CSI: Vegas (2021) s01e10 Episode Script

1 Previously on CSI: Vegas My file says it's rented to a Mr.
Hodges.
It's like his own little lab.
Our life's work is on the line.
Someone stole your stuff and is using it to frame you? Anson Wix.
He was calling all the shots.
I'm Martin Kline.
Wix killed Kline to keep him from flipping.
You're talking about a really involved conspiracy.
They finally made a mistake.
What are you leaving out, Guillermo? Wix wanted that old blind cop iced.
This was our last shot.
It's not over yet.
Mr.
Hodges is on the run and a fugitive.
Gil! The LVPD spokesman I talked to said the manhunt for David Hodges is the department's top priority.
That explosive confession posted online, the admission that he tampered with evidence in hundreds of cases, has infuriated the law enforcement community and many others.
Hodges didn't run.
He was taken.
You sound pretty sure.
We found Velcro and canvas from his ankle monitor.
Blood's not Hodges', though.
This is O negative.
- Same as Guillermo.
- I-I'm sorry, I'm, like, way behind.
We think these might have been used to cut out the tongue of a drug dealer named Guillermo Chaves.
He had been talking to us.
Wix has cartel clients - that will do his dirty work.
- Like kidnapping Hodges and forcing him to confess.
And they left that, why, as a gift? I mean, cartels don't have a minimum IQ for membership.
There aren't any prints, though.
This is Wix putting his thumb in our eye.
These do not prove that Hodges' confession was fake.
No.
These words are gonna speak a lot louder than a tenuous link to a drug murder.
Do you think he's still alive? Let's not speculate.
Let's search every inch, and then we find him.
How should I know what to do about a broken needle on a GC/MS? - I don't even know what a GC/MS is.
- It doesn't just pop in.
You got to screw it in before you calibrate.
It doesn't just pop in.
You have to screw it in before you calibrate.
What the hell are you doing here? You're suspended.
Your status hasn't changed.
Everything's changed.
- David Hodges - David Hodges threw us all under the bus.
- Then he hopped aboard and left town.
- No.
He was kidnapped.
And he was forced to make that false confession.
- This was Anson Wix.
- Here we go.
You have no evidence for these claims.
He framed Hodges.
I've heard all this.
And you know what, if you're right, it worked.
Why double down? He was gonna get his guilty verdict and roll into the civil trial loaded for bear.
Hodges was offered a limited plea deal that would have cut the legs right from under Anson Wix's class action suit.
He would have gotten peanuts.
There was a settlement conference two days ago.
The A.
G.
was rattling sabers.
They told him.
That Hodges might take the deal.
If I'm right, David Hodges may very well be dead.
If I'm wrong and he's guilty, then he's got a big ole head start either way.
Not good.
It's crunch time, Cade.
Whoever's running this, if they don't find him, their head's gonna roll.
You want it to be mine or yours? I am not going to reinstate you, Max.
I'll grant you temporary emergency access, on this one case, in a limited capacity.
Call it what you want, I only need one thing from you.
What's that? I need you to get out of my chair.
That ankle monitor can't be the only thing Hodges left in here.
There is no blood.
Not a single thing here says that he didn't leave on his own power.
This is curious.
Could be a couple of David's hairs.
Some kind of dusty smudge.
Did he leave a clue for us? Let's go.
No, no no! That's inverted.
So T-I-N? "Tin"? Some kind of code or a message? Maybe he didn't get to finish his note.
Tiny? Hey, Tiny? Está aquí.
He put up a fight? He tried.
You two should take a trip.
Hey, David.
- David? - Hmm? No, no, no! Relax, relax.
It's okay, here you go.
Okay, this is fresh.
See? There you go.
- Mmm.
- There you go.
Easy, easy.
Okay.
It's okay.
Why are you doing this? What do you want? I just want to make sure you're okay.
In case I need you later.
Anson, they're gonna find you.
No.
Your criminal trial moves to summary judgment tomorrow.
And the civil phase will begin Friday.
And so if I need a little extra sauce from you, then I'll be back.
- No one is gonna believe that I - Hey, hey, hey, hey! - that - David? In the absence of evidence, people can believe a lot of things, okay? Hey, it's not just about money, either.
You know? Do you know how many times that I have done my job, and it just didn't matter because of a little tiny piece of evidence? Not this time.
This time, the best story wins.
Anson, you're not a killer.
Here there you go.
There's enough for a couple days there.
And, uh if I don't see you again, I am truly sorry.
You're gonna leave me here to die? I am going to make sure that you have a, um proper burial.
No no.
- Bye.
- No! Help! Help! Help! This case is about justice.
About what that word means in Clark County, and how we find it.
The story of David Hodges has a lesson for all of us.
If your eyes are always looking down a microscope sometimes you miss the bigger picture.
Dr.
Roby.
What a pleasant surprise.
I thought you were kind of fired.
No, I'm back.
- On double-secret probation.
- Yeah.
It's a long story.
It has to do with that guy.
We think he's responsible for David Hodges' disappearance.
We think Anson Wix is behind a lot of things.
And he's the reason that heart stopped, too.
I'm sorry, you're saying this man Guillermo Chaves his murder is somehow connected to Guillermo knew some of Wix's secrets.
Guess that explains the missing tongue.
Someone was worried he was going to talk.
Yeah, to me.
That's why he's here.
If we find the people who killed him, we might find Hodges, too.
Have you determined cause? Yes.
It was this.
A nine millimeter in his left ventricle.
Still in pretty good shape.
I'll take it down to ballistics.
Ligature marks on his wrists.
Mr.
Chaves appears to have been bound before he was executed.
There's some, uh, ink here, too.
- Under the skin.
- Curious, right? I thought he used a pen to try to escape his bindings.
Way too much ink for a Bic.
Little tears in the skin.
Could these have been made by a fountain pen? Pretty classy writing implement for a drug dealer.
Did we find Guillermo's tongue? It wasn't on his admission form.
Why? There's something in his throat.
I think you might be right.
Anyone know what this is? Well, I guess you've never been tied up and thrown in the trunk of a car before.
It's part of the trunk release handle.
I bet Guillermo was trying to get away.
Want to guess what kind of car this bad boy came from? Or I could just tell you.
It came from an old Chrysler.
Pretty sure an '88 LeBaron.
Wait, how did you determine that year and model so quickly? I started with the vehicles registered to Guillermo's known associates.
And this guy's car has the exact same trunk release.
Say hello to Alfredo Rincon.
I know this guy he was one of the fellas I was tailing all over Spring Valley last week.
He goes by Tiny? My man's six-five, 250.
I guess that aka must be some of that famous Cartel de Sinaloa humor.
Mm.
Hey, boss.
- Yeah.
- I've got something for you.
The gun that killed Guillermo has been used before.
I am guessing that David Hodges overheard one of his kidnappers call Mr.
Rincon by his nickname Tiny.
So this must have been what Hodges was trying to tell us when he left this message.
LVPD is knocking on doors, looking for Mr.
Rincon and Manuel Garza.
You found something new on Garza? Actually something old.
The slug we pulled out of Guillermo was a ballistics match to a 2007 cold case.
And the victim's name was Trina Sud.
And Garza was a suspect in that murder? More like the only suspect.
They didn't have enough to charge.
And I can't say 100% if Garza killed Guillermo.
- We're close.
- So this is who took Hodges.
Looks like it.
The ink in Guillermo's wrists thin-layer chromatography says it's Diplomat Royal Blue.
From a fountain pen.
You see? It's always in his front pocket.
It kind of makes me nervous.
This is why they invented pocket protectors.
That pen is a Parker, they only take a few kinds of cartridges.
The Diplomat Royal Blue ink in Guillermo's wrists must have come from Wix's pen.
Or somebody else is using the same ink.
That's what Wix'll say.
Well, then we need his pen if Guillermo's DNA is on it, then Wix'll have a hard time explaining that away.
- Maybe I can borrow it.
- Hey.
They found Tiny Rincon.
What's that orange stuff? You putting that on my shoe? No, Mr.
Tiny, it was there.
I'm just taking it off your shoe.
Be nice to know where you've been lately.
Unless you want to tell us where David Hodges is.
I don't know no David Hodges.
I seen him on the news, that's it.
What about Manuel Garza? We want him for murder.
He's your buddy, right? I don't know any Manuel Come on, Tiny.
My name's Alfredo.
I don't know any Tiny.
Do you not remember, like, two hours ago when we found you at your mother's apartment? Even she called you Tiny.
Well, yeah, yeah, sometimes.
You're negative for GSR.
So maybe you were just an accomplice.
You and Garza silenced Guillermo and then you made David Hodges talk.
We know David Hodges was in that room.
And this little note that he started makes me think that you were in there, too.
Hmm.
Never been there.
Then why's your name on the floor? People go missing in this town all the time.
Maybe your friend just checked in someplace and then checked out.
What-what is that supposed to mean? - Where's your car? - Hmm, no sé.
Is that because maybe you left something interesting in the trunk, a little blood? Some zip ties, a pen maybe? Or is your forgetfulness because you shoved that down Guillermo's throat? That's it? Your friend drew a word in the dirt.
And some other dude swallowed a knob? Like you think would be on my old car? That's not enough to charge me.
- Your "old car".
- Mm.
It broke down too much, so I had to get rid of it.
I guess I got to Uber out of here.
I can, uh, go, right? We got to find that car.
All right, Danny, right through here, bring her in.
I think there must be some kind of mistake.
That's not a Chrysler LeBaron.
Oh, it is.
I mean, was, yeah.
Belonged to Alfredo Rincon.
There, see? - So when he said he got rid of it? - He junked it.
Is there really a whole car in there? Dude out there said they just baled it this morning.
If it ain't what you wanted, - you want me to take it back? - No, no, no.
We'll take it, thanks.
Not ideal, but if there's any evidence that Wix was involved in Guillermo's murder It's still in there somewhere.
So I got the hearing on my ex parte motion moved up.
Yeah, so tomorrow should be a slam dunk.
And the And I'm gonna call you back.
Bye.
What are you doing here? I'm about to solve this crossword.
I got one left 43 down.
And I'm out of ink.
Do me a favor, can I borrow your pen? Take two seconds.
Nine letters, Latin legal term.
"De minimus".
- "Of the smallest things".
- "Smallest things".
That's what your life has been all about, right? Yeah, well, you know, they add up.
Not this time.
I just wanted to tell you that if David Hodges doesn't return to the land of the living, I'm gonna send you to prison, one way or another.
Don't make promises you can't keep.
Be careful, Dr.
Grissom, I know people.
Moment of truth.
This orange business you found on Wix's bag, it's the same stuff that was on Tiny's shoes? Ethyl acetate, limonene, and about a dozen other synthetics.
Put 'em together, and you get an industrial fragrance.
"Industrial fragrance" sounds nasty.
Perfume for buildings.
Casinos use them to mask the smell of nicotine and other things.
They never heard of Febreze? Casinos control all five of your senses.
Every sound from a slot machine is in B minor.
Busy carpet patterns keep your eyes up on the blinking lights.
You don't hold onto cash, you toss away chips that feel like toys.
The drinks are free if you're playing.
Even the air has its own signature scent.
You're not having a good time; a good time is being injected into your central nervous system.
The guests are injecting themselves into a central nervous system.
The biggest brains in Las Vegas don't go to the casinos, Chris, they are the casinos.
This stuff doesn't just drip on you.
Wix and Rincon must've been stained at the source.
A big HVAC system.
What was it Rincon said? "Maybe your friend checked in someplace and then checked out"? Think they took Hodges to a hotel? Only 150,000 guest rooms in Las Vegas.
We've really narrowed it down.
No, no, but we will.
These are designer fragrances.
And this one must've been designed for someplace in particular.
Where do we even start? It's like the Zen monk said.
To begin begin.
Mr.
Wix, we're coming for you.
Yo, pyro, need some caffeine? No, I'm good.
I was just thinking back a few months.
Your pawnshop case.
- The Salvador Dali gun blob.
- Yeah.
When Mark asked me to move in with him.
Right.
I had this impulse then to toss his key in with the rest of the metal you were melting.
Hugo said that you're never gonna talk to me about Mark because you're too professional.
Don't worry.
I'm gonna be more professional, too.
What's that? It's the ashtray.
Huh.
Looks like someone with pink lipstick was a guest in Tiny's car recently.
I wonder what she knows.
Oh, yeah.
It's a lighter might be able to grab a print off it.
- Maybe if you ah - Uh-huh.
- And then - Yep.
- Nice.
Huh.
- Okay.
Gotcha.
Tiffani Winters.
Tiffani with an "I".
You think that's her original, given name? Maybe her parents always knew she was gonna be an exotic dancer.
Two priors for solicitation.
At the Panther Den.
Guess I know where we're having lunch.
Hmm.
I really wish there was a National Smells Database.
Any of the casinos willing to play ball? No.
So I had to go straight to the source.
Turns out there are two companies that make most of the industrial scents in this town.
They gave you their formulas? A whole bunch of top secret designer fragrances like the one you found, but they're all patented.
So don't go posting them online unless you want to get sued.
This message can self-destruct for all I care as long as we get what we need.
The trick to these scents is their top notes.
The base notes are typically oils.
Not usually as distinct.
They evaporate, so we can't expect a perfect match.
That one's pretty damn similar to the one you found.
Hmm.
The Mosaic Casino.
- How ironic.
- What? They got my favorite roller coaster.
I haven't been on it in years.
Yeah, I mean, if you're telling me that that's the scent that we use, I believe you, but we have 500 rooms.
Yeah, and we are gonna search every single one.
All right, gentlemen, today's ex parte hearing is to determine if the stay on the David Hodges civil trial should be lifted.
Mr.
Wix, you have new evidence to present the court? Yes, Your Honor, a video.
I need to clear my conscience and set the record straight.
I forced a guilty verdict with a fake DNA test.
Hood Mona Lisa, break a into pieces Had to "X" some cheesy out my circle like a pizza I'm way too exclusive, I don't shop on Insta boutiques All them little clothes only fit fake booties Bad, bad, still talking cash Tiffani? Hi.
Excuse me.
Hey, Tiffani? Could you maybe come down? We need to talk.
That's my trash, you the maid, so you I used to date Tiny.
- When? - Uh, last week.
But whatever you're here about, I don't know anything.
What about this guy? - Manuel Garza.
- Oh, well, that's Manny.
He's friends with the club owners.
When was the last time you saw him? - Five minutes.
- Well, he's here now? Dispatch, this is C-14 Folsom.
We need backup at 37 Freilich now.
Hey, Allie, Allie.
Nothing here.
Floor five is clear.
Moving up to six.
Master key's not working on this door.
Hey.
And that was just the beginning.
Since then, I created evidence for more cases than I can even remember.
Considering what I just heard, let's just say I'm dying to hear why I shouldn't start this trial immediately.
Hey, Tiny.
- Stop! I said stop! - Let's get out of here.
Hodges is not on the third floor.
Move, move, go, split up.
I got Tiny! Stop! Put it down! Tiny! Put it down! Put it down! Male.
40s.
- Anything? - He's not here.
- He is not anywhere in this hotel.
- Damn it.
Even if we reject that possibility, there is another bit of precedent - you must consider.
- Mr.
Tyner, I appreciate it.
That's enough.
The court finds ample basis to lift the stay on the David Hodges civil trial.
If he doesn't see fit to appear, that's fine.
We've heard enough from him.
Next Monday, 9:00 a.
m.
Where is he, Manuel? Where is he? Where's David Hodges? Where are you keeping him?! Manuel, tell me, where are you keeping him? - Please! Please.
- He's Rincon had on black pants and a maroon top.
He took off in a blue SUV.
I didn't get the make or model.
Allie.
Hey, Al.
You okay? He was gonna tell me.
We should get back.
Come on.
You guys all right? - We heard Wix's friend got away.
- Mm-hmm.
One of them didn't.
Back to square one.
We need something that puts Wix in that car.
- Nothing? - Well, some bad nothing, some good nothing.
This used to be part of the trunk release.
You can see where it snapped off.
- If we find Tiny, maybe he'll - Hey.
We got Wix's pen.
We still have to prove it.
It's all preliminary, but the blood on the clip is gonna be Guillermo's.
Anything from Wix? Maybe.
Actually got some white blood cells on the barrel.
- From saliva? - Probably, like Mm-hmm.
Looks like the sample's too degraded to get a definitive ID.
Yeah.
But it's not all bad news.
I'm confused.
Did you find Wix's DNA on this pen or not? What we found is a salivary DNA profile - for Huntington's disease.
- Meaning? - Wix's sister, Anna, has Huntington's disease.
- Mm-hmm.
And less than .
01% of the population is afflicted with it.
- You were right.
- Yeah.
But this isn't enough.
Yeah.
I mean, it's circumstantial, right? Well, do you have anything else we can do with the DNA? It's not a perfect sample.
But even if it was, his pen was in the trunk.
The cartel guys are his clients.
They probably borrowed his pen.
I mean, there's a bunch of different ways they can spin that.
We do not have enough to convict him.
We do have enough to arrest him.
- Max - Hear me out.
It is Friday night.
The press will not get wind of this until sometime on Monday.
The man is suing the state of Nevada on behalf of thousands of wrongfully incarcerated people.
Do you know what kind of risk we'd be taking? How punitive this would look? When you first put that badge on you were not so worried about how things look.
Let that be his weakness.
Hmm? Let's find out what is.
- What would you do? - Haul him in.
Process him.
Crawl all over that man.
His life.
His things.
And we'll find the truth.
Go get him.
Jacket and your shoes.
Enjoy this.
It's not going to end the way you want.
Right now, we just want your jacket and your shoes.
Hands out.
Where were you the night that Guillermo Chaves was killed? Are you aware that Mr.
Chaves had been talking to law enforcement about testifying against you? Do you want to sign a confession? I can loan you a pen.
We found yours in the trunk of a car.
The one Guillermo Chaves tried to escape from.
We know it's yours.
And not just because you've been on TV with it in your pocket.
I lost that pen.
Anyone could've found it, I guess.
Is this really what you want to talk about? No.
I want to talk about David Hodges.
So do I.
Where did he run off to, do you think? You took him.
Well, show me the proof, 'cause I have an airtight case against a criminal who just confessed and went on the run.
And I like my story a lot better than yours.
There's that scent again.
The same chemical Grissom swabbed off Wix's briefcase - was present on his loafer.
- That's a dead end.
- 'Cause Hodges wasn't at the Mosaic.
- None of this is leading anywhere new.
Okay.
I found an interesting chemical on your shoes and your briefcase.
When was the last time you were at the Mosaic? I'll tell you what.
I think I've had enough of this scintillating conversation.
There is no blood on my hands.
But then, you know that.
And I know that I can invoke the Fifth Amendment.
So, good luck following the evidence.
That chemical that was on Wix's briefcase? It changed.
What? What do you mean? In the time since your husband ran his swab through Mass Spec and just now, these peaks dissipated.
The top notes evaporated.
- You reran it? - I mean, it didn't match the sample we got from his shoes, so - And people say I'm curious - I-I'm sorry.
- I'm not entirely sure how this helps.
- These chemicals are changing.
We thought they were stable.
It might have started out as something different.
Also, something Bryan told me.
All these casinos, they steal from each other.
- Employees.
Table games.
- Fragrances.
We need to find out where this scent started.
You're the materials and elemental analysis lady.
I think it's time for you to play with some molecules.
It's beautiful, but it looks a little unstable.
Well, they have to be.
Perfumes are designed to release their top notes.
Like a lot of things, as they age They mellow? Base notes are more standard.
Oils, mostly.
It can be hard to tell what was sitting on top, but I don't think that we're looking at the Mosaic Casino's scent.
I think we're looking at a rapidly aging knockoff.
So, Wix and his underling were splashed with a chemical counterfeit? From The Green Emerald.
That's been shuttered since COVID.
- It's empty.
- Let's hope not.
This must be how they got in.
Door's been busted.
Hey, boss, this has got to be the place.
We got your orange stuff by the HVAC unit in back.
David's been missing for 72 hours.
This place has 1,200 rooms.
If he hasn't had any water We're gonna run out of time.
Got to get lucky.
We're in the wrong place for that.
'Cause the house always wins.
You were the manager here, yes? - For five years before we closed.
- Where's your switchboard? The nerve center, huh? Guess it's time to use our senses.
In an emergency, you can call every room at once, right? Sure.
Insurance requires that.
Do it.
Now.
There.
Room 208.
It's not ringing.
- Go.
Go, go.
Let's go.
We're on it.
- On it.
David.
David? David.
David? He's alive.
Can you hear me? - David! - Open your eyes, David.
Look at me.
You're okay.
Yeah.
Took you long enough.
All right.
It's not just the innocent men and women I represent who have been wrongfully accused by the Clark County Crime Lab.
It is myself.
- Open seven.
- Last week, I myself was accused Were you going somewhere? What is this? We just wanted to say thank you.
We took your advice.
Followed the evidence.
David Hodges says hello.
We don't know if you plan on defending yourself, but we thought we'd drop off these charging documents.
You're facing kidnapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, attempted murder.
There-There's more, but you get the idea.
I don't know what David Hodges told you, but He told us everything.
Well, I guess he'll get to tell his story to the jury, and I'll get to tell mine.
I got a story for you.
This con man lawyer tries to lie and cheat his way to fame and fortune at the expense of good people who spend their lives trying to provide justice for the innocent.
But, as fate would have it, his fraud fails.
Truth prevails.
And he spends the rest of his life in jail.
Your sister was right.
The best story wins.
See you in court.
Close seven.
As the yearlong trial concludes with that verdict, Anson Wix now awaits sentencing.
Tonight, a third homicide victim in as many nights has been discovered downtown.
With no suspects yet identified, some are asking, is there a serial killer active in Las Vegas?