Without a Trace s05e03 Episode Script

911

My arm - I'm having a heart attack.
- EMS is five minutes out, Mr.
Matheson.
- Is anyone there with you? No, no, just me.
A guy smashed a window.
There's glass over the floor.
- Is the intruder still in the house? I don't know.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
This is 911, not 411.
I cannot give you directions to Best Buy.
How far apart are your contractions? I can't breathe.
The Fire Department is just a couple of blocks away.
I can't open the window.
It's painted over.
Mrs.
Emmerson, can you safely exit the apartment some other way? No.
There's smoke and fire.
I can't see anything.
It's getting thicker.
I want you and your kids to get down on the floor under the smoke and see if there's some other way to get out.
No, we're on the second floor.
Mrs.
Emmerson, Fire Department is on the scene.
Can you put something bright in the window so they can find you? Nancy, come here.
- Help! - Mrs.
Emmerson? Can anyone hear me? Dispatch.
This is Operator 7829.
I lost contact with the Staten Island fire.
Oh, I didn't mean to startle you.
Someone's asking for you on the emergency line, Number 8.
- Is it the Staten Island fire? - No, it's a man.
He won't give his name.
- Do you want me to dump it? - Uh, no, I'll take it.
Okay.
Who is this? Listen, you can't call me on this line.
All right, I am hanging up, and if you ever call me again, I'Il Ma'am, please stay calm.
Jessica Lawson, 27.
Got a call from a man who asked for her by name.
Coworkers say she was pretty upset she took her break and nobody's seen her since.
This is Tom Knowles, her supervisor.
He's pulling up the call for us.
Jack Malone, FBI.
Who called it in? Uh, coworker by the name of Paulette Harrison.
She transferred the call to Jessica.
I'm told this guy knew her name.
Any chance the call was personal? Not on the emergency line.
And not Jess.
Nobody took this job more seriously.
Most people last only a couple years.
But Jess she was still going strong after six.
Maybe she finally burned out.
I got the call.
911, what's your emergency? You think you can get away with this? Who is this? You little bitch.
Listen, you can't call me on this line.
You think I'm gonna let you screw around with my life? All right, I am hanging up, and if you ever call me again When I find you, you're dead too.
- You got a location on that? Yeah, it came from, uh, J&Q Technologies on Staten Island.
No extension.
I'll get Danny on it.
Could you play that again? When I find you, you're dead too.
When I find you, you're dead too.
When I find you, you're dead too.
When I find you, you're dead too.
He asked for her, I asked who it was, but he wouldn't give me his name.
Now, tell me, how do you think he knew Jessica's name? Don't you use an operator number to identify yourself? Yeah, they give us numbers.
But sometimes when a person's freaking out using our name helps calm them down.
Did you recognize his voice? No.
But there was a guy yesterday outside the office.
He came looking for her.
So I'm laying there, it's half gone, there was nothing I could do then.
Ha-ha-ha.
Ten minutes for a java run.
I hope there's no line.
- I know.
Jessica? - Jessica? Yes? I just wanted you to see her face.
You kept me on hold for five minutes.
Remember? My wife died while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.
- I'm really sorry.
- You said it was on the way.
- Don't touch me.
- Her name was Janie.
Get off.
Let go.
Help! Help! Let go.
Are you all right? Mm-hm.
With all the stuff we hear, it takes a lot to rattle a 911 operator but I guess it's different when someone's right in your face.
- All right, and you sure he said "Janie"? - Yes.
Okay.
Now, did you see him hanging around later? No.
But do you think he came back and tried to? Now, did Jessica ever mention the call that this person was referring to? No.
We answer a few hundred calls a day.
I mean, sometimes there aren't enough operators and the computer puts the calls on hold.
What happened, it wasn't Jessica's fault.
Okay, the super says she's been living here six years.
Always pays on time, doesn't cause trouble.
Apparently has a thing with building security.
And gets really, really upset if any other resident blocks the front door open.
Might explain why she has such a big dog in a little apartment.
Well, where's the dog? Cooper's dead.
He was killed three days ago.
I wish she'd come to stay at my apartment.
- Maybe this wouldn't have happened.
How was the dog killed? Someone broke into her apartment and beat him to death.
Apparently, your daughter never filed a police report.
- Of course she did.
- We had the Police Department run her name through their records.
Nothing came up.
How did you find out about the dog? Well, I hadn't spoken to her in about a week and then, suddenly, in the middle of the night, the phone rings.
- Yes? Mom.
Jessica? What's wrong? - Somebody killed him.
Who? Cooper.
I got home and he's just He's just Are you sure they're gone? They're not still in your apartment? He's just lying here on the floor.
- They beat him.
TERl: Honey, how did they get in? Did they? Did they break in the door? Did they come through the window? - I don't know.
TERl: Sweetheart, did you call the police? No.
You have to hang up right now and call them.
He looks so small.
What am I gonna do now? TERl: Honey, honey, I know you're upset but I need you to call the police right now, okay? Okay.
I called her back, and said I was coming, but she told me not to.
Said the police were coming.
Beside the super and Jessica, who else has access to her apartment? I don't know.
Why do you think she lied about calling the police? - Must have been about work.
- Why do you say that? Because it's the one thing we can't talk about.
Jessica was premed at Columbia when she got the internship at the call center.
The next thing I know she's dropping out of school to become an operator.
I made it clear I didn't approve.
She never gave you a reason for dropping out? Oh, I think she just got caught up in helping people.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Did you, uh, find anything in her apartment? That she doesn't have much of a social life.
- All right, I'm gonna go and - Come here, listen, come here.
Do you know we never talked about what happened? Yes, I was there.
I know what happened.
- It was weird, huh? - A little.
Okay, so I just wanna make sure that you're okay with how the whole thing went down.
- Look, we were just doing our job.
- Okay, so me dressing like a stripper and making out with you, it's just doing our job? - Elena? - Uh-huh? I'm cool.
Okay, I'm cool too.
- Yeah, but I'm super cool.
- I'm super cool too.
- Okay.
- Uh-huh.
- How did you do at J&Q Technologies? - I haven't been able to make a connection between the employees and our missing person.
Is there a guy by the name of Nathan Kelly working there? Let me see.
He's not an employee.
But they do a lot of outsourcing.
Why? I found out that he's the guy that confronted Jessica at the call center.
My wife, she's having an allergic reaction.
Okay, sir, are you at 225 Richmond Avenue? Yes, yes.
Please, you've gotta hurry.
She can't breathe.
An ambulance is on its way.
- Is your wife conscious? Everywhere for an EpiPen but I can't find any.
Why don't we have any? I'm not sure what to do.
It's been a long time since she stopped breathing.
- Should I do one of those? - Okay, sir, my name is Jessica and I'm going to get you some help, but calm down, okay? I told you, she can't breathe.
- EMS is three minutes away.
I already waited five minutes.
Janie? Oh, my God.
She let go of my hand.
Janie? Baby, wake up.
Sounds like his wife died before the ambulance got there.
Which makes him a suspect but I don't think he's the guy that called and threatened Jessica.
- You doing a voice print? - In the process.
And Kelly's on his way in.
So I guess I'll ask him.
I told you, I don't know where she is.
The only time I saw the girl was at the call center.
Mr.
Kelly, no one was in control of your wife's death.
I would've been pissed off too.
You confronting her like that was an overt act of hostility.
And it's more than enough to hang you with an assault charge.
I was devastated when my wife died.
I wanted to kill that operator.
That same day, I waited, and I followed her when she came out.
Thank you.
I know.
I know.
What does she want, I mean, on top of all of that? It's ridiculous.
- Oh, God.
What the hell? Sorry.
- Idiot.
Why are you following me? What do you want? Why don't you just leave me alone? - Stay away from me.
Hey, hey.
We got a problem here, man? No.
No problem.
Good.
Why don't you just keep walking? When she started hitting me, I saw how scared and vulnerable she was.
It was like looking into my wife's eyes when she died.
So I went home.
Is there anyone that can verify that you went home and what time you got there? Kristin Hall.
My son's babysitter.
Mr.
Kelly.
Did you see which way Jessica went after your ordeal? No.
Where were you when she first got out of the cab? I think it was the corner of 47th and 6th.
I can't find any credit cards that explain what she was doing in that neighborhood.
Not everything I do can be explained by Visa.
Wait.
- Did you say 47th and 6th? - Yeah.
Three days before she went missing she handled a call about a shooting on that corner.
That can't be a coincidence that she went back there, right? Nope.
Yes, of course I remember her.
So, what did she do that made her so memorable? It's what she didn't do, actually.
We can guess, but it would be much faster if you tell us what happened.
- She asked to use the bathroom.
I said okay.
Chaim.
Chaim, I'm going downstairs to get more tape for the credit machine.
You watch up front.
What are you doing here? This is private property.
Sorry, I thought it was the bathroom.
After all that mess she didn't steal anything.
- What do you keep back there? Excess inventory, items for repair, my business records.
What about money? Where do you keep that? In my safe.
Look, there was a shooting out front four days ago.
- You know anything about it? - Yeah.
I heard about that.
We were closed.
It's very sad.
- All right, Mr.
Rubin, thanks for your time.
- Anytime.
Feels like she's gone past her expiration date.
The pressure at work, her dog being killed.
I mean, maybe she just flipped out.
Well, she had to have a reason to trash the place.
She was looking for something, but did she find it? You know, maybe she did.
Mr.
Rubin, uh, security camera out front, does that work? - Yes.
- Where do you keep the tapes? In my office.
I keep the old ones for a week and then I use them again.
Uh, what day? Saturday.
Saturday.
Huh.
It's not here.
Hey, what's up? We found the surveillance tape at Jessica's apartment.
It's of a woman by the name of Amy Wahlberg getting killed.
Any connection to our person? None that we know of.
We're syncing up the tape now with the 911 call.
Here we go.
My name is Dr.
Jeremy Burton.
I'm at the corner of 47th and 6th.
I got a woman here with a GSW to the chest.
Doesn't appear to be a through-and-through.
- You're a doctor? Yes, ma 'am, I am.
I'm losing air out of the entry wound.
She might have a pneumothorax.
Hello? - Are you still there? - Yes, sir.
I am sending a unit to you now.
Is the assailant still on the scene? Uh, no.
I think he might have ran north, down 6th.
Okay, EMS is just around the corner, P.
D.
Is one minute out.
They should take her to St.
Martin's Hospital.
They got the best trauma center in this part of town.
I will alert the ER that you are on the way.
Here they come, ma'am.
They're here.
Thank you so much.
And that's it for the call.
Uh, can we get a clearer shot of the mugger's face? Male in his 30s, tattoo on his neck.
Any chance the N.
Y.
P.
D.
Picked him up? They've got a very good description from one of the bystanders but they haven't ID'd him yet.
We got a pop on some prints from Jessica's apartment.
Meet Alejandro Mendoza.
He is a former Bronx Tigres and he's the main suspect in the murder of a rival gang member.
Nice tattoos.
- Who's she? - The woman you killed.
- What? Mm-hm.
- I didn't kill anybody.
- We got it on tape.
- Is that right? That's right.
Don't remember? It was four nights ago.
No, he was probably too out of it, right? - Hey, I don't touch the stuff.
- What about Jessica Lawson's dog? Cooper? Did Jessica say I did something to him? We'd love to ask her, but unfortunately she's missing.
- Your prints are all over her apartment.
- We're friends.
So how do a 911 operator and a gangbanger get to be friends? - Because I don't understand.
- I decided to go a different way.
Now I work at my uncle's botanica.
That's how I met Jess.
She came in looking for spiritual protection.
What did she need spiritual protection from? Jess seems sort of broken.
You know how some people are.
- How did you know about the dog? - She called me the other night.
Asked me to come over to help with his body.
I'm gonna get him, Ale.
- Get who? - The guy who did this.
He's not gonna get away with it.
You know who killed Cooper? Jess, if you know you need to call the police.
- Why? So that they can arrest him and then he gets out on bail? No, I'll take care of it.
Didn't you feel better when your friends killed the guy who shot you? It didn't make any difference.
I don't believe you.
How was killing that cholo supposed to change anything? He's dead and I'm still a cripple.
Are you sure you're okay? I'll be fine.
You should come stay with me tonight.
I'll meet you downstairs.
She was pretty messed up.
I'm not sure she slept all night.
- And she never mentioned who did it? - No.
My guess is whoever she called from my place the next morning.
- They were arguing.
- About what? Cooper.
She saw me listening and shut the door.
- I couldn't hear anything after that.
- Why didn't you ask her about it later? I jumped in the shower, and when I came out, she was gone.
Mrs.
Worth, why were you arguing with Jessica Lawson on the telephone on Monday? I don't know what you're talking about.
Okay.
Our phone records say that she called you.
We have a witness that overheard the argument.
Well, I didn't speak to Jessica.
Oh, this is This is Sue's number.
This is my sister.
Why is your sister's phone in your name? Well, she didn't have a phone of her own so I put her on my wireless account.
Is Jessica with her now? I spoke to Sue this morning, she didn't mention it.
How do they know each other? They live a block apart.
Sue loves Jessica's dog.
So she walks him when Jessica has to work late.
Any idea what they've been arguing about? Well, Jessica's helping Sue.
She's trying to, anyway.
When's he coming home? Around 6.
Well, then we'd better get out of here.
Let's go.
- Maybe I'm overreacting.
- Look in the mirror, Sue.
I'm sure if I talk to him, we can work it out.
- I know he feels worse than I do.
- It's isn't enough to feel bad about it.
Frank loves me.
No, Frank loves abusing you.
Hey, what's going on? - You didn't tell me we had company.
- Jess just stopped by to say hi.
Ah.
You taking a trip, honey? She's gonna stay with me for a couple of days.
Let's go.
I should have thrown your ass out the first time you came here.
Well, why don't you try now? Sue might not call the police, but I will.
- Come on.
- Go ahead.
- Go ahead.
- I'm sorry.
Stay away from her.
She actually got her out of there for a couple nights.
Why only a couple? You know she can't live without him any more than he can live without her.
After a couple of days apart, he turns on the charm he makes a bunch of promises that she forgets he's made before.
They say some girls marry their fathers.
You think I'm gonna let you screw around with my life, Jessica? Yeah, that's him, that's him.
Can you write down his address? FBI.
Sit.
We're clear.
I'll get the paramedic.
Are you okay? I'm Jack Malone from the FBI.
You able to talk? Yeah.
Who did this to you? We're looking for Jessica Lawson.
Do you know where she is? No.
I'm fine, really.
I just I tripped.
Really? How many times? Jessica is missing.
I know you're trying to protect your husband but we think he had something to do with it.
- Jessica's fine.
- And how do you know that? Frank will be back in a little while and he'll tell you.
Yeah, we have agents posted on both corners.
I'll call you back.
Hey, man, what happened to your hand? - I know you? - Yeah.
You're Frank, right? - Yeah, who are you? - FBI.
Against the wall.
What's this, a dog bite? You'd better get that checked out.
Where's Jessica Lawson? I don't know.
I don't know.
Let's go.
You can't arrest Frank.
He didn't do anything.
Between your sister and the dog bite I got enough evidence to arrest your husband.
I don't need testimony.
If you don't tell me what happened to Jessica I'm gonna have you arrested for obstruction of justice.
It was me.
I swear.
Jessica just kept pushing and pushing.
And she was making everything worse, not better.
And I just wa I wanted her to stop.
Did you give him my key? My alarm code? How could you do that, Sue? I trusted you.
- You don't have any proof it was him.
- Your husband bashed my dog's head in and left him bleeding.
- Frank wouldn't do that.
Why not? He's done it to you 10 times before.
- You don't know what you're talking - I talk to women like you every day.
Their husbands knock them around.
"He didn't mean it or he works too hard," or maybe they deserved it.
You will just keep making excuses for him until he kills you.
I'm done talking to you.
You think I don't know what I'm talking about, but I do.
Back in college, someone hurt me.
I remember how he hurt me.
I couldn't tell the police either, like it was my fault somehow.
And I still wake up at night and he's right there, I feel him.
And I'm always afraid that he'll hurt me again.
Well, then why don't you go deal with that and leave us alone.
I never should have listened to her in the first place.
Sounds to me like she was trying to help.
Does this look like she's helping? When we were packing for my sister's she took something that belonged to my husband.
What did she take? His gun.
She made things worse, and now you people are doing the same.
I just wish that you would just leave us alone.
It's a little late for that.
Okay.
Well, thanks very much.
Hey.
- According to his boss at J&Q Technologies, Frank Young and three of his coworkers were setting up a network the morning that Jessica disappeared.
Hmm.
Then we have to make sure that a dog-killing felony sticks.
I think I know why Jessica dropped out of college.
Her junior year, she was treated for lacerations on her head, neck, chest and she had cuts all over her hands.
An assault? - Did she file a report? - She refused to file one.
Maybe she was covering for someone.
You know, it might explain why she was so desperate to help that Sue woman.
She knows what it feels like to be abused.
This one here is Derek Hudson.
He's the one that took her to the health center.
According to the report, he's listed as a boyfriend.
I haven't seen Jessica since we broke up and I moved out.
Was that before or after she left school? Before.
Why did she drop out? - I don't know.
- You don't know? You sure about that? You see, you took her into the university health center six years ago.
She took a pretty bad beating.
- I know.
- Did you do it? - Of course not.
- She had defensive wounds.
What, did she fight back and you hit her harder? - What? - She didn't report it to the police.
Maybe too scared to tell them what you did.
No, I didn't do anything.
I loved Jessica.
I thought we were gonna be married.
But after that night, everything changed.
Oh, my God.
Jess, what happened? I'm fine.
Baby, what happened? I was at that MedPro recruitment event tonight.
And some of us We got Went and got some drinks after.
There were all these doctors and research scientists there tonight.
They were so smart.
I don't think I'll ever be that smart.
Whoa.
Why don't you sit down? Let me get you some water.
I guess I didn't eat enough today because the alcohol hit me really hard.
So, um Well, then, when this one guy offered to give me a ride home, I said okay.
Oh, my God, Jess.
He drove to some docks.
And I couldn't get away.
I was screaming, but nobody could hear me and he kept hitting me.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I tried.
I swear that I tried to get away.
What's his name? I don't I don't know.
- What's his name? Tell me his name.
- I don't know.
Jess, I'm sor Jess, come on.
Please, I'm sorry.
Please, open up the door.
I just couldn't stand that someone did that to her.
- When did she go to the hospital? - A few hours later.
But it was too late.
She'd washed away all the evidence.
She wouldn't even tell them she was raped.
Did she tell you anything about her attacker? Only that he had light hair and a Southern accent.
I need to see that surveillance tape again.
Hold a sec.
- And there's your perp.
- No, keep going.
There.
Hello, are you there? Yes, sir.
I am sending a unit to you now.
- Is the assailant still on the scene? - Uh, no.
I don't see him.
I think he ran north, down 6th.
Freeze when he turns around.
She wasn't looking for the mugger.
She was looking for the man who raped her.
Dr.
Jeremy Burton.
Yeah, I need to know which hospital he's working at.
Well, he's got a local cell phone, so I'm thinking probably the tristate.
Yes, it's urgent.
Burton called 911 four days ago.
Listen, why do you think she waited six years before going after this guy? I don't know.
Maybe it got to the point where she had no choice.
Okay, thanks.
According to AMA, Burton's a vascular surgeon at St.
Andrew's.
But they also said we're not the only ones who've been looking for him.
Let's go.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
This is for emergencies only.
Hey, you can't park here.
Agents Johnson and Fitzgerald.
FBI.
- What's going on? - We're looking for Dr.
Burton.
- He just got his car a little while ago.
- Was he with this woman? Yeah.
They just left.
She had been waiting for him by the exit.
Ma'am, if you need to make an appointment, you can call my office I am not sick.
I can't believe that you don't remember me.
I don't know what to I guess that special time together didn't mean much to a guy like you.
- You might have me confused with - Come on.
- MedPro, six years ago.
- Ma'am, I'm very sorry but I don't know who you are.
Get in the car.
Did you see which way they were headed? They turned right out of the structure, that's all I saw.
Thanks for your help.
If he got into the car without a struggle, she must have had the gun.
- What make is his car? - Uh, Beemer X5.
If it's the latest model, it's gotta have GPS.
Let's hope so.
- Viv, you there? Yeah, any luck? Yeah, Burton's GPS is giving us a location.
Elizabeth, New Jersey.
- What's in Jersey? - Jessica told Derek Hudson that she was raped on the docks.
Port Elizabeth.
Yeah, now I also looked into the MedPro conference.
Burton wasn't even there.
He was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission.
But there was another guy, a Dr.
Rose.
Three years ago, he was arrested for sexual assault in Maine.
- Can we get a picture? I'll fax it over.
I know it was you.
But it wasn't.
You think I don't remember? Wait a second.
What is this? Just don't hurt me, okay? Then tell me the truth.
Ma'am, I swear to you, I didn't do it.
Yes, you did do it.
It was right here.
Don't lie to me.
Please.
I have a family.
I have a little boy.
FBI.
Drop the gun.
He raped me.
Jessica, put the gun down.
You have the wrong guy.
- That's what I keep telling her.
- Shut up.
Jessica, I know you want justice.
And you deserve it.
- But this is not the man that hurt you.
- You're wrong.
We looked into it.
Dr.
Burton was out of the country in March, 2000.
Please.
I'm begging you all.
Please, just stop her.
I just want him to admit what he did to me.
But he can't, because he didn't do it.
I know it's hard for you to believe me.
He did it.
But if you're gonna shoot him, you wanna be sure, right? Besides the Southern accent, what else do you remember? - I don't know.
- Come on, Jessica, anything.
What color was his hair? - How tall was he? How fat? - I don't remember.
What about the crease in his pants? The pattern on his shirt? Please.
All right.
I'm gonna show you something, okay? Now, I've got the picture of a man, and I want you to tell me if you recognize him.
I'm gonna put my gun away and I'm gonna bring it over there for you.
Viv.
Now, did the man who raped you have a scar above his eye? Dr.
Burton doesn't have a scar above his eye.
Not that I can see, anyway.
That's Dr.
Rose.
He was at the MedPro conference as well.
But now he's in prison for raping another woman.
I was so sure it was him.
I know.
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