ali Jackson.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Yes, he was here, but I have no idea where he is now.
I believe that Rob Simms came here to talk to you about your parents.
I don't want to talk about that anymore.
There's been too much talking.
You know, I understand that this is very difficult for you, but we've got to find this guy.
He's got family and friends who are home worried and waiting for him.
Anything you can tell us will help.
It's funny they always stop by, thinking they're doing me a favor.
- I don't want to stir things up.
- Then why are you here? I might have information that you'd want to know.
Every couple of months, some crackpot like you, reads about it on the Internet and shows up.
What's your spin? Aliens did it? The Zodiac Killer? - I don't have a spin.
- Then leave me alone.
Why won't all of you leave me alone? I I just wanted to help.
I'm-I'm sorry.
I Help? Find the guy who murdered my parents and kill him yourself.
Save me sitting through a trial.
I went in and called Detective Wells.
When I looked outside again, the guy was gone.
Detective Wells? Yeah.
He had called me that morning.
He told me that someone might stop by to talk about my parents, and he asked me to call him if they did.
Is that the guy? I don't know.
We never met.
He just called that one time.
Okay.
We're going to need the number that you called.
Does this really have something to do with my parents? The truth is, we don't know yet, but as soon as we do, I promise you, we'll let you know.
So there is no Detective Wells in the LAPD.
But, listen, the number she called belongs to an Ed Wells, and he looks exactly like the sketch we have of the man who took Rob.
He is an ex-con.
He did time for armed robbery, and he's been out on the streets for 17 years.
That doesn't mean he's clean.
He hasn't been caught.
How did Ed Well know that Simms was in L.
A? I mean, did you find any contact between the two of them? Not between them, but I pulled several months of phone records and Wells talks to Rob's father almost every day.
Thanks you.
Ed loves Rob.
I've got witnesses who say otherwise.
They must've seen it wrong.
Ed practically raised my brother.
When Robb had his drug troubles, Ed took him in and got straightened out.
Tough love.
Must be something he learned in prison.
Ed did his time.
When he got out of prison, my dad gave him money to start a landscaping business.
He's had no trouble ever since.
Where's your father now? I don't know.
He left not long after you were here.
After Ed called? Yes.
Do you know what they talked about? Your brother is in town, claiming to know something about a 15-year-old murder.
Ed Wells took him off the street, we think to keep him quiet.
So unless you want Rob to end up dead, you should start telling us what you know.
Rob said something a long time ago.
But he was so screwed up, I just assumed that he was lying.
And while they have no suspects in the slaying so far, authorities are quick to point out - I'm watching it.
- It's gross.
- Play a video game or something.
- I want to watch it.
Why? Do you know where Dad was the other night? The other night those people died? What does it matter? He just He said something strange.
Wake up.
What? - Leave me alone.
- Get up.
What is wrong with you? I want you to listen to me and listen hard.
If anyone asks you where you were last night, you were with me, here.
- You got it? - Who's gonna ask me about? Just Just do what I tell you.
Now go upstairs.
Fine.
I was with you.
- It's weird.
- You don't know what you talk about.
He's acting crazy, and I saw blood, it was on his shirt.
- I did.
- Dad didn't do anything! What if he did, shouldn't we let someone know? What goes through your drugged-up brain that makes you hate us so much.
I don't hate you.
Watch whatever you want.
Rob was always so angry at Dad.
I just figured he was trying to get back at him for something.
Did he ever mention it again? He went live with Ed a couple weeks later.
Did your father have any connection with the murdered couple? Not that I know of.
Excuse me.
Why would he do anything to them? I don't know.
Spade.
Okay.
We'll be right there.
LAPD just picked up her father and Ed Wells.
Rob was not with them.
All right, which one do you want? Murdering father? Or kidnapping best friend? How about I take whoever's telling the truth.
All right.
Rock, paper, scissors.
I'ts okay, I've got him.
It takes a pretty special friend to cover up a murder that you committed.
Neither one of us would hurt my son.
So what is it about having Rob abducted that makes you innocent exactly? He came to L.
A.
to confront you about the Jacksons, correct? He was at the house this morning You killed those people.
- No, I didn't.
- Yes, you did.
You killed those people and you wanted me to lie about it.
You were screwed up back then, Rob.
We were watching TV the night those folks died.
When did we ever watch TV together? Nothing good can come from dredging up the past.
Yes, it can.
I can finally leave you behind.
You don't know what you're talking about, son.
Well, then I'll go find out.
All right, I'll talk to people, and I'll find out what exactly I'm remembering.
Rob! Just For your own sake, don't ask any more questions.
Just let it go.
I tried.
I've been running from your lie half my life.
But I'm not lying for you or anyone.
Not anymore.
And I never saw him after that.
But you had Ed pick him up, right? Yes.
Why is that? Because you murdered the Jackson couple? They were landscape clients of Ed's.
He talked about how rich they were.
I need money.
The house was dark.
I didn't think they were home.
- Things got out of hand.
- Oh, you think? You only stabbed them 15 times.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone.
Ed, Charlie's already confessed.
Listen, I get it, he's your friend.
You wanted to stop Rob from talking.
So when Charlie sent you after him, you did what you had to.
- It's not that simple.
- Nothing ever is.
But I can tell you this for sure.
LAPD has crime scene DNA in the freezer.
They are going to convict him.
So you have a choice: keep protecting Charlie, or start protecting yourself.
Charlie didn't do anything.
Look, I'm sorry about the gun, Rob.
But I need you to listen to me.
- You gotta stop asking questions.
- I know you feel indebted to him, Ed, because of all he's done for you.
But he killed those people.
What's in the past should stay there.
Yeah, - that's what my dad said.
- And he's right.
People like their daughter, we need to let them move on.
I don't want to hurt her, - but I've got to go to the police.
- Don't do that.
I can't keep quiet any longer.
Stop.
I'm telling you, he didn't do it.
How can you be sure?! How can you be sure?! Because you did it.
You killed them.
What? What do you mean? You were high on PCP.
You helped me with their landscaping job.
When you came home, covered in blood you were talking about the rich people.
Your dad knew something horrible had happened.
So he cleaned it up.
And when he was sure that you didn't remember a thing, he sent you to live with me.
He knew he hadn't been the father that you deserved.
He just wanted you to have a chance to turn your life around.
I killed them? I killed them.
You're a good man.
You weren't yourself.
Get out.
- Rob, let's just go home - Just get out! - Don't do this.
- Get out.
Don't do this, Rob.
I called Charlie right away and we looked everywhere we could think of, but we couldn't find him.
We're going to need a nationwide APB.
Hey.
Lifeguard found this inside a pair of shoes, along with keys to a truck and a money clip with about $200 in it.
Suicide note.
Truck in the parking lot? Yeah.
It's the one from the APB.
Okay, thanks.
Looks like he decided to take a long swim until he got tired.
"For what I have done, there can be no forgiveness.
" That's a That's a hard way to go.
I kind of like Los Angeles.
I don't know what it is.
There's something sort of peaceful about it.
Yeah, it could be the fact that everybody here goes to bed at 8:30.
Yeah, well, at least it's warm.
It's like, 40 degrees back in New York.
Hey, cold helps slow down the aging process.
Would you like to try some of this? Come here.
Are you ready? I really want this to work.
I would like to be all the things that you need me to be.
But there's a lot of stuff in my life that I need to clear up.
Apparently my daughter has been acting up.
She's got a boyfriend her mother hates, and she got caught smoking pot.
So we decided that Hannah should come and live with me in New York for a while.
Change of scenery.
It scares the crap out of me Every time somebody I care about relies on me, I just shut down.
You can do anything that you set your mind to.
That's the the sunstroke talking.
No.
No.
- What if I screw it up? - You won't.
You can't.
You have to figure it out this time, Jack, because your daughter's depending on you.
And for you and your son.
Yeah, there's that.
Well, I guess you're gonna take that job.
Well, I'd have to consider it, wouldn't I? I didn't think it would happen like this.
I talked to that Wall Street guy.
And? I turned him down.
Just thought, I'd stick around and see what opportunities opened up.
Well, I-I think that's smart.
You know, you have a lot of potential.
I think I'll take that as a compliment.
Have you seen my keys? You know you don't have to go.
Please listen to me.
You weren't invited.
It's not a good idea.
I have to go.
- Rob - It'll be okay.
I promise.
I'll be back in a few.
Call me when you leave? I will.
Kyle leaving so early fills our hearts with sadness, and perhaps even anger.
We may want to seek vengeance, but that is not what Kyle would want, and that is not why we are here today.
We come together to honor the dead, and to find love and support in the living.
We are here to remember Kyle for the man he was and how he touched each and every one of us.
Let's all bow our heads.
Let us pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven The services lasted till 10:00 A.
M.
After, we held the reception in the Friendship Hall.
So, no one on your staff reported any problems? - No.
Here's the guestbook.
- Okay.
Now, did you see this man at the service? He looks familiar, but I don't know.
I'm not sure.
I'm gonna need to speak with everyone on your staff to see if they saw him.
Absolutely.
We don't want any problems.
Thank you.
Any luck? Actually, I don't think there's much luck here.
That's not funny.
Anyway, I got some information on our missing person.
Rob Simms is the COO of a company that charters private jets.
He was attending a funeral for one of his mechanics died in a fire.
What happened? He was doing routine maintenance on one of the company's jets when a fire broke out, and some of the employees think that Rob's to blame.
As a matter of fact, Rob got into a shouting match with one of them, a guy named Dale Kinecki.
He's here.
He was at the funeral.
- How many people signed that guestbook? - I don't know.
Say about 40? Maybe Kinecki got a little help from his friends.
Without A Trace Season 7 Episode 08 "Better Angels" I shouldn't have let him go to the funeral.
Did you have any reason to think there would be some trouble? It was a emotional situation, I thought it would be better if he stayed home.
You know, a staff member at the mausoleum saw Dale Kinecki following Rob away from the funeral service.
Do you have any idea if Rob had a problem with him? Problem? No.
Rob Rob hired Dale.
They've worked together for seven years.
He blames your fiancé for the death of that mechanic.
That accident wasn't Rob's fault.
If the CEO orders cutbacks, it's Rob's job to implement them.
- That's all.
- Whose fault did Rob think it was? That's what I tried to get him to tell me.
You really know how to seduce a girl.
Those 1,445 guys think they can hide their malt beverages from me? Nobody hides nothing from Mr.
Rob Bob Simms.
Did something happen with the lawyers today? Nope.
The way they see it, it's not the company's fault.
And that is what they want me to say to the NTSB.
Did they ask you to lie? Rob, I'm being serious.
If they asked you to do something - that you don't want to do - Of course they didn't ask me to lie.
They just don't want the whole truth.
Spence, the lawyers, everybody just wants me to say it's just another unfortunate workplace accident.
And it can't be that for you? Not this time.
I brought him home to sleep it off, and the next day, he woke up and said it was just an aberration, and that he'd start going back to meetings.
What kind of substance abuse problem are we talking about here? He had a drug problem as a teenager but he's been sober for 12 years.
What did he mean when he said, not this time? Had there been a similar incident at the company before? I asked him what he meant, but he wouldn't answer me.
The next morning, he went to the NTSB hearing.
What did he tell them? I don't know.
You'll have to ask his boss.
That's the Spence he mentioned? Yeah.
Spence Liccardi.
He was there at the deposition.
Okay.
Thank you.
Let me call you a little bit later, and we can deal with it then.
Okay.
Okay.
If Rob was feeling guilty, and went on a bender, I can't find any proof of it in his financial records.
You know, it would be so much easier for us to solve cases if drug dealers would just accept credit cards.
Yes.
I'm gonna check around.
I'm gonna see if anyone saw anything that made them think he was falling off the wagon.
Samantha Are you Are you doing anything tonight? I thought that I would you know, pick up some Chinese and come over and I told you my mom was in town all week to see the baby, right? Yes, you did.
I've just been in denial about it.
Rain check? Absolutely.
Hey.
Did you get the video of the NTSB hearing yet? It's downloading.
Maybe these employees are right about Simms's culpability for this fire.
Yeah.
He could be covering up for someone.
Either way, he's not dealing with the guilt very well.
- Here we go.
- We will now convene the NTSB hearing with regard to Mr.
Robert Simms.
And, Mr.
Simms, where were you on the date of the incident? In my office.
When I heard the alarm, I ran to the hangar, but it was too late.
I'm referring to my notes.
It says here that the company believes the chief mechanic was responsible for the fire.
That would be the mechanic who perished in the fire? Yes.
Kyle Ryan And why do you believe he was at fault? What I said is what's in the report.
I'm aware of your statement.
I'd like to hear it in your own words.
Do you believe your chief mechanic was at fault? - I'd like to ask for a recess.
- Let's talk.
Whose fault do you believe it was? Mine.
It was my fault.
- Mr.
Simms! - I have to go.
Rob, get back here! You know, it appears you were quite upset that day, Mr.
Liccardi.
Rob was very erratic that day.
Honestly, I was caught off-guard by what he said.
Why? Because he told the truth? The accident happened because an undetected electrical fire triggered the ignition fuel.
- It was not Rob's fault.
- But his claims would expose you to lawsuits from the family of the deceased.
- Correct? - Yes, they would.
Well in that case, that gives you motive to keep him quiet.
I didn't do anything to Rob.
But you ordered the cutbacks that he believed caused the fire.
Is that correct? The cutbacks had nothing to do with it.
Well, not according to Dale Kinecki.
He blamed Rob for the fire.
And the last call he made on his cell was to you.
Now, look, Mr.
Liccardi, you may or may not have anything to do with Rob's disappearance, but one thing I know for sure: your company is in trouble.
And the last thing you want in your life right now is the FBI.
I may be able to help you in one aspect.
This where you'll find Dale Kinecki He's working at the Trenton-Mercer Airport.
I sent him there a couple days ago to calm his ass down.
You sure it wasn't to hide him? I'd look pretty stupid giving him up to you now, wouldn't I? You said it.
- Okay, where is Rob Simms? - I don't know.
Why didn't you say that to the cops that found you? They had bad manners.
You know, you can go straight to the holding cell if you want to.
You want to do that? Because if you're innocent, I think it's a better idea if you talk to me.
Last I saw Rob, I just wanted to let him know I wasn't about to forget what happened.
Hey! You got a lot of sack showing up here.
I just I just wanted to pay my respects.
Well, it's a little late for that.
Maybe if you hadn't worked Kyle like a dog, he'd still be here.
- Look, I want to make up for it.
- How? - You gonna bring him back? - I will see to it that his family is taken care of.
But I need something from you.
From me? Really? You'll get money for it.
Ten grand.
And what exactly do you want for ten grand? You're working for Trans Charter, right? Yeah.
I need you to get me on a plane to L.
A, but I don't want my name on the manifest.
Ten grand? That's right.
I'll see what I can do.
I don't suppose he told you why he didn't want his name on the manifest? And for ten grand, I wasn't asking a lot of questions.
All right.
- Special Agent Taylor.
- Hey.
I got off the phone with Trans Charter Air.
They confirmed that a passenger matching Rob's description to L.
A.
yesterday.
You know, the company has their planes built in Long Beach, California.
Maybe Rob knew his company was at fault, so he was looking for evidence without his CEO tripping to it.
Or he's the one who's at fault, and he just wanted to get out of Dodge before he got arrested.
You get anything off the ping? When we focused the phone tracking on the West Coast, we got a hit on his cell phone in South L.
A.
LAPD recognized the location as a known crack house.
I've got a satellite link with LAPD.
We're going live now.
Smile, Rob.
You're on Candid Camera.
- You summoned? - Yes, I did.
How long is your mother staying in town? A week, I've told you that, like, six times, Jack.
You comfortable with her looking after the baby? Well, I hadn't really ever why? Well I'm going to get to that.
Tech has been looking through Rob Simm's computer, and they checked the browser and the history.
And it seems that he has been conducting an extensive search for a guy named Roger Davis.
Okay.
Well, Roger Davis was with the LAPD, then he retired to Jersey.
What does this have to do with my mother and Finn? LAPD.
All roads lead back to La-La Land.
Okay, so you're asking me to go to Los Angeles.
I'm asking us to go to Los Angeles.
Do you have any idea how that would look, Jack? Like two colleagues investigating a case.
"Two colleagues"? I could invite some others if you want.
No, you and me is fine.
The most boring car the US government can provide.
A convertible's no good for you.
You'll get sunburn.
- Bad for your skin.
- Yeah, but good for our soul.
- Where are we staying tonight? - Some motel chain down by the airport.
The paperwork is in the car.
- The room is confirmed.
- "Room"? Well, you know, with the government cutbacks and everything I'm kidding, kidding.
- Rooms, plural.
- Just checking.
His name's Roger Davis.
I'm sorry, he doesn't look familiar Why would my brother be talking to a police detective? I don't know.
When did you say he came back to L.
A? Last night.
I've never seen that guy.
Or that one.
What do they have to do with my son? We found Rob's driver's license in a crack den.
We know he used to have a drug problem.
Do you think he might be using again? I really don't anything about what he's up to.
Robby's been clean since he left town.
You're sure? I guess not.
When was the last time that you saw him? Couple of months ago.
We had coffee at the Santa Monica Airport.
He was in town buying some jets for his company.
He seemed perfectly fine.
How long since you've seen him? It's been years.
And why is that? We don't get along.
Never did, really.
I think he "bristled" is the nice way to say it, at my parenting style.
So you were a hard-ass.
When my son was younger, he was a screw-up.
I felt like I had to put my foot down.
When Rob comes to town, he calls, but he doesn't come over.
That's because of the relationship with your father.
Yeah.
When was the last time he actually called you? Last week.
He asked about some boxes of his we had in the attic, but I'd thrown them out.
Do you know what he was looking for? They were from his old room so, I just figured he'd gotten sentimental.
Do you think it has anything to do with why he came back to L.
A? It's possible.
Can you think of any reason why he might come to Los Angeles? You can call me if you think of anything, if you have any questions.
Rob's a good man.
I'm sure he is.
Okay, thanks.
One of the L.
A.
suspects claims that he found Rob's bag in the street.
- Just lying there? - That's what he says.
Who knows? Anyway, LAPD is going to focus their canvass in that area.
All right, that cop Rob was hunting down is being taken to Interview 1.
Maybe he'll tell us the truth.
I love it when you get optimistic Did you know Mr.
Simms from when you lived in L.
A? I'd never seen the guy until a few days ago.
Then why did he contact you? Double homicide.
Happened back in '92, '93.
Couple.
Both stabbed to death in their own home.
Names were Bill and Emily Jackson.
They lived out in the Hancock Park area of L.
A.
Their daughter found them.
I thought he was one of those junior detective types, the kind that are obsessed with unsolved cases but there was a little more to it.
So you never had any good suspects? The papers had it right.
We had a few in the beginning, but we never got any real traction.
The murders were 15 years ago.
Why the interest now? I I used to live in L.
A.
And I think I might have seen something.
What'd you see? I'm not sure.
Tell me what you know and I'll help you figure out if it's relevant.
I'm not ready to do that yet.
I want to make sure that I'm right.
How are you going to do that? I kept a notebook.
I just want to get it and make sure that I'm rembering everything correctly.
Look Here's the name of a detective still working for the LAPD.
He was a patrolman working on the case.
Call him whenever you're ready.
I will.
Why didn't you come forward 15 years ago? I wanted to pretend it never happen.
But something recently stirred up some memories.
Whoever did that to those people, it wasn't right.
I know.
I checked with my friend on the force.
He never called.
So your suspects, not enough proof, or just threads that didn't pan out? The latter.
Whoever did it was invisible, at least as far as we were concerned.
- Did he ever call you again? - That was it.
I'll tell you, he had his facts down about the case.
He had done his homework.
I'm just saying that if we had GPS, we would have gotten here 20 minutes ago.
What, men don't ask directions? That is a cliché that is beneath you.
- You got lost.
- If you say so.
You got lost.
Special Agent Malone, FBI.
This is Special Agent Spade.
This is Gil.
He saw your guy.
- Hi, Gil.
- I didn't do anything.
Why don't you tell me something that makes me believe that, Gil.
I was collecting empties.
- Get in the car.
- No.
Look - Get in the car.
- I know what this is about.
- I'm not doing this - Turn around.
- Now get in the car.
- All right, all right.
He left the backpack there.
I just took the cash.
I mean, if I didn't grab it, someone else would have.
That's true.
Thanks for your time, Gil.
Excuse us.
I have a feeling whoever took Rob, it wasn't the L.
A.
welcome wagon.
Well, somebody didn't want him poking around in that murder.
All Right.
Thanks, Detective.
Davis didn't recognize the sketch of the guy who pulled Rob off the street.
I'm not surprised, considering LAPD had no real suspects for the murder.
But I'm not buying that this guy's not connected to the whole thing.
But what's motivating, this guy to come forward after 15 years? - Guilt over the dead mechanic? - Oh, come on.
I know it's very Psych 101, but it's the best I got.
Okay, LAPD faxed over the case summary and police reports from the Jackson murders.
- Who found them? - The daughter.
She came back from a sleepover and the back door was open.
Now, a ten-inch knife was missing.
From the Jackson's kitchen set, which is consistent with their wounds.
The police labeled it a robbery gonewrong.
The killer tried to clean up his path in and out of the house, so he was concerned about getting caught.
He didn't want to leave any witnesses.
The wife has knife wounds to her back.
- The killer definitely chased her down.
- They get any good forensics? The husband had a piece of torn T-shirt in his hand.
The DNA sample didn't match anyone in the database or any of their acquaintances.
So the question here is: Can we tie Simms or anybody he knows to the dead couple? That's why I made copies.
Hey, Ma, it's Samantha.
I'm calling to check on Finn, see how he's doing.
Hope he got into his bath okay.
You know, why don't you just call me? - Okay, bye.
- Hey.
LAPD is releasing a photo of Simms, at all the divisions and substations, along with an alert about the murder.
Anybody that knows anything has to call us.
So what? We're just gonna - wait? - Well, we could drive around.
You know, L.
A.
is 400 square miles.
We'll hit something eventually.
What are we doing here, Jack? We're, you know standing here in L.
A, waiting for somebody to tell us where to go.
As a metaphor, that's fine; as an answer, it stinks.
Then I would go with the metaphor.
You didn't bring me 3,000 miles to drink bad coffee and wait around.
Probably not.
You know how I feel about you, right? How I've always felt about you? And the truth is, before I had a baby, it would've been fine for us to come here and have a a good time.
But our good time always ends up messy and it's too hard to pick up the pieces.
I'm not trying to make it hard.
I need stability, consistency I don't even need it.
My child needs it.
Don't answer that.
Two seconds, you can call him back.
Let's finish this conv Hello? Jack, the dead couple's daughter lives about a quarter-mile from where Simms was abducted.
What's the address? That would be 1850 Sixth Street.
- Her name is Ali Jackson.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Yes, he was here, but I have no idea where he is now.
I believe that Rob Simms came here to talk to you about your parents.
I don't want to talk about that anymore.
There's been too much talking.
You know, I understand that this is very difficult for you, but we've got to find this guy.
He's got family and friends who are home worried and waiting for him.
Anything you can tell us will help.
It's funny they always stop by, thinking they're doing me a favor.
- I don't want to stir things up.
- Then why are you here? I might have information that you'd want to know.
Every couple of months, some crackpot like you, reads about it on the Internet and shows up.
What's your spin? Aliens did it? The Zodiac Killer? - I don't have a spin.
- Then leave me alone.
Why won't all of you leave me alone? I I just wanted to help.
I'm-I'm sorry.
I Help? Find the guy who murdered my parents and kill him yourself.
Save me sitting through a trial.
I went in and called Detective Wells.
When I looked outside again, the guy was gone.
Detective Wells? Yeah.
He had called me that morning.
He told me that someone might stop by to talk about my parents, and he asked me to call him if they did.
Is that the guy? I don't know.
We never met.
He just called that one time.
Okay.
We're going to need the number that you called.
Does this really have something to do with my parents? The truth is, we don't know yet, but as soon as we do, I promise you, we'll let you know.
So there is no Detective Wells in the LAPD.
But, listen, the number she called belongs to an Ed Wells, and he looks exactly like the sketch we have of the man who took Rob.
He is an ex-con.
He did time for armed robbery, and he's been out on the streets for 17 years.
That doesn't mean he's clean.
He hasn't been caught.
How did Ed Well know that Simms was in L.
A? I mean, did you find any contact between the two of them? Not between them, but I pulled several months of phone records and Wells talks to Rob's father almost every day.
Thanks you.
Ed loves Rob.
I've got witnesses who say otherwise.
They must've seen it wrong.
Ed practically raised my brother.
When Robb had his drug troubles, Ed took him in and got straightened out.
Tough love.
Must be something he learned in prison.
Ed did his time.
When he got out of prison, my dad gave him money to start a landscaping business.
He's had no trouble ever since.
Where's your father now? I don't know.
He left not long after you were here.
After Ed called? Yes.
Do you know what they talked about? Your brother is in town, claiming to know something about a 15-year-old murder.
Ed Wells took him off the street, we think to keep him quiet.
So unless you want Rob to end up dead, you should start telling us what you know.
Rob said something a long time ago.
But he was so screwed up, I just assumed that he was lying.
And while they have no suspects in the slaying so far, authorities are quick to point out - I'm watching it.
- It's gross.
- Play a video game or something.
- I want to watch it.
Why? Do you know where Dad was the other night? The other night those people died? What does it matter? He just He said something strange.
Wake up.
What? - Leave me alone.
- Get up.
What is wrong with you? I want you to listen to me and listen hard.
If anyone asks you where you were last night, you were with me, here.
- You got it? - Who's gonna ask me about? Just Just do what I tell you.
Now go upstairs.
Fine.
I was with you.
- It's weird.
- You don't know what you talk about.
He's acting crazy, and I saw blood, it was on his shirt.
- I did.
- Dad didn't do anything! What if he did, shouldn't we let someone know? What goes through your drugged-up brain that makes you hate us so much.
I don't hate you.
Watch whatever you want.
Rob was always so angry at Dad.
I just figured he was trying to get back at him for something.
Did he ever mention it again? He went live with Ed a couple weeks later.
Did your father have any connection with the murdered couple? Not that I know of.
Excuse me.
Why would he do anything to them? I don't know.
Spade.
Okay.
We'll be right there.
LAPD just picked up her father and Ed Wells.
Rob was not with them.
All right, which one do you want? Murdering father? Or kidnapping best friend? How about I take whoever's telling the truth.
All right.
Rock, paper, scissors.
I'ts okay, I've got him.
It takes a pretty special friend to cover up a murder that you committed.
Neither one of us would hurt my son.
So what is it about having Rob abducted that makes you innocent exactly? He came to L.
A.
to confront you about the Jacksons, correct? He was at the house this morning You killed those people.
- No, I didn't.
- Yes, you did.
You killed those people and you wanted me to lie about it.
You were screwed up back then, Rob.
We were watching TV the night those folks died.
When did we ever watch TV together? Nothing good can come from dredging up the past.
Yes, it can.
I can finally leave you behind.
You don't know what you're talking about, son.
Well, then I'll go find out.
All right, I'll talk to people, and I'll find out what exactly I'm remembering.
Rob! Just For your own sake, don't ask any more questions.
Just let it go.
I tried.
I've been running from your lie half my life.
But I'm not lying for you or anyone.
Not anymore.
And I never saw him after that.
But you had Ed pick him up, right? Yes.
Why is that? Because you murdered the Jackson couple? They were landscape clients of Ed's.
He talked about how rich they were.
I need money.
The house was dark.
I didn't think they were home.
- Things got out of hand.
- Oh, you think? You only stabbed them 15 times.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone.
Ed, Charlie's already confessed.
Listen, I get it, he's your friend.
You wanted to stop Rob from talking.
So when Charlie sent you after him, you did what you had to.
- It's not that simple.
- Nothing ever is.
But I can tell you this for sure.
LAPD has crime scene DNA in the freezer.
They are going to convict him.
So you have a choice: keep protecting Charlie, or start protecting yourself.
Charlie didn't do anything.
Look, I'm sorry about the gun, Rob.
But I need you to listen to me.
- You gotta stop asking questions.
- I know you feel indebted to him, Ed, because of all he's done for you.
But he killed those people.
What's in the past should stay there.
Yeah, - that's what my dad said.
- And he's right.
People like their daughter, we need to let them move on.
I don't want to hurt her, - but I've got to go to the police.
- Don't do that.
I can't keep quiet any longer.
Stop.
I'm telling you, he didn't do it.
How can you be sure?! How can you be sure?! Because you did it.
You killed them.
What? What do you mean? You were high on PCP.
You helped me with their landscaping job.
When you came home, covered in blood you were talking about the rich people.
Your dad knew something horrible had happened.
So he cleaned it up.
And when he was sure that you didn't remember a thing, he sent you to live with me.
He knew he hadn't been the father that you deserved.
He just wanted you to have a chance to turn your life around.
I killed them? I killed them.
You're a good man.
You weren't yourself.
Get out.
- Rob, let's just go home - Just get out! - Don't do this.
- Get out.
Don't do this, Rob.
I called Charlie right away and we looked everywhere we could think of, but we couldn't find him.
We're going to need a nationwide APB.
Hey.
Lifeguard found this inside a pair of shoes, along with keys to a truck and a money clip with about $200 in it.
Suicide note.
Truck in the parking lot? Yeah.
It's the one from the APB.
Okay, thanks.
Looks like he decided to take a long swim until he got tired.
"For what I have done, there can be no forgiveness.
" That's a That's a hard way to go.
I kind of like Los Angeles.
I don't know what it is.
There's something sort of peaceful about it.
Yeah, it could be the fact that everybody here goes to bed at 8:30.
Yeah, well, at least it's warm.
It's like, 40 degrees back in New York.
Hey, cold helps slow down the aging process.
Would you like to try some of this? Come here.
Are you ready? I really want this to work.
I would like to be all the things that you need me to be.
But there's a lot of stuff in my life that I need to clear up.
Apparently my daughter has been acting up.
She's got a boyfriend her mother hates, and she got caught smoking pot.
So we decided that Hannah should come and live with me in New York for a while.
Change of scenery.
It scares the crap out of me Every time somebody I care about relies on me, I just shut down.
You can do anything that you set your mind to.
That's the the sunstroke talking.
No.
No.
- What if I screw it up? - You won't.
You can't.
You have to figure it out this time, Jack, because your daughter's depending on you.
And for you and your son.
Yeah, there's that.