Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020) s01e02 Episode Script
God Complex
1 Previously on "Lincoln Rhyme" Lincoln, wait for backup.
- [GRUNTS.]
- [SCREAMS.]
No, no, no! [KNIFE PLUNGES.]
Lincoln, can you hear me? I want you to hear the sound of being just not smart enough.
I'm ready for another shot at the bastard who put me in this bed.
Stop! I'd like Officer Sachs to be my point person.
You want the experience of being at a crime scene without ever leaving your bed? - [CELL PHONE VIBRATES.]
- It's my sister.
Rachel.
[GASPS.]
They're all right.
They're both all right.
It's him, isn't it? The Bone Collector.
He's still out there.
It'll all be over soon.
There's nothing like the perfect gift for an old friend.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CLOCK TICKING.]
You're gonna play a very big part in things.
Oh, yes, you will.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
Are you alive in there? [KNOCKING AT DOOR.]
[EXHALES.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
How long have you been knocking? A while.
Well, aren't you gonna invite me in? I'm running sensitive tests in here.
You might contaminate the findings.
Oh, yeah, busiest forensic tech in Colorado.
But you still need to eat.
I made you a panini.
With that melted cheese you like.
You're right.
I forgot all about eating.
Thank you.
I feel like you've been shutting me out lately.
No, not at all.
I-I get focused on what I'm doing, and I lose track of time.
I'm sorry you feel like that.
It is really good to see you invested in your work again.
It's my life's blood.
[CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
I'm going.
Bye.
Ready for the big reveal? Behold.
We're gonna be able to process forensic evidence right here.
And by "we," I mean me.
Thank you, Kate.
What about ballistics? I have a high-speed camera, but unless your building is zoned for a firing range, I think that happens downtown.
Fair enough.
Man, look at that chair.
That is a thing of beauty.
Someone enhanced that with upgrades, didn't they? Oh, right.
That was me.
More importantly, Felix, the notebooks? 20 years of your notes cataloguing every infinitesimal detail of the city, every forensic observation, every case, all digitized by 9:00 a.
m.
tomorrow, our first official day as a task force.
- Excellent.
- Any idea where we start? What kind of cases we'll be handling? The cases the chief and commissioner feel they can't solve through typical NYPD channels.
But I've been going through files on my own.
I have some candidates.
He's been going through files till all hours.
This is my work, Claire.
And my work is keeping you healthy.
You remember what Dr.
Trask said.
My toe.
Two weeks, I can still control dorsiflexion.
Functionally speaking, unimportant.
An accomplishment nonetheless.
Which is my point.
You diving back into work, while a good thing, will add stress, which will undo your progress.
You don't think going back to work is a good idea? I just want you to realize you have a choice.
[DOOR SHUTS.]
Lincoln, we got a case.
Looks like we're starting a day early.
We have our first assignment.
Here's what we know at the moment.
NYPD has a unit that monitors various dark sites related to serial killers, their acolytes.
They found this on a site on the dark web.
Mankind is not kind.
People are self-involved.
Man's hubris is out of control.
Man's villainy and depravity can no longer be tolerated.
It is time for The Wrath of the Gods to make things right.
Wrath of the Gods is the serial killer who struck in three cities.
Started in Amsterdam in 2008, then Boston, Chicago.
Each time, the first murder is followed by a spree, a series of killings for at least a week.
The killer is telling us he's in New York.
Yes.
Upping the ante.
This time he's streaming live.
[WOMAN GASPING.]
- Oh, my God.
- Felix.
Working to track the feed.
It's being passed through servers.
It's pinging all over the place Bosnia, Malta.
- I can't watch.
- We have to.
It's how we'll know where to find the evidence.
Couldn't get a location.
Move past it.
Our job now is to take apart that video.
Find the girl, and we find her killer.
- Kate? - I'm on the bathroom.
Bathtub, windows.
Felix? I'll run facial recognition, break down the ambient noise.
- Eric? - I'm getting the files from all the old cases.
- Sellitto? - Killer's live-streaming for a reason.
He's playing to his acolytes, building followers.
I'll work that angle.
Welcome to the team, Amelia.
Is every day gonna be like this? Some days will be worse.
Like the day your sister was taken.
Not sure you're selling this very well.
I won't sugarcoat it.
This can be rough, but I can promise you, you work with me, you will save people.
And what about you? Are you really ready to get back in the game after everything it's cost you? I thought losing the use of my arms and legs was the worst thing the Bone Collector did to me.
But it wasn't.
I let him take what I did.
Who I am.
I'm getting that back.
I'm not going to walk again, but I can do this better than anyone.
With your help.
I got a hit.
You got facial recognition that fast? Victim's all over social media.
Delila Towne, AKA NYC underscore Delila.
Is she some kind of celebrity? Apparently, she's a wannabe influencer.
Every post is either a selfie or vanity shot.
Got an address.
Queens.
All right, let's hit it.
Amelia, wait.
I upgraded your camera rig.
Smaller, improved audio, wider aperture, more pixels.
Mute can be your friend.
You can turn it off anytime you want.
Thanks, Felix.
You're a lifesaver.
The killer was making a point.
Vanity.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Let me see the body.
Seen enough? Show me the flowers.
Some sort of daffodil? It's narcissus.
Narcissus? The flower and the girl.
Narcissus.
Fell in love with his own image.
Died next to a pool of water so self-obsessed, he wouldn't leave his own reflection.
The killer was reenacting the gods' justice.
Serious profiling opportunity.
Hey.
A feather? Get it back to Kate.
Delila Towne, 24 years old, been living here six months.
No security to speak of, wasn't hard for the killer to get in.
What do you make of that? Those are mythological figures.
Each panel tells the story of a myth.
A myth in which a mortal is punished by the gods.
What about the one with the X through it? Narcissus.
He crossed Narcissus off the list.
Our killer's just getting started.
Which means for each remaining panel, someone is about to die.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
A who's who of Greek mythology.
Arachne, Prometheus, Orpheus, Sisyphus, and Narcissus.
Each incurred the wrath of the gods, and lost their lives over it.
So Delila, she was killed for posting selfies, and that makes her Narcissus? Narcissistic, self-absorbed.
Our victim is an example, a message.
And the killings that came before, the killer always left paintings? He did.
The others are being digitized.
They'll be ready within the hour.
Kate is testing the canvas, the frames, even checking a trace for a cloth used to cover these paintings during transport.
We'll catch him, Lincoln.
So how do we figure out who's next? Who's Orpheus, who's Arachne? - Follow the evidence.
- Well, right.
I mean, I get that.
But we should talk about who would do this and why.
- Context is everything - When the clock is ticking, the evidence leads to who much faster.
Lincoln, if you want someone to put on this camera so you can tell them to turn right and turn left, there are others that can do that.
No.
There aren't.
I personally selected you for this task force.
Then my eyes and ears come with a brain.
You want me, you get both.
I need you on my team.
But understand it is my team.
So someone out there knows something.
We just have to find who it is.
She was my best friend.
Why would someone do this to her? Well, we are working to figure it out.
Did Delila say anybody was following her or bothering her? No, Delila was amazing.
Everyone loved her.
Her social media made her seem a little self-involved.
No, not at all.
Her brand was all about positivity.
Loving life, loving herself.
Her brand? Her content.
The stuff she posted.
It was a statement about self-empowerment.
Here.
Check out this shot.
I mean, who doesn't want to feel like that? "I feel so good, I could stare at myself all day.
" This photograph was online? It was her Instagram profile picture.
And how many people saw this? Delila had 10,000 followers.
But if they repost it, it could be hundreds of thousands.
Felix, the killer saw the profile photo.
That was how she was chosen.
Got it.
Check every follower, every like, every comment about her story.
While he's on that, I tested the feather Amelia found at the scene.
Belongs to the Great Basin Goose, from a small, but robust, breeding population in Eastern Canada.
It migrates from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts Were there prints on the feather? DNA? None besides avian genotyping.
It's from a female.
Mother Goose.
- Sorry.
- You should be.
You got the previous case files? 13 killings in Chicago, Boston, Amsterdam.
Killing sprees of four and five each.
Each time, a single victim, ritual killing.
- Were there any leads? - No hard suspects.
But there is something interesting about the very first case.
A witness.
Catherine Fleming, age 34, was thrown off the roof of a building in Amsterdam.
Her seven-year-old son David was there.
He was traumatized, couldn't talk about it.
Couldn't or wouldn't? He saw it, or didn't.
Well, that's the question.
They've tried hypnosis, therapy nothing.
You're not gonna believe this.
He's here.
- Who's here? - Your witness.
David Fleming, 19 now, violin virtuoso, performing at the Manhattan School of Music this week.
That can't be a coincidence.
No, but I don't think a seven-year-old was our killer, and any witness who doesn't have a memory is not a witness.
Unless we can help him remember.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[SAD VIOLIN MUSIC.]
Sounds sad.
- Must be coming from upstairs.
- [CELL PHONE VIBRATING.]
Yeah.
I feel like I'm on a leash.
You can always ignore him.
Lord knows I do.
Easier said than done.
It's like putting God on mute.
Yeah, Lincoln.
Turn on your body cam now.
Why? What is it? The killer is there, streaming.
Called this his prologue.
David must be the next target.
He's here.
Streaming live.
I'll follow the sound of the music.
Lincoln, give me something to go on.
Felix called up the blueprints of the concert hall.
There's a rehearsal space above you.
Try shouting.
David Fleming! The feed stopped.
The killer heard you.
Lincoln, I'm worried.
David, lock your door! I'd call for backup, but I'm close.
I'm going in.
Be careful.
He knows we're here.
[GUNSHOTS.]
Sellitto? I'm not hit.
I'm on the top hallway.
Shots came from across.
He's on your level.
Okay.
We can't let him get to David.
See if you can drive him down to me.
I don't like that plan.
Please, Lincoln, I jumped in front of a subway train.
You think I can't handle a killer with a gun? Do it.
Moving into position.
I'm gonna shoot to drive him away from the music.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
I see him.
He's running.
I'll go find David.
Lincoln, any idea where he could be? There's a catwalk just below the hallway.
Must've climbed down.
On it.
[SAD VIOLIN MUSIC.]
Targets are safe.
NYPD.
Don't worry.
Just sit tight.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[FOOTSTEPS SCAMPERING.]
I hear footsteps.
Careful, now.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN.]
I'm in pursuit.
That door leads to the southwest exit.
There's no one.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Lincoln, he's gone.
Why would somebody target me? There was a murder in Queens this morning, David.
It has similarities to your mother's murder.
What kind of similarities? The Wrath of the Gods.
We know you were there the night your mother died.
Yeah, but I don't remember any of it.
Well, I understand that.
Believe me, I do.
What we're asking is if there's anything, an image, a fragment, something that could help us.
In trauma, that's how people see things.
Lots of fragments.
They can be very vivid.
Babe? You're upsetting him.
We're not trying to do that, Ally.
We're trying to save someone else from losing someone they love.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
What I remember about my mom she liked to indulge in whatever she wanted.
She did whatever she wanted.
And she got thrown off the roof of our high-rise.
Retribution for her self-indulgence.
When I see her um that fragment that you're talking about It's her smile.
Yeah.
She used to smile.
So would I love to help catch whoever did this? Yeah, of course, but will I be able to help? Mm-mm.
If I saw anything that night, I I don't remember.
They've clearly been painted by the same artist.
Well, Kate's running through everything from paint to style identifiers.
So David is Orpheus.
Taught to play by Apollo himself.
His music was so beautiful, it could charm the animals and make the trees dance.
The mother represents Icarus, boy who flew too close to the sun.
When the wax in his wings melted, he tumbled out of the sky into the sea.
Reason why I don't fly.
You refuse to fly based on a myth? We work together this long, and you don't know that about me? I know you play the banjo and brew your own beer.
That's enough personal knowledge for me, Felix.
I also do origami.
Helps me relax.
Well, we can't relax.
The killer is openly taunting us, telling us he's going to strike again.
We're gonna catch this one, Linc.
And then one day soon We're gonna catch the Bone Collector.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[POWER TOOL WHIRRING.]
[DREAMY MUSIC.]
It's over, it's over It's over now It's over That's all there is No more lonely tears That's how it is For now it is over [MENACING MUSIC.]
I've got something.
Something on the paintings? Connoisseurship.
The ability to determine which artist painted a specific picture based on signature style.
Brushstrokes, swirls, shading, use of color.
- An artistic fingerprint.
- Exactly.
They couldn't have even done this before, but now, using a neural AI algorithm, we can spot specific identifiers.
Felix? So if I take scans of each panting And plug them into an internationally curated database We may just be able to find this artist.
Question is, is the artist the killer, or did the artist sell the killer the paintings? You found me by my style? I have no style.
I mean, no style is my style.
Each work is unique.
Right.
Well, there were enough identifiers to match you work to an international artist database.
Well, that's crazy.
I never do the same thing twice.
What about doing the same thing 18 times? Oh.
Oh, I had forgotten about those.
Well, these paintings were found at the scene of a murder this morning.
Actually, there was a whole string of murders spanning back 12 years.
Your paintings were connected to all of them.
And lo and behold, you're here in New York.
Oh, my God.
You serious? You want to tell us who has those paintings? Uh this is so long.
I sold that collection years ago.
Do you remember to who? A name, an address.
It was a it was a dealer, uh, in London.
We're gonna need that name.
Unfortunately, I'm not one for record-keeping.
I'm sorry.
I wish I wish I remembered more.
You sure? That's a lot of paintings.
Must've been a big sale.
Well it's the artist's way.
You create with your soul, you put it out in the world, the world does with it what it does, you move on.
You have a thing for Greek mythology.
Vengeance, perhaps? Well, myths embody the drama of the human condition.
They're as relevant now as when the Greeks first imagined them.
And it's not just vengeance.
I mean, myths explore love, lust, loss, death, the darkness in us all.
And what's your darkness? [CELL PHONE RINGS.]
Yeah? You still with Calder? We are.
It's not him.
Are you sure about that? The killer's back online with another victim.
Live.
Okay.
Prometheus stole fire from the gods, and gave it to man, a gift that burned their hands while it lit their way.
Killer chose his next myth.
The fire of Prometheus.
Oh, my God.
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Have you seen enough? Lincoln? Yes, I've seen enough.
Sound of the jets landing, view of the Whitestone Bridge out the window.
We had just enough information on the live feed to find this place.
But not enough time.
Landlord says the guy's name is Gary Saunders.
What do we know about him? He was a low-life drug dealer.
Guy was selling Oxy and Percs to Wall Streeters and NYU kids.
Show me the room.
Scour for trace.
Not much here.
You know the rules.
Whatever the conditions, the killer left something, and took something away.
No I got it.
Look closer.
Turn him off.
- Huh? - Turn him off.
You want to know the key to working with Lincoln Rhyme? Xanax? It's remembering he has a fatal flaw.
He cares too much.
And he has a God complex.
Maybe he does.
He's also angry and impatient.
But the truth is And don't you ever quote me on this He is smarter than the rest of us.
Not in all ways.
Sometimes he can't see the forest for the trees, but if you can get past the bluster he'll make you better.
All right.
[LIGHT MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
Another feather? Can't be a coincidence.
Prometheus.
He gave the human race the gift of fire.
An action for which he was punished by Zeus, who had an eagle eat his liver to prolong his suffering.
Yeah, but the story doesn't make sense.
I mean, Prometheus gave people fire.
Gary Saunders was a drug dealer.
In this case, opioids are the metaphorical equivalent, a substance people can't handle.
Another victim being punished for their sins.
Speaking of sins You turned me off.
That's not how this works.
You're here so I can be there.
I understand that.
But you need to treat me like a colleague, not a piece of equipment.
You've seen how I treat my colleagues? Good point.
I think I know why the killer may have targeted David Fleming.
Magazine interview he gave two weeks ago.
He said some things that put him in the crosshairs.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
You gave an interview to New York Magazine where you talked about your mother's death and the fact that you don't remember.
I don't.
You said you recently became interested in myths.
Stories, the imagery.
You also said that you see those images in your dreams.
Wings with feathers.
Like this? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
David? Honey, you okay? Yeah.
Exactly like this.
What if it wasn't a dream? What if it was your memory? So you're saying the feathers are connected to my mother's murder? I saw something, and now he's trying to kill me? If memory's coming back, you might be able to ID whoever did this.
And the killer needs to stay hidden.
So who knows how far he'd go? Clearly our killer has taken on the identity of Nemesis.
Are we really saying that our killer put on wings? Put on, had some representation of.
It's part of a ritual.
Well, whatever it was, the fire that took Prometheus may be Nemesis's undoing.
What do you have? A new kind of acetone.
Four times more flammable, and only being used in one place, a lab at the College of Manhattan, which reported a break-in last week.
Well, how does that help us find Nemesis? Well, I put together a list of experts.
Now, there's a visiting professor of mythology at the College of Manhattan this semester.
That's not a red flag on its own, but meet Irene Antoni, who's taught similar courses in Chicago, Boston, and Amsterdam.
Amelia, call Sellitto.
Yeah, on it.
[LINE RINGING.]
We may be looking at our killer.
So when your neighbor is struck by a lightning bolt, or your friend is turned into a creature, you're gonna walk the line, right? So I'll see you guys Friday.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Professor Antoni.
Detective Sellitto, NYPD.
Officer Amelia Sachs.
Oh, the Wrath of the Gods.
So you've heard of the case? The news is gripping the city.
Everyone's talking about it.
Yeah, and the killer appears to be obsessed with Greek mythology.
You've taught in Chicago, Boston, and the Netherlands, correct? Correct.
And a number of other cities.
What are you suggesting? Based on what you were telling your disciples - Students.
- I'm thinking we have motive.
Look, do I see the failings of modern society? Do I view them through the prisms of myths? Yes, I do.
Do I act out them? O-of course not.
Don't be ridiculous.
It's purely academic.
Well, maybe your anger has inspired someone without you even knowing it.
Perhaps a student, colleague, maybe a crazed fan.
Fan? We don't have fans.
I teach the classics.
But if you think you can come here and throw these accusations at me and then ask for my help no.
Maybe not.
But we should probably continue this conversation at the precinct.
Look, I'm not from your country, but I know how things work, and you don't get to haul me based on the fact that I lived in a few major cities.
Good luck with that.
You'll have to excuse me.
I have another class.
We'll put a couple of unis on her.
She's not gonna leave our sight.
Did you see the way you set her off? [CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
Hey, Lincoln Get to the concert hall.
Why? What's happened? Something was bothering me.
We knew David was Orpheus because he's a musician, and we assumed the attack was to keep him from remembering.
- Right.
- But the painting shows his descent into hell to retrieve his wife Eurydice.
When he looks back to see what he's not meant to see, he damns her to hell for all eternity.
His tragedy costs her her life.
Oh, my God.
Ally's the target.
We have David in protective custody, but Ally went to the concert hall.
No one's seen her since.
We have to get to her before he does.
Sheet music on the floor.
Looks like the contents of Ally's purse.
There was a struggle.
What's that spot over there on the floor? [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Some sort of fine sand.
Someone lost a button during the struggle.
Could be from the artist's overalls? Calder.
Sometimes the smallest mistake will help us catch them.
[EERIE MUSIC.]
Unis are conducting a citywide search for Ally.
Calder alibis out for the first two killings.
For the second, we're his alibi.
And Antoni, the professor, she was with you when Ally went missing.
So our two main suspects couldn't have done it.
Not alone.
You think they're working together? Folie a deux.
A shared psychosis in which delusional beliefs are transferred from one person to another.
They feed off of each other, so alone, they're benign, but together, they become dangerous.
So what's the connection between Antoni and Calder? Amsterdam.
The city where the killings began.
Calder spent a semester there 12 years ago.
He studied Greek mythology taught by Professor Antoni.
So Calder buys into her Wrath of the Gods BS, and Antoni sees she has a real believer.
- Partner in crime.
- Folie a deux.
But it doesn't help us find Ally, not at all.
The reenactment is about hell.
Had Ally been thrown out the window in that rehearsal room, she would've landed in Hell's Kitchen.
Hey.
I tested the sand found at the concert hall.
It's finely ground silica with traces of resin and small chips of glass.
Multicolored.
Iron oxide and chromium in the glass.
Yes.
The resin says it's from sandblasting, repainting.
The glass, iron oxide, and chromium, used for color.
Used in Stained glass.
We're looking for a church.
Heaven or hell, right? I mean, that's gotta be it.
Yeah, but which church? I mean, most of the ones I've been to preach about heaven, not hell.
They should.
Which is why Pastor Julian Marks was removed from his parish for preaching to his flock they were all going to hell.
The whole parish.
He started on Matthew 25.
"Then shall he say also unto them "on the left hand, "'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.
'" Which parish, Lincoln? Felix, St.
James Church? Closed this week.
They're repainting the whole exterior.
So Calder has free rein to take Ally there.
Let's go.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I'm gonna get the unis.
I'll set a perimeter, and check the grounds.
You think it helps or hurts that he's on his own? We still have Irene under surveillance.
Well, his psychopathy is fueled by his partner, plus, he knows we're closing in.
So he could snap any second.
Yeah.
We have to find Ally now.
It's hell.
[WOMAN PANTING.]
Oh, my God, he's gonna throw her off.
Into his metaphorical hell.
[GUNSHOTS.]
Where are the shots coming from? No idea.
[GUNSHOTS.]
ESU's ten minutes out.
Okay, I'm going.
We can't wait.
If you go up there, you're walking into an ambush.
And if I don't, she dies.
- Amelia - You want Sellitto to do it? Better risk him than me? No, you're right.
But you and Sellitto both go.
I think the shots came from over there.
Okay.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Stop.
On your left.
A feather.
His trademark.
[WOMAN PANTING.]
Sellitto, do you have eyes on him? Nothing down here.
It's okay.
I'm gonna get you out of here.
- [SCREECHES.]
- NYPD! Ah! [BOTH GRUNTING.]
Amelia! - [GRUNTS.]
- [SQUEALS.]
[GROANS.]
The world can only be made right when people know fear again.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
Sellitto! I can't get a clear shot.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
ESU is here.
We're coming in.
[YELLS.]
[SHOUTS.]
[GRUNTS.]
Amelia, you okay? I'm good.
Okay.
Okay.
- [SOBS.]
- Ally, you're safe now.
It's all over.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Oh, thank God you're safe.
Thanks to her.
She was amazing.
What you did, I don't have any way to say thank you.
You just did.
I didn't think it was possible for me to remember.
You were protecting yourself.
When you watch someone you love die, you just you cope however you can.
Sellitto told me what you just did.
Lincoln picked well.
Welcome to the team.
Hey.
Was this necessary? Having me cuffed on campus? Yeah.
Because in our country, when we link you to 15 murders, you're done.
The fact that you can link a student I taught years ago to this, it's nothing.
We searched his place.
Turns out, he kept a journal.
You won't get the punishment of the gods, but you will get the punishment of the system.
Sometimes it works pretty well.
You're two for two.
Is that praise from the great Lincoln Rhyme? Praise.
Tempered by observation.
You're not afraid.
That's a good thing, right? Sometimes.
Sometimes fear provides caution.
Sometimes caution is the better part of valor.
Would you have done any different? We're not talking about me.
Lincoln, if I'm gonna be your eyes and ears and arms and legs I better know how you would do it.
How about this? Maybe between the two of us, we try to do it better than either of us would alone.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
Rache? Rache? Doesn't mean it's gone forever.
It's just a toe.
Tomorrow morning, first thing, we're doing my therapy exercises.
I promise.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
Et nos ludere.
It's Latin.
It means "let's play.
" Get Sellitto on the phone.
The Bone Collector's back.
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
- [GRUNTS.]
- [SCREAMS.]
No, no, no! [KNIFE PLUNGES.]
Lincoln, can you hear me? I want you to hear the sound of being just not smart enough.
I'm ready for another shot at the bastard who put me in this bed.
Stop! I'd like Officer Sachs to be my point person.
You want the experience of being at a crime scene without ever leaving your bed? - [CELL PHONE VIBRATES.]
- It's my sister.
Rachel.
[GASPS.]
They're all right.
They're both all right.
It's him, isn't it? The Bone Collector.
He's still out there.
It'll all be over soon.
There's nothing like the perfect gift for an old friend.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CLOCK TICKING.]
You're gonna play a very big part in things.
Oh, yes, you will.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
Are you alive in there? [KNOCKING AT DOOR.]
[EXHALES.]
[KNOCKING CONTINUES.]
How long have you been knocking? A while.
Well, aren't you gonna invite me in? I'm running sensitive tests in here.
You might contaminate the findings.
Oh, yeah, busiest forensic tech in Colorado.
But you still need to eat.
I made you a panini.
With that melted cheese you like.
You're right.
I forgot all about eating.
Thank you.
I feel like you've been shutting me out lately.
No, not at all.
I-I get focused on what I'm doing, and I lose track of time.
I'm sorry you feel like that.
It is really good to see you invested in your work again.
It's my life's blood.
[CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
I'm going.
Bye.
Ready for the big reveal? Behold.
We're gonna be able to process forensic evidence right here.
And by "we," I mean me.
Thank you, Kate.
What about ballistics? I have a high-speed camera, but unless your building is zoned for a firing range, I think that happens downtown.
Fair enough.
Man, look at that chair.
That is a thing of beauty.
Someone enhanced that with upgrades, didn't they? Oh, right.
That was me.
More importantly, Felix, the notebooks? 20 years of your notes cataloguing every infinitesimal detail of the city, every forensic observation, every case, all digitized by 9:00 a.
m.
tomorrow, our first official day as a task force.
- Excellent.
- Any idea where we start? What kind of cases we'll be handling? The cases the chief and commissioner feel they can't solve through typical NYPD channels.
But I've been going through files on my own.
I have some candidates.
He's been going through files till all hours.
This is my work, Claire.
And my work is keeping you healthy.
You remember what Dr.
Trask said.
My toe.
Two weeks, I can still control dorsiflexion.
Functionally speaking, unimportant.
An accomplishment nonetheless.
Which is my point.
You diving back into work, while a good thing, will add stress, which will undo your progress.
You don't think going back to work is a good idea? I just want you to realize you have a choice.
[DOOR SHUTS.]
Lincoln, we got a case.
Looks like we're starting a day early.
We have our first assignment.
Here's what we know at the moment.
NYPD has a unit that monitors various dark sites related to serial killers, their acolytes.
They found this on a site on the dark web.
Mankind is not kind.
People are self-involved.
Man's hubris is out of control.
Man's villainy and depravity can no longer be tolerated.
It is time for The Wrath of the Gods to make things right.
Wrath of the Gods is the serial killer who struck in three cities.
Started in Amsterdam in 2008, then Boston, Chicago.
Each time, the first murder is followed by a spree, a series of killings for at least a week.
The killer is telling us he's in New York.
Yes.
Upping the ante.
This time he's streaming live.
[WOMAN GASPING.]
- Oh, my God.
- Felix.
Working to track the feed.
It's being passed through servers.
It's pinging all over the place Bosnia, Malta.
- I can't watch.
- We have to.
It's how we'll know where to find the evidence.
Couldn't get a location.
Move past it.
Our job now is to take apart that video.
Find the girl, and we find her killer.
- Kate? - I'm on the bathroom.
Bathtub, windows.
Felix? I'll run facial recognition, break down the ambient noise.
- Eric? - I'm getting the files from all the old cases.
- Sellitto? - Killer's live-streaming for a reason.
He's playing to his acolytes, building followers.
I'll work that angle.
Welcome to the team, Amelia.
Is every day gonna be like this? Some days will be worse.
Like the day your sister was taken.
Not sure you're selling this very well.
I won't sugarcoat it.
This can be rough, but I can promise you, you work with me, you will save people.
And what about you? Are you really ready to get back in the game after everything it's cost you? I thought losing the use of my arms and legs was the worst thing the Bone Collector did to me.
But it wasn't.
I let him take what I did.
Who I am.
I'm getting that back.
I'm not going to walk again, but I can do this better than anyone.
With your help.
I got a hit.
You got facial recognition that fast? Victim's all over social media.
Delila Towne, AKA NYC underscore Delila.
Is she some kind of celebrity? Apparently, she's a wannabe influencer.
Every post is either a selfie or vanity shot.
Got an address.
Queens.
All right, let's hit it.
Amelia, wait.
I upgraded your camera rig.
Smaller, improved audio, wider aperture, more pixels.
Mute can be your friend.
You can turn it off anytime you want.
Thanks, Felix.
You're a lifesaver.
The killer was making a point.
Vanity.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Let me see the body.
Seen enough? Show me the flowers.
Some sort of daffodil? It's narcissus.
Narcissus? The flower and the girl.
Narcissus.
Fell in love with his own image.
Died next to a pool of water so self-obsessed, he wouldn't leave his own reflection.
The killer was reenacting the gods' justice.
Serious profiling opportunity.
Hey.
A feather? Get it back to Kate.
Delila Towne, 24 years old, been living here six months.
No security to speak of, wasn't hard for the killer to get in.
What do you make of that? Those are mythological figures.
Each panel tells the story of a myth.
A myth in which a mortal is punished by the gods.
What about the one with the X through it? Narcissus.
He crossed Narcissus off the list.
Our killer's just getting started.
Which means for each remaining panel, someone is about to die.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
A who's who of Greek mythology.
Arachne, Prometheus, Orpheus, Sisyphus, and Narcissus.
Each incurred the wrath of the gods, and lost their lives over it.
So Delila, she was killed for posting selfies, and that makes her Narcissus? Narcissistic, self-absorbed.
Our victim is an example, a message.
And the killings that came before, the killer always left paintings? He did.
The others are being digitized.
They'll be ready within the hour.
Kate is testing the canvas, the frames, even checking a trace for a cloth used to cover these paintings during transport.
We'll catch him, Lincoln.
So how do we figure out who's next? Who's Orpheus, who's Arachne? - Follow the evidence.
- Well, right.
I mean, I get that.
But we should talk about who would do this and why.
- Context is everything - When the clock is ticking, the evidence leads to who much faster.
Lincoln, if you want someone to put on this camera so you can tell them to turn right and turn left, there are others that can do that.
No.
There aren't.
I personally selected you for this task force.
Then my eyes and ears come with a brain.
You want me, you get both.
I need you on my team.
But understand it is my team.
So someone out there knows something.
We just have to find who it is.
She was my best friend.
Why would someone do this to her? Well, we are working to figure it out.
Did Delila say anybody was following her or bothering her? No, Delila was amazing.
Everyone loved her.
Her social media made her seem a little self-involved.
No, not at all.
Her brand was all about positivity.
Loving life, loving herself.
Her brand? Her content.
The stuff she posted.
It was a statement about self-empowerment.
Here.
Check out this shot.
I mean, who doesn't want to feel like that? "I feel so good, I could stare at myself all day.
" This photograph was online? It was her Instagram profile picture.
And how many people saw this? Delila had 10,000 followers.
But if they repost it, it could be hundreds of thousands.
Felix, the killer saw the profile photo.
That was how she was chosen.
Got it.
Check every follower, every like, every comment about her story.
While he's on that, I tested the feather Amelia found at the scene.
Belongs to the Great Basin Goose, from a small, but robust, breeding population in Eastern Canada.
It migrates from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts Were there prints on the feather? DNA? None besides avian genotyping.
It's from a female.
Mother Goose.
- Sorry.
- You should be.
You got the previous case files? 13 killings in Chicago, Boston, Amsterdam.
Killing sprees of four and five each.
Each time, a single victim, ritual killing.
- Were there any leads? - No hard suspects.
But there is something interesting about the very first case.
A witness.
Catherine Fleming, age 34, was thrown off the roof of a building in Amsterdam.
Her seven-year-old son David was there.
He was traumatized, couldn't talk about it.
Couldn't or wouldn't? He saw it, or didn't.
Well, that's the question.
They've tried hypnosis, therapy nothing.
You're not gonna believe this.
He's here.
- Who's here? - Your witness.
David Fleming, 19 now, violin virtuoso, performing at the Manhattan School of Music this week.
That can't be a coincidence.
No, but I don't think a seven-year-old was our killer, and any witness who doesn't have a memory is not a witness.
Unless we can help him remember.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[SAD VIOLIN MUSIC.]
Sounds sad.
- Must be coming from upstairs.
- [CELL PHONE VIBRATING.]
Yeah.
I feel like I'm on a leash.
You can always ignore him.
Lord knows I do.
Easier said than done.
It's like putting God on mute.
Yeah, Lincoln.
Turn on your body cam now.
Why? What is it? The killer is there, streaming.
Called this his prologue.
David must be the next target.
He's here.
Streaming live.
I'll follow the sound of the music.
Lincoln, give me something to go on.
Felix called up the blueprints of the concert hall.
There's a rehearsal space above you.
Try shouting.
David Fleming! The feed stopped.
The killer heard you.
Lincoln, I'm worried.
David, lock your door! I'd call for backup, but I'm close.
I'm going in.
Be careful.
He knows we're here.
[GUNSHOTS.]
Sellitto? I'm not hit.
I'm on the top hallway.
Shots came from across.
He's on your level.
Okay.
We can't let him get to David.
See if you can drive him down to me.
I don't like that plan.
Please, Lincoln, I jumped in front of a subway train.
You think I can't handle a killer with a gun? Do it.
Moving into position.
I'm gonna shoot to drive him away from the music.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
I see him.
He's running.
I'll go find David.
Lincoln, any idea where he could be? There's a catwalk just below the hallway.
Must've climbed down.
On it.
[SAD VIOLIN MUSIC.]
Targets are safe.
NYPD.
Don't worry.
Just sit tight.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[FOOTSTEPS SCAMPERING.]
I hear footsteps.
Careful, now.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN.]
I'm in pursuit.
That door leads to the southwest exit.
There's no one.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Lincoln, he's gone.
Why would somebody target me? There was a murder in Queens this morning, David.
It has similarities to your mother's murder.
What kind of similarities? The Wrath of the Gods.
We know you were there the night your mother died.
Yeah, but I don't remember any of it.
Well, I understand that.
Believe me, I do.
What we're asking is if there's anything, an image, a fragment, something that could help us.
In trauma, that's how people see things.
Lots of fragments.
They can be very vivid.
Babe? You're upsetting him.
We're not trying to do that, Ally.
We're trying to save someone else from losing someone they love.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
What I remember about my mom she liked to indulge in whatever she wanted.
She did whatever she wanted.
And she got thrown off the roof of our high-rise.
Retribution for her self-indulgence.
When I see her um that fragment that you're talking about It's her smile.
Yeah.
She used to smile.
So would I love to help catch whoever did this? Yeah, of course, but will I be able to help? Mm-mm.
If I saw anything that night, I I don't remember.
They've clearly been painted by the same artist.
Well, Kate's running through everything from paint to style identifiers.
So David is Orpheus.
Taught to play by Apollo himself.
His music was so beautiful, it could charm the animals and make the trees dance.
The mother represents Icarus, boy who flew too close to the sun.
When the wax in his wings melted, he tumbled out of the sky into the sea.
Reason why I don't fly.
You refuse to fly based on a myth? We work together this long, and you don't know that about me? I know you play the banjo and brew your own beer.
That's enough personal knowledge for me, Felix.
I also do origami.
Helps me relax.
Well, we can't relax.
The killer is openly taunting us, telling us he's going to strike again.
We're gonna catch this one, Linc.
And then one day soon We're gonna catch the Bone Collector.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[POWER TOOL WHIRRING.]
[DREAMY MUSIC.]
It's over, it's over It's over now It's over That's all there is No more lonely tears That's how it is For now it is over [MENACING MUSIC.]
I've got something.
Something on the paintings? Connoisseurship.
The ability to determine which artist painted a specific picture based on signature style.
Brushstrokes, swirls, shading, use of color.
- An artistic fingerprint.
- Exactly.
They couldn't have even done this before, but now, using a neural AI algorithm, we can spot specific identifiers.
Felix? So if I take scans of each panting And plug them into an internationally curated database We may just be able to find this artist.
Question is, is the artist the killer, or did the artist sell the killer the paintings? You found me by my style? I have no style.
I mean, no style is my style.
Each work is unique.
Right.
Well, there were enough identifiers to match you work to an international artist database.
Well, that's crazy.
I never do the same thing twice.
What about doing the same thing 18 times? Oh.
Oh, I had forgotten about those.
Well, these paintings were found at the scene of a murder this morning.
Actually, there was a whole string of murders spanning back 12 years.
Your paintings were connected to all of them.
And lo and behold, you're here in New York.
Oh, my God.
You serious? You want to tell us who has those paintings? Uh this is so long.
I sold that collection years ago.
Do you remember to who? A name, an address.
It was a it was a dealer, uh, in London.
We're gonna need that name.
Unfortunately, I'm not one for record-keeping.
I'm sorry.
I wish I wish I remembered more.
You sure? That's a lot of paintings.
Must've been a big sale.
Well it's the artist's way.
You create with your soul, you put it out in the world, the world does with it what it does, you move on.
You have a thing for Greek mythology.
Vengeance, perhaps? Well, myths embody the drama of the human condition.
They're as relevant now as when the Greeks first imagined them.
And it's not just vengeance.
I mean, myths explore love, lust, loss, death, the darkness in us all.
And what's your darkness? [CELL PHONE RINGS.]
Yeah? You still with Calder? We are.
It's not him.
Are you sure about that? The killer's back online with another victim.
Live.
Okay.
Prometheus stole fire from the gods, and gave it to man, a gift that burned their hands while it lit their way.
Killer chose his next myth.
The fire of Prometheus.
Oh, my God.
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Have you seen enough? Lincoln? Yes, I've seen enough.
Sound of the jets landing, view of the Whitestone Bridge out the window.
We had just enough information on the live feed to find this place.
But not enough time.
Landlord says the guy's name is Gary Saunders.
What do we know about him? He was a low-life drug dealer.
Guy was selling Oxy and Percs to Wall Streeters and NYU kids.
Show me the room.
Scour for trace.
Not much here.
You know the rules.
Whatever the conditions, the killer left something, and took something away.
No I got it.
Look closer.
Turn him off.
- Huh? - Turn him off.
You want to know the key to working with Lincoln Rhyme? Xanax? It's remembering he has a fatal flaw.
He cares too much.
And he has a God complex.
Maybe he does.
He's also angry and impatient.
But the truth is And don't you ever quote me on this He is smarter than the rest of us.
Not in all ways.
Sometimes he can't see the forest for the trees, but if you can get past the bluster he'll make you better.
All right.
[LIGHT MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
Another feather? Can't be a coincidence.
Prometheus.
He gave the human race the gift of fire.
An action for which he was punished by Zeus, who had an eagle eat his liver to prolong his suffering.
Yeah, but the story doesn't make sense.
I mean, Prometheus gave people fire.
Gary Saunders was a drug dealer.
In this case, opioids are the metaphorical equivalent, a substance people can't handle.
Another victim being punished for their sins.
Speaking of sins You turned me off.
That's not how this works.
You're here so I can be there.
I understand that.
But you need to treat me like a colleague, not a piece of equipment.
You've seen how I treat my colleagues? Good point.
I think I know why the killer may have targeted David Fleming.
Magazine interview he gave two weeks ago.
He said some things that put him in the crosshairs.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
You gave an interview to New York Magazine where you talked about your mother's death and the fact that you don't remember.
I don't.
You said you recently became interested in myths.
Stories, the imagery.
You also said that you see those images in your dreams.
Wings with feathers.
Like this? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
David? Honey, you okay? Yeah.
Exactly like this.
What if it wasn't a dream? What if it was your memory? So you're saying the feathers are connected to my mother's murder? I saw something, and now he's trying to kill me? If memory's coming back, you might be able to ID whoever did this.
And the killer needs to stay hidden.
So who knows how far he'd go? Clearly our killer has taken on the identity of Nemesis.
Are we really saying that our killer put on wings? Put on, had some representation of.
It's part of a ritual.
Well, whatever it was, the fire that took Prometheus may be Nemesis's undoing.
What do you have? A new kind of acetone.
Four times more flammable, and only being used in one place, a lab at the College of Manhattan, which reported a break-in last week.
Well, how does that help us find Nemesis? Well, I put together a list of experts.
Now, there's a visiting professor of mythology at the College of Manhattan this semester.
That's not a red flag on its own, but meet Irene Antoni, who's taught similar courses in Chicago, Boston, and Amsterdam.
Amelia, call Sellitto.
Yeah, on it.
[LINE RINGING.]
We may be looking at our killer.
So when your neighbor is struck by a lightning bolt, or your friend is turned into a creature, you're gonna walk the line, right? So I'll see you guys Friday.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Professor Antoni.
Detective Sellitto, NYPD.
Officer Amelia Sachs.
Oh, the Wrath of the Gods.
So you've heard of the case? The news is gripping the city.
Everyone's talking about it.
Yeah, and the killer appears to be obsessed with Greek mythology.
You've taught in Chicago, Boston, and the Netherlands, correct? Correct.
And a number of other cities.
What are you suggesting? Based on what you were telling your disciples - Students.
- I'm thinking we have motive.
Look, do I see the failings of modern society? Do I view them through the prisms of myths? Yes, I do.
Do I act out them? O-of course not.
Don't be ridiculous.
It's purely academic.
Well, maybe your anger has inspired someone without you even knowing it.
Perhaps a student, colleague, maybe a crazed fan.
Fan? We don't have fans.
I teach the classics.
But if you think you can come here and throw these accusations at me and then ask for my help no.
Maybe not.
But we should probably continue this conversation at the precinct.
Look, I'm not from your country, but I know how things work, and you don't get to haul me based on the fact that I lived in a few major cities.
Good luck with that.
You'll have to excuse me.
I have another class.
We'll put a couple of unis on her.
She's not gonna leave our sight.
Did you see the way you set her off? [CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
Hey, Lincoln Get to the concert hall.
Why? What's happened? Something was bothering me.
We knew David was Orpheus because he's a musician, and we assumed the attack was to keep him from remembering.
- Right.
- But the painting shows his descent into hell to retrieve his wife Eurydice.
When he looks back to see what he's not meant to see, he damns her to hell for all eternity.
His tragedy costs her her life.
Oh, my God.
Ally's the target.
We have David in protective custody, but Ally went to the concert hall.
No one's seen her since.
We have to get to her before he does.
Sheet music on the floor.
Looks like the contents of Ally's purse.
There was a struggle.
What's that spot over there on the floor? [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Some sort of fine sand.
Someone lost a button during the struggle.
Could be from the artist's overalls? Calder.
Sometimes the smallest mistake will help us catch them.
[EERIE MUSIC.]
Unis are conducting a citywide search for Ally.
Calder alibis out for the first two killings.
For the second, we're his alibi.
And Antoni, the professor, she was with you when Ally went missing.
So our two main suspects couldn't have done it.
Not alone.
You think they're working together? Folie a deux.
A shared psychosis in which delusional beliefs are transferred from one person to another.
They feed off of each other, so alone, they're benign, but together, they become dangerous.
So what's the connection between Antoni and Calder? Amsterdam.
The city where the killings began.
Calder spent a semester there 12 years ago.
He studied Greek mythology taught by Professor Antoni.
So Calder buys into her Wrath of the Gods BS, and Antoni sees she has a real believer.
- Partner in crime.
- Folie a deux.
But it doesn't help us find Ally, not at all.
The reenactment is about hell.
Had Ally been thrown out the window in that rehearsal room, she would've landed in Hell's Kitchen.
Hey.
I tested the sand found at the concert hall.
It's finely ground silica with traces of resin and small chips of glass.
Multicolored.
Iron oxide and chromium in the glass.
Yes.
The resin says it's from sandblasting, repainting.
The glass, iron oxide, and chromium, used for color.
Used in Stained glass.
We're looking for a church.
Heaven or hell, right? I mean, that's gotta be it.
Yeah, but which church? I mean, most of the ones I've been to preach about heaven, not hell.
They should.
Which is why Pastor Julian Marks was removed from his parish for preaching to his flock they were all going to hell.
The whole parish.
He started on Matthew 25.
"Then shall he say also unto them "on the left hand, "'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.
'" Which parish, Lincoln? Felix, St.
James Church? Closed this week.
They're repainting the whole exterior.
So Calder has free rein to take Ally there.
Let's go.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I'm gonna get the unis.
I'll set a perimeter, and check the grounds.
You think it helps or hurts that he's on his own? We still have Irene under surveillance.
Well, his psychopathy is fueled by his partner, plus, he knows we're closing in.
So he could snap any second.
Yeah.
We have to find Ally now.
It's hell.
[WOMAN PANTING.]
Oh, my God, he's gonna throw her off.
Into his metaphorical hell.
[GUNSHOTS.]
Where are the shots coming from? No idea.
[GUNSHOTS.]
ESU's ten minutes out.
Okay, I'm going.
We can't wait.
If you go up there, you're walking into an ambush.
And if I don't, she dies.
- Amelia - You want Sellitto to do it? Better risk him than me? No, you're right.
But you and Sellitto both go.
I think the shots came from over there.
Okay.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Stop.
On your left.
A feather.
His trademark.
[WOMAN PANTING.]
Sellitto, do you have eyes on him? Nothing down here.
It's okay.
I'm gonna get you out of here.
- [SCREECHES.]
- NYPD! Ah! [BOTH GRUNTING.]
Amelia! - [GRUNTS.]
- [SQUEALS.]
[GROANS.]
The world can only be made right when people know fear again.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
Sellitto! I can't get a clear shot.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
ESU is here.
We're coming in.
[YELLS.]
[SHOUTS.]
[GRUNTS.]
Amelia, you okay? I'm good.
Okay.
Okay.
- [SOBS.]
- Ally, you're safe now.
It's all over.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Oh, thank God you're safe.
Thanks to her.
She was amazing.
What you did, I don't have any way to say thank you.
You just did.
I didn't think it was possible for me to remember.
You were protecting yourself.
When you watch someone you love die, you just you cope however you can.
Sellitto told me what you just did.
Lincoln picked well.
Welcome to the team.
Hey.
Was this necessary? Having me cuffed on campus? Yeah.
Because in our country, when we link you to 15 murders, you're done.
The fact that you can link a student I taught years ago to this, it's nothing.
We searched his place.
Turns out, he kept a journal.
You won't get the punishment of the gods, but you will get the punishment of the system.
Sometimes it works pretty well.
You're two for two.
Is that praise from the great Lincoln Rhyme? Praise.
Tempered by observation.
You're not afraid.
That's a good thing, right? Sometimes.
Sometimes fear provides caution.
Sometimes caution is the better part of valor.
Would you have done any different? We're not talking about me.
Lincoln, if I'm gonna be your eyes and ears and arms and legs I better know how you would do it.
How about this? Maybe between the two of us, we try to do it better than either of us would alone.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
Rache? Rache? Doesn't mean it's gone forever.
It's just a toe.
Tomorrow morning, first thing, we're doing my therapy exercises.
I promise.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
Et nos ludere.
It's Latin.
It means "let's play.
" Get Sellitto on the phone.
The Bone Collector's back.
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]