The Closer s05e10 Episode Script
Smells Like Murder
[TAYLOR CHUCKLES.]
I guarantee you this would be on the detectives exam.
"Transferred intent.
" Yeah, well, believe me.
That one, I know.
[HUMMING.]
Tum, pa-ra, rum-pum [CHUCKLES.]
Delivery for Major Crimes.
One, two, three, four, five boxes.
Buzz! This one's not mine.
It says "Major Crimes, L.
A.
P.
D.
" - But I didn't order this.
- You're Major Crimes.
And it's COD.
[SIGHS.]
I don't know.
Duct tape's never a good thing.
Did you say duct tape? [DOG PANTING.]
You're good to go.
Hey, not by my desk, Julio.
Now, I mean it.
Where should we take it? [FLYNN GRUNTS.]
GABRIEL: We should call the chief.
- There's no need to alarm her.
Okay.
Here goes nothing.
[ALL GRUNTING.]
[ALL COUGHING.]
All right, out.
All right? Everybody out.
[COUGHING.]
Now we alarm the chief.
BRENDA: Oh, for heaven sakes, her feet were so small.
"Grauman's Chinese Theater was built in 1927.
There are nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs in the concrete of the theater's forecourt.
" Uh-huh.
Are these people who used to be famous? That's right.
[CELL PHONE CHIMES.]
This is not working.
- What? Charlie's having a great time.
- Gah.
She's not having a great time.
Stop with the tourist attractions.
Take your niece to The Grove or to have lunch.
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Go ahead, anything to end this.
She's having a great time.
- Hello? - Chief.
Um, yeah, I know you said not to call unless it was important but we, uh Well, we ended up with a crime scene.
Where is it? [ALL GRUNTING AND COUGHING.]
[BRENDA GROANS.]
Chief, we're calling him Jack, like in jack-in-the-box.
You get it? Yes, lieutenant, I get it.
What I don't get is how Mr.
Box ended up in my office.
[COUGHS.]
- Well, I may have suggested - Oh, lieutenant.
I won't be able to breathe in here for weeks.
[PEOPLE COUGHING.]
BRENDA: Okay.
Oh [FLYNN LAUGHS.]
Do we know where he came from? The return address says, "Greg Lewis, Stow 'Nuff Self Storage in Reseda.
" - He's on his way in.
I'll get him in a room.
- Thank you.
- Oh, hi, chief.
- Ugh.
What is that? Scented candles.
It'll help with the smell.
- Chief Johnson.
- Ugh.
- Yuck.
- Sorry, Dr.
Morales.
- Oh, I assume that's the body.
FLYNN: Yeah.
- We're calling him Jack, as in - Jack-in-the-box.
I get it.
Yes, very amusing.
Well, smells like murder to me.
Oh, hello, Terrence.
It's Dr.
Terrence now.
I finished med school.
Now I'm doing my residency down in the decomp room.
You should stop by.
We get great muffins down there.
- Paging Dr.
Terrence.
- Oh, sorry.
The good news is the body has been kept virtually intact because of the plastic and the duct tape.
So Dr.
Terrence hopefully will find a cause of death.
- Quickly.
- Thank you, Dr.
Morales.
[COUGHS.]
- Oh.
- Buzz, would you please close the door? Thank you.
[BRENDA GROANS.]
I'm so sorry, y'all.
- There was a dead person in that box? - Yes.
What are we gonna do about? Uh, I could be fine at the house watching TV.
Or maybe I could make you guys dinner.
Mom and Dad work, so I end up doing a lot of that at home.
Dinner sounds great.
Okay, well, I'II, um, see y'all later.
- Bye.
- Shall we? Just button it up till the boss gets here, okay? Deputy Chief Johnson, uh, meet Greg Lewis.
He is the owner of Stow 'Nuff Storage.
- Thank you for coming in today.
GREG: Uh-huh.
- I'm guessing you got my package.
- Yes, sir, we did.
I've been trying to get the police to look for a month.
- Excuse me? - I reported it to the L.
A.
P.
D.
Four times and no one came.
Finally, I talked to some old cranky guy, no offense, an Officer Katzman.
I said, "I have this box, and I think it could be something major.
" So he told me to mail it to Major Crimes.
- So, what's in it? - You don't know? Uh-uh, look like trouble.
No way I was opening it.
Well, sir, as it turns out, you sent us a dead body.
[CHUCKLES.]
I knew it.
The duct tape, it scared the crap out of me.
- So whose body is it? - We were hoping you could tell us.
You think that I killed someone and then I mailed the body to you? [LAUGHS.]
How stupid would that be? - Well, where did you find the cooler, sir? - Unit 943 in my storage facility.
- Courtney defaulted on - Courtney? Doug Courtney, the guy that's renting 943.
Ai! He was using our automatic payment feature but his debit card is expired.
So I tried to get in touch with him for the standard 60 days but he never got back to me.
Which what allowed us to auction off his stuff.
But the only thing in 943 was that horrible box.
Sir, can you tell us, ahem, the last time Mr.
Courtney was at your facility? No idea.
I only see people when they fill out the rental application.
I could fax that to you.
Hmm? FLYNN: There's not much here.
Just an address and a phone number.
California.
It's a mobile home park.
It's Mr.
Courtney's parents' address.
His mother and his stepfather.
And Mr.
Courtney has a record.
Shoplifting, two counts of assault.
Wait.
Just because Courtney has a record doesn't mean he killed Mr.
Box.
Uh, and we can't say for sure that Mr.
Box was actually murdered.
Well, we know that he was broken in half and folded into an ice cooler.
[CHUCKLES.]
Which is suspicious to me.
Detective Sanchez? Well, according to the DMV, Mr.
Courtney has a 1997 red Chevy Camaro.
Registration lapsed in 2006, no outstanding citations, no flags doesn't seem to be stolen, chief.
And his only financial activity in the past three years are two deposits from an offshore bank account.
And this is the same account to which Mr.
Courtney's debit card was attached? It is, and it has plenty of money in it.
If the card hadn't expired, the victim would probably be in storage.
So where did Mr.
Courtney go? Maybe he killed Jack Box and then skipped the country, chief.
- Twenty dollars says he went to Mexico! - Twenty dollars, Thailand.
- I mean, they go to Thailand a lot lately.
- I'll put 20 on Kuala Lumpur.
Not only is it fun to say, but they have the largest department store in Malaysia.
Useful information, lieutenant.
Useful, please.
I'll call our customs liaison and do a passport check.
- Thank you.
- Chief, it is Dr.
Terrence.
Oh.
Yes, Terrence? Sorry, it's taking so long.
I'm having a hard time getting this guy out of your box.
Didn't sound right.
Do you have a cause of death yet? Uh, not yet, but there was a wallet in the, uh, body's pants pocket.
And I, uh, took the liberty of matching your victim's thumbprint to his license.
So who is he? His real name is Doug Courtney.
Oh, for heaven sakes.
Thank you.
All bets are off, gentlemen.
- Why? - It turns out our killer is our victim.
[SIGHS.]
[KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
I don't think there's gonna be any traffic, but I will, um Oh.
Can you hold on one second? Um Sorry, I'm just signing for something here.
Thank you.
I can take care of all that today.
All right, I'll see you soon.
Hey, Charlie, you've got some ma Some mail.
You got a care package, huh? From home? Yeah, from my friend Amy.
I'm thanking her now.
- You gonna open it? - No.
I didn't realize I was gonna be here for this long and there's some personal items.
- You wanna see? - Uh-oh, no.
No, that's okay.
[FRITZ SIGHS.]
- Well, um, I'm going.
- Okay, bye.
- You call me if you need me.
- I will.
BRENDA: And the emblem? Uh, the California grizzly bear.
Its name is Monarch.
And the, uh, flag was officially adopted as the state flag in 1911.
I have no idea why that would be on the detectives exam.
You'll be asked everything from law to policy to history so you have to be prepared.
Oh, sorry.
Two things we need to remember before we speak to the Dobsons.
One, whoever killed Doug Courtney knew about the storage facility.
And a missing persons report was never filed.
So we're not just here to make a notification to the parents but also to what? - Interview potential suspects.
Exactly.
Now, I'll ask a few questions and once you feel like we have enough information to warrant a notification you step in.
The desire of the slothful shall killeth him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Proverbs 21:25.
Now, Doug cares only for the things of this world: Liquor, gambling, surfing, sex.
- He ignores that which is eternal.
- Horrible how many people do that.
Uh, Mr.
Dobson, Mrs.
Dobson, when was the last time you heard from your son? DOBSON: Doug is only my stepson.
I didn't get him till he was a teenager.
By that time, he was hard to reach.
I tried, though.
I've had success with other people, like Sara here.
But, uh, as far as the last time we saw him Well, Doug hasn't been here for over three years.
And you never filed a missing persons report? Only came when he needed money.
The last time he was here, he was different.
He wasn't worried as much and he said everything was gonna be okay.
And what happened? He left without a word.
- He hasn't called us from that day.
- He said he was gonna make sure Sara! I have told you a thousand times, just be grateful that he is gone.
Be thankful.
[SIGHS.]
We are.
We're thankful.
When Doug was, uh, here last, did he leave any of his belongings behind? - A computer or a journal? - No, he - Oh! - Sara.
Oh, it's okay.
I got it.
No, he put everything he had in a storage facility.
Why are you really here? I don't see you driving out here just to ask a few questions unless something's wrong.
What has Doug gotten into? Well, Mr.
And Mrs.
Dobson, I'm really sorry to have to tell you this but your son - We haven't been honest with you.
Mr.
Gabriel here isn't from L.
A.
P.
D.
He's a, uh, credit agent from American Express.
Your son is the victim of identity theft, which is why we've been looking for him.
Uh Mr.
Gabriel here knows much more about the ins and outs of this than I do.
So, uh, while you're explaining everything to the Dobsons I'm gonna just head out to my car to look through it real fast.
- I'll be back in a jiffy.
One second.
- Ha.
What is she talking about? Um, well, I'm afraid that someone in Brazil has charged $20,000 to your son's account with us, so [BRENDA GASPS.]
[GRUNTS.]
So we got two wet suits, some sandy towels and three kinds of surfboard wax.
So I'm going out on a limb here but I say the contents of this duffel bag says Mr.
Courtney was a surfer.
TAO: And an avid lotto player.
There's over 200 lottery tickets here, all with the same six numbers: - One, three, 11, 21, 22 and 31.
- There's nothing strange about that.
- I bet the same six numbers all the time.
- And how's that working out? - The odds of ever hitting a jackpot are - Tao, please, let me dream.
The stack of mail we got from Courtney's PO Box: Uh, DWP, credit card, cell phone.
By the looks of it, this guy owed money to everyone.
TERRENCE: Chief Johnson? - Terrence.
Terrence, what a surprise.
- Dr.
Terrence.
- Right.
Uh, I have cause of death for Mr.
Courtney.
Figured I'd bring the results by in person.
And those results would be? The victim's body was well-preserved.
Whoever wrapped him did a nice job.
Cause of death.
Murder.
Mr.
Courtney had two bullet wounds right above the lumbar vertebrae.
I'm putting a time of death at May 21st, 2006 sometime after 6:12 p.
m.
- That's awfully exact.
Are you sure? - I'm a coroner now, Chief Johnson.
- Of course I'm sure.
- Hmm.
But if you can't put faith in me as a doctor, put your faith in the newspapers.
Newspapers? What newspapers? The ones at the bottom of the cooler, dated May 21st, 2006.
Oh.
Also, there was a receipt for two hot dogs and a 40 of malt liquor.
Same date, 6:12 p.
m.
What is malt liquor? SANCHEZ: Chief.
- Hmm.
Yes? I have Mr.
Courtney I have Mr.
Courtney's girlfriend, Tara Latimer, set up in Interview 1.
TARA: I thought Doug was the one.
He was funny, tan.
- Where did you meet him? - The casino where I worked.
I was a blackjack dealer.
- Oh, so he worked there too? - No.
He gambled there a lot.
We'd only been dating a month when he asked me to move in with him.
And I don't know how he afforded the place after I left but I can be sure that the landlord didn't cut him any slack.
- He hated Doug.
- He was the worst tenant I ever had.
Should have evicted his ass the first sign of trouble.
Two years of his crap was enough.
I got tired of hearing how he lost all of his rent money gambling at the Slot machines.
You know, throwing his money at the lottery.
The same six numbers his and his parents' birthdays.
Going all in on Texas hold'em when he had nothing in his hand.
His whole life was a bluff.
- Including his work reference.
- It's from his boss.
What's his name? Jordan Wallace.
Doug never worked for me.
Well, he listed you as his employer on his rental application.
I was his friend since high school, he needed a reference.
And when the landlord called, I said Doug was a good guy.
- What I should have said was - He was a pig.
- He was an asshole.
- He was a leech.
I kept loaning him money until he was into me for 10 grand.
I know it doesn't seem like much now.
But when I was starting my real-estate business homes all over the world, that meant everything.
Mr.
Wallace, do you remember the last time you saw Mr.
Courtney? Well, I remember the last time I didn't see him.
I went over to Court's apartment to help him move his stuff into a storage unit.
He never showed up.
And I gave up on his returning the key.
I went over to throw him out personally, no one was there.
You know l I called the girl he used to live with.
She says that he moved everything out to a storage unit in the valley.
GABRIEL: So they all knew about the storage unit.
His crap was still there in the apartment.
- Screwed me out of all my money.
- Then he screwed my daughter.
Another girl in our bed.
- Nobody cheats on me.
- Not with my daughter.
Everybody wanted to kill him.
So, Sergeant Gabriel if you were taking the lead on this investigation how would you sum it up so far? Well, ugh, I'd say Mr.
Courtney took advantage of everyone he knew and his disappearing is the best thing to happen to these people.
Which makes them all suspects.
Yoo-hoo.
Charlie? Uh, Aunt Brenda, you're home early.
- Uh, did you find your killer? - No.
- What's that delicious smell? - It's supposed to be a surprise.
But I promise we're gonna have a fun, fun dinner.
Okay.
[SNIFFS.]
Hmm.
[SNIFFING.]
Oh.
Charlie, how long did you say till dinner's ready? CHARLIE: Uh, I'll have it on the table in another hour.
Okay.
CHARLIE: Aunt Brenda, dinner's ready.
Charlie, we need to talk.
- Aunt Brenda, you went in my room? - I stole a brownie.
Ahem.
Or two.
Or three.
Oh, my God.
These are the very best brownies I have ever had in my entire life.
- Did you make these from scratch? - Uh-huh.
And you had three? [BOTH LAUGHING.]
- Whoo! - Oh, biscuits.
Oh, potatoes.
Chicken fried steak.
Home fried okra.
Staking out that storage facility isn't working out like I thought it would.
- I hate working out.
- Me too.
Oh.
Maybe it was the victim's girlfriend because he cheated on her with the landlord's daughter.
Maybe it was him.
The landlord, I mean.
Maybe it's his friend that he mooched from Jordan Wallace.
Maybe it's his stepfather.
He's so mean.
Maybe [HUMS.]
[SINGING.]
Maybe I love you Quite as good as I should have - Hey, sorry I'm so late.
- That's okay, Uncle Fritzy.
Brenda? What's going on? You're always on my mind You're always on m I'm singing.
You always said I had a great voice.
What's going on here? We're having second helpings of the best southern dinner this side of the Mississippi.
Chicken fried steak, fried okra and the very best brownies made in human history.
- Really? She made brownies? - No, don't.
Wait.
Wait until after you eat.
[BRENDA LAUGHS.]
- Sweetheart, sweetheart.
Sweetie? - Hmm.
Why don't you go get in bed? - And I'll be there in a minute, okay? - Fritzy [LAUGHS.]
we have company.
[WHISPERS.]
Okay.
Shh.
We'll be very, very quiet.
Shh.
Who do you think you are bringing marijuana into my house? Is this the care package which I signed for? - Yeah, lighten up, Uncle Fritz.
- What? Lighten up? Lighten up? You drugged your aunt without her permission.
If I had eaten one, you have any idea what could have happened? Do you? I am in AA.
- Lighten up? That's your response? - It's not my fault you're a drunk.
[PLATE SHATTERING.]
I've had enough of you.
I thought you should stay here Did you know that? Huh? Did you? You said you got that package from Amy.
- What are you doing? - Yeah, here's the text.
- What are you doing? - Great.
- Please.
What are you doing? - Her mobile phone and her home.
- What are you doing? - Calling parents.
Listen, get to your room right now! Right now, and pack your bags! You are going home as soon as I can make arrangements.
[IN NORMAL VOICE.]
What's the fuss? - Charlie's leaving.
- Huh? - We're sending her back, Brenda.
- Sending her back? - I'm sorry but that's it.
That is it.
It is it, Fritzy.
That's it.
Uh Hello.
Mrs.
Mannon? This is Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI.
I'm Charlie Johnson's uncle.
We need to talk.
[SIGHS.]
What's all the screaming? And yelling? And carrying on? Oh, what's all the yelling? Hmm [ELEVATOR BELL RINGS.]
Good morning, sergeant.
Ugh - You all right, chief? - Oh, last night l I had strange dreams.
Sergeant, does this mean anything to you, "Send back"? "Send back.
" No.
No, it doesn't.
Chief, look, Mrs.
Dobson is here in your office.
But it still smells like her son's body.
Oh, my [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
Hello, Mrs.
Dobson.
How can I help you today, ma'am? You asked if we had any information about Doug.
I do.
I just [WHISPERS.]
I couldn't give it to you in front of my husband.
He forbids me to even speak of Doug.
Is that why you didn't report your son missing? You're that afraid of your husband? [IN NORMAL VOICE.]
I'm afraid enough not to tell him that Doug keeps in touch with me.
In touch how? Doug's been writing me until about five months ago.
I wanted to show these to you, but I couldn't let my husband see them.
He was in Hawaii for some time, Doug was.
And, uh, he moved to Australia to surf.
And that's why I never reported him missing.
I thought that I knew where he was.
I was able to verify the postage cancellations on Mrs.
Dobson's letters.
- They're genuine.
- Oh, thank you.
Last one was sent five months ago by a man who, according to Terrence, has been dead three years.
- You rang? - Oh, jeez.
Yes, I did rang.
Why? Oh, I know why.
I have evidence that contradicts your conclusion based entirely on newspapers that Doug Courtney died May 21st, 2006.
TERRENCE: Oh.
I appreciate your candor, ma'am but let me say that you're wrong.
I've completed the autopsy on Doug and I'm able to give the results.
Oh.
In his stomach, I found two hot dogs and malt liquor residue which, if you recall, is exactly what was on the receipt found in the victim's wallet, a receipt that was dated May 21st, 2006.
The same date as the newspapers which constituted his shroud.
So if you wish to find fault with my professional opinion I'd be more than happy to send Mr.
Box back and you can figure it out - Send it back.
That's it.
Send it back.
That's it.
Oh, Dr.
Terrence, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Okay, thanks.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
That's great.
Thanks.
Thanks.
TERRENCE: Sorry.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Detective Sanchez, ahem, I need some clear plastic sheets and, uh, duct tape.
- On it, chief.
- Thank you.
Uh, Gabriel, I need four coolers like the one in which we found Mr.
Courtney.
- You got it, chief.
BRENDA: And Lieutenant Tao I would like to speak to you and Buzz in the electronics room, please.
- What are you thinking? - I'm thinking that whoever killed Doug is gonna be very surprised when he pays them a visit.
MAN: Unh, oh, God.
Oh, please tell me we haven't been sent four more dead bodies.
No, sir, this is all part of a plan to catch Mr.
Courtney's killer.
- Testing, testing, one, two, three.
Testing.
- That's a good test.
- We're ready, chief.
- Okay, thank you, lieutenant.
Gentlemen.
Explain, please? Each cooler contains a GPS system and a camera.
We're sending one cooler to each of our suspects.
Mr.
Courtney's parents, his ex-girlfriend, his ex-landlord, and his former best friend.
- Whoever opens the cooler - Which we can monitor from here.
- Is innocent.
Right, because why would you open the box if you knew it contained a dead body? So whoever doesn't open it is probably guilty.
And will probably try to get rid of it.
Which is where our trackers and our GPS receiver come into play.
- And this is all within budget? - Yes, it's the last of Buzz's grant money.
Unless I can return this when we're done.
[TAPE SQUEAKS.]
Let's seal it up.
[SIGHS.]
- Anything new? BRENDA & BUZZ: No.
And, uh, other than Mr.
Gaviota, here, we're sure that the coolers were delivered? Positive.
We got confirmation for each one as they were dropped off.
- Is it just me, or is this taking forever? Oh.
- Chief Johnson, we have something.
I knew it.
All right, gentlemen, pay up.
- Is all this betting necessary? - Uh, no, ma'am.
But it makes staring at blank screens for three hours a lot more interesting.
[GPS BEEPING.]
We have a runner.
- Who is it, lieutenant? - Uh, Mr.
Wallace.
BRENDA: But the Dobsons haven't opened their cooler yet so we can't rule them out as suspects.
Lieutenant Tao, find out what we don't know about Mr.
Wallace, please.
I'm particularly interested in motive.
Buzz, would you continue to watch for the Dobsons' cooler? The rest of us, let's, uh, head out.
BRENDA: Oh, um I don't want a suspect looking at a Crown Vic in the rearview mirror.
- Buzz, what kind of a car do you drive? - A Prius.
Why? - Oh, no.
No, no.
We - We'll take such good care of it.
- It's brand-new and I just washed it.
- I promise.
Good care.
- Thank you very much.
BUZZ: Please, just Don't bring it back with any blood in it or bullet holes.
Hmm.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
BRENDA: "What are the main reasons for murder?" Well, the main reasons for murder are jealousy, revenge and profit.
Or just because.
Oh, looks like he stopped.
Okay, take the next exit, please.
In Mr.
Wallace's case, jealousy seems unlikely.
Well, the one thing we do know is that it wasn't for profit.
All Courtney had to his name was that Camaro and what was in it.
Surfing gear, lottery tickets.
Well, and the $6500 transferred to his account from the offshore bank.
- Hi, Fritzy, it's me.
- Hey, I was just about to call you.
- I wanted to talk to you about the tickets.
- What tickets? Plane tickets for Charlie.
I just bought them.
She's got a 7 p.
m.
Flight tomorrow out of LAX.
Well, Fritzy, I wanna talk, uh, about different travel dates.
Do you have a minute? [BEEPS.]
BRENDA: No, no, no.
We'll talk about it tonight.
Okay.
Okay, thank you.
Okay, bye.
Mr.
Wallace told us he ran a global real-estate company and I just had Fritz confirm with customs where he's been traveling.
Hawaii, Peru, Australia, New Zealand.
- All places Mrs.
Dobson got letters from.
- Exactly.
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Oh.
Oh.
Okay.
- Lieutenant Tao? - Chief, Mr.
Dobson opened up his cooler.
- So we're following the right person.
- And I think I know why.
On May 19th, 2006, Doug Courtney's numbers hit the lottery.
But Jordan Wallace was the one who cashed in the ticket for $15 million.
Sounds like motive to me.
- All right, thank you, lieutenant.
- You're welcome.
Okay.
Okay.
Looks like he's right up there.
Okay.
I think the car has a battery-power-only mode.
So we can roll up as quiet as possible.
[CAR ENGINE WHIRRING.]
When you're in a hole this big, Mr.
Wallace, my advice is to stop digging.
Put the shovel down on the ground now.
Do it now.
Keep your hands where I can see them and step out.
- What you got in the cooler, sir? - I'm guessing if we open it, sergeant we're gonna find someone we've been looking for.
Isn't that right? [GABRIEL & BRENDA COUGHING.]
It's him.
I think we found Mr.
Courtney.
You are under arrest.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed.
Have you heard and understood these rights sir? Normally, Mr.
Wallace, I like murderers to confess but since I found you digging a grave in the desert in the middle of the night I feel like I already have your number.
All six of them, actually.
- What? - Lottery numbers.
You do remember them.
The ones that made you a millionaire? We'd all love to hear them.
[SCOFFS.]
Uh One - One - How about one, three, 11 One, three, 11, 21, 22, 31.
Odd that you can't remember the six numbers that changed your life.
Computer picked them, okay? They were random.
- It's not like they had any meaning.
- They did to Doug.
They were his and his parents' birthdays.
He played them twice a week for years.
- And then in May, 2006 - May 19th, to be exact.
May 19th, those numbers hit, and Mr.
Courtney won $15 million.
When he told you about it, you killed him and stole the winning ticket to claim it as your own.
You murdered your own best friend for money.
- No.
That's a mistake.
- Really? When we examine this duct tape, whose fingerprints and DNA will we find on it, sir? Whose? Whose foreign bank account will we find was transferring money to Doug's account to pay for where you placed his body? And the letters, of course? You The letters.
You remember the letters? The letters to Doug's mother, letters from Hawaii Australia, Peru, New Zealand, all places Doug wanted to go.
All places she thought he might be.
The interesting thing is we can match the stamps from these letters to the stamps in your passport.
And the DNA we get from the saliva probably won't hurt our case, either.
But what's really contemptible, sir, is the false hope you gave to Doug's mother.
- How could you be so cruel? - Cruel? You thought that was cruel.
I gave Court's mom something he never did: A little attention, a second thought.
So before you lecture me on cruelty let me tell you something about your so-called victim.
He bought his lottery ticket with money he borrowed from me.
That was my $15 million.
And he was just gonna walk away with it, to the nearest casino and throw it all away, just like he did everything else.
Money like that, that was life changing.
- It changed my life.
- It certainly did.
It turned you into a killer.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING.]
Detective Sanchez SANCHEZ: Hands behind your back.
[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER RADIO.]
Hey, Gabriel.
You even had me believing that there was a body in there.
Heh.
Good job.
GABRIEL: So, uh, ahem, chief, I, uh I just wanna say thanks for your support with all this.
Thank you, Detective Sergeant.
- I still have to pass the test.
- I think you already did.
Ah! Oh, poor Buzz.
Is that a dent? [GABRIEL LAUGHS.]
[GROANS.]
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Um I remember you told me that Doug said he wanted to pay you back for all the trouble he'd put you through.
Before your son died, he came into some money.
Fifteen million dollars, to be exact.
[SARA CRYING.]
- Fifteen million? - As soon as the court confirms that that money actually belonged to him, it will go to his next of kin which is you, and only you.
You might want to use this money to stand up for yourself.
But it won't bring my son back, will it? God.
[SNIFFLES.]
I gave up on my own son.
How does a mother do that? Give up on a child? [DOOR UNLOCKS.]
Hello, Charlie.
Is Fritz here? - Hey.
You coming with us? - Uh, to the airport? No.
Charlie, uh, take your bags, get back into your room and unpack.
- You're not going anywhere.
- Uh, yes, she is.
I'm not unpacking.
I'm going home.
I said take your bags, go back into your bedroom and unpack.
Or you and your pot-mailing friend can have a big time out for the illegal transport of a controlled substance.
You wanna be arrested? Do you? And still no apology? [DOOR CLOSES.]
I have had it with her.
- You're the one who said she could stay.
- One week.
It's up.
She's inconsiderate.
She is difficult.
She's completely self-centered.
- She's disrespectful.
- She's 16.
What else would she be? If you can't handle this [SIGHS.]
You're the one who wants kids.
I wanna be ignored and alienated by my own, not someone else's.
She's going home tonight.
We can't give up on her.
Like her parents have.
Like my parents have.
If she leaves now and gets in trouble again I think we ought to hold on to her for a little while longer.
Just so she knows she has someone that she can rely on.
Exactly what a good mother would say.
Oh, I don't know about that.
- Would you really have arrested her? - No.
I would have let you do it.
[CHUCKLES.]
I guarantee you this would be on the detectives exam.
"Transferred intent.
" Yeah, well, believe me.
That one, I know.
[HUMMING.]
Tum, pa-ra, rum-pum [CHUCKLES.]
Delivery for Major Crimes.
One, two, three, four, five boxes.
Buzz! This one's not mine.
It says "Major Crimes, L.
A.
P.
D.
" - But I didn't order this.
- You're Major Crimes.
And it's COD.
[SIGHS.]
I don't know.
Duct tape's never a good thing.
Did you say duct tape? [DOG PANTING.]
You're good to go.
Hey, not by my desk, Julio.
Now, I mean it.
Where should we take it? [FLYNN GRUNTS.]
GABRIEL: We should call the chief.
- There's no need to alarm her.
Okay.
Here goes nothing.
[ALL GRUNTING.]
[ALL COUGHING.]
All right, out.
All right? Everybody out.
[COUGHING.]
Now we alarm the chief.
BRENDA: Oh, for heaven sakes, her feet were so small.
"Grauman's Chinese Theater was built in 1927.
There are nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs in the concrete of the theater's forecourt.
" Uh-huh.
Are these people who used to be famous? That's right.
[CELL PHONE CHIMES.]
This is not working.
- What? Charlie's having a great time.
- Gah.
She's not having a great time.
Stop with the tourist attractions.
Take your niece to The Grove or to have lunch.
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Go ahead, anything to end this.
She's having a great time.
- Hello? - Chief.
Um, yeah, I know you said not to call unless it was important but we, uh Well, we ended up with a crime scene.
Where is it? [ALL GRUNTING AND COUGHING.]
[BRENDA GROANS.]
Chief, we're calling him Jack, like in jack-in-the-box.
You get it? Yes, lieutenant, I get it.
What I don't get is how Mr.
Box ended up in my office.
[COUGHS.]
- Well, I may have suggested - Oh, lieutenant.
I won't be able to breathe in here for weeks.
[PEOPLE COUGHING.]
BRENDA: Okay.
Oh [FLYNN LAUGHS.]
Do we know where he came from? The return address says, "Greg Lewis, Stow 'Nuff Self Storage in Reseda.
" - He's on his way in.
I'll get him in a room.
- Thank you.
- Oh, hi, chief.
- Ugh.
What is that? Scented candles.
It'll help with the smell.
- Chief Johnson.
- Ugh.
- Yuck.
- Sorry, Dr.
Morales.
- Oh, I assume that's the body.
FLYNN: Yeah.
- We're calling him Jack, as in - Jack-in-the-box.
I get it.
Yes, very amusing.
Well, smells like murder to me.
Oh, hello, Terrence.
It's Dr.
Terrence now.
I finished med school.
Now I'm doing my residency down in the decomp room.
You should stop by.
We get great muffins down there.
- Paging Dr.
Terrence.
- Oh, sorry.
The good news is the body has been kept virtually intact because of the plastic and the duct tape.
So Dr.
Terrence hopefully will find a cause of death.
- Quickly.
- Thank you, Dr.
Morales.
[COUGHS.]
- Oh.
- Buzz, would you please close the door? Thank you.
[BRENDA GROANS.]
I'm so sorry, y'all.
- There was a dead person in that box? - Yes.
What are we gonna do about? Uh, I could be fine at the house watching TV.
Or maybe I could make you guys dinner.
Mom and Dad work, so I end up doing a lot of that at home.
Dinner sounds great.
Okay, well, I'II, um, see y'all later.
- Bye.
- Shall we? Just button it up till the boss gets here, okay? Deputy Chief Johnson, uh, meet Greg Lewis.
He is the owner of Stow 'Nuff Storage.
- Thank you for coming in today.
GREG: Uh-huh.
- I'm guessing you got my package.
- Yes, sir, we did.
I've been trying to get the police to look for a month.
- Excuse me? - I reported it to the L.
A.
P.
D.
Four times and no one came.
Finally, I talked to some old cranky guy, no offense, an Officer Katzman.
I said, "I have this box, and I think it could be something major.
" So he told me to mail it to Major Crimes.
- So, what's in it? - You don't know? Uh-uh, look like trouble.
No way I was opening it.
Well, sir, as it turns out, you sent us a dead body.
[CHUCKLES.]
I knew it.
The duct tape, it scared the crap out of me.
- So whose body is it? - We were hoping you could tell us.
You think that I killed someone and then I mailed the body to you? [LAUGHS.]
How stupid would that be? - Well, where did you find the cooler, sir? - Unit 943 in my storage facility.
- Courtney defaulted on - Courtney? Doug Courtney, the guy that's renting 943.
Ai! He was using our automatic payment feature but his debit card is expired.
So I tried to get in touch with him for the standard 60 days but he never got back to me.
Which what allowed us to auction off his stuff.
But the only thing in 943 was that horrible box.
Sir, can you tell us, ahem, the last time Mr.
Courtney was at your facility? No idea.
I only see people when they fill out the rental application.
I could fax that to you.
Hmm? FLYNN: There's not much here.
Just an address and a phone number.
California.
It's a mobile home park.
It's Mr.
Courtney's parents' address.
His mother and his stepfather.
And Mr.
Courtney has a record.
Shoplifting, two counts of assault.
Wait.
Just because Courtney has a record doesn't mean he killed Mr.
Box.
Uh, and we can't say for sure that Mr.
Box was actually murdered.
Well, we know that he was broken in half and folded into an ice cooler.
[CHUCKLES.]
Which is suspicious to me.
Detective Sanchez? Well, according to the DMV, Mr.
Courtney has a 1997 red Chevy Camaro.
Registration lapsed in 2006, no outstanding citations, no flags doesn't seem to be stolen, chief.
And his only financial activity in the past three years are two deposits from an offshore bank account.
And this is the same account to which Mr.
Courtney's debit card was attached? It is, and it has plenty of money in it.
If the card hadn't expired, the victim would probably be in storage.
So where did Mr.
Courtney go? Maybe he killed Jack Box and then skipped the country, chief.
- Twenty dollars says he went to Mexico! - Twenty dollars, Thailand.
- I mean, they go to Thailand a lot lately.
- I'll put 20 on Kuala Lumpur.
Not only is it fun to say, but they have the largest department store in Malaysia.
Useful information, lieutenant.
Useful, please.
I'll call our customs liaison and do a passport check.
- Thank you.
- Chief, it is Dr.
Terrence.
Oh.
Yes, Terrence? Sorry, it's taking so long.
I'm having a hard time getting this guy out of your box.
Didn't sound right.
Do you have a cause of death yet? Uh, not yet, but there was a wallet in the, uh, body's pants pocket.
And I, uh, took the liberty of matching your victim's thumbprint to his license.
So who is he? His real name is Doug Courtney.
Oh, for heaven sakes.
Thank you.
All bets are off, gentlemen.
- Why? - It turns out our killer is our victim.
[SIGHS.]
[KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
I don't think there's gonna be any traffic, but I will, um Oh.
Can you hold on one second? Um Sorry, I'm just signing for something here.
Thank you.
I can take care of all that today.
All right, I'll see you soon.
Hey, Charlie, you've got some ma Some mail.
You got a care package, huh? From home? Yeah, from my friend Amy.
I'm thanking her now.
- You gonna open it? - No.
I didn't realize I was gonna be here for this long and there's some personal items.
- You wanna see? - Uh-oh, no.
No, that's okay.
[FRITZ SIGHS.]
- Well, um, I'm going.
- Okay, bye.
- You call me if you need me.
- I will.
BRENDA: And the emblem? Uh, the California grizzly bear.
Its name is Monarch.
And the, uh, flag was officially adopted as the state flag in 1911.
I have no idea why that would be on the detectives exam.
You'll be asked everything from law to policy to history so you have to be prepared.
Oh, sorry.
Two things we need to remember before we speak to the Dobsons.
One, whoever killed Doug Courtney knew about the storage facility.
And a missing persons report was never filed.
So we're not just here to make a notification to the parents but also to what? - Interview potential suspects.
Exactly.
Now, I'll ask a few questions and once you feel like we have enough information to warrant a notification you step in.
The desire of the slothful shall killeth him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Proverbs 21:25.
Now, Doug cares only for the things of this world: Liquor, gambling, surfing, sex.
- He ignores that which is eternal.
- Horrible how many people do that.
Uh, Mr.
Dobson, Mrs.
Dobson, when was the last time you heard from your son? DOBSON: Doug is only my stepson.
I didn't get him till he was a teenager.
By that time, he was hard to reach.
I tried, though.
I've had success with other people, like Sara here.
But, uh, as far as the last time we saw him Well, Doug hasn't been here for over three years.
And you never filed a missing persons report? Only came when he needed money.
The last time he was here, he was different.
He wasn't worried as much and he said everything was gonna be okay.
And what happened? He left without a word.
- He hasn't called us from that day.
- He said he was gonna make sure Sara! I have told you a thousand times, just be grateful that he is gone.
Be thankful.
[SIGHS.]
We are.
We're thankful.
When Doug was, uh, here last, did he leave any of his belongings behind? - A computer or a journal? - No, he - Oh! - Sara.
Oh, it's okay.
I got it.
No, he put everything he had in a storage facility.
Why are you really here? I don't see you driving out here just to ask a few questions unless something's wrong.
What has Doug gotten into? Well, Mr.
And Mrs.
Dobson, I'm really sorry to have to tell you this but your son - We haven't been honest with you.
Mr.
Gabriel here isn't from L.
A.
P.
D.
He's a, uh, credit agent from American Express.
Your son is the victim of identity theft, which is why we've been looking for him.
Uh Mr.
Gabriel here knows much more about the ins and outs of this than I do.
So, uh, while you're explaining everything to the Dobsons I'm gonna just head out to my car to look through it real fast.
- I'll be back in a jiffy.
One second.
- Ha.
What is she talking about? Um, well, I'm afraid that someone in Brazil has charged $20,000 to your son's account with us, so [BRENDA GASPS.]
[GRUNTS.]
So we got two wet suits, some sandy towels and three kinds of surfboard wax.
So I'm going out on a limb here but I say the contents of this duffel bag says Mr.
Courtney was a surfer.
TAO: And an avid lotto player.
There's over 200 lottery tickets here, all with the same six numbers: - One, three, 11, 21, 22 and 31.
- There's nothing strange about that.
- I bet the same six numbers all the time.
- And how's that working out? - The odds of ever hitting a jackpot are - Tao, please, let me dream.
The stack of mail we got from Courtney's PO Box: Uh, DWP, credit card, cell phone.
By the looks of it, this guy owed money to everyone.
TERRENCE: Chief Johnson? - Terrence.
Terrence, what a surprise.
- Dr.
Terrence.
- Right.
Uh, I have cause of death for Mr.
Courtney.
Figured I'd bring the results by in person.
And those results would be? The victim's body was well-preserved.
Whoever wrapped him did a nice job.
Cause of death.
Murder.
Mr.
Courtney had two bullet wounds right above the lumbar vertebrae.
I'm putting a time of death at May 21st, 2006 sometime after 6:12 p.
m.
- That's awfully exact.
Are you sure? - I'm a coroner now, Chief Johnson.
- Of course I'm sure.
- Hmm.
But if you can't put faith in me as a doctor, put your faith in the newspapers.
Newspapers? What newspapers? The ones at the bottom of the cooler, dated May 21st, 2006.
Oh.
Also, there was a receipt for two hot dogs and a 40 of malt liquor.
Same date, 6:12 p.
m.
What is malt liquor? SANCHEZ: Chief.
- Hmm.
Yes? I have Mr.
Courtney I have Mr.
Courtney's girlfriend, Tara Latimer, set up in Interview 1.
TARA: I thought Doug was the one.
He was funny, tan.
- Where did you meet him? - The casino where I worked.
I was a blackjack dealer.
- Oh, so he worked there too? - No.
He gambled there a lot.
We'd only been dating a month when he asked me to move in with him.
And I don't know how he afforded the place after I left but I can be sure that the landlord didn't cut him any slack.
- He hated Doug.
- He was the worst tenant I ever had.
Should have evicted his ass the first sign of trouble.
Two years of his crap was enough.
I got tired of hearing how he lost all of his rent money gambling at the Slot machines.
You know, throwing his money at the lottery.
The same six numbers his and his parents' birthdays.
Going all in on Texas hold'em when he had nothing in his hand.
His whole life was a bluff.
- Including his work reference.
- It's from his boss.
What's his name? Jordan Wallace.
Doug never worked for me.
Well, he listed you as his employer on his rental application.
I was his friend since high school, he needed a reference.
And when the landlord called, I said Doug was a good guy.
- What I should have said was - He was a pig.
- He was an asshole.
- He was a leech.
I kept loaning him money until he was into me for 10 grand.
I know it doesn't seem like much now.
But when I was starting my real-estate business homes all over the world, that meant everything.
Mr.
Wallace, do you remember the last time you saw Mr.
Courtney? Well, I remember the last time I didn't see him.
I went over to Court's apartment to help him move his stuff into a storage unit.
He never showed up.
And I gave up on his returning the key.
I went over to throw him out personally, no one was there.
You know l I called the girl he used to live with.
She says that he moved everything out to a storage unit in the valley.
GABRIEL: So they all knew about the storage unit.
His crap was still there in the apartment.
- Screwed me out of all my money.
- Then he screwed my daughter.
Another girl in our bed.
- Nobody cheats on me.
- Not with my daughter.
Everybody wanted to kill him.
So, Sergeant Gabriel if you were taking the lead on this investigation how would you sum it up so far? Well, ugh, I'd say Mr.
Courtney took advantage of everyone he knew and his disappearing is the best thing to happen to these people.
Which makes them all suspects.
Yoo-hoo.
Charlie? Uh, Aunt Brenda, you're home early.
- Uh, did you find your killer? - No.
- What's that delicious smell? - It's supposed to be a surprise.
But I promise we're gonna have a fun, fun dinner.
Okay.
[SNIFFS.]
Hmm.
[SNIFFING.]
Oh.
Charlie, how long did you say till dinner's ready? CHARLIE: Uh, I'll have it on the table in another hour.
Okay.
CHARLIE: Aunt Brenda, dinner's ready.
Charlie, we need to talk.
- Aunt Brenda, you went in my room? - I stole a brownie.
Ahem.
Or two.
Or three.
Oh, my God.
These are the very best brownies I have ever had in my entire life.
- Did you make these from scratch? - Uh-huh.
And you had three? [BOTH LAUGHING.]
- Whoo! - Oh, biscuits.
Oh, potatoes.
Chicken fried steak.
Home fried okra.
Staking out that storage facility isn't working out like I thought it would.
- I hate working out.
- Me too.
Oh.
Maybe it was the victim's girlfriend because he cheated on her with the landlord's daughter.
Maybe it was him.
The landlord, I mean.
Maybe it's his friend that he mooched from Jordan Wallace.
Maybe it's his stepfather.
He's so mean.
Maybe [HUMS.]
[SINGING.]
Maybe I love you Quite as good as I should have - Hey, sorry I'm so late.
- That's okay, Uncle Fritzy.
Brenda? What's going on? You're always on my mind You're always on m I'm singing.
You always said I had a great voice.
What's going on here? We're having second helpings of the best southern dinner this side of the Mississippi.
Chicken fried steak, fried okra and the very best brownies made in human history.
- Really? She made brownies? - No, don't.
Wait.
Wait until after you eat.
[BRENDA LAUGHS.]
- Sweetheart, sweetheart.
Sweetie? - Hmm.
Why don't you go get in bed? - And I'll be there in a minute, okay? - Fritzy [LAUGHS.]
we have company.
[WHISPERS.]
Okay.
Shh.
We'll be very, very quiet.
Shh.
Who do you think you are bringing marijuana into my house? Is this the care package which I signed for? - Yeah, lighten up, Uncle Fritz.
- What? Lighten up? Lighten up? You drugged your aunt without her permission.
If I had eaten one, you have any idea what could have happened? Do you? I am in AA.
- Lighten up? That's your response? - It's not my fault you're a drunk.
[PLATE SHATTERING.]
I've had enough of you.
I thought you should stay here Did you know that? Huh? Did you? You said you got that package from Amy.
- What are you doing? - Yeah, here's the text.
- What are you doing? - Great.
- Please.
What are you doing? - Her mobile phone and her home.
- What are you doing? - Calling parents.
Listen, get to your room right now! Right now, and pack your bags! You are going home as soon as I can make arrangements.
[IN NORMAL VOICE.]
What's the fuss? - Charlie's leaving.
- Huh? - We're sending her back, Brenda.
- Sending her back? - I'm sorry but that's it.
That is it.
It is it, Fritzy.
That's it.
Uh Hello.
Mrs.
Mannon? This is Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI.
I'm Charlie Johnson's uncle.
We need to talk.
[SIGHS.]
What's all the screaming? And yelling? And carrying on? Oh, what's all the yelling? Hmm [ELEVATOR BELL RINGS.]
Good morning, sergeant.
Ugh - You all right, chief? - Oh, last night l I had strange dreams.
Sergeant, does this mean anything to you, "Send back"? "Send back.
" No.
No, it doesn't.
Chief, look, Mrs.
Dobson is here in your office.
But it still smells like her son's body.
Oh, my [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
Hello, Mrs.
Dobson.
How can I help you today, ma'am? You asked if we had any information about Doug.
I do.
I just [WHISPERS.]
I couldn't give it to you in front of my husband.
He forbids me to even speak of Doug.
Is that why you didn't report your son missing? You're that afraid of your husband? [IN NORMAL VOICE.]
I'm afraid enough not to tell him that Doug keeps in touch with me.
In touch how? Doug's been writing me until about five months ago.
I wanted to show these to you, but I couldn't let my husband see them.
He was in Hawaii for some time, Doug was.
And, uh, he moved to Australia to surf.
And that's why I never reported him missing.
I thought that I knew where he was.
I was able to verify the postage cancellations on Mrs.
Dobson's letters.
- They're genuine.
- Oh, thank you.
Last one was sent five months ago by a man who, according to Terrence, has been dead three years.
- You rang? - Oh, jeez.
Yes, I did rang.
Why? Oh, I know why.
I have evidence that contradicts your conclusion based entirely on newspapers that Doug Courtney died May 21st, 2006.
TERRENCE: Oh.
I appreciate your candor, ma'am but let me say that you're wrong.
I've completed the autopsy on Doug and I'm able to give the results.
Oh.
In his stomach, I found two hot dogs and malt liquor residue which, if you recall, is exactly what was on the receipt found in the victim's wallet, a receipt that was dated May 21st, 2006.
The same date as the newspapers which constituted his shroud.
So if you wish to find fault with my professional opinion I'd be more than happy to send Mr.
Box back and you can figure it out - Send it back.
That's it.
Send it back.
That's it.
Oh, Dr.
Terrence, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Okay, thanks.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
That's great.
Thanks.
Thanks.
TERRENCE: Sorry.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Detective Sanchez, ahem, I need some clear plastic sheets and, uh, duct tape.
- On it, chief.
- Thank you.
Uh, Gabriel, I need four coolers like the one in which we found Mr.
Courtney.
- You got it, chief.
BRENDA: And Lieutenant Tao I would like to speak to you and Buzz in the electronics room, please.
- What are you thinking? - I'm thinking that whoever killed Doug is gonna be very surprised when he pays them a visit.
MAN: Unh, oh, God.
Oh, please tell me we haven't been sent four more dead bodies.
No, sir, this is all part of a plan to catch Mr.
Courtney's killer.
- Testing, testing, one, two, three.
Testing.
- That's a good test.
- We're ready, chief.
- Okay, thank you, lieutenant.
Gentlemen.
Explain, please? Each cooler contains a GPS system and a camera.
We're sending one cooler to each of our suspects.
Mr.
Courtney's parents, his ex-girlfriend, his ex-landlord, and his former best friend.
- Whoever opens the cooler - Which we can monitor from here.
- Is innocent.
Right, because why would you open the box if you knew it contained a dead body? So whoever doesn't open it is probably guilty.
And will probably try to get rid of it.
Which is where our trackers and our GPS receiver come into play.
- And this is all within budget? - Yes, it's the last of Buzz's grant money.
Unless I can return this when we're done.
[TAPE SQUEAKS.]
Let's seal it up.
[SIGHS.]
- Anything new? BRENDA & BUZZ: No.
And, uh, other than Mr.
Gaviota, here, we're sure that the coolers were delivered? Positive.
We got confirmation for each one as they were dropped off.
- Is it just me, or is this taking forever? Oh.
- Chief Johnson, we have something.
I knew it.
All right, gentlemen, pay up.
- Is all this betting necessary? - Uh, no, ma'am.
But it makes staring at blank screens for three hours a lot more interesting.
[GPS BEEPING.]
We have a runner.
- Who is it, lieutenant? - Uh, Mr.
Wallace.
BRENDA: But the Dobsons haven't opened their cooler yet so we can't rule them out as suspects.
Lieutenant Tao, find out what we don't know about Mr.
Wallace, please.
I'm particularly interested in motive.
Buzz, would you continue to watch for the Dobsons' cooler? The rest of us, let's, uh, head out.
BRENDA: Oh, um I don't want a suspect looking at a Crown Vic in the rearview mirror.
- Buzz, what kind of a car do you drive? - A Prius.
Why? - Oh, no.
No, no.
We - We'll take such good care of it.
- It's brand-new and I just washed it.
- I promise.
Good care.
- Thank you very much.
BUZZ: Please, just Don't bring it back with any blood in it or bullet holes.
Hmm.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
BRENDA: "What are the main reasons for murder?" Well, the main reasons for murder are jealousy, revenge and profit.
Or just because.
Oh, looks like he stopped.
Okay, take the next exit, please.
In Mr.
Wallace's case, jealousy seems unlikely.
Well, the one thing we do know is that it wasn't for profit.
All Courtney had to his name was that Camaro and what was in it.
Surfing gear, lottery tickets.
Well, and the $6500 transferred to his account from the offshore bank.
- Hi, Fritzy, it's me.
- Hey, I was just about to call you.
- I wanted to talk to you about the tickets.
- What tickets? Plane tickets for Charlie.
I just bought them.
She's got a 7 p.
m.
Flight tomorrow out of LAX.
Well, Fritzy, I wanna talk, uh, about different travel dates.
Do you have a minute? [BEEPS.]
BRENDA: No, no, no.
We'll talk about it tonight.
Okay.
Okay, thank you.
Okay, bye.
Mr.
Wallace told us he ran a global real-estate company and I just had Fritz confirm with customs where he's been traveling.
Hawaii, Peru, Australia, New Zealand.
- All places Mrs.
Dobson got letters from.
- Exactly.
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Oh.
Oh.
Okay.
- Lieutenant Tao? - Chief, Mr.
Dobson opened up his cooler.
- So we're following the right person.
- And I think I know why.
On May 19th, 2006, Doug Courtney's numbers hit the lottery.
But Jordan Wallace was the one who cashed in the ticket for $15 million.
Sounds like motive to me.
- All right, thank you, lieutenant.
- You're welcome.
Okay.
Okay.
Looks like he's right up there.
Okay.
I think the car has a battery-power-only mode.
So we can roll up as quiet as possible.
[CAR ENGINE WHIRRING.]
When you're in a hole this big, Mr.
Wallace, my advice is to stop digging.
Put the shovel down on the ground now.
Do it now.
Keep your hands where I can see them and step out.
- What you got in the cooler, sir? - I'm guessing if we open it, sergeant we're gonna find someone we've been looking for.
Isn't that right? [GABRIEL & BRENDA COUGHING.]
It's him.
I think we found Mr.
Courtney.
You are under arrest.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed.
Have you heard and understood these rights sir? Normally, Mr.
Wallace, I like murderers to confess but since I found you digging a grave in the desert in the middle of the night I feel like I already have your number.
All six of them, actually.
- What? - Lottery numbers.
You do remember them.
The ones that made you a millionaire? We'd all love to hear them.
[SCOFFS.]
Uh One - One - How about one, three, 11 One, three, 11, 21, 22, 31.
Odd that you can't remember the six numbers that changed your life.
Computer picked them, okay? They were random.
- It's not like they had any meaning.
- They did to Doug.
They were his and his parents' birthdays.
He played them twice a week for years.
- And then in May, 2006 - May 19th, to be exact.
May 19th, those numbers hit, and Mr.
Courtney won $15 million.
When he told you about it, you killed him and stole the winning ticket to claim it as your own.
You murdered your own best friend for money.
- No.
That's a mistake.
- Really? When we examine this duct tape, whose fingerprints and DNA will we find on it, sir? Whose? Whose foreign bank account will we find was transferring money to Doug's account to pay for where you placed his body? And the letters, of course? You The letters.
You remember the letters? The letters to Doug's mother, letters from Hawaii Australia, Peru, New Zealand, all places Doug wanted to go.
All places she thought he might be.
The interesting thing is we can match the stamps from these letters to the stamps in your passport.
And the DNA we get from the saliva probably won't hurt our case, either.
But what's really contemptible, sir, is the false hope you gave to Doug's mother.
- How could you be so cruel? - Cruel? You thought that was cruel.
I gave Court's mom something he never did: A little attention, a second thought.
So before you lecture me on cruelty let me tell you something about your so-called victim.
He bought his lottery ticket with money he borrowed from me.
That was my $15 million.
And he was just gonna walk away with it, to the nearest casino and throw it all away, just like he did everything else.
Money like that, that was life changing.
- It changed my life.
- It certainly did.
It turned you into a killer.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING.]
Detective Sanchez SANCHEZ: Hands behind your back.
[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER RADIO.]
Hey, Gabriel.
You even had me believing that there was a body in there.
Heh.
Good job.
GABRIEL: So, uh, ahem, chief, I, uh I just wanna say thanks for your support with all this.
Thank you, Detective Sergeant.
- I still have to pass the test.
- I think you already did.
Ah! Oh, poor Buzz.
Is that a dent? [GABRIEL LAUGHS.]
[GROANS.]
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Um I remember you told me that Doug said he wanted to pay you back for all the trouble he'd put you through.
Before your son died, he came into some money.
Fifteen million dollars, to be exact.
[SARA CRYING.]
- Fifteen million? - As soon as the court confirms that that money actually belonged to him, it will go to his next of kin which is you, and only you.
You might want to use this money to stand up for yourself.
But it won't bring my son back, will it? God.
[SNIFFLES.]
I gave up on my own son.
How does a mother do that? Give up on a child? [DOOR UNLOCKS.]
Hello, Charlie.
Is Fritz here? - Hey.
You coming with us? - Uh, to the airport? No.
Charlie, uh, take your bags, get back into your room and unpack.
- You're not going anywhere.
- Uh, yes, she is.
I'm not unpacking.
I'm going home.
I said take your bags, go back into your bedroom and unpack.
Or you and your pot-mailing friend can have a big time out for the illegal transport of a controlled substance.
You wanna be arrested? Do you? And still no apology? [DOOR CLOSES.]
I have had it with her.
- You're the one who said she could stay.
- One week.
It's up.
She's inconsiderate.
She is difficult.
She's completely self-centered.
- She's disrespectful.
- She's 16.
What else would she be? If you can't handle this [SIGHS.]
You're the one who wants kids.
I wanna be ignored and alienated by my own, not someone else's.
She's going home tonight.
We can't give up on her.
Like her parents have.
Like my parents have.
If she leaves now and gets in trouble again I think we ought to hold on to her for a little while longer.
Just so she knows she has someone that she can rely on.
Exactly what a good mother would say.
Oh, I don't know about that.
- Would you really have arrested her? - No.
I would have let you do it.
[CHUCKLES.]