CSI: Miami s08e05 Episode Script

Bad Seed

So,you won't be able to play your guitar for a while, But you'll have your thumb for your video games,okay? Okay Eric.
I hope you're here to take me to breakfast.
Actually,just gotone seeing Dr.
Jacobs.
So I'm good.
Yeah,i'm great,even.
No residual brain damage from the surgery.
And i can start back toork immediately.
That's so wonderful,honey.
I'm so happy for you.
So,why aren't you? No,i'm good.
How long have we known each other,eric? What,eight,nine years.
Long enough for you to know better than to lie to me.
You ever rret leaving pd? Dr.
Woods! I got to go,babe.
All right.
Okay,what do we have? Her name's lauren.
Boyfriend here founder unconscious.
Okay.
On my count.
One,two,three.
Get a monitor on her.
I need o2 sat.
Okay,she's going into respiratory failure.
What-What does that mean? She's not getting enough oxygen.
We need to intubate.
Respiratory failure.
*** What's your name? Ethan.
Ethan,how long has lauren been out? I-I don't know.
She-She sounded wed.
That's why i rushed over to her place.
Start positive pressure ventilation at 100% oxygen.
Can you be more specific? She-Shwas mumbling her words.
She-She said her head hurt.
Pupils areixed and dilated.
No corneal reflex.
Sounds like a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
I'll do a spinal tap.
Has lauren been ill? Ethan,has lauren been sick? Yeah,the flu.
Is this the swine thing? No,this isn't the flu.
Doctor,please Cardiac arrest.
What is with th girl? Lauren! She's insystole.
Okay.
Lauren! Epi.
I'm starting chest compressions.
Lauren! Ic,please,get him out of here.
Come on,ethan.
Here we go,sweetheart Let's go.
It's gonna be okay,all right? Justgot to give 'em some space.
Still no rhythm,alexx.
Get those paddles ready.
Another dose of bicarb.
*** Defib doesn't workn asystole.
Could be fine v-Fib.
Charge to 0.
No-- ***clear.
Ethan Anyone you want me to call? Yeah,my mom and dad.
I got-Got their number on my cell phone.
Sure.
You're going to propose.
Yeah.
I'll just wait until she gets better,you know.
She,uh-- She likes ice cream after she's sick,so i'm just goa slip it in the dish.
That's cool.
Yeah.
She looked a lot better yesterday,so i figure maybe today's the day.
I'm sure she going to be okay.
You said she w going to be okay.
Hey,man Alexx,what happened? I need you to get horatio down here,please.
Why? 'Cause that girl was murdered.
And in my expeence,you may have your number one suspect right here.
Technically,lauren died from acute renal failure.
When the kidneys went,the other organs followed.
If she'd only come in aay earlier.
Horatio,the last time i saw something like this, It was back in the morgue on a homicide case.
So,you're thinking she was poised.
In my opinio yes.
*** Boyfriend.
He said she looked a lot better yesterday was actual going to propose to her.
Well,either he's blind or lying,because that girl hasn't had a od day in a week.
Son of a bitch.
He had me fooled.
Had an engagement ring and everything,i mean Probably rehearsed the whole thing.
Okay,we don't have all the information yet,eric.
Yeah,i know,but Was acting strange.
Wouldn't lk me in the eye,didn't fully answer my questions.
Let's keep him here while i process the house,all right? I'll send over her blood and ssue samples to the crime lab.
Thank you,alexx.
Eric,stay with him.
Poison that can be absorbed by touch.
Man,that's diabolical.
I don't get it.
Nothing's lighng up.
Yeah,i'm flatlining on these tox screens,too.
That's theroblem with poison-- The only way to find it is to take shots in the dark.
But i have tested her apartment for every poison i can think of.
Boyfriend might have slipped it in sewhere else.
Maybe.
So,you would bring food to lauren when you went to check in on her? Are you kidding? She was sick.
Like,coming out of both end sick.
I mean,e could barely hold down water.
When did she srt feeling ill? A week ago.
Mmm,we went out to eat.
And,uh,when we got home,he started saying her stomach hurt.
Where'd you go out to eat? I-I don't-- I don't rember.
What do you mean you don remember? You ate there,right? I don't remember.
Look,deal was,that don she'd pick and i'd pay,right? I might have the receipt in my back pocket.
Was lauren going to leave you? What? No.
What do you think the ring's for? I don't know.
Maybe this was your way of keeping her from running.
Wh-Why are y asking me these questions? Because lauren wasn't sick,ethan.
She was poisoned.
Which means that someone had to poison her.
And you're number one on the list.
Why would i kill lauren? You know,i've qstioned a lot of guilty people before And they've all got one thing in common.
It's a bade of nerves.
Right now you're swting like someone that's got something to hide.
I didn't kill her.
That was just as good a confession,you idiot.
Ethan? Ethan? Hey,i need alexx woods in here,right now! Why would the suspect poison his girlfriend and then himself? Well,he wouldn't,unless he pulled a romeo and juliet.
Yeah,but he was just getting ready toropose to her.
Exactly.
The last thing they did before lauren got sick w go out to eat,so i raa food-Borne illness tox.
This is what i got.
Lauren tested potive for e coli.
Okay,so then she wasn't poisoned? E coli is poison.
We checked with alexx.
She confirmed it.
And based on how quickly this killed lauren and put her boyfriend on life support, Exx believes this is a new and very deadly strain.
And alexx was concerned that the healtagencies were moving too slow.
Well,i caunderstand why.
By the time they finish their studies,her e.
R.
So,we must find the source befo another outbreak occurs.
Look,i don't want to be that guy,but is this anywhere near the corner of our jurisdiction? We must investigate every death.
E coldoesn't just appear.
Someone allowed this to happen.
Someone allowed her to die.
That's negligent homide.
E coli can only be ingested.
So,the first step is to find ere the infected food came from.
Ms.
Boa vista,we need a a fingerprint to track the strain.
I'll go pull in valera.
I'll grab walter and jesse; we'll,uh,read up on e coli.
Then eric and i will go to the restaurant where they ate.
Now,listen.
We treat this as we would any other murder,okay? Right.
Welcome back.
Thanks.
So,how do you want to find the restaurant? I've got an idea.
Kiss my ass,lady.
Can't you see m a little busy right now? Where's my ten top,lucy? I'm waiting on the potats.
Are you brain dead? How many times have i told you***first Look,if you don't want to talk to me abt our victim's last meal,that's fine.
I'm sure the 5:00 ne would love to.
- Ally? - Yes.
- That's how you wanna do this? - Yeah.
Okay.
You see this? Means i run a clean store.
Your vtim got it somewhere else.
Great,let's prove it.
Lauren had a vegetarian chopped salad last sunday.
So,let's run your produce.
Can't.
After a day,we pitch it.
Come here.
Let me educate you here.
E coli doesn't come from the kitchen.
It came from yours.
Th it was delivered that way.
You wanna kn where e coli starts? The grower.
Who's your grower? Aunt sally's farmout in sweetwa okay? Hey,ryan,it's calleigh.
Listen,i need you to make a trip to sweetwater.
Okay,boys,how are we gonna pull this one off? We don't have the authority.
And i don't feel a warrant in my pocket.
Walter,we have badges.
These rural guysbarely .
**** Okay Can i help you? Yeah,we're,uh,we're looking for aunt sally.
Uh,sorry to disappoint,but there is no sally.
Pr folks thought sally sounded better thauncle seth.
I'm seth eers.
Well,uncle seth,uh we had a couple that got sick with e coli from .
We'd like to run a few tests on your farm to see if it's the source.
Is that right? Yeah.
Can i see some id? Ye,sure.
You feds? No,sir.
Well,you're not ag inspectors.
No,we're csis from md.
We're,uh,actually treating this as a homicide investigation.
Then you'll show me your warrant.
I see.
Then i'm afraid you're going have to leave the property.
Looks to me like these rural guys know how to read their constitution.
Yes,they do.
Wh's he doing? You don't have the authority to be here.
If i tell you to leave,you have to clear out.
Not if i have probable cause.
Cause for what? Oh,can i see your emoyees' green cards? They don't have their cards then i do have the authority to shut you down.
Fine.
Look around for your e coli.
Saddle up! I've got each of the crops batched together.
They're rows-- Soil,stalk and leaf.
Okay,now what do i do? Hit the result window on the cards with the uv light.
If it glows,then the area the sample was taken from is positive for e coli.
I thought u read this book.
A lot of information.
You're gettingll negatives.
Yeah,none of the tests on this crop popped for e coli,h.
Have we ecked all the fields? Yeah,this test isn't that difficult.
I don't understand.
I do.
E coli didn't come from this farm.
We're missing something.
Aunt sally's is the only grower that ships to the restaurant.
Wherelse could the e coli have come from? E coli is carried onhe exterior of the plant,right? Maybe it came in contact with the bacteria after it lt the farm,like a processing plant.
But they ship direct by local truck.
Yeah,if the truck was infected,the shipment would've been infected,too.
Who delivers to that restaurant? Let's find out.
Well,there's the truck.
Where is mr.
Wayons? Only one way to find out.
Hey,wu guys is al wayons? Get your butt up! Turn around.
Why were you running,superfly? *** Then we got a paradox,'cause i didn't start chasing until you started running.
Look,where i'm from,cop calls your name,you run and ask questions r.
Mr.
Wayons,you mind if i look in your truck? Be my guest.
***i'm between loads.
You liver produce from sally's farm? Don't have to say.
Hey,frank,bingo.
At do you have to say about that? Mr.
Wayons,you have e coli in this truck That is responsible for the death of a 22-Year-Old girl.
Look,i only picup and drop off.
Hey,if the produce is dirty when i get them,it's not my fault.
Well,we tested the farm,and we got a negative.
That means your truck is ground zero.
If i got bugs,they came from sally's.
Sometimes they don't show up in tse tests out in the field.
Asaround.
When they get in the heat of a truck,that's whenhey start growing.
Why don't you use refrigeratio They don't pay me enough for that.
Who's "they"? Seth ellers? If i yak,i lose this gig.
Then what do i tl my wife? *** Well,lookellers,all those farmers,they're just like me.
We all work for someone else.
I pulled the corporate fings on aunt sally's farms.
It's a subsidiary of bixton ganic food.
That dver was right.
Yeah,half the world works for bixton.
Yeah,they're into food produce and pharmaceuticals.
D let me tell you,none of it's really organic.
Most people don't look past the name of the company.
No,guys,i meant the trucker; he was right.
Just because our tests weren't positive,doesn't mean that farm's clean.
We tested all the crops.
But we didn't test what goes on them.
E colis primarily spread through fecal material.
We,i didn't see anything in the fields.
There was port-A-Johns for the workers.
How else could the feces get on the crops? Has anyone checked the irrigati system? Cle seth will never let us back on that farm.
We go over their hea.
You can have a seat.
Thank you.
Lieutenant cne,i'm sheldon parks,legal counsel for bixton organ foods.
This is jerry mackey,ceo.
I'm glad wcould accommodate you.
I've asked mr.
Mackey not to speak during the interview.
I'll be representing the company today.
And i'll be recording our conversation for legal purposes.
Indeed,gentlemen,let me c to the chase.
We found a strain of e col that killed a young woman.
That strain was traced back to one of your trus.
Just to be clear,you are referrinto mr.
Wayons' truck? I am.
Mr.
Wayons is an independent contractor.
If you review mr.
Wayons' contract-- I'm providing lieutenant caine with a copy? Bixton organic is not liable foany negligence on his part.
That is simply not true.
The same e coli originated on a farm owneby your client.
We're aware of the testing you performed without permission or warrant.
We're also aware tt you didn't find anything.
Isn't that correct,lieutenant? For the record,lieutenant caine did not disagree.
I need to test your irrigation system.
And i am certain bixton's gonna help me 'cause they don't want any other deaths.
We're not responsible for any far.
But mr.
Mackey has heard yo concerns, He wants you to know that he's asked the health department to perform a study.
When is that going to take place? When they can.
When they can.
I think we're done here,then.
And lieutenant,you are familiar with the veggie libel laws? Florida has laws against the disparagement of agricultural products So i would advise you to keep these accusations to yrself.
It's been a pleasure.
I take it that didn't go very well.
We need toet back to that farm,jesse.
Before they cover this up.
You guys do know that this is an illegal search and seizure,right? Anything we find on th farm is gonna get tossed.
Doesn't matter.
We're nogoing to the s.
A.
'S office.
Yeah,horatio wants to go straight to the health departnt.
They'll have to act.
All right So,how we do this? Okay,we need to test each puddle out there.
So start at the sprinklers and work your way back until you find a well.
- Yeah,and one more thing - What? Don't get caught.
*** Yeah,walter,i found the well.
- You get out of here! - Put the gun down! - You put yours down! - Put the gun down! I told you bixton suits,if i saw you on my land again,i'd shoot! Mdpd.
- Bion didn't send you? - No.
What's your name? Gavin webb.
Mr.
Webb,i need you to put the gun down,you understand me? You don't work for bixton? Thought all the farms around here d.
Doesn't mean they aren't tryg.
To buy you out? Buy? Hell,they're getting us for free.
They already grabbed my grandfather's first 40.
Well,how's that? I've said enough.
You're a cop.
Is it the disparagement laws? You ever heard of drt? No.
Well,i got caught in it.
Bixton's patented seeds bl into my crops.
I didn't know you could patent a seed.
Neither did i.
An inspector found a few of their seeds mixed up with mine.
And they accused you of stealing and sued.
Couldn't afford the lawyer,so i settled.
Had to pay with land.
That's how seth lost aunt sally's to them.
I'm sorry to dturb you.
Yeah.
You guys find the source of the bug? Yeah,take a look.
Check it out.
How many cds did you put down there? Walter spilled the bag.
I told you not to set it up there.
The water from that well-- Used for irrigation.
So,bixton's contaminang their own fields.
That should shut them down r a while.
Hate to break i,but this isn't the source.
We still got to figure out how the feces are getting into theater.
Speaking of which,i think i stepped in some.
Where? Over there.
Oh,man.
Yeah.
You thk it's coming from the well? No,i think it's underground seepage.
Yeah.
It could be runoff from the hill.
Oh,looks like we found what killed lauren.
This is a bixton foods outfit? Yes,that's the cattle yard and the crop where the poisoning occurred.
I just became he of the health department.
I haven't seen anything this bad.
Yeahi mean,i always thought that corn-Fed beef was a good thing.
That's what bixton wants you to think.
The only reason they use it-- They can get a cow fatter faster.
It also causes e coli,doesn't it? That's what the research suggests.
Yeah,you know,a cow's digestive system is not designed for corn,so the acid builds up.
That creates a breeding ground for the e coli.
That's good.
It's another violation we can use to shuthem down.
Oh,excuse me.
Not really,'cause it's not against the law.
Doctor? *** No,it's just how they do things nowadays.
It also proves that bixton caused the outbreak.
No,no,no.
I would be very careful how i us that term.
What are you saying,docto How many people does bixton have to kill before you deci to call it an outbreak? I'm just saying,we shouldt jump to conclusions.
We will do a proper investigation.
En we'll see what that turns up.
We,what else do you need,doctor? Eric.
The dna fingerprint from the e coli found in the manure Matches the strainhat killed lauren beck and put her boyfriend in the icu.
Officer delko,have protocols.
We want to insure against implicating the wrong parties.
Bixton foods is a reputable agricultural company.
So,you're basically saying that disparagement laws are more important than people's lives.
Lieutenant,please.
Eric,i think that we should let the doctor get to her lunch with the ceo of bixton foods.
What are you suggesting,lieutenant? It's come to my attention,doctor,that you are the ex-V.
P.
Of a bixton subsidiary.
Now,i am certain that's not going to affect your investigation.
Let me tell you something.
Anybody else dies while you're conducting your investigation, I'going to drag you down to the funeral, So you can elain why your protocol is more important than their kid's life.
I don't appreciate being threatened.
Have a good lunch.
I haven't gotten a chance to tell you,but i was so happy you're okay.
I'm really glad you're back.
I wish i felt the same.
I watched that girl die in front of me.
And now the same thing's happening to eth.
Eric! It's not e coli.
Ethan doesn't have an e coli infection.
What do you mean? We didn't find any of the bacteria in his blood.
At firsti thought his symptoms were the same as lauren's,but they aren't.
S heart stopped beating because he's in total paralysis.
The only thing keeping him alive is the respirator.
What do you think is causing this? I don't know.
That's why i brought tissue biopss and blood.
Our lab is too slow.
I'll have walter run a tox screen.
Thank you,calleigh.
Okay,that's an air ball on basic tox.
To get any further,i need to know what i'm looking for.
Usually there's a crime scene thatives me clues.
We don't got one of the.
Well,it doesn't mean we don't have any clues.
Hey,eric,what were ethan's symptoms? Alexx said he went into total paralysis.
Sounds like neurotoxin to .
Blocks the nerves from talking to the muscles.
It starts in the limbs and works its way to the heart.
Yeah,but the bad ws is,there's a whole catalog of neurotoxins.
They come in three flavors.
We got manmade poison,venom or bacterial.
Well,we've already ruled out man-Made.
I doubt he was bitten by a snake.
So that leaves us with bacteria.
Well,then,we're back to something he ate.
Okay,this whole thing has centered around bixton's produce, So,w.
***what did ethan order? According to this receipt,he had a veggie burger and a corn on the cob.
The farmer that pulled the gun on me? Bixton was growing genetically engineered corn on his land.
Could the toxin have come from that? I don't know.
Why would someone engine a toxin into their food? I don't know,but i know how to find out.
Mr.
Webb.
The corn bixton's growing on the land they took from you? Mutants,every one.
Is it the same type ey grow on aunt sally's farm? **** I don't follow.
Leme have some of that corn.
Is she done yet? No,shhasn't said anything.
Really?! She done yet? You guys,i'm working as fast as i can here.
Walter,ere are the tox assays? They're in trays.
So,you know what's killing ethan? Let me just run a presumptive on his blood first.
Okay? Did the toxin come from the corn? It's from a bacteria gene that bixton added to the corn.
I thought genetic engineering was about mixing a spinach with a cauliflower.
No,no,no,no,that's the dark ages.
Nowadays,they frankenstein bacteria witplants.
Makes them resistant tto aphids and stuff.
What was bixton shooting for? Well,you know how coris hard to digest,right? Yeah,because of the cellulose.
Exactly.
Well,bixton's scientists found a bacteria that eats the cellulose,theh clostridium dermacellum.
Se.
So,they added one of its genes to the corn's dna sequence, So that the co would expresses a protein that breaks down that cellulose.
So,they made digestible cn.
Exactly,but then they obviously ran into a problem.
Have you ever heard of cell conjugation? Yeah.
Bacteria absorbs the traits of their neighbors.
Well,the dermacellum's cousin is the clostridium tulinum.
So,bixton's cultures obously had that in them, Because their traits transferred to the bacria they used.
Botulinum causes botulism.
Wow, so instead of expressing cellulose protein It kicks out botulism.
Not all the time,but in this case,yes.
Botulism causes paralysis.
Th's what ethan's suffering from.
There's an antitoxin for botulism.
I'm gonna go call alexx.
Is there enough to save ethan's life? I don't know,but it's enough to bring down bixton.
I can't wait to see the evidence wipe the smile off that ceo's face.
You did some good work today,eric.
But i'm gonna take this one alone.
Come on,hi'm not gonna lose it again,all right? Eric,this is your first day.
- Pace yourself.
Okay? - Okay.
All right? All right.
Gentlemen.
Lieutenant,as before,i've asked mr.
Mackey not to speak.
I'll be representing the company day.
I'd like to speak to mr.
Mackey alone.
Mr.
Mackey is entitled to legal representation.
Yes,but there will be no charges filed,so it won't be necessary.
What's this all about? Need some advice on your corn futures? How much do you ink a man's life is worth? I don't know who that is.
His name is ethan dunt.
And your company killed him.
He's brain-Dead,eric.
No antitoxin can fix that.
I'm sorry,i did everything i could.
You think this was from a bixton product? It's called botulism.
You can't blame bixton if the poor kid didn't refrigerate his food.
We reverse-Engineeredyour corn.
And we believe that that is the smoking gun.
Glad to see my tax dollars are buying you guys really nice toys.
So,now what? Like you said,can't press charges.
If you knew,why did you put it out? The protein for botulism presents less than one percent of the time.
And that's your acceptable risk.
If an airplane crashes,**** They might get a few lawsuits, but as long as costs don't outweigh profits You see,you think farming is ma and pa with a pitchfork.
Farming is big business.
You have to take risks.
Like your customers.
They take risks,don't they? They don't know what's in their food.
They don't wt to know.
People just want their food.
They don't care where it comes from.
But i know where it comes from.
Cattle farms that proce e coli.
And so you know,i've contacted the fda.
And they're going to close the farmown.
You know,you don't know ything,lieutenant.
If we used only natural farming methods,prices would be astronomical.
People would starve.
So,if one man's death means 500 get fed,yes,i'll take those odds.
Speaking of which How about bixton food versus 12 jurors? You said you weren't pressing charges.
Not criminal charges.
But ethan's family has enough evidence now to mount a civil sui It won't go to trial,lieutenant.
They have a full cfessionfrom the defendant.
So,i guess we'll see you in court.
Eric? Hey,calleigh.
What are you still doing here? I just needeto catch up on some of my cases.
So,i figured out what you're doing.
Can't wait to hear where this is going.
You're leaving csi,aren't you? You always were good at reading me.
Look,um,let's not tell anybody else for now.
I don't feel like answering lots of questions.
I wouldn't.
Why are you going? Lot ofeasons.
Life's too srt? Yeah,basically.
And what about you and me? I guess csi's not the only game in town.
Like i said,you know me too well.

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