CSI: NY s05e23 Episode Script

Greater Good

You'll pay me $10,000 up front and another ten grand when the job's done.
On the day I finish our contract,a dozen white roses will be sent to your office.
Don't attempt to contact me.
If you need to communicate,go to the steps at the main entrance of the Central Post Office.
This meeting will be the last time you'll see me.
Once you pay me,changing your mind is a complication that's going to cost you.
So I got to ask you one more time.
Are you sure you want him dead? Buy you a cup of coffee,Mr.
Neville? Do I know you? Detective Mac Taylor.
I was called to the scene of the accident.
I don't remember.
I've tried to contact you seral times since then.
You refused my calls,wouldn't allow me to visit,so you left me no choice but to be here today.
And now you're here? I was wondering if we could talk.
Why? Because you just spent 18 months in prison for a crime you didn't commit.
proudly presents Season 05 Episode 23 Adam,have you seen Danny? He left about 20 minutes ago with Doc to a crime scene on the Upper West Side.
What about,uh,Stella or Mac? Stella's in court and the boss took a day off.
Yeah,can you believe it? Mac never takes a day off.
I don't think there's been one day since I've worked here that he hasn't showed up.
He's like,"Hey,I'm not coming in," you know, although he did go to London that one time,but I don't - Adam,okay,enough.
- What? I just got back from Montana.
I-I'm not ready to deal with you.
Okay.
- This is not how I imagined it.
- What? - I need you to focus,Adam.
- Okay.
Go get a set of keys to a car,any car.
Meet me in the garage in five minutes.
My water just broke.
I'm about to go into lab and you are taking me to the hospital.
- Go! - Okay.
- Adam - ah,wrong way,sorry,j-just relax.
Everything's going to be okay.
Here you go.
Thanks very much.
So it was your fault? Whato you mean? I just spent 18 nthsin Rikers.
You show up on the day I get out and tell me I shouldn't have been there in the first place? Two years ago your vehicle struck and killed Maris Donovan.
You claimed that you were behind the wheel,but I believe someone else was driving.
So,I'm just curious,why would you take responsibility fosomething you didn't do? You think that's what happened? Yes,I do.
Unfortunately,all I've got is circumstantial forensic evidence and a gut feeling.
None of which the DA will pay any attention to without the truth from you.
Why would I lie about something like that? Why would I sentence myself to prison? Because you didn't think you'd go to prison,Talmge.
Or if you did go to prison,you'd get three months,tops.
Or maybe you'd just get slapped with a fin But instead,a very unsympathetic judge made an example of you, and there was no way you uld have predicted that would happen.
And there was no way you could get out of it once you took the blame.
A detective chasing theories,huh? What I'm chasing is the truth.
Someone committed a crime and got away with it.
There was no one else in that car.
Well,that's what we believed that night because that's what you told us, but I have evidence that suggests otherwise.
Circumstantial evidence? Thanks for the coffee.
Oh,no! No! No! Oh,no! No,I-I can't I can't tell if she's breathing! I don't know if she's alive! Somebody help! I'm a doctor.
I might be able to help.
Somebody call 911.
Please be okay.
Call an ambulance! It's a terrible accident.
It's just awful,Mac.
She's so young.
Her name is Maris Donovan.
The deli owner says she comes in occasionally.
Thinks she lives around the block.
Was he the one driving the car? Talmadge Neville.
Said he didn't see her until it was too late and did everything he could to avoid the collision.
He swerved,and his car slammed into the lamppost.
Is he okay? Paramedics checked him out.
Despite the damage to the car,he appears to be physically fine.
Emotionally,he's struggling to hold it together.
Intoxicated? No.
Passed the sobriety.
This is a bad one.
Any witnesses? No one that can help.
Most of these folks just heard the noise.
A passerby tried to revive her before ESU got here,but Was there anyone else in the car? No,he was alone.
What'd you find? Looks like he was texting while driving.
Maris! Where's my daughter? Maris! Ma'am,I'm sorry,you can't touch the body.
Oh,no! Mrs.
Donovan.
No,no! Listen,listen,listen,I'm - Did you do this? - I am so sorry.
It was an accident.
Look what you've done to my daughter! Look what you did to her! Give her back Mrs.
Donovan,please! Mrs.
Donovan! Oh,no! Oh,no! Why isn't she answering her phone? Doc,take 57th right there.
It'll be faster.
Danny,I got this,I got this.
All right.
Voicemail again.
Baby,it's me.
We're close,okay? Hold on till I get there,okay? I don't want to miss this.
I love you.
I love you,okay? Watch out,man! Okay,right here,Doc,Doc,Doc,okay,right there.
Make a right,go around the corner and pull into Emergency.
Hey,Danny,congrats,brother.
Thanks,Doc.
Okay,here's what you're looking for.
Talmadge Neville's parole officer is Jerome Addison.
Condition of his parole is that he check in within four hours of his release.
I've got an address up on East 59th Street.
Hey,I thought you were taking the day off.
Just looking into some unfinished business.
Neville.
It's the,uh,car accident,right? He was texting? I thought that case was pretty cut and dry.
He did 18 months.
Got out this morning.
Hey,Mac,most people on their days off take in a museum,a matinee,catch up on some sleep.
Here you are digging up a closed case.
Our lab didn't analyze the evidence collected at the scene because at the time Neville took full responsibility.
Well,makes sense.
He was driving the car.
Maybe not.
Okay.
So you've processed that evidence.
And now you have a differentheory? Nothindefinitive,but certainly enough to have reasonable doubt.
You were that kid in school who did all the extra credit projects,weren't you? You made all the rest of us look bad.
Three months ago I slammed on the brakes in my car to avoid a collision with the vehicle in front of me.
My shoulder restraint jolted back.
And I was,I was sore within an hour and for a few days afterwards.
My left shoulder was bruised from where the restraint tightened.
That moment triggered a memory.
The night of Talmadge Neville's accident,I remember quite clearly he was rubbing his right shoulder.
Which would put him in the passenger seat.
And suggests someone else was driving.
I suppose I could just let this go.
But Don,I can't forget the look on Katherine Donovan's face when she saw her daughter lying lifeless in that street.
I remember thinking,I'm so glad this isn't a hit and run.
That this man took full responsibility for what he'd done.
He didn't claim the brakes didn't work,he didn't point the finger at the victim.
There was something so tragic yet decent about it all.
And now I believe someone else is involved.
And that someone thinks they got away with it? No.
That's not how this is going to end.
Thanks for this.
Mr.
Neville,get in.
What the hell do you want,Detective? The truth,a name.
I have nothing to say.
All right,then I'll do the talking.
Come on.
I heard it already.
Look,Talmadge,I'm not going away.
I could call your parole officer.
He might wonder why a detective from the crime lab is asking so many questions.
That would definitely complicate things for you.
Come on,get in.
Start telling your story.
My lab recovered your vehicle from the impound yard.
I recreated the reported speed of the car d simulated the object of impact and placement of the phone and not once did the cell land on the front passenger side floor where you recovered it.
And in Neville's vehicle,the power adjustment gears under the seat are too bulky for an object just to slide forward.
But that doesn't definitively eliminate the possibility that the driver was holding the phone.
But it makes it more plausible that someone in the passenger seat was.
Which brings us to the prints.
Now,Neville's left thumb print was on both the driver and passenger seat belt release button.
Well,he certainly could've been a passenger in his own car at another time other than the accident.
Yes,he could and I thought about that but This is Talmadge Neville's thumb print lifted from the driver's side release button.
Now,based on the position of the apex and the delta points, it appears that Neville released the belt from the passenger seat.
But there is another possibility.
He could have used his left hand from the driver's seat.
Doc,I thought about that,too.
But why would he reach all the way across his body and turn his thumb 180 degrees to releasthe button? I mean,it's an unnatural action.
But easily accomplished from the passenger seat.
Leads me to conclude that Neville released that belt to let someone else out.
There was no one else in that car.
I struggled with my seat belt.
I panicked,couldn't get out.
The evidence doesn't suggest that.
Your thumb pressed that button once and lifted.
You had no problem releasing the belt.
And the direction of the print implies that you weren't in the driver's seat.
Why would I lie? What would I gain? I am now and forever an ex-con.
Unemployable,unreliable,unworthy.
It doesn't sound like something a man chooses if he's got an ounce of common sense.
You see that vendor there? That was my life before all this happened.
I was a single father,working peddling dogs and pretzels,earning an honest living for my kids.
My son,Joe,is now a professor.
And my daughter,Karita,she's a surgeon.
And wouldn't you like them to know the truth? Were you in the car with someone you shouldn't have been? Were you or your family threatened if you didn't keep this secret,Talmadge? When you were in Rikers,you refused to have any other visirs except one.
Nick Donley.
He's head of the Local 515,the City Sidewalk Cart Union.
I wanted to know what would happen to my business.
He's also a pretty tough guy who shakes down vendors for a cut.
Haven't seen you in a while,Talmadge.
I been busy.
What do you say we take a ride? Hey,look,Nick,I'm really tired,now.
You know,I've had a long day.
I'll tell you what.
I'll drive.
You listen.
Nick was not in the car.
Then who was? You weren't behind the wheel of the car that hit Maris Donovan.
The right person should be punished for the crime.
The debt has been paid.
Unfortunately,Talmadge,that's not a decision you get to make.
Yeah,I need to order a dozen roses.
Delivered tonight after 5:00.
White.
Do they really think that I'm just going to walk this baby right out of me? Why can't I be one of those women who just sneezes and bere you can say,God bless you,she's had the baby? Think of what you'd miss out on.
Reminding your child of all those long,painful hours of labor that you endured to bring them into this world.
I guess I could get some mileage out of that.
I'm kinda scared,Stella.
That's normal,Lindsay.
Just remember,you're healthy and strong.
You and Danny went through all the courses.
Yeah,no,I don't mean about having the baby.
About beining a mom.
I mean,what if I stink at it? And the worse part is I won't know until it's too late.
She'll come home,she'll scream that she hates me, then in rebellion she'll get some part of her body pierced that's inappropriate.
And she'll get an infection,and she'll wind up on antibiotics which we find out 12 years later they cause an eating disorder and pretty soon I'm in therapy trying to save my whole family.
I mean,what if some people just aren't cut out to be parents? Well,the fact that you already thought about all this,tells me that you're gonna do just fine,Linds.
I'm losing it,huh? Yeah.
Oh,contraction.
What if she has twins,Adam? I mean,you hear stories about people being completely surprised.
And you've seen Lindsay,right? I mean,she's huge.
She knows it.
Relax,you got the ultrasound.
It's not twins,all right? You gonna be okay? No,no,I'm not.
Feel like I might go into cardiac arrest while she's giving birth.
Mac,you're here.
No,no,she hasn't yet.
Oh,we're on the fourth floor.
All right,I'll be right there.
My daughter,Karita,she's a surgeon.
Dr.
Karita Neville,please report to the second floor nurses station,Tower Two.
Is that a picture for your grandma? Beautiful,I like that.
Okay,well,I'll see you later.
She was driving the car.
You're sure it was Dr.
Neville? Positive,I remember her face.
She was at the accident scene.
That's who Talmadge Neville was protecting,his daughter.
She had to be the one driving the car,not him.
And then she just blended into the crowd and watched as he took the fall? Why would she do that? It's possible that they traded places because she had more to lose if she was behind the wheel of the car.
I remember Flack saying that someone tried to revive the victim before the paramedics arrived.
Is it possible that it was Karita Neville? I mean,she is a doctor.
Maybe there's something in Sid's autopsy report of Maris Donovan that can confirm that.
Well,we know she was there.
You can ID her.
Yeah,but we need something that puts her at the scene very close to the time of the accident.
Something thatays there was no other place she could have been except in that car.
We should go,Mrs.
Donovan.
How much time will he get? Talmadge Neville.
Most likely he'll be charged with second degree manslaughter.
Time he serves will be up to the judge.
Meaning he could simply get probation and his license revoked? Mr.
Neville's been very cooperative.
He's remorseful.
- This whole thing-- - Yes,I know,it was an accident.
Everybody keeps saying it was an accident.
Just doesn't feel like that on this side of the glass.
Oh,that man was stupid and reckless.
In one split second,he took my daughter's life.
And he has to live with that.
Unfortunately,so do I.
Mac.
Did you need something? Uh,I was wondering if you could pull an old autopsyile.
Maris Donovan.
Came in here about two years ago.
You working on your day off? Why is it that everyone is so concerned with what I do on my day off? Are you kidding? I mean,come on,you never take a day off.
Yes,all right.
The file? It's taking a minute to come up.
You looking for something specific? Maris Donovan.
Car accident victim,16 years old.
Two years ago.
Was there anything to suggest that she was alive for even a few minutes at the scene of the car accident? I don't recall.
However different monitor,different equipment.
I have a database of CT scans and I'm quite sure I have one for Maris Donovan.
Yeah,it's coming back to me now.
I believe I noted that the bruises here were inconsistent with the accident injuries.
But because they are red in color,I can conclude that they occurred very close to death.
Placement on the body and the size are consistent with compression marks? Yes,someone could have attempted CPR, but they must have been there right after impact, because,based on these other injuries,Maris Donovan didn't live very long after the accident.
Karita Neville is a doctor.
She may be the one who assisted the victim at the crime scene,and your time line just might put her in the car.
All right,autopsy report.
Strange.
Yours is the second request for this particular case this week.
That rarely happens for one this old.
Who made the first request? Usually,it includes a name,but this says "Confidential.
" My father was in that accident.
And so were you,Dr.
Neville.
You switched places.
There was much more risk for you to be behind the wheel than your father, because eight years ago,you were charged with a DWI.
With one more conviction,you could face 15 years.
Detective,I'm going to say this one last time.
I wasn't in that car.
Now,I have patients.
I'm in awe of your unwavering commitment to the lie.
Can't imagine what it was like to watch your father cuffed and later locked up, knowing the whole time that it should have been you.
being accused of texting while driving, only he was texting from the passenger seat.
I'm just curious.
Was there a moment that you ever felt guilty? The debt has been paid.
No,Dr.
Neville.
No debt is paid when the wrong person is convicted.
I don't want you to forget my name.
You're going to be seeing me again.
Mrs.
Donovan,we believe it was Karita Neville who was behind the wheel of the car that killed your daughter and not her father Talmadge Neville.
I'm sorry,I don't understand.
How do you expla this? And why didn't you know this then? Well,I'd like to discuss the details of our investigation,but I'm You're starting a new investigation? Yes,yes.
That's why I'm here.
I wanted to tell you personally.
It's been two years.
That man spent 18 months in prison.
I know that none of this is easy to hear,and revisiting what happened all over again I won't do it.
I can't do it,Detective.
I'm still waiting for the morning when I no longer believe I hear Maris singing in the shower down the hall.
Well,thanks for the information.
I would prefer that you involve me as little as possible.
I'm sorry to rush you out,but I have a meeting.
Of course.
Flack,see if you can track down Neville.
I think he'd be interested in what we know.
Talmadge Neville,NYPD! Go ahead.
We're clear.
We're clear over here.
Hey,how's Lindsay? Seven hours and counting.
She dilated past one centimeter yet? That's kind of a personal question,Adam.
Oh,sorry.
I-I just have 18 hours and 15 minutes in the hours of labor office pool.
What's up with the bike pedal? Flack found it at Neville's apartment.
What was strange,though,is that it was wrapped in copies of Maris Donovan's autopsy report, and it was painted completely white.
Analysis of the paint says it's pretty heavy duty.
Yeah,it's something you would use to paint the exterior of a house.
There's a void on the spindle threads.
Suggests that it was still attached when it was painted.
But if that's the case,there should be some kind of wear pattern from a shoe.
But there's barely a scratch.
Means nobody rode it.
You said that Flack found this at Talmadge Neville's apartment? Yep.
Just the pedal,no bike.
Ghost riders.
Ghost riders.
Follow me.
Those bikes are all over the city.
They're in memory of people who lost their lives in bike accidents.
They're called ghost riders.
Somebody died in a bike accident down there? Yeah.
And I'd be willing to bet that the pedal in our lab is from a bike in memory of Maris Donovan.
Somebody didn't want Talmadge Neville to forget why he spent the last 18 months in prison.
You asked to see us,and we're here,so? You know this guy? What about him? He should be lying in an alley right now with a bullet between his eyes.
Excuse me? And how do you know that? You were gonna do him,weren't you? So what's your beef with Talmadge Neville? Let's just say I'm a guy with a specific skill set.
And I got the constitution to commit acts that other people don't have the courage to.
You're a hit man.
I'm not familiar with that term.
Sorry,contract killer.
Is that what you prefer to put on your business cards? I'm not interested in playing games,Mr.
Desoto.
What are you doing here? My client had a change of heart.
Who's your client? An hour ago,I received word that the new beneficiary of my services is supposed to be this girl right here.
Something tells me your client wasn't the only one that had a change of heart.
No women,no children.
A hit man with a code of ethics.
How noble.
Who hired you,Mr.
Desoto? Don't know her name.
How about a description? Female,late 40s.
I had a meeting with her once.
She was wearing sunglasses and a wig.
If you find her,don't go asking me to come pick her out of a lineup, 'cause I pretty much got "I don't recall" down pat.
Thank you.
You've done the right thing here.
Hey,look,I didn't come in here for a pat on the back,Detective.
This woman's desperate.
I get the feeling,with or without me,she's gonna get this done.
Just checked with the hospital.
Karita Neville finished her shift two hours ago.
I left a message with the answering service.
We've tried her cell and home phone,haven't gotten an answer.
Just keep calling.
Flack has uniforms at Neville's apartment.
We checked in with his parole officer,and Neville never indicated what he had planned for the day except to say he would look for a job.
He used to be a street vendor.
See if he's tried to contact any of those companies or Nick Donley about work.
Let's also try to contact his cell mate at Rikers.
See if Neville mentioned any special plans.
Mac,female prints I lifted on the photo of Karita Neville didn't get any hits in AFIS so no ID.
But they were a match to the prints I found on the autopsy report recovered in Neville's apartment.
Easy to put two and two together.
Only this time,it adds up to one.
Are Talmadge and Karita Neville alive,Mrs.
Donovan? That's an odd question to ask me.
Are they safe? Those flowers are from a friend.
He was supposed to do me a favor.
But he couldn't.
Turns out,I didn't need it done anyway.
I know about grief,Katherine.
About losing someone you care about.
I lost everything when I lost her.
Make sure to get brown and white rice in the bag.
And don't stop for any junk food,Maris.
I got it,Mom.
Okay.
Be caref.
I lo you.
Mom,I'm just going around the corner.
It's been two years.
It still hurts so badly! I lost my wife on 9/11.
Some days it seems like it was so long ago.
Others like it was just yesterday.
I wish I could promise that you'd stop missing Maris, hearing her voice or imagining she'll be there when you get home,but I can't.
I'm so ashamed that I let this consume me.
I'm so afraid that if I stop thinking about it,it'll be like I forgot her.
But you came here for another reason.
So what now,Detective? Compassion.
Grief is an emotion that can force a good and decent person tmake a very,very bad decision.
And knowing that,I have a choice to make.
I can do everything I can to prove that you were involved in a conspiracy to commit murder.
Right now,I have no witness,no paper trail,no confession.
Or I can show a little compassion.
Are you sure I deserve that courtesy,Detective? I believe Maris' mother deserves it.
However,I want to be clear.
If you violate the law in any way,I will,without hesitation,gather all the proof I need to prosecute you for this offense to the full letter of the law,you understand? That,Katherine,I can promise.
Thank you.
Still no Talmadge Neville.
I was about to report the same thing about his daughter,but I'll tell you everything you want to know.
I'll tell you the truth.
Your brother even whines in his text messages.
He says,"It was not fair.
" Is he crazy? You tell him I don't care how much more money I make.
He owes me.
He lost that Super Bowl bet.
K,you good? Yeah,I think so.
We gotta get out of the car.
Dad,there's a girl in the street.
I think she's hurt.
Come on.
Get out.
Get out.
Come on.
Get out of here.
Get out of here.
You gotta leave.
Oh,but Dad,she's hurt.
This is an accident that can ruin everything you worked for! Get out of here! Get out of here now! Go,go,go,now,now! No,no! I-I can't,I can't tell if she's breathing! I don't know if she's alive! It was so stupid,I know.
But I was just doing what my father asked.
I was scared.
We both were.
But you were at the scene when we arrived.
I just couldn't leave her there.
Your instincts as a doctor took over.
Yeah.
So I returned as if I hadn't been there at all.
And I offered my help before the paramedics arrived.
And my father and I just pretended we didn't know each other.
Why? Why lie? Why trade places,Karita? We had spent the evening at this restaurant celebrating the end of my residency.
You'd had a couple of drinks? One glass of wine.
I swear to you,I wasn't drunk.
My father would never have let me drive.
Despite that,he just couldn't take the chance.
He was afraid your prior DWI would influence the judge and ultimately your conviction.
So he claimed to be driving the car.
He didn't have much faith in the truth.
I begged him for days after just let me take responsibility for what I'd done.
But he said we were in too deep.
He still believes to this day that it was the right thing to do.
Greater good,Karita,he says.
Greater good! Dano,Dano,how's Lindsay doing? You gotta be kidding me.
Is that her I hear screaming in the background? Yeah,yeah,all right.
All right,daddy.
I'll talk to you later.
Take care,bud,bye.
Detective Flack? Mr.
Neville.
I understand you have something that belongs to me,and I was wondering if I could get it back.
Need some help? I thought I was rid of you.
I wanted to say I'm sorry.
For what? That I can't give you back those I would have done it again all the same if I had to.
Your daughter means the world to you.
Oh,yeah.
And I'm sure Ms.
Donovan felt that way about Maris.
Karita told us everything.
What was it about the truth that scared you? The odds.
My daughter made a mistake.
DWI.
One mistake.
No question she was wrong,but sometimes we're not too forgiving.
You can't tell me that taking responsibility for that accident wouldn't have chang things for her.
I wanted to preserve what I had worked for all those years.
I wanted her to succeed.
And she's doing it.
Only one regret That this little girl lost her life that night.
So what happens to Karita now? It was an accident,Neville.
Now that we know what really happened,no DA with an ounce of common sense will prosecute that case.
Greater good.
mac it's time That's okay.
That's okay.
You're doing great.
You can do it,baby.
Good! - Breathe,breathe.
- Good! - There we go! There we go! - Come on.
Come on.
You're doing great.
You're doing great! - Good job,Lindsay.
Good job.
Keep it up.
Keep it up! - Hey,that's it,baby! That's it,sweetheart! - Go ahead! Come on! - Breathe.
- Come on! Push one more.
Push! Come on! - Here we go! Good job,good job.
There she is! There she is! - Way to push,Lindsay.
Keep it going.
Come on.
Here we go - She's beautiful.
Oh,hello.
Oh,hello,sweetheart.
Oh,Danny,I hate to admit it,but she looks just like you.
Yes,that's right,she's a knockout.
How you holding up? I'm great.
But she's gonna be an only child 'cause I am never doing that again.
Do you guys have a name? - Lydia.
- Lucy.
Guess that's a no.
Mac,we did agree on one thing.
We were hoping that you would consider being the godfather.
Absolutely,yes.
Made him an offer he can't refuse.
You know,"Godfather," that's code word for diaper change,you know that? Do I get to spoil her? I think Danny's got that covered.
Oh,we forgot about the oohs and ahs.
Okay,yes,yes,ready,everybody? And That's nice.
So cute.

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