Medium s03e06 Episode Script

Profiles in Terror

?i have to get out ?i'm turning to a reason???? ?hey lover ?he suppose to followe me out In a minute.
I was thinking of actually getting some showering done in here first.
ANNOUNCER: In February, 1996, the police in Portland, Oregon were no closer to finding the so-called Suitcase Killer than they had been 11 months earlier when the first of his six victims was found-- dismembered and stuffed inside a suitcase.
They sought the assistance of FBI criminal profiler Edward Cooper.
Cooper's insights led the police to a failed dental student named Richard Gomez.
A search of Gomez's apartment yielded the bloody handsaw that he used to dismember his victims (man whistling tune) During Gomez's trial You better hurry up.
a bureaucratic error compromised the prosecution.
I'm getting pretty into this show, you might lose me.
The bloody handsaw was misplaced.
Civic employees scoured the evidence storage room but they were never able to locate it.
Richard Gomez was acquitted.
Richard Gomez murdered those young women.
There's no doubt about that.
Seeing him walk free I'm not sure I can describe what that feels like.
To this day, no one knows the present whereabouts of Richard Gomez.
The serial killer who scoffed at the law.
(man whistling "Strangers in the Night" ) Why'd you shut it off? I was watching that.
(screaming) (Joe whistling "Strangers in the Night") (shower running) Hey, songbird, you think you could keep the whistling down? I'm trying to have a nightmare in here.
Sync:WWWKWOK Mommy, the syrup's cold.
That's okay, the waffles are hot.
Eat them both at the same time, you got warm.
Guys, when you're done, bring all your dishes to the sink.
ARIEL: Hey, what's Marie doing? There's nothing on that channel.
Give me the remote.
No, Marie likes it.
And why can't she get to pick sometimes? She also like smearing jelly all over her face, but that doesn't mean we should let her.
So give me the remote.
JOE: You know what, give me the remote.
It's morning, it's breakfast, it's way too early to be fighting over television.
It's way too early for television period.
Right, Mommy? Um, why aren't you guys watching TV? Daddy said no.
Hey, let Marie pick for a change.
Turn it up.
I had a dream about this guy last night.
Oh, yeah? What's he got that I don't? As an amazing reputation as a criminal profiler for one thing.
I read this book in college for a criminology course.
Hmm And the dream? It was about an old case of his from years ago-- Richard Gomez.
And the girl, the victim, her picture's no where in here.
She doesn't look anything like any of the people in here.
Sorry.
(chuckles) That's okay.
I think I just decided to become a vegetarian.
(phone rings) Allison Dubois.
I'm sorry, you've reached the wrong extension.
Sure, I can transfer you.
Actually, I can see from here the District Attorney's not in his office.
I believe he's in a conference.
DEVALOS: Yes.
Sorry to interrupt sir.
Allison, what? Sorry to interrupt, sir.
I have a message for you.
He said it was important.
He's only going to be there another half hour.
Uh-huh.
Um, oh, forgive me, I'm sorry.
Allison Dubois, this is Special ALLISON: Edward Cooper of the FBI.
I'm very familiar with your work, sir.
It's an honor to meet you.
And what is it you do for the District Attorney that makes you so familiar with my work? Uh, Allison was studying law and criminology when she came to work for us, and while she doesn't actually have a law degree, she's proven to be a very effective resource when it comes to jury selection.
Pretty good with crime scene analysis as well.
I see.
Jury selection, huh? Yeah.
Well, you must be a good judge of human nature.
Keen sense of intuition? You might like to join us.
Actually, I need to return this call and go over a few things with Allison myself.
Maybe we can reconvene back here in say ten minutes? Edward Cooper! Oh, my God! Yes.
That's so strange-- I had a dream about him last night.
As you probably figured out by now, Agent Cooper and his staff are going to be using the conference room as their temporary base of operations.
They're in town on a case.
But to be honest with you, I was sort of hoping that you wouldn't run into each other.
Why? I don't know.
The man makes me very nervous.
Anyway, I know I don't really need to tell you this, but we need to be especially discrete about what it is you really do here, and how you do it.
Hey, as long as I can sit in the room.
As you all know, three days ago a jogger found the body of Diane Colquitt on a path in Boyce Park here in Phoenix.
Diane was a 16-year-old prostitute.
Appears that someone picked her up, drove her to the park, and then strangled her with own underwear.
Every detail of Diane's killing matches a series of murders the Bureau and I are investigating up in Columbus, Ohio.
Four young girls dead, all of them prostitutes, all of them strangled with their own undergarments.
All of them found hands bound behind their back with a sailor's hitch knot.
Every girl dumped facedown on a jogging path.
When was the last killing in Ohio? Little over ten weeks ago.
So you're thinking that your killer migrated from the Midwest to here? Killers aren't immune to the cold.
They've been known to travel south for the winter.
This is a very preliminary psychological profile of the killer.
It appears that he is threatened by women.
Based on the forensic evidence recovered from the four Ohio victims, we believe that he prefers to have sex with his victims only after they're dead.
Has he left any bodily fluids behind? Any DNA to work from? No.
He's methodical about cleaning up after himself.
Extraordinarily thorough, which makes me suspect he's had a lot of practice doing what he does.
I have an appointment with the coroner to personally examine Diane Colquitt's remains.
My team and I will be there at 3:00.
Anyone from this office that would care to join us, please do so.
JOE: I'm sorry to stick you with babysitting duty, honey.
Mommy called me at the last minute to pick you guys up.
I got to get back to work.
We'll be okay, Daddy.
Bridgette and I have homework and Marie can just sit with us and watch television.
Police, fire, doctor-- all the numbers you need are on the fridge.
Look, it's your favorite show.
You have my cell phone, you have Mommy's cell phone.
One of us will be home by 5:30 at the absolute latest.
Daddy, I've got it under control.
Okay, we've got to find something better for her to watch than this.
Back, back, back, back, back.
Huh, what's wrong, sweetie? She likes the other one.
There's nothing on the other channel.
Back, back, back, back, back.
Told you.
WOMAN: As you indicated on the phone, the victim had been fairly well cleaned up by her attacker, but we did pull this off her underwear.
It's dog hair.
Looks to me like something from the terrier family.
COOPER: Her fingernails have been cut.
Someone wanted to be sure that we didn't find any DNA under them.
This bruise on her shoulder is probably from the killer's knee.
Perhaps forensics could analyze it (man whistling "Strangers in the Night") what the killer was wearing on the lower half of his body-- denims, chinos Excuse me.
I was just wondering when you said earlier we were dealing with an experienced perpetrator-- someone who was good at what he did, who clearly had a lot of practice, I wonder if anyone had considered the possibility that the man who did this, the man we're looking for, might be Richard Gomez.
(clearing throat) Richard Gomez No, we had not considered Richard Gomez.
Frankly, to the best of my knowledge, Richard Gomez has been inactive for more than ten years.
Any particular reason you bring his name up? Just, uh, a hunch.
Instinct.
A hunch.
You know what I call a hunch made without a scientific basis? You know what I call an instinct uninformed by either experience or intellect? I call it a distraction.
I call it a waste of time.
Forensics also might be able to speculate as to the perpetrator's weight based on the depth of the bruise.
Correct me if I'm wrong Happily.
Gomez is still at large, is he not? How can you be so sure this is not his work? What would prevent him from killing and raping these women in Ohio? Seems to me if he's still out there Mrs.
Dubois you indicated that you were familiar with my work.
If that's truly the case, then you know that Richard Gomez was a dominance killer.
He used his charm and good looks to convince women to go back to his home or a motel room-- somewhere private, where he would violate them, torture them and keep them alive while he sawed them into little pieces.
He was a passionate sadist.
He took pleasure in their pain.
This killer-- the Lincoln Park killer, he strikes from behind.
It's more of a blitzkrieg style of attack.
It's the mark of a timid personality, a coward.
These two men might as well speak different languages.
Now, any other dormant serial killers that you're curious about? Any other hunches, any other random instincts? ?perhaps we can continue to the important working hand? , It was so mortifying.
(water running) He was so cutting.
He was so convinced of his own infallibility, he wouldn't even consider the possibility.
Mmm yeah.
I think you need to cut the guy a little slack.
He's been catching killers for what, 30 years? Now, you spent a couple hours with the guy, and all of a sudden you're bringing up his most famous setback.
He's bound to get a little testy.
What does he have to get testy about? Agent Cooper led the police right to Richard Gomez.
He did his job.
It's not his fault somebody lost the evidence.
You're right, but maybe Cooper doesn't see it that way.
Catching these people is pretty much a crusade for him, right? So when one of them slips away, I doubt he spends much time consoling himself with the idea that he is not personally to blame.
Well, that doesn't give him the right to make a fool out of me.
Are you using this arm for anything? GOMEZ: Why'd you shut it off? I was watching that.
(screaming) (strained screaming) (pained yells) (Gomez grunts, Allison gasps) (knocking) Yup.
Sorry to bother you.
I need your help.
What does this mean? Dioner Mapache-- it's a name.
It's a man's name.
Uh first name Dioner, last name Mapache.
Why do you ask? Actually, I think it's a business, like a bar or restaurant, the kind of business that advertises on hotel ashtrays.
Wherever this business is, I think it's located nearby the hotel where Richard Gomez killed Diane Colquitt.
(sighs) Close my office door, Allison.
(door closes) What are you doing? Just what I always do.
But I believe Agent Cooper made it perfectly clear that he's not interested in any leads involving Richard Gomez.
That he feels very strongly that Richard Gomez had nothing to do with this woman's death.
Well, he's wrong.
Allison (sighs) All right.
All right.
Let me see if I can try and get Detective Scanlon to discretely run this down, find out if there is such a place and where it might be, but do me a favor-- stay away from the conference room.
Keep out of Cooper's way.
Let's let him think that you've moved on to something else.
Let's let him think that you're doing other things.
Huh.
Okay.
The government wants the chassis to be made with light polymer.
They also want it to hold six cameras, but if you put six cameras on it, the light polymer won't stand up to atmospheric pressure which means we've got Nothing.
(head thumping) Are we taking a break? (head thumping) I think we're taking a break.
Deep breaths, Aaron.
Pretend we're not days away from our deadline.
Think happy thoughts.
Can you think happy thoughts for me? What are you thinking about? A.
J.
just turned three.
There you go.
My youngest just turned three, too.
And now you say something back.
Pretty soon we're having small talk.
That's how a break works.
A.
J.
likes to eat Play-Doh.
Congratulations.
You must be very proud.
Marie sits in front of the TV and watches static.
I think she'd do it for hours at a time if we'd let her.
What? Nothing.
It's It's none of my business.
I'm sure it's nothing.
You can't just say that.
What's nothing? You say your daughter just stares at a blank channel for hours? Well, like I said, it's probably nothing, and I certainly don't mean to alarm you, but my brother has an autistic son.
That sounds like the kind of thing he used to do.
It doesn't necessarily mean anything.
It's It's probably nothing.
Yeah.
(elevator bell dings) Bad hunch, huh? His name is Warren Bell.
He was in your local registry of sex offenders.
One of my people remembered his face.
Back in Columbus, we questioned him about the murders.
We just couldn't find any evidence to tie him to the crime.
And now he's here in Phoenix? Well, he's a sex offender.
He's obligated to register whenever he moves into a new community.
I asked them to bring him in for questioning.
Sure you wouldn't like to stick around? You might find it fascinating.
Me? You think so? I don't know.
I think I probably lack the experience and the intellect to really appreciate whatever it is you're gonna do or say.
Besides, I wouldn't want to be a distraction.
I wouldn't want to waste your time.
Want to know who Dioner Mapache is? You found it already? It's kind of an interesting story.
Turns out he was a general in the Mexican army, killed by his own men the night before a battle.
Given his less-than- inspiring history, I guess it isn't a surprise there's only one restaurant anywhere that's named after him.
It's in Mexico, half a block away from the El Coyote motel.
Would this be the scene of the crime? Yeah.
This is the place I saw in my dream.
I called the motel, asked them if they'd had any suspicious activity there lately, if anyone matching Richard Gomez's description had checked in.
Turns out there was someone matching Gomez's description.
You're kidding.
I knew it.
We gotta tell Cooper.
I can't wait to see the look on that egomaniac's face.
Nine years ago.
1997.
He checked in under a false name, he wasn't carrying a wallet.
They had no way to establish his identity.
What are you talking about, no way to establish his? I'm trying to tell you that there was a murder at the El Coyote motel in 1997, only Richard Gomez wasn't the killer, he was the victim.
Looks like robbers tied Gomez to a chair while they ransacked the place.
They took what they wanted, then put two bullets in him.
Cops thought it might have been drug-related.
I don't know what to tell you, Allison.
I mean, unless he's unusually spry for a rotting corpse, I think it's fairly safe to say that Richard Gomez ?it is not the leading part killer Joe? Where are the girls? Homework.
Okay.
And what are you doing? I'm watching our daughter watch her favorite channel.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking.
What channel? That's what I thought, too, that she just likes to watch nothing, static, but I was wrong.
She just likes to watch this particular channel.
Channel 282.
You want to know what happens when I try to change the channel to another channel that just has static on it? She starts to cry.
Want me to show you? No, I don't need you to prove you can make our daughter cry.
Why are you doing this? I'm trying to learn.
I'm trying to understand.
Watch this.
Hey, sweetie, what are you watching on the TV? Funny man.
Funny man? What is the funny man doing? Talk to me.
Talking to her.
All right, babe, come on.
It's time to brush your teeth.
I'll meet you in there in a minute, cupcake.
Go on.
All right, once again, what are you doing? What am I doing? Are you okay with this? This doesn't bother you? You're not in the least bit curious what the funny man might be saying to her? What he might be showing her? She's three.
Exactly.
What does that mean? It means it's not normal.
She has an imagination.
Maybe.
Or maybe it's something else.
I'd like to have her tested.
Tested for what? I don't know.
Autism.
She does not have autism.
How do you know? You don't know.
I know.
I know my baby.
I know my daughter.
Oh, yeah? Well, do you know what she's seeing on that TV? No.
And I don't think it matters.
Well, I do.
I mean, you see things that aren't there sometimes, and, most of the time, they're not pretty to look at.
They're not the kind of things that you'd want a three-year-old to see.
Okay, I'm just trying to understand this.
Are you hoping she doesn't have autism or that she does? Okay.
I'm done having this conversation.
Oh, that's a great answer.
I'll be in the shower.
You know, if it bothers you so much, maybe you should just read to her instead of sitting her in front of the TV.
(door closes) COOPER: August 22, 1996.
Excuse me? That's the day that Richard Gomez was acquitted.
I mark the anniversary in my calendar every year.
My wife has learned to avoid me on that date.
She says that I'm a world-class brooder.
But now, because of you, August 22 is freed up for more productive pursuits.
Thank you, Mrs.
Dubois.
A lot of people will sleep easier tonight because they know that Richard Gomez is dead.
I accused you of wasting my time, of being a distraction.
I stand corrected.
You have terrific instincts.
I wish I had been wise enough to understand what they were trying to tell me.
Thank you.
Although, to be honest, I really wish they would steer me towards the Lincoln Park Killer.
Well, might not be too late for you to pitch in.
We couldn't locate Warren Bell yesterday.
He finally showed up at his apartment this morning.
They're bringing him in now.
I'm headed over to interview him.
Appreciate it if you'd sit in and give me the benefit of your expertise.
I already told your men back at my apartment.
I was home watching TV the night that girl died.
Can anyone confirm that? No.
I was alone the whole time.
Nobody called? Nobody came by? COOPER: You watch a lot of TV, Warren.
I remember, when we met back in Columbus, you said you were watching TV on the nights the women there were killed, too.
I live by myself.
TV helps fill up the quiet.
You up and leave Columbus, the murders there stop, you land in Phoenix, lo and behold, girls start dying.
I'm sure I'm not the only person to move from Ohio to Arizona in the past couple months.
I got a job here.
I registered my whereabouts.
I'm allowed to move.
You work as an apartment manager.
Am I remembering that right? Are you a dog owner, Warren? No, I'm not.
Are you sure? You seem a little uncertain.
Can't smoke in here, Warren.
It's okay, sweetie.
It's okay.
(dog whimpering) (sizzling, dog yipes) Excuse me.
You all right? Thanks.
I will be.
I'm sorry I left the room.
I found it hard to be so close to that man.
You have a hunch about him, do you? He keeps a dog chained up somewhere.
It looks like a garage.
He doesn't feed it.
It's barely alive.
He tortures it with a burning cigarette.
I've worked a couple of missing children cases.
Met people like you before.
You see things, don't you? That must be quite a burden.
A long time ago, at the start of my career, I made a choice.
I dedicated myself to getting inside the minds of killers.
To going to worlds where other people wouldn't, or couldn't.
It's rarely been pleasant.
And it's changed me.
But it was still my choice.
You, Mrs.
Dubois you go into the heads of murderers whether you want to or not.
I admire you.
But I sure don't envy you.
That one.
Wise choice, my dear.
See, she picked the one with monsters and mayhem.
She takes after her mother.
That's my girl.
(telephone rings) Oh.
And here we go.
Hello? Allison, it's Manuel Devalos.
I'm sorry to bother you at home, but I thought you'd like to know that the police have executed a search warrant on Warren Bell's apartment.
Did they find anything that linked him to the murders? Not inside the apartment.
But in a garage that he had access to, we did find a grey wire-haired terrier.
My God, was he still alive? Barely.
We took a sample of its hair.
Preliminary DNA tests indicate that it's a match for the hair we found on Diane Colquitt's body.
We've placed Warren Bell under arrest.
That's great news, sir.
Agent Cooper wanted me to call you and to tell you, and to send his thanks.
Allison? What does he know? Oh, I don't think he "knows" anything.
There's no denying he certainly has strong instincts.
Mmm.
Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning.
See you in the morning.
(humming) You look happy.
(man singing in Spanish) What now? A leg or a breast? (door opens) Hello? You.
How did-how did you find me? Wasn't easy.
(gasps) (sighs) No wonder Cooper was absolutely certain that Richard Gomez wasn't the Lincoln Park Killer.
I can't believe I'm saying this it's not hard to understand.
Imagine that you're him.
You catch this guy, you do everything you need to to be sure that he gets the death penalty.
And then they set him free.
He likes to kill, you know he's going to do it again.
You track him down.
You rectify the situation.
So if you understand it, what are we doing here in our kitchen at 3:00 in the morning talking about it? I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do about it.
Am I supposed to speak out? Ruin the life, the career, of a good man just because he couldn't live with the idea of Richard Gomez getting away with murder? Six murders? Even if I wanted to tell the world what Cooper had done, it all happened nine years ago.
I doubt I could prove anything.
You know what? This is easy.
Don't do anything.
I'm completely serious, Al.
I mean besides, it's not like you're absolutely certain that Cooper did it.
He shot him once in the head.
He shot him once in the stomach.
I saw it, Joe.
I know.
But you also saw Richard Gomez kill Diane Colquitt in that very same room, and we both know that didn't happen.
My point is, your wires have been a little crossed lately.
And unless you're absolutely certain that it's true, you can't a accuse a man of murder.
And even if you were certain I don't sense that you want to accuse this particular man of this particular murder, and I don't blame you.
(inaudible shouting) (door slams) (heavy sigh) Thanks.
I'm negotiating a deal with Warren Bell's attorney.
Agent Cooper doesn't like it.
What kind of deal? We're offering to take the death penalty off the table in exchange for a full confession to all the murders.
I've got a few pieces of dog hair-- it's not much to stand on when you're asking a jury to sentence a man to death.
Given the paucity of corroborating evidence, I felt the full confession was the best way to end this-- take Bell off the street for the rest of his life and bring closure to the victims' families.
I've spoken with the authorities in Ohio-- they agree with me.
Obviously, Agent Cooper is advocating strongly for the pursuit of the death penalty.
I don't sense that he's big on compromise.
Noticed that, did you? Okay, well, it's clear what we got to do-- we got to tell him that the satellite can only carry one camera.
AARON: Joe, this is a government contract-- you sure you want to tell them we can't meet their specs? No, I want to tell them that their specs are fanciful, a creation of pure whimsy on a par with the works of Lewis Carroll.
MARIE: Airplane! But I can't do that, so I'm just gonna tell them that the satellite can only carry one camera.
Airplane.
Airplane.
Can you hold on a sec? Hey, Bridgette, did you turn on the TV for your sister? BRIDGETTE: She asked me to, Daddy.
It's no problem.
I was just asking Airplane! Airplane! if we should Hey, Aaron, did your son just say "airplane"? Uh, yeah.
He's watching TV.
He is? He wouldn't happen to be running around the room with his arms spread out like a couple of wings, would he? He is, actually.
Why? Can you tell me what he's watching? Otis the Octopus-- it's that show where the big guy in the fuzzy suit makes him do jumping jacks Sorry, what channel is he watching? Nugget.
You know, the kid's channel.
I'm glad he likes it-- it costs me $10.
99 a month.
So it's a premium station.
Is that channel 282? I don't know, Joe.
We're kind of on a deadline here.
Why are you so curious about Nugget TV? C-Can you please tell me if that is Channel 282? Okay.
(cartoon music playing) Yeah, it's channel 282.
You happy? ALLISON: Hi.
I'm home.
I came bearing pizza! Actually, I think I am.
Listen, Aaron, I'm gonna have to call you back.
Hey.
What's up? Hi.
Hey.
I have good news, and I have bad news.
(groans): What are you talking about? What's the good news? Uh, I don't believe that our daughter has autism.
In fact, I don't believe it'll actually be necessary for her to see a doctor at all.
Well, that is good news.
And the bad news? I think she might be a felon.
Excuse me? I think she's stealing cable.
(door creaks softly) (light switch clicks) (phone rings) Hello? It's Edward Cooper.
Sorry to wake you, Mrs.
Dubois.
The district attorney gave me your number.
We both felt that you'd want to hear about it right away.
Hear about what? You might want to turn on your TV.
I don't know what to tell you.
God bless America.
Last night my attorney was advising me to take a deal so that I could avoid going on trial for my life.
Then, at 5:00 this morning, a prison guard is shaking me awake and telling me I can go free.
I don't understand.
COOPER: Well, as I understand it, Bell's lawyer asked the prosecution to produce the evidence against his client.
According to the law, they're entitled to a second DNA test at a lab of their choice.
Apparently, when they went to the evidence room to retrieve the dog hair it was gone.
No one can find it.
This is unbelievable.
Do they have any idea what might have happened to it? Not really.
The district attorney thinks one of the clerks must've screwed up.
(sighs): What do you think? I don't know.
I don't know what to think.
However it happened, the evidence is gone, and without it, there's no way to prove that Warren Bell was the Lincoln Park Killer.
He's a free man.
BELL: Of course, this is an enormous relief for me and my family, and to anyone who wants to see the real Lincoln Park Killer brought to justice.
Like I said, God bless America.
ALLISON: It must have been hard to get rid of.
The handsaw-- the one Richard Gomez used to cut his victims into little pieces.
I've been thinking about it-- it's kind of bulky.
An awkward shape.
It must have been hard for you to get rid of.
Unlike, say, a few strands of dog hair.
It sounds like you're accusing me of something, Mrs.
Dubois.
I am.
I am, because I know.
I know what you did.
I know you got rid of the evidence against Richard Gomez.
I know you tracked him to Mexico.
I know you put two bullets into him.
That's a colorful theory.
I'm guessing you can't prove any of it, or I'd be talking to the police and not a consultant.
(wry chuckle) I am not gonna tell anyone about what you did to Gomez.
I can carry around that knowledge and live just fine.
But knowing what you are going to do, that I don't think I can live with.
I can't just step aside and let that happen.
So before you go through with what you're planning, before you kill Warren Bell, you need to know that I am on to you.
I know what's coming.
And I will find a way to expose you.
(exhales) You really are an extraordinary woman, Mrs.
Dubois.
I can see why the district attorney values your services so highly.
As far as Warren Bell is concerned, my guess is that he'll keep his nose clean for a while.
He knows he's in the spotlight right now.
But someday someday not too far from now, the sickness that lives inside him will make its way back to the surface.
He'll kill again.
He won't be able not to kill again.
Unless something happens to him.
Unless the universe intervenes.
Maybe he'll wrap his car around a telephone pole.
Maybe he'll die in an accident in his apartment.
Who knows, maybe he'll just disappear.
That happens sometimes, too.
My guess is, if something like that does come to pass you'll think about Diane Colquitt, lying in a park with her panties wrapped around her neck.
You'll think about all those dead girls in Ohio.
Or maybe you'll even think about that poor dog down in the garage.
And who knows what you'll do.
I know we only just met each other, Mrs.
Dubois but I think we both know that your choice (sighs) won't be as easy as you imagine it's going to be.
Call it a hunch.
An instinct.

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