Law & Order Special Victims Unit s26e21 Episode Script
Aperture
1
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
And the living room
swimming in natural light,
floor-to-ceiling windows
to showcase the view.
Not bad.
"Not bad"?
It's spectacular.
Sunset at Iguazú Falls
is spectacular.
The omakase at Sukiyabashi
Jiro is spectacular.
My husband is a stickler for words.
All I'm saying is, let's
just save the hyperbole
for something spectacular.
Mm.
Shall we move on?
That would be spectacular.
Wait until I show you
the master bedroom.
- [GASPS]
- The view is amazing.
It's truly a highlight.
You get floor-to-ceiling windows,
breathtaking city views.
- It's perfect for waking up.
- Oh.
Skyline everywhere.
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING,
CAR HORNS HONKING]]
Hmm.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪
What the
♪
- Inspector.
- Captain Benson.
We got a call about
a sexual assault.
Guy apartment-hunting
across the street
saw it through a telescope.
Says he saw a woman
in her bra and panties
in this building getting
assaulted at gunpoint.
- And no other 911 calls?
- She hasn't reported it.
What floor was he looking at
- through his telescope?
- Fifth floor.
- And any sign of the gunman?
- No.
We secured what the
witness said was the apartment
and cleared the building.
- Okay, we'll go talk to him.
- Yeah.
All right, Inspector.
Thank you, we got it from here.
- Hey, Eric.
- Captain.
So what do we know
about this building?
Uh, no doorman.
There's a part-time
super. He's on his way.
- Any security cams?
- Just in the elevator.
All right, well, when
the super gets here,
have him pull all the footage
and track down
whoever lives in that unit.
- You and I cover the scene?
- Yeah.
So we have a high overhead angle.
Let's hope that it
caught something usable.
If our perp didn't take the stairs.
Well, criminals tend to be lazy.
You and your wife were
looking at apartments?
We can't afford anything.
We just like going to open houses.
And this one happened to
have a telescope by the window?
They stage these places.
And what made you look
into the windows of this building?
Curiosity, I guess.
Okay. Just tell us what you saw.
A young girl
I could see she was being forced
to put her clothes back
on by some guy with a gun.
Did it look like he assaulted her?
Yeah.
To me, it did.
Can you describe the guy?
Black, 6 feet.
Okay.
Whatever they were doing,
it looked like they were finished,
and they were getting ready to leave.
Thank you.
All right, make sure that
you get all of this bedding
and the mattress pad, too.
Whoever it was left these,
but there's one missing.
All right, a condom.
You find one in the bed
- or on the floor?
- No, Captain.
All right, so snake the plumbing.
I don't care if you
have to pull those pipes.
- Captain, Sergeant.
- What do you got?
I found three impressions here.
Okay, looks like
some kind of camera tripod.
If it was, the perp could
have filmed the assault.
Yeah, so cut this section
out and get it to the lab.
Maybe we get lucky,
and the vic will just call it in.
Who's to say she's not still
being held at gunpoint somewhere?
I don't know, but I'm
sensing some kind of theme.
What is that?
Telescopes, camera
Voyeurism.
You think the guy with the telescope
knows more than he's saying?
A peeping Tom with a telescope
clocks a rape through a random window
at the exact time it's happening?
- What's the odds of that?
- In this town?
Better than you think.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
So a witness saw a young
woman in her underwear
being held at gunpoint?
Did he see an assault?
No, but we have reason to believe
that whatever happened
may have been recorded.
Is there any chance
this guy with the telescope
just saw a porn shoot?
It'd have to be pretty rough.
I mean, consensual non-consent?
Maybe the gun was a prop.
It might explain why
it was never reported.
Where are we with
the building surveillance?
We got elevator footage
from 9:00 a.m. this morning.
Well, there's the
girl and the gunman,
like the witness said he saw.
- Wait, who's this guy?
- Maybe her boyfriend.
Whoever he is, he's
trying to protect her.
Send this over to Real-Time Crime,
and have them put
it through facial rec.
- You got it.
- I thought you said
this was filmed I
don't see a camera.
We have footage
of the perp carrying up
a tripod and a camera bag.
So this was premeditated?
But who's the vic?
We'll know a lot
more once we get an ID.
Okay, so show this to the eyewitness
and have him confirm that
this is the young woman
that he saw through the telescope.
Did you run the apartment?
Yeah, the owner lives in Florida.
Neighbor says he sublets
his place in New York a lot.
He just landed this morning.
We have some unis picking
him up from the airport now.
We ran his record.
He's clean.
Okay, so can you get a
subpoena for his bank records?
I mean, that might be more telling.
- Call the judge.
- All right.
I'm the real victim here.
Your techs ripped out
50 grand's worth of plumbing fixtures.
What are you going to do
about putting it all back together?
Wait, Mr. Ziegler, you
went into your apartment?
It's a crime scene.
I, uh, ducked under the yellow tape.
I wanted to show my
lawyer proof of damages.
Oh, yeah? What's
your lawyer gonna say
if I arrest you for
tampering with evidence?
Or better yet, when he finds out
that you rented your
place to a rapist?
What are you talking about?
We suspect that this young woman
was assaulted in your apartment.
Who did you rent your place to?
I, uh, got it listed online.
I emailed back and forth
with a nice woman from Houston, Texas.
The credit card cleared.
What's her name?
Here's the rental agreement.
Virginia Hefferman.
All right, so this is the woman
who rented the apartment.
Virginia Hefferman
60, no record.
She reported her credit card stolen
after discovering fraudulent charges.
And when was the
last time she used it?
A few weeks ago at a gas
station outside of Houston.
So did our eyewitness ID
the people in the elevator?
He did.
He said that two of them matched
the description of the
woman and the perp
he saw through the window.
He didn't even know there
was a third person in the room.
And nobody else reported this crime?
- Nope.
- All right.
Well, what about the DNA
from the apartment bathroom
or, you know, something in the sheets?
They found a few
hairs, sent them to the lab.
Okay. Condoms?
Yeah, CSU had a
lot of luck with that one.
Almost too much.
Okay.
What does that mean?
They pulled upwards of 25 condoms
from the building's plumbing.
The lab's working on them right now.
Real-Time Crime
ran facial recognition.
No ID on the shooter,
but we got an ID on
the girl and the boy.
- Who are they?
- Josephine DeWinn, 18,
goes by Josie, senior honors
student at Whitman Hall.
And she was just accepted
into Stanford pre-law.
And there's more.
Her father's a big-time CEO
at an insurance company.
Gordon DeWinn, and the guy's loaded.
And his wife's no slouch either.
Natalie DeWinn
Top lawyer for Goldman Sachs.
Mm-hmm.
What about the boy?
Natalie's son, Atlas,
Josie's stepbrother
also a senior at Whitman Hall.
Well, now we know
why he was consoling her.
If she's 18, then we don't
need to notify the parents.
Well, they didn't tell the cops,
so maybe they didn't
tell their parents.
All right, start with her.
So this is where she wanted to meet?
Well, she said she didn't want us
to go to her house, so
Well, it means that we were right.
She didn't tell her parents.
Josephine DeWinn?
- Yeah.
- Hi.
I'm Captain Curry.
This is Detective Silva.
Mind if we ask you a few questions?
Like what?
Well, as we said on the phone,
we're following up
on an investigation.
About?
An eyewitness said that
they saw something suspicious
this morning and called 911.
Did he tell you what he saw?
He said that he saw a
man holding you at gunpoint,
forcing you to get dressed.
Does that sound about right?
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
Josephine
it seems like you were
sexually assaulted this morning.
Is there a reason why
you didn't call the cops?
He told me not to.
He said if I did, he was
gonna hurt my family.
Well, this guy, he can't
hurt you or your family now.
That's right, not if we're involved.
We can protect you.
And, we can do that better
if you help us catch him.
Can you tell us what happened?
♪
I was raped.
Okay?
Is that what you wanted to hear?
- We are here to help you.
- I don't want your help.
- We need you to file a report.
- No, no, no.
Didn't you hear me?
I don't want all that.
Okay, okay.
Josephine, you said that
you were raped, right?
Don't you want us to catch this guy?
♪
I'm going to college in the fall,
3,000 miles away from here.
The last thing I want to do
is take any of this with me.
I agreed to talk to you.
Now, please, just leave me alone.
Josie.
[SIGHS]
She didn't mention being filmed.
Or the fact that her stepbrother
was there when it happened.
Maybe she's trying to protect him.
Well, he's only 17,
so it's not her call.
It's ours.
So, Josie admitted to being raped
but, doesn't want to cooperate
with the investigation?
She seems pretty shut down.
I think she's in denial.
Well, which is
understandable, but
She's not the
only person involved.
She didn't even mention
her stepbrother being there.
If she's trying to distance herself
from what happened,
then it's not surprising
that she would distance
herself from him as well, right?
I couldn't even imagine
what it would feel like
to be present while your
stepsister's being assaulted.
Well, one thing Josie did say
was that the assailant
threatened her family.
Well, her very wealthy family,
which might be the reason
that they were targeted.
Okay, so what's the
next move here, Captain?
Well, I think it's time that
we pay the DeWinns a visit.
And given their high profile,
it might not be a bad idea
to have an ADA involved.
I'll call Carisi.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- NYPD.
We're here to speak with the DeWinns.
They're expecting you.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Wow.
This is something.
Just like the place I grew up in.
- Captain Benson.
- Special Victims Unit.
And this is ADA Carisi.
You said this was
something about our children?
This is an ongoing investigation.
Mom, what's going on?
Atlas, go to your room.
We need to talk to the police.
- What about?
- Just go, honey.
Your dad and I need to
have a conversation in private.
- Oh, my God.
- Who is that man?
We were hoping
that you could tell us.
Yeah. Take a look at his face.
Do you recognize him?
Maybe he's a disgruntled employee?
Maybe it's somebody that you fired.
Absolutely not. When
were these taken?
Yesterday morning.
You mean my children had
a gun pointed at them yesterday?
I'm assuming from your response
that, uh, they didn't tell you.
- No, not a word.
- Okay.
So what time did they
come home yesterday?
They were here when
I got home
- from work.
- Same as always.
And you didn't notice any
change in their demeanor?
No, nothing.
I mean, they were a
little quiet at dinner, but
- Well, they're teenagers.
- What the hell happened to them?
That's what we're
trying to find out.
They were obviously
taken against their will.
Okay. Have you been
contacted by anyone?
Gotten any kind of ransom?
Did somebody tell you
not to speak with the police?
No, no.
I have to talk to Atlas.
Where's Josie?
She went for a walk.
Are you kidding me?
I'm calling my head of security
- He's ex-Mossad.
- Mr. and Mrs. DeWinn,
I understand how
traumatizing this can be,
but you need to let
us handle it from here.
What are you gonna do?
Well, the first thing we
need to do is talk to Atlas.
What about Josie?
Don't you want to wait
until she gets back?
Two of my detectives
already spoke with her.
What?
You
You talked to our daughter without us?
And what did she say?
I'm sure that she'll tell you.
But she is 18 years old.
And we have to respect her privacy.
So right now what
would be most helpful
is if you and Atlas came
with us down to the station.
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
Take us through your day.
Yeah, I woke up.
Josie was in her
bathroom getting ready,
and then I made us both some toast.
- And then we went to school.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
You guys take the
same route every day?
We usually walk up West End.
Why?
Because people like this
sometimes observe their targets
a few days in advance.
The apartment was a sublet
on the path you walk to school.
You think he planned this?
You ever see this guy before?
No.
Maybe he was following
you, watching you.
No.
[DISTANT TELEPHONE RINGING]
[SIGHS] Like I said
Never seen that guy before.
- Then maybe someone hired him?
- Why do you say that?
We're exploring all possibilities.
Here.
- What's this for?
- A list.
Anyone who might
want to hurt your family.
[SIGHS] I'm the CEO
of a publicly traded insurance company,
who's been cost-cutting
in flood and fire regions
for the past year.
I'm gonna need a thicker pad.
So Josie is Gordon's daughter,
and Atlas is
Is your son?
Yes, but, uh
[CLEARS THROAT]
Gordon and I met
when they were toddlers.
We married soon after, so
Um, Atlas and Josie were
raised as brother and sister.
Okay. And how did you two meet?
Well, it's, uh
It's a bit of an awkward story.
[CHUCKLES] We worked together.
We were each married to other people.
But, uh, we both had small children.
But what we had was
undeniable, and we fell in love.
So you both had to go
through divorces to be together?
I'm not proud of it, but, yes.
And if you don't mind my asking,
how are your relationships
with your ex-spouses?
Gordon and his ex-wife
get along swimmingly.
And your ex-husband?
Derek lives in the Bahamas.
He runs a-a boat-rental
place there for tourists.
[CHUCKLES] We don't talk very much.
Is there any residual
bad feeling or
Um
Well, now that you mention it,
Atlas is about to go off to college.
Gordon and I came to an
agreement that it would be
the right time for me to
stop paying his alimony.
Okay.
I mean, you don't think that
your ex-husband is capable
of doing something like this?
Hurt Josie because
he's about to be cut off?
I-I don't know what to think.
So yesterday morning
when the guy approached you
Yeah, we walked by
the front door of this place,
and he was just kind of leaning there.
- Then what?
- He showed us his gun.
Josie gasped.
Next thing I knew, he
was just pushing her inside.
And you followed?
Yeah. I wasn't
gonna leave her alone.
That was brave.
Yeah, he saw that I
was behind him following.
I think it kind of pissed him off.
Why do you say that?
Because he made me
get in the elevator, too.
Okay.
What happened in the room?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
After he closed the door
He put me in the bathroom
And he told me that if I came out,
he was gonna kill Josie.
You stay in there the whole time?
♪
[SNIFFLES] Yeah, and
I could hear Josie crying.
Once he let you guys
go, did he say anything?
No.
[SNIFFLES]
We just went to school,
acted like nothing happened.
I guess we were in shock.
You guys talk about
calling the police, or
Telling your parents?
I brought it up, but
Josie didn't want to.
Uh, the guy with the gun
He said that he would
hurt our family if we did.
♪
So have you connected with Josie yet?
No, I-I left her messages,
but she hasn't called me back.
And this may be a
difficult question, but
Is there anyone that you
can think of in Josie's life,
that has a criminal history?
No, absolutely not.
She's a straight-A student.
She's valedictorian of her class.
She's going off to Stanford next year.
And Atlas
What about him?
Wel [SCOFFS]
Josie and Atlas are best friends,
but they're very different.
How so?
Atlas takes after his father.
Um, we had to make a
donation to Hudson's endowment
for Atlas to even be considered, so
He's
He's still finding his way.
I understand.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Oh, maybe that's Josie.
It's, um
It's a text with a video attachment
from a number I don't recognize.
Why don't you go
ahead and press play?
- I'm-I'm scared.
- Okay, all right.
Kiss.
I said, kiss!
On the lips, now.
Come on.
♪
Now strip.
Come on, take these pants
off, your shoes, your shirt.
- Come on!
- Oh, my God!
You're taking too long.
Now put this on.
He made them have sex?
- Is this even real?
- I don't I'm not
- Oh, my
- I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry, Natalie.
♪
So these two kids,
brother and sister
they're forced at gunpoint
to have sex with each other?
Yes, and I was with the mother
- when she received the video.
- Was there a ransom demand?
No, but just sending it is
an obvious threat of exposure.
Which explains why the son
wasn't completely forthcoming.
And the daughter's
unwillingness to cooperate.
So they were protecting
each other from the shame
and protecting the
parents from the truth.
Where are we on suspects?
The father runs a multinational
home-insurance conglomerate,
and he sent a list
of recent complaints
about denied claims.
Does this seem like the work
of an irate insurance customer to you?
I mean, there's so much anger
around Corporate America these days.
Or, it's deeply personal.
I mean, the wife
mentioned an ex-husband
who's about to get
his alimony cut off.
Seems personal to me.
We think this guy is sick enough
to have his own son
be collateral damage?
Well, it's not just about alimony.
Natalie left him for the
guy she had an affair with.
So run his record.
And then call him and tell him that
something happened to his son,
and we need to talk to him.
If he says no,
that'll tell us a lot.
And in the meantime, we
need to re-interview these kids.
I mean, maybe now that they
don't have to hide their shame,
they'd be willing to
unburden themselves.
- IDs.
- We're NYPD.
We're here to see the family.
Not without showing
your ID, you're not.
Want to see my ID?
How's this?
That good enough for you?
Mrs. DeWinn.
Are you any closer
to finding who did this?
We are doing our best.
But, we do need to
talk to your kids again.
[SIGHS] They're upstairs.
They haven't come out of their rooms.
We won't take up any
more time than we have to.
Why would they send
that video to my mother?
My father thinks they want money.
Well, we don't know that yet.
They still haven't made any demands.
If they release that video,
my life, Atlas's life would be over.
We're gonna do everything we can
to prevent that from happening.
How are things between you and Atlas?
He's hiding in his room.
[CRYING SOFTLY]
My father hasn't even
been able to look at me.
My mother barely can.
Josie, none of this
is your fault, okay?
None of it.
Come.
Come sit down.
Look, I know how hard this is.
But can you please
try to walk us through
what happened in that apartment?
The guy pointed a gun at us
Made us kiss
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Threw a condom at Atlas,
told us to get naked.
Um [SNIFFLES]
I looked over at my brother.
I saw the look on his face.
I told the guy I would
have sex with him
if he just left Atlas alone.
You were just trying to
protect your little brother.
We were trying to
protect each other.
♪
In the end, it happened anyway.
Josie
You were raped.
And so was Atlas.
We were?
Yes.
And when we catch this guy
And we will
He's gonna go down for kidnapping,
unlawful imprisonment, and rape one.
♪
You weren't locked in that bathroom,
were you, Atlas?
No.
- I'm sorry I lied.
- We understand why you did.
But now that we know the truth, why
don't you tell us what
actually happened?
Because we're really
trying to catch this guy,
and we're not gonna be able to do it
without the full cooperation
of you and Josie.
Is she talking to detectives, too?
Yeah.
They're in her room right now.
Well, is
Is she mad at me for
For doing it?
[SNIFFLES]
No, you had a gun
pointed at your head.
You know she offered to
sleep with that guy instead of me
so that we didn't
have to do it together?
But, for some reason, he
He wanted us to do it.
That obviously was part of the plan.
There was nothing you could do.
[SNIFFLES]
Well, I'm pissed at myself.
- For what?
- Because
[SIGHS]
I shouldn't have
[SNIFFLES]
I shouldn't have even
been able to get, you know
Hard.
Your body's response
is not a sign of consent.
It's a reflex, not a choice.
[SNIFFLES]
♪
Were they able to tell you anything?
Unfortunately, not
anything that helps us
get closer to finding
out who did this.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS]
- We just got a ransom demand.
How much?
$5 million.
Did they tell you how to pay it?
Not yet.
Derek Rhodes just landed in Newark.
What's your ex-husband doing here?
- I-I didn't call him.
- We did.
- Why?
- We checked his record.
He had an arrest in the
Bahamas a couple of years ago.
What for?
Exploitation of a minor.
You think he had something to do
with our children being targeted?
Unfortunately, we're
unable to discuss it right now.
But he earned
himself a police escort
from the airport.
♪
I've never seen that
man before in my life.
You think that I hired him?
- Did you?
- To kidnap my own son?
It wasn't a straight
kidnapping, Mr. Rhodes.
What are you talking about?
Your son and his stepsister
were sexually assaulted.
[STAMMERS]
"Sexually assaulted"?
Atlas?
- By that guy in the elevator?
- Not exactly.
There's no easy way to say this,
but they were forced to
have sex with each other
at gunpoint.
And it was filmed.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
But, then again
Maybe you knew that.
You think that I had
something to do with this?
Let's start by asking
you about the arrest
you had in the Bahamas two years ago.
We checked your record.
The arrest was voided.
But it is the Bahamas, so
So why don't you break it down for us?
I really can't.
Well, from the cops that
we talked to in Nassau,
it sounds like it had something to do
with underage photos in your phone.
The clerk at the electronics store
called the cops on you, huh?
They found about 100
photos of Josie in a bikini.
Locked away in your hidden folder.
And that was a few years ago, too.
Oh, yeah.
She was only 16 years old, man.
Okay. Okay, okay.
I know how this looks.
I'm going to tell you
the exact same thing
that I told the cops in the Bahamas.
We're listening.
Atlas always spends
the summers at my house,
and that year he asked
if he could bring Josie.
I asked Gordon and Natalie.
They were fine with it.
And those two kids are inseparable.
So you took photos of the vacation.
Just pictures of
Josie, not your son?
And putting them in a hidden folder?
Okay, look, at the
end of the vacation,
Atlas dropped his phone
from my second-story balcony,
and it stopped working.
He had his mom's credit card,
so he bought himself a new phone.
After they went home
I probably should have
asked Atlas, but I didn't
I brought the phone
to the electronics store
to see if they could fix it.
And they got it working.
I gave them his PIN.
And the next thing I know,
the cops are in the store
questioning me.
So what you're saying is,
you didn't take those photos,
Atlas did?
♪
Yes.
♪
Why would he hide them?
Well, I asked him, and he said
that because they
were mostly bikini shots,
he didn't want to embarrass her.
♪
You buy this guy's story?
It's a pretty convoluted excuse.
Trying to lay it all off on his son?
Do we really think that a father
would hire a guy to force his own son
to have sex with his stepsister?
Well, if he wanted a $5
million alimony payment
in one lump sum
Did TARU get anything
on the phone number
that the video and the
ransom note were texted from?
They say they're
still working on it.
We need something
concrete to connect Derek to.
What about the credit card
that was used for the apartment?
We're still waiting
on the security footage
from the gas station in Houston
where it was supposedly stolen.
All right, so, in the
meantime, we talk to Atlas.
We see if he can
confirm Derek's story.
Or maybe Atlas
doesn't want to incriminate
his biological father.
Talk to Josie, away from her family,
and find out if the father
was inappropriate
with her that summer.
Yeah, I remember that vacation.
Atlas and I had a great time.- Okay.
How'd you get along
with Atlas's father?
Derek?
He's really cool.
Did you have any
one-on-one time with him?
Sometimes,
Atlas always slept in
because he was
playing that stupid game.
- What game?
- "Rainbow Six."
It's a tactical team-based war game.
What did you and Derek
do while Atlas was sleeping?
Take walks down to the beach.
- Why are you asking?
- Well
[SIGHS]
Did you know that Derek was arrested
at the end of the summer
after you and Atlas flew home?
- No.
- He didn't tell you?
No.
And we talk about everything.
What was he arrested for?
He had photos of you on a phone.
Nothing too revealing
it was mostly bikini shots.
I was in a bikini 24-7.
Well, they were in a hidden folder.
He was arrested for photos of me?
Yeah, it's called
exploitation of a minor.
Do you remember
any of these being taken?
No.
Did Atlas's dad really take these?
Well, that's what
we're trying to figure out.
Derek said that
Atlas took the photos.
Why would Atlas
need to hide the fact
- he's taking photos of me?
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]
Silva, we got footage from
the gas station in Houston.
What gas station in Houston?
It's just a lead that
we're following up on.
We'll let you and your family
know if it leads anywhere.
Okay.
The woman whose
credit card was stolen.
Virginia Hefferman.
This is the last date
and time she used it.
We ID'd the cashier, Jaden Thomas.
Fast forward to the end of the shift.
Yeah.
What's he doing?
He's grabbing a skimmer
off a legitimate card reader.
It allows criminals to copy details
off of credit cards
and use them later.
It explains why this woman
didn't clock it till afterwards.
We got to extradite
this guy from Houston.
Hold on.
How sure are that this is the same guy
from the elevator footage?
- Can we do a side-by-side?
- Yeah.
Carisi, that is the same guy.
Should we notify Houston PD?
- No. I'll alert the DA.
- [CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Get an arrest warrant.
We'll start working on transport.
Josie.
Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Slow down.
Okay.
No, we'll, we'll be right there.
What?
What is that about?
Josie says that she told Atlas
that we were talking
to her about his father.
He grabbed a baseball bat,
went to his father's hotel,
and he threatened to kill him.
All right, you two get
to the hotel immediately.
When you spoke to Josie,
did she incriminate Atlas's father?
No, not at all. I mean,
she said that he was cool.
She said that she didn't remember
anyone taking photos of her.
Well, obviously, somebody did.
♪
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
- What did you do?
- That one.
You went after my
sister, you pervert!
What, are you crazy?
[GRUNTS]
- Hey, drop it!
- Put it down!
- Drop it!
- Okay.
- [GROANS]
- He's the one that hurt us!
No, wait.
Please don't hurt him.
My son has been through so much.
Call a bus!
- You're under arrest.
- For what?
Assault, and if you're
lucky, that's all it is.
A metal bat like this could
have easily been a homicide.
Come on!
[GROANING]
I never should have said
anything, Atlas got so angry.
So what did he say exactly?
He said he was gonna kill his father.
Because he took photos of you?
Atlas has always
been protective of me.
- How?
- Like, at school,
during lunch,
he always sits next to me.
He says he wants to
keep the guys in line.
Normal brother stuff, you know?
[SIGHS]
Have you guys
talked about what happened?
No, I tried.
I don't know if it'll
ever be the same.
[SIGHS]
I'm so sorry.
Oh, you know, I wanted
to ask you about that
That trip, that you guys
took to the Bahamas.
Do you remember Atlas dropping
his phone from the balcony?
Yeah.
He had to buy a new one.
Okay.
He said that Atlas
has been arrested?
It's just a formality, all right?
I mean, he did assault his father.
Because that pervert
did this to my daughter.
We're talking to
Derek, building a case.
Look, what we really need to do is-is
- Look in Atlas's room.
- Look for what?
Something that may
incriminate his father.
♪
Hey, Carisi.
- Look at that.
- That's pretty retro.
Yeah, except it's
one of those new ones.
It's digital.
I mean, maybe he didn't want
photos on his phone anymore.
- Is it charged?
- Nope.
But he could have
printed out some photos.
Well, if he did, I doubt
he left them out in the open.
Like, maybe he hid them?
I might know where to look.
I have a 14-year-old son.
[SIGHS]
♪
Ah, bingo.
♪
Okay.
Casual, candid photos.
Doesn't look like she's
posing in any of these.
Probably didn't know
they were being taken at all.
We need to get a warrant
for all his electronics.
I'll call a judge.
♪
Hey, Atlas.
- How you doing?
- I'm fine.
My son has been at
Central Booking all night.
- When can we go home?
- Well, we just have
a few more questions.
Atlas, why would you
do that to your father?
I mean, attacking him
with a baseball bat.
Because he's a perv.
That might be true,
but right now you're in the hot seat.
- You put him in the hospital.
- He had 18 stitches.
After what he did to Josie?
I don't want anything to do
with that bastard anymore.
And neither do I.
Okay.
So I understand about the
photos that he was arrested for,
but do you
Do you really think
that your father is responsible
for kidnapping you and your sister?
Who else would it have been?
Well, just between us,
we have a viable suspect.
- Really?
- Yeah.
The one in the elevator
You know, the one with the gun.
- Wait, you arrested him?
- You recognize him, right?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I-I don't think so.
You don't think so?
I was scared, okay?
Are you saying that
you don't know him?
- No.
- Well, that's funny.
- He knows you.
- I mean, he was quite candid,
with our ADA, on the
drive from the airport.
Atlas, what are they talking about?
I don't know, Mom.
[SNIFFLES] I swear.
♪
I think I should call my lawyer.
I think you should, too.
But in the meantime,
why don't you get up,
and you can wait with your
son in our interrogation room?
♪
So that's your story?
That Atlas DeWinn
set this whole thing up?
It's not a story.
My client's telling you the truth.
And I got proof
Texts, Discord chats.
Okay, so what was the plan?
This all started
because he was simpin'
for his own stepsister.
- "Simping"?
- Yeah.
- He wanted to get with her.
- And you know this how?
Me and Atlas
We go way back.
But you live in Texas.
He lives in New York.
How the hell did you even meet?
We got a whole squad on "Rainbow Six."
We run ops, do raids.
Been playing this video game
for at least three years together.
That's how long you've
been planning this?
No.
Only since he found out
his sister was going away to college.
Well, why would
Atlas want you to film it?
Why do you think?
I assume to watch later.
Whose idea was the ransom?
Mine.
Atlas only offered me two grand,
but, then I googled how
rich his parents were.
And I know all about
the legal system, too.
And I'm not about to do hard time
just because I'm poor
and Richie Rich wanted to
get all SugarFap with his sister.
So you're here to cooperate?
Enthusiastically.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
What are we looking at, Captain?
We're looking at a
fully cooperating witness
to the crimes of kidnapping,
rape, and assault.
Who is also a co-conspirator.
Who has evidence,
that your client was behind this.
He has receipts, texts.
Which he's willing to give us.
In exchange for what?
Avoiding the wood chipper
of the American justice system.
We also have hundreds of photos
that your client took of his sister
without her knowledge.
On hidden folders
in multiple devices.
Well, then we'll see you in court.
Atlas, tell them you didn't do this.
Yeah, tell us, Atlas.
Oh, and while you're at it,
can you tell us why
these photos of Josie
were hidden under your bed?
Can you tell us that, Atlas, hmm?
♪
This was all your fault.
My fault?
Yeah, ever since we were little,
you were always talking about how
"incandescent" Josie was.
What?
Everybody loves her.
- She's perfect.
- So you wanted to ruin her?
Is that why you raped her?
No!
That is not what it was like!
So, what was it like?
She was going to leave me.
Leave you? You mean
By going to college?
She was going to change.
That's it.
Atlas, stop talking.
- No, she's my
- Stop
She is my Josie!
[SLAMS TABLE]
We're stepsiblings.
We're not even related by blood.
Do you have any idea what you did?
I had never been with a girl before.
Mom, I love her.
No, you have destroyed this family!
No. Why does someone
else get to be with her?
- Why?
- Atlas!
Natalie, it might be a good idea
for you to leave the room.
I'll need some time with my client.
I know you will.
Wait, does Josie know?
Uh, she will.
I'll make sure of that.
No, no, no, no.
She's my best friend!
♪
Look, just
I need to talk with her.
Just, you can, you can
let me explain, explain it.
Hey, Atlas
♪
That's not gonna happen.
♪
But
Do you think I'll be able
to hear her voice again?
You will.
♪
In court.
♪
Come on.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING, DOOR CLOSES]
♪
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
♪
What's going to happen to my son?
He's gonna be arrested, and arraigned.
And if he doesn't take a deal,
this is gonna go to trial.
My husband is
Josie's biological father.
He's already made it clear
he doesn't intend to spend
a cent on Atlas's defense.
But
No matter what he's done,
he's still my son.
I'll pay whatever it takes.
Hire lawyers, delay the process,
spend as much money as you want.
You're only prolonging
the inevitable
That your son is going
to prison for a long time.
He won't survive in prison.
And what about your
stepdaughter, Mrs. DeWinn?
♪
Who's gonna tell her the truth
about what happened to her?
♪
I need to worry
about my son right now.
♪
My whole relationship
with my brother is a lie.
You didn't see it, but now you do.
You know, these things
These things take time to heal.
What am I gonna do
about college in the fall?
[SIGHS] No one can
answer that for you, Josie.
But you'll
You'll know, when you're ready.
I can't stay here.
My stepmother she
thinks it's best if we don't talk
until the case is over.
She's hiding in the guest room.
I heard my father crying last night,
through the walls of their bedroom.
[VOICE BREAKING] I have
never heard him cry before.
- He loves you.
- So did Atlas.
I don't know that
that was love, Josie.
He was obsessed with you.
And there's a difference.
How did I not know?
How could you know?
Hmm?
He was your little brother,
and all you did
Was love him.
♪
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
And the living room
swimming in natural light,
floor-to-ceiling windows
to showcase the view.
Not bad.
"Not bad"?
It's spectacular.
Sunset at Iguazú Falls
is spectacular.
The omakase at Sukiyabashi
Jiro is spectacular.
My husband is a stickler for words.
All I'm saying is, let's
just save the hyperbole
for something spectacular.
Mm.
Shall we move on?
That would be spectacular.
Wait until I show you
the master bedroom.
- [GASPS]
- The view is amazing.
It's truly a highlight.
You get floor-to-ceiling windows,
breathtaking city views.
- It's perfect for waking up.
- Oh.
Skyline everywhere.
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING,
CAR HORNS HONKING]]
Hmm.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪
What the
♪
- Inspector.
- Captain Benson.
We got a call about
a sexual assault.
Guy apartment-hunting
across the street
saw it through a telescope.
Says he saw a woman
in her bra and panties
in this building getting
assaulted at gunpoint.
- And no other 911 calls?
- She hasn't reported it.
What floor was he looking at
- through his telescope?
- Fifth floor.
- And any sign of the gunman?
- No.
We secured what the
witness said was the apartment
and cleared the building.
- Okay, we'll go talk to him.
- Yeah.
All right, Inspector.
Thank you, we got it from here.
- Hey, Eric.
- Captain.
So what do we know
about this building?
Uh, no doorman.
There's a part-time
super. He's on his way.
- Any security cams?
- Just in the elevator.
All right, well, when
the super gets here,
have him pull all the footage
and track down
whoever lives in that unit.
- You and I cover the scene?
- Yeah.
So we have a high overhead angle.
Let's hope that it
caught something usable.
If our perp didn't take the stairs.
Well, criminals tend to be lazy.
You and your wife were
looking at apartments?
We can't afford anything.
We just like going to open houses.
And this one happened to
have a telescope by the window?
They stage these places.
And what made you look
into the windows of this building?
Curiosity, I guess.
Okay. Just tell us what you saw.
A young girl
I could see she was being forced
to put her clothes back
on by some guy with a gun.
Did it look like he assaulted her?
Yeah.
To me, it did.
Can you describe the guy?
Black, 6 feet.
Okay.
Whatever they were doing,
it looked like they were finished,
and they were getting ready to leave.
Thank you.
All right, make sure that
you get all of this bedding
and the mattress pad, too.
Whoever it was left these,
but there's one missing.
All right, a condom.
You find one in the bed
- or on the floor?
- No, Captain.
All right, so snake the plumbing.
I don't care if you
have to pull those pipes.
- Captain, Sergeant.
- What do you got?
I found three impressions here.
Okay, looks like
some kind of camera tripod.
If it was, the perp could
have filmed the assault.
Yeah, so cut this section
out and get it to the lab.
Maybe we get lucky,
and the vic will just call it in.
Who's to say she's not still
being held at gunpoint somewhere?
I don't know, but I'm
sensing some kind of theme.
What is that?
Telescopes, camera
Voyeurism.
You think the guy with the telescope
knows more than he's saying?
A peeping Tom with a telescope
clocks a rape through a random window
at the exact time it's happening?
- What's the odds of that?
- In this town?
Better than you think.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
So a witness saw a young
woman in her underwear
being held at gunpoint?
Did he see an assault?
No, but we have reason to believe
that whatever happened
may have been recorded.
Is there any chance
this guy with the telescope
just saw a porn shoot?
It'd have to be pretty rough.
I mean, consensual non-consent?
Maybe the gun was a prop.
It might explain why
it was never reported.
Where are we with
the building surveillance?
We got elevator footage
from 9:00 a.m. this morning.
Well, there's the
girl and the gunman,
like the witness said he saw.
- Wait, who's this guy?
- Maybe her boyfriend.
Whoever he is, he's
trying to protect her.
Send this over to Real-Time Crime,
and have them put
it through facial rec.
- You got it.
- I thought you said
this was filmed I
don't see a camera.
We have footage
of the perp carrying up
a tripod and a camera bag.
So this was premeditated?
But who's the vic?
We'll know a lot
more once we get an ID.
Okay, so show this to the eyewitness
and have him confirm that
this is the young woman
that he saw through the telescope.
Did you run the apartment?
Yeah, the owner lives in Florida.
Neighbor says he sublets
his place in New York a lot.
He just landed this morning.
We have some unis picking
him up from the airport now.
We ran his record.
He's clean.
Okay, so can you get a
subpoena for his bank records?
I mean, that might be more telling.
- Call the judge.
- All right.
I'm the real victim here.
Your techs ripped out
50 grand's worth of plumbing fixtures.
What are you going to do
about putting it all back together?
Wait, Mr. Ziegler, you
went into your apartment?
It's a crime scene.
I, uh, ducked under the yellow tape.
I wanted to show my
lawyer proof of damages.
Oh, yeah? What's
your lawyer gonna say
if I arrest you for
tampering with evidence?
Or better yet, when he finds out
that you rented your
place to a rapist?
What are you talking about?
We suspect that this young woman
was assaulted in your apartment.
Who did you rent your place to?
I, uh, got it listed online.
I emailed back and forth
with a nice woman from Houston, Texas.
The credit card cleared.
What's her name?
Here's the rental agreement.
Virginia Hefferman.
All right, so this is the woman
who rented the apartment.
Virginia Hefferman
60, no record.
She reported her credit card stolen
after discovering fraudulent charges.
And when was the
last time she used it?
A few weeks ago at a gas
station outside of Houston.
So did our eyewitness ID
the people in the elevator?
He did.
He said that two of them matched
the description of the
woman and the perp
he saw through the window.
He didn't even know there
was a third person in the room.
And nobody else reported this crime?
- Nope.
- All right.
Well, what about the DNA
from the apartment bathroom
or, you know, something in the sheets?
They found a few
hairs, sent them to the lab.
Okay. Condoms?
Yeah, CSU had a
lot of luck with that one.
Almost too much.
Okay.
What does that mean?
They pulled upwards of 25 condoms
from the building's plumbing.
The lab's working on them right now.
Real-Time Crime
ran facial recognition.
No ID on the shooter,
but we got an ID on
the girl and the boy.
- Who are they?
- Josephine DeWinn, 18,
goes by Josie, senior honors
student at Whitman Hall.
And she was just accepted
into Stanford pre-law.
And there's more.
Her father's a big-time CEO
at an insurance company.
Gordon DeWinn, and the guy's loaded.
And his wife's no slouch either.
Natalie DeWinn
Top lawyer for Goldman Sachs.
Mm-hmm.
What about the boy?
Natalie's son, Atlas,
Josie's stepbrother
also a senior at Whitman Hall.
Well, now we know
why he was consoling her.
If she's 18, then we don't
need to notify the parents.
Well, they didn't tell the cops,
so maybe they didn't
tell their parents.
All right, start with her.
So this is where she wanted to meet?
Well, she said she didn't want us
to go to her house, so
Well, it means that we were right.
She didn't tell her parents.
Josephine DeWinn?
- Yeah.
- Hi.
I'm Captain Curry.
This is Detective Silva.
Mind if we ask you a few questions?
Like what?
Well, as we said on the phone,
we're following up
on an investigation.
About?
An eyewitness said that
they saw something suspicious
this morning and called 911.
Did he tell you what he saw?
He said that he saw a
man holding you at gunpoint,
forcing you to get dressed.
Does that sound about right?
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
Josephine
it seems like you were
sexually assaulted this morning.
Is there a reason why
you didn't call the cops?
He told me not to.
He said if I did, he was
gonna hurt my family.
Well, this guy, he can't
hurt you or your family now.
That's right, not if we're involved.
We can protect you.
And, we can do that better
if you help us catch him.
Can you tell us what happened?
♪
I was raped.
Okay?
Is that what you wanted to hear?
- We are here to help you.
- I don't want your help.
- We need you to file a report.
- No, no, no.
Didn't you hear me?
I don't want all that.
Okay, okay.
Josephine, you said that
you were raped, right?
Don't you want us to catch this guy?
♪
I'm going to college in the fall,
3,000 miles away from here.
The last thing I want to do
is take any of this with me.
I agreed to talk to you.
Now, please, just leave me alone.
Josie.
[SIGHS]
She didn't mention being filmed.
Or the fact that her stepbrother
was there when it happened.
Maybe she's trying to protect him.
Well, he's only 17,
so it's not her call.
It's ours.
So, Josie admitted to being raped
but, doesn't want to cooperate
with the investigation?
She seems pretty shut down.
I think she's in denial.
Well, which is
understandable, but
She's not the
only person involved.
She didn't even mention
her stepbrother being there.
If she's trying to distance herself
from what happened,
then it's not surprising
that she would distance
herself from him as well, right?
I couldn't even imagine
what it would feel like
to be present while your
stepsister's being assaulted.
Well, one thing Josie did say
was that the assailant
threatened her family.
Well, her very wealthy family,
which might be the reason
that they were targeted.
Okay, so what's the
next move here, Captain?
Well, I think it's time that
we pay the DeWinns a visit.
And given their high profile,
it might not be a bad idea
to have an ADA involved.
I'll call Carisi.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- NYPD.
We're here to speak with the DeWinns.
They're expecting you.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Wow.
This is something.
Just like the place I grew up in.
- Captain Benson.
- Special Victims Unit.
And this is ADA Carisi.
You said this was
something about our children?
This is an ongoing investigation.
Mom, what's going on?
Atlas, go to your room.
We need to talk to the police.
- What about?
- Just go, honey.
Your dad and I need to
have a conversation in private.
- Oh, my God.
- Who is that man?
We were hoping
that you could tell us.
Yeah. Take a look at his face.
Do you recognize him?
Maybe he's a disgruntled employee?
Maybe it's somebody that you fired.
Absolutely not. When
were these taken?
Yesterday morning.
You mean my children had
a gun pointed at them yesterday?
I'm assuming from your response
that, uh, they didn't tell you.
- No, not a word.
- Okay.
So what time did they
come home yesterday?
They were here when
I got home
- from work.
- Same as always.
And you didn't notice any
change in their demeanor?
No, nothing.
I mean, they were a
little quiet at dinner, but
- Well, they're teenagers.
- What the hell happened to them?
That's what we're
trying to find out.
They were obviously
taken against their will.
Okay. Have you been
contacted by anyone?
Gotten any kind of ransom?
Did somebody tell you
not to speak with the police?
No, no.
I have to talk to Atlas.
Where's Josie?
She went for a walk.
Are you kidding me?
I'm calling my head of security
- He's ex-Mossad.
- Mr. and Mrs. DeWinn,
I understand how
traumatizing this can be,
but you need to let
us handle it from here.
What are you gonna do?
Well, the first thing we
need to do is talk to Atlas.
What about Josie?
Don't you want to wait
until she gets back?
Two of my detectives
already spoke with her.
What?
You
You talked to our daughter without us?
And what did she say?
I'm sure that she'll tell you.
But she is 18 years old.
And we have to respect her privacy.
So right now what
would be most helpful
is if you and Atlas came
with us down to the station.
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
Take us through your day.
Yeah, I woke up.
Josie was in her
bathroom getting ready,
and then I made us both some toast.
- And then we went to school.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
You guys take the
same route every day?
We usually walk up West End.
Why?
Because people like this
sometimes observe their targets
a few days in advance.
The apartment was a sublet
on the path you walk to school.
You think he planned this?
You ever see this guy before?
No.
Maybe he was following
you, watching you.
No.
[DISTANT TELEPHONE RINGING]
[SIGHS] Like I said
Never seen that guy before.
- Then maybe someone hired him?
- Why do you say that?
We're exploring all possibilities.
Here.
- What's this for?
- A list.
Anyone who might
want to hurt your family.
[SIGHS] I'm the CEO
of a publicly traded insurance company,
who's been cost-cutting
in flood and fire regions
for the past year.
I'm gonna need a thicker pad.
So Josie is Gordon's daughter,
and Atlas is
Is your son?
Yes, but, uh
[CLEARS THROAT]
Gordon and I met
when they were toddlers.
We married soon after, so
Um, Atlas and Josie were
raised as brother and sister.
Okay. And how did you two meet?
Well, it's, uh
It's a bit of an awkward story.
[CHUCKLES] We worked together.
We were each married to other people.
But, uh, we both had small children.
But what we had was
undeniable, and we fell in love.
So you both had to go
through divorces to be together?
I'm not proud of it, but, yes.
And if you don't mind my asking,
how are your relationships
with your ex-spouses?
Gordon and his ex-wife
get along swimmingly.
And your ex-husband?
Derek lives in the Bahamas.
He runs a-a boat-rental
place there for tourists.
[CHUCKLES] We don't talk very much.
Is there any residual
bad feeling or
Um
Well, now that you mention it,
Atlas is about to go off to college.
Gordon and I came to an
agreement that it would be
the right time for me to
stop paying his alimony.
Okay.
I mean, you don't think that
your ex-husband is capable
of doing something like this?
Hurt Josie because
he's about to be cut off?
I-I don't know what to think.
So yesterday morning
when the guy approached you
Yeah, we walked by
the front door of this place,
and he was just kind of leaning there.
- Then what?
- He showed us his gun.
Josie gasped.
Next thing I knew, he
was just pushing her inside.
And you followed?
Yeah. I wasn't
gonna leave her alone.
That was brave.
Yeah, he saw that I
was behind him following.
I think it kind of pissed him off.
Why do you say that?
Because he made me
get in the elevator, too.
Okay.
What happened in the room?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
After he closed the door
He put me in the bathroom
And he told me that if I came out,
he was gonna kill Josie.
You stay in there the whole time?
♪
[SNIFFLES] Yeah, and
I could hear Josie crying.
Once he let you guys
go, did he say anything?
No.
[SNIFFLES]
We just went to school,
acted like nothing happened.
I guess we were in shock.
You guys talk about
calling the police, or
Telling your parents?
I brought it up, but
Josie didn't want to.
Uh, the guy with the gun
He said that he would
hurt our family if we did.
♪
So have you connected with Josie yet?
No, I-I left her messages,
but she hasn't called me back.
And this may be a
difficult question, but
Is there anyone that you
can think of in Josie's life,
that has a criminal history?
No, absolutely not.
She's a straight-A student.
She's valedictorian of her class.
She's going off to Stanford next year.
And Atlas
What about him?
Wel [SCOFFS]
Josie and Atlas are best friends,
but they're very different.
How so?
Atlas takes after his father.
Um, we had to make a
donation to Hudson's endowment
for Atlas to even be considered, so
He's
He's still finding his way.
I understand.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Oh, maybe that's Josie.
It's, um
It's a text with a video attachment
from a number I don't recognize.
Why don't you go
ahead and press play?
- I'm-I'm scared.
- Okay, all right.
Kiss.
I said, kiss!
On the lips, now.
Come on.
♪
Now strip.
Come on, take these pants
off, your shoes, your shirt.
- Come on!
- Oh, my God!
You're taking too long.
Now put this on.
He made them have sex?
- Is this even real?
- I don't I'm not
- Oh, my
- I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry, Natalie.
♪
So these two kids,
brother and sister
they're forced at gunpoint
to have sex with each other?
Yes, and I was with the mother
- when she received the video.
- Was there a ransom demand?
No, but just sending it is
an obvious threat of exposure.
Which explains why the son
wasn't completely forthcoming.
And the daughter's
unwillingness to cooperate.
So they were protecting
each other from the shame
and protecting the
parents from the truth.
Where are we on suspects?
The father runs a multinational
home-insurance conglomerate,
and he sent a list
of recent complaints
about denied claims.
Does this seem like the work
of an irate insurance customer to you?
I mean, there's so much anger
around Corporate America these days.
Or, it's deeply personal.
I mean, the wife
mentioned an ex-husband
who's about to get
his alimony cut off.
Seems personal to me.
We think this guy is sick enough
to have his own son
be collateral damage?
Well, it's not just about alimony.
Natalie left him for the
guy she had an affair with.
So run his record.
And then call him and tell him that
something happened to his son,
and we need to talk to him.
If he says no,
that'll tell us a lot.
And in the meantime, we
need to re-interview these kids.
I mean, maybe now that they
don't have to hide their shame,
they'd be willing to
unburden themselves.
- IDs.
- We're NYPD.
We're here to see the family.
Not without showing
your ID, you're not.
Want to see my ID?
How's this?
That good enough for you?
Mrs. DeWinn.
Are you any closer
to finding who did this?
We are doing our best.
But, we do need to
talk to your kids again.
[SIGHS] They're upstairs.
They haven't come out of their rooms.
We won't take up any
more time than we have to.
Why would they send
that video to my mother?
My father thinks they want money.
Well, we don't know that yet.
They still haven't made any demands.
If they release that video,
my life, Atlas's life would be over.
We're gonna do everything we can
to prevent that from happening.
How are things between you and Atlas?
He's hiding in his room.
[CRYING SOFTLY]
My father hasn't even
been able to look at me.
My mother barely can.
Josie, none of this
is your fault, okay?
None of it.
Come.
Come sit down.
Look, I know how hard this is.
But can you please
try to walk us through
what happened in that apartment?
The guy pointed a gun at us
Made us kiss
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Threw a condom at Atlas,
told us to get naked.
Um [SNIFFLES]
I looked over at my brother.
I saw the look on his face.
I told the guy I would
have sex with him
if he just left Atlas alone.
You were just trying to
protect your little brother.
We were trying to
protect each other.
♪
In the end, it happened anyway.
Josie
You were raped.
And so was Atlas.
We were?
Yes.
And when we catch this guy
And we will
He's gonna go down for kidnapping,
unlawful imprisonment, and rape one.
♪
You weren't locked in that bathroom,
were you, Atlas?
No.
- I'm sorry I lied.
- We understand why you did.
But now that we know the truth, why
don't you tell us what
actually happened?
Because we're really
trying to catch this guy,
and we're not gonna be able to do it
without the full cooperation
of you and Josie.
Is she talking to detectives, too?
Yeah.
They're in her room right now.
Well, is
Is she mad at me for
For doing it?
[SNIFFLES]
No, you had a gun
pointed at your head.
You know she offered to
sleep with that guy instead of me
so that we didn't
have to do it together?
But, for some reason, he
He wanted us to do it.
That obviously was part of the plan.
There was nothing you could do.
[SNIFFLES]
Well, I'm pissed at myself.
- For what?
- Because
[SIGHS]
I shouldn't have
[SNIFFLES]
I shouldn't have even
been able to get, you know
Hard.
Your body's response
is not a sign of consent.
It's a reflex, not a choice.
[SNIFFLES]
♪
Were they able to tell you anything?
Unfortunately, not
anything that helps us
get closer to finding
out who did this.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS]
- We just got a ransom demand.
How much?
$5 million.
Did they tell you how to pay it?
Not yet.
Derek Rhodes just landed in Newark.
What's your ex-husband doing here?
- I-I didn't call him.
- We did.
- Why?
- We checked his record.
He had an arrest in the
Bahamas a couple of years ago.
What for?
Exploitation of a minor.
You think he had something to do
with our children being targeted?
Unfortunately, we're
unable to discuss it right now.
But he earned
himself a police escort
from the airport.
♪
I've never seen that
man before in my life.
You think that I hired him?
- Did you?
- To kidnap my own son?
It wasn't a straight
kidnapping, Mr. Rhodes.
What are you talking about?
Your son and his stepsister
were sexually assaulted.
[STAMMERS]
"Sexually assaulted"?
Atlas?
- By that guy in the elevator?
- Not exactly.
There's no easy way to say this,
but they were forced to
have sex with each other
at gunpoint.
And it was filmed.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
But, then again
Maybe you knew that.
You think that I had
something to do with this?
Let's start by asking
you about the arrest
you had in the Bahamas two years ago.
We checked your record.
The arrest was voided.
But it is the Bahamas, so
So why don't you break it down for us?
I really can't.
Well, from the cops that
we talked to in Nassau,
it sounds like it had something to do
with underage photos in your phone.
The clerk at the electronics store
called the cops on you, huh?
They found about 100
photos of Josie in a bikini.
Locked away in your hidden folder.
And that was a few years ago, too.
Oh, yeah.
She was only 16 years old, man.
Okay. Okay, okay.
I know how this looks.
I'm going to tell you
the exact same thing
that I told the cops in the Bahamas.
We're listening.
Atlas always spends
the summers at my house,
and that year he asked
if he could bring Josie.
I asked Gordon and Natalie.
They were fine with it.
And those two kids are inseparable.
So you took photos of the vacation.
Just pictures of
Josie, not your son?
And putting them in a hidden folder?
Okay, look, at the
end of the vacation,
Atlas dropped his phone
from my second-story balcony,
and it stopped working.
He had his mom's credit card,
so he bought himself a new phone.
After they went home
I probably should have
asked Atlas, but I didn't
I brought the phone
to the electronics store
to see if they could fix it.
And they got it working.
I gave them his PIN.
And the next thing I know,
the cops are in the store
questioning me.
So what you're saying is,
you didn't take those photos,
Atlas did?
♪
Yes.
♪
Why would he hide them?
Well, I asked him, and he said
that because they
were mostly bikini shots,
he didn't want to embarrass her.
♪
You buy this guy's story?
It's a pretty convoluted excuse.
Trying to lay it all off on his son?
Do we really think that a father
would hire a guy to force his own son
to have sex with his stepsister?
Well, if he wanted a $5
million alimony payment
in one lump sum
Did TARU get anything
on the phone number
that the video and the
ransom note were texted from?
They say they're
still working on it.
We need something
concrete to connect Derek to.
What about the credit card
that was used for the apartment?
We're still waiting
on the security footage
from the gas station in Houston
where it was supposedly stolen.
All right, so, in the
meantime, we talk to Atlas.
We see if he can
confirm Derek's story.
Or maybe Atlas
doesn't want to incriminate
his biological father.
Talk to Josie, away from her family,
and find out if the father
was inappropriate
with her that summer.
Yeah, I remember that vacation.
Atlas and I had a great time.- Okay.
How'd you get along
with Atlas's father?
Derek?
He's really cool.
Did you have any
one-on-one time with him?
Sometimes,
Atlas always slept in
because he was
playing that stupid game.
- What game?
- "Rainbow Six."
It's a tactical team-based war game.
What did you and Derek
do while Atlas was sleeping?
Take walks down to the beach.
- Why are you asking?
- Well
[SIGHS]
Did you know that Derek was arrested
at the end of the summer
after you and Atlas flew home?
- No.
- He didn't tell you?
No.
And we talk about everything.
What was he arrested for?
He had photos of you on a phone.
Nothing too revealing
it was mostly bikini shots.
I was in a bikini 24-7.
Well, they were in a hidden folder.
He was arrested for photos of me?
Yeah, it's called
exploitation of a minor.
Do you remember
any of these being taken?
No.
Did Atlas's dad really take these?
Well, that's what
we're trying to figure out.
Derek said that
Atlas took the photos.
Why would Atlas
need to hide the fact
- he's taking photos of me?
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]
Silva, we got footage from
the gas station in Houston.
What gas station in Houston?
It's just a lead that
we're following up on.
We'll let you and your family
know if it leads anywhere.
Okay.
The woman whose
credit card was stolen.
Virginia Hefferman.
This is the last date
and time she used it.
We ID'd the cashier, Jaden Thomas.
Fast forward to the end of the shift.
Yeah.
What's he doing?
He's grabbing a skimmer
off a legitimate card reader.
It allows criminals to copy details
off of credit cards
and use them later.
It explains why this woman
didn't clock it till afterwards.
We got to extradite
this guy from Houston.
Hold on.
How sure are that this is the same guy
from the elevator footage?
- Can we do a side-by-side?
- Yeah.
Carisi, that is the same guy.
Should we notify Houston PD?
- No. I'll alert the DA.
- [CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Get an arrest warrant.
We'll start working on transport.
Josie.
Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Slow down.
Okay.
No, we'll, we'll be right there.
What?
What is that about?
Josie says that she told Atlas
that we were talking
to her about his father.
He grabbed a baseball bat,
went to his father's hotel,
and he threatened to kill him.
All right, you two get
to the hotel immediately.
When you spoke to Josie,
did she incriminate Atlas's father?
No, not at all. I mean,
she said that he was cool.
She said that she didn't remember
anyone taking photos of her.
Well, obviously, somebody did.
♪
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
- What did you do?
- That one.
You went after my
sister, you pervert!
What, are you crazy?
[GRUNTS]
- Hey, drop it!
- Put it down!
- Drop it!
- Okay.
- [GROANS]
- He's the one that hurt us!
No, wait.
Please don't hurt him.
My son has been through so much.
Call a bus!
- You're under arrest.
- For what?
Assault, and if you're
lucky, that's all it is.
A metal bat like this could
have easily been a homicide.
Come on!
[GROANING]
I never should have said
anything, Atlas got so angry.
So what did he say exactly?
He said he was gonna kill his father.
Because he took photos of you?
Atlas has always
been protective of me.
- How?
- Like, at school,
during lunch,
he always sits next to me.
He says he wants to
keep the guys in line.
Normal brother stuff, you know?
[SIGHS]
Have you guys
talked about what happened?
No, I tried.
I don't know if it'll
ever be the same.
[SIGHS]
I'm so sorry.
Oh, you know, I wanted
to ask you about that
That trip, that you guys
took to the Bahamas.
Do you remember Atlas dropping
his phone from the balcony?
Yeah.
He had to buy a new one.
Okay.
He said that Atlas
has been arrested?
It's just a formality, all right?
I mean, he did assault his father.
Because that pervert
did this to my daughter.
We're talking to
Derek, building a case.
Look, what we really need to do is-is
- Look in Atlas's room.
- Look for what?
Something that may
incriminate his father.
♪
Hey, Carisi.
- Look at that.
- That's pretty retro.
Yeah, except it's
one of those new ones.
It's digital.
I mean, maybe he didn't want
photos on his phone anymore.
- Is it charged?
- Nope.
But he could have
printed out some photos.
Well, if he did, I doubt
he left them out in the open.
Like, maybe he hid them?
I might know where to look.
I have a 14-year-old son.
[SIGHS]
♪
Ah, bingo.
♪
Okay.
Casual, candid photos.
Doesn't look like she's
posing in any of these.
Probably didn't know
they were being taken at all.
We need to get a warrant
for all his electronics.
I'll call a judge.
♪
Hey, Atlas.
- How you doing?
- I'm fine.
My son has been at
Central Booking all night.
- When can we go home?
- Well, we just have
a few more questions.
Atlas, why would you
do that to your father?
I mean, attacking him
with a baseball bat.
Because he's a perv.
That might be true,
but right now you're in the hot seat.
- You put him in the hospital.
- He had 18 stitches.
After what he did to Josie?
I don't want anything to do
with that bastard anymore.
And neither do I.
Okay.
So I understand about the
photos that he was arrested for,
but do you
Do you really think
that your father is responsible
for kidnapping you and your sister?
Who else would it have been?
Well, just between us,
we have a viable suspect.
- Really?
- Yeah.
The one in the elevator
You know, the one with the gun.
- Wait, you arrested him?
- You recognize him, right?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I-I don't think so.
You don't think so?
I was scared, okay?
Are you saying that
you don't know him?
- No.
- Well, that's funny.
- He knows you.
- I mean, he was quite candid,
with our ADA, on the
drive from the airport.
Atlas, what are they talking about?
I don't know, Mom.
[SNIFFLES] I swear.
♪
I think I should call my lawyer.
I think you should, too.
But in the meantime,
why don't you get up,
and you can wait with your
son in our interrogation room?
♪
So that's your story?
That Atlas DeWinn
set this whole thing up?
It's not a story.
My client's telling you the truth.
And I got proof
Texts, Discord chats.
Okay, so what was the plan?
This all started
because he was simpin'
for his own stepsister.
- "Simping"?
- Yeah.
- He wanted to get with her.
- And you know this how?
Me and Atlas
We go way back.
But you live in Texas.
He lives in New York.
How the hell did you even meet?
We got a whole squad on "Rainbow Six."
We run ops, do raids.
Been playing this video game
for at least three years together.
That's how long you've
been planning this?
No.
Only since he found out
his sister was going away to college.
Well, why would
Atlas want you to film it?
Why do you think?
I assume to watch later.
Whose idea was the ransom?
Mine.
Atlas only offered me two grand,
but, then I googled how
rich his parents were.
And I know all about
the legal system, too.
And I'm not about to do hard time
just because I'm poor
and Richie Rich wanted to
get all SugarFap with his sister.
So you're here to cooperate?
Enthusiastically.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
What are we looking at, Captain?
We're looking at a
fully cooperating witness
to the crimes of kidnapping,
rape, and assault.
Who is also a co-conspirator.
Who has evidence,
that your client was behind this.
He has receipts, texts.
Which he's willing to give us.
In exchange for what?
Avoiding the wood chipper
of the American justice system.
We also have hundreds of photos
that your client took of his sister
without her knowledge.
On hidden folders
in multiple devices.
Well, then we'll see you in court.
Atlas, tell them you didn't do this.
Yeah, tell us, Atlas.
Oh, and while you're at it,
can you tell us why
these photos of Josie
were hidden under your bed?
Can you tell us that, Atlas, hmm?
♪
This was all your fault.
My fault?
Yeah, ever since we were little,
you were always talking about how
"incandescent" Josie was.
What?
Everybody loves her.
- She's perfect.
- So you wanted to ruin her?
Is that why you raped her?
No!
That is not what it was like!
So, what was it like?
She was going to leave me.
Leave you? You mean
By going to college?
She was going to change.
That's it.
Atlas, stop talking.
- No, she's my
- Stop
She is my Josie!
[SLAMS TABLE]
We're stepsiblings.
We're not even related by blood.
Do you have any idea what you did?
I had never been with a girl before.
Mom, I love her.
No, you have destroyed this family!
No. Why does someone
else get to be with her?
- Why?
- Atlas!
Natalie, it might be a good idea
for you to leave the room.
I'll need some time with my client.
I know you will.
Wait, does Josie know?
Uh, she will.
I'll make sure of that.
No, no, no, no.
She's my best friend!
♪
Look, just
I need to talk with her.
Just, you can, you can
let me explain, explain it.
Hey, Atlas
♪
That's not gonna happen.
♪
But
Do you think I'll be able
to hear her voice again?
You will.
♪
In court.
♪
Come on.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING, DOOR CLOSES]
♪
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
♪
What's going to happen to my son?
He's gonna be arrested, and arraigned.
And if he doesn't take a deal,
this is gonna go to trial.
My husband is
Josie's biological father.
He's already made it clear
he doesn't intend to spend
a cent on Atlas's defense.
But
No matter what he's done,
he's still my son.
I'll pay whatever it takes.
Hire lawyers, delay the process,
spend as much money as you want.
You're only prolonging
the inevitable
That your son is going
to prison for a long time.
He won't survive in prison.
And what about your
stepdaughter, Mrs. DeWinn?
♪
Who's gonna tell her the truth
about what happened to her?
♪
I need to worry
about my son right now.
♪
My whole relationship
with my brother is a lie.
You didn't see it, but now you do.
You know, these things
These things take time to heal.
What am I gonna do
about college in the fall?
[SIGHS] No one can
answer that for you, Josie.
But you'll
You'll know, when you're ready.
I can't stay here.
My stepmother she
thinks it's best if we don't talk
until the case is over.
She's hiding in the guest room.
I heard my father crying last night,
through the walls of their bedroom.
[VOICE BREAKING] I have
never heard him cry before.
- He loves you.
- So did Atlas.
I don't know that
that was love, Josie.
He was obsessed with you.
And there's a difference.
How did I not know?
How could you know?
Hmm?
He was your little brother,
and all you did
Was love him.
♪