Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s09e14 Episode Script

In new york city's war on crime, The worst criminal offenders are pursued By the detectives of the major case squad.
These are their stories.
- Thank you for listening to this whole thing.
I hope I, uh-- I can put it behind me.
As my friend, I thought you'd understand.
I guess in the end, it was just about a book.
- You know, I don't think you came all the way to london To talk about a book.
- What do you mean? - I mean It's about all the rest of it.
It's about her.
And you have to put it behind you.
- Well, you say that like it's, uh, easy, you know? - No one said life was easy.
- It's like time stood still or something.
It was like something out of dickens.
- No, zachary, it was out of your life.
That was the problem.
- I didn't think it would get to me like that, you know? - And that was your second problem.
- You know, if you'd told me that I was gonna be there in that house On that day with her Feeling the things that I did I wouldn't have believed it.
- What's up? - Uh, ask me at the end of the day.
- You okay? - Two dead inside.
Dylan weld, 36, art dealer.
And palmer abrigaille, 72, dealer, And collector of rare books.
It appears-- It appears that they, uh Killed each other.
Appears Oh, boy.
It's a little bit strange for me.
I know the abrigailles.
- Zach, I'm sorry.
You wanna take the day? - No, no.
I'll be okay.
I told her I'd be okay.
The truth was I didn't know what I'd be.
I mean, it was like I was walking into my own past.
- A swordfight.
Some kind of duel? - Any violent confrontation Was very, very unlike palmer.
- Well, in any case, They died around 2:00 a.
M.
, And the cause appears to be exsanguination for both.
- The way his sword is held-- It's in his right hand.
Palmer had nerve damage from a shooting accident.
Poor control of his thumb.
We need to do extensive blood spatter work here, please.
- I'll get them on it.
- Thank you.
Where's his daughter? - Uh They got her back there.
- I think it's best if she sees a familiar face.
Lenore? - Yes, come in.
Sorry.
I'm a bit lost.
There are so many people here.
Zachary.
- Hi.
- Oh [sniffles.]
Do you know what Happened here? - Between dylan weld and your father.
I'm looking into that.
- How is my father? I'm so worried.
- Has nobody told you Told you anything? - No, they They brought me back here and, uh I--no.
- I'm so sorry.
Your father Is gone.
- What do you mean? Do you mean-- - He's been killed.
So, so sorry.
- [sobbing.]
- This is you.
- Yeah.
That's me and lenore.
Headed out to the, uh, metropolitan opera To see tristan and isolde.
See, palmer was an old friend of my father's, And his daughter lenore Ten years ago, he sent her to my father for treatment.
She'd begun to exhibit-- show symptoms of Schizophrenia.
See, I, uh Knew her well.
We were, for a while, more than friends.
- And you didn't know she was developing-- - No, no, no.
At first the symptoms were very odd, and You know, she was always odd.
Wonderfully odd.
Anyway, palmer was a very sweet man.
I continued to see him from time to time.
We played chess.
- When did you last see him, zach? - I think it was about a year ago.
But who knows? Time has its own pace in this house.
[police radio chatter.]
- Yes, captain, it's definitely affecting him.
I think he should probably go home.
Good.
We'll need to talk about it.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Uh-- - excuse me.
- Hold on.
Can I help you? - [british accent.]
are you with these policemen? - Yes.
- I'm richard celeste.
I serve the abrigailles as caretaker.
I've a message from mr.
Abrigaille.
- Can I call you back? - Tuesday last, mr.
Abrigaille told me To buy ts camera and set it up in the library, So I did.
And he recorded something into it, And then he gave it back to me And told me that I should give it to the police In the event of any misfortune.
Can I give it to you? - Sure.
- WellI've done my duty then.
- You have blood on you.
- Yes, ma'am.
I tried to Resuscitate mr.
Abrigaille when I found him.
They've already taken samples off me with swabs.
It's mr.
Abrigaille's blood.
I'll give them my clothes as soon as I can change.
- Okay.
- Hey, zach.
The caretaker gave me this camera.
Supposedly has a message from palmer abrigaille.
- Don't be ridiculous! - Sir, I can't let you in.
- Your authority doesn't extend to me! - Sir - This is my uncle's house.
- Hold on.
- I'm the attorney For the estate and the executor.
- Hey.
This is a crime scene.
- Are you in charge? - I'm detective nichols.
This is detective stevens.
We're from the major case squad.
- Merrill abrigaille.
My card.
I knew something like this would happen.
My uncle was surrounded by leeches.
- Can we step outside? - Palmer's income hasn't matched his outgo in years.
He just wouldn't face reality.
Hat them? - Palmer's income hasn't matched his good lord.
Ears.
You wouldn't believe the level of debt.
But thank god the collection wasn't stolen, So when can I get it out of here? - When did you last see palmer? - Yesterday, late afternoon.
- And last night, where were you? - Oh.
Do you suspect me? - Put it down to our nature.
- I was at the union club until 1:00 a.
M.
And that's a long way from this part of town, Detective What was your name? - Nichols.
- Wait.
Zachary nichols? You knew my uncle.
- Mm-hmm.
- In fact, you're named in his will.
- That I didn't know.
- Of course, the bulk of the estate will go to lenore Or her conservator when it-- Uh, I believe he left you a chessboard.
Did you two play chess? - I enjoyed playing with palmer.
- Hmm.
- If anybody's watching this, I suppose I should apologize for being murdered.
Oh, well.
Brought it on myself.
But my daughter PleasePlease see to it that she's taken care of.
She does well on her medication.
Just please let her stay here.
It--don't-- Don't send her to one of those horrible places.
You can sell my whole collection.
I don't care.
Within these walls, she makes perfect sense.
I'm being blackmailed by dylan weld.
Unless I continue to pay him And allow him to continue to-- [groans.]
What he's doing with lenore is unspeakable.
But she Allows his liberties In order to protect us.
In order to keep him from throwing us out.
But I have failed to protect her.
It must end.
And, by god, I will try to end it soon.
SoIf I am killed, Please--it's weld.
Dylan weld.
- Dylan weld didn't kill him.
Someone killed both of them.
The swords, the way the bodies are lying, The whole thing.
There were disabling blows to the heads of both victims.
Afterward, they were stabbed.
I think it's been staged.
- Seeing her that way You know, just lost and You know, dancing like that, And remembering what she once was was, uh, tough.
Tough for me.
- Well, of course.
And obviously, it must have crossed your mind That she'd killed them.
- No.
Yes.
Well, I didn't want to think about it, you know? - So did you ask her directly if she'd done it? - I couldn't do that.
- And we both know why, don't we? We both know what you were feeling.
- Yes.
I still loved her.
Or what she'd once been.
You know, I was half hoping that she would just say That she'd killed both those guys, And I coulda gotten-- gotten out of there.
When's father coming home? - Lenore, your father-- - hang on.
Oh, lenore, lenore.
Is your father Away on a trip? - They said they took him into the city.
- Oh.
- And so I'm without a protector.
Should I be on my guard, Zach? - Nichols.
[lenore humming.]
- I don't think it's right to charm her.
It's possible she killed them.
- The m.
E.
Is calling it a double murder.
- Yes, but she now is certain that what we found was staged.
- Troubling, to say the least.
Anything stolen? - Impossible to say.
It's a huge collection of rare books and manuscripts.
- Did I read something a while about About an especially rare book owned by a palmer abrigaille? Something about the bible? - The lost licinianus.
It's ostensibly part of a roman history Written by [beep.]
This guy, granius licinianus In the second century of the christian era.
- So it's valuable.
- Priceless.
If it even exists.
These are fragments of one whole text, The only one that was ever found, But he might have written - That's a lot of subjunctive.
Is there anything less vague Than the possible theft of a book Palmer abrigaille could have possessed? - A lost licinianus transcript Was passed from collector to collector to collector To collector over the years, But there's a tradition-- we don't admit we have it.
- But it's human nature to brag about something like that.
- It's rumored people were murdered For simply having read it.
- We just heard.
Please tell us the diocletian wasn't stolen.
- Or the ravenna codex.
Oh, my god.
The licinianus.
- Hello.
- Oh, we're dear friends of the abrigailles.
- NowWho did this ghastly thing? - And why? - So we know quite a bit about palmer.
So tell us about-- about this dylan weld, Our other murder victim.
- Shall I? - Go ahead.
I'll interject.
- Every field has its parasites, And dylan weld was one of them.
He was a rare book dealer who sold to palmer.
- He'd sell something Then come back months later to reveal the ugly truth That it had been stolen or smuggled.
Then he'd threaten to make it public.
Dylan was brilliant.
He knew palmer would be humiliated If anyone found out he'd bought stolen goods.
So palmer paid the blackmail.
- Now, get out.
- Where's the girl? - Go to bed, father.
- It's horrible to think what lenore went through To help protect her father.
When that slimy book dealer had taken advantage of her, Yeah, I can imagine that she'd killed him.
But why would she have killed her father? - She was schizophrenic.
I mean, she was capable of anything.
- That's right.
[cell phone rings.]
- Stevens.
- How is lenore? - Hold on.
We've got a uni calling from the crime scene.
There's a moving van pulling up to the mansion.
[police siren blares.]
[tires screeching.]
- Mr.
Abrigaille! - Put everything down.
- Stop moving.
Hey! - Get out of the truck.
- Detective Detective, I'm the legal executor of this estate-- - What the hell are you doing? - I have every right-- - No box.
Gimme the box, gimme the box.
- I have every right to ascertain What this property is.
- I'm sorry, but that man's a thief.
- Merrill was here last night.
- Yes.
- What did he want? - T-to convince father toMove And put me in a puzzle house.
The usual.
- When did he leave? - I don't know.
Sometime before midnight.
- That book.
You carry that book always.
- Here.
- Oh, a catullus.
- In a wonderful translation.
I have something important to tell you.
- Yes? - I love you dearly, zachary.
I do.
ButI am not free to marry.
I can't go out there and be part of your world.
I must remain here and Take care of my father.
But if you promise to tell no one-- I have my reputation to think of-- We can again be lovers.
- That's a wonderful offer, lenore.
If we were lovers, Would we always be honest with each other? - Of course.
- How can I be sure? - You want to test me? - Tell me a secret.
- About what? - Tell me about Who was here last night After merrill left.
- WellDylan weld, of course.
- Mm-hmm - And - Yes? - And the man who comes at night.
- "the man who comes at night"? Who's he? - I don't know.
No one sees him.
I just hear him.
But If you came one night Maybe we could look for him.
- We've done background checks on all our potential suspects, And they've all come back clean.
As for the caretaker, richard celeste, We've got nothing on him.
Talking to callas.
He claims he's a british subject, so We might have some luck with the embassy.
- Hey, hey, stop right there.
I caught you red-handed! - I'll call you back.
- Open your coat! Stop right there.
I'm not gonna let you steal from me! - Hey! Let him go! - What, are you kidding me? I caught him red-handed.
Look inside his coat! - Open your coat.
What's going on? - Bernard, do not say a word.
We must demand a lawyer.
- What's happening? What's this? What is this? - The objects we remove-- They're not even noticeable! And--and Well, how do you think the damn bills there get paid? - Tell them, bernard.
- We've kept palmer afloat by pilfering.
But every cent went to pay the bills.
- Even cent.
I keep the accounts.
- Well, we'll need more than your word on that.
- Look--look! My checkbook.
Everything that has abrigaille within a parenthetical.
- There's quite a bit.
- Poor palmer had no head for figures.
- No interest in anything less than four centuries old.
- We loved palmer.
And lenore--please protect her.
- We are antiquarians.
We choose to live in the past.
But sheHas no choice.
- She lives the same day over and over again.
But it's such a lovely day.
- Have you ever heard her refer to The man who comes at night? - No.
It must be a delusion.
- Unless she means merrill.
Merrill was always there.
He constantly pressured palmer.
- Merrill, do me the courtesy.
You never cared a damn for this place Or all that I've collected.
- That's not true.
If you move here and we liquidate, You can save the better-- - bah.
- Is something the matter, sir? - Yeah.
This place is a damn madhouse.
You're a good fit here.
- Merrill needed palmer and lenore out of the way To take control of the estate.
- Good night, sir.
- Palmer was surrounded by greed.
- Most of us think greed's A pretty common motive for murder.
- Yes, greed, jealousy, and hatred.
Those are the standards.
But this case was anything but standard.
- Merrill is facing disbarment.
Apparently, he is accused Of setting up various legal wealthy clients With a certain blackmailer.
- Dylan weld.
- With whom he was partners years ago.
So merrill sets dylan up with his clients As a purchasing advisor On their arts and antiquities acquisitions, And then dylan later struck off on his own.
- I have something on celeste.
His british passport's a fake.
- Call I.
N.
S.
We'll threaten deportation.
- I say wait till we have more answers.
Let him be.
Whe-when-- When did thisGet here? Oh, it's from lenore.
We've been invited to a dinner party, An informal wake for palmer.
- And you're actually suggesting we - Palmer has a legendary wine cellar.
No better way to interact with our players.
- Whatever will I wear? - I can't grace this table as my father once did With his wit, his vast knowledge Of all that was beautiful and steeped with meaning.
- Yes.
You've got something here, just a little - I will miss him so.
This wine goes poorly with my medication.
[clink.]
- You know, zachary, I have another secret.
- I imagine you have several.
- That book everyone was wondering about some time ago? - The lost licinianus? Yes? - WellHe did buy it.
And it's the strangest thing.
Father says I've seen it a hundred times, But I have no memory of it.
Isn't that odd? - Lenore, where do you think it might be? - I haven't the slightest idea.
You know how I am with keeping track of things.
- Hmm.
Hey, would it be okay if, after dinner, We took a little look? - It's fine.
More wine? - Would I know it if I saw it? - Well, it's a bound manuscript, And it's Written in latin.
- Half these books are in latin.
- Mm-hmm.
- Are these, uh, greek? - That's pindar.
That's a very famous poet.
- You read greek? I'm very impressed.
- Yeah, well, p.
S.
91-- not heavy on the classics, But my father did force the alphabet on me.
Alpha, beta, gamma, delta-- here.
[greek pronunciation.]
"aristoteles.
" Here, here.
"platonos.
" I don't know what that is.
- Politeia.
It's a 17th-century dutch edition.
Full of errors.
Dreadful.
But lovely binding, though.
- Since you're in the trade, regina, What's the supposed value of the lost licinianus? - It's impossible to say.
- Everything has an assessed value.
- It's one of only two portions of licinanus's history of rome, Assuming it exists.
- The other is a tiny fragment In the palimpsest in the british museum.
- Palimpsest? - It's an ancient book that's been erased And written on a second time.
- Very common in the middle ages.
- When books were made of parchment, And parchment was expensive.
- With modern technology, it's possible to read both Without destroying either text.
- Is it the content that makes the licinianus so valuable? - It's generally believed that it deals with Certain events in the first century In palestine.
- The official roman view of a certain trial That could differ greatly from what we believe we know.
- The trial of jesus.
[thud.]
- Did you hearhat? [thud.]
- well, what is it? [thudding.]
- I don't know.
Let's go see.
Have you noticed any stairs up to the attic? - Uh-uh.
- I can't seem to find Any way to acc-- [clattering.]
This is palmer's room.
There's somebody in there.
- What are you doing? - Putting mr.
Abrigaille's clothes away.
- Step away from that chest.
Why are you doing that? - In spite of the condition of this house, I've always made an effort to be orderly, sir.
- Sleeping pill.
- Did you touch those? - No, sir.
I left it there for him last night.
- How do you get to the attic? - Beg pardon, sir? - The attic.
Where are the stairs? - I don't know, sir.
I've never had call to enter the attic.
- How long have you worked here? - Three years.
If you'lexcuse me, sir.
- Hmm.
Isn't this, uh - Oh.
What a priest carries for his final unction.
- Why would celeste have this, unless he was a priest? - Let's get my laptop.
Well, this old bio from that diocese Has him born in quebec.
- Mm-hmm.
- Actually ordained in canada.
- Well, does it actually Say that, uh He served as a priest? - Uh-huh.
Nine years.
He belonged to an order, a sect called the conclave.
- Conclave.
Wait, does that-- is that like the Knights templar? - Or not, that's like the-- - opus dei? - Yeah.
- In fact, the conclave Were more extreme ultra-traditionalists.
They wereIn fact, excommunicated.
Charged with destroying church documents Relating to the purging of the jews from Spain.
Now we know a little something about him.
- Yeah.
That's all very helpful.
But, uh, you know what I'm thinking? Those noises at night We need to find an attic.
[tapping.]
[hollow thunk.]
hmm? [thunk, thunk.]
hear that? - False back? - I'm not sure.
UhMaybe there's a latch someplace here.
Hello.
[sliding sound.]
[hinges squeak.]
[birds flapping.]
- Oh, yeah.
- Look at all these books.
[flapping.]
- Ah, I think I know.
You see anything like a hand truck Or some kind of - Here.
- Okay.
There a way to turn that on? Uh-huh.
All right.
- Like to share, or are you content just to gloat? - [chuckling.]
infrared, ultraviolet.
This is how you read a palimpsest.
The erased ink is visible Only on the edges of the visible spectrum.
SomebodySet all this up, Came up here at night, making noises, Thumping up those stairs with Box loads of books on that hand truck.
- Looking for the lost licinianus? - That's right.
- Who? - I have a good guess.
But I haven't the slightest ability to prove anything Yet.
- It's so lovely after it rains.
The light through the oak leaves.
- That book That you carry always? Catullus.
You like it, huh? - Ever since father gave it to me, I can't seem to put it down.
He wrote of such ordinary things-- A nightA love Laughter.
It's a comfort to believe such things endure.
- May I see that, please? - You may have it.
- No.
Just for a little while.
Then I'll give it back to you.
Are you cold? - A bit.
You're lucky, zachary, you're not sick.
- Sick? - In the way that I'm sick.
I'm notUnaware of what is wrong with me.
- I'm fine.
- You had no choice but to leave me.
I understand.
Don't be sad.
Here in this place with My dreams or Whatever they are, I'm fine too.
- [exhales.]
Some things are gonna happen.
Some, uh, confusing and Disturbing things.
But, uh This will always remain your home.
- Was she able to help? - Yes, she was.
Um [object clatters.]
Do you have a pen? - Uh-huh.
- Mr.
Celeste.
- Yes, sir.
- I'd like to get everybody Except miss abrigaille Brought to the attic.
I'm gonna reveal the identity Of mr.
Abrigaille's killer.
- Yes, sir.
- I didn't know if I was right, But the pieces were starting toFit.
- But why not have lenore there? Risk her but the pieces having a nervous breakdown.
- So now it was about the book.
- Yes.
The lost licinianus.
And who wanted it most And why? Merrill, this lands squarely on you.
You killed your uncle.
- What? I did no such thing! [huffs.]
I wasn't here, okay? I was in the club.
- But you brought dylan weld into his life.
For what? Money.
- I didn't know-- - you knew, you knew! Because that was your deal with dylan.
And your uncle died while preparing to confront him.
- No.
What happened was never intended.
You can't blame me.
- Palmer thought That it was so likely that dylan weld would kill him He even left a video message saying so.
And later that night when dylan was here, He heard something-- The man who comes at night.
And he came to this attic, And he saw someone.
- Dylan couldn't have known about this attic.
- No.
The person That beat him unconscious Then dragged him down those stairs And stabbed him Wasn't dylan weld.
That person also killed dylan weld And then staged a cover-up.
- Be careful placing that tray, celeste.
The note in the bag is evidence.
- Merrill You will leave this house, And you will never, ever Come back here again.
- You can't give me orders.
- You forget.
I'm named in the will.
And an heir can contest an executor.
And this heir will see you prosecuted For bringing down a scheme of blackmail on palmer.
It's a felony.
So go and find an attorney.
- If not dylan or merrill, thenWho? - We have the name.
Palmer himself wrote it down on a piece of paper When he looked up those attic stairs And saw his killer.
Thank you.
- My pleasure, sir.
- In the ensuing struggle, The paper must have fallen out of his pocket.
But in typical palmer fashion, He wrote that name in ancient greek.
- I read greek.
- Yes! But you didn't read that piece of paper.
There's only one person here who has read that name Somebody who wants this book More than anything in the world, Wanted it so badly that they'd kill for it.
That person Has read the name.
Who Are You? - What? - Who are you? - I am, as I've said, richard celeste.
- Just downstairs when I said That we had identified palmer's killer, You froze momentarily with concern.
But now just a moment ago When you were serving me the brandy, You were getting a little Smiley.
What happened? - I don't know what you're talking about.
- When you first came in here And you put down your brandy tray, You peeked at that piece of paper.
Do you read ancient greek? - Read greek? I'm a servant.
- The name that you read is His name.
Isn't that why you were smiling? - All right, suppose I did read it? It says I didn't kill him.
- Classical greek That you learned from the seminary.
And from the conclave.
You learned about licinianus And his account of a trial That might possibly differ from the gospel.
- What does it matter? Palmer's note-- I did not kill him! - Problem is palmer didn't write this--he did.
Your reaction's as good as a confession.
- I confess to nothing! - And for years You followed this, planning to burn it.
That's it.
That's the book.
Never on the shelves.
It was in lenore's hand.
She did the strangest thing You can do with a priceless book--she read it.
LicinianusLies beneath the lines of catullus.
This is a palimpsest.
But you know that, don't you? That's why You rigged these lights.
There it is.
An ancient account Of a trial that might shake your single-minded faith, Because maybe the trial was political.
Maybe jesus was never denounced by the jews.
Is that the knowledge that you fear? - [chuckles.]
[american accent.]
you could never understand.
And killing palmer was never my intent.
He was merely an obstacle.
- Right.
And when you realized that he saw you here And you were gonna get fired and be forced away-- - Give it to me! I'm on a mission from god! - If you were on a mission from god, You wouldn't have killed For this.
- Please.
Please let me have it.
Let me touch it.
- No.
So when I--I found that priest's kit That's when I knew.
In that drawer of palmer's, - So he killed them then gave them last rites.
- Yeah.
How 'bout that? A priest till the end, huh? - So what will happen to lenore? - She's gonna beOkay, 'cause the collection of palmer's Turned out to be more valuable than anybody thought.
She's gonna be in that house if she wants to be, You know, for the rest of her life.
- Where are they taking celeste? - Uh, don't worry, my dear.
Things will come back to normal.
Now, we intend to be part of your life, Look after things here.
Good night.
- We'll see you tomorrow, dear.
- Zachary.
- Yes.
- You're leaving too.
- Yes.
- May I ask you a question? - Yes, ocourse.
- Why do you never kiss me? - I will - When? - Tomorrow.
You know, you only fall in love for the first time Just once.
And she was that person for me.
You know, she was not just beautiful.
She was just magical.
I've gotta finally let go of this whole thing.
Ha, it's so mysterious, isn't it? It's kind of like when we first fell for each other, I suppose.
And, you know, if you really love somebody, Maybe it never goes away.