Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020) s01e05 Episode Script
Game On
1 Previously on "Lincoln Rhyme" Maybe people should just do their jobs.
Maybe they'd do them better if their work environment was a little more harmonious.
Lincoln, wait for backup.
He's always been Lincoln-y, even before he was in that chair.
His problem is that he lost to the Bone Collector, and he cannot accept that.
- Dad? - If I go after him again We're thousands of miles away, Lincoln.
Rachel's gonna find out.
Make sure she hears it from you first.
I looked into the phone the Bone Collector used in the surveillance footage.
I think we can safely extrapolate where this path is heading.
To the greatest city in the world.
It's good to be home.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
Profile by Laura S.
Cutter, FBI.
Our suspect is likely a white male.
30s to early 50s.
[VICTIM BREATHING RAGGEDLY.]
A uniquely organized killer.
[GASPING.]
He's killed 15 victims, both male and female, across racial and socioeconomic lines.
He sees victims as unworthy objects.
[GRUNTS WEAKLY.]
[RASPS, EXHALES.]
Even his name, the Bone Collector, is coined from his own disrespect of humanity.
Unlike Bundy, Dahmer, or Gacy, he doesn't seem to derive any sexual pleasure or physical thrill from the violence itself.
It's about the control.
He doesn't hide his crimes.
He displays them with great effort to engage the police in the process the game, whereby he will show he is better than us, that he wins that he's the best.
This is about ego.
What's about ego? What are you doing up? It's, like, 5:00 a.
m.
What? You can't tell me? Nothing.
You know, it's just another one of Lincoln's old cases.
Okay.
Well, then tell him it can wait.
I'll try that.
If there's anything Lincoln loves, it's waiting.
Kay.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
[DOOR CLICKS SHUT.]
Hey.
Everything okay? It's time.
He's back.
Really? I mean, it's him for sure? A murder was reported an hour ago at a library across town.
Evidence displayed deliberately.
Victim left in an apparatus which led to his demise Holding a copy of my book.
Sellitto and Eric are already there.
I see.
The first of three victims.
Which means if we don't move fast, two more innocent people die today and he disappears again.
Right.
Kill and retreat.
He's in New York for one reason: to play his game with me.
You're my eyes and ears, Amelia.
I need you out there right now.
Lincoln if he's back and he knows where we are I need your head in the game right now.
Your full mind.
So a personal security guard is already on his way to your place.
He's Special Forces.
He's good.
And believe me, no one is getting near your sister today.
Thank you, Lincoln.
No.
You can thank me by getting to that crime scene.
Yeah.
On my way.
[PHONE LINE CLICKS, SILENCES.]
The game's already begun.
[DARK MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER.]
There's no ID.
We need to figure out who this victim is.
I know who he is.
Wait.
What? Dr.
Robert Banks.
Professor of U.
S.
history at CUNY.
My alma mater.
Only person ever to flunk me in a class.
History, of all things.
Made me study out of spite.
Became my mentor.
Put me on a path to all this.
I'm so sorry, Lincoln.
Me too.
[STIRRING MUSIC.]
Make sure I speak to his family when this is over.
Right now, there are three clues left here for us.
We need them to save the next victim.
[EXHALES.]
I see a few of them.
The victim regurgitated something on himself.
Maybe that's our third.
I'm gonna talk to the building manager, figure out how on Earth someone managed to get this body down here to play mad scientist.
[BITTERLY.]
And nobody saw nothing? [EXHALES SHAKILY.]
[BREATHING RAGGEDLY.]
[DARK MUSIC.]
[GAGS, COUGHS.]
- He reeks.
- Vomit tends to.
Of alcohol.
Did your professor drink? Not like this.
He always liked perfect control of his mind.
I see why you two got along.
[TENSE, INTRIGUING MUSIC.]
What's in the IV? Well, it's not your typical saline solution.
It's something called tetrodotoxin.
It's a neurotoxin found in pufferfish.
Intravenous injection would have paralyzed him.
If liquor were poured down his throat, he couldn't move.
And without a gag reflex or the ability to cough up the alcohol, he would gradually drown.
- He was paralyzed.
- We've established that.
No.
I mean this entire scene is aimed at you, Lincoln.
Your professor.
Your book.
Paralysis.
Like I said, this gets personal.
[CHUCKLES.]
Little early for video games.
Naia, I have to ask you.
Where's Camden? At basketball camp.
Since when is he playing basketball? Since a few months ago when he made the AAU team.
Competitive basketball, and no one thought to mention this? Maybe he was protecting your feelings? Knowing he can't shoot hoops with his dad.
Naia, please listen carefully.
I need you to pick him up.
I'm sending someone to watch your place.
So he's back.
He's in New York.
He won't be anywhere near you, at least not today, but I'm not taking any chances.
Please get Camden? I will.
Be careful, Lincoln.
[MUSIC BUILDING.]
I will.
[DEVICE BLIPS.]
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
The library.
Surveillance? Witnesses? I can't imagine he just walked in the front door.
Side door.
And there was a power surge just before closing time.
All systems, including the limited security footage, went dark for ten minutes.
And no witnesses, per usual.
Your professor was alone, apparently.
Staying late grading papers.
"There's always work to be done," he used to say.
I'll get the unis to circle back with the properties on that block, see if anyone or their security cam saw anything before the blackout.
I'll check with the university, get the professor's schedule from yesterday.
While you're at it, run anyone I mentioned by name in my book.
If they're in the city, send a uni as a precaution.
Let's go.
Why do you think he left a copy of your book? You said it.
This is about me.
This time is different.
Is it? He's been playing this game with me since I figured out his three-clue pattern the night of the very first murders.
Maybe he's been playing with you, but up until today, the victims weren't about you, the clues weren't about you.
- What are you saying? - I am saying he's changing the rules.
Well, he doesn't change the rules.
Then why the book? I don't know.
What I do know is there are two victims we can find by triangulating the clues.
The dollar bill, the stomach contents, and whatever that white fragment is.
Those are his rules.
That's what we focus on.
Amelia, you've got a terrible poker face.
Just say what's on your mind.
Okay.
Maybe the game itself is the problem.
Hmm? It's always the same.
He throws.
You swing.
If we don't play the game, people die.
15.
I know.
16, if we I'm aware of the score.
Look, I am sorry.
I'm just saying, you are always on defense.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Have you ever thought about going on offense? I've been thinking about this for eight years, three of them stuck in this chair.
We've tried every way.
Playing his game is the only way we've ever gotten close to him.
We just have to win.
Okay.
I'm sure you're right.
[MUSIC DEEPENS.]
[DOOR CLICKS SHUT.]
- [LIGHT KNOCK.]
- Agent Cutter? Officer Lincoln Rhyme.
You asked to see me.
So you're the dog with the bone, flooding my inbox every day with your thoughts on the FBI's approach to the Tourist Killer.
Not trying to step on toes.
I've just been following the case.
Want to help.
Well, your instincts were correct.
The last victim had salt water on the clothes and her luggage, and so did this one.
How did you know? If they took the ferry on the Hudson, like I suspect, the spray from the river would track on their clothes.
[GRUNTS.]
All right then.
Can you explain these fragments found on the victim's hair and feet? [SOMBER MUSIC.]
The killer's hunting ground could be any one of a half dozen tourist areas by the Hudson.
Only one would explain the Torrey's rush flower; a leaf from New Jersey's state tree, the red oak; and what I'm guessing is a feather from the endangered northern harrier.
Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
Your killer could be a visitor, even pose as a tourist himself.
You think he selects his targets there? Someone innocuous who crosses paths with hundreds of tourists a day, willing to divulge their vacation plans to a complete but totally harmless stranger, then tracks them to their hotel rooms, where they're taken from.
But that would be speculating.
All the evidence says for sure is this is where you'll find them.
It's quite the theory, Officer Rhyme.
But none of that fits our profile.
- Got it.
- Music to my ears.
Victim's vomit is mostly whiskey a New York rye except for a few undigested particles of turtle meat.
- Turtle meat? - How aristocratic.
And inhumane.
Green sea turtles are endangered.
It is illegal to eat one in the United States.
We'll be sure to add that at the Bone Collector's sentencing.
In the meantime, I doubt Professor Banks was dining on exotic reptile meat while grading papers.
It's a clue.
What about that white tile? Not a tile.
It's ivory.
From a hippopotamus tusk.
Hippos have tusks? And the dollar? It's just that.
One dollar.
Nothing telling from the serial number.
Professor's prints are on it.
Probably came from his wallet.
What about my book? It came from right off that library shelf.
Wiped of all prints, of course.
Let's take these clues at face value.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC.]
One dollar bill, turtle meat, and ivory.
It's a common misconception that Washington had wooden teeth.
In fact, his dentures were made from hippo ivory.
In 1783, Washington hosted a farewell turtle feast for the officers of the Continental Army, removing his hippo dentures so he could enjoy a decadent meal at what is now the oldest operating bar in New York City.
The next victim is at Fraunces Tavern.
All available units to Fraunces Tavern.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
Hey.
How was the seminar? I did my four words routine you know, organize, plan, commit, succeed and I got a standing ovation at the end.
Because you organized and planned it so well? [LAUGHS.]
Cute.
But really, it was invigorating.
How's your work coming? Oh, you know, somewhere between committed and succeeding.
[GAS HISSING.]
Hey, I'm proud of you.
Why don't we do lunch at the Weybridge? Celebrate the life coach who changed my life.
I love it.
And just so you hear me say it, you were right.
Coming back to New York was a great idea.
I think so too.
Love you.
Love you, too, honey.
[GASSES HISSING.]
[DRAMATIC PERCUSSION.]
[INTENSE MUSIC.]
[SOBBING.]
It was horrible.
His face was just oh, my God! Looks like we're too late.
I can talk to her.
You're needed inside.
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
Nobody's allowed in without proper equipment.
It's not safe.
What are you talking about? The kitchen's a gas chamber.
Someone unscrewed all the carbon dioxide tanks from the taps.
Let me guess.
You want me to go in anyway.
You set the bar high by standing in front of a moving subway train.
Let's get you suited up.
Listen, if you feel a headache or dizzy or confused anything you get the hell out.
I work with Lincoln Rhyme.
[SIGHS.]
When am I not confused with a headache? Good luck.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Amelia, relax.
Forget about the stakes for a second.
Only think about what's right in front of you.
Are you seeing what's right in front of me? You can do this.
Now, I need you to turn around and tell me what's in the victim's hand.
Uh it's your book again.
Did you know this victim too? I don't, but just in case, check his ID.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[GRUNTS.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Hey.
He's not in your book.
Collateral damage, I'm afraid, just like the rest.
[SIGHS.]
Oh! I found one of the clues! There should be two more.
Where are they? Oh, wait a minute.
Look at his mouth.
What do you want me to do? Very gently hold onto it while you open his jaw.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Okay.
[GRUNTS.]
[TANK SCRAPES.]
Okay.
[TERRIFYING MUSIC.]
Are you seeing this? It looks like it goes down his throat.
Yes.
There should be two more clues at the other end of that string.
Okay, so this'll be a forensics thing, to get it out? Yeah.
Pull.
Lincoln, this is totally against protocol.
A medical examiner should be doing this.
I agree with her wholeheartedly.
We can't wait on the M.
E.
The gastric acid is eating away at the clues.
If we lose those clues, a third victim dies.
So much for "relax and forget about the stakes.
" Hurry.
But do it carefully.
You can't tell me to hurry and do it carefully at the same time, Lincoln.
Good.
Nice and easy.
Ugh.
I see something.
[GASPS.]
Ugh.
It's stuck.
- What do you mean? - It's jammed.
Wedged.
Not moving.
Cut it.
- What? The string? - His throat.
[GASPS.]
Are you insane? A tracheotomy on a dead body is a hell of a lot better than letting the next victim die.
Lincoln, this is borderline il We don't have a choice! Amelia, your job is to do what I would do if I were there, and if I were there, I would have been holding those clues five minutes ago.
Now, take the knife and [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Atta girl.
We have the clues.
That's all that matters.
[EXHALES.]
[GASPING.]
Easy.
What'd you say about feeling dizzy? Nice work.
Yeah.
Take a minute.
Eric's still talking to the surrounding businesses.
Any witnesses? Like a ghost, as usual.
All right.
I'll go get you some water, and we'll take off.
This morning, there was a carbon dioxide leak in this establishment's kitchen, causing one fatality.
The police were called to the corner of So we're lying to the public now? - After an employee - Omitting details.
The mayor wants a lid on anything Bone Collector.
[SCOFFS.]
And you guys don't think that might set him off? Identified as 25-year-old We're depriving him of credit.
Right.
Wouldn't want him to do anything crazy, would we? [DARK MUSIC.]
I can always tell when you're lying, you know.
You're upset about something.
Honey? Sorry.
I was distracted by the news.
- Horrible accident.
- No.
That's not it.
You're carrying so much tension.
You're not yourself.
[UTENSILS CLACK.]
[SIGHS.]
Work is not going as I hoped.
There.
See? Now, was that so hard? - It's just - You're a perfectionist.
You worry about what other people think about your work, but the truth is, recognition comes in time.
If you value what you do, that's all the validation you need.
You're a gift, Danielle.
What have I done to deserve you? Aww.
Lincoln, you mention the tavern in your book.
I know.
I wrote it.
Here: "I had once chased a perp through a restaurant "and lost him, only to realize I'd failed to check "the ladies' room he was hiding in.
"This time, in Fraunces Tavern, I didn't make the same mistake.
" BOTH: "I knocked first politely.
" "Then made my arrest.
" Much as I love a recitation of my words, I gather you're working a theory.
I have been researching the previous crime scenes to this case, and I read FBI agent Cutter's profile on the Bone Collector I value your ambitions as a profiler.
I do.
But Agent Cutter was never in the same room as the Bone Collector.
She speculates based on statistics, and Let her finish, Lincoln.
As Agent Cutter says, "View each crime scene as a conversation.
" So what is the Bone Collector trying to tell us about each new murder? He's telling us he's superior to me.
I've been in his crosshairs ever since I found his first hidden puzzle.
A worthy adversary he feels compelled to prove unworthy.
He's read my book and wants to tarnish my greatest achievements by dropping innocent bodies on them.
People I can't save.
People I knew.
Or do you see it differently? I do.
I I mean, just look at the tavern.
You didn't really know that person, and was it really one of your greatest achievements? Everyone's a critic.
That's not what I meant.
It's just, it's a random case in a book full of huge, incredible anecdotes.
Why that one? I mean, you said it yourself.
Everything means something to the Bone Collector.
Lincoln, I agree, he is targeting your career triumphs.
But just like Agent Cutter said, this is about ego.
I've read every word Agent Cutter wrote about the Bone Collector.
I didn't hire you to regurgitate research.
I hired you to be my eyes and ears.
My brain works just fine.
[SCOFFS.]
Yeah, well, so does mine.
I know.
So use it to come up with something actionable to help us catch the Bone Collector today! Or else we're just wasting time.
And every minute we lose today is [GRUNTS.]
Is - [GURGLES.]
- Lincoln? - Claire! - Hey, hey.
Claire? Cl Claire! We need you in here! [GRUNTING.]
He was talking one minute.
All of a sudden, he Give him some space, please.
- What's happening? - [GRUNTING.]
Call 911 now.
God, your heartbeat is out of control.
Stay with me, Lincoln.
- [GROANING.]
- Stay with me, Lincoln.
- [GROANS.]
- Stay with me, Lincoln.
[GROANS LOUDLY.]
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Of all days.
I know.
I feel terrible.
I mean, we were arguing, and then the next minute It's not your fault.
Just sometimes, when he gets upset it's autonomic dysreflexia.
It's when a paralyzed person's brain receives alerts from the body that something is wrong, but there's no way to pinpoint the source of the problem.
Everything goes haywire.
To a quadriplegic, an ingrown toenail has the same urgency as a heart attack.
This has happened before? Sadly, yes.
Look, they'll find the source, and he'll be fine.
It's just a little mystery.
High stakes.
Only a few clues to work with.
You have enough of that today without worrying about this.
That's the thing.
There's still a third victim out there, and I don't know how to find them without Lincoln.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
- Five minutes to air.
- Mr.
Deerfield? - Give me a minute, Leah.
- Hunter? What? You really need to look at this.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
Guess we'll be changing our lead story.
I said I'm fine.
It's over.
I'm just doing my job, Lincoln.
Hey.
Where are we on victim number three? Uh, Lincoln I'm fine.
Truly.
I I appreciate your concern.
Now, can we try and save someone? Claire said you could have died.
I I mean the rest of us can I get it.
Yes, I could have died.
That's what this man did to me.
He made it so that a damn bugbite can take my life, can prevent me from saving someone else's life.
Let me do everything I can to stop him.
Can we get back to work? [CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
Kate should be here any minute, and Glad to see you're up, but you're not gonna like this.
Breaking right now: the Bone Collector.
The serial killer who plagued New York for half a decade is back.
NYPD will not comment, but we can confirm that two victims have been found dead today here in New York City.
And if history is any predictor, that means there's one more to come.
- Someone leaked this.
- Worse.
The Bone Collector sent him Polaroids of the first two victims.
Labs ran the envelope.
- They got nothing.
- He's taunting us.
He's gonna panic the city.
I heard.
I want to check those envelopes myself, though.
In the meantime, the colorful powder from the second victim's stomach is patina, or corroded copper that's been exposed to sulfur and oxide compounds.
Also known as verdigris.
Formed when bronze, brass, or copper is weathered or exposed to seawater over time.
- What else? - Item two is a plant stem.
Quercus rubra.
Commonly known as northern red oak.
Where from, exactly? Hacked every field study, environmental blog, and your own notes from General 14C; cross-referenced it with the Bone Collector sample.
Shows hints of Hudson grime.
Somewhere on the river.
What about the knife? It's an oyster-shucking knife, which is relatively rare, but can be purchased at any store that sells kitchenware.
Wiped of all prints.
No barcode.
Copper patina, oak leaf, and an oyster knife.
And this is gonna be specific to you and your book.
Felix, bring up a map of New York and the Hudson.
Early 1800s.
Zoom in on Communipaw.
It's the Lenape name for "other side of the river," or, as we know it, New Jersey.
The land that borders the Hudson was flush with oyster beds until 1839, when the central railroad of New Jersey was built and destroyed them.
Across the river, 60 years later, Ellis Island processed immigrants greeted by Lady Liberty herself, dazzled in patina copper.
Nearly 2/3 of them passed through to the New Jersey railroad terminal now known as Liberty State Park, which hosts more than 750 trees, red oak among them, as a living memorial for the residents of New Jersey who died in the attacks on 9/11.
And you want the book to mean something? Stop! NYPD! [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Stop moving.
- [SHOUTS, GRUNTS.]
- Hands behind your back.
Like I said, follow the evidence.
Liberty State Park is the location that launched my career, where I told your idol Agent Cutter how to catch the Tourist Killer.
Okay.
Liberty State Park.
Let's move.
Wait.
We don't have time to wait.
The clues are there.
It's in the book.
I know that Liberty State Park made you famous, and I know the ending to your book, but it feels predictable.
Like, it just Lincoln, it feels too easy.
- You think this was easy? - Look, I don't know.
It just feels wrong.
I don't think he'd choose it.
So based on your read of his personality, where should we go, Amelia, before someone else dies? - I don't know.
- So we follow the evidence, because here's what I do know.
Evidence informs the profile, not the other way around.
- Can we have a minute? - We don't have a minute.
That's what you said to me three years ago.
Ten minutes before you entered that warehouse, you and I had this very exchange.
- No.
- We did.
I said, "Don't rush in there.
" I was right.
The victim was there.
I was right! I said he was setting us up.
I said we need to think before we walk into a trap.
You think I should have let that victim die! I'm saying I had a feeling something was wrong, but you knew you were right! And here we are.
So if Amelia's gut is saying something's wrong let's take a minute, okay? Let's take a minute.
Get it right.
- What? - Um [CLEARS THROAT.]
Okay.
The three clues.
We know they lead to Liberty State Park.
Could they mean anything else? Copper patina.
Oak leaf.
Oyster knife.
And the book.
The roof over Grand Central Terminal.
Recently restored, because the copper patina was causing leaks.
Under that roof, the oldest oyster bar in the city.
The entire terminal accented with oak leaf carvings.
A symbol of the Vanderbilt family who financed the construction in 1871.
Lincoln, you tracked Hans Baker there.
The murderer you arrested on the platform.
The same three clues lead to two different places.
Which one is it? Uh I I don't know.
I I mean, not for sure.
Go to Grand Central.
You and Eric go to Liberty State Park.
- You won't have eyes.
- Talk me through it.
Go.
Thank you.
[SIRENS WAILING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Talk to me.
No chaos.
No one seems to be Dead? Good.
We're in time.
All right.
Let's get all the tourists out of the way.
Let's not cause a panic.
We'll corral them by the ferry, and don't let 'em leave.
All right.
Let's divide and conquer.
I'm gonna check the north side like when he first saw the Tourist Killer.
All right.
Good.
I'll head into the terminal where he caught him.
Amelia, you there? Please evacuate the terminal.
I'm here.
Please walk carefully to the ledges.
Follow the directions of law enforcement officers.
No, I see nothing, except a commuter's nightmare.
- Where do I go? - Go straight.
Head for the platform.
That's where I got Hans Baker.
Please evacuate the terminal.
Sellitto, what are we looking at? Nothing yet.
It's just deserted.
It's not here.
The clues lead here.
Keep looking.
There should be a passageway.
South side of the terminal.
That's the only place you haven't checked.
I got it.
Amelia, that's where I got him.
I know.
I don't see anything.
Sellitto, what do you see? It's your book.
I knew it.
No.
I mean it's your book, but there's no body.
It's got to be a misdirect.
It's got to be Grand Central.
Amelia, it's got to be here.
But it isn't.
Unless the Bone Collector's about to arrive on a train.
Keep looking.
I've been too late, but I've never failed at this.
We can't be wrong.
Lincoln, it's the wrong platform.
No.
This is where I caught him.
Yes, but it's not the only time you mentioned Grand Central in your book.
The suicide? The guy who jumped in front of the train.
Do you remember what else you wrote about it? What I failed to notice was the guy on the edge.
Too close to the edge, and as the train came in, he jumped.
But that wasn't a case.
That was a story about Where you failed.
Your words.
You failed.
This was never about him tarnishing your success.
He's reminding you of your failures.
Professor Banks.
He failed me in his history class.
Before you made the arrest at Fraunces Tavern, you failed to check the ladies' room.
And then the suicide.
I failed to save him.
Amelia, it's Track 19.
Go.
Now.
I'm here.
[PANTING.]
It looks abandoned.
Very end of the platform.
That's where he jumped.
Damn.
We're too late.
[PANTING.]
- [MUSICAL STING.]
- Sorry, Lincoln.
We tried everything.
[GASPS.]
She's alive! [GASPING.]
Amelia, no! - It's okay.
- It could be a trap.
- I don't see anything.
- She's still alive.
That means he could be here watching.
[GASPING.]
You'd do it.
Lincoln, you would do it if you were here.
I know, and look at where it got me.
Screw it.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I got you, okay? I got you.
Okay.
[PANTING.]
I'm gonna push you back, okay? I got you.
I got you.
Shh.
[WHIMPERING.]
Okay.
[PANTS.]
Okay.
Okay.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Okay.
It's okay.
- [WHIMPERING LOUDLY.]
- It's okay.
I know.
I know.
[SWELLING MUSIC.]
You did it, Amelia.
You saved her.
We did it.
The paramedics are on their way.
All of us.
I've examined every microscopic on the photos How about the woman? Anaña Ceru she is going to make it, but she can barely talk, she doesn't remember anything, she got off the train - - And as far as we can tell no one saw him.
No one saw anything.
The track was closed for repair.
Security cameras went dark.
But it was a win, Lincoln.
I mean, for the first time, we saved someone.
It's not a win.
Two more people died today.
We're not closer to finding him, and he played me again.
I was wrong, and if you hadn't seen through it But I did.
And then Sellitto convinced you to listen, and then you figured it out.
And now, he's gonna be shaken up because his game didn't work.
- We beat him.
- That's what worries me.
When he wins the game, he goes dark for a year.
What happens when he loses? Does he have to play again? Tomorrow? We can't let him play again.
Yeah, but how do we stop him? Nice work, Officer Rhyme.
Thank you.
Something else? Yes.
You're smart and you're good, but you're arrogant, Lincoln.
But may I remind you, I had a team and we spent a long time tracking this guy.
You brought us the final piece, and for that, I commend you, but this wasn't you alone.
It was a team effort, and if you can't play on the team, you'll be good, but you'll only be so good.
You said the game is he throws and I swing, but he's not playing me anymore.
He's playing us.
And you're right.
We had a victory today.
Not a win, but a small victory.
What did we learn? What helps us change the rules? Today was all about your failures, and he was throwing them in your face.
So what that says to me is he's got his own failures that haunt him.
Like what? Well, he hasn't failed as the Bone Collector, but nobody starts killing three people in a day.
That's an escalation.
So where did he start before he learned to get away with everything? Before he learned not to make mistakes? Well, don't you think I've done that? We went through everything.
Piled through unsolved cases for years.
Yeah, but now you have a whole team here.
We change the parameters, look in different places, look at other crimes.
We profile everything that we know now and we keep looking until we find him.
So we find his first kill or his second, where he made a mistake.
It's a good plan, but it doesn't change the game for him.
He's gonna keep killing.
And the city's already in a panic.
Well, let's see if we can stir up a little panic in the Bone Collector.
Play offense.
I'm Hunter Deerfield live with NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme to talk about our breaking story: the return of the Bone Collector.
So three years ago, your hunt for the infamous serial killer left you paralyzed and retired from the force.
Today, two more New Yorkers have been murdered, but not a third.
That's right.
Anaña Ceru is alive.
Tonight, we beat the Bone Collector at his game.
Now, let me ask you this.
For three years, he went dark.
Why is he back now? I believe he's back for one reason: to taunt me, because I'm back.
But as of tonight, he can't do that anymore.
I quit.
- You're quitting the case? - No.
I'm quitting the game.
Because he cheats.
His game is rigged.
It's an elaborate distraction, so instead, I've decided we've decided.
My team and I, we're going to play a new game.
So let me address the Bone Collector directly, if he's watching.
For eight years, we let you set the rules, but now we're done.
We have a new game with new rules.
And all you need to know is we're coming for you and we will find you.
Thank you, Detective Rhyme.
And there you have it.
A new game with new rules.
The Bone Collector better watch out.
How long have you known? We've been after him for a few weeks.
Rach, he knows where we live.
He sent a human bone to the apartment, and I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you.
Especially after everything that you've been through.
But you deserve to know what's happening, even if it scares me as much as it scares you and even if I can't promise it'll be okay.
M maybe you were right to lie to me.
Oh, come here.
- [CRYING.]
- I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What Lincoln said a about the new game and the new rules [STUTTERS WORDLESSLY.]
Is that really gonna work? [DARK MUSIC.]
Hey, Dad.
You're up late.
Don't old people have to go to bed early? Funny man.
How was basketball? It was good.
Sorry I didn't tell you.
It's fine.
- You like it? - I do.
[CHUCKLES.]
Glad to hear.
So something you wanted? Just to talk to you, make sure you're good.
Well, I'm good.
You? [TOUCHING MUSIC.]
Yeah.
I'm good now too.
[INTENSIFYING DARK MUSIC.]
[GLASS SHATTERS.]
Maybe they'd do them better if their work environment was a little more harmonious.
Lincoln, wait for backup.
He's always been Lincoln-y, even before he was in that chair.
His problem is that he lost to the Bone Collector, and he cannot accept that.
- Dad? - If I go after him again We're thousands of miles away, Lincoln.
Rachel's gonna find out.
Make sure she hears it from you first.
I looked into the phone the Bone Collector used in the surveillance footage.
I think we can safely extrapolate where this path is heading.
To the greatest city in the world.
It's good to be home.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
Profile by Laura S.
Cutter, FBI.
Our suspect is likely a white male.
30s to early 50s.
[VICTIM BREATHING RAGGEDLY.]
A uniquely organized killer.
[GASPING.]
He's killed 15 victims, both male and female, across racial and socioeconomic lines.
He sees victims as unworthy objects.
[GRUNTS WEAKLY.]
[RASPS, EXHALES.]
Even his name, the Bone Collector, is coined from his own disrespect of humanity.
Unlike Bundy, Dahmer, or Gacy, he doesn't seem to derive any sexual pleasure or physical thrill from the violence itself.
It's about the control.
He doesn't hide his crimes.
He displays them with great effort to engage the police in the process the game, whereby he will show he is better than us, that he wins that he's the best.
This is about ego.
What's about ego? What are you doing up? It's, like, 5:00 a.
m.
What? You can't tell me? Nothing.
You know, it's just another one of Lincoln's old cases.
Okay.
Well, then tell him it can wait.
I'll try that.
If there's anything Lincoln loves, it's waiting.
Kay.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
[DOOR CLICKS SHUT.]
Hey.
Everything okay? It's time.
He's back.
Really? I mean, it's him for sure? A murder was reported an hour ago at a library across town.
Evidence displayed deliberately.
Victim left in an apparatus which led to his demise Holding a copy of my book.
Sellitto and Eric are already there.
I see.
The first of three victims.
Which means if we don't move fast, two more innocent people die today and he disappears again.
Right.
Kill and retreat.
He's in New York for one reason: to play his game with me.
You're my eyes and ears, Amelia.
I need you out there right now.
Lincoln if he's back and he knows where we are I need your head in the game right now.
Your full mind.
So a personal security guard is already on his way to your place.
He's Special Forces.
He's good.
And believe me, no one is getting near your sister today.
Thank you, Lincoln.
No.
You can thank me by getting to that crime scene.
Yeah.
On my way.
[PHONE LINE CLICKS, SILENCES.]
The game's already begun.
[DARK MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER.]
There's no ID.
We need to figure out who this victim is.
I know who he is.
Wait.
What? Dr.
Robert Banks.
Professor of U.
S.
history at CUNY.
My alma mater.
Only person ever to flunk me in a class.
History, of all things.
Made me study out of spite.
Became my mentor.
Put me on a path to all this.
I'm so sorry, Lincoln.
Me too.
[STIRRING MUSIC.]
Make sure I speak to his family when this is over.
Right now, there are three clues left here for us.
We need them to save the next victim.
[EXHALES.]
I see a few of them.
The victim regurgitated something on himself.
Maybe that's our third.
I'm gonna talk to the building manager, figure out how on Earth someone managed to get this body down here to play mad scientist.
[BITTERLY.]
And nobody saw nothing? [EXHALES SHAKILY.]
[BREATHING RAGGEDLY.]
[DARK MUSIC.]
[GAGS, COUGHS.]
- He reeks.
- Vomit tends to.
Of alcohol.
Did your professor drink? Not like this.
He always liked perfect control of his mind.
I see why you two got along.
[TENSE, INTRIGUING MUSIC.]
What's in the IV? Well, it's not your typical saline solution.
It's something called tetrodotoxin.
It's a neurotoxin found in pufferfish.
Intravenous injection would have paralyzed him.
If liquor were poured down his throat, he couldn't move.
And without a gag reflex or the ability to cough up the alcohol, he would gradually drown.
- He was paralyzed.
- We've established that.
No.
I mean this entire scene is aimed at you, Lincoln.
Your professor.
Your book.
Paralysis.
Like I said, this gets personal.
[CHUCKLES.]
Little early for video games.
Naia, I have to ask you.
Where's Camden? At basketball camp.
Since when is he playing basketball? Since a few months ago when he made the AAU team.
Competitive basketball, and no one thought to mention this? Maybe he was protecting your feelings? Knowing he can't shoot hoops with his dad.
Naia, please listen carefully.
I need you to pick him up.
I'm sending someone to watch your place.
So he's back.
He's in New York.
He won't be anywhere near you, at least not today, but I'm not taking any chances.
Please get Camden? I will.
Be careful, Lincoln.
[MUSIC BUILDING.]
I will.
[DEVICE BLIPS.]
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
The library.
Surveillance? Witnesses? I can't imagine he just walked in the front door.
Side door.
And there was a power surge just before closing time.
All systems, including the limited security footage, went dark for ten minutes.
And no witnesses, per usual.
Your professor was alone, apparently.
Staying late grading papers.
"There's always work to be done," he used to say.
I'll get the unis to circle back with the properties on that block, see if anyone or their security cam saw anything before the blackout.
I'll check with the university, get the professor's schedule from yesterday.
While you're at it, run anyone I mentioned by name in my book.
If they're in the city, send a uni as a precaution.
Let's go.
Why do you think he left a copy of your book? You said it.
This is about me.
This time is different.
Is it? He's been playing this game with me since I figured out his three-clue pattern the night of the very first murders.
Maybe he's been playing with you, but up until today, the victims weren't about you, the clues weren't about you.
- What are you saying? - I am saying he's changing the rules.
Well, he doesn't change the rules.
Then why the book? I don't know.
What I do know is there are two victims we can find by triangulating the clues.
The dollar bill, the stomach contents, and whatever that white fragment is.
Those are his rules.
That's what we focus on.
Amelia, you've got a terrible poker face.
Just say what's on your mind.
Okay.
Maybe the game itself is the problem.
Hmm? It's always the same.
He throws.
You swing.
If we don't play the game, people die.
15.
I know.
16, if we I'm aware of the score.
Look, I am sorry.
I'm just saying, you are always on defense.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Have you ever thought about going on offense? I've been thinking about this for eight years, three of them stuck in this chair.
We've tried every way.
Playing his game is the only way we've ever gotten close to him.
We just have to win.
Okay.
I'm sure you're right.
[MUSIC DEEPENS.]
[DOOR CLICKS SHUT.]
- [LIGHT KNOCK.]
- Agent Cutter? Officer Lincoln Rhyme.
You asked to see me.
So you're the dog with the bone, flooding my inbox every day with your thoughts on the FBI's approach to the Tourist Killer.
Not trying to step on toes.
I've just been following the case.
Want to help.
Well, your instincts were correct.
The last victim had salt water on the clothes and her luggage, and so did this one.
How did you know? If they took the ferry on the Hudson, like I suspect, the spray from the river would track on their clothes.
[GRUNTS.]
All right then.
Can you explain these fragments found on the victim's hair and feet? [SOMBER MUSIC.]
The killer's hunting ground could be any one of a half dozen tourist areas by the Hudson.
Only one would explain the Torrey's rush flower; a leaf from New Jersey's state tree, the red oak; and what I'm guessing is a feather from the endangered northern harrier.
Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
Your killer could be a visitor, even pose as a tourist himself.
You think he selects his targets there? Someone innocuous who crosses paths with hundreds of tourists a day, willing to divulge their vacation plans to a complete but totally harmless stranger, then tracks them to their hotel rooms, where they're taken from.
But that would be speculating.
All the evidence says for sure is this is where you'll find them.
It's quite the theory, Officer Rhyme.
But none of that fits our profile.
- Got it.
- Music to my ears.
Victim's vomit is mostly whiskey a New York rye except for a few undigested particles of turtle meat.
- Turtle meat? - How aristocratic.
And inhumane.
Green sea turtles are endangered.
It is illegal to eat one in the United States.
We'll be sure to add that at the Bone Collector's sentencing.
In the meantime, I doubt Professor Banks was dining on exotic reptile meat while grading papers.
It's a clue.
What about that white tile? Not a tile.
It's ivory.
From a hippopotamus tusk.
Hippos have tusks? And the dollar? It's just that.
One dollar.
Nothing telling from the serial number.
Professor's prints are on it.
Probably came from his wallet.
What about my book? It came from right off that library shelf.
Wiped of all prints, of course.
Let's take these clues at face value.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC.]
One dollar bill, turtle meat, and ivory.
It's a common misconception that Washington had wooden teeth.
In fact, his dentures were made from hippo ivory.
In 1783, Washington hosted a farewell turtle feast for the officers of the Continental Army, removing his hippo dentures so he could enjoy a decadent meal at what is now the oldest operating bar in New York City.
The next victim is at Fraunces Tavern.
All available units to Fraunces Tavern.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
Hey.
How was the seminar? I did my four words routine you know, organize, plan, commit, succeed and I got a standing ovation at the end.
Because you organized and planned it so well? [LAUGHS.]
Cute.
But really, it was invigorating.
How's your work coming? Oh, you know, somewhere between committed and succeeding.
[GAS HISSING.]
Hey, I'm proud of you.
Why don't we do lunch at the Weybridge? Celebrate the life coach who changed my life.
I love it.
And just so you hear me say it, you were right.
Coming back to New York was a great idea.
I think so too.
Love you.
Love you, too, honey.
[GASSES HISSING.]
[DRAMATIC PERCUSSION.]
[INTENSE MUSIC.]
[SOBBING.]
It was horrible.
His face was just oh, my God! Looks like we're too late.
I can talk to her.
You're needed inside.
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
Nobody's allowed in without proper equipment.
It's not safe.
What are you talking about? The kitchen's a gas chamber.
Someone unscrewed all the carbon dioxide tanks from the taps.
Let me guess.
You want me to go in anyway.
You set the bar high by standing in front of a moving subway train.
Let's get you suited up.
Listen, if you feel a headache or dizzy or confused anything you get the hell out.
I work with Lincoln Rhyme.
[SIGHS.]
When am I not confused with a headache? Good luck.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Amelia, relax.
Forget about the stakes for a second.
Only think about what's right in front of you.
Are you seeing what's right in front of me? You can do this.
Now, I need you to turn around and tell me what's in the victim's hand.
Uh it's your book again.
Did you know this victim too? I don't, but just in case, check his ID.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[GRUNTS.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Hey.
He's not in your book.
Collateral damage, I'm afraid, just like the rest.
[SIGHS.]
Oh! I found one of the clues! There should be two more.
Where are they? Oh, wait a minute.
Look at his mouth.
What do you want me to do? Very gently hold onto it while you open his jaw.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Okay.
[GRUNTS.]
[TANK SCRAPES.]
Okay.
[TERRIFYING MUSIC.]
Are you seeing this? It looks like it goes down his throat.
Yes.
There should be two more clues at the other end of that string.
Okay, so this'll be a forensics thing, to get it out? Yeah.
Pull.
Lincoln, this is totally against protocol.
A medical examiner should be doing this.
I agree with her wholeheartedly.
We can't wait on the M.
E.
The gastric acid is eating away at the clues.
If we lose those clues, a third victim dies.
So much for "relax and forget about the stakes.
" Hurry.
But do it carefully.
You can't tell me to hurry and do it carefully at the same time, Lincoln.
Good.
Nice and easy.
Ugh.
I see something.
[GASPS.]
Ugh.
It's stuck.
- What do you mean? - It's jammed.
Wedged.
Not moving.
Cut it.
- What? The string? - His throat.
[GASPS.]
Are you insane? A tracheotomy on a dead body is a hell of a lot better than letting the next victim die.
Lincoln, this is borderline il We don't have a choice! Amelia, your job is to do what I would do if I were there, and if I were there, I would have been holding those clues five minutes ago.
Now, take the knife and [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Atta girl.
We have the clues.
That's all that matters.
[EXHALES.]
[GASPING.]
Easy.
What'd you say about feeling dizzy? Nice work.
Yeah.
Take a minute.
Eric's still talking to the surrounding businesses.
Any witnesses? Like a ghost, as usual.
All right.
I'll go get you some water, and we'll take off.
This morning, there was a carbon dioxide leak in this establishment's kitchen, causing one fatality.
The police were called to the corner of So we're lying to the public now? - After an employee - Omitting details.
The mayor wants a lid on anything Bone Collector.
[SCOFFS.]
And you guys don't think that might set him off? Identified as 25-year-old We're depriving him of credit.
Right.
Wouldn't want him to do anything crazy, would we? [DARK MUSIC.]
I can always tell when you're lying, you know.
You're upset about something.
Honey? Sorry.
I was distracted by the news.
- Horrible accident.
- No.
That's not it.
You're carrying so much tension.
You're not yourself.
[UTENSILS CLACK.]
[SIGHS.]
Work is not going as I hoped.
There.
See? Now, was that so hard? - It's just - You're a perfectionist.
You worry about what other people think about your work, but the truth is, recognition comes in time.
If you value what you do, that's all the validation you need.
You're a gift, Danielle.
What have I done to deserve you? Aww.
Lincoln, you mention the tavern in your book.
I know.
I wrote it.
Here: "I had once chased a perp through a restaurant "and lost him, only to realize I'd failed to check "the ladies' room he was hiding in.
"This time, in Fraunces Tavern, I didn't make the same mistake.
" BOTH: "I knocked first politely.
" "Then made my arrest.
" Much as I love a recitation of my words, I gather you're working a theory.
I have been researching the previous crime scenes to this case, and I read FBI agent Cutter's profile on the Bone Collector I value your ambitions as a profiler.
I do.
But Agent Cutter was never in the same room as the Bone Collector.
She speculates based on statistics, and Let her finish, Lincoln.
As Agent Cutter says, "View each crime scene as a conversation.
" So what is the Bone Collector trying to tell us about each new murder? He's telling us he's superior to me.
I've been in his crosshairs ever since I found his first hidden puzzle.
A worthy adversary he feels compelled to prove unworthy.
He's read my book and wants to tarnish my greatest achievements by dropping innocent bodies on them.
People I can't save.
People I knew.
Or do you see it differently? I do.
I I mean, just look at the tavern.
You didn't really know that person, and was it really one of your greatest achievements? Everyone's a critic.
That's not what I meant.
It's just, it's a random case in a book full of huge, incredible anecdotes.
Why that one? I mean, you said it yourself.
Everything means something to the Bone Collector.
Lincoln, I agree, he is targeting your career triumphs.
But just like Agent Cutter said, this is about ego.
I've read every word Agent Cutter wrote about the Bone Collector.
I didn't hire you to regurgitate research.
I hired you to be my eyes and ears.
My brain works just fine.
[SCOFFS.]
Yeah, well, so does mine.
I know.
So use it to come up with something actionable to help us catch the Bone Collector today! Or else we're just wasting time.
And every minute we lose today is [GRUNTS.]
Is - [GURGLES.]
- Lincoln? - Claire! - Hey, hey.
Claire? Cl Claire! We need you in here! [GRUNTING.]
He was talking one minute.
All of a sudden, he Give him some space, please.
- What's happening? - [GRUNTING.]
Call 911 now.
God, your heartbeat is out of control.
Stay with me, Lincoln.
- [GROANING.]
- Stay with me, Lincoln.
- [GROANS.]
- Stay with me, Lincoln.
[GROANS LOUDLY.]
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Of all days.
I know.
I feel terrible.
I mean, we were arguing, and then the next minute It's not your fault.
Just sometimes, when he gets upset it's autonomic dysreflexia.
It's when a paralyzed person's brain receives alerts from the body that something is wrong, but there's no way to pinpoint the source of the problem.
Everything goes haywire.
To a quadriplegic, an ingrown toenail has the same urgency as a heart attack.
This has happened before? Sadly, yes.
Look, they'll find the source, and he'll be fine.
It's just a little mystery.
High stakes.
Only a few clues to work with.
You have enough of that today without worrying about this.
That's the thing.
There's still a third victim out there, and I don't know how to find them without Lincoln.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
- Five minutes to air.
- Mr.
Deerfield? - Give me a minute, Leah.
- Hunter? What? You really need to look at this.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
Guess we'll be changing our lead story.
I said I'm fine.
It's over.
I'm just doing my job, Lincoln.
Hey.
Where are we on victim number three? Uh, Lincoln I'm fine.
Truly.
I I appreciate your concern.
Now, can we try and save someone? Claire said you could have died.
I I mean the rest of us can I get it.
Yes, I could have died.
That's what this man did to me.
He made it so that a damn bugbite can take my life, can prevent me from saving someone else's life.
Let me do everything I can to stop him.
Can we get back to work? [CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
Kate should be here any minute, and Glad to see you're up, but you're not gonna like this.
Breaking right now: the Bone Collector.
The serial killer who plagued New York for half a decade is back.
NYPD will not comment, but we can confirm that two victims have been found dead today here in New York City.
And if history is any predictor, that means there's one more to come.
- Someone leaked this.
- Worse.
The Bone Collector sent him Polaroids of the first two victims.
Labs ran the envelope.
- They got nothing.
- He's taunting us.
He's gonna panic the city.
I heard.
I want to check those envelopes myself, though.
In the meantime, the colorful powder from the second victim's stomach is patina, or corroded copper that's been exposed to sulfur and oxide compounds.
Also known as verdigris.
Formed when bronze, brass, or copper is weathered or exposed to seawater over time.
- What else? - Item two is a plant stem.
Quercus rubra.
Commonly known as northern red oak.
Where from, exactly? Hacked every field study, environmental blog, and your own notes from General 14C; cross-referenced it with the Bone Collector sample.
Shows hints of Hudson grime.
Somewhere on the river.
What about the knife? It's an oyster-shucking knife, which is relatively rare, but can be purchased at any store that sells kitchenware.
Wiped of all prints.
No barcode.
Copper patina, oak leaf, and an oyster knife.
And this is gonna be specific to you and your book.
Felix, bring up a map of New York and the Hudson.
Early 1800s.
Zoom in on Communipaw.
It's the Lenape name for "other side of the river," or, as we know it, New Jersey.
The land that borders the Hudson was flush with oyster beds until 1839, when the central railroad of New Jersey was built and destroyed them.
Across the river, 60 years later, Ellis Island processed immigrants greeted by Lady Liberty herself, dazzled in patina copper.
Nearly 2/3 of them passed through to the New Jersey railroad terminal now known as Liberty State Park, which hosts more than 750 trees, red oak among them, as a living memorial for the residents of New Jersey who died in the attacks on 9/11.
And you want the book to mean something? Stop! NYPD! [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Stop moving.
- [SHOUTS, GRUNTS.]
- Hands behind your back.
Like I said, follow the evidence.
Liberty State Park is the location that launched my career, where I told your idol Agent Cutter how to catch the Tourist Killer.
Okay.
Liberty State Park.
Let's move.
Wait.
We don't have time to wait.
The clues are there.
It's in the book.
I know that Liberty State Park made you famous, and I know the ending to your book, but it feels predictable.
Like, it just Lincoln, it feels too easy.
- You think this was easy? - Look, I don't know.
It just feels wrong.
I don't think he'd choose it.
So based on your read of his personality, where should we go, Amelia, before someone else dies? - I don't know.
- So we follow the evidence, because here's what I do know.
Evidence informs the profile, not the other way around.
- Can we have a minute? - We don't have a minute.
That's what you said to me three years ago.
Ten minutes before you entered that warehouse, you and I had this very exchange.
- No.
- We did.
I said, "Don't rush in there.
" I was right.
The victim was there.
I was right! I said he was setting us up.
I said we need to think before we walk into a trap.
You think I should have let that victim die! I'm saying I had a feeling something was wrong, but you knew you were right! And here we are.
So if Amelia's gut is saying something's wrong let's take a minute, okay? Let's take a minute.
Get it right.
- What? - Um [CLEARS THROAT.]
Okay.
The three clues.
We know they lead to Liberty State Park.
Could they mean anything else? Copper patina.
Oak leaf.
Oyster knife.
And the book.
The roof over Grand Central Terminal.
Recently restored, because the copper patina was causing leaks.
Under that roof, the oldest oyster bar in the city.
The entire terminal accented with oak leaf carvings.
A symbol of the Vanderbilt family who financed the construction in 1871.
Lincoln, you tracked Hans Baker there.
The murderer you arrested on the platform.
The same three clues lead to two different places.
Which one is it? Uh I I don't know.
I I mean, not for sure.
Go to Grand Central.
You and Eric go to Liberty State Park.
- You won't have eyes.
- Talk me through it.
Go.
Thank you.
[SIRENS WAILING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Talk to me.
No chaos.
No one seems to be Dead? Good.
We're in time.
All right.
Let's get all the tourists out of the way.
Let's not cause a panic.
We'll corral them by the ferry, and don't let 'em leave.
All right.
Let's divide and conquer.
I'm gonna check the north side like when he first saw the Tourist Killer.
All right.
Good.
I'll head into the terminal where he caught him.
Amelia, you there? Please evacuate the terminal.
I'm here.
Please walk carefully to the ledges.
Follow the directions of law enforcement officers.
No, I see nothing, except a commuter's nightmare.
- Where do I go? - Go straight.
Head for the platform.
That's where I got Hans Baker.
Please evacuate the terminal.
Sellitto, what are we looking at? Nothing yet.
It's just deserted.
It's not here.
The clues lead here.
Keep looking.
There should be a passageway.
South side of the terminal.
That's the only place you haven't checked.
I got it.
Amelia, that's where I got him.
I know.
I don't see anything.
Sellitto, what do you see? It's your book.
I knew it.
No.
I mean it's your book, but there's no body.
It's got to be a misdirect.
It's got to be Grand Central.
Amelia, it's got to be here.
But it isn't.
Unless the Bone Collector's about to arrive on a train.
Keep looking.
I've been too late, but I've never failed at this.
We can't be wrong.
Lincoln, it's the wrong platform.
No.
This is where I caught him.
Yes, but it's not the only time you mentioned Grand Central in your book.
The suicide? The guy who jumped in front of the train.
Do you remember what else you wrote about it? What I failed to notice was the guy on the edge.
Too close to the edge, and as the train came in, he jumped.
But that wasn't a case.
That was a story about Where you failed.
Your words.
You failed.
This was never about him tarnishing your success.
He's reminding you of your failures.
Professor Banks.
He failed me in his history class.
Before you made the arrest at Fraunces Tavern, you failed to check the ladies' room.
And then the suicide.
I failed to save him.
Amelia, it's Track 19.
Go.
Now.
I'm here.
[PANTING.]
It looks abandoned.
Very end of the platform.
That's where he jumped.
Damn.
We're too late.
[PANTING.]
- [MUSICAL STING.]
- Sorry, Lincoln.
We tried everything.
[GASPS.]
She's alive! [GASPING.]
Amelia, no! - It's okay.
- It could be a trap.
- I don't see anything.
- She's still alive.
That means he could be here watching.
[GASPING.]
You'd do it.
Lincoln, you would do it if you were here.
I know, and look at where it got me.
Screw it.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I got you, okay? I got you.
Okay.
[PANTING.]
I'm gonna push you back, okay? I got you.
I got you.
Shh.
[WHIMPERING.]
Okay.
[PANTS.]
Okay.
Okay.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Okay.
It's okay.
- [WHIMPERING LOUDLY.]
- It's okay.
I know.
I know.
[SWELLING MUSIC.]
You did it, Amelia.
You saved her.
We did it.
The paramedics are on their way.
All of us.
I've examined every microscopic on the photos How about the woman? Anaña Ceru she is going to make it, but she can barely talk, she doesn't remember anything, she got off the train - - And as far as we can tell no one saw him.
No one saw anything.
The track was closed for repair.
Security cameras went dark.
But it was a win, Lincoln.
I mean, for the first time, we saved someone.
It's not a win.
Two more people died today.
We're not closer to finding him, and he played me again.
I was wrong, and if you hadn't seen through it But I did.
And then Sellitto convinced you to listen, and then you figured it out.
And now, he's gonna be shaken up because his game didn't work.
- We beat him.
- That's what worries me.
When he wins the game, he goes dark for a year.
What happens when he loses? Does he have to play again? Tomorrow? We can't let him play again.
Yeah, but how do we stop him? Nice work, Officer Rhyme.
Thank you.
Something else? Yes.
You're smart and you're good, but you're arrogant, Lincoln.
But may I remind you, I had a team and we spent a long time tracking this guy.
You brought us the final piece, and for that, I commend you, but this wasn't you alone.
It was a team effort, and if you can't play on the team, you'll be good, but you'll only be so good.
You said the game is he throws and I swing, but he's not playing me anymore.
He's playing us.
And you're right.
We had a victory today.
Not a win, but a small victory.
What did we learn? What helps us change the rules? Today was all about your failures, and he was throwing them in your face.
So what that says to me is he's got his own failures that haunt him.
Like what? Well, he hasn't failed as the Bone Collector, but nobody starts killing three people in a day.
That's an escalation.
So where did he start before he learned to get away with everything? Before he learned not to make mistakes? Well, don't you think I've done that? We went through everything.
Piled through unsolved cases for years.
Yeah, but now you have a whole team here.
We change the parameters, look in different places, look at other crimes.
We profile everything that we know now and we keep looking until we find him.
So we find his first kill or his second, where he made a mistake.
It's a good plan, but it doesn't change the game for him.
He's gonna keep killing.
And the city's already in a panic.
Well, let's see if we can stir up a little panic in the Bone Collector.
Play offense.
I'm Hunter Deerfield live with NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme to talk about our breaking story: the return of the Bone Collector.
So three years ago, your hunt for the infamous serial killer left you paralyzed and retired from the force.
Today, two more New Yorkers have been murdered, but not a third.
That's right.
Anaña Ceru is alive.
Tonight, we beat the Bone Collector at his game.
Now, let me ask you this.
For three years, he went dark.
Why is he back now? I believe he's back for one reason: to taunt me, because I'm back.
But as of tonight, he can't do that anymore.
I quit.
- You're quitting the case? - No.
I'm quitting the game.
Because he cheats.
His game is rigged.
It's an elaborate distraction, so instead, I've decided we've decided.
My team and I, we're going to play a new game.
So let me address the Bone Collector directly, if he's watching.
For eight years, we let you set the rules, but now we're done.
We have a new game with new rules.
And all you need to know is we're coming for you and we will find you.
Thank you, Detective Rhyme.
And there you have it.
A new game with new rules.
The Bone Collector better watch out.
How long have you known? We've been after him for a few weeks.
Rach, he knows where we live.
He sent a human bone to the apartment, and I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you.
Especially after everything that you've been through.
But you deserve to know what's happening, even if it scares me as much as it scares you and even if I can't promise it'll be okay.
M maybe you were right to lie to me.
Oh, come here.
- [CRYING.]
- I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What Lincoln said a about the new game and the new rules [STUTTERS WORDLESSLY.]
Is that really gonna work? [DARK MUSIC.]
Hey, Dad.
You're up late.
Don't old people have to go to bed early? Funny man.
How was basketball? It was good.
Sorry I didn't tell you.
It's fine.
- You like it? - I do.
[CHUCKLES.]
Glad to hear.
So something you wanted? Just to talk to you, make sure you're good.
Well, I'm good.
You? [TOUCHING MUSIC.]
Yeah.
I'm good now too.
[INTENSIFYING DARK MUSIC.]
[GLASS SHATTERS.]