A teenage boy, Marlon, is being prosecuted for a murder of Stacey, one of his female classmates. During his trial, his 12-year-old sister Hannah takes the stand, and admits that she herself murdered Stacey. The CSI team is now faced with a strange dilemma - two confessions for the one murder. As Hannah is a genius, in high school already, some CSI members suspect that she could not have physically committed the murder. Finally the brother is found to be not guilty by the jury. Later, Hannah reveals to Sara that it was Marlon all along.
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] WHITE FLASH TO: [EXT. TENNIS COURTS -- NIGHT] (A girl practices hitting balls being thrown by a machine.) [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] [EXT. TENNIS COURTS -- NIGHT] (The girl grunts as she hits the ball.) [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] [EXT. TENNIS COURTS -- NIGHT] (The girl runs around the courts as she practices. As she continues hitting balls, we hear a voiceover: Sofia Curtis: (V.O.) Stacy Vollmer was last seen practicing alone on the school tennis court that Friday at around 9:00 P.M. [INT. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT] (Stacy Vollmer opens her locker. She takes out some clothes and puts them down on the bench behind her.) Sofia Curtis: (V.O.) The clothes she was wearing were found in her locker. (She puts some clothes back in the locker.) (She takes off the shirt she's wearing.) (In the foreground, a shadowy figure walks across the camera frame.) (Stacy removes her bra.) FLASH TO: [EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - DAY] [CU: STACY'S FACE] (The body is wrapped in plastic and buried, her face and head exposed. Camera pulls back.) Sofia Curtis: (V.O.) Her body was discovered near the football field by the landscaping crew the following Monday morning. (Forensics removes dirt as she's being dug up and he puts it in a plastic container. Officers look around the area. Her body is buried in an area shaped like the letter 'T'.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. COURTROOM - DAY] (Sofia Curtis is on the witness stand and being questioned by ADA Jeffrey Sinclair.) ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Can you tell us the exact location of the body? Sofia Curtis: She was dumped in a flower bed, wrapped in a shower curtain. INSERT: FLASHBACK TO: [EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - DAY] (Nick arrives. He walks past Sofia, who is talking with someone at the scene.) Sofia Curtis: (V.O.) CSI arrived an hour later, excavated the body and began processing the scene. (Nick looks around at the small crowd of students gathered just outside the fence. He turns and looks back at the body being dug up.) ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) Dr. Robbins, will you explain how Stacy died? Robbins: (PRE-LAP) (V.O.) Beneath this laceration, ... END OF FLASHBACK: RESUME TO COURTROOM: (Dr. Robbins is on the stand. Next to him, is a monitor with photos. As he speaks, the appropriate morgue photo is viewed.) Robbins: ... I found a complex fracture of the occipital bone. Multiple shards of bone were driven into the occipital lobe of the brain, resulting in massive bleeding. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage, consistent with a single, sharp blow to her head. INSERT: CGI POV: (The female body falls back, her head hits the ground. We see the image of her skull and the impact as the skull is shattered.) (Camera zooms in for a close-up to show the image of her skull being cracked at the impact.) END OF CGI POV: RESUME TO COURTROOM: SHORT TIME CUT TO: (Nick is now on the witness stand giving his testimony.) Nick: A search of the defendant's house yielded a laundry hamper containing the clothes he wore the night of the murder. (The photo of the clothes in the hamper is shown on the monitor.) ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Did you find any blood or DNA on the clothes? Nick: No. We determined they had been bleached. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Isn't bleach used to destroy blood and DNA evidence? Carol Allred (defense): Objection: Argumentative. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Withdrawn. What else did you find in the house? Nick: Human hairs consistent with the victim - (Nick turns to look at the monitor where a photo of hairs stuck in a drain are shown.) -- were discovered in the drain of the bathroom sink. DNA was extracted and was also matched to the victim. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: And based on this evidence, police arrested Marlon West. (Nick looks at the defendant.) Nick: That's correct. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Thank you, Mr. Stokes. No further questions. (There's a dramatic pause.) ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: The state now calls Hannah West. (Carol Allred stands up.) Carol Allred (defense): Your honor, defense reiterates our objection. She's a 12-year-old girl. Judge Crawford: We've been through this already, counsel. (to the jury) The defendant's sister is being called as a hostile witness. That means the district attorney is permitted to ask leading questions. (to Sinclair) Be nice. (Hannah West gets up and takes the witness stand.) SHORT TIME CUT TO: (ADA Jeffrey Sinclair questions Hannah West.) ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Now, Hannah, isn't it a fact that on the night of Friday, December 2, 2005, your parents left you and your brother, the defendant, home alone? Hannah West: They went away for a ... ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Yes or no, please. Hannah West: Yes. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: And isn't it also a fact that you and your brother were not together between the hours of 6:00 and 10:00 P.M.? Hannah West: Well, Marlon -- he didn't really... ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Yes or no? Hannah West: Yes. ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Thank you, Hannah. Hannah West: I'd like to say something ... ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: No further questions, your honor. Judge Crawford: Cross-examination? (Carol gets up.) Carol Allred: Absolutely, your honor. Uh, Hannah, wh-what were you trying to say? ADA Jeffrey Sinclair: Objection: Calls for a narrative. Judge Crawford: Overruled. Carol Allred: You go ahead, Hannah. You say what you need to say. Hannah West: Marlon didn't kill Stacy. I did. (The jury and observers react.) Judge Crawford: Ladies and gentlemen. Order in the court. (She stands up.) Hannah West: And I was wearing this when I did it. (She unzips her jacket to show her blood-stained blouse underneath.) (The jury gasps.) Judge Crawford: Order in the court. Please - (Jeffrey Sinclair turns around and looks at Nick.) FADE TO END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- DAY] (Conrad Ecklie joins Nick, who is picking up his messages. They turn and head down the hallway.) Conrad Ecklie: Good news is Judge Crawford denied the defense's motion to dismiss. Nick: Of course he did. She's just a mixed-up kid trying to protect her older brother. All the evidence points to Marlon. Conrad Ecklie: Yeah, and all the jury's going to remember is a little girl in a bloody shirt confessing to murder. That's reasonable doubt on a silver platter. Nick: All right, then we have to prove that Hannah could not have done this. Conrad Ecklie: Exactly. Nick: We'll need a week to reexamine the evidence. Conrad Ecklie: Judge gave the DA a 72-hour continuance. Nick: Come on ... Conrad Ecklie: Best he could do, Nick. Now you go do your best. (Nick chuckles wryly as Ecklie leaves. He shakes his head.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. INTERVIEW ROOM -- DAY] (Hannah removes her jacket She takes off her bloodied shirt and gives it to the officer in the room.) SHORT TIME CUT TO: (Hannah puts on the too large orange uniform.) (The officer takes Hannah's fingerprints.) Marlon West: (PRE-LAP) (V.O.) Everybody thought Stacy was so ... [SCENE_BREAK] [VIDEO FOOTAGE - TIME STAMP: 7:51 PM] (Marlon West talks with Sofia Curtis.) Marlon West: ... special. She thought so, too. She wasn't. Stacy was a stuck-up bitch and a miserable person. I just put her out of her misery. (He sighs and leans back in his seat.) Marlon West: I killed her and I put her in the ground. That's all I've got to say. (Nick uses the remote and puts the video player on pause.) [INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM - DAY] LEGEND: 68 HOURS TO TRIAL (Nick and the rest of the team are around the layout table as he goes over the case with everyone. The crime scene photos are spread out on the table.) Nick: The judge suppressed the video because the child advocate was never brought in, even though Marlon had waived his rights. We really didn't need a confession out of him. The case against this kid was solid. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. LOCKER ROOM - SHOWERS - NIGHT] (Stacy Vollmer, a towel wrapped around her, passes by a string of OUT OF ORDER signs blocking the various shower stalls. Nick: (V.O.) It started out as a prank: A sabotaged showerhead. (She puts her towel aside and steps into the shower. She turns the shower on. The showerhead explodes.) (Stacy screams.) END OF FLASHBACK RESUME TO PRESENT: (Nick holds a photo of the exploded showerhead.He hands the photo to Catherine to look at.) Nick: pH tests later revealed the presence of a strong base substance, which was later identified as sodium hydroxide. Sara: Sounds like Marlon packed the showerhead with elemental sodium. Nick: A high school chemistry favorite, yeah. Just add water, and instant kaboom. Warrick: Those out-of-order signs must've been part of his game. You funnel the victim to the right showerhead. Did you process these? Nick: Yeah, I matched the spindle marks on the paper to a laser printer in the high school library. Sara: Accessible to any student. Nick: (nods) Mm-hmm. Catherine: (reads) "Multiple fragments of metal penetrating skin and dermis as deep as the superficial musculature of the back and neck." The showerhead explosion didn't kill her. Nick: No, no, it did not. (She points to a photo of a shower rod with empty rings on it.) Catherine: What happened to the shower curtain? Nick: Well, the vic was injured, disoriented. She grabbed the first thing she could to cover up and ran. INSERT: FLASHBACK [CU: SHOWER CURTAIN] (Stacy screams and pulls the shower curtain off the rod.) (She runs out of the locker room and down through the hallway.) Nick: The intermittent blood trail started in the locker room and headed down a hall. (She leaves drops of blood behind her.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Warrick: So Marlon followed her out just to hear her squeal? Nick: Or chased her out, yeah. There's no way to know. Either way, she ended up at the bottom of the stairs. The size of the blood pool indicates that the fatal wound occurred there. (He points to the photo of the blood pool.) Sara: Do you have any physical evidence that would conclusively rule Hannah out as a suspect? Nick: Well, yeah -- she's four-foot-three and 65 pounds. The crime just required more strength than she's got. Catherine: How old is she? Nick: Twelve. Warrick: In high school? Nick: She's a high school senior. She skipped six grades. She's a prodigy. Sara: Which means she has the brains for murder. Nick: Yeah, but not the brawn. The body was moved from the high school building across a football field and then hastily buried. The vic's car was then driven two miles from campus and parked in front of the house of a kid named Scott Baird, Stacy's boyfriend -- I think possibly to frame him. Warrick: Was he ever a suspect? Nick: No. He plays varsity hoops. He was out of town on an away game. (He picks up a photo of a blue car.) Nick: I found blades of grass with blood on them near the vic's car -- nondescript tracks headed towards the next-door neighbor's house. Catherine: Marlon West. Nick: Yeah. This kid's been in trouble before. Multiple fights, threats. It just got out of hand this time. Marlon West killed Stacy Vollmer. His little sister's just trying to exonerate him. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. TRACE LAB -- DAY] (Hodges has the bloodied shirt on a tray. He puts the tray in front of him and takes a sample of the dirt on the shirt and processes it.) (He takes a sample of known dirt and processes it as well.) (He takes off his gloves.) SHORT TIME CUT TO: (He compares the two results.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- DAY] (Nick turns the corner and hurries through the hallway when Hodges steps out of the lab and catches him.) Hodges: Hey, Nick. (Nick stops.) Nick: Hodges, did you get the soil analysis back on Hannah's shirt? Hodges: Matches the site of the body dump. Nick: Really! Hodges: So does this make Doogie Howser-ette your killer? Nick: Uh, I kind of doubt it. Hodges: Don't be so sure. It's not easy. Nick: What isn't easy, Hodges? Hodges: (patronizingly) Being profoundly gifted, knowing that everybody knows that you're always ten steps ahead of them. It's a lot of pressure. (Nick takes a breath; Hodges is just so full of it. Nick turns and leaves.) Hodges: Some days you feel like you're just going to snap. Nick: (mutters) I know the feeling. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY -- NIGHT] LEGEND: 61 HOURS TO TRIAL (Sara talks with Sofia Curtis.) Sara: In his confession, Marlon basically said that Stacy deserved to die. Sofia Curtis: He was alone in that opinion. Everybody liked Stacy -- parents and students. 4.0 GPA, varsity tennis team, homecoming queen. She even took a public virginity pledge with some of her classmates. Did they have those in your high school? Sara: No. Do you believe that Marlon killed her? Sofia Curtis: I was looking right into his eyes when he told me he did it. There's no doubt in my mind. (They walk out of camera frame.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM -- NIGHT] (OPEN of a pair of child's feet dangling off the floor.) (Sara and Sofia talk with Hannah West. The child advocate sits next to her.) Sofia Curtis: Two confessions, one crime. We don't get that a lot. When did you last speak with Marlon? Hannah West: The day the police came to my house and arrested him. Sara: You don't visit him? Hannah West: My parents won't let me see him in jail. Bad environment. Marlon didn't put me up to this. He was trying to protect me. It would've been wrong to let him be punished for something I did. (She looks at Sara and Sofia, who both look as if they don't believe her.) Hannah West: You don't think I could have done it. Neither one of you. Sara: That's a big job for a little girl. Hannah West: Not if you have the right tools. Sara: Smart kid like you ... knows your brother's suffering. You feel bad, you want to help, so you fabricate some evidence. Hannah West: If you thought that the evidence was fake, I wouldn't still be in jail. (Sofia and Sara glance at each other.) Hannah West: Aren't you going to ask me why I did it? Sara: Would you like to tell us? Hannah West: I throw off the curve. When I'm in a class, people who usually get A's, suddenly get C's. Stacy was applying to Harvard. She wanted me to dumb myself down. I said no. She didn't like that. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY] (The locker room is full of girls blow-drying their hair. Hannah tries to get to the sink.) Stacy Vollmer: Uh ... babies use the wall dryer. (Hannah goes to the wall dryer and turns it on, the air is too strong and it blows in her face. The other girls laugh at her.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Sofia Curtis: So you killed her because she messed up your hair? Hannah West: No. I'm used to pranks like that. I get them most every day. But Stacy ... didn't stop there. She had to take it to another level. And she used Scott to do it. Sofia Curtis: Scott Baird, Stacy's boyfriend. Hannah West: I was his tutor. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. ROOM - DAY] (Hannah is studying with Scott.) Scott Baird: You know, I was really pissed off at Stacy when I heard about the whole ... hair dryer thing, but her ... her friends had put her up to it. Stacy wanted me to give you something. (He gives her a box and opens it. Inside is a dress.) Scott Baird: It's a peace offering. I think you'll look great in it at the spring formal. Oh, you are so going. END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT (Sara smiles at Hannah.) Sara: You like him. Hannah West: He's on the basketball team. I'm twelve; I'm not allowed to like him, but ... I went anyway. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT] (Hannah arrives and looks for Scott, who is dancing with Stacy. He waves to her.) Scott Baird: Over here. (She steps under the black light to reveal writing on the front of her dress: FLAT. Arrows point to her chest. Additional writing is on the bottom, "RAINBOW PARTY QUEEN.") (Scott closes his eyes and turns away, feeling sorry for her.) (Stacy and the other girls laugh at her, taking pictures of her.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Hannah West: The pictures were up on my space that night. I got a ton of e-mails. Sara: You put sodium in the showerhead to get back at her? Hannah West: (nods) A prank for a prank. I thought that there'd be a few sparks, that she'd freak out and that'd be it, but the nozzle exploded. Stacy ran ... and fell down the stairs ... and died. (Sara watches her carefully.) Hannah West: I tried to cover it up. Sara: You miscalculated. (Hannah lifts up her head.) Hannah West: I guess I did. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB -- DAY] (Catherine is in the lab looking at the test results. Warrick walks up to her.) Warrick: You rang? Catherine: Got the DNA results on the blood from Hannah's sweater. Warrick: Stacy. Catherine: Hannah. Warrick: So she fabricated evidence, and put her own blood on the shirt. Catherine: Maybe, maybe not. The soil on the shirt was consistent with the dumpsite. Hannah could've been at the scene. INSERT: FLASHBACK [EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - NIGHT] (Hannah buries the body and cuts herself.) Catherine: (V.O.) She could have cut herself burying the body. (She wipes the dirt and blood on her shirt.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Warrick: Or she could have gone back to the field at any time within the last four months and rubbed her shirt in the same kind of dirt. Catherine: And counted on us to make the match? Well, that's just plain scary smart. I mean, my daughter's a few years older than her, and the most important thing on her mind right now is how much belly button to show off at the mall. (Warrick chuckles.) Catherine: Never thought I'd be grateful for that. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. COMMUNITY (STOCK) - DAY] [EXT. WEST RESIDENCE -- DAY] LEGEND: 44 HOURS TO TRIAL (The CSI SUV pulls up to the curb and parks out front of the house.) [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM -- DAY] (Photos and trophies grace the countertop. Sofia Curtis interviews Sally and Jim West.) Sally West: You have to understand. My child's not capable of murder. Sofia Curtis: I assume you mean Hannah. Sally West: Of course. Sofia Curtis: Well, Marlon's your child, too. Jim West: Marlon's from my wife's first marriage. Sally West: He's more like his father. (Off screen, we hear the door open. Nick and Sara enter the house. They turn and head for the bedrooms.) [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - MARLON'S BEDROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] Nick: This is Marlon's room. Sara: No kidding. Nick: It's pretty much the way I left it. The bleached clothes were in the hamper. (He points to the hamper on the side.) Nick: But the real action ... was in here. (He pushes the bathroom door open.) [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - MARLON'S BATHROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Sara and Nick enter the bathroom. Sara notes the second door to Hannah's bedroom.) Sara: Shared bathroom. Very Brady. Nick: Pulled Stacy's hairs out of the sink trap the first through. And I found some burn marks around the bathtub drain. pH tested positive for sodium hydroxide, so ... I figured Marlon probably did a test run. (Nick looks over at the stool with Hannah's name on it.) [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - HANNAH'S BEDROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Sara enters Hannah's bedroom. There's a poster of Albert Einstein on the wall, a neat desk with laptop on it and a printer nearby.) (In the corner of the room, there's a music stand with an open music book and a chair with a violin on it.) (Sara looks at the binders on the shelf for AP COMPUTER SCIENCE, AP US HISTORY, AP GOVERNMENT COMPARISON, AP CALCULUS B, and AP FRENCH.) (Sara puts on some gloves. Nick enters the room.) Nick: The scope of the warrant only covered Marlon's room and other common areas of the house. I popped my head in here. Nothing in plain sight at the time. (Sara notes the box of blue latex gloves. She finds a folded posterboard next to the dresser. She opens it. It's for a science fair project on the QUALITATIVE COMPARISON OF SODIUM AND LEAD-COOLED FAST REACTORS REGARDING EFFICIENCY, ECONOMY, AND SAFETY.) Sara: Was this here before? Nick: It wasn't in plain sight. I didn't check it. (Sara notes the blue ribbon on the posterboard.) Sara: Looks like Hannah won the science fair with a project about sodium. (Nick looks around the room.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Sofia Curtis continues to interview Sally and Jim West.) Sally West: Hannah's just trying to help Marlon. Sofia Curtis: So they're close? Jim West: No, not really. Sometimes I think if they didn't share a bathroom, they wouldn't see each other at all. Sofia Curtis: What do you mean? Sally West: They're on different academic tracks. Never take any of the same classes, and travel in completely different social circles. Sofia Curtis: From what we understand, Hannah doesn't really have a social circle. Sally West: (shrugs) The other students bore her. Hannah spends most of her time with her teachers. Sofia Curtis: And Marlon? (Sally shrugs.) Jim West: I guess ... I guess he spends most of his time alone. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - HANNAH'S BEDROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Nick snaps photos of a paperback book: CARRIE, by Stephen King. He picks up the book. Right under it is a hard cover, West's FEDERAL PRACTICE DIGEST 4th. Nick looks at paperback.) (Sara looks at Hannah's closet with an ALS.) (She finds the pink dress with the writing on it. She holds it up and reads it.) Sara: "Rainbow party"?! Nick: Yeah, it's a party game where boys get the girls to wear different colored lipsticks while they have oral s*x. Boy with the most colors wins. Supposed to be trendy. Sara: So much for "Spin the Bottle." Nick: Carrie. "Weird high school girl gets humiliated at the prom, only to exact her revenge." Hannah wanted us to find this. Sara: Maybe. Question is: did she read the book before ... or after the murder? [INT. WEST RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Sofia continues her conversation with Hannah's parents.) Jim West: We had Hannah's IQ tested when she was eight. It's 177. Sofia Curtis: She really is one in a million. Jim West: Hannah's special. Sally West: She's an indigo child. Sofia Curtis: Indigo child? Sally West: A new breed. Hannah doesn't just see the world, she sees through it, through people, with an intuition none of us can comprehend. She's compelled to help others, whether they're worth helping or not. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - EVENING] [INT. CSI - LAB -- DAY] LEGEND: 32 HOURS TO TRIAL (Nick hangs up the shower curtain and looks at the large bloodstain on it. He turns around and looks at the print card for: WEST, HANNAH SSN: 715-237-5412 (He picks up the print card with the unknown prints from the shower curtain. He turns and looks at the shower curtain.) (Catherine walks in.) Catherine: Ah, the shower curtain the vic was wrapped in. Nick: Yeah, I had Mandy run the unknowns from the original case against Hannah's prints. She got a match. Catherine: Okay. But Hannah uses those showers after gym class. Nick: This curtain was used in the handicapped shower. Why would she do that? Catherine: Probably hiding her body. She's twelve. She hasn't reached puberty. Undeveloped teen girls are very self-conscious. Nick: Mm-hmm. Four ... fingers, closely spaced. Grabbing, maybe. Catherine: Could be from Hannah dragging Stacy's body. INSERT: FLASHBACK [EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - NIGHT] (Hannah grabs the shower curtain and pulls Stacy's body across the field.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Nick: Hannah weighed 65 pounds. Stacy about a hundred. Dead weight. Catherine: Plastic slides on grass. It makes it easier. It's certainly possible. Nick: DA's not going to like the sound of that. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGH SCHOOL (STOCK) - DAY] [INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM -- DAY] (Sara talks with Mr. Estrin, the science teacher.) Mr. Estrin: Sodium demonstration is always a real crowd pleaser. (Sara chuckles.) Mr. Estrin: It's ended up in a senior prank more than once. I keep it over here, under lock and key, but, unfortunately, the lab's always getting broken into. (Sara leans forward and notes the broken lock and cracked glass.) Mr. Estrin: It's certainly possible Marlon got the sodium from here. INSERT: FLASHBACK (During a science experiment, Marlon stands in front.) Mr. Estrin: Everyone have their goggles on? (SLOW MOTION. He drops the sodium into the water.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME PRESENT Mr. Estrin: Which is precisely what I told the cops four months ago. (Sara notes the box of blue gloves.) Sara: You need gloves to handle elemental sodium. Mr. Estrin: Of course. It burns skin. We keep it in kerosene to stabilize it. Sara: Do you think it's possible that Hannah could have stolen it? Mr. Estrin: Hannah would never do that. Sara: I'm just wondering if it's possible. She obviously has access to this room. Mr. Estrin: Ms. Sidle ... I've had my share of good students over the years, but Hannah ... sometimes, right in the middle of a lecture, I'll catch her staring at some little thing in the yard -- a tree, a squirrel ... and all I can think about is how much I wish I could see it the way she does. If Hannah came up and asked me for a chunk of sodium, I'd give it to her, just to see what she would do with it. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GARAGE -- DAY] (Warrick and Catherine, both in coveralls, walk up to the car in the garage.) Warrick: The victim's car originally impounded ... in front of Scott Baird's house. Traces of blood and soil consistent with the crime were found in the front seat. Now, if Hannah's the killer, she had to drive this car. (Catherine opens the driver's door and looks inside.) Catherine: Well, it's got adjustable seats, tilt and telescoping steering wheel -- It's certainly possible. (Warrick looks in through the back seat. He notes the blood smear on the carpet.) Warrick: Soil and blood on the carpet. That was in the report. (He reaches in and flips over the underside of the material covering the car seat. He finds a drop of blood. Warrick: Hmm. But this wasn't. (Warrick gets out and removes the driver's seat from the car. Catherine closes the door as Warrick flips the seat over onto the nearby table.) Warrick: Okay, what do we got? (Catherine finds a fingerprint in the blood on the material under the chair.) Catherine: I'd say the killer moved the seat. Warrick: Yeah. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. CAR - NIGHT] (Hannah reaches under the chair to move the seat forward. Camera zooms in as she leaves a bloodied fingerprint on the material under the seat.) END OF FLASHBACK RESUME PRESENT [INT. CSI - PRINT LAB - NIGHT] LEGEND: 23 HOURS TO TRIAL (The print is being run through AFIS.) (Nick waits as Mandy Webster runs the print.) Mandy Webster: Twelve-year-old killer, huh? Nick: Starting to look that way, yeah. Mandy Webster: I bet that grand theft auto had something to do with it. Nick: Mm, I don't know. I don't think Hannah's really the video-game type. Mandy Webster: Never know. Between you and me, I actually think it's a ton of fun. (She finds a match to SCOTT BAIRD.) Mandy Webster: Print is a match to a Scott Baird. Isn't that the victim's boyfriend? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT] (Sofia Curtis interviews Scott Baird with his father, Mr. Baird, sitting next to him.) Mr. Baird: Two people confessed to the murder, and now you're accusing my son? Sofia Curtis: Kids do stupid things. Marlon covers for Hannah, Hannah covers for Scott. Scott Baird: Dad ... Mr. Baird: (interrupts) Don't say a word. Sofia Curtis: DNA confirmed your fingerprint in Stacy's car, in Stacy's blood. Mr. Baird: Scott loved Stacy. We all did. And when whoever killed her parked her car in my driveway to frame my son, I understood why you had to talk to him. But this? That's it. We're leaving. Come on, Scott. Sofia Curtis: This is the only chance you're going to get. If you walk out that door, you're under arrest. Mr. Baird: I want a lawyer. Scott Baird: I want to talk. Mr. Baird: Scott. Scott Baird: Without my dad. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - OBSERVATION ROOM -- NIGHT] LEGEND: 19 HOURS TO TRIAL (In the interview room, Mr. Baird puts up a fuss before leaving.) Mr. Baird: This is ridiculous. (DA Jeffrey Sinclair, Nick and Sara are in the observation room watching the interview room.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: I asked you guys to rule out one suspect, now we have three. Nick: If he's willing to talk, I'd say, we caught a break. Sara: The father's going to sue. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Oh, I'd put money on that. (In the interview room, Scott Baird talks with Sofia Curtis.) Sofia Curtis: Okay, Scott. You said you wanted to talk. Let's talk. Scott Baird: This doesn't get back to our families, all right? My dad's a deacon, and Stacy's dad is, too. They'll never understand. Sofia Curtis: They won't hear anything from me. Scott Baird: I was pressuring Stacy to have s*x. She kept resisting. It was that stupid virginity pledge that she had taken at the high school. I told her that I loved her, and that nothing should get in the way of that. Sofia Curtis: I take it that convinced her. Scott Baird: (nods) Yeah. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. CAR (PARKED) - NIGHT] (Scott and Stacy are kissing.) Stacy Vollmer: I mean, really? You really do? Scott Baird: Yeah. I love you. I love you with all of my heart. END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME TO PRESENT Scott Baird: There was a little blood. Not a lot, but ... after, she ... she started feeling guilty, so I went back into the front of the car and I tossed the condom. And ... then I ... wiped my fingers under the seat. (In the observation room, Nick takes out his phone and makes a call.) Hodges: (over phone) Hello? Nick: (to phone) Hodges, Stokes. Listen, there's a bloody fingerprint in the back freezer from Stacy Vollmer's car. Pull it and test it for spermicides and lubricants. (Sara nods.) We need it quickly, all right? Hodges: (from phone) I'm on it. (Nick hangs up.) Sara: If it tests positive, it will clear him. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Yeah. Which means we're down to Malcolm and Hannah. Right back where we started. (Sara rolls her eyes as she looks at Sinclair, then at Nick.) Scott Baird: Stacy said that she was afraid that God would punish her for having s*x. I told her that was crazy. Guess I was wrong. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY TO TRACE LAB -- DAY] (Sara talks with Nick.) Sara: Archie is not getting much off of Hannah's computer. Most of her files are encrypted aes-256. It's going to be nearly impossible to crack. Nick: What do you mean by "most"? Sara: Well, it's not much, but apparently Hannah had IP access to the laser printer in the high school library. Nick: Same one that printed the "out of order" signs for the shower. Sara: If she printed those signs, it shows intent. Nick: Mm-hmm. (They enter the Trace Lab where Hodges reports his findings.) Hodges: Ah, teen lust. Starts with some chemistry, and then you mess around with some biology, and once you have some experience "under your belt," then you introduce the physics. (Hodges shows Nick and Sara the test results.) Hodges: Apparently, chivalry is not dead: The bloody fingerprint tested positive for nonoxynol spermicide. Nick: So much for the boyfriend. Sara: If we can't pin this on Hannah or Marlon, they could both walk. Hodges: You could flip a coin. Nick: I have a better idea. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGH SCHOOL (STOCK) - DAY] (The school bell rings.) [INT. HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY -- DAY] (Nick and Sara walk through the hallway.) Sara: I bet you really liked high school. Nick: Yeah, playing football, chasing girls, books when I wanted to learn something -- What's not to like? [INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (They meet up with Warrick and Darcy. Darcy's barely paying attention to them as she listens to her iPod.) Warrick: Hey, guys. Nick: Hey. Warrick: This is Darcy, my wife Tina's niece. Sara: Hi, Darcy. Nick: Yeah. You were right; she's about Hannah's size. Warrick: More or less. Darcy: Stop talking about me. (Warrick reaches out and pulls the earplugs from her ears.) Hey, that's the best part! (They turn into the showers.) Warrick: That's what the pause button's for. It's time to work; it's child labor day. (They stop in front of the showers.) Nick: Okay. Crime started right here. INSERT: FLASHBACK (Stacy turns the shower on. The showerhead explodes.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME TO PRESENT (Warrick looks at Darcy.) Warrick: Think you could reach that? (Darcy reaches up and tries to reach the showerhead. She can't.) Warrick: It's kind of hard to sabotage a showerhead you can't touch. Nick: Depends on what's behind the curtain. (Nick pushes the curtain aside and finds a stool.) Nick: A stool. Just like the one in Hannah's bathroom. Try this. (Nick sets the stool down under the showerhead. Darcy steps on the stool and reaches for the showerhead.) INSERT: FLASHBACK (Hannah removes the showerhead and adds the sodium to it.) Sara: (V.O.) Hannah had access to the chem lab, and she knew how to handle sodium ... (Cut to: Hannah hides as Stacy enters the shower. She turns the shower on. The shower explodes; Stacy screams.) (Stacy grabs the shower curtain. Hannah hides as Stacy runs through the locker room.) Sara: (V.O.) Stacy would not have known what hit her. Or where she was going. WHITE FLASH TO: (Stacy runs out into the hallway. She trips on the edge of the shower curtain and falls down the steps. She hits the concrete, a pool of blood under her head.) (The image of Stacy Vollmer on the ground dissolves out.) Sara: Stacy landed here and bled out from the trauma to her skull. Nick: Darcy, why don't you put those headphones back on? Darcy: Like I didn't hear what you guys just said? Sara: Hannah could have done this. Nick: Maybe. But the next part, that was the toughest. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD -- DAY] (Darcy grunts as she pulls the shower curtain with the body weight inside.) (Darcy grunts.) Darcy: It's too heavy! Warrick: Come on, you're almost there! It's building character! Sara: It's slow going, but you're doing it. Nick: Yeah, so far. (Darcy's halfway across the track when she lets go.) Nick: (to Darcy) That's okay. Look, even if she makes it to the grass, you think she could've pulled the body the entire length of the football field? (They walk out onto the center field.) Nick: There were scratches on the shower curtain -- the body was dragged at least part of the way. Sara: There's no way Hannah pulled it the entire distance. Nick: Not by herself. They did it together. (They pause a moment to think about it.) Darcy: So ... did I help the dead girl? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- DAY] LEGEND: 10 HOURS TO TRIAL (Nick and Sara walk through the hallway.) Nick: If Marlon and Hannah worked this crime together, then they're probably still working as a team. Sara: It's all part of the plan: He confesses, then she confesses. Muddy the waters enough, they both get off on reasonable doubt. Nick: Mm-hmm. Well, if we can't get one to implicate the other, we're screwed. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 1 - DAY] (Nick talks with Marlon West in the presence of the child advocate.) Marlon West: I don't get it. What's wrong with you people? You want me to confess? Again? Fine, I will. Nick: Marlon, you need to confirm that you're willing to talk to me without a parent or lawyer present, just a child advocate. Marlon West: I already said that was okay. I killed Stacy; what else do I have to tell you? (Nick sits down.) Nick: Well, the truth works for me. I like the truth. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 2 - DAY] (Hannah West talks with Sara.) Hannah West: Look, I don't need a lawyer, and I don't need my parents. I just want to do what's right. Sara: Hannah, taking the blame for something you didn't do may be noble, but it doesn't make it right. Hannah West: That's deep. Okay. It happened like this: Stacy humiliated me, I wanted revenge. Sara: Yeah, and you knew that there was no way you were ever going to get it by yourself. [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 1 - DAY] (Nick continues his interview with Marlon.) Nick: You moved the body, you buried it ... Marlon West: I know I did; I was there. What's the problem? Nick: Well, the problem is what happened in the locker room. I mean, you're not the kind of guy who puts sodium in a showerhead to get back at somebody. You just trip them in the hallway. Marlon West: So you think I'm too stupid to have done it. Great, join the club. Nick: I don't think you're stupid, Marlon; I didn't say you were stupid. But this is Hannah's game. The whole way. Marlon West: (shakes his head) Uh-uh. I broke into the chem lab. I stole the sodium. Me. All by myself. Nick: It takes skills to handle a chemical like that properly. And, quite frankly, man, you just don't have the skills. [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 2 - DAY] (Sara continues her interview with Hannah.) Sara: Your prank went bad, and Stacy ended up dead. Hannah West: That's what I said. Sara: Marlon helped you bury her. Hannah West: No. Why won't you believe me? [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 1 - DAY] Marlon West: Stay away from Hannah. She had nothing to do with this. Nick: No, no, she had everything to do with this. You two were working together from the beginning. Marlon West: Just leave her alone. [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM 2 - DAY] Sara: Marlon helped you move the body. Hannah West: He didn't! Sara: You expect me to believe that a little girl like you lugged a hundred pounds of dead weight the length of a football field by yourself? Hannah West: No, of course not, that's why I had to use the cart. Sara: What cart? Hannah West: The electric cart. The one the landscapers were using. It was just sitting there, right outside the door. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI -- A/V LAB - DAY] (Warrick is digitally going through the various crime scene photos while on the phone with Sara.) Warrick: (to phone) Wait a minute. I got something. Let me clean up this image. (In the background, he sees the cart.) Warrick: (to phone) I see a cart, Sara. INSERT: FLASHBACK (Hannah drives the cart across the football field with the body in the back.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME TO PRESENT [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY OUTSIDE INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY] (Sara is in the hallway and on the phone.) Sara: (to phone) So Hannah could be telling the truth. Warrick: (from phone) It's enough for reasonable doubt. Sara: (to phone) Great. Thanks, Warrick. Warrick: (from phone) Yeah. (Sara turns and looks at Hannah sitting inside the interview room.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - OFFICE -- DAY] (Nick meets with DA Jeffrey Sinclair and Conrad Ecklie.) Nick: The evidence says either one of them could have done it, but I think they were in it together. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Okay, I'll proceed against Marlon for the murder and bring charges against Hannah for conspiracy. Conrad Ecklie: Another trial? You sure you want to go through all this again? (Sara walks into the room.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Stacy's parents and the community will have my ass if I don't. Sara: Well, then maybe this is good news. I was just going over Sofia's notes from the original investigation. The night of the murder, Hannah and Marlon's parents had left them alone in the house. A pizza was delivered to the residence around 9:00 P.M. Nick: That's right around Stacy's TOD. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: So, did anybody talk to the delivery guy? Sara: Yes, and at the point that Sofia did, a month had passed. Now, the delivery guy's at the house all the time. He recognized photos of both kids, but he could not be sure which one answered the door that night. Nick: But one of them did answer the door. (Sara nods.) So that means they were not together at the time Stacy was killed. Conrad Ecklie: Yeah. So much for conspiracy. We're right back where we started. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Where we are is in the crapper. Look, I have to disclose the cart. Defense is going to eat me alive. Nick: Marlon's your guy. He's your guy -- just because Hannah wasn't there doesn't mean she didn't help plan this. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Well, I sure hope it's Marlon, because he's the one we have on trial. Nick: I stand by the case we filed. Conrad Ecklie: I agree. The girl's just trying to protect him. (There's a pause.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: Sara? Sara: (shakes her head) This was more about brains than brawn. I think Hannah did it. (Nick shakes his head.) Conrad Ecklie: Two out of three. DA Jeffrey Sinclair: In my world, that's called an acquittal. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. COURTROOM BUILDING (STOCK) - DAY] [INT. COURTROOM - DAY] (The trial resumes.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: High school. Even if you're popular, or a jock, or a brain ... it can be hell. Everybody here remembers what it was like ... what it was really like. Now take a look at Marlon West. Take a good, hard look. Not popular ... [INT. CSI - LAB - DAY] (Nick puts the evidence bags back into the storage box.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) ... not a jock ... not a brain. (He stops and looks at a photo of Stacy Vollmer.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) Now imagine what it must be like to be Marlon West day after day after day in the sociological pressure cooker of high school. (Nick picks up the folded clothes on the table and continues to put them back in the evidence bags.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) This imposing, struggling outsider like Marlon resenting someone like Stacy Vollmer, who made it look so easy to be popular, athletic and smart. (Nick seals the evidence bag and removes the gloves from his hands.) (He takes a red seal and seals the evidence bag.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) That strong resentment was already festering when Stacy made Marlon's sister the object of a typical high school prank. (He initials and dates the seal: NS 3/29.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) And that is when Marlon, his resentment ... [INT. COURTROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] DA Jeffrey Sinclair: ... boiling over, crossed a line: He stalked Stacy. You've seen and heard evidence illustrating the elaborate pains he took to rig a showerhead to torture Stacy, INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. SCIENCE CLASSROOM] (Marlon wears goggles as he watches the sodium experiment.) (Cut to: Stacy Vollmer, wrapped in the plastic shower curtain, runs out of the locker room and into the hallway.) DA Jeffrey Sinclair: (V.O.) ... how he forced her to run and fall, ... (Cut to: Stacy turns and falls down the steps.) END OF FLASHBACK - RESUME TO PRESENT DA Jeffrey Sinclair: ... and watched her die in a pool of her own blood. You know, for the first time in his life, Marlon feels like a hero. He's not invisible anymore. He's a killer ... and he is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. Carol Allred: "Reasonable doubt." You know, I'm not surprised to hear the prosecution say those words, because its case offers nothing but reasonable doubt. [INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM - DAY] (Sara logs in Hannah's bloody shirt as evidence. She signs the form.) Carol Allred: (V.O.) Access to sodium?! Marlon couldn't find sodium on a periodic table of the elements, let alone a locked supply closet. (Sara puts the pen down and walks around the table full of evidence bags.) Carol Allred: (V.O.) Access to library printers? Do you really think a kid like Marlon spends any time in a library? (Sara picks up the print cards off the table.) Carol Allred: (V.O.) The showerhead. Yes, Marlon's tall enough. (Sara picks up the print card with the unknown prints from the shower curtain.) Carol Allred: (V.O.) He could reach it, but he still would have had to have handled a volatile chemical with expert safety precautions in order to orchestrate an explosion. (She looks at the photos of Hannah's science project board and of the blue gloves found in her room.) [INT. COURTROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (The closing remarks continue.) Carol Allred: I mean, ladies and gentlemen, do you know how to do that? I don't know how to do that. Right? You'd have to be ... a genius. (She turns and looks at Hannah.) Carol Allred: Marlon? Not a genius. You know, one of the underpinnings of our justice system is that it is better to send a hundred guilty men free than to imprison even one who's innocent. Marlon West is an innocent man. [INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM - DAY] (Nick and Sara sit in the break room.) Carol Allred: (V.O.) Reasonable doubt compels you to find him not guilty. (Nick's phone vibrates.) (The message reads: NEW TEXT MESSAGE.) (Sara's phone rings.) (The message reads: NEW TEXT MESSAGE.) (Nick checks his message: JURY'S IN.) [INT. COURTROOM - DAY] (The foreperson hands the note to the bailiff to takes it to Judge Crawford. Judge Crawford takes the note.) Judge Crawford: Thank you. (He looks at it. Nick and Sara are seated in the courtroom.) Bailiff: Defendant shall rise. (Carol Allred and Marlon West stand.) Judge Crawford: Madam Foreman, what is the jury's verdict? Foreman: On the sole count of murder in the first degree, we, the jury, find the defendant, Marlon West ... not guilty. (Carol turns and hugs Marlon. Hannah smiles.) (Mrs. Vollmer cries in her husband's arms. Nick shakes his head.) Judge Crawford: So noted. Court orders the defendant released from custody. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you for your service. Court is adjourned. (Judge Crawford bangs the gavel.) (Hannah quickly pushes the gate open and hugs Marlon tightly around his waist.) (Marlon barely reacts.) (Nick and Sara watch him as he puts a hand around Hannah.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY -- NIGHT] (Jim West and Marlon West sign the release forms.) Jim West: Can you sign this as well? (Out in the hallway, Sally West waits with Hannah. Sara turns the corner and walks up to them.) Sarah: Hey, there. Hannah West: Did you come to say bye? Sara: No. Actually, you and I are going to be seeing a lot of each other. If you thought the DA wouldn't prosecute a twelve-year-old for murder, you were wrong. He wants justice for Stacy and her family. Hannah West: Of course. He's a totally linear thinker. Most of you guys are. Sally West: Shame on you, Ms. Sidle. Come on, Hannah. You don't need to listen to this. Hannah West: Mom, just give us a second. (Sally steps away and joins Jim and Marlon at the counter.) Hannah West: You were saying? (Sara looks around and walks over to the hallway seats.) Sara: Here. (She sits down and looks eye-to-eye with Hannah still standing in front of her. She sighs.) Sara: Hannah, with your gifts, you could've done anything you wanted, and you picked murder. You can't take that back. Hannah West: You're worried how I'm going turn out. Sara: Of course I am. I know it seems like a really long time, but ... in five years, the Stacies of the world would've been behind you. Hannah West: Let me guess. You were a smart kid in school. Maybe you feel we're a little bit alike. Sara: There aren't many people like you. Hannah West: That's what my parents always say, too. The last four months, all they cared about was the effect of the trial on me ... not Marlon. It's been that way ever since I was 14 months old and started spelling words with plastic letters. It's so unfair, and nobody ever sees it. He doesn't deserve to go to jail. If I get convicted, what's the worst-case scenario? I mean, I'll be out in five years with an undergraduate degree. There's no "Son of Sam" law in Nevada -- that was ruled unconstitutional -- so I'm free to write a book about all this. (Sara shakes her head.) The story'll be worth millions. Freaks are always good box office. Sara: You're not a freak. Hannah West: (chuckles) When's the last time you had to sit down to be eye-level with a murder suspect who was standing up? Sara: Hannah, you are smart. Hannah West: So I've been told. Sara: But you're not smart enough to get away with murder. Hannah West: I think I am. A lot of people are smart enough to get away with murder. You probably are, too. But you have to be really smart to make people think things happened that never did. Sara: What do you mean, exactly? Hannah West: Please don't worry about me. I'm going to be fine. (Hannah leans in close and whispers to Sara.) Hannah West: (smugly) I didn't kill Stacy. Marlon did. (Hannah turns and walks down the hallway, leaving Sara stunned.)
The Unusual Suspect