Vanished (2006) s01e02 Episode Script

The Tunnel

Previously on Vanished Jeffrey's home.
Please never call here again.
In the blink of an eye Mrs.
Collins, you have a call on our house phone.
It sounded urgent.
.
.
the wife of a US Senator vanished She have any enemies? She teaches second grade.
You have any enemies? But before they can find out where she is - She's gone missing before.
- Twelve years ago.
Not only did Sara disappear, but the story did, too.
.
.
they left to find out who she is.
Her name's Nicki Johnson.
12 years ago I asked her to marry me.
I never saw her again.
Now, the mystery is just beginning to unravel It's Jessica.
- Your ex-wife ? - I don't understand.
They've never met before.
Jessica Nevins, the Senator's ex-wife is considered a person of interest and investigators are attempting to locate her.
Daddy, what is it? What aren't you telling me? It's Amanda McNeal.
The wife of Curtis McNeal.
He was the mayor of Atlanta.
Killed back then, kept on ice until now? It's a prayer card.
24 hours ago, Sara Collins, wife of Senator Jeffrey Collins, vanished.
We're here at the home of Senator Jeffrey Collins, who is about to issue his first public statement since his wife's disappearance.
I'm concerned about Judy Nash and her allegations of marital difficulties.
She's fishing.
At some point, we have to address it.
J.
T.
You're all right, dad? No.
I'll come see you when I'm done.
Have you heard from your sister? She's just being Marcy.
Don't worry, okay? All right.
Senator! Listen I know how you feel.
This is a mistake.
You have no idea how I feel.
Sara could be anywhere.
I don't even know if she's alive.
You offer a reward before the abductors issue demands, we're going to lose the advantage.
What advantage? She's out there, pregnant.
You haven't found my ex-wife, and my daughter's MIA.
Your daughter's not missing.
She just didn't want to be here.
You know, I can't eat, I can't sleep, and I sure as hell can't sit here and do nothing.
We're going to break into the 11:00 news, we need to go now.
All I care about is my wife, and the only way you're going to stop me is if you pull out that gun and shoot.
Senator! If you're gonna do this, do it right-- look straight into the camera.
There's a good chance the perp's watching, and if he is, he's enjoying your pain.
Let him.
We get lucky, maybe we can draw him out.
Thank you.
All right.
Okay.
Here he comes.
Tonight I'm offering a reward of $2 million for any information leading to my wife's safe return.
Go in tight.
I urge anyone with information to call the 800 number issued by the FBI.
I would For the sake of my family, for the sake of Sara's family, just please Please give her back.
Senator! Senator! And that was Senator Jeffrey Collins speaking from his home in Buckhead, Georgia.
The disappearance of his wife Sara has aroused national attention.
Judy, does the FBI have any leads in this investigation? Well, Jeff, all we know is, Senator Collins' ex-wife, Jessica Nevins, is being sought as a person of interest.
Officials now confirm she was registered at the Biltmore Hotel on the night of the current Mrs.
Collins' disappearance.
Officials urge anyone with information to contact the Sara Collins hotline immediately.
Thanks, Jeff.
All right, thank you, Judy.
That was Judy Nash Cap, forget about it.
It's not her.
Messages of support and concern have been flooding in from around the country, as Sara Collins' disappearance approaches the 48-hour mark.
WCN has been covering the story since Sara Collins hotline.
Yeah.
I have information about the missing woman.
What is the nature of this information? I know her.
Or I knew her.
But she had a different name: Nicky Johnson.
And when was this, sir? 12 years ago.
And you believe that woman is Sara Collins? Yeah, I do.
Your name, sir? Peter Manning.
M-A-N-N-I-N-G.
27 hours.
I got two calls from the director's office.
He's got half of Capitol Hill breathing down his neck.
Yeah? Well, if they want to do something constructive for a change, give them a badge and let them help.
I'll put that in the suggestion box.
We got the DNA back on these hairs we found in Jessica Nevins' hotel room.
They're Sara's.
Pulled out by the root.
Is there enough to issue a warrant for Miss Nevins? No.
But we're monitoring her credit card accounts, all her known acquaintances.
She sticks her head out of the rabbit hole, we got her.
And Amanda McNeal: Where are we at with the prelim? Body's still frozen.
M.
E.
can't autopsy until it thaws out.
Guys, Dockery's got something.
Surveillance footage from the Biltmore garage four minutes after Sara disappeared.
There's our Taurus.
And there's Valera.
Sara's probably tied up in the backseat, maybe the trunk.
All right, I want subpoenas for every exterior surveillance camera in downtown Atlanta-- security cams, traffic cams, weather cams, Convenience stores, ATMs.
And you can wake up every judge in town, if you have to.
Wilson, Cats, let's go.
Christo.
Yep.
When the footage comes in, overlay it on the gris map.
We get lucky, maybe we can trace Valera's escape route.
You got it.
All surveillance cam footage from the 900 block of Shortridge.
Thank you.
Any idea just how many cameras big brother's got pointed on downtown Atlanta? 8,200, give or take.
Excellent.
I need this.
Make it happen.
I'll download the SANs and work it up.
Graham.
Max Collins said he didn't know his mother was in town, right? Lab just ran prints lifted from Jessica's hotel suite.
We got a hit.
Max, it's your fingerprints.
This isn't what you think.
What were you doing in your mother's hotel room? She wanted to talk.
About what? About Sara.
Whether you guys were still happy, same as always.
Since when do you two have an "always" kind of relationship? What do you want me to say, Dad? She was a crappy mom, but for the last six months, she's been trying to make up for it! She wants to be a part of my life! Okay.
Do you have any idea where she is now? No.
I swear.
If I knew anything.
I can handle it from here.
Okay.
So, if he loves Sara so much why did he lie to us about seeing his mother? He didn't lie to us, he lied to his father.
Huh.
Your parents are still married, aren't they? Okay, so Jessica's angry enough to manipulate her son.
You think she's angry enough to go further? Angry ex-wives don't leave their last vic on ice and a prayer card at the scene.
Angry ex-wives have friends.
Hello? Are you alone? Yeah.
What's going on? I said I didn't want the FBI protection.
Did Dad have me followed anyway? I don't know, Marce.
Probably.
Are you with Ben? No.
I slept in my car.
What are you talking about? I'm scared.
Look, whatever's going on, just come home.
I can't.
Not yet.
The FBI wants to talk to you.
They know you and Sara were fighting.
How do they know that? I told them.
You didn't tell them what it was about, did you? No.
I swear to you I wouldn't tell anyone.
This is bad, Max.
I got to go.
Can I have a lemonade, please? S hh How well do you know your boyfriend? You all right? Not so good.
Why won't you let me assign you some protection? I don't need a baby-sitter.
You must need something or you wouldn't be here.
I need to know if this is Sara's blood.
Where this come from? I'll tell you, if it's hers.
How long is it gonna take? You can use my phone to call your father.
Not right now.
He's worried sick, Marcy.
You should think about it.
Got a call from Judge Rainer.
He wants to stop by.
No.
It's not about the confirmation, Senator.
He wants to stop by as a friend.
You think right now I give a damn about Wallace Rainer? Jeffrey, that hearing isn't till the day after tomorrow.
If there's something you're not telling me All right.
This afternoon.
He's got ten minutes.
Okay, here's our Taurus coming out of the Biltmore service garage.
We pick him up 50 yards away on a surveillance cam at Commerce Bank.
Valera's headed west.
We catch him on a traffic cam at this intersection.
We catch him on the library's weather cam.
Got the results back on that fabric swatch.
Blood's AB-negative.
Sara's O-positive.
It's not her blood.
So whose blood did Marcy bring us? Run it through CODIS for DNA.
Okay, there's Valera's starting point.
Let's roll it.
Okay, we lose him here for a minute as he passes out of the CBD, but keep watching.
Looks like he's headed toward the 20.
Which puts him west toward Alabama.
Roll it back.
The weather cam time code puts them at the on-ramp at 7:22.
Now roll it back.
But this traffic cam puts him at the tunnel at 7:18.
So why did it take him so long to get to the on-ramp? Traffic doesn't seem to be an issue.
Go full frame.
Keep your eyes on this SUV.
Freeze it! The Taurus is right behind the SUV entering the tunnel.
There's the SUV exiting, but where's the Taurus? The Taurus must have pulled over inside the tunnel.
That's our transfer point.
If there was a handoff, both vehicles would've interrupted traffic flow.
That compare who's going in with who's coming out.
Other than Valera's Taurus, no interruption.
Okay, Sara may still be in that tunnel.
McNamara, let's get blueprints.
Mei, Tac Team on standby.
Let's go.
Five Lincoln want a team leader.
The tunnel is secured.
This is team leader.
Good to go.
Valera stopped somewhere in here in the northbound bore.
North and south tunnels are linked by three cross passages-- here, here, and here.
They're used for ventilation and maintenance.
Access shafts run off each cross passage.
So what about these? Relief ducts.
They leed right into the drainage system It's like a maze.
Perfect place to hide a body.
Live or otherwise.
Okay, listen up! Sara Collins may still be alive in this tunnel structure.
Weapons down.
Eyes up.
Let's move.
You gonna be able to pick anything up through these walls? It's a crap shoot.
Kelton, we've got something.
It's definitely blood-- fresh.
that's a fingerprint.
Nice and clean.
Almost like someone made it on purpose.
Run it! Plenty of room for Valera to pull over.
There should be a cross passage about three yards from there.
Tac Team leader, bring that down by agent Mei.
Guys It's Sara's.
We got a heat source.
Wherever the reading's coming from, it's not on the blueprints.
Let's go.
All right, we got something.
It's about five meters down the access shaft.
Hold your 20.
Lin's team will be on the flip side of the shaft in three minutes.
This is Alpha to Staging Command.
Can't read you.
We're going in.
There's our heat source.
That looks like a piece of her dress.
She was here.
Check it out.
Cover! Alpha, this is Staging Command.
Do you read me? Do you read me?! Kelton, answer me, damn it! Monroe! Where's Kelton? I couldn't get to him.
There was too much debris.
We can't get through.
Roof collapse.
I repeat, we cannot get through.
All right, call in Search and Rescue now.
Kelton, do you read me? Do you read me? Kelton, answer me.
Kelton, talk to me now.
Come on! This is Alpha.
I'm okay.
Search and Rescue's traveling.
Monroe! This is Alpha to Staging Command.
I've got my location.
Look for a manhole cover It's number nine It's number 929.
That Nathan card wasn't a coincidence.
That perp knew I was going to be on this case.
You think he has an ax to grind? I don't know.
I cross-referenced the word Nathan with the number 929.
II Chronicles 9:29 talks about the prophet Nathan.
Nathan passage, Nathan card Why it's relevant, I have no idea.
Perp could be a religious fanatic.
What's his profil say? His taste is consistent.
Both Sara and Amanda are attractive, civic-minded politicians' wives.
High profile, soft target.
How hard did they look at Amanda's husband Curtis McNeal? With a fine-tooth comb, even though he was mayor at the time.
There were rumors of an affair.
He took a lot of heat from the local press.
Nothing stuck.
Well, let's call him in for the notification.
You haven't cut yet? You ever defrost a chicken, Agent Kelton? It takes time.
Your decident Amanda McNeil has minimal freezer burn.
Best guess: She was kept in an airtight industrial refrigerator.
Any idea of cause of death? I can't say for sure until I cut.
Given the petechial hemorrhages, she probably died of asphyxiation.
No ligature marks-- so, maybe drowning.
What about time of death? Gray at the roots.
A little over an inch.
Average growth is half an-inch a month.
So she was alive about two months after her last visit to the hairdresser.
That was the day before she disappeared.
Two months.
That's plenty of time to party.
Hey, Joe.
Take it easy there.
- Sorry, Cap.
- Bucket up.
Hey! You're eating my sandwich.
Well, finders keepers, right? I was hungry.
You're not from around here, are you? Nope.
Well, enjoy.
I'm looking for a job.
At Monty's bar, they're looking for a waitress.
It pays crap, but the sandwiches are free.
I could work on your boat.
My boat? Now see, I get a boat, it's gonna be a thing of beauty.
They see us coming, they'll roll over and beg.
Why am I telling you all this? Because you're hoping I saved you half a sandwich.
Name's Peter.
I'm Nicky.
Wallace.
Good to see you-- circumstances aside, of course.
Please, have a seat.
Pam, uh, wants you to know that if there's anything she can do I appreciate that.
We're both completely devastated by all this which makes it difficult to ask.
Then don't.
I wish I didn't have to.
But I'm under a cloud.
And you put me there, Jeff.
I think you owe me a little clarity.
Clarity? That's what you really want? How many years have I known you and Pam? Since law school.
That's a half a lifetime.
And the fact that you're not out there leading the charge for my nomination I'm waiting for the hearings.
To learn what? To spare you the humiliation.
To find you a way out.
What are you talking about? How the hell could you think it's okay to sleep with a teenage girl?! I don't know what you think you've heard Are you calling my wife a liar? You know damn well what I'm talking about.
I'm giving you a dignified out, Wallace.
Take it.
I have to make this official, sir.
Is that your wife? Amanda McNeil? I've got to get out of here.
I understand.
You don't understand a damn thing.
Sir, Amanda's body surfaced in connection with Sara Collins disappearance, so I need to know where you were Tuesday night.
Uh, fixing the irrigation in my orchard.
Did you have any company? Yeah.
Peaches.
Does that count? Look, I don't have an alibi.
- Is that what you want to hear? - No, not really.
Look I've lost my wife I've lost my friends I've lost my city.
Look, Agent Kelton, you do what you want.
I've had enough.
It must be quite a change to go from running a city to running an orchard.
Do you ship the peaches right after harvest? Why? I'm just wondering if you have a refrigeration system on your property.
Now look, you listen to me.
I did not kill my wife.
You want to know who took Sara Collins, don't waste your time talking to me.
Talk to the senator.
Why would I do that? Because he knows who did.
You think you know what's going on.
You haven't even sucked one drop off the tip of that iceberg.
Listen, your wife was alive for two months before they killed her.
Now, either they wanted something from her or they wanted something from you.
Best way to get to a man is through the woman he loves.
That's how they control you.
Who? Do you know how she was killed? We believe she was drowned.
Where? Oh, my God! This is all my fault.
It won't end.
You give Jeff Collins a message from me.
He can fry in hell.
No! It was a damn witness interview.
I did not see that coming.
Graham, there was nothing you could've done.
I pushed him there.
You don't push someone to take their own life after a two-minute interview.
If you keep beating yourself up, you're no good to this case and you know it.
All due respect.
Did you get a sense of what might have set them off.
Guilt.
Guilt? They kidnapped Amanda because they wanted something from him.
And when he didn't give it, they killed her.
And he never told anyone.
You think the senator's going to make the same mistake? No, I'm not going to let him.
But he's holding back and I want to know why.
I hear you're having a lousy day.
Now is not the time.
Before you get the wrong idea, I liked McNeal.
He was the first politician I covered and the last one who came out clean.
That's good.
Maybe you should put it in his obit.
Maybe I will if you tell me why you were with him when he killed himself.
That's a good question; you come up with an answer, why don't you give me a call.
Speaking of calls, do you care to comment on this one? Mom, it's Sara; I need to talk to you.
About Jeffrey.
It's important, so call me as soon as you can.
Where'd you get that? We both met with Sara's parents.
I guess they liked me better.
They'll get over it.
The Senator and Sara-- the marriage wasn't as perfect as everybody thought, was it? Off the record.
On the record.
No one's is.
Ice machine's ready, Cap.
How 'bout you? Last beers, boys.
You're dating nothing but swordfish for the next three weeks.
Yeah! Yeah, yeah, kid, she's hot as a torch, but you don't know anything about her.
- I know plenty.
- Yeah? Where's she from? Somewhere else.
Why'd she leave? Who cares? Her past doesn't matter, long as her future's with me.
Oh, Petey, ever since this girl came to town, you got a dream in your head where your sense ought to be.
- You know what, Dad? - What? You're right.
Petey I love you, Nicky Johnson.
Marry me.
Marcy came to see me.
She's fine.
Thought you'd like to know that.
Why didn't you bring her home? She's 18.
She's still my little girl, Agent Kelton.
I'm sorry about that, but there was nothing I could do.
What we need to talk about is Curtis McNeal.
Yeah, I just heard.
It's terrible.
So what aren't you telling me, Senator? Excuse me? Look, I've worked a lot of kidnaps, but this one's different.
They're trying to get to you, and they're trying to get to me.
Why? I have no idea.
Why did Curtis McNeal believe that you know who killed his wife and who kidnapped yours? I -- even met the man.
It was a dying utterance.
The courts give those weight for a reason.
The man killed himself.
Obviously, he was unstable.
All right, your son lied, your daughter ran, and now you're stonewalling me-- if I don't get complete cooperation from your family-- now-- Sara's going to end up as dead as Amanda McNeil.
Or maybe that doesn't bother you.
If I knew anything that would help find Sara, I'd tell you.
Plausible deniability might work in Washington, but it's not going to help you in a criminal investigation.
Mom.
I told you not to come.
You want me to leave? No.
Come here.
Why are you staying here under a different name? You didn't tell anyone.
No.
I want to know what's going on.
Why is the FBI looking for you? Max, Max, sit down.
The FBI probably wants to talk to me because I said some nasty things about your father.
Well, then just talk to them.
Get it over with.
It's a little more complicated than that.
Sara's missing and Dad's a wreck.
If you know something, tell me.
You know, the worst thing about the divorce wasn't losing your father.
It was losing Marcy and you.
Mom Look, you got to trust me, okay? Everything's going to be just fine.
Hi, there.
I'm Judy.
Who are you? Becca.
You're the lady on TV.
Stay here, Becca.
We'll be right back.
I brought your phone back.
You haven't played the message on TV yet.
I will.
I made a copy.
Mrs.
Jerome, I have to ask you one more time.
Where did your daughter go when she disappeared 12 years ago? I already told you.
I don't know.
This may be important.
I'll tell you what's important.
Everyone believes Jeffrey's a victim in this.
I need them to hear my daughter.
Look, I've called the hotline, like, five times.
Why the hell hasn't anyone called me back?! You know what? Forget it.
Don't bother.
Hey, you seen Nicky? She'll show up.
Don't worry.
Come on, Peter, we gotta go.
Are you in or are you out? Cast off the bow lines.
We're good to go, first thing.
Bring her back in one piece, Joe, you're goin' without me.
Did you hear back from the city planner? Yeah.
She confirmed that viaducts were built over the old rail lines.
What used to be on street level is now a subterranean ghost town.
Well, Valera and his cohorts must have used that to hide Sara 'cause after we lifted our roadblocks, it would've been easy to move her.
Yeah, well, we might've identified one of those cohorts.
This Bluetooth you found, turns out the units are embedded with 48 bit identifiers.
This one's synced to a cell phone.
You got a number? Better.
I got a name.
Marcy's boyfriend.
Ben Wilson.
- Ben.
- Hey.
I need to know what's going on.
What are you talking about? Why was there blood on your sweatshirt? You took it, didn't you? I need the truth, Ben.
Believe me, it's better if you don't know.
Don't try to protect me.
I can't stand that.
Okay.
Someone paid me to deliver that money.
Who? I didn't think it was a big deal.
The delivery went bad.
A guy got hurt, but it was nothing to do with Sara and it was nothing to do with me.
You're lying.
- Marcy, no - Stop it! A man broke into my car.
He warned me about you.
I don't know what to believe anymore.
Believe me.
You want to get away from your father, don't you? Not like this.
It's for us, Marcy.
The thing is I'm gonna need that money back.
Where is it? That man.
He took it.
Got your 911.
What's up? Amanda McNeil.
The refrigeration unit shut down.
Must have some kind of short circuit.
That is crap.
Whatever caused it, the accelerated decomp liquefied her organs.
Not much chance I'll be able to confirm cause of death.
That was not an accident! This is Judy Nash coming to you live from outside the Collins Estate in Buckhead.
Last night, the FBI launched a tactical assault on the Quarry Tunnel in connection with their search for Sara Collins.
Although the cause is unknown, the assault ended in near tragedy with a structural collapse.
The FBI has released the identity of one of the men believed to have abducted Sara.
That man is Mark Valera, found dead in the trunk of his own car two nights ago.
Anyone with information about Mr.
Valera is asked to call the hotline.
The FBI is also continuing their search for Jessica Nevins.
Since her divorce from Senator Collins, Ms.
Nevins has been linked with several Washington power brokers.
Investigators are eager to locate her.
Meanwhile, Sara's parents have provided WCN with a copy of the panicked voicemail that has raised so many questions about the Collins' marriage.
Mom, it's Sara.
I need to talk to you.
About Jeffrey.
It's important, so call as soon as you can.
Senator Collins has yet to comment.
On Day Two of Sara Collins' disappearance, this is Judy Nash.
Ten bucks says the senator finally grants an interview.
Yeah, with anyone but me.
Good news is, they talk about the tape, they have to talk about you.
It's not good enough.
Never is.
Look out! Are you insane?! Judy Nash? Hey, hey, hey.
Back up, man.
Yeah? You want an exclusive? Sara Collins isn't who she says she is, and I got proof.

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