Grissom and his team return to duty after long and bad bouts of the cold. DA Maddie Klien calls on Grissom to be an expert witness for a grand jury investigating La Tijera ("The Scissor"), a very dangerous Las Vegas gang. The gang appears to be terrorizing and murdering witnesses who could land them in jail. Grissom is reluctant, but Maddie insists he is the only one for the job.
[INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE - KITCHEN -- DAY] (BLUR IN on a glassware pot on the stove.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) Nobody knew he was coming, Conrad. Nobody knew his name. (Grissom is making soup.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) Well, if you'd stop talking for a minute, you'd understand. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. COURTHOUSE - JURY ROOM - DAY] (The large jury room is empty.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) The investigation's been compromised. Lives are at risk. (CUT TO: A legal pad and file are placed on the conference table. Another set of paper and file is placed on the table.) (CUT TO: The jurors are sworn in. There's a board with crime scene photos up in the background.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) How many people do the right thing anymore? Have a conscience? Don Cook didn't even know what he saw. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM] (Don Cook sits at the interview table.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) El Matocho doesn't kill for the thrill or because he was abused as a child. [EXT. NIGHT] (Emilio Alvarado walks away and under a lamppost. It's light enough to identify him. The large tattooed letters on the back of his head are easily identified: L-A-T.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) He kills because it's his answer to everything. (He walks away.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. NIGHT] (A car is on fire, burning from the inside.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) I had him eyewitnessed. It was enough for an indictment. No indictment, no trial. He goes free and La Tijera gets stronger. So don't patronize me by saying this might be an accident. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. NIGHT] (Fire crew and other personnel are at the site, the car fire is out and smolders. It's covered with foam.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) I'm not asking you for advice here, I'm telling you: I want Grissom. (A black car pulls off the side of the road. The door opens and Madeline Klein steps out of the car. She's on the phone continuing her conversation with Conrad Ecklie.) Madeline Klein: (to phone) Maybe the reception sucks out here. (She closes the car door and heads for the site.) Madeline Klein: (to phone) I said I want Grissom. Say I asked for him personally. (She hangs up.) (She walks over to the forensic techs standing near the site drinking coffee and waiting.) Madeline Klein: I don't want anyone touching anything. Thanks for all your help, guys. Tech: (o.s.) Yes, ma'am. (She turns and walks over to Brass.) Madeline Klein: Case is reassigned to Grissom. Brass: He's home sick, Maddy. Madeline Klein: Yeah, I heard all about it from Ecklie. Blah, blah, blah. The point that he and you seem to be missing is that I have 18 grand jurists sifting through evidence, trying to help me indict one of the deadliest gangs this city has ever ... Robbins: (shouts, interrupts) Who's in charge of the scene?! (Robbins, a coroner's assistant and David Phillips are with the body. David is examining the body.) (Brass points to Maddy.) Madeline Klein: I am. (mutters) For God's sake. (Maddy and Brass head for the body.) Madeline Klein: Madeleine Klein, Deputy DA. Robbins: Albert Robbins, Clark County Coroner. Brass: Talk to me, David. David Phillips: Confirms it's Don Cook. (David hands the wallet to Brass.) Madeline Klein: This is on us. Brass: What do you got, Doc? Robbins: Other than the obvious burns over the better part of his body, there's this. (David and the assistant roll the body to show the wound on the back.) Brass: He was shot. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE - NIGHT] (Grissom is in the kitchen cooking soup. An aria plays over the sound system. Grissom coughs and it's obvious he's sick.) (Hank sits on the kitchen floor nearby.) (Grissom stirs the soup cooking on the stove. He tastes it with a wooden spoon. The phone rings.) (Grissom picks up his cell phone and looks at it.) 4:00 AM CALL FROM ECKLIE (Grissom turns the phone off.) (Hank makes a sympathetic bark. Grissom turns and looks at Hank. Hank looks back at him.) FADE TO END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. ROADWAY -- DAY] (Two police cars are parked at angles on the road and a strip of crime scene tape is tied between them to block the roadway. Catherine is doing a walk-through on the road as she talks to Grissom on the phone.) Catherine: (to phone) Let me run it down for you. Isolated stretch of Route 2, burned car on the shoulder, burned male victim out of the car 20 feet away. (She walks past Greg, who is busy with a clipboard. A scarf is wrapped around his neck. She continues toward Madeline Klein, who is standing near her car.) Catherine: (to phone) Single gunshot wound to the lower back. Passing motorist called it in. Fire department arrived within 12 minutes. Fire burned so hot, they had to use foam to put it out, which, of course, is never good for us. Madeline Klein: Where is he? (Maddy takes the phone from Catherine and walks as she talks. Catherine walks along with her.) Madeline Klein: (to phone) I've been waiting over an hour for you. What, are you walking here? (pauses) How many times have I gotten out of bed in the middle of the night for you, Gil? (pause) Yeah. Yeah, well, I'd like to phone it in, too. I left an AA meeting for this. That trumps walking pneumonia. (Maddy hands the phone back to Catherine.) Madeline Klein: Here you go, eyes-and-ears. (Maddy turns and leaves.) Catherine: We'll keep in touch. INTERCUT WITH: [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE - DAY] (Grissom pours a packet of powder into his drink.) Catherine: (from phone) So the Deputy DA got out of bed for you? Whose bed? Grissom: (to phone) Talk to me about the road. Catherine: (from phone) All right. (Catherine is on the road. Warrick is there snapping photos.) Catherine: (to phone) The debris path starts approximately 100 yards from where the vehicle came to rest. (Warrick puts an evidence marker down on the road.) Grissom: (from phone) Show me what you see. (Catherine takes photos of the road around her and e-mails the photos to Grissom. She heads for the burned car.) [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE -- DAY] (Grissom sits on the couch as he works on the laptop. Hank lies on the couch behind him.) (He opens the first e-mail photo and looks at it.) Gil.Grissom @ lvpd.csi.com Catherine Willows(a)lvpd.csi.com Case #080403 - 1916 GG Crime Scene Photos Date: 04/03/08 Time: 8:13 AM ) (Warrick notes Greg is wrapped with his scarf around his neck.) Warrick: What are you doing, a catalog shoot? Where's your matching hat with your pom-pom? Greg: Leave me alone. I have a cold. (looks at clipboard) So, based on the debris pattern, the victim was driving the car when the blaze started. Swerving all over the road. Probably because he was on fire. (Warrick and Greg look down the road.) START: VISUALIZATION (The victim's car zooms through the road. It is on fire as it swerves this way and that, tires screeching. It heads straight through Warrick.) (Greg turns and watches the car swerve off the side of the road and stop where the current burned car is.) END: VISUALIZATION (Greg looks at Warrick.) Greg: What do you think? Warrick: Sounds about right. (Catherine approaches the burned car and takes a photo of the back end.) (She moves in closer and notes a discarded shoe on the grass near the closed driver-side door. She hears a loud sneeze.) Catherine: Gesundheit. (Nick sniffles. He's in front of the car) Nick: Thanks. Boy, I hope I'm not getting sick. I'm not finding any pour patterns on the exterior. The hood and the front quarter panels are down to the primer and the front tires are burnt down to the rim. Think the fire probably started in the engine compartment. Catherine: New car engines don't catch fire, not by accident. Nick: Now we'll have to get it back to the lab for a closer look. Catherine: And guys on fire don't stop to close doors. (Catherine snaps a photo of the closed door.) Nick: No, no, I talked to the battalion chief about that. He said the driver's side was open when his boys showed up, and that the pressure from the hose probably closed it. Catherine: Probably? (mutters) Hosers. (Catherine looks at the back of the car.) Catherine: Nick, come here. (Nick joins her. She points to the back of the car.) Catherine: Um. Clear that off, would you? (Nick wipes the foam off the bumper to reveal a tag: L-A-T.) Nick: "L-A-T." That's La Tijera's tag. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE - DAY] (Grissom is in his bathrobe as he goes to answer the front door. Maddy walks in carrying a file box.) Madeline Klein: Boy, you look like hell. I need sugar. You got a soda? (Grissom closes the door.) Grissom: Nice to see you, too, Maddy. (Maddy puts the file box down on the table. Grissom heads down the steps and toward the kitchen.) Madeline Klein: Six months' worth of investigation; two months working with the grand jury; five low-level indictments against the LATs. Why you? (mutters) 'Cause you're the only one who won't screw it up. Grissom: My team won't screw it up. Madeline Klein: Oh, right. Your team. Warrick Brown got mixed up with a crooked judge. Sanders ran down a civilian while on duty. Ms. Willows lied about being at a crime scene, among other things. (Maddy holds a disk and opens the file box.) Madeline Klein: And who can forget Stokes, your straight arrow? Suspected of killing his hooker girlfriend. (Grissom returns.) How does the song go? "You call me up, I get 'em out of it"? If it weren't for me, you'd have no team. Grissom: Are you done? (He opens the soda can and offers it to her.) Madeline Klein: Sorry. You have a ... ? (She holds up the disk. Grissom takes it from her and gives her the soda.) (Grissom goes to play the disk. Maddy sits down.) Madeline Klein: This was recorded two weeks ago. This guy had no idea that what he saw was the key to bringing down La Tijera and their leader, El Matocho. (Grissom picks up the remote and plays the disk as he settles on the couch. It's a video recording of Brass' interview with Don Cook date-stamped March 19, 2008, at 1:18 PM.) Don Cook: (from dvd) Okay, I know this is my third violation, but I was not speeding. I-I blew past that light because I had a fight with my wife. Brass: (from dvd) Listen, you're not here for a traffic violation, okay? Now, after you ran the red light, the street camera didn't pick you up at the next intersection. Where'd you go? Don Cook: (from dvd) Okay, look, I, I cannot have my license suspended. I have a vending machine business. Brass: (from dvd) You're not here for a traffic violation. Let's get that straight. Now, did you see anyone in particular? Do you remember that night? Don Cook: (from dvd) Yeah, yeah, no. Um, yeah, there was, there was a guy who walked past my car. Brass: (from dvd) Okay. Don Cook: (from dvd) I thought I was gonna get robbed on top of everything else. Brass: (from dvd) Can you identify him, hmm? Don Cook: (from dvd) Sure, yeah. He walked under a streetlight. I saw him. I saw him real clear. He, um ... He was Hispanic ... uh ... I don't know, bald, scary looking. (Maddy pauses the video and goes through the file folder.) Madeline Klein: "LAT" carved into the cheek of the victim is the signature of El Matocho, La Tijera's number one. (She hands Grissom a photo. On it is "LAT" carved on a man's cheek.) Madeline Klein: He killed gang leader, Little Gordo, but he was a ghost--no face, no name. INSERT: FLASHBACK [INT. CAR (PARKED) -- NIGHT] (Don Cook is in his car and parks. He looks out and sees Alvarado walking away.) Madeline Klein: (V.O.) Until Don Cook ID'd Emilio Alvarado coming out of Little Gordo's house around the time of the murder. RESUME SCENE. (Grissom looks at the photos.) Madeline Klein: Turns out Alvarado was caught up in a gang sweep day after the murder. Parole violation. He got 30 days. PD thought he was just another lowlife. Due to be released in 52 hours. Can't indict Alvarado with a dead witness. We need to prove conspiracy. Grissom: You need to prove that Alvarado ordered a hit on your witness. Madeline Klein: How long do you think it'll take you to bone up on these and put a suit on? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BRASS' OFFICE - DAY] (Cody Cook, Don Cook's wife, takes out a cigarette and looks at Brass. She sits on the couch in Brass' office.) Cody Cook: Can I smoke in here? Brass: Uh, no. It's a ... it's a government building. (She toys with the unlit cigarette. Brass pulls up a chair and sits down.) Brass: I'm very sorry for your loss. So when was the last time you saw Don? Cody Cook: Last night. We go to my folks' house every Sunday. Brass: Mrs. Cook, did you know that your husband was going to testify before a grand jury? Cody Cook: We talked about it. I told him I didn't want him to do it. But he found out about this girl, what the gang did to her. Brass: Did he confide in anyone else? Cody Cook: He said it was a secret. Brass: Did you tell anyone? Cody Cook: No. Well ... sort of. I told my mom and dad and my best friend, Jenny. She's my hairdresser. I tell her everything. Brass: I'm gonna need their phone numbers. Cody Cook: Did I do something wrong? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY - DAY] (The victim's partially burned body is on the table as David stands above it taking photos. Robbins stands behind the body, working on it. Catherine walks in.) Catherine: Oh, hey, Dave, nice haircut. What gives? (David steps down from the stepladder.) David Phillips: Oh, Mrs. Phillips. An extreme makeover. Catherine: Mm. Oh, make sure you get those photos to Grissom. David Phillips: I'm all over it. (David leaves.) Robbins: Sign of a good marriage. Wife still wants to change him. So your vic's burns are concentrated on the face, hands, knees and feet. It's consistent with an engine fire. (Quick flashback to: Don Cook sits in the car behind the steering wheel when the dashboard in front of him catches fire. He puts his hand and arm up to deflect the fire, but it doesn't work.) (He screams.) (He grips the steering wheel and his hands catch on fire. He screams.) (End flashback.) (Robbins hands Catherine a small container with the bullet inside. She looks at it.) Catherine: Jacketed hollowpoint. One cannelure. Looks like a .38. Robbins: Yeah. Entered through the right renal artery. That's COD. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GARAGE - DAY] (Nick is working under the hood of the car. He pulls out some wires. On the floor at his feet is a mat with various parts removed from the car.) (Nick coughs. He gets back to work. He coughs again.) (Greg walks in.) Greg: Wow. I bet it reeks in here. (Nick looks at him and shakes his head.) Nick: I wouldn't know. Greg: Thank God for stuffy noses. Nick: Yeah. Greg: DA Klein asked Grissom, who asked Catherine, who told me to tell you that we need to figure out if the victim was shot before he got in the car, while he was in the car or after he got out. Nick: Okay ... uh ... there was no blood trail at the scene. Fire pretty much took care of that. And I doubt you're gonna find any trace of blood in that burnt-up driver seat. Greg: Wow, I've got to give her more than that. Nick: Be my guest. (Greg heads over to the car. He coughs and sneezes. Nick continues working under the hood.) (Greg looks at the front seat. Nick pulls out a piece inside the engine. He coughs.) (Greg examines the seat belt buckle.) Greg: Skin on a seat belt buckle. You know, if I got shot and I'm trying to get away, I'm not gonna take the time to put my seat belt on. Nick: Eliminates the first scenario. Greg: So either the shooter kidnaps him and shot him while he was driving ... Nick: I don't know. Greg, I think we would have found evidence of somebody else inside the vehicle. Greg: Which leaves us with the last scenario. (Quick flashback of: The car is burning. Don Cook is on fire and screaming as he staggers outside the car. Someone else is there holding a gun and fires. End flashback.) Nick: I think I just found my reason for getting out of bed this morning. (Nick pulls out a piece of burned cloth.) Nick: Check it out. The same guy that tampered with the car could have followed. Made sure the job was done. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. COURTHOUSE - JURY ROOM - DAY] (Madeline Klein and Grissom break the news to the grand jury.) Marie Leahy (juror): Who killed him? Juror 1 (woman): Do you have evidence that the witness was murdered? Random Juror (man): How did they kill him? Madeline Klein: One at a time, Miss Leahy. Marie Leahy (juror): Do you know who killed him? Grissom: We don't know yet. Our investigation is still ongoing. Juror 2 (man): What was the guy gonna tell us? Madeline Klein: Until Dr. Grissom can corroborate Mr. Cook's testimony, I can't tell you the content. Tim O'Shea (juror): Mr. O'Shea. We've been locked up in here ten hours a day, two months, all cloak-and-dagger. La Tijera doesn't know we're investigating them, so they couldn't know about the witness. Grissom: Well, we found their signature at the crime scene. So it's possible they do know. Tim O'Shea: If they got to this witness, could they get to us? I have a family. Random Juror (man): (o.s.) So do I. Marie Leahy: I want to know how the gang found out about Don Cook. Tim O'Shea: Me, too. Or else I want off this jury. (Grissom and Maddy exchange looks.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE] (Grissom opens the door and finds Brass in the hallway holding some files.) Brass: Hi. I ... uh ... brought some more files on the case. (Grissom looks at Brass.) Brass: Got any coffee? Grissom: I got lots of tea. Brass: Good. (Brass walks in. Grissom closes the door. Brass heads inside.) Brass: You know, when we first asked Cook to testify he said no, and ... uh ... but ... you know, I couldn't let it go. (They stop at the counter where Grissom prepares the cup of tea as he listens.) Brass: So I called him up about a week later and ... uh ... took him to lunch and I showed him a picture of ... uh ... of a girl that they had killed, you know. She was 16, innocent, beautiful. She was raped, shot, and urinated on. And when that didn't kill her, they slit her throat. So I had him on the hook. When I told him that ... uh ... you know, if he testified, I'd protect him and his family if the case ever came to trial. On Friday, he called Maddy, said he changed his mind, he'd testify. And on Sunday ... he was dead. I couldn't protect him. (Grissom hands him the cup of tea.) Brass: Thanks. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY] [INT. CSI - GARAGE -- DAY] (Nick is still working on the car. He picks up a heavy tray of car parts and groans. He coughs as he carries the tray to the counter. He drops the tray on the counter and quickly covers his mouth to cough. He looks at his gloved hands.) Nick: Oh. (He removes his gloves, tosses them aside and grabs the glove box only to find it empty.) (Warrick walks in.) Warrick: Hey, buddy. Nick: (turns around) Hey. Warrick: Oh, man, you look beat up. Nick: I feel beat up. Warrick: Why don't you ... uh ... take a break. I got this. Nick: No, no, I'm cool. I can push through it. Warrick: Yeah. (Warrick chuckles.) Warrick: You're ... uh ... breaking the lab's budget for rubber gloves here, dawg. Listen, get some rest, man. You'd do the same for me. Nick: Yeah, okay. I processed the driver's side. I was about to get to the passenger's side glove box. (heads out) I owe you one, man. Warrick: Yeah, you do. (Nick sneezes as he leaves.) Warrick: Ooh. (Warrick opens the passenger side door and gets to work. He picks up a crowbar and pries the burned glove compartment open. He sticks his hand inside and pulls out the bottom of the compartment.) (Warrick is at the worktable and chisels away at the melted hard plastic. He finds a revolver.) (Warrick cleans the base of the revolver and finds the registration number: CC89048Z.) (He runs the number through the ATF database: FIREARM SERIAL NO: CC8 9048Z MAKE: SMITH & WESSON MODEL: MODEL 36 CALIBER: .38 SPECIAL (.38+P) (He finds a match: NAME: RICHARD P. O'MALLEY ADDRESS: 26887 ROUTE 2, NORTH LAS VEGAS FIREARM SERIAL NO: CC8 9048Z MAKE: SMITH & WESSON [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. ROAD / O'MALLEY RESIDENCE - DAY] (Brass' car turns into the O'Malley driveway. He parks.) (Brass gets out of the car and heads for the front door.) Cue Sound: (PRE-LAP) DOOR KNOCKING [EXT. O'MALLEY RESIDENCE - DAY] (Richard O'Malley opens the door.) Brass: Mr. O'Malley? Detective Jim Brass. Can I talk to you again? Richard O'Malley: Sure. Brass: Ballistics has confirmed that your son-in-law was killed with your gun. Richard O'Malley: Wait a minute. You told me this morning he died in a car fire. Brass: I know what I told you, but why didn't you tell me about the gun? (Mrs. O'Malley walks past carrying a laundry basket. She pauses to listen.) Brass: How did it end up in his car? Richard O'Malley: (to his wife) Go inside. (She walks away.) (to Brass) I gave it to him. Brass: Why? Richard O'Malley: Because he asked me for it. (Quick flashback to: Richard O'Malley shows the gun to Don Cook.) Richard O'Malley: All right, look, it's got five rounds in it. There's no safety on it. (He gives the gun to Don.) Don Cook: So all I got to do is just point it and shoot it? Richard O'Malley: Yeah. Now look, if you think you're being followed, don't be a hero. Call the police. (End flashback. Resume.) Richard O'Malley: Hey, look, I begged Donnie not to testify. He and Cody had everything to lose. They were doing great with their vending machines. No grandkids yet, but that's probably 'cause their marriage was shaky already. Cody has her mother's temper. She loved him, though. We all did. Brass: Look, as long as I'm out here, do you mind if I look around? Richard O'Malley: My wife and daughter are pretty upset. I don't want you guys in here bothering them anymore. [SCENE_BREAK] VARIOUS CUTS: (A CSI puts filler in a bullet casing and puts it in a Smith and Wesson.) (He places the revolver on the heating surface and turns it on.) (The temperature rises.) (The gun on the surface smokes.) (The temperature continues to rise.) (It reaches 400 degrees. The gun fires.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GARAGE] (Greg places the gun in the glove compartment of a similar type car. He places a dummy on the driver's seat. A trajectory rod sticks out of the dummy's back. Greg has to turn the dummy toward the door to get it to line up with the gun in the glove compartment.) Grissom: (V.O.) CSI Sanders confirmed that the trajectory of the gun lined up with the victim's body as he tried to exit the vehicle. (Quick flash to: The car is on fire. FOCUS on the glove compartment.) (Inside the glove compartment, the gun is heating up.) (CGI POV of: The bullet inside the gun is heating up.) Grissom: (V.O.) The engine fire would have reached approximately 400 degrees within two minutes. (SLOW MOTION: The bullet fires out of the muzzle, out of the glove compartment and hits Don Cook's back.) Grissom: (V.O.) Enough heat was transmitted to the glove box to cause the gun inside to discharge. (End flashback.) [INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY] (Grissom explains what happened to Maddy and the judge.) Grissom: Witness was killed by his own gun. Judge: Do you know who set the fire? Grissom: No, Your Honor, not yet. Madeline Klein: CSI found La Tijera's tag painted on the car's rear bumper. Judge: You can't charge the entire gang, counsel. Madeline Klein: Alvarado's set to be released in just over 24 hours. If he gets out ... we lose him forever. Grissom: We need a warrant to search his apartment. Judge: I can't give you a warrant just because she doesn't want him to get out of jail. Where's your probable cause? Madeline Klein: You saw the video. Cook placed Alvarado at the house at the time of the murder. Judge: Mere presence. Counsel, I got to get back to my trial. Grissom: Your Honor, Alvarado is an admitted member of La Tijera. Their initials were carved into the cheek of the murder victim in the house that Alvarado was seen exiting. We need the clothes that Alvarado was wearing that night. Madeline Klein: Hopefully, he didn't have time to do his laundry. Judge: The grand jurors are on board with this? Madeline Klein: They will be, Your Honor. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CAR (TRAVELING) - DAY] (Warrick is driving through the neighborhood - young men hanging out on the side of the roads, graffiti on the walls.) [EXT. ALVARADO'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY] (He stops his car in front of Alvarado's apartment building. He grabs a kit and gets out.) Warrick: Hey, Griss. Restocked your case. You were low on batteries and pheno. (Grissom takes his kit.) Grissom: Thank you. Warrick: You're welcome. (They head for the building.) Warrick: (reading file) Apartment 5967. Alvarado's crib. Hey, Grissom, I got tickets to the Rebels tomorrow night. If you're feeling any better and you want to check it out. Grissom: I'll be in bed. (They head up the stairs to the second floor.) BOOM! (The apartments above explode, knocking Warrick off the stairs and Grissom backward.) (Grissom and Warrick exchange looks.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. ALVARADO'S APARTMENT -- DAY] (The inside is burned and the firefighters leave. Warrick and Grissom are looking around.) Grissom: You feeling okay? Warrick: Yeah. My ears are still ringing, though. This place reeks of sulfur. (Warrick finds something and snaps a photo.) Warrick: I found about ten of these butane cans so far. Any evidence that's here is gone. (He takes more photos. Grissom looks at the walls.) Grissom: Yeah, well, there's burn patterns all over these walls. They must have splashed butane all over everything. (Quick flash to: Someone sprays the walls. End flash.) Grissom: And butane dissipates quick. Warrick: The other guy was probably watching us the whole time. Grissom: There's nails all over the place. Warrick: Grissom, I think I found the point of origin. Grissom: Green plastic. Sugar, butane, and nails. Add some egg whites in a soda bottle. You got a MacGyver bomb. Crude, but it works. Warrick: I think they were looking to do more than just destroy evidence. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD WALL - DAY] (Officer Mitchell and other officers have gang members lined up with their hands against the walls. The items in their pockets are on the ground behind them. Grissom and Warrick walk over to them.) Warrick: You running for warrants, Mitch? Officer Mitchell: Yeah. Warrick: Impound their cars. Officer Mitchell: You got it. (Warrick and Grissom look at the gang members. Grissom smells the back of one of the men. He goes to the next gang member, looks at the contents on the ground and smells him.) (He moves to the next gang member, looks at the contents on the ground, which includes a lighter and some cigarettes. He smells him.) Grissom: Mitch, I want to see this guy's hands. Donny Gomez: You ain't a cop, fool. Warrick: He's bigger than a cop. Show him your hands, princess. Donny Gomez: They're clean. Want to lick 'em and find out? (Warrick grabs Gomez by his arm, twists it back and looks at his hand.) Warrick: You think this is a game? Huh? This one's clean. (He looks at his other hand.) Warrick: What about this one? Clean. Grissom: Turn his pockets. (Officer Mitchell looks at Gomez's pockets. Sugar falls out.) Officer Mitchell: Sugar. Warrick: What's this? You been baking cookies? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. PD - OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY] (Madeline Klein watches as Brass interviews Donny Gomez.) Brass: So, who gave you the order to torch that apartment? Donny Gomez: I don't know what you're talkin' about. [INT. PD - INTERVIEW ROOM] Brass: And why that apartment? Who do you know lives there? Donny Gomez: Nobody. I got a mental illness. I'm a firebug. I'm loco. (Maddy walks out of the room.) Brass: You're loco? Donny Gomez: Who knows? (The door opens and Maddy walks in.) Donny Gomez: Maybe I'll set the lawyer lady's house on fire. Madeline Klein: Hey, little man with the big mouth. It doesn't matter what you say, 'cause all your boys are going to hear is that you rolled on Alvarado. (Gomez surges to his feet. His hands are cuffed behind his back. The officer grabs his shoulders. Brass stands up as well.) Brass: Sit down. Madeline Klein: Just bought yourself another ten years. I'm going to hand-pick your cell mate. (Maddy leaves.) [EXT. PD - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS] (Brass and Maddy exit the room and start down the hallway.) Brass: Well, that didn't help. Madeline Klein: That kid wouldn't roll if I gave him a night with Jessica Alba. Brass: You're really good at making enemies, Maddy. Madeline Klein: That's why I'm unlisted, divorced and carry a gun. Brass: Did you take Cook back to Little Gordo's house? You know, maybe to verify his story? Madeline Klein: Yeah, I always take my secret witnesses on a bus tour of the "hood." Brass: You know, when Don Cook first refused to testify that he saw Alvarado come out of Little Gordo's house, you know what I did? I took him to an out-of-town diner and bought him a cup of coffee. What'd you do? Madeline Klein: I went to Little Gordo's. (Brass nods. Maddy gets it.) Madeline Klein: Damn it. Good job, Maddy. They saw me. I can't even blame it on the booze. All they had to do was trail me back to the courthouse and watch me go into the security entrance with 18 escorted jurors. That's how they knew grand jury. Damn it! (She sighs. Brass is quiet.) Madeline Klein: This is where you're supposed to say, "It's okay. It could happen to anyone. It's not your fault Don Cook is dead." (He looks at her.) Madeline Klein: Like hell it isn't. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - HALLWAY - DAY] (Nick turns the corner and coughs.) Hodges: (shouts) Hey, Nick! (Hodges is in the lab. He heads out and is holding a report.) Hodges: You've got an artful tagger. Nick: What? (Hodges exits to the hallway to join Nick.) Hodges: Don Cook's car bumper. Gangbanger blended his green with another color. Not visible to the human eye. Of course, I caught it. Nick: You mean the GCMS caught it? Hodges: Well, if that's a hair you want to split. Suspect used green paint with a hint of cerulean blue. Probably for impact. (Nick coughs. Hodges turns his head away. Nick clears his throat as he leaves.) Hodges: You know, in China people wear masks when they're sick. It's considered impolite to infect your coworkers. Nick: (over his shoulder) Maybe you should go work in China. Hodges: Maybe you should wear a mask. (Hodges heads back to the lab.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. JAIL - DAY] (Warrick is at the entrance desk collecting a box of Alvarado's things from the guard.) Warrick: Now, this is everything Alvarado had and was wearing when they arrested him? (The guard hands him the box over the counter.) Warrick: Thank you. (The door buzzes. The guard lets Warrick through.) VARIOUS SHOTS (Warrick is in a room. He pulls out a COLLARED SHIRT from the package. It's still new, creased and has the sticker size on the front. He removes a pair of shoes and puts it on the table.) (He turns on his portable ALS and sweeps it across the clothing. He checks the soles of the shoes, which appear to be incredibly clean. He smells it.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. JAIL - ISOLATION HALLWAY - DAY] (Warrick and SPECIAL GUARD RON PEN walk down the hallway toward Emilio Alvarado's cell.) Guard Ron Pen: He's been in isolation for two weeks. I could tell you everything he's got in his cell. They assigned me special. Warrick: Does he get any yard time? Guard Ron Pen: Nope. I take him for hall walks. Not allowed any contact with anybody but me. Why do you need to see him? Warrick: Just want to rattle his cage a bit. That cool with you? Guard Ron Pen: Good luck. (They arrive at the cell where Emilio Alvarado is sitting on his bed and reading a book.) Guard Ron Pen: Hey, Alvarado, get up. (shouts) Cell check! (Alvarado's cell door opens. Alvarado looks at Warrick. He gets up and steps out of his cell.) Voice: (over pa) Cell block 3 is now in lockdown. Cell block 3, now in lockdown. (Warrick pulls the sheets off the bed and snaps a photo. He continues to look through Alvarado's things. He snaps more photos.) (Warrick picks up the book Alvarado was reading and he flips through it. He puts it down.) Warrick: So, you always clean your boots with bleach, El Matocho? (Alvarado laughs.) Warrick: Something funny? Emilio Alvarado: Matocho. Nonsense word. You know where this name comes from? There's a legend in Central America. This man, he woke up in a bad mood. Killed eight members of his family with a machete and then went and had breakfast. Matar. To kill. Ocho. Eight. "To kill eight." El Matocho. (Alvarado laughs at his own cleverness. Warrick doesn't find it funny at all.) Warrick: That's great. The way I see it, you're going to have lots of time to tell all kinds of great stories. (Warrick turns and leaves. Emilio Alvarado: Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. (The guard lets Alvarado back into his cell.) (The cell door closes.) Greg: (PRE-LAP) (V.O.) Alvarado is a suspect in three cases. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM - DAY] (Grissom, Nick and Greg go over the case. Greg indicates a photo with "L-A-T" carved in the victim's cheek.) Greg: First, he allegedly kills Little Gordo. (Greg puts a photo of Don Cool down on the table.) Greg: Then, the only witness who could identify him is killed. And last, but certainly not least, he allegedly orders Raphael Gomez to blow up his apartment. Nick: La Tijera is responsible for all three crimes. Tags at both scenes, and Gomez is an admitted member of the gang. According to Hodges, the tagger didn't use spray paint. He used an oil-based specialty paint. Greg: Well, that doesn't make any sense. Grissom: You got photos? (Nick turns to get the photos. Grissom barely has time to take out his tissue when he coughs. Nick waits for Grissom to finish coughing.) Nick: Here you go. (Nick hands the photo to Grissom. Grissom examines the letters under a magnifying glass. It looks perfect. Too perfect.) Grissom: This "L" looks like it was stenciled. (Grissom uses a ruler and a magnifying glass to look at the photo.) Grissom: Then, it looks like the tagger painted over it a second time, to make it look freehand. Nick: What? (Nick takes the magnifying glass and looks at the photo.) Nick: Yeah, those ... uh ... those do look like brush strokes. Greg: Well, gangs don't use paintbrushes. Nick: I assumed the tags were authentic. We've been looking in the wrong direction. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. O'MALLEY RESIDENCE - DAY] (Brass and Nick are back at the O'Malley residence.) Richard O'Malley: (shouts) Cody, come on out here. (to Brass) So, you think this gang messed with Don's car while we were having dinner? Brass: That's what we're here to find out. (Cody exits the house and joins them.) Richard O'Malley: Cody, Mr. Brass wants to talk to you. Brass: Hi, Cody. Nick: Where was your son-in-law's car parked that night? Richard O'Malley: (nods) Right over there. (Nick heads over while Brass continues talking with Cody.) Brass: Okay, tell me again about the day that Don died.) (Nick finds a line of newly painted birdhouses lined up on the low concrete wall.) Nick: Those are nice. Did you make those? Richard O'Malley: Yeah, a hobby of mine after I lost my job. Forced retirement. You know how it goes. Want to buy one? (Nick chuckles. He looks at the open garage.) Nick: You keep the garage door closed when you're not working? Richard O'Malley: Well, it's not like we have any neighbors. Nick: Anything ever gone missing? (Nick looks around inside the garage. He notices a crate of things.) Richard O'Malley: Sure, Cody's taking stuff all the time. She'd rather spend her money on clothes. Kids. Nick: Mind if I take this crate? Richard O'Malley: What for? Nick: Fingerprints. (Nick picks up the crate and takes it out of the garage.) Richard O'Malley: Well, you're going to find mine all over. Nick: That's why I'm going to get yours, too, sir. So I can exclude you. Follow me. (Nick leads Richard O'Malley to the car. They walk past Brass, who is still talking with Cody Cook.) Brass: Now hold on. Help me out here. Cody Cook: I already told you why I wasn't in that car. My husband and I were arguing. He was yelling at me. (Quick flashback to: [NIGHT] Cody and Don are arguing outside the house. Her parents are there watching.) Cody Cook: Okay, I'm having a hard time keeping it straight. You do like my dress? You don't like my dress? Don Cook: Can we please just not talk about this now? Cody Cook: When should we talk about it? Don Cook: Cody, get in the car. Cody Cook: No, I'm not going to get in the car. Don Cook: Listen. I loved the dress till I found out it cost 300 bucks. Cody Cook: Oh, three hun-- Don Cook: You have a closet full of dresses ... get in the car. Cody Cook: No. Not until you apologize. Apologize to my parents! Don Cook: I'm not apologizing. (Don gets into the car and drives away, leaving Cody behind.) Cody: (V.O.) I told him not to call me until the court thing was over. I needed to cool off. (Cody heads back into the house.) (End flashback.) Cody Cook: My dad says I was lucky. Nick: Ma'am, I'm going to need to get your fingerprints, too. Cody Cook: I don't like where this is going. Brass: It's going downtown. [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY] CU: CODY COOK'S FINGERPRINT CARD [INT. CSI - LAB] (Nick scans the fingerprint card into the system.) (He scans RICHARD O'MALLEY'S fingerprint card into the system.) (CUT TO: Nick grabs the stencils out of the crate and looks through them. He finds a stencil for an "L". There's green paint on the stencil.) (He finds a paint brush with a similar color washed out of the tip.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. PD - INTERVIEW ROOM A] (Brass interviews Cody Cook.) Brass: So you killed him. And made it look like a gang did it. And then you could buy all the expensive dresses you want. Cody Cook: I loved my husband. I didn't kill him, okay? You don't know me. You don't know my life. [INT. CSI - LAB] (Nick snips a sample off the paint brush.) (He dusts the paint brush handle.) (He tape lifts a print off the paint brush handle and looks at it.) [INT. PD - INTERVIEW ROOM] (Richard O'Malley is in handcuffs. Brass and Nick are in the room with him.) Nick: I found your fingerprints on a stencil. It was the one with green paint all over it. And the paint from one of your paintbrushes is a match to the car. (Richard O'Malley is quiet.) Nick: Your daughter said you disappeared into the garage right after dinner. That's when you stuck the rag in the engine between the catalytic converter and the heat shield. (Richard O'Malley still doesn't respond.) Nick: I think we all know what that did. Hmm? Brass: Hey, you don't want to say anything, fine. Write him up. Process him. (The guard escorts Richard O'Malley to the door. Through the glass, Cody Cook stands out in the hallway watching. They leave.) (Nick and Brass head out the other door.) Nick: You think the daughter had anything to do with it? Brass: No. Cody Cook: (shouts, o.s.) How could you?! Richard O'Malley: (o.s.) How could I what? (Brass and Nick step out into the hallway.) Brass: (to Nick) Cook was her meal ticket. Cody Cook: (shouts, o.s.) You son of a bitch! You were gonna kill your own daughter?! Richard O'Malley: (o.s.) No, I did this for you! (Brass rolls his eyes and heads down the hallway and turns the corner.) Cody Cook: (shouts, o.s.) Over money so you could get our business?! (Brass and Nick turn the corner to find two officers holding Cody and Richard apart.) Richard O'Malley: I would never let you get in that car! Cody Cook: Well, you didn't try to stop me! You just stood there! Richard O'Malley: How many Sundays did you come over and bitch to your mother about that selfish, ungrateful b*st*rd?! Cody Cook: Don wanted to give you the money; I said no! And all those nights Mom and I stayed up talking -- it was about you! Richard O'Malley: You owed me! Cody Cook: I hate you! Richard O'Malley: I did you a favor! Cody Cook: Go to hell! (The guard leads Richard away.) [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE] (Grissom is working behind his desk. Catherine knocks on the door. Grissom looks up and she enters.) Catherine: Never thought I'd be disappointed that we solved a case. Grissom: Hmm. (She looks at the files he's working on.) Catherine: Court personnel files? Grissom: Reading upside down is a talent. Catherine: What are you looking for? Grissom: The leak. Ninety minutes after the warrant was issued, Alvarado's apartment went up. Catherine: So you're looking at the judge, his staff, the clerk that issued the warrant, court reporter, any cops who knew ... Grissom: Yeah, but according to this, everybody cleared. The only ones left are the grand jurors ... and Maddy Klein. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI -- HALLWAY] (Catherine and Archie head through the hallway toward the A/V lab.) Catherine: Thanks for coming in, Archie, I appreciate it. Archie: Ah. No worries. Wasn't sleeping anyway. (They enter -- [INT. CSI - A/V LAB] (Archie grabs his lab coat and puts it on.) Archie: Big surf movie marathon on cable right now. Yeah, Big Wednesday, Endless Summer, Local Boys. Catherine: Dude. Archie: Yeah. Catherine: So we need to review some phone records, and fast. (She shows him the warrant with the list of names: TIMOTHY O'SHEA 702-555-0124 MARIE PEAHY 702-555-0107 CARTER HAYSON 702-555-0189 MAX LINUS 702-555-0197 DRAKE POMAN 702-555-0155 GEORGE VATCHKO 702-555-0188 ARLEN TAMMERLANE 702-555-0175 DARBY VANCE 702-555-0137 COLE ZAMPAS 702-555-0145 LOIS MANSTERS 702-555-0169 GLORIA STEEPS 702-555-0126 MARIA COLT 702-555-0171 BEVERLY SWANTON 702-555-0121 JESSICA VARGE 702-555-0119 CAREY WILKERSON 702-555-0116 TATIANA HOSS 702-555-0122 MONICA CARR 702-555-0103 Archie: Okay. It's going to be tough to go fast with that many names. Catherine: Oh, no. I can narrow it down. It's a 90-minute window, yesterday, at 12:00 noon to 1:30. Just cell phone calls. Archie: Okay. Give me a name and a number. Catherine: Timothy O'Shea. 702-555-0124 (Archie runs the search through the PHONE RECORDS DATABASE.) (The computer beeps and the results appear.) Archie: He called two numbers. Catherine: Do a reverse lookup. Archie: Looks like he called his wife and his home line. Next. Catherine: Cole Zampas ... 702-555-0145 VARIOUS COMPUTER SCREEN OVERLAYS with CATHERINE'S VOICEOVERS ("JESSICA VARGE" is typed into the search.) Catherine: (V.O.) Jessica Varge ... ("DARBY VANCE" is typed into the search.) Catherine: (V.O.) Darby Vance, 555-0137. ("MARIE LEAHY" is entered into the search.) Catherine: (V.O.) Marie Leahy. (The computer beeps.) Archie: Okay. Huh. "No user information". It usually means disposable cell phone. Catherine: Has she called the number before, within the last two weeks? Archie: Monday through Friday, both weeks, she called a different disposable cell phone. That's weird. Catherine: Okay. Try the text messages. Archie: Yeah. (The computer beeps. Archie pulls up the text messages.) Archie: See the pattern? Catherine: Every night around 11:00 p.m., someone texts her a number, which she then calls the next day. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. GRAND JURY ROOM -- NIGHT] (Grissom and Maddy Klein talk with Marie Leahy.) Grissom: How did they contact you, Miss Leahy? Marie Leahy: Uh ... a few weeks ago, at a gas station near my house, this ... uh ... this woman comes up to me and ... uh ... she knows everything about Peter. That's my ... uh ... little brother in Chicago. He's only 19. Got ten years for something he didn't do. And she said they'd get him out. And they did. Guy just confessed and my brother's set to go free. (crying) Did that witness die because of me? Grissom: Can you give us a description of the woman? (Marie shakes her head.) Marie Leahy: She was white ... uh ... short brown hair ... I'm sorry. I only seen her once. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM - MORNING] (Warrick joins Nick in the layout room. Photos and other file material are spread out on the table.) Warrick: Alvarado gets out in the morning. Nick: It is the morning. Warrick: Exactly. (Nick sighs.) Nick: You know, none of these people make a move without a direct order from Alvarado, especially not torching his own place. Warrick: What are you saying? Nick: Well, think about it. When Marie leaked the warrant information, it had to have gone in and out through him somehow. He's the boss. Warrick: I don't see how; the guy's in complete isolation. They even assigned him a special hand-picked guard. Look. (Warrick puts photos of Alvarado's cell in front of Nick.) Warrick: There's no privileges in isolation. Nick: Things still move in and out of his cell: laundry, food. Warrick: The only thing I saw from the outside was a book. They say he's a big reader. But I looked it over; there's nothing. Nick: What about all the other books he's been reading? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. JAIL - LIBRARY - MORNING] (Grissom puts on his gloves as he looks at the library bookshelves. Alvarado's guard, Ron Pen, stands nearby and watches.) Grissom: How does Alvarado get his books? Ron Pen: It's like a regular library. When a book's checked out, a trustee writes down the inmate's name, booking number and date. Gets checked back in the same way. Grissom: I need to see every book that Alvarado checked out. (Ron Pen opens the log and reads the book titles.) Ron Pen: What Is the What?, The Infinite Plan, and Herzog. Oh ... and The Inferno. Grissom: (looking at shelf) Alphabetical by author? Ron Pen: Mm-hmm. (Grissom goes to the shelves on the side of the room.) Grissom: David Eggers. (He finds the book What is the What and flips through it.) Grissom: There's pages missing. (Grissom looks around for the next book.) Grissom: Allende. (He finds The Infinite Plan. He flips through it and finds pages ripped out.) Grissom: How many books has he read in the last 48 hours? Ron Pen: Two. (reaches for a book on the shelf) He said he didn't like this one; returned it yesterday afternoon. (He hands Herzog to Grissom. Grissom flips through it and finds pages ripped out. He thinks about it.) Grissom: Where's The Inferno? [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. JAIL - ALVARADO'S CELL] (Alvarado's cell door opens and he steps out of the cell. Grissom and Ron Pen arrive just as the Discharge Guard is escorting Alvarado out.) Ron Pen: Hold up a minute. Discharge Guard: Orders to process him out. Grissom: Just hold him. (The Discharge Guard turns Alvarado toward the cell door.) (Grissom walks up to the open cell door, reaches inside and picks up a copy of The Divine Comedy.) Grissom: This is a good book, Mr. Alvarado. Which Circle of Hell would you be in? Emilio Alvarado: The Seventh, the outer one. Grissom: Those who commit violence against others. (Alvarado smiles at Grissom.) Emilio Alvarado: Souls plunge into a river of boiling blood. (The guard turns Alvarado back toward the wall. Grissom flips through the book and stops on a crinkled page. He smells it.) Grissom: (to Rob Pen) Officer, do you have a lighter? No pen, no paper ... so you used what you had, huh? (Quick flashback to: Alvarado is in his cell and puts a cup on his bunker. He opens the book to a random page and writes with a swab.) Grissom: (V.O.) A book for paper, and for ink, urine. (End flashback.) (Grissom uses the lighter and heats up the back of the page.) Grissom: Once the urine dries, the writing becomes invisible ... until it's heated, making the acid in the urine turn brown. (Writing appears on the page.) Grissom: Then you..uh..put the book back in the library, another prisoner checks it out, tears out the page, gives it to a visitor, and you get your message out. Yes? Rob Pen: Put him back in his house. (The Discharge Guard turns Alvarado back toward the cell. Alvarado looks at Grissom.) Emilio Alvarado: Mira, usted se va a morir. (The cell door closes on Alvarado, back in his cell.) [SCENE_BREAK] [EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY LIGHTS (STOCK) - NIGHT] [INT. GRAND JURY ROOM] (The book is now in an evidence bag and is open to the message: CARVE MK FOR ME SEND A PHOTO ) (Madeline Klein sits back, looks at Grissom and sighs.) Madeline Klein: Well, I was right about Alvarado: he was leaving Vegas. Otherwise, he would have killed me himself. Grissom: You okay? Madeline Klein: Yeah. Guess now, I owe you one, huh? Grissom: I don't keep score, Madeleine. Madeline Klein: You know what, Gilbert? You're the only man I know who's never let me down. Which means that you're either a classic enabler or my soul mate. [SCENE_BREAK] [INT. GRISSOM'S PLACE - DAY] (The front door opens and Grissom returns with Hank on a leash. He closes the door and puts his keys down on the table nearby. He unleashes Hank and goes to sit on the couch.) (It's quiet. Grissom sighs and puts his head down in his hand.) (His phone rings. Grissom drops the leash on the table and picks up his cell. He looks at the number.) (He lies back on the couch and answers the phone.) Grissom: Hi. (He chuckles.)
Grissom's Divine Comedy