CSI: NY s08e14 Episode Script

Proceed to 1818 Myrtle Avenue.
Possible homicide.
Detective.
Followed a blood trail to some cans down the street.
Found her other shoe and a wallet.
Lana Gregory.
She was almost home.
All units, be advised, a member of the service is reporting a 10-24.
Female victim of a homicide, in front of 1818 Myrtle.
Units responding, come in to Central.
Jo, Mac.
I received an odd photo on my phone tonight.
What? Describe it.
Yeah.
It's the same one.
I think I know why the photo was sent to us.
The victim is one of our lab techs.
Out here in the fields I fight for my meals I get my back into my living Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
She was posed to match the original crime scene.
There's one shoe on the bottom step; one missing; the way her hair's draped; coat open.
Killer paid attention to detail.
Could it have something to do with the lab, or did she have a connection to the original victim, Lana Gregory? I don't know.
Hopefully, we'll get some answers once Adam tracks down the phone that sent this photo.
I got unis canvassing the area for witnesses.
And I found these in a Dumpster down the street.
Just like the original crime scene.
So far everything seems to mirror the 1957 murder.
Female vic in her 20s.
Same time of night.
It even snowed today.
And the three stab wounds to the abdomen.
So, are we looking at some kind of bizarre copycat killer I don't think so.
Copycats like to benefit from the notoriety of the original killer.
And in this case, it was the victim, Lana Gregory, who had all the press back then.
You know how long this place has been vacant? About nine months.
We're running down the property manager now.
Jessica Drake.
Her crime lab I.
D.
I didn't recognize her until I saw her eyes.
One blue, one brown.
Is there any reason why somebody would want you two to be the first to know that she was dead? We had very little contact with her.
She was a grade-one lab tech thank you worked on the night shift mostly, did entry-level grunt work, like washing test tubes and ordering supplies, things like that.
Still, it's a pretty ballsy move to send that photo to your private phones.
Well, they got what they wanted our attention.
There's a big difference between the original crime and this one.
The first went unsolved; this time we're gonna find the killer.
Detective Taylor, do you have any leads? Detective, do we have a copycat killer on the loose? Base of a wineglass? Hey, Doc, what do we got, buddy? Junior lab tech Jessica Drake.
approximately two hours ago.
exsanguination.
You all right, babe? Yeah.
I met her parents once.
They came by the lab.
I remember the delight in their eyes.
They were so proud of her.
Mm.
All right, cuts and lacerations on her face suggest a struggle, but there's no blood spatter - or blood drops around the body, huh? - No drag marks, so it looks like it wasn't a body dump, which confirms that the attack took place right here.
Yeah, and there's no blood with directionality heading away from the scene, which tells us that our killer wasn't bleeding.
Looks like here's only two sets of footprints around the body, and neither one of them - is a match to Jessica's shoes.
- These footprints up here on this landing are just mine and Mac's.
- We didn't let anybody else up here.
- So contrary to what we see on our victim's body, there's no evidence of a struggle - or even that our killer was here? - No.
So it must have started snowing after she was murdered.
Concealed the blood spatter and compromised the evidence.
- Mother Nature as an accomplice.
- Yeah, we don't got diddly.
Maybe The snow is powdery.
That's good.
And it was cold all day, right? In Montana, when you're shoveling your driveway, the easiest layer to remove is always the fresh, powdery snow.
Underneath, there's a hard layer of ice, the slush that froze when the temperature dropped.
So you could sometimes make out your tire tracks.
- So you're thinking? - I'm thinking the evidence is concealed under this snow.
So young so how were you to know, know, know You're a carrier, a carrier of the light inside of you Glows green in the pitch-black night, night, night Can't tell anyone, anyone it's hurting you So hold it in, cover up, pull up your sheets, your sheets What to be, down cruising in the ocean, and sin it's due So I got to sit up, sit up, up, up For my heart to come down, down, down, down, down So I got to sit up, up, up, up, up For my heart to come down, down, down, down The ghoulish entities They come floating through the walls Ghostly enemies They come floating through your door And the ghoulish entities They come floating through the wall From the past, from the past And they're somewhere right before you Like the Ghost of Christmas Past The ghoulish entities They come floating through the walls Ghostly enemies They come floating through your door And the ghoulish entities They come floating through the wall From the past, from the past And they're somewhere right before you Like the Ghost of Christmas Past.
This is our murder weapon.
A broken champagne flute.
Good eye! It's the same basic shape and length as the paper spike used to kill Lana Gregory in 1957.
And speaking of "good eye," Jessica has the most stunning case of heterochromia iridum.
Rare combination of one blue iris, one brown.
And what I find particularly eerie is the rather unique similarity between the two victims.
Lana Gregory's autopsy report indicates sectoral heterochromia in her right eye.
"One section of the iris with flecks of brown color.
" Her eyes were green.
It would sometimes give the appearance of having two different-colored eyes.
See? Both victims with a rare condition of different shades of eye color.
What an oddly impossible coincidence.
Which makes it no longer a coincidence.
Well, our killer must have known.
Maybe the reason Jessica was his chosen victim.
Well, the other detail that's consistent like Lana, Jessica was stabbed three times in the external oblique area of her torso, causing significant lacerations to the kidney and liver.
She bled out.
So, Sid, if you're gonna duplicate a murder, right down to the eye color, why would you change out the murder weapon? I mean, you can get a paper spike at any stationery store.
Mmm it's an adequate equivalent of the original murder weapon, yet provides a little mystique to the profile of the current killer.
He wants to be noticed.
His priority was the body looking like an exact replica of the previous crime.
He? His? It's definitely a male? Ah.
Subdermal bruising suggests that our suspect may be male.
Jessica's wrists were grabbed and held very tightly.
Well, I think a very strong woman could accomplish that.
I don't doubt it.
- However - Are those letters? Greek letters, to be exact.
Phi Gamma Alpha.
I've concluded that it's a fraternity ring.
The Greek symbols are raised on the width of the band.
Leads me to believe it's a man.
Jessica was awesome.
I can't believe anyone would kill her.
She wasdifferent.
Different how? Sort of quiet.
Only about the work.
- Hard to get her to smile.
She was - So much fun to be around.
Only person I know who could make washing test tubes and cleaning the lab not boring.
- Did she have a boyfriend? - No.
N-Not really.
You're gonna have to elaborate on that one.
Harlan really liked her.
Harlan who? Harlan Porter.
- Does he work in the lab? - Yeah.
Ballistics.
I don't think the attraction was mutual.
She was nice to him, but he gave her that nickname: Lana.
Yeah, like Lana Gregory.
Why? Harlan knew everything about that case.
Part of his graduate thesis or something.
He met Jessica and started calling her Lana.
Told her the story of the unsolved murder case, explained that they both had the same eyes.
She kind of liked it.
And he made it sound so romantic.
I just, I can't believe all this happened.
Jessica was my best friend.
When was the last time you saw Harlan? A week ago.
Yesterday.
I rode up in the elevator with him last night.
I tried calling him to make sure he knew about Jessica.
I didn't reach him.
And nobody else has heard from him.
Can you tell me anything about Harlan Porter? Yeah.
Smart kid, works in Ballistics.
Why are you asking? Is he a suspect? Supposedly, he has a fascination with the Lana Gregory case.
Come on, Flack, he did not kill Jessica.
You sound pretty sure.
Doesn't fit the profile.
- Are you giving me a textbook answer? - Well, I'm not familiar with everyone who works on the night shift, but I have spent time with Harlan, and he's the most kind, considerate person I know.
No one can reach him.
Doesn't make him guilty.
Hey.
Hey.
Cold outside.
- I thought you might want some coffee.
- That sounds perfect.
I've got bagels, yogurt and breakfast burritos to go.
Oh, thanks.
I really appreciate you doing this, Christine.
Pulled an all-nighter.
Yeah, well, I'm really sorry to hear about the murder of that young woman.
You mentioned that she worked in your lab? She was a tech.
Didn't really know her.
I'm sure she's dashed between DNA and Autopsy maybe a thousand times at my request.
She was a white lab coat in my peripheral vision, handing me a note, or a result, and I probably mumbled "thank you" and didn't pay much attention.
Feels like a missed opportunity.
Well, a lot of people work in the lab and you're a very busy man, Mac.
True, but today it just sounds like an excuse.
- I'm sorry, I didn't mean - No, no, it's fine.
I should get back.
Thanks for listening.
Oh, um, that anniversary party for my parents tomorrow night, uh, you agreed to endure don't worry about it.
- Whoa, you're dumping me? - No.
I just don't want you to feel obligated with all that's going on.
I mean, my whole family would love to see you, but, well, you know how they can be.
I'm sure I can handle it.
I'll be here.
Okay.
I gave you an out.
You've been warned.
You make it sound dangerous.
Thanks.
Mother, Mother, I await Father, Father, don't you fear? The ground is what this blood knows We simply greet it and rest And all I ask of you now is to lay me down Lay me down Lay me down Lay me down With my last breath my soul will slip The ground is what this blood know We simply greet it and rest.
Mac Taylor, I adore you.
I value our friendship more than words can express.
And you don't need to feel any obligation to share any mushiness.
Your smile is adequate enough.
I just I just needed to get that out.
We just work so hard, day in and day out, and we never really turn to those around us and tell them how we feel.
Oh.
And those kids out there.
So simple, but the most beautiful tribute to Jessica.
- You want a tissue? - Yes, please.
And I just had to tell you that.
Thank you for the food.
I'm struggling with what I'm gonna tell Jessica's parents when they arrive.
Keep thinking if I'd just taken the time to ask a few more questions, been more observant, I Oh, Mac, you can't possibly think you could have changed the outcome.
No, no, I just wish I knew more about her.
I've been looking through Jessica's file.
She passed the Crim exam two days ago, and we have two open spots for criminalists.
Based on her work ethic, test scores and recommendation, she would've been a front-runner.
Share that with her parents.
They'll be proud.
So, I pulled the old Lana Gregory case file and all the evidence.
The original murder weapon is missing.
What? The old autopsy report says the paper spike was removed from the victim in autopsy and vouchered as evidence.
It's gone.
Not in the box.
I've requested signature sheets from Property from the last two years.
We need a break in this case.
Unfortunately, Adam was unsuccessful tracing that phone that sent us that photo.
was a burner, paid for with cash.
No paper trail.
What are you thinking? Who do you see in this picture? You, me, Sheldon, Danny, Lindsay.
How many lab techs? Three.
They were assigned to the scene.
The only people taking crime scene photos were Danny and Hawkes.
We're all in the picture, including the techs so who took that picture? You're thinking the killer, and this photo was a message.
Someone who could get access to our cell phones and send us that photo, someone who wouldn't look out of place at the crime scene, who could gain entry to the evidence, someone who's playing "catch me if you can.
" Not only was our victim part of the crime lab, I'm thinking so was our killer.
Harlan Porter.
This is our investigative team on the Jessica Drake murder.
All the evidence will be processed by the people in this room and only by the people in this room.
We start over on everything.
Chain of custody of evidence stays within this group.
If something needs to go to DNA, one of us drops it off, oversees the analysis, and then retrieves the results.
If the killer had access to trace evidence we collected from the scene, it could already be compromised.
So pay attention and triple-check all your results.
Are the other lab techs still being questioned? It just seems, you know, we've decided guilt by job description, and Harlan seems like our primary suspect.
You think he did it, Adam? Uh, no.
Do you know who did? No.
We have a responsibility to Jessica Drake.
Someone in this lab thinks they have the advantage.
If it's Harlan, we'll prove it; if it's not then we continue to do our job.
There's an unspoken rule of trust within these walls.
That gets broken it's inexcusable.
This is personal for Mac, Adam.
He's not gonna treat anyone with kid gloves.
Well, it's personal for me, too.
More than anybody in this room, I spend the most time with the lab techs.
I-I started where they did.
They don't want to be treated with kid gloves.
They just want to be treated with respect.
Look, Jessica, um she's not just another girl in a white lab coat.
Okay? She was a friend.
I wait alone where you left me Still feel the weight of your breath where you kissed me You kissed me I don't want to feel like the failure that you see I don't want to lose you to the light Yeah, yeah I don't want to lose you to the light.
Hey, Doc.
You got a second? - Sure.
- Trace you lifted off the vic's coat - from the scene - Yeah, looked like a piece of a stick no trees around, so I figured it might be transfer from our killer.
- Okay, you should take a look at it.
- Okay.
Is that an eye? As in an eyeball, right? Yeah, okay, good, I thought I was going crazy.
Looks like a stick with an eyeball.
Bring up the view on the monitor.
Phasmatodea.
Stick insects.
Except this one's dead, and it's not indigenous to New York City in 20-below temperatures in the winter and in the snow.
So where'd it come from? Exactly.
All right, here I am.
I'm coming to the rescue, 'cause it looks like you have wrinkles - all over your forehead - It's not a wrinkle.
It's a frown.
Well, you're looking a little bit perplexed, okay? - What are you working on here? - All right, from all the tread patterns we found on the landing at the crime scene I determined which ones belong to our vic.
Okay? These here.
They're consistent with the shoes Jessica was wearing, and they overlap, which would indicate a struggle.
So now I'm just trying to figure out which ones belong to our killer.
So you're looking for an erratic movement pattern that would also indicate a struggle.
- Yes.
- All right, well, this isn't how you should do it.
- Oh, is this you coming to my rescue? - Yeah, 'cause I think you're disregarding one very important fact about the scene.
Oh, what might that be? The brownstone is vacant, and a real estate agent could be showing it to potential renters, right? I hate it when you're right.
Shall I continue? - Please.
- All right.
Eliminate all the tread patterns that move toward the door of the brownstone and then back out again these would suggest that the apartment was shown that day and are not connected to our murder, yeah? - Three patterns remain.
- Okay.
Looks like we got two large-size work boots, which I would safely say belong to men.
These shoes here are small and appear to be heels, so they got to belong to a woman not to mention, there's nothing sporadic about the movement - suggesting a struggle.
- Right, and Jo said that Sid found a subdermal bruising pattern - that came from a fraternity ring.
- Yeah, so we can eliminate - the woman altogether.
- Right.
Leaves us with two big-footed men.
Which, actually, is compatible with the calculations of the probable height of the person who took our photo.
Boom.
Six foot one.
I'm good, right?! Messer.
Yep, I'm on my way.
Flack's got Harlan Porter and the connection to Phi Gamma Alpha.
That was nice.
Good work, babe.
Where you been, Harlan? Nowhere.
We been calling you all morning.
Your friends are getting worried.
Yeah, well, not answering your phone isn't a crime.
You work night shift in the crime lab, right? Ballistics.
I'm the robot that updates IBIS with the bullets you guys recover from scenes.
You got size-11 shoe, and you're about six one, yeah? So? And you're also a member of the Phi Gamma Alpha fraternity.
- So? - So you know what else doesn't look good for you, Harlan, is your signature on a property requisition for evidence.
Why'd you ask for the Lana Gregory file? I've never been down there; I didn't sign for anything.
You might want to get that signature checked out in Questionable Documents.
Let's talk about the bruising on Jessica Drake's wrists.
Harlan? I was trying to help her.
Sometimes I don't know my own strength, but she was goofing around, you know? Had too much to drink, both of them did.
What, who's "both of them"? Jessica and Kim we went out to celebrate.
We all passed the Crim exam.
Before I know it, they're up on the bar dancing like idiots.
I pulled Jessica off the bar.
She shouldn't have been acting like that.
That's the kind of crap Kim did.
Anyway, Jessica got kind of ticked off at me.
She said I pulled her too hard and hurt her wrist.
- And then what? - And then nothing.
What'd you do, you went home? No.
They-they left me at the bar.
I ordered a coffee, and I rode the train.
I just I just rode the train.
I felt bad.
- Bad enough to kill her? - What? You gave her the nickname "Lana.
" And you took her life the same way that woman died years ago.
No, no, no, no.
I wouldn't do that.
I didn't do that.
I felt bad because we got into an argument, and because she left before I got a chance to tell her how I felt.
I never got the chance to tell her that I loved her.
I never told her.
So, you didn't bother to mention to Detective Flack that you were with Jessica and Harlan the night she was killed.
I didn't want to get Harlan in trouble.
Why would that information get Harlan in trouble? He was supposed to be at work.
Jessica talked Harlan into sneaking outjust one drink.
- Kind of lasted longer than that.
- So it sounds like Jessica liked Harlan more than anyone thought.
I kept telling her that she was leading him on and that it wouldn't end well.
- Was she going to end it? - I don't know.
But if she did end it, you were thinking that he would be upset and might do something? Look, I'm not trying to give you the wrong impression.
He's a nice guy.
I don't think Harlan would ever do anything to hurt Jessica.
So after you two left him where did you go? We didn't leave him.
I left them.
I went home.
Phasmatodea.
An insect that looks like a stick.
It's the trace that Hawkes recovered from Jessica Drake's clothing.
Now, this particular species that he found can't survive in New York at this time of year.
Then I realized you said you were looking for someone who works in the lab, and, well - EDNA's the answer.
- Well, I'm assuming, Adam, you're not suggesting - EDNA is a suspect.
- I have a theory.
I checked on all the cases that we're investigating, and not one of them involved the analysis of insects.
However, insects were part of the most recent EDNA update, and it occurred on the day of the night that Jessica Drake was killed.
Three lab techs were assigned that duty.
Jessica was not one of them.
All women.
You just narrowed down our suspect pool.
Is the integrity of the lab compromised? Let me make something perfectly clear.
The integrity of the NYPD Crime Lab is not compromised.
Lab techs have returned to their jobs, cases are being handled, evidence analyzed as before.
Detective Taylor, is it true the district attorney is concerned that verdicts could be overturned once we learn the killer's identity? I've assured the D.
A.
and the mayor that we will be completely transparent.
Any evidence previously analyzed or handled by our suspect will be reported.
No further comment.
(reporters shouting questions Can I help you? I was hoping I could help you.
I'm Detective Paul Burton.
Lead investigator on the Lana Gregory murder case.
I was 22 years old when I was assigned to that case.
Retired ten years ago without an answer.
It's not something I'm proud of.
We're trying to find a connection between the two crimes.
I don't imagine you're having much luck.
No.
You said you're here to help me? A simple question, really.
Do you happen to know what shade of lipstick your victim was wearing? You know, I had to do fingerprint searches by hand when I began as an investigator.
DNA that stood for Do Not Analyze.
Well, despite all this spectacular technology, Paul, I'm still looking for my killer.
You know, I do get some satisfaction in knowing that sometimes the old-fashioned way still works.
We recovered our victim's handbag at the scene.
We didn't find any tube of lipstick.
My guess is the killer applied it.
I removed the murder weapon, Detective.
It's a paper spike.
She's so young.
You know, I read in the paper this morning a reporter's account of the crime.
It described the victim's vivid red lipstick.
Lana wore a particular shade of red lipstick that night.
All the crime scene photographs were in black and white, and it wasn't a detail that was shared in any crime report.
In fact, it was a bet within the secretaries' pool.
Well, I've already washed debris from the body and taken photographs, but we can certainly make an attempt at recovering traces - of the lipstick that may remain.
- So if the lipstick color is a match to what Lana Gregory wore, our killer knew someone who knew that information.
Stormy Red.
That's the shade you're looking for.
Why doesn't Flack bring our three suspects in for questioning? 'Cause Mac wanted to prove the case with evidence, not hope for a confession.
Okay, so we only have one woman's shoe prints at the scene.
And the movement of her tread pattern doesn't indicate a struggle.
There's no other reason for anyone to be up on that landing except to either view the apartment or to be involved in the murder.
Okay, the female shoe prints do not go to the door so I say it's our killer.
Jessica's murder was definitely a premeditated crime, the killer had a particular desire to have the crime scene look like Lana Gregory's murder, so maybe she did a dry run.
Which could explain why the female shoe prints weren't sporadic our killer showed up there earlier to case the scene of the crime.
And that's why she was just walking back and forth.
Because she has knowledge of forensic investigation, she more than likely went back and eliminated the shoe prints from the time of the murder, and was certainly helped by that fresh falling snow.
But she forgot that she was already there earlier that day.
Well, we can't use it in court.
But we could build a profile, you know a woman, - size seven shoe, six one.
- We're off to a really bad start there, buddy.
Not one of our suspects fits that profile.
None are that tall.
High heels.
High heels.
Stormy Red.
That's a lipstick color but you know that.
Very popular in the late '50s.
It's the color that Lana Gregory wore the night she was murdered.
Not many people knew that.
It's the color that you applied to Jessica's lips right after you killed her.
Jessica was my best friend.
I didn't kill her.
Yes, you did, Kim! You were jealous.
I was not interested in Harlan! - You're right it's not about Harlan.
- You knew there were only two positions for a grade-two tech.
You knew the competition was tough, and you thought, "If I could just eliminate the problem.
" The Lana Gregory murder was a perfect cover.
The brownstone was vacant, you heard Harlan telling the stories, and your grandmother, who worked in the secretary pool, told you what color lipstick she was wearing.
It was your grandmother who inspired you to go into law enforcement.
You wrote a sentimental story about it - on your job application.
- I doubt she'd be too proud of what you've done now.
I'm not guilty of anything.
You transferred trace from EDNA to Jessica's clothing.
Don't be shy, girls.
Harlan did it! I left them alone.
We found this in your apartment, Kim.
It's the original murder weapon it was missing from evidence.
You scribbled Harlan's signature in property.
You tried to frame him! You knew you had to be in the top three for that criminalist position, and you wanted it badly.
I was smarter than Jessica! I had been here longer.
I had done more work.
I could see what was going to happen.
Even you were captivated by her! I'm Jessica Drake.
I usually work the night shift.
I'm just subbing for a friend.
Everyone would just fall in love with those eyes.
And suddenly, it was as if no one else existed.
She knew what she was doing! But-but I had changed my mind, I I wasn't gonna do it.
I left that at home, forgot about the plan.
And then and then it was there.
Like a message.
Oh, my God! Oh! I'm so sor geez, I'm so sorry.
My ride is hot, I never want to stop 'Cause when I drop my top, all the boys go pop I told Jessica that the old Lana Gregory place was empty that we should go check out the crime scene.
It's weird.
Harlan's right.
You kind of look like her.
What are you doing? It was so easy after that.
Easy? Taking Jessica's life may have been easy for you, but living with it that's gonna be hell, I promise you.
You're really gonna try to solve it? The cold case guys have exhausted every clue.
Then whoever did this will never see me coming.
You really wearing that? What? I thought you said you were seeing Christine.
I said I was seeing an old friend and her family what's wrong with my suit? It's a suit.
Oh, Mac, you just got to jazz it up a little.
Like, get rid of this whole coat-and-tie thing.
You need to wear something that says Well, I don't know what it should say, but that isn't it.
Don't you have a murder to solve? I'm just trying to help you with your love life.
Well, good night, Jo.
At least lose the tie.
I don't know how to thank you for putting up with all this.
Oh, it wasn't bad.
Your family's great.
It's nice to see them again.
Come on, it was a nightmare.
Okay, it was a challenge.
Your Uncle Max has excellent interrogation skills.
He kept me occupied for 40 minutes.
Sorry.
I have to confess something, you know it was all part of my own selfish plan.
I mean, I thought if I brought you, then I wouldn't have to hear about the perfect guy that they have in mind for me and how terrible it is that I'm alone and that they'd be so interested in talking to you, they'd forget about the perils of my life for one evening.
Did it work? No.
Well you're in a room full of a lot of people who love you.
That's all that matters.
Yeah, I know.
But they're killing me.
Well, look at 'em.
They're watching every move we make.
Do you want to get out of here? I know a place that serves a mean peach cobbler.
Aren't you hosting this party? Does it look like I'm hosting this party? Okay.
But why don't we give them something to talk about? I'm sorry.
That was me.
I-I didn't mean to do that.
I mean, I didn't mind doing that.
Um I'll just, uh, I'll get our coats.
Okay.
Okay.