CSI: Crime Scene Investigation s13e15 Episode Script

Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Thank you! What's this? I, uh took a total shot in the dark.
Please tell me I'm right? Uh, yeah, actually, you are.
Well, in that case, happy birthday.
How did you know? You seem to be celebrating.
And I noticed how you keep watching that party over there.
God.
It's that obvious, huh? Two forks.
Of course.
You can't eat birthday cake alone.
All right, then, well, I guess I should blow out the candle, huh? Unless you want me to sing "Happy Birthday.
" No.
No, please.
Um Hope your wish comes true.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Can we grab another bottle and an extra glass? Unless the party's over.
No.
No, I'm not driving.
It's a present to myself.
Day at the spa, room at the hotel, dinner Why not? Treat yourself, right? You deserve it.
Thank you.
You saved my night.
You were a definite upturn in my night, as well.
All right, so, where to? Twelve.
Well, this is you-- 12.
I know.
Suddenly, being alone in my hotel room doesn't sound like that much fun.
Sara? What are you doing here? Checking out.
You spent the night? Why are you here? We have a body up on 18.
Homicide.
Oh, I'll ride up with you.
Just can't stay away, can you? Happy birthday, by the way.
Who are you? Who, who, who, who? Who are you? Who, who, who, who? I really wanna know Who are you? Oh-oh-oh Who Come on, tell me who are you, you, you Are you! Hey.
Thought you had the day off.
I need to talk to you.
Sure.
Can it wait a second? No, it can't.
Okay.
I know him-- the victim.
What do you mean, know him? I was in his room last night.
That room? The one with the body? I was having dinner downstairs, he came up to my table, I ended up in his room.
I was there an hour, maybe a little more.
Nothing happened.
You need to sit down with a detective, and give him a statement, tell him everything.
Every detail.
Taylor Wynard.
Won't be going back home to Carson City.
I count seven stab wounds, but, uh, no defensive wounds.
So he didn't put up a fight, huh? Maybe the first penetration hit a vital, took all the fight out of him.
Which would mean the next six was somebody working out some serious issues.
Someone he knew, maybe.
He had company.
Lipstick says a lady.
Well, I'll scan these fingerprints, bounce 'em back to Mandy, see if anything pops.
Hey, what steak dinner doesn't come with a steak knife? Knife's missing? Could be the murder weapon.
Weapon of opportunity.
Means this wasn't necessarily premeditated.
Guys we got a problem.
Sara-- prints on the wine glass belong to Sara.
Say what? That's right.
Sara just told me that she was here last night, in this room.
That's all I know right now.
But it doesn't change anything.
We still work the evidence like we always do.
We left the restaurant and went up to the room around 10:00.
I was probably there an hour.
We sat and talked.
That was it.
Are you sure about that? Your fingerprint was on a wine glass.
Uh, it was about the third bottle, by my count.
It was my birthday.
So you were up in his room for an hour, and then, the night ended? Why? I mean, what happened? Nothing happened.
Um I got a text, uh, from someone wishing me a happy birthday.
Someone? The text was from Gil Grissom.
Uh, that's your husband, right? You already checked my phone records? So you got a text from your husband, then you ended the night abruptly.
Now, your date Hey, he was not my date.
The guy how did he react? Was he angry? Why would he be angry? You're in his hotel room.
There's been a lot of drinking.
He has to be thinking, you know, this is headed to bed.
I don't know what he was thinking.
But I went back to my room, alone.
Okay, well, according to the keycard reader on your door, that was at 11:15.
That sound about right? Yeah.
Tell me about the phone call at midnight.
What phone call? You called the victim at 12:04.
Your cell to his.
The call lasted for eight minutes.
No no, I didn't.
I checked the phone records remember? So, what was she doing here, anyways? It-it doesn't even make sense.
I don't even really think we should talk about it.
But I rode up in the elevator with her, and she didn't say anything.
Greg, I'm serious.
I really don't want to talk about it.
All right? Let's just try and do our job.
Hey, come check this out.
That's Sara's.
I recognize it.
After the phone call that never happened, what did you do? I didn't do anything.
I was asleep.
I've been having a little trouble at night, so my doctor prescribed some pills.
You took a sleeping pill? On top of all that alcohol? Yeah, I did.
The key card reader on your door said you reentered your room at 2:49 a.
m.
Crawford, that's impossible.
I never left my room.
Do you want to check the log for yourself? You see my problem? It's your whereabouts from midnight to 3:00 a.
m.
Well, this isn't looking good.
Found damp towels in the bathroom.
Hair in the drain is definitely not the victim's, but the length and color are consistent with Sara's.
Okay, you want to process the bed, or you want me to do it? I'll do it.
Sheets are gone.
Greg, someone removed the evidence.
Just a warning.
It's been a while since I've stuck someone.
Hodges is the expert.
I don't think you want to be around Hodges and a sharp object right now.
How come? He thinks I cheated on Grissom.
Might as well have cheated on God.
In Hodges' eyes, you pretty much did.
So, that's the general consensus around here, that I cheated on my husband? You know, I never met Grissom.
He was gone before I came.
But the fact that I've never seen him around I understand.
Morgan, nothing happened.
Okay.
Point is, I wouldn't judge you if something did.
Once we run a tox screen, we can extrapolate back to establish last night's levels.
I figured he'd have to be really good-looking to get Sara's interest.
Do you mind? You're talking about people we know.
Are we Team Grissom or are we Team Sara? Which one are we protecting? I see no reason why we can't protect both.
Clearly, they're going through tough times.
We should be respectful of that.
I wasn't not being respectful.
It just seems like people here are a little more upset about Sara's possible infidelity than the fact that she is a suspect in a homicide.
Is that the murder weapon? I hope you can tell me.
It's from the hotel.
They've got hundreds just like it-- but there was one missing from the room service cart in the victim's room.
Blade length looks to be about right.
Handle would be consistent with the hilt marks on the victim.
I'm as certain as I can be without having the actual weapon in my hand.
Well, we will try and get that for you.
Hodges? Ah-ah-ah! Do not come in here.
As far as this lab is concerned, you do not exist.
Look, I know you're angry, but I Oddly enough, this is not a matter of my feelings.
It's purely practical.
I've just spent the last three hours scrubbing any and all hint of you from this lab, so as to eliminate the possibility of contaminating any evidence.
You enter here, I have to begin all over again.
So you're not mad at me.
I didn't say that-- I merely said that's not why I barred you from my lab.
Okay, well, you know, I actually came here to tell you what happened.
And taint my objectivity? Let's let the evidence speak for itself, shall we? Hey.
How you holding up? I'm not sure.
I-I've never been in this situation before.
How can you tell? Yeah, well, don't let Hodges be the determining factor.
Do you think Nick and Greg are back yet? I-I feel like I really need to talk to them.
Sara, go home.
You need some distance.
I should be here; I need to help.
You can't; you know that.
Just get out of here.
Go home, take a bath, do something to take care of yourself.
Really, this is the last place you should be.
I-I I don't know how it got there.
You know, I wanted a glass of water, and I noticed that the dishwasher was running, so I opened it So it was running when you got home.
Maybe.
I wasn't paying attention.
Nick, somebody is screwing with me.
Who? I have no idea.
I checked the entire house.
No sign of forced entry.
Well, who else has a key or knows your alarm code? You guys, Grissom, that's it.
Look, somebody was here.
I mean, it was probably the same person that killed Taylor Wynard.
If that's true, I'm sure we'll find evidence of it.
What do you mean, "if that's true"? Relax, okay? We're on your side here.
But you also need to be on our side.
Remember how we said we're a family? That means that we have to start telling each other the truth.
What are you talking about? Found this in your bedroom.
What is it? Photos.
So this is you and Taylor Wynard, right? I'm having trouble with you lying to me like this, Sara.
I didn't lie to you.
It was an omission.
You can spin it any way you want, I still got a problem with it.
Yeah, but this proves what I've been talking about.
Okay? Someone else is behind this.
Sara you knew the victim.
You know how bad this looks.
At the time, I didn't think it was relevant to what happened at the hotel.
Well, when did you meet him? When was this? Two weeks ago, it was the first and only time that I saw him, and when he came to my table last night, it was a complete surprise.
What's going on? Come on.
Pills, alcohol-- this is not you.
Yeah, according to the tox report, ten hours after the fact, your blood alcohol level was still .
03.
A-And your sleeping pills, the zolpidem, point-nine milligrams a liter.
That's impossible.
Not point-nine.
I-I took a single five-milligram sleeping pill-- there's no way that it could metabolize for ten hours and still be that high.
That's not the point.
It's your behavior that's worrying me.
I mean, you lied to me, you lied to him.
And I know it's not my place to comment on your personal life, but You mean my cheating on my husband? Truth is, he's not my husband anymore.
Why? What happened? Ask him-- I'm sure he had my best interests in mind.
So yeah, I I've been struggling a little bit.
All right, well, if anything changes, I'd appreciate a call.
Thanks.
No sign of the missing bed sheets.
They were probably thrown in the hotel laundry, in which case, they're as good as gone.
Mm.
Well, if this is the murder weapon, there's no way to know for sure.
Pheno came back negative.
There's no blood, no tissue nothing.
Could have all been washed away.
Yeah.
Well, I guess we can say that it's consistent with the murder weapon, and that it was found in Sara's house.
Well, she didn't kill anybody.
It's no crime to not want to be lonely.
I just finished processing the hair from the victim's shower drain.
It's a positive match for Sara's.
Okay, so she showered.
Why lie about it? All right, would you still think it was a lie if she didn't remember the shower? Sara had a considerable level of zolpidem in her system-- a sleep drug that is associated with all sorts of bizarre sleepwalking behaviors.
Yeah-- sleep-eating, sleep-driving Almost always, the subject doesn't remember the event afterwards.
Okay, so you're suggesting that Sara sleep-showered and doesn't remember? I am suggesting that if that's the case, we have to consider any other sleep-acts she might have been capable of.
Murder-- certainly a possibility.
Incidentally, don't you think that one of us should call Grissom? No.
One of us should not call Grissom.
I wish you would've said something about you and Grissom splitting up.
He's so revered around here, there's no way that I don't come out looking like the bad guy.
Come on, I would've drank with you.
That's my necklace.
Why is my necklace on the monitor? Sara Nick, d-did you find that necklace in the hotel room? Sara, you shouldn't be seeing that.
Nick, listen to me, okay? I wasn't wearing that necklace last night.
That necklace was at my home in my bedroom.
You heard what Russell just said-- now, come on.
Just tell me-- did you find that necklace in the hotel room? Yes.
Now, come on, let's go.
Come on.
Ronald Basderic.
Been terrorizing Edie for six months.
I tried to help her get a restraining order, but the judge denied it.
Edie, is that creep still stalking you? You terrorized her.
You kept her awake at night.
She was afraid to walk home.
It's because of you that she stayed, and now she's dead! I know it's you, Ronald.
You wanted me to know, right? That's why you left the necklace? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.
The necklace that Edie gave me.
Because I helped her when she wanted a restraining order against you.
You watched every move she made back then.
I'm sure you were stalking her when she bought it, right? You really don't look well, Sara.
I wonder if you're not experiencing an unusual amount of stress lately.
I'm worried about you.
You killed a man, Ronald.
Why? Why did you do that? Because I helped Edie? Because I because I stood up to you? But you were wrong about me then, Sara.
What makes you think you're not wrong about me now? You've been following me; you've been stalking me.
You took those pictures.
You somehow arranged for Taylor to be at the hotel.
And did I somehow make you go up to his room? Did I force your infidelity on you? Stay away from me.
Speaking of which, have you called your husband? Have you told him about the tough day you're having? Tell you what, let's do it together.
I have his number right here on speed dial.
You're not gonna walk away this time, Ronald.
That's a promise.
Hey, um am I out of my mind, or are you hiding evidence from me? Well, we're definitely not hiding evidence from you, so it must be that other thing you just said.
Yeah, I just found out that you've recovered her hair in his shower drain.
Which we only just confirmed for ourselves.
And we told you.
What about the knife? She had the murder weapon in her home.
We don't know that's the murder weapon.
I know this detective badge may be new, but I've been a cop long enough to know how to read between the lines.
That's the difference between what you do and what I do.
I don't read between the lines-- I stay with the evidence.
And right now, there's no evidence that says that Sara killed Taylor Wynard, only that she was in his room.
In his room, having an illicit affair under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs, lying about her activities.
Look, there you go, between the lines again.
Look, I am not gunning for Sara.
I do not want a CSI to be guilty.
But I want to try to protect the rest of you guys as well.
And I keep thinking, if this were anyone else, we would've made the arrest by now.
It's Sidle.
I told the la S-I-D-L-E.
I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab.
I need the phone records for Ronald Basderic.
No, you see, I don't have the warrant, but if you get me his phone records, I will get you an administrative subpoena as soon as I'm back in the office.
How about that? I have to call you back.
Hey.
Akers.
Uh, you need to come with me, Sara.
What's going on? Just grab whatever you need, please, and come along.
What are you gonna do? Any possibility you're overreacting? She was waiting for me.
She stalked me.
She came to my work.
Just There he is.
Crawford.
Where is she? You processed her?! I had to.
She got herself on camera this time.
Greg, I-I never touched him.
He's setting me up-- he set me up at the hotel, and he's setting me up now.
Why were you even there? Russell tells you to go home and you go to Basderic's workplace? I know.
I-I, I screwed up, okay? Yeah.
But I'm telling you that Basderic is the one behind this, okay? He left Edie's necklace because he wanted me to know that it was him.
Where's the rest of it? That's all there is.
There's only the one camera.
But, Sara, the D.
A.
has more than enough to charge you with.
You were clearly the aggressor here.
No.
Look at that! No, he knew exactly where to stand for the camera.
He-he he lured me to that spot.
The only physical contact that I had with Basderic is on that video.
Then how did he get those injuries? Greg, how long have you known me? You know I didn't do this.
She's unstable.
I can't be the only one who sees that.
And yet she's permitted to carry a gun and a badge.
Does that seem wise? Before today, when was the last time you saw CSI Sidle? Not since the last time she falsely accused me of murder.
The massacre at Frank's Diner.
Where I lost my Edie.
Is that what she did today? Did she accuse you of murder? Yes.
Someone at a hotel.
To be honest, I didn't follow everything she said.
She seemed disoriented and confused.
And what about right before the altercation? Do you remember what was said exactly? Are you asking if I provoked her? Is that her defense? That this is my fault somehow? I asked her to leave me alone.
She persisted.
Feeling threatened, I pulled out my phone and called 911.
That's when she attacked me.
Hey.
How's she doing? Honestly, I'm a little worried.
She's got to be struggling over this breakup with Grissom and just not talking about it, you know? Feeling isolated from the rest of us.
Yeah, so she goes and she beats the crap out of Basderic? Well, she says she didn't do it.
Her clothes are helping her case.
I just examined them-- there is no hint of trace or any transfer evidence.
Well, there you go.
After the beating Basderic took, that would be impossible.
Yeah, which means Basderic is lying.
He probably beat himself up.
You know, Sara thinks that Basderic committed the hotel murder; that the whole thing is an elaborate setup aimed at her.
Let's start talking about what that would take.
If Basderic wanted to pull this off-- kill Taylor Wynard and frame Sara, what would that require? You would have to know that Sara was gonna be at the hotel.
Well, that wouldn't be that hard to do.
She made the reservations online a couple of weeks ago.
You just got to hack into her e-mail.
Okay.
What else? You'd have to be able to get in and out of her house, and her hotel room, while she was still in there.
And he would have to arrange for the victim to be at that hotel as well.
All right, assuming that Basderic is the one who took those photos, he knew about their previous encounter.
I mean, it's been four months since Frank's Diner-- he's wanted to get back at her ever since.
And who better than a crazed and obsessive sociopath to do it? He set her up.
There's got to be evidence of it.
Yeah, we just have to find it.
Thank you for whatever strings you pulled to get me out of here.
Wasn't me.
Thank Basderic.
He's not pursuing charges.
He does have this for you, though.
Restraining order.
Mm-hmm.
You're kidding me.
Sara, you're out.
That's a gift.
Now just take it and stay away from him.
Gun, I keep.
You're on leave until the department can figure out what to do with you.
And, Sara, next time you're struggling with something, anything, come talk to me.
It's important for both of us you know you can do that.
Sorry, look, I-I got a bunch of messages here from the care facility that looks after my mother.
In San Francisco? No, no, I moved her down here about six months ago.
Although I don't see her any more often than I did when she was up north.
Oh, great-- she got her hands on a bottle of alcohol.
She's in the hospital.
Just what I needed.
Hi, uh, I'm looking for Laura Sidle.
Thanks.
Sara.
Hi, Mom.
Oh, sweetie.
I'm so s-sorry.
Mom, you can't be drinking, you know that.
You know what happens when you start.
You can't drink like that.
I-I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I really am.
I know.
I know you are.
I pray and pray for you.
All the time, so that you wouldn't turn out like me.
Mom, I'm fine, okay? Just-just rest.
Just-just try to rest right now.
But what about the man? What man? At the hotel.
You killed him.
You stabbed him.
Just like I stabbed your father.
Who told you that? Who did you talk to? Your friend.
Ronald.
He's very nice.
So sweet.
Hey.
What's up? Hotels have a device that allows them to override the keycard slot, and according to the log, someone did exactly that and entered Sara's room just before midnight.
Which means the killer could have taken her phone, and would explain the midnight call she said she never made.
Then it would let the killer steal the key to re-enter the room later.
He's taking a big risk though, with her asleep.
I mean, what if she woke up? Well, if she did, she has insomnia on a level the world has never seen.
I tested Sara's sleeping pills.
They had been tampered with.
Super-sized, if you will.
They contained more than double the prescribed dosage.
Safe to say, she was knocked out.
So Sara was set up.
Now we just got to prove that it was Basderic.
Hey, take a look at this.
These are the shower drain covers from both Sara and the victim's rooms.
The micro-scratches on the drain covers don't line up with the surrounding rings.
But when I swap them Look.
A perfect match.
That's how Sara's hair got in the victim's room.
Someone swapped the drain covers.
All right, my turn.
So, these are video stills from hotel surveillance the night of the murder.
All right, what am I looking for? This guy.
Right here.
Now, he seems to be in all the right places at all the right times.
Yeah but with that hat and those glasses, it's hard to say.
It could be anybody.
True.
But check this out.
Here's Basderic leaving work, the same day.
Now, look at the shoes.
Atlantic Oxfords.
And notice the pants? There's a coffee stain or something right there.
Now, if we compare the two Same stain, same clothes same guy.
Nice.
Which means now we can put Basderic in the hotel the night of the murder.
Question is, what does he really want? I mean, why would he plan it out the way he did? Well, he's obsessed with Sara-- he wants to get back at her for belittling him for stalking Edie.
Okay, but what's his endgame? If he just wants to frame Sara for murder, he could've left the bloody knife at her house-- then she really would've been screwed.
Instead, he washes it off.
Why? Same reason he didn't press charges for the assault.
He doesn't want her locked up; he wants her out.
Which means he's not done with her.
And I think I know why.
Russell, during the Frank Steiner murder Sara and I turned up a previous court case that involved Basderic.
I remember, civil suit-- he collected damages after somebody assaulted him, right? The point is that Basderic drew the guy in.
He harassed and stalked his wife until the guy finally came after him.
Then Basderic shot him in self-defense.
Now, Sara already has the restraining order against her.
And she's on record for having assaulted the guy.
So if she goes after him, he could legally shoot her and get away with it.
That is the revenge that he's after.
He doesn't want to frame her, he wants to kill her.
Where's Sara now? I don't know.
She won't answer her phone.
Another ambush by Las Vegas's finest? No, we just want to have a friendly conversation, Ronald.
Is that a weapon you're carrying? The gun is registered.
I have a permit to carry it.
I'm gonna have to relieve you of it anyway.
Just while we're talking.
Make sure nothing goes sideways, nobody gets hurt.
We know you were at the hotel.
Well, that's awfully vague.
Am I supposed to know what you're talking about? You know exactly what I'm talking about.
Last night, when you stabbed Taylor Wynard to death.
And you have evidence of this? Or am I supposed to just offer up a confession? Is that why you're here? No.
I'm here to give you a warning.
If you hurt Sara She attacked me.
I'm the one who has to be worried.
Maybe we should take you in.
We could hold you for your own protection.
That won't be necessary.
Next time-- should there be a next time-- I'll be ready.
Next time's with me.
I'm free to go, am I not? Nick I won't let you hurt her.
Can I have my gun, please? You be careful with that.
Leave the light off.
What do you want? What do I want? I'm gonna stop you.
I didn't want to do this.
I didn't want to come here.
But you made me, Ronald.
You discredit me at my job, you get me arrested, you go after my mother?! You don't really think you can get away with this.
I don't really care.
Somebody needs to stop you.
You have ruined so many lives.
And now I'm gonna ruin yours.
Don't bother.
I removed the firing pin when I was in your house.
Don't worry, I'll put it back.
After.
This is exactly what you wanted, isn't it? You planned all of this right down to this minute right here.
Well, at least now you can appreciate what I went through.
The months of planning, the attention to detail.
Did you even notice? Seven stab wounds.
I stabbed him seven times, just like your mother stabbed your father.
You're sick, Ronald.
I watched you, Sara.
I read your e-mails.
I witnessed your adolescent groping outside the bar.
You know, I had to pay Taylor to meet you at the hotel? I told him we were friends, that I didn't want you to spend your birthday by yourself.
I even sprung for the dessert.
And now I get to kill you.
Just do it already.
You're done, Ronald.
This time for real.
What did I tell you, Ronald? I said I won't let you hurt her.
Blanks.
You switched my ammo.
No, he did.
Must be yours.
Guess I, uh, got mixed up somehow.
There you go.
Yeah.
Right.
Come on.
Ugh! No! I do not need that damn chair.
I can walk just fine.
Well, I know, Mom, but the hospital has rules.
Since when were you one to follow rules? What was it you used to tell me? If, um somebody wants to do something nice for you, why get in their way? I did say that, didn't I? All the time.
You were full of good advice.
Too bad I didn't take any of it myself, right? Oh There are so many things I wish I had done differently.
And most of them, I I can't change now.
But one thing I would like to try and change is the way things are between us.
Maybe we could visit once in a while.
I just want you to be okay.
I'm fine.
I'm great.
I think people would understand if you want to take some time off.
No, I'd rather get right back in.
You sure? Where else would I want to be? Okay.
Little late for an intervention, don't you think? Well, I just I just thought We.
We just thought that it might be a good idea to talk.
Or listen.
Whatever you prefer.
Have a seat.
I didn't mean to shut you guys out.
I didn't tell you about Grissom and me because I didn't believe it myself.
You know, we made that dinner reservation together before we split up, and as I sat there alone in the restaurant I honestly expected him to show up.
I think that we all like the idea of you two being together.
And maybe it was because that was our way of-of hanging on to him just a little bit, you know.
But if it's over it's over.
Hey, you can't sit around waiting forever.
And you'll always have us.
Like it or not.
Thank you.
Thank you for not giving up on me.