A bus carrying 23 passengers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas crashes less than 40 miles from its destination, killing nine people. Before he dies, the driver recalls that, moments before the wreck, the steering wheel began vibrating like a jackhammer in his hands, making it impossible for him to control the speeding vehicle. When the bus finally did come to a stop, it was on its right side on top of a sports car that was following it. At the scene, the CSIs discover that a recent parolee was on the bus, but is now unaccounted for---and that there's evidence of foul play.
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - NIGHT] [EXT. LAS VEGAS DESERT (STOCK) - NIGHT] [EXT. LAS VEGAS DESERT HIGHWAY (STOCK) - NIGHT] [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. THE BUS - NIGHT] (GWEN MURRAY sits behind the driver, MARTIN DRAPER, talking to him.) Gwen Murray: (black woman) So, what do you think? Come on, I earned this vacation. You ever been married? When it's good, it's great. When it's over, it's even better, hmm? Man (light tan suit & tie): I'm telling you, the seven comes up every six rolls. I've got a system. Man (dark brown jacket): You know what the casinos say about guys with systems? Man (light tan suit & tie): What? Man (dark brown jacket): Welcome. Heavy-set Man: He doesn't know what he's talking about. Everything you need to know about craps is right in this book. Woman (in red): I was talking to Shirley -- she said the only way to make money in that town is slots. (Cut to the "Mojave Express" bus driving on the roadway.) (Cut back to inside the bus where a kid is listening to rock music on his walk-man.) Walter: (old white haired man): I'm up 1,500. Old Woman (red-haired): That's nice, dear. Oh, now. I've found the pictures. Now look at this. (The young women around her gasp when they see the pictures.) Blonde-haired Woman: Oh, look at him. Old Woman (red-haired): He's just learning how to walk. Here's another one with his sister. (Camera cut back to the photo album and a picture of two blonde-haired children.) Old Woman (red-haired): Oh, there it is. Tracy Logan: (dark-haired young woman): You have a beautiful family. Old Woman (red-haired): Thank you. Walter: We've been blessed. Old Woman (red-haired): Yes, we sure have been blessed. (Couple necking at the back of the bus. Dark-haired, bearded man comes out of the lavatory and makes his way to the front of the bus.) Martin Draper: (driver) Well, folks, we just hit mountain pass. (CALVIN McBRIDE, the man drinking, walks up the aisle. He bumps into the young blonde-haired woman. She looks up at him annoyed.) Martin Draper: (driver): (o.s.) Means we're about 40 miles outside of Vegas. Some of you are going to be driving back with me. (The camera continues to follow the drinking man as he continues up to the front of the bus.) Martin Draper: (driver): Some of you are going to be flying back with all the money you're going to win. In any case you just sit back, relax, we'll see if we can't get you there ahead of schedule. (The drinking man makes it to his seat. He sits down and puts his earphones on. The driver puts the hand-held mike away. The drinking man takes a drink of the bottle in the paper package. He looks across the aisle at the driver.) Calvin McBride: (drinker) Hey. Want a nip? (The driver looks at the man, he smiles and shakes his head, no.) Martin Draper: (driver): No, I know my limits. (The driver continues to drive. The man watches him. The driver steps on the gas and the bus increases speed. The odometer reads 65 mph. 70 mph.) (The bus starts to shake. The driver holds on to the bus. He looks down at the odometer which reads 75+ MPH. The steering wheel shakes some more. The passengers look up at the driver as they notice that something's wrong.) (Cut to the outside of the bus with the camera on the tires.) (Cut to a long angle of the bus as the wheel pops and the bus swerves out of control.) (Cut to inside the bus with the passengers screaming.) (The bus turns as the driver struggles to regain control of the bus.) (The passengers scream.) (The bus hits the guard rail and sparks fly.) (The passengers inside the bus are being tossed around.) (The bus continues to drive the guard rail.) (The bus driver hits the brakes trying to stop the bus.) (The bus drives over the side of the road.) FADE TO BLACK: [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. CRASH SCENE -- NIGHT] (Camera close up of the red road-side flare burning behind the CSIs standing on the edge of the roadway looking down upon the crash site below. Large generators power bright lights as the rescue team works to find any survivors.) (The CSIs stand aside and watch. Down below, a rescue worker instructs the other workers.) Rescue Worker 1: Everybody stand by. We do not touch this car until every victim is off the bus. Rescue Worker 2: Got it. (The CSIs watch as a rescue workers helps an injured man to the make-shift first aide area. A woman sits on the gurney comforting another woman. A rescue worker assists a woman to the aide area. Another rescue worker puts a body bag down among the many already piling up on the side.) (The CSIs continue to stand on the side ... and watch.) Sara: I feel so useless. Catherine: It's still a rescue operation. (Down below a group of rescue workers carry an injured survivor strapped tightly in a basket.) Warrick: We're not running the show. Nick: Yeah. Not yet. (The basket carrying the injured man is being carried and pulled up the hillside. As it passes, the CSIs see that it's a dark-haired young man.) Grissom: They do their job and then we do ours. HARD CUT TO BLACK. END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. CRASH SITE -- NIGHT] (The rescue workers are in the bus still removing bodies. They have the old man, WALTER, strapped to a basket and they struggle to get him out of the bus. DAVID PHILLIPS stands just outside the bus' broken window.) Rescue Worker 1: Okay, you got him there? Rescue Worker 2: Yeah David Phillips: Mine are lined up right over there. (DAVID points to somewhere over behind him.) Rescue Worker 1: Yeah. (A second set of rescue workers carry a basket with the old woman strapped in it.) Rescue Worker 2: Let me get under. All right. There we go. Old Woman: Walt? Where's my husband? (calls out) Walter? Walter... (The old woman cries out for her husband as they carry her off in the basket. The camera moves to the side and we now note that the CSIs are down in the crash site area. GRISSOM, SARA, and WARRICK watch as she's carried away.) Grissom: All right, I want everybody thinking worst case scenario. The highway's finally ours. Cones and pictures, skid marks, ice patches, loose asphalt, anything and everything. Warrick: All right. Sara: It's a pretty wide area up there. Are we clear to call in for help? Grissom: Every Las Vegas CSI is on their way here. Warrick: Cadets? Grissom: Call them. (And with that, WARRICK and SARA pick up their kits and head back up the hill to the highway.) (GRISSOM starts walking around. He hears women crying. He sees an old man lying with the other dead bodies as someone puts a tag around his neck. He sees a woman crying over a dead body in a bag.) Woman (over radio): ... 1-25 roger ... (GRISSOM continues to survey the site area. Off in the distance, he sees the survivors being tended to by the medics.) Nick: You the only trauma doc? Trauma Doctor: That's right. Lucky me. I personally black-tagged six. Excuse me. My line of work, that's a bad night. Nick: Yeah, mine, too. (NICK glances over at the large man on the gurney.) That the bus driver over there? Trauma Doctor: Big surprise. The only person on the bus wearing a seat-belt. Nick: Only one on a tour bus required to wear one. Thank you. (GREG appears next to NICK.) Greg: Hey. Got here as soon as I could. Nick: Whoa, what are you doing here, Greg? Greg: All hands on deck. That was the call, right? Crims on the scene. Grissom: Crims with "field training". Greg: (to GRISSOM) Come on. I'm capable. Grissom: (to NICK) He does no collection. (GRISSOM walks away. NICK reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a notepad and pen. He gives it to GREG.) Nick: You're taking my notes. You didn't bring a warmer jacket? Greg: No. (NICK doesn't say anything. He walks away from GREG who has a concerned look on his face. In the background, we hear indistinct voices over the radio.) [SCENE_BREAK] [CONTINUOUS] (LARRY MADDOX talks with BRASS.) Larry Maddox: Listen, I'll, uh ... I'll do anything that I can. I just want to help. Please. Brass: No, sir, just, uh, uh, stick around. Larry Maddox: I'll be right here. Thank you. (BRASS walks away. In the distance, CATHERINE makes her way toward BRASS.) Brass: Hey. Uh, Larry Maddox. Owns the bus company. Catherine: Got here quick. That should tell you something. Brass: Yeah, he coughed up the passenger manifest including the driver, Martin Draper. Twenty-four passengers, one PAL. Catherine: Parolee-At-Large. Brass: Calvin McBride. Seat one-C. California state pen, two years aggravated assault. He was paroled last week. Catherine: And already over state lines. Brass: It was news to his parole officer. Catherine: I'm sure it was. Brass: You know, my guys are matching names to faces both here and at the hospital. McBride tops the list. I'm going to talk to Maddox. (BRASS walks away leaving CATHERINE standing there.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS] (Back up the highway, SARA, WARRICK and two others search the roadway for evidence.) Sara: Four-point sweep. Warrick: Let's roll. (WARRICK signals and they start walking. As they walk, they mark the evidence with markers.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. CRASH SITE - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS] (CATHERINE walks up to GRISSOM who is looking at the tire.) Catherine: Fire department says the driver of the Camaro's dead. Grissom: Yeah, I heard, but I think I know why the bus pulled to the right. Catherine: Now that is a serious blowout. And the front left tire's still intact. Grissom: Newton's third law: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Grissom: Tire to rim. Rim to axle. Axle to suspension. Suspension to frame. And the lower radius rod arm ... which connects the axle to the frame. Catherine: Not anymore. (Quick flashback to: View of under the bus as the car tires screech. The rod iron falls and drags along the road. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Grissom: So, if the rod arm broke while he was driving ... Catherine: Driver tried to maintain control. Veered to the left. Grissom: But turning the wheel was probably going to make things worse. Catherine: Putting pressure on the right front tire causing it to blow. The ... the bus then veers to the right and goes off the road. Grissom: And we're back to Newton. The Theory's correct if the rod arm was the first action. Catherine: I'm going to go see what's going on with that Camaro. (CATHEIRNE leaves. GRISSOM continues to look at the bus.) [SCENE_BREAK] (CATHERINE walks to the smashed Camaro around the bus #65326. She walks around the camaro looking around. She leans in and sees a male body inside the back seat of the car.) Woman (b.g. on radio): ... 1-41 north ... (As she looks inside, the MAN'S hand reaches up. CATHERINE'S eyes widen with shock that he's still alive. She reaches out and grabs the man's hand.) Catherine: We're going to get you out of here, okay?. Rescue! SHORT TIME CUT TO: [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS RESIDENCE - NIGHT] (The man is on the gurney and is being pushed to the medic area. He's holding on tightly to CATHERINE'S hand.) Catherine: (loudly) Can you tell me your name? (They begin working on the man.) Rescue Worker: Miss, you need to let him go. (The rescue worker pulls the grip apart.) Rescue Worker: Let's go on three. RESCUE WORKER: One, two, three, in. (CATHERINE watches as they put the man in the ambulance and close the doors shut. She stands there and stares at her hands covered with the man's blood.) [SCENE_BREAK] (NICK questions MARTIN DRAPER, the bus driver, while GREG takes notes.) Martin Draper (bus driver): This never happened to me before. The wheel just s-s-sh-shook right out of my hands. Nick: How long after your scheduled stop in Barstow? Martin Draper: We, uh, we-we always stop in Barstow. (He takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. GREG watches and takes notes.) Martin Draper: Uh, McDonald's the, uh, the train station one. Nick: I understand that, Mr. Draper, but how long after that did the wheel start to shake on you? Martin Draper: (confused) Uh. (shakes his head) I don't, uh ... I don't ... Nick: Sir, are you okay? Martin Draper: (shakes his head) No. We're behind schedule. I got to get back to the bus. (MARTIN DRAPER stands up and puts a hand out on GREG. Both GREG and NICK takes steps forward to catch MARTIN DRAPER.) Nick: Hold on, hold on. Wait a second. Mr. Draper ... (NICK looks at MARTIN DRAPER'S eyes.) Nick: Mr. Draper, have you had anything to drink tonight? (pause) I'm going to do a preliminary field breath test. (to GREG) Keep an eye on Mr. Draper, will you, for me? Mr. Draper, you sit tight. Martin Draper: I, uh, I got to go. (NICK moves aside to get the things.) Nick: Won't take a minute. I understand. I understand. Hang tight. Martin Draper: See, uh, there's people ... Nick: I understand. I want you to take a deep breath, and I want you to blow into the end of this for me, okay? (NICK holds out the breathalizer and puts it toward MARTIN DRAPER'S mouth.) (Martin Draper coughs up blood. He collapses against NICK who catches him and holds him up.) Nick: I need a doctor over here. Greg, get some help. (GREG doesn't move; he's frozen. His eyes are glued to MARTIN DRAPER.) Nick: Greg! (NICK struggles with MARTIN DRAPER who continues to cough. He looks up at GREG.) Nick: Greg! Get some help! (Camera holds on GREG.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGHWAY HILLSIDE - NIGHT] (NICK and GREG walk down the hill.) Nick: It's all right, man. Stop apologizing. Greg: Oh, I feel bad. I just froze up. Nick: That's why we have fielding training, Greg. No disrespect, but you're not qualified to be out here. Greg: I guess I just wasn't expecting blood to look like that. Pre-collection, so different. Nick: Yup. I remember my first time in the field. CSI One. Green as could be. Initial call was a robbery. I get there, triple homicide. Blood all over the place, mother and two kids. (NICK puts on his gloves as they reach the bottom of the hill, GREG close behind him.) Greg: How do you deal? Nick: You just do. (GRISSOM is standing hear the front of the overturned bus. He's looking at the passenger list on a clipboard when NICK and GREG join him.) Nick: Okay, what's next? Grissom: Well, we're missing a passenger. The only one unaccounted for is an ex-con named Calvin McBride. According to Brass, he wasn't admitted to the hospital and he's not in any of the body bags. Nick: What about the rest stop in Barstow Grissom: CHP and the Barstow P.D. are looking. (NICK nods.) Greg: Anybody check the bus? (NICK and GRISSOM look at each other.) Nick: I'll find out. (NICK takes off his jacket and walks inside the bus. He pulls out his flashlight and looks around. He sees the embroidery on the floor, blood spattered on it. A row behind that, he sees the magazines. A row behind that, he sees a photo album. He also sees a lot of blood on the bus.) (Cut to: GRISSOM and GREG as they wait outside.) Grissom: Firefighters only look in the obvious spots. Greg: Just out of curiosity, what are the unobvious spots? Grissom: For bodies? Greg: Yeah. Grissom: Walls, hot water heaters stuffed in the box spring of a hotel room bed. (adds) I found a head in a bucket of paint once. Greg: I get the picture. (Cut to: Inside the overturned bus, NICK checks out the lavatory. GRISSOM peers in and calls out to NICK.) Grissom: What do you see? Nick: Well ... McBride's not on the bus. (NICK makes his way back to the front of the bus. He finds a paper package with the broken bottle of liquor inside.) (Quick CGI POV of: The camera slowly zooms into the package and to the bottom of the broken bottle inside. End of CGI POV.) Nick: Hey, Grissom. Cheap whiskey. Broken bottle. Brown paper bag. You know, I never gave the bus driver a breath test. (GRISSOM holds out a bag to GREG.) Grissom: Greg, bag this, take it to the lab, swab the rim for DNA. (Automatically, GREG takes the evidence bag. He opens it and NICK puts the paper bag into it.) Grissom: (to GREG) You should be wearing gloves. Greg: Sorry. (GREG seals the evidence bag and leaves. GRISSOM looks down at the passenger list.) Grissom: This guy was in 1C. (GRISSOM and NICK both look at the seat.) Nick: Seat 1C was the only seat with an unobstructed path through the windshield. (GRISSOM looks at the windshield. The windshield opposite the driver's side is completely missing. He turns around and checks the ground.) Grissom: Where's the other half of this windshield? (GRISSOM turns around and starts searching the area for the windshield. NICK walks out of the bus. They both look around for the windshield. They find it with an impact crack and blood on it.) Nick: Laminated safety glass, pops in, pops out. (They walk further and find CALVIN McBRIDE.) Nick: Hello, Mr. McBride. Grissom: I'm afraid our ex-con just got the death penalty. FLASH TO WHITE: [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - NIGHT] FLASH TO WHITE: [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT] (CATHERINE is at the nurse's station trying to get information about the Camaro driver.) Catherine: He's one of the victims in the bus crash. He was in the Camaro. He was driving the Camaro. (CATHERINE turns and sees them wheeling the Camaro driver into the ER on a gurney. She heads toward them.) Catherine: Excuse me. ER Doctor: (shakes his head) Ma'am, not now. Catherine: Catherine Willows with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. This will just take a second. Can you tell me your name? Eric Kevlin: Eric. Catherine: Eric? Eric Kevlin: I just wanted to surprise her. That's all. If I don't make it, please tell her I'm sorry. ER Doctor: Ma'am, this is the operating room. You need to leave. (The ER DOCTOR stops CATHERINE. They wheel ERIC into the OR and leave CATHERINE out in the hallway.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. CRASH SITE - DAY] (GRISSOM instructs two men from DETAIL on what he wants taken back to the lab. The two men study the overturned bus.) Grissom: I need the two front wheels, axle, suspension, all of it. The whole front undercarriage. Detail: You got it. (GRISSOM turns around and sees a woman pacing the dirt road aimlessly. She has her arm in a sling. GRISSOM walks up to her.) Grissom: Excuse me, miss. This is a crime scene. It's off limits. Woman: (short blk hair) (dazed) I know. I was, uh, I was on the bus. Grissom: Why are you here? Woman: I don't ... I don't know. (She starts to cry.) I'm sorry. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (Up on the highway, SARA walks the road looking at the rubber from the bus tire scattered along the road. WARRICK kneels down next to the guardrail taking pictures of the marks.) (SARA kneels down and picks up a piece of rubber (evidence marker #41) and looks at it.) (She sighs.) Sara: Shreds of rubber everywhere. Between the crash, and all the other interstate traffic it might as well be the Indy 500. This stuff could be from any vehicle. Warrick: There's no doubt that this bus body-checked this k-rail. (SARA bags the piece of rubber she's holding and walks along the road looking at the tire treadmarks. She stops and kneels.) (She pulls off her glasses and visualizes the buss and camaro coming down the road.) (She turns to look at WARRICK walking toward her and still she visualizes the bus as it sideswipes the guardrail and heads straight for her and off the road, tires squealing.) (Cut to: WARRICK follows the treadmarks and takes pictures along the way. He lifts his head from the camera and looks at SARA who is still deep in thought about the bus.) Warrick: You've got that "Sara" look. Sara: You mean that "Grissom" look? (WARRICK walks between the bus skid marks. Sara points.) Second set of skid marks. Camaro. (SARA stands.) Warrick: I got a theory. Grissom said the suspension gave on the bus, right? Broken rod arm. (SARA walks toward WARRICK, her eyes on the skid marks.) Warrick: Well, I'm thinking when that rod arm hit the pavement it made this great first impression here. (Quick flashback to: Under the bus view of the rod arm dragging on the road. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sara: If this is the bus ... the bus begins to slide right. Driver overcorrects. (Quick flashback to: On the road, the bus swerves to the left, the bus turns right. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Warrick: Crosses the highway slams into the k-rail. (Quick flashback to: On the road, the bus hits the guardrail, sparks fly. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sara: Meanwhile the Camaro's holding steady in the right lane heading straight for us. Warrick: Bus bounces off this k-rail ... (Quick flashback to: On the road, the bus heads away from the guard rail. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Warrick: ... heads back towards us. Sara: Taking out anything in its path. (Quick flashback to: On the road, the bus crosses lanes and into the Camaro. Both go off the highway. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sara: Bus crosses four lanes of traffic and only takes out the car behind it? Warrick: Yeah. Someone upstairs was looking out big-time. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY / DNA LAB] (GRISSOM walks through the hallway. In the DNA Lab, GREG sees GRISSOM and comes out of the lab to intercept him.) Greg: Hey, boss. I had a feeling you were coming. I ran the DNA on that whiskey bottle. You'll never guess. It's not the bus driver but I do have an answer behind door number two. Seat number 1C. (He hands GRISSOM the results.) Calvin McBride. He's an ex-con. Found his DNA in CODIS. (GRISSOM looks at the results.) Grissom: Good, Greg. Did you enjoy being in the field? Greg: (warily) You heard about it, too? (GRISSOM looks at GREG, puzzled.) Grissom: What? Greg: That I ... messed up. Grissom: No. Greg: (nods) Well, then ... I enjoyed it fine. (GREG returns to his lab. GRISSOM watches him.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY - DAY] (ROBBINS goes over his findings for MARTIN DRAPER, the bus driver, with NICK.) Nick: You're telling me this guy wasn't intoxicated. Robbins: Not a drop of ethanol in his system not even from cough syrup. Nick: He could barely put a sentence together. If he wasn't drunk, then what was he? Robbins: My guess, hungry. Driver's medical eval taken just last month. Martin Draper, 40. (ROBBINS hands NICK the clipboard.) Overweight. One of 15 million people in this country suffering from Type II Diabetes. Nick: On any medication? Robbins: Primary course of treatment would have been exercise and weight loss to lower blood sugar. Nick: Doesn't look like he was hitting the gym. Robbins: But he was dieting. (GRISSOM walks into the room.) Robbins: Crash dieting. Didn't find any food in his stomach. Means he hadn't eaten anything in at least six hours. An empty stomach invites hypoglycemia. Grissom: Symptoms of which can mirror intoxication. Robbins: And in extreme cases? Grissom: Loss of consciousness and seizure. Do I pass? Robbins: Cum Laude. Grissom: Cause of death? Robbins: Just what you'd expect. Massive injuries, internal bleeding. Nick: So, it's not the driver ... Grissom: We're looking at the bus. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY] (WARRICK kneels down and places evidence marker #11 on the road next to a bolt he finds near the guard rail. He takes a picture of it.) (He picks up the bolt and stands up. He looks at the tip and walks over to SARA.) Warrick: Check this out. (She shows SARA the bolt.) Sara: A bolt? Nice. I got twenty of them. Warrick: Well, this one's sheared. (SARA looks at the bolt again.) Sara: It is, isn't it? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB] (SARA and WARRICK are in the lab running a test on the bolt found on the road. WARRICK puts the bolt in the machine. He starts running the test.) [READINGS ON MONITOR: [ MEAS HRC CONV 67 HRA APPROX 123 KSI CYL OFF ] (Camera zooms in on the bolt.) [NEW READINGS ON MONITOR: [ MEAS 25.37 HRC REMOVE PART APPROX 123 KSI CYL OFF ] (The machine finishes the test. WARRICK and SARA look at the results then turn to look at each other.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GARAGE ] (NICK walks in with a fax.) Nick: Bus company just faxed over a maintenance report. Bus was in perfect working order. Serviced last week. Grissom: Does this look like it's in perfect working order? (NICK looks down at the parts GRISSOM has on the garage floor. SARA and WARRICK walk into the garage.) Nick: Uh ... no. Grissom: What'd you get? Warrick: Three-quarter inch bolt. It matches the bolt on the specs for this suspension system. The hex head says it's a grade eight. (WARRICK hands the baggied bolt to GRISSOM. He looks at it and notices the sheared end.) Grissom: Snapped in half? Sara: Bolts are graded according to their hardness. The higher the grade, the stronger the steel. Nick: A grade eight bolt shouldn't snap like a toothpick. Grissom: Did you do a Rockwell hardness test? Nick: Yeah, I hit it with the tru-blue. It's not a grade eight. It's a grade five. (GRISSOM look at the three bolts lined up on the parts on the floor. He picks on of the three bolts up and holds it up.) Grissom: Often when there's one ... there's another one. Sara: Bus company was using bogus bolts. Grissom: Inferior bolts would cause the suspension to give the bus veers off the road. If the sheared bolts were the first action. Warrick: No, the bolts snapped midway through the skid after the bus hit the k-rail. Grissom: Proof? Sara: The gouge in the road. (GRISSOM looks at the rod arm.) Grissom: Broken rod arm, maybe? Nick: Okay. Driver hits the brakes, initiates the skid. (Quick flashback to: On the road, camera close up of the bus tire in skid. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Grissom: Why'd he hit the brakes? Nick: Another vehicle. Sara: Nope, only two sets of fresh skid marks on that stretch of highway. Warrick: And the Camaro's skid marks place it behind the bus. Grissom: So I ask again -- why'd he hit the brakes? (NICK chuckles.) Nick: Man, there could be a million reasons. Grissom: Well, fortunately, we're just looking for one. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM / HALLWAY - DAY] (CATHERINE is sitting in the waiting room reading a file. BRASS turns the corner and walks toward her. CATHERINE sees BRASS and stands up.) Brass: The kid in the Camaro didn't make it. Catherine: Eric Kevlin, 32. He was a resident at the UCLA Med Center. He was on his way to Vegas to surprise his girlfriend. Brass: Only to end up pinned under a bus. Catherine: But he's rescued. Given a second chance on life. and, uh ... he signs this. (CATHERINE hands BRASS a form. It reads: ) [EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PREHOSPITAL DO NOT RESUSCITATE (DNR) FORM An Advance Request to Limit the Scope of Emergency Medical ... (print patient's name) ERIC KEVLIN, request limited emergency ... ... DNR means that if my heart stops beating or if I stop breathing, m ... ... or heart functioning will be instituted. ... will not prevent me from obtaining other emergency ... ... personnel and/or medical care directed ... ] Catherine: It's a pre-op DNR. Brass: "Do not resuscitate"? It doesn't make sense for a young person. Why refuse CPR? (CATHERINE shakes her head.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. MOJAVE EXPRESS - GARAGE - DAY] (WARRICK and GRISSOM talk with LARRY MADDOX.) Larry Maddox: Our company has an excellent safety record. Warrick: Until last night. Larry Maddox: Look, you own an airline or a bus company -- any transport business -- accidents are inevitable. Grissom: Criminal acts, however, are another matter. Larry Maddox: Wait a minute. I've got a family. Sometimes they ride my buses. I don't take a chance with their lives or anybody else's. I screen all my drivers. Zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol. I keep strict maintenance records. Vehicle inspection every 45 days as required by law. You're not going to find anything criminal here. (GRISSOM show LARRY MADDOX the bolt.) Grissom: I believe this belongs to you. (LARRY MADDOX looks at the bolt carefully.) Larry Maddox: Bolt, grade eight. Sheared. It doesn't happen. Grissom: The front suspension was riddled with these. Warrick: We have more questions about the accident but one thing we know: the suspension didn't hold. Larry Maddox: I buy all my spare parts from reputable companies. Warrick: We only care about the bolts. Larry Maddox: Brillway Bolt Company. (thinks again) I just switched; they were low bid. Warrick: The consequences of saving a buck. Grissom: I think maybe it's time for another inspection. Larry Maddox: (nods) I'll ground the fleet. (LARRY MADDOX steps away from them.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB] (SARA is in the lab with a piece of the tire found on the road. She holds it up against the tire sample on the monitor. She puts the piece in a large plastic container marked: "MATCH TO BUS". On the table, there's a second large plastic container marked: NO MATCH TO BUS".) (SARA picks up a second piece of tire and compares it to the computer monitor. It's not a match. She puts it in the second plastic container.) (She picks up a third piece of rubber and continues to compare it to the monitor.) (Dissolve to: SARA continues to separate the rubber pieces. She's halfway through.) (Dissolve to: SARA continues to separate the rubber pieces. She's almost through.) (Dissolve to: SARA finishes and pushes the large container with the NO MATCHES to the side. She puts the other bin in front of her and takes a seat. She picks up a piece of rubber and examines it closely.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. GAS STATION -- DAY] (BRASS questions various people at the GAS STATION.) Brass: I get it. It's busy here in Barstow. But you do remember the bus? Gas Station Attendant (man): Yeah, I knew the driver. Marty. Always fill him up on the return trip. SHORT TIME CUT TO: Woman: I remember this one guy kept checking me out. Bought a lot of turkey jerky. Oh, and this one couple was having a fight. Brass: Did, uh, did they come off the bus? Woman: I don't know. Brass: But you do remember the bus? SHORT TIME CUT TO: Sean: Of course. Mojave Express. Always on time. Ten-minute rest stop, right back on the road. Brass: Did you see a couple arguing? Sean: No. But it was really busy. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB] (SARA picks up a piece of rubber tire and looks at it under a magnifying glass.) [SCOPE VIEW OF THE TIRE] (She finds something unusual on the tire. She takes a swabs of it, marks the box and stands up to leave the lab.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT - CRASH SITE -- DAY] (CATHERINE walks up to NICK who is sitting in the Camero examining the car.) Catherine: Hey, Nick. We making any progress? Nick: Just this jacket so far. Passenger seat. And you? Catherine: We checked Kevlin's property at the hospital. There's no wallet. Nick: Guy drives from L.A. Four and a half hours -- I got an idea. (NICK reaches behind him and tries to open the middle seat divider. He grunts with the effort.) Nick: Hand me that, uh, crowbar there, please. (CATHERINE hands NICK the crowbar.) Nick: Thank you. (NICK opens the middle seat divider and pulls out a black leather wallet.) Nick: Ha. Bingo. (He hands it to CATHERINE.) I always take mine out. Pain in the ass. Catherine: Literally. (CATHERINE checks the driver's license.) [CALIFORNIA DRIVER'S LICENSE V833255 EXPIRES 12-15-02 ERIC KEVLIN 2440 GREENWOOD AVE LOS ANGELES, CA 90019 s*x: M / HAIR: BRN / EYES: GRN HT: 6'0" / WT: 185 / DOB: 01-05-74] Catherine: Yeah, that's him. Nick: Yeah. (CATHERINE looks at the photos in the wallet. ) Catherine: Nice-looking girl. (NICK takes a look at the pictures and recognizes the girl.) Nick: Wait. I've seen her. (Quick flashback to: On the night of the crash, a woman in a neckbrace is carried off in a gurney. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Nick: Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her. She was in the accident. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- DAY] (CATHERINE and NICK question TRACEY LOGAN at the hospital.) Catherine: He said he wanted to surprise you. Tracy Logan: He did. In Barstow at the rest stop. It was supposed to be a girls' weekend. (Quick flashback to: At the rest stop, ERIC KEVLIN meets up with TRACEY LOGAN just outside the bus.) Eric Kevlin: Come back to L.A. with me, huh? Tracy Logan: No! This is my weekend. If this is going to work, I need my space. Eric Kevlin: I don't want to lose you. Tracy Logan: Then go back home. (End of flashback. Resume to present.) Tracy Logan: I saw him pull out. Drive off. Nick: Well, he didn't drive back to L.A. Tracy Logan: (shakes her head) I wish I hadn't yelled at him. Catherine: Is there any reason why Eric, in a medical crisis would refuse resuscitation? Tracy Logan: What are you talking about? Nick: He consented to lifesaving surgery, but ... signed a DNR. (She closes her eyes and shakes her head.) Tracy Logan: Oh, god. (explains) It's because he was a doctor. He saw it every day. People hooked up to machines waiting to die. He swore he wouldn't let anyone he loved go through that. And if his life was at stake, he wanted to make the hard decision so no one else would have to. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI -- A/V LAB] (GRISSOM is in the lab looking at the tire skidmarks on the monitor. He works on trying to find what's underneath.) (After several passes, he finds the grooves.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - DNA LAB - DAY] (SARA paces the floor as she waits for her results. GREG watches her.) Greg: I thought I told you I'd page you with the results. Sara: I know. I want to wait. (SARA continues to pace. She stops and looks at GREG.) Sara: Greg? You're really good at what you do. (GREG stops and is about to say something, but doesn't. The results are printed. SARA picks it up and looks at it.) Sara: Sabotage. (SARA walks out of the lab.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GARAGE - DAY - CONTINUOUS] (GRISSOM is back in the garage surrounded by bus parts. He picks up a part and sighs. SARA enters the garage.) Sara: Grissom. Grissom: I finally know the first action. What initiated the skid? The right front tire started to come apart. When it blew, it left an indentation in the pavement. (Quick flashback to: Camera close up of the tire rim on the asphalt. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sara: I didn't see it. Grissom: You and me both. The Treads from the right rear tire obscured it. (Quick flashback to: Camera close up of the bus tires skidding over the grooves in the asphalt. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Grissom: So, the driver overcorrects but since there's no more tire, all that force is displaced on the suspension system. The bolt snaps, the rod arm breaks and the bus broadsides the camaro. (Quick flashback to: The bus hits the Camaro and both vehicles go over the edge of the highway. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sara: But why did the tire come apart in the first place? Grissom: I don't know. Sara: I do. Chloroform. Inside the tire. (SARA hands GRISSOM the test results. He takes it and reads: ) ["No further materials can be found on related subject ... subject and info related to csi labeled "classified ... all relevant database files will continue search and ... State and Federal Institutions yielded similar ... no other agencies have responded at this time Information must go through department with ... Findings: Chloroform Reported by /s/ GREG SANDERS ] Grissom: Newton's Third ... with a twist. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY] (GRISSOM, SARA, WARRICK and NICK walk through the hallway.) Grissom: Yeah, the front right tire was compromised. Sara: I found chloroform in the interior fragments of the rubber. Warrick: Oh, that's original. What happened to slashing tires? Grissom: It wasn't vandalism. It was an act of premeditation. Nick: Why chloroform? Grissom: Chloroform destroys the elasticity of the rubber. Sooner or later, the air pressure inside the tire causes it to explode. Nick: How much later? Grissom: Well, that's what we're going to find out. We need a treadmill -- a big one. Nick: All right, to do what? Grissom: Exercise a bus. Warrick, tell Larry Maddox it's in his best interest to lend us one of his ... Warrick: Right. Grissom: ... and set it up in the empty police warehouse next door. Sara? Sara: Yeah, I'll be at trace. They're going to love this. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB - DAY -- CONTINUOUS] (GRISSOM walks into the lab. BRASS and CATHERINE are already there.) Catherine: Chloroform in the tire? Grissom: Yeah. Weird, huh? So, where are we? Brass: Body count jumped to nine dead. (BRASS holds up a small photo of a blond-haired woman.) Brass: Sabrina Wright, law student, 7-B. (He tosses the photo on two other photos on the table. Underneath is a list of people with "DEAD" written in red at the top.) Brass: Pronounced an hour ago. Catherine: 23 passengers, plus the driver. (On the table in front of them is a picture schematic of the bus seating and a list of names.) [ PARTIAL LIST OF BUS SEATS: MARTIN DRAPER / DRIVER GWEN MURRAY 1B JORDAN YOUNG 2B NICK VALPO 3B JACK FORBES 4A MEL BENNETT 5A EMPTY SEATS - ROW 6 KIMBERLY FRAM 7A SABRINA WRIGHT 7B NANCY WHITING 8A TRACEY LOGAN 8B CARRIE SHELTON 9A ] Catherine: Whoever tampered with that tire was playing Russian roulette with people's lives. Grissom: Or maybe one of them was a target. Brass: Hmm .... Gwen Murray, 1-B ... was unemployed, but was clearing a bundle in alimony. Also got the porsche and the vacation home. (Quick flashback/fade over to teaser with GWEN MURRAY smiling and talking with the driver, MARTIN DRAPER. End of flashback/fade over. Resume to present.) Brass: Michael Goodman, 10-C was picked up a couple times by vice for making fake IDs. (Quick flashback/fade over to teaser with MICHAEL GOODMAN reading a book and eating something. End of flashback/fade over. Resume to GRISSOM.) (Quick flashback/fade over to teaser with RYAN HYDE smiling and talking with the person sitting across the aisle. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Brass: Ryan Hyde, a Money Manager in 4-C, filed bankruptcy last year but carried a hefty life insurance policy. I mean, I could go on. Catherine: Right. You look hard enough everybody's got a skeleton. (GRISSOM picks up a photo of TRACEY LOGAN off of the table and shows it to CATHERINE.) Grissom: What was her skeleton? Catherine: Tracey Logan? Seat 8-B? Her boyfriend was Eric Kevlin, the camaro driver. He was a doctor. He followed her from L.A. They had an argument in Barstow. Brass: He didn't want her in Vegas. First step to stopping her is stopping the bus. Grissom: And he has access to chloroform. Brass: Chloroform can be picked up at any chemical supply store. Catherine: Wait a minute. Eric Kevlin was a nervous boyfriend. He wasn't a criminal. Grissom: Still possible. Motive, access, opportunity. Brass: Well, his car should be towed in by now. Catherine: I'll check for residue. (CATHERINE leaves the room.) Grissom: So, who do you like? Brass: The bus company. Larry Maddox -- he talks a good game but, he cheaped-out on his supplies and he's been way too helpful. (GRISSOM nods slightly.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - TRACE LAB -- DAY] (VINCENT is working when SARA walks in.) Sara: You busy? Vincent: I got three minutes and, uh, five seconds. Sara: Then I have a question for you. Vincent: Bus case? Sara: Uh-huh. Vincent: (without looking up) I heard Sanders broke out of here, fared poorly and disgraced us all. Sara: No, he didn't. (VINCENT looks up at SARA.) Sara: Listen, I-I found chloroform on the inside of a steel-belted radial and I need to know how it got there. (VINCENT puts what he's working on down and stands up to look at SARA.) Vincent: You ever hear the expression "pissing up a rope"? Sara: Not in a scientific context, no. Vincent: Well, I don't know if you can urinate up a rope but you can urinate against a rope and the urine will dribble down. Answer your question? Sara: Yes. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE -- DAY] (WARRICK leans down next to the bus tires checking his clipboard. GRISSOM walks around the bus toward WARRICK.) Warrick: You know we need to document this for the journal of forensic science, right? Grissom: Is this the twin? Warrick: Yeah, this is the rear trailing tire of the crash bus. It has the same maintenance record as the tire that blew. (SARA gets her supplies and walks toward them.) Sara: Chloroform, glass rod, valve core remover .... (SARA kneels next to the bus tire.) according to Vincent and Trace, it's like pissing down a rope. Warrick: Gravity, huh? (SARA shakes her head at the comparison. She demonstrates how the chloroform was added to the tire.) (Quick CGI POV of: Camera zooms through the valve, follows the glass rod and into the tire where the liquid shoots out. End of CGI POV.) Sara: Reattach the valve ... reinflate the tire ... (The air hisses. SARA finishes up.) Sara: ...and you're done. Minute, minute and a half tops. (SARA puts a hand on the tire rim and pushes herself up. GRISSOM doesn't move.) Grissom: Did you see that? Warrick: Yeah. You used your left hand to prop yourself up. The perp may have done the same. Sara: Ah, yeah, I'm going to go dust that right rim. I'll see you guys. (SARA gets her jacket and turns to leave the warehouse.) Grissom: Okay. "Drive," he said. Just the speed limit. (The bus motor whirls.) (Dissolve to: The bus tires on the treadmill.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB -- DAY] (SARA dusts the tire rim. She finds a hand print.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAB - DAY] (SARA runs the print through the database and finds a match. [MATCH FOUND: NOLAN, SEAN DOCKET#: 09273-4972-54 City: Las Vegas DMV INFORMATION: ON RECORD Case#: 23574 ] (SARA clicks on the "DMV INFO" button. The following screen and information pops up: ) [Searched DL DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, NV IDENTIFICATION INFORMAITON ON FILE NAME: SEAN NOLAN DOB: 10/2... ADDRESS: 41733 CALLE MATRIA LAS VEGAS, NV 89233 REMARK / OTHER: Class B license with passenger endorsement Report Date: 3/12/02 # on right corner: 187362733-320 **DRIVING RECORD HISTORY ** TYPE -- VIOL / BUS -- CONV / REL -- DESCRIPTION VIOL - 1/02/02 - EXCESSIVE SPEED STATUTE: VC DOC#: 15627-20 VEH LIC #: 0476362793 CT LOC: Nevada Officer on Duty: P. Leblane, NHP. VIOL - 2/11/97 - excessive speed STATUTE: VC DOC#: 72850-04 VEH LIC #: 0476362793 CT LOC: Nevada Officer on Duty: M. Sabga, NHP. VIOL - 10/03/91 - BASIC SPEED LAW Staute: VC DOC#: 318274-34 VEH LIC#: 0476362793 CT LOC: Nevada Officer on Duty: D. Denver, NHP. DRIVER RECORD SERVICE REPORT FOR N... AUTHORITY: 13365 ***End of Report*** ] (SARA leans back in her seat satisfied.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE - DAY] (The bus on the treadmill continues. TIME READS 01:03:21-25 MPH: 65.0 ) (Camera refocuses. In front of the machine is a chess game between GRISSOM and WARRICK.) (WARRICK'S cell phone rings. He answers it.) Warrick: Warrick. Okay. (pause) Yeah, okay. (pause) I'll be there. (WARRICK hangs up.) Warrick: Sara. She's at the print lab. (beat) She needs me. (GRISSOM looks at WARRICK. WARRICK studies the chess board and moves.) Warrick: Checkmate. (WARRICK stands up and grabs his jacket. He slings it over his shoulder and saunters off, leaving GRISSOM to study the board.) (Cut to: The treadmill machine. TIME reads: 01:03:48-50.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI -- LAB] (SARA fills WARRICK in on what she's found.) Sara: Print off the rim maybe he had a work card on file-- a Sean Nolan. Warrick: So, why are you paging me? Sara: I pulled up his DMV records looking for an address. I found one, not recent, but ... he's got a class B license with passenger endorsement. [ADDRESS: 41733 CALLE MATRIA LAS VEGAS, NV 89233 REMARK / OTHER: Class B license with passenger endorsement Report Date: 3/12/02 # on right corner: 187362733-320 ] Warrick: Oh ... so he can drive a vehicle with over ten passengers. Sara: I cross-checked his name with the employee roster from Mojave Express. Warrick: Mm-hmm? Sara: He's a driver. Warrick: Well, I guess I'll grab a uniform and pay Mr. Maddox another visit. (SARA smiles. WARRICK leaves.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE -- DAY] (The bus continues to run on the treadmill. NICK and GRISSOM are in the warehouse. GRISSOM looks at the laptop monitor.) Nick: Bus logged into Barstow at 8:03 P.M. Target would be two hours later. Grissom: No, if the tire was tampered with in Barstow it should blow any minute. Nick: If not, it was sabotaged in L.A. And we've got another two hours and 13 minutes. (SARA and CATHERINE enter.) Sara: Hello. (GRISSOM watches the bus and sighs.) (As if on cue, the bus starts to creak and groan. The tire gives out and explodes completely. The motor stops.) Sara: Cool. Grissom: Well, I guess it's Barstow. Catherine: Listen I scanned Eric Kevlin's car and clothing with an ion detector. There was no chloroform. He was clean. Sara: And I got a hit off that print -- a Sean Nolan, employed by Mojave Express. Catherine: Any chance he was in Barstow yesterday? Sara: Uh, his route is ... Vegas/Grand Canyon but I'll call Warrick. He's on his way to the bus company right now. Nick: You know, if this guy Nolan ;worked for the bus company, his print on the wheel could be legit. Grissom: Well, I wish we had a "who" but at least we have a "where." [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. MOJAVE EXPRESS - OFFICE - DAY] (WARRICK talks with LARRY MADDOX.) Larry Maddox: I have a zero tolerance policy. I found marijuana in Mr. Nolan's locker. He was out of here that afternoon. Warrick: Well, we're still going to need those maintenance records. (LARRY MADDOX nods his head and goes to the filing cabinet. He takes out a file and gives it to WARRICK.) Larry Maddox: Everything from fill-ups to tune-ups the last six months. Warrick: Thank you. (WARRICK leaves.) WHITE FLASH TO: [EXT. LAS VEGAS DESERT HIGHWAY (STOCK) - DAY] [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. BARSTOW - DAY] Catherine: There were security cameras behind the counter but none of them were pointed out here. Grissom: Five buses have pulled in in the last ten minutes. Brass: Not to mention all the private vehicles, truckers-- nothing's changed since I was here yesterday. Catherine: Forget about getting a usable print off that airhose. Brass: Yeah, a guy putting air in a tire at a rest stop does not draw attention. (GRISSOM'S cell phone rings. He answers it.) Grissom: Grissom. INTERCUT WITH: [EXT. MOJAVE EXPRESS] Warrick: Sean Nolan was fired two months ago. Maddox says he's working in Barstow and since then three of Maddox's buses had blowouts. They all went through Barstow. Grissom: Did you check their maintenance records? Warrick: Yeah, only last night's bus had been serviced since Maddox changed suppliers. Grissom: Way to go, Warrick. I owe you. Warrick: Yeah, you do. See you. (GRISSOM hangs up.) Grissom: We got a suspect. Sean Nolan. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. BARSTOW - DAY -- CONTINUOUS] (GRISSOM, CATHERINE and BRASS walk across the way to SEAN NOLAN.) Brass: That's him. That's our boy. Sean Nolan? Sean Nolan: Can I help you? Grissom: Yeah, there was a bus crash up the road. About nine people died. Sean Nolan: Yeah, it's all over the news. I already talked to him. Brass: I forgot what you told me. Wasn't much to tell. Catherine: Your prints were on the bus. Sean Nolan: Not following. Catherine: Front right wheel hub. Sean Nolan: I work here. Grissom: Julius Caesar, murdered in 44 B.C. Legend has it that the molecules from his last breath spread all over the world. Probably like your fingerprints, right? They're everywhere. Catherine: Uh ... Mr. Nolan, have you handled any chloroform lately? Sean Nolan: No. Catherine: You mind? (CATHERINE checks.) Sean Nolan: What are you doing? Catherine: Would you turn around, please? (As she nears the gauge in his back pocket, the monitor beeps rapidly.) Grissom: Whoa. Is that a pickle in your pocket or are you just happy to see us? (CATHERINE takes out his pressure gauge to check. She looks at it.) (Quick flashback to: SEAN NOLAN uses the pressure gauge to put chloroform in the bus tire. He glances around and caps the tire. End of flashback. Resume to present.) Sean Nolan: Just wanted to stick it to him. Give him a few problems. Brass: Maddox? Sean Nolan: Yeah. I smoke one joint on the weekend... my time. Now I got a jacket as a junkie. Can't get a job driving a bus to save my life. Catherine: So, you figured, "I'll just blow a couple of his tires." Sean Nolan: Even if a tire blows the suspension system should keep the bus on the road. I been driving buses for ten years. I've never seen a flat take out a bus. Brass: Well, there's always a first time. You're under arrest. (BRASS signals the officers to cuff SEAN NOLAN.) Sean Nolan: I didn't mean to hurt anyone, okay? (They take him away.) Catherine: Well, I'd hate to be a juror on a case like this. Grissom: Second-degree murder. Catherine: Reckless disregard for safety and human life mitigated by bad bolts. Grissom: Yeah, which was mitigated by greed. (They turn and walk away just as the next bus pulls into BARSTOW.) MAN (OVER P.A.): Well, folks, we're about two hours and 45 minutes from Vegas. Let's see if I can get you there ahead of schedule.
Chasing the Bus