Body of Proof (2011–2013): Season 3, Episode 7 - Skin and Bones - full transcript
Megan and Tommy are investigating the murder of a girl who was literally torn apart. They think someone on drugs. Tommy finds the man and he attacks him, biting Tommy. Megan looks at the man and thinks the man might have rabies. But when they examine him there appear to be no signs that he was bitten which is how rabies is passed. And when another person who appears to be also infected is also brought in, they wonder if the virus mutated to a strain that can be passed like the flu. But Megan learns that both men recently had some kind of transplant performed on them. So she thinks the tissue they got was infected. They also later learn that someone is going around and killing young men who are of similar physical characteristics.
Previously on Body of Proof...
(FILTERED VOICE) Couple of airlocks.
One here, one here.
Dr. Charlie Stafford,
Centers for Disease Control.
It's said that I don't play well
with others.
Have you met Megan Hunt?
You're making a big mistake.
You need our help.
I put my life on the line to save people.
Then you should take advantage
of what's standing right in front of you.
Is that Grandpa?
You should have this.
What is this? A suicide note?
You hid this all these years?
What's this?
It's my father's suicide note.
I need you to run it through the lab.
Why?
Because I don't believe a word
in that note.
My father did not kill himself.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(LIGHT BULB BUZZING)
(SIGHS)
(DOOR CREAKS OPEN)
Hello?
Who's there?
(SIGHS)
This isn't funny.
I'm calling the police.
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
(GROWLING)
(WHIMPERS AND PANTS)
(GROWLING)
- (MAN GROANS)
- No!
(GROWLING)
No!
(GROWLS)
(MAN SHRIEKS)
(WOMAN SCREAMING)
That's very impressive.
Hey. I was just gonna call you.
But you decided
to service your weapon instead?
Yes, sometimes it's all a guy's got.
- (CHUCKLES)
- But something tells me you came here
to talk about something
besides my gun.
(EXHALES) I, um, was just wondering
if you got the handwriting analysis back
on my father's note.
Yup. It came back this afternoon.
I wanted to follow up with the guy
before I got with you on it.
Why, what did it say?
The handwriting was a match.
Your father definitely wrote the note.
But?
Well, the analyst said
there were indications
that the note was written under duress.
- Now, look, Megan...
- (BLOWS AIR) Okay.
The definition of someone who is
suicidal, means they're under duress.
(STAMMERING) What about
the forensics?
I'm gonna push them as fast as I can.
Tommy, I need to know this. I...
- I know. You can count on me.
- Okay.
Okay. Thanks.
Megan, uh,
the reason I was gonna call you
was I scored a couple of tickets
to the Flyers game on Friday.
I wanted to know
if you'd like to go with me.
Why would you think
I'd want to go to a hockey game?
It's cold, there's a lot of blood.
It's right up your alley.
(LAUGHS) I will pass. Ask Adam.
No, I can't. He's gone to some
bachelor party in Las Vegas.
This isn't about the hockey game.
I'm asking you out.
(SIGHS)
Tommy, don't.
Because of something
that happened 20 years ago?
No. Because...
Uh, you and me?
(CHUCKLES)
Not a good idea.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
(SECOND CELL PHONE BUZZES)
Megan Hunt.
Tommy Sullivan.
WOMAN: Victim's name
is Melanie Summer.
She's a preschool teacher
over at Little Tree.
Looks like she was torn apart
by an animal.
Or a zombie.
MEGAN: I'd say he was all too human.
That's a fingernail.
Had to be on drugs
to create this level of mayhem,
not even care that your fingernails
were tearing out.
Maybe it was bath salts.
Those things really screw you up.
Such a waste.
TOMMY: You know,
this level of violence,
the killer would have been
covered in blood.
Yet, there's none of it
in the hallway outside.
None in any of the other rooms, either.
It's all centered in here.
So how did he get away?
It's like he vanished into thin air.
TOMMY: Oh, so he's
a magical zombie?
I never said that.
That window's open.
No way. We're on the third floor.
WOMAN: That's quite a jump.
From the blood smears,
looks like he broke his leg.
Dragged it behind him
as he hobbled away.
Stay on your toes.
(GROWLING)
What the hell is that?
Police!
Show yourself!
Maybe we should wait for SWAT.
(CLICKS UP AND DOWN)
(GASPS)
(EXHALES)
(GROWLS)
(GUN CLATTERS)
(GRUNTING)
(GROWLING)
(GROANS IN PAIN)
(GROWLS)
- (SHRIEKS)
- (GUNSHOT)
(TOMMY GROANS)
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
- (EXHALES)
- Tommy? You all right?
(PANTING)
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
WOMAN: He's the building super.
Name's Seth Boylan.
According to neighbors,
he was the nicest guy in the world.
Nice guys don't try to eat people.
See. What'd I tell you? Zombie.
And you got bit, so you're next.
Knock it off, Ethan.
Human bites can be
extremely dangerous.
Especially from someone
as sick as Boylan is.
TOMMY: Did you say sick?
I thought he was just on drugs.
See this foam
crusted around his mouth?
Looks like rabies.
The virus causes the body
to overproduce saliva.
It also explains his extreme aggression
and hallucinatory behavior.
He probably only had
a few days left to live.
Rabies is fatal?
(HUFFS)
Rabies is one of the most
fatal viruses in the world.
Which means you're gonna
need some shots.
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
(KEYBOARD KEYS CLICKING)
Hey, I got to ask. What was it like?
What was what like?
Being attacked by a zombie.
Rabies have been around
since the dawn of man, okay,
and many think its symptomatology
is what inspired Romero to
create Night of the Living Dead.
So I figure what you went through
was as close to a real zombie attack
as any of us
could ever hope to experience.
Don't you have
any medical stuff to do, or...
You know, many people tell me that I'd
be the first to die in a zombie outbreak,
it's not true.
They're wrong.
I have exceptional survival skills.
Keen situational instincts
that alert me
to even the slightest hint of danger.
What do those instincts
tell you right now?
I'm gonna go help Curtis in the exam.
Sorry.
Ready for your shots?
There are other doctors
in Philly, you know.
You're the only one I trust.
(GROANS)
On second thought...
Don't be such a baby.
Rabies shots used to go in the stomach
with a 6-inch needle, 23 of them.
Now it's just five shots over a week.
What?
- What do you mean?
- It's antibiotics.
It goes in the butt.
- You serious?
- Mmm-hmm.
You know,
if you wanted to see my naked butt,
you could've said yes
to the Flyers game.
Why? Do you pull your pants down
at sporting events?
(GROANS) Sadly, you'll never know
- 'cause I have another date.
- (CHUCKLES)
Someone who appreciates
my childlike spirit.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
We've got trouble.
I've been over Boylan's body
with a magnifying glass
and can't find a single bite mark.
What's the problem?
Because rabies is almost
always transmitted by bite.
Especially in humans.
Then how did he get it?
What if the virus has mutated
into a more virulent form?
I mean, this could be passed as easily
as the common cold.
We could be headed towards
an I Am Legend-
post-apocalyptic-hell-pocalypse.
Are you on drugs?
Allergy medication.
Ethan, there is no evidence
of that kind of mutation.
Rabies is a fairly stable zoonotic virus.
But mutation isn't impossible.
Yeah, viruses mutate all the time.
But if the rabies virus had already
mutated to become more infectious,
we'd see more victims.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
Good morning.
Hey, Frank. Good morning.
How are you today?
Be better if I was still asleep.
(GRUNTS)
- Whoa!
- (GROWLING)
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTS) Get him off!
(HYDRAULICS HISS)
(REVS ENGINE)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(TIRES SQUEAL)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(TIRES SQUEAL)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
MEGAN: Symptoms appear identical.
KATE: Any bite marks?
Not that I could see.
We'll know more after a full exam.
KATE: We should consider
making a statement.
It's too soon for that.
But not too soon to call
the new health commissioner.
(LAUGHS) Stafford.
It's good to see you again, Megan.
Wish it were better circumstances.
Who are you kidding?
An outbreak is your favorite
kind of circumstance.
Kate's already briefed me
on the possible rabies mutation,
and I'd like to close the door on it,
but there's a new strain of the virus
that's being passed
from foxes and skunks.
It's transmitted passively.
Without biting?
Yes. I'm sorry, who are you?
- Oh...
- Tommy Sullivan. Philly PD.
Right. The man who put
the bullet hole in Mr. Boylan's head.
Was that really necessary?
The guy tore up a girl.
He was gonna do the same thing to me.
Of course he did. He was very sick.
He couldn't control his actions.
Well, I'll tell you want,
the next rabid lunatic pops up,
I'll send him your way.
Dr. Stafford is here
to prevent the next attack.
So why don't we get
Mr. Chen's autopsy started
so we can pull the brain
and get a section for you to examine.
That sounds good to me.
- I've been stuck behind a desk too long.
- (LAUGHS)
I want to get back to doing what I love.
Looking at viruses
- under a microscope.
- (LAUGHS)
I bet that got you
seriously laid in college.
What was that?
The guy thinks I'm insensitive
to the needs of rabid cannibals.
I don't know. Are you?
Megan, who cares?
Tommy, we need this guy.
So zip it up and play nice.
For once.
MEGAN: Norman Chen, 38-year-old
Asian-American male.
Severe blunt force trauma
to the right lateral chest,
abdomen and pelvis.
As with Seth Boylan,
he reportedly exhibited signs
of agitation and hallucination
similar to the furious rabies virus.
STAFFORD: Oh, it's definitely rabies.
Those bullet-shaped virions
don't look like anything else.
Hello, beautiful.
- You admire them?
- (HUFFS) Of course I do.
Rabies is the oldest virus
known to man.
Aristotle wrote about it in 300 B.C.
Totally unique,
doesn't enter the body
through the bloodstream.
Travels through the nervous system.
Is that why the incubation times
vary so wildly?
Exactly.
Anywhere from a few days
to several years.
It depends on
how close to the brain the bite is,
and how fast the infection
travels through the neurons.
And when it reaches the brain,
it spreads like wild fire.
Yeah. Aggression redlines,
inhibitions disappear,
salivation increases.
And then comes the hydrophobia.
Fear of water?
(SCOFFS) More than just a fear.
At the height of the infection,
a rabies victim
will react violently
to the sight or sound of water.
They vomit, lash out,
they go into convulsions.
At that point,
they only got a few days left to live.
Yeah, and those days
are spent in madness.
With the disease trying to pass itself on
through spasms
of aggression and biting.
So cool.
It's good to have you back, Stafford.
Excuse me for a sec.
What are you doing here?
Murray and Wasik
ran down the information
you asked for on the rabies victims.
I volunteered to bring it over
after my shift.
I wanted to check on you.
- She's hot, huh?
- Excuse me?
You feel responsible
for what happened?
A little.
Don't. It was my call to split up.
(EXHALES)
So what did they bring in on our vic?
You think I read their report
on the way over?
Are you saying you didn't?
Chen and Boylan couldn't have led
more different lives.
There's no single apparent
connection between them,
geographically or socially.
So how the hell they both get infected?
In theory, there's someone else out
there carrying the disease.
The index case, or patient zero.
Chen and Boylan
got it from him independently.
Index case?
You're pretty smart for a cop.
Can you say that a little louder?
(LAUGHS)
- Thanks for bringing this over.
- Sure.
What'd she have?
Some info on Chen and Boylan.
Apparently they're not related.
I told her there must be a patient zero
running around out there somewhere.
There is no patient zero.
The rabies virus these gentlemen have
is the standard virus.
No mutation whatsoever.
Then how the hell did he get infected
if he wasn't bitten?
STAFFORD: I'll have to do
some more tests.
- Wait. Hold on.
- What is it?
Traces of gauze and adhesive.
I saw it earlier.
An eye patch?
He must have ripped it off
in the throes of the infection.
I believe that Mr. Chen
has had a recent cornea transplant.
Of course. What about Boylan?
TOMMY: Wait, what's going on?
Skin graft to protect a burn.
I noted it during autopsy.
That explains everything.
Including the accelerated
incubation period.
Could you guys please tell me
what you're talking about?
We know how both men
contracted rabies.
Diseased donor tissue.
Both Boylan's skin graft
and Chen's new cornea.
So there's an organ donor
out there who's got rabies?
No. Organ transplants
come from the living.
Tissue transplants from cadavers.
Things like corneas, skin, tendons.
Heart valves, veins, even bones.
All of these are harvested from bodies
after they're dead
and then transplanted
into living patients.
So instead of patient zero,
we're talking about cadaver zero?
Right.
But just to be clear,
this is a good thing, right?
Wrong.
A single infected cadaver
could contaminate
hundreds of transplant recipients,
all unaware
that they've just contracted rabies.
Which means there could be hundreds
of walking time bombs out there
just waiting to go off.
We've issued warnings
to all the local medical facilities.
The problem is
that cadaver zero's infected tissue
could have been shipped to clinics,
hospitals all over the country.
Is there some kind of
oversight agency that could help?
In theory, it's the FDA.
The reality is tissue harvesting
is a barely regulated industry.
In order to become
a licensed harvester,
all you have to do
is fill out a form online.
It takes the FDA years to check it out,
they're so backed up.
About two million products
derived from human tissue
are sold in the US alone every year.
Yeah, the cash is ridiculous.
You can profit &100,000
on one cadaver.
I'm in the wrong line of work.
We got to find a way
to locate that tissue.
Every hour that passes
reduces our chances
of stopping a rabies outbreak.
You know, we could test the DNA
on the transplanted cornea.
Cadaver zero's tissue
is still in the transplant.
Exactly, and then we just have to hope
the DNA is already in CODIS.
That's brilliant.
(CHUCKLES) Eh, just a little.
Looks like the doctors
who treated Chen and Boylan
received their tissue
from the same source.
A company called
Bio-Gen, Incorporated.
All right, time for a house call.
You want to come?
No. I'm gonna stick here with Charlie
and follow up on that DNA lead.
No, I know he's got plenty
of important stuff to do.
He's gotta run
a health department, right?
No. No, actually right here
is the best place for me right now.
Right.
Well, you should definitely
have a doctor with you at Bio-Gen.
I'm coming along. I'll get my stuff.
Good luck.
Good hunting.
So, what's the deal
with Stafford, anyway?
What do you mean?
He's the health commissioner.
And you really should try not
to antagonize the guy.
He's kind of a tool.
Why does Megan like him?
Well, she didn't at first.
They butted heads when the CDC
sent him in on the Marburg outbreak.
But I guess
working together bonded them.
What do you mean they bonded?
You know how Megan always thinks
she's the smartest person in the room?
Well, Stafford challenges her,
it makes her raise her game.
Women like that.
(STAFFORD) Ooh.
Nice.
So what's the deal
with Officer Bad Ass?
Tommy?
Um...
He's a little rough around the edges,
but he's good at what he does.
Seems a little trigger happy to me.
He takes things personally.
It's his weakness and his strength.
From what I remember,
you take things personally, too.
Are you saying
that Tommy and I are alike?
No. You're much better looking.
(CHUCKLES)
Get this to the lab. They're expecting it.
So how the hell
did you end up health commissioner?
You never struck me
as the bureaucratic type.
Well, a year ago
I would've agreed with you.
Then I realized how much good I can do
by formulating the state's health policy.
(IMITATES SNORING)
(CHUCKLES) Okay, fine.
It, uh...
It has been a bit of an adjustment.
A big one. But it's fulfilling.
Although it's been pretty nice
getting back in the trenches,
with you.
MAN: There must be some mistake.
Our tissue can't have been the source
of this rabies infection.
Every cadaver that we harvest
has its blood tested
for infectious diseases.
Rabies isn't present in the blood,
so a blood test is useless.
Well, that is all the FDA mandates.
Why don't you tell that
to the parents of the young woman
who was murdered
because of your infected tissue?
The most important thing right now
is to make sure
that no one else is infected.
So we need to know exactly
where the rest of that tissue went.
It didn't go anywhere.
Thank God.
Cadaver zero's tissue is right in here.
We're going to need to take it with us.
I can get a warrant if I have to.
That won't be necessary.
What's she doing?
A body without bones
could be disturbing for the families.
So they replace them with PVC pipe.
That's just so wrong.
Here it is. Cadaver zero's
blood sample and tissue.
Great. Now we just need
his name and vital information.
I'm afraid I don't actually have that.
- What the hell do you mean?
- You have to understand,
the demand for harvested tissue
is at a record high.
My in-house personnel
are overwhelmed,
so I outsource some of
my harvesting to subcontractors.
They hustle their own cadavers,
they harvest the bodies offsite,
then they sell the tissue to me.
Cadaver zero is one of those.
And you didn't require an ID
for the body?
Of course we did. There are forms.
But when I pulled the paperwork,
it was incomplete.
- (SCOFFS)
- Somebody should have noticed.
They didn't, and I apologize.
You apologize? Three people are dead.
I'm close to bringing you in
as an accessory.
This is a simple clerical error.
I can give you the person
who harvested the body.
His name is Ken Dobannis.
There's a copy
of his harvesting license in my office
and his address will be on it.
(TOMMY SIGHS)
KATE: Clearly the address on
Ken Dobannis' license is a fake.
I got a bad feeling about this.
We got a problem.
The lab found a match
on cadaver zero's DNA.
He's a 21 -year-old college student
named Brian Ellis.
When did he die?
No idea.
What do you mean?
It's a matter of public record.
Brian Ellis is currently listed
as a missing person.
According to police, he was abducted
off the streets three weeks ago.
Now call me crazy, but I think this kid
was murdered for parts.
I can't believe he's really dead.
We think he had rabies
when he was abducted.
Were you aware that he was bitten?
Yeah. A stray dog, a few weeks before.
But the bite wasn't bad
and it's not like
he had money to go to the doctor.
Police report says
that you were both drinking
the night he was taken.
Yeah. As we were walking home,
Brian thought we were being followed
by a black car.
It sped off as soon as I turned around.
Brian said he saw it earlier
on the way to the bar.
We laughed it off as paranoia.
I stopped to throw up,
and he went on ahead.
Suddenly, he was screaming my name.
And as I came around the corner,
he was gone.
The black car was speeding away.
Okay, here's what we got.
Brian Ellis was abducted off the streets
by a black car,
make and model unknown.
Two days later,
Bio-Gen purchased Ellis' tissue
from a licensed subcontractor
named Ken Dobannis.
TOMMY: Now,
the harvesting license is real,
but the name and address
used to obtain it, are not.
WOMAN: So this Dobannis guy
kidnapped and killed Ellis
for his tissue?
Plenty of people have been killed
for a lot less
than the &100,000 a body can generate.
Well, a young male like Ellis,
that could generate
a lot more than 100 grand.
Young bodies,
they're harder to come by.
Not if you kill them yourself.
KATE: Why target Ellis?
I mean, according to his roommate,
the car had been following them
earlier in the evening.
So he was clearly targeted.
But why not just go after
somebody who's walking alone?
That's a good question.
We've been picking apart his life
trying to find an answer to that.
Why Ken Dobannis?
TOMMY: What do you mean?
It's a particular name.
Why not Joe Smith or Tom Jackson?
STAFFORD: You think
it has some significance?
Well, he's not stupid enough
to pick a name that'll lead us to him.
He's not stupid. I think he's very clever.
So clever he wants us to know it.
An anagram.
Exactly.
(CHUCKLES)
"Skin and bone."
How can my department help?
Well, the ME's office has Ellis' remains.
What are the odds that this harvester
left some trace evidence
that'll lead us back to him?
It's a long shot, but we'll do our best.
All right, we've got work to do.
I've got a feeling Brian Ellis
is just the tip of the iceberg.
(PLASTIC CRINKLING)
MEGAN: I found something anomalous.
Traces of high index cavity fluid
on the leg bones harvested
from Brian's body.
But cavity fluid's
only used for embalming.
Exactly. Any type of formaldehyde
would degrade the tissue
being harvested.
Add to that the fact
that at Brian's abduction site,
there was a hearse,
I think this guy harvested Brian Ellis
at a funeral home.
So Brian Ellis wasn't the only one
who was harvested there.
Five male college students
in the last two months
in the Philadelphia area
have been reported missing,
including one who disappeared
a week ago
by the name of Michael Finley.
Why didn't the police
make the connection?
There's no evidence of foul play.
College students aren't known
for being particularly stable.
That's no excuse.
Your failure to connect those dots
allowed this killer to prey
on young men with impunity.
You believe that,
you're not living in reality.
Hey, boys, knock it off.
You can blame each other later, okay?
We need to find the funeral home
that this guy is operating out of
before he kills somebody else.
CURTIS: Megan!
The cavity fluid you turned up
is a brand the FDA
banned eight years ago.
No active funeral home
is using this stuff.
So maybe he's using
a shuttered facility.
I'll call in for a list.
Slow your roll, Columbo. I got this.
There's only one
closed funeral home still standing.
And it's less than a mile
from five college campuses.
TOMMY: There's no way I can talk you
into staying outside
until we get the building cleared,
is there?
Not if the Finley boy
is possibly alive inside.
Listen, Brian Ellis
was harvested after two days.
Michael Finley has been gone
for a week.
Let's go.
MEGAN: Oh, God. Finley.
Building's empty.
Harvester must have left.
You knew he was going
to be dead, right?
But I hoped he wasn't.
- Detective?
- Yeah.
You need to see what's out back.
TOMMY: The guy's not just carving up
bodies for cash.
He's a serial killer.
He's figured out a way
to monetize his psychopathy.
That's a new one.
Sick and enterprising.
If he was just
preying on college kids for cash,
his victims would be more diverse.
These are all young males.
Same height, same build,
same hair color.
MEGAN: Except for Brian Ellis.
He's got brown hair.
All the others were blond.
Could mean something.
Could mean nothing.
We won't know until we find out
exactly what makes this guy tick.
Why risk the exposure
by selling the tissue of your victims?
You said he thinks he's clever.
He's probably daring us
to try to catch him.
Look what I found.
Gotta be at least 60 grand in here.
Probably the money
from his last harvest.
Gonna make it harder for him to run.
No.
He's probably got
multiple harvesting licenses.
All he's got to do to bring in cash,
harvest another victim.
TOMMY: You find anything beautiful
about this, Doc?
No.
Can I ask you a question?
Sure.
What are you still doing here?
This isn't a health crisis anymore.
It's a police matter.
I'm invested in the outcome.
What outcome?
The outcome of this case.
What else could I possibly mean?
You're a smart guy, Doc.
You can figure that out.
Cause of death was the same
in every victim.
(SIGHS) Exsanguination due to
laceration of the carotid artery.
So he cut their throats?
They bled out in under a minute.
But he didn't kill them right away.
He tortured them first.
From the bruising around the neck
and the petechial hemorrhaging,
I'd say he manually strangled them
to the point of asphyxiation
multiple times before ending their lives.
Why in the hell would he do that?
Make him feel powerful.
Bring them to death's door,
spare them,
literally hold their lives in his hands.
How long did he keep them alive?
Somewhere between 10 and 12 hours.
I got something.
Remember the clean blood sample
that the harvester sent to Bio-Gen?
Well, I wondered where he got it.
So I started to think,
"Maybe it was his own blood."
So I ran DNA on it.
Ethan, if you found this guy,
I will kiss you.
- Really? 'Cause...
- MEGAN: Ethan.
Right. No. It didn't ID the killer.
But it did match a college student
that went missing over a year ago.
In Arizona.
STAFFORD: Arizona?
So what, this guy's been harvesting
bodies across the country?
Looks like it.
Wait. I've seen Arizona
somewhere in this case.
Where?
Brian Ellis' roommate, Mason Geary.
He transferred here
from a school in Arizona.
Excuse me. Can you help me?
I can't seem to get this to turn.
Sure.
Thank you.
(CRACKLES)
(GRUNTS)
TOMMY: Victim's name
is Shawn Asher.
He left soccer practice at 7:30,
never made it back to his dorm room.
We traced his cell phone
to a garbage can on campus.
Mason must have dumped it
knowing we'd use it to find him.
He fits the profile.
Athletic, blond, young.
Just like the rest of his victims.
Except for Brian Ellis.
Now our assumption is that Brian
started to catch on
to some of his roommate's activity,
Mason had to kill him,
set up the abduction scenario,
made it look as real as possible.
Any ideas as to why Mason
is so focused on this type of victim?
Officer Dunn, you know more
about this than I do.
Mason Geary was a foster kid
who grew up
bouncing from home to home.
According to social services,
when Mason was eight,
he was regularly brutalized
by the biological son
of his foster parents.
A blond college athlete living at home
who enjoyed beating
the crap out of Mason.
Part of that abuse involved
strangling him into unconsciousness.
I see.
And by the time social services
found out about it,
and moved him to a different home,
the damage had already been done.
How did he learn about harvesting?
An anatomy class at Arizona Tech.
Harvesting tissue
was part of the curriculum.
That's just great. Okay.
He's not gonna kill Shawn
and then harvest him. He's got a ritual.
He'll strangle him repeatedly
before cutting his throat,
and he needs a safe place
to perform that.
I agree.
And the clock already started
ticking on this ritual two hours ago.
We got a very short window to figure out
where this safe place is
and to stop Shawn Asher from
becoming the harvester's next victim.
(MAN WHIMPERS)
(CHAINS RATTLING)
(PANTS)
Oh, God.
(EXHALES)
- Are you all right?
- No, I'm not.
I need to find that kid. Alive.
I cannot look at another dead boy today.
(INHALES)
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
(HUFFS)
(PANTS)
(CRYING)
Now you know how it feels
to be powerless.
And scared.
(COUGHS)
(GRUNTS)
- Did you find anything?
- Nothing yet.
We're running out of time.
- Wait a second.
- What is it?
It's a pay stub.
Mason had a short-term job
doing night security
at a campus storage facility.
This has got to be where
he's keeping Shawn Asher.
Come on. Let's go.
(GRUNTING)
It's time to die now, Shawn.
Don't be sad.
(CRYING)
You're about to become
so much more than you are.
Drop the scalpel.
(WHIMPERS)
You're not gonna shoot me.
(WHIMPERS)
One flick of my wrist
and Shawn's carotid artery is severed.
- He bleeds out in seconds.
- (CRYING)
You ever heard of
the medulla oblongata, Mason?
It's where your spine
connects to your brain stem.
In sniper school we call it the apricot.
You clip that with a bullet
and it's lights out.
If you're trying to scare me,
it's not gonna work.
No, I'm not trying to scare you.
I'm just telling you, the only one
who's gonna bleed out in here,
is you.
(WHIMPERS)
(GUNSHOT)
You're gonna be all right, Shawn.
- You okay, Shawn? You all right? Okay.
- (PANTING)
Hold onto me. Hold onto me.
Can you walk? Come on. Try to walk.
STAFFORD: I spoke to the mayor.
I told him how impressed I was
with you and your entire staff.
Having you on the job
makes my life a lot easier.
Thank you.
And I hope we can keep calling on you
whenever we need an expert virologist.
Yeah, get you out from behind
that desk that you love so much.
Well, I look forward to that.
- Mmm.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Hey, anybody here
drive a blue convertible?
I do. Why?
It's being towed.
Aw, come on!
(SCOFFS)
MEGAN: Uh, wait, hold up, Charlie.
I'll give you a ride to the impound.
STAFFORD: Oh.
I'll buy you dinner.
Okay. It's a deal.
Hmm.
That didn't work out
quite the way you planned, did it?
No.
It hasn't.
- Hey.
- Hey.
That was some fancy shooting earlier.
Oh, thanks.
But deep down
you're probably wondering,
what would've happened
if I'd missed, right?
No. You don't strike me
as a guy who misses.
You got a first name, Officer Dunn?
Riley.
Do you like hockey?
Sure. Who doesn't?
I got two tickets to
a Flyers game, Friday.
I don't know if you're interested.
I'd love to.
(CHUCKLES)
(FILTERED VOICE) Couple of airlocks.
One here, one here.
Dr. Charlie Stafford,
Centers for Disease Control.
It's said that I don't play well
with others.
Have you met Megan Hunt?
You're making a big mistake.
You need our help.
I put my life on the line to save people.
Then you should take advantage
of what's standing right in front of you.
Is that Grandpa?
You should have this.
What is this? A suicide note?
You hid this all these years?
What's this?
It's my father's suicide note.
I need you to run it through the lab.
Why?
Because I don't believe a word
in that note.
My father did not kill himself.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(LIGHT BULB BUZZING)
(SIGHS)
(DOOR CREAKS OPEN)
Hello?
Who's there?
(SIGHS)
This isn't funny.
I'm calling the police.
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
(GROWLING)
(WHIMPERS AND PANTS)
(GROWLING)
- (MAN GROANS)
- No!
(GROWLING)
No!
(GROWLS)
(MAN SHRIEKS)
(WOMAN SCREAMING)
That's very impressive.
Hey. I was just gonna call you.
But you decided
to service your weapon instead?
Yes, sometimes it's all a guy's got.
- (CHUCKLES)
- But something tells me you came here
to talk about something
besides my gun.
(EXHALES) I, um, was just wondering
if you got the handwriting analysis back
on my father's note.
Yup. It came back this afternoon.
I wanted to follow up with the guy
before I got with you on it.
Why, what did it say?
The handwriting was a match.
Your father definitely wrote the note.
But?
Well, the analyst said
there were indications
that the note was written under duress.
- Now, look, Megan...
- (BLOWS AIR) Okay.
The definition of someone who is
suicidal, means they're under duress.
(STAMMERING) What about
the forensics?
I'm gonna push them as fast as I can.
Tommy, I need to know this. I...
- I know. You can count on me.
- Okay.
Okay. Thanks.
Megan, uh,
the reason I was gonna call you
was I scored a couple of tickets
to the Flyers game on Friday.
I wanted to know
if you'd like to go with me.
Why would you think
I'd want to go to a hockey game?
It's cold, there's a lot of blood.
It's right up your alley.
(LAUGHS) I will pass. Ask Adam.
No, I can't. He's gone to some
bachelor party in Las Vegas.
This isn't about the hockey game.
I'm asking you out.
(SIGHS)
Tommy, don't.
Because of something
that happened 20 years ago?
No. Because...
Uh, you and me?
(CHUCKLES)
Not a good idea.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
(SECOND CELL PHONE BUZZES)
Megan Hunt.
Tommy Sullivan.
WOMAN: Victim's name
is Melanie Summer.
She's a preschool teacher
over at Little Tree.
Looks like she was torn apart
by an animal.
Or a zombie.
MEGAN: I'd say he was all too human.
That's a fingernail.
Had to be on drugs
to create this level of mayhem,
not even care that your fingernails
were tearing out.
Maybe it was bath salts.
Those things really screw you up.
Such a waste.
TOMMY: You know,
this level of violence,
the killer would have been
covered in blood.
Yet, there's none of it
in the hallway outside.
None in any of the other rooms, either.
It's all centered in here.
So how did he get away?
It's like he vanished into thin air.
TOMMY: Oh, so he's
a magical zombie?
I never said that.
That window's open.
No way. We're on the third floor.
WOMAN: That's quite a jump.
From the blood smears,
looks like he broke his leg.
Dragged it behind him
as he hobbled away.
Stay on your toes.
(GROWLING)
What the hell is that?
Police!
Show yourself!
Maybe we should wait for SWAT.
(CLICKS UP AND DOWN)
(GASPS)
(EXHALES)
(GROWLS)
(GUN CLATTERS)
(GRUNTING)
(GROWLING)
(GROANS IN PAIN)
(GROWLS)
- (SHRIEKS)
- (GUNSHOT)
(TOMMY GROANS)
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
- (EXHALES)
- Tommy? You all right?
(PANTING)
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
WOMAN: He's the building super.
Name's Seth Boylan.
According to neighbors,
he was the nicest guy in the world.
Nice guys don't try to eat people.
See. What'd I tell you? Zombie.
And you got bit, so you're next.
Knock it off, Ethan.
Human bites can be
extremely dangerous.
Especially from someone
as sick as Boylan is.
TOMMY: Did you say sick?
I thought he was just on drugs.
See this foam
crusted around his mouth?
Looks like rabies.
The virus causes the body
to overproduce saliva.
It also explains his extreme aggression
and hallucinatory behavior.
He probably only had
a few days left to live.
Rabies is fatal?
(HUFFS)
Rabies is one of the most
fatal viruses in the world.
Which means you're gonna
need some shots.
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
(KEYBOARD KEYS CLICKING)
Hey, I got to ask. What was it like?
What was what like?
Being attacked by a zombie.
Rabies have been around
since the dawn of man, okay,
and many think its symptomatology
is what inspired Romero to
create Night of the Living Dead.
So I figure what you went through
was as close to a real zombie attack
as any of us
could ever hope to experience.
Don't you have
any medical stuff to do, or...
You know, many people tell me that I'd
be the first to die in a zombie outbreak,
it's not true.
They're wrong.
I have exceptional survival skills.
Keen situational instincts
that alert me
to even the slightest hint of danger.
What do those instincts
tell you right now?
I'm gonna go help Curtis in the exam.
Sorry.
Ready for your shots?
There are other doctors
in Philly, you know.
You're the only one I trust.
(GROANS)
On second thought...
Don't be such a baby.
Rabies shots used to go in the stomach
with a 6-inch needle, 23 of them.
Now it's just five shots over a week.
What?
- What do you mean?
- It's antibiotics.
It goes in the butt.
- You serious?
- Mmm-hmm.
You know,
if you wanted to see my naked butt,
you could've said yes
to the Flyers game.
Why? Do you pull your pants down
at sporting events?
(GROANS) Sadly, you'll never know
- 'cause I have another date.
- (CHUCKLES)
Someone who appreciates
my childlike spirit.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
We've got trouble.
I've been over Boylan's body
with a magnifying glass
and can't find a single bite mark.
What's the problem?
Because rabies is almost
always transmitted by bite.
Especially in humans.
Then how did he get it?
What if the virus has mutated
into a more virulent form?
I mean, this could be passed as easily
as the common cold.
We could be headed towards
an I Am Legend-
post-apocalyptic-hell-pocalypse.
Are you on drugs?
Allergy medication.
Ethan, there is no evidence
of that kind of mutation.
Rabies is a fairly stable zoonotic virus.
But mutation isn't impossible.
Yeah, viruses mutate all the time.
But if the rabies virus had already
mutated to become more infectious,
we'd see more victims.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
Good morning.
Hey, Frank. Good morning.
How are you today?
Be better if I was still asleep.
(GRUNTS)
- Whoa!
- (GROWLING)
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTS) Get him off!
(HYDRAULICS HISS)
(REVS ENGINE)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(TIRES SQUEAL)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(TIRES SQUEAL)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
MEGAN: Symptoms appear identical.
KATE: Any bite marks?
Not that I could see.
We'll know more after a full exam.
KATE: We should consider
making a statement.
It's too soon for that.
But not too soon to call
the new health commissioner.
(LAUGHS) Stafford.
It's good to see you again, Megan.
Wish it were better circumstances.
Who are you kidding?
An outbreak is your favorite
kind of circumstance.
Kate's already briefed me
on the possible rabies mutation,
and I'd like to close the door on it,
but there's a new strain of the virus
that's being passed
from foxes and skunks.
It's transmitted passively.
Without biting?
Yes. I'm sorry, who are you?
- Oh...
- Tommy Sullivan. Philly PD.
Right. The man who put
the bullet hole in Mr. Boylan's head.
Was that really necessary?
The guy tore up a girl.
He was gonna do the same thing to me.
Of course he did. He was very sick.
He couldn't control his actions.
Well, I'll tell you want,
the next rabid lunatic pops up,
I'll send him your way.
Dr. Stafford is here
to prevent the next attack.
So why don't we get
Mr. Chen's autopsy started
so we can pull the brain
and get a section for you to examine.
That sounds good to me.
- I've been stuck behind a desk too long.
- (LAUGHS)
I want to get back to doing what I love.
Looking at viruses
- under a microscope.
- (LAUGHS)
I bet that got you
seriously laid in college.
What was that?
The guy thinks I'm insensitive
to the needs of rabid cannibals.
I don't know. Are you?
Megan, who cares?
Tommy, we need this guy.
So zip it up and play nice.
For once.
MEGAN: Norman Chen, 38-year-old
Asian-American male.
Severe blunt force trauma
to the right lateral chest,
abdomen and pelvis.
As with Seth Boylan,
he reportedly exhibited signs
of agitation and hallucination
similar to the furious rabies virus.
STAFFORD: Oh, it's definitely rabies.
Those bullet-shaped virions
don't look like anything else.
Hello, beautiful.
- You admire them?
- (HUFFS) Of course I do.
Rabies is the oldest virus
known to man.
Aristotle wrote about it in 300 B.C.
Totally unique,
doesn't enter the body
through the bloodstream.
Travels through the nervous system.
Is that why the incubation times
vary so wildly?
Exactly.
Anywhere from a few days
to several years.
It depends on
how close to the brain the bite is,
and how fast the infection
travels through the neurons.
And when it reaches the brain,
it spreads like wild fire.
Yeah. Aggression redlines,
inhibitions disappear,
salivation increases.
And then comes the hydrophobia.
Fear of water?
(SCOFFS) More than just a fear.
At the height of the infection,
a rabies victim
will react violently
to the sight or sound of water.
They vomit, lash out,
they go into convulsions.
At that point,
they only got a few days left to live.
Yeah, and those days
are spent in madness.
With the disease trying to pass itself on
through spasms
of aggression and biting.
So cool.
It's good to have you back, Stafford.
Excuse me for a sec.
What are you doing here?
Murray and Wasik
ran down the information
you asked for on the rabies victims.
I volunteered to bring it over
after my shift.
I wanted to check on you.
- She's hot, huh?
- Excuse me?
You feel responsible
for what happened?
A little.
Don't. It was my call to split up.
(EXHALES)
So what did they bring in on our vic?
You think I read their report
on the way over?
Are you saying you didn't?
Chen and Boylan couldn't have led
more different lives.
There's no single apparent
connection between them,
geographically or socially.
So how the hell they both get infected?
In theory, there's someone else out
there carrying the disease.
The index case, or patient zero.
Chen and Boylan
got it from him independently.
Index case?
You're pretty smart for a cop.
Can you say that a little louder?
(LAUGHS)
- Thanks for bringing this over.
- Sure.
What'd she have?
Some info on Chen and Boylan.
Apparently they're not related.
I told her there must be a patient zero
running around out there somewhere.
There is no patient zero.
The rabies virus these gentlemen have
is the standard virus.
No mutation whatsoever.
Then how the hell did he get infected
if he wasn't bitten?
STAFFORD: I'll have to do
some more tests.
- Wait. Hold on.
- What is it?
Traces of gauze and adhesive.
I saw it earlier.
An eye patch?
He must have ripped it off
in the throes of the infection.
I believe that Mr. Chen
has had a recent cornea transplant.
Of course. What about Boylan?
TOMMY: Wait, what's going on?
Skin graft to protect a burn.
I noted it during autopsy.
That explains everything.
Including the accelerated
incubation period.
Could you guys please tell me
what you're talking about?
We know how both men
contracted rabies.
Diseased donor tissue.
Both Boylan's skin graft
and Chen's new cornea.
So there's an organ donor
out there who's got rabies?
No. Organ transplants
come from the living.
Tissue transplants from cadavers.
Things like corneas, skin, tendons.
Heart valves, veins, even bones.
All of these are harvested from bodies
after they're dead
and then transplanted
into living patients.
So instead of patient zero,
we're talking about cadaver zero?
Right.
But just to be clear,
this is a good thing, right?
Wrong.
A single infected cadaver
could contaminate
hundreds of transplant recipients,
all unaware
that they've just contracted rabies.
Which means there could be hundreds
of walking time bombs out there
just waiting to go off.
We've issued warnings
to all the local medical facilities.
The problem is
that cadaver zero's infected tissue
could have been shipped to clinics,
hospitals all over the country.
Is there some kind of
oversight agency that could help?
In theory, it's the FDA.
The reality is tissue harvesting
is a barely regulated industry.
In order to become
a licensed harvester,
all you have to do
is fill out a form online.
It takes the FDA years to check it out,
they're so backed up.
About two million products
derived from human tissue
are sold in the US alone every year.
Yeah, the cash is ridiculous.
You can profit &100,000
on one cadaver.
I'm in the wrong line of work.
We got to find a way
to locate that tissue.
Every hour that passes
reduces our chances
of stopping a rabies outbreak.
You know, we could test the DNA
on the transplanted cornea.
Cadaver zero's tissue
is still in the transplant.
Exactly, and then we just have to hope
the DNA is already in CODIS.
That's brilliant.
(CHUCKLES) Eh, just a little.
Looks like the doctors
who treated Chen and Boylan
received their tissue
from the same source.
A company called
Bio-Gen, Incorporated.
All right, time for a house call.
You want to come?
No. I'm gonna stick here with Charlie
and follow up on that DNA lead.
No, I know he's got plenty
of important stuff to do.
He's gotta run
a health department, right?
No. No, actually right here
is the best place for me right now.
Right.
Well, you should definitely
have a doctor with you at Bio-Gen.
I'm coming along. I'll get my stuff.
Good luck.
Good hunting.
So, what's the deal
with Stafford, anyway?
What do you mean?
He's the health commissioner.
And you really should try not
to antagonize the guy.
He's kind of a tool.
Why does Megan like him?
Well, she didn't at first.
They butted heads when the CDC
sent him in on the Marburg outbreak.
But I guess
working together bonded them.
What do you mean they bonded?
You know how Megan always thinks
she's the smartest person in the room?
Well, Stafford challenges her,
it makes her raise her game.
Women like that.
(STAFFORD) Ooh.
Nice.
So what's the deal
with Officer Bad Ass?
Tommy?
Um...
He's a little rough around the edges,
but he's good at what he does.
Seems a little trigger happy to me.
He takes things personally.
It's his weakness and his strength.
From what I remember,
you take things personally, too.
Are you saying
that Tommy and I are alike?
No. You're much better looking.
(CHUCKLES)
Get this to the lab. They're expecting it.
So how the hell
did you end up health commissioner?
You never struck me
as the bureaucratic type.
Well, a year ago
I would've agreed with you.
Then I realized how much good I can do
by formulating the state's health policy.
(IMITATES SNORING)
(CHUCKLES) Okay, fine.
It, uh...
It has been a bit of an adjustment.
A big one. But it's fulfilling.
Although it's been pretty nice
getting back in the trenches,
with you.
MAN: There must be some mistake.
Our tissue can't have been the source
of this rabies infection.
Every cadaver that we harvest
has its blood tested
for infectious diseases.
Rabies isn't present in the blood,
so a blood test is useless.
Well, that is all the FDA mandates.
Why don't you tell that
to the parents of the young woman
who was murdered
because of your infected tissue?
The most important thing right now
is to make sure
that no one else is infected.
So we need to know exactly
where the rest of that tissue went.
It didn't go anywhere.
Thank God.
Cadaver zero's tissue is right in here.
We're going to need to take it with us.
I can get a warrant if I have to.
That won't be necessary.
What's she doing?
A body without bones
could be disturbing for the families.
So they replace them with PVC pipe.
That's just so wrong.
Here it is. Cadaver zero's
blood sample and tissue.
Great. Now we just need
his name and vital information.
I'm afraid I don't actually have that.
- What the hell do you mean?
- You have to understand,
the demand for harvested tissue
is at a record high.
My in-house personnel
are overwhelmed,
so I outsource some of
my harvesting to subcontractors.
They hustle their own cadavers,
they harvest the bodies offsite,
then they sell the tissue to me.
Cadaver zero is one of those.
And you didn't require an ID
for the body?
Of course we did. There are forms.
But when I pulled the paperwork,
it was incomplete.
- (SCOFFS)
- Somebody should have noticed.
They didn't, and I apologize.
You apologize? Three people are dead.
I'm close to bringing you in
as an accessory.
This is a simple clerical error.
I can give you the person
who harvested the body.
His name is Ken Dobannis.
There's a copy
of his harvesting license in my office
and his address will be on it.
(TOMMY SIGHS)
KATE: Clearly the address on
Ken Dobannis' license is a fake.
I got a bad feeling about this.
We got a problem.
The lab found a match
on cadaver zero's DNA.
He's a 21 -year-old college student
named Brian Ellis.
When did he die?
No idea.
What do you mean?
It's a matter of public record.
Brian Ellis is currently listed
as a missing person.
According to police, he was abducted
off the streets three weeks ago.
Now call me crazy, but I think this kid
was murdered for parts.
I can't believe he's really dead.
We think he had rabies
when he was abducted.
Were you aware that he was bitten?
Yeah. A stray dog, a few weeks before.
But the bite wasn't bad
and it's not like
he had money to go to the doctor.
Police report says
that you were both drinking
the night he was taken.
Yeah. As we were walking home,
Brian thought we were being followed
by a black car.
It sped off as soon as I turned around.
Brian said he saw it earlier
on the way to the bar.
We laughed it off as paranoia.
I stopped to throw up,
and he went on ahead.
Suddenly, he was screaming my name.
And as I came around the corner,
he was gone.
The black car was speeding away.
Okay, here's what we got.
Brian Ellis was abducted off the streets
by a black car,
make and model unknown.
Two days later,
Bio-Gen purchased Ellis' tissue
from a licensed subcontractor
named Ken Dobannis.
TOMMY: Now,
the harvesting license is real,
but the name and address
used to obtain it, are not.
WOMAN: So this Dobannis guy
kidnapped and killed Ellis
for his tissue?
Plenty of people have been killed
for a lot less
than the &100,000 a body can generate.
Well, a young male like Ellis,
that could generate
a lot more than 100 grand.
Young bodies,
they're harder to come by.
Not if you kill them yourself.
KATE: Why target Ellis?
I mean, according to his roommate,
the car had been following them
earlier in the evening.
So he was clearly targeted.
But why not just go after
somebody who's walking alone?
That's a good question.
We've been picking apart his life
trying to find an answer to that.
Why Ken Dobannis?
TOMMY: What do you mean?
It's a particular name.
Why not Joe Smith or Tom Jackson?
STAFFORD: You think
it has some significance?
Well, he's not stupid enough
to pick a name that'll lead us to him.
He's not stupid. I think he's very clever.
So clever he wants us to know it.
An anagram.
Exactly.
(CHUCKLES)
"Skin and bone."
How can my department help?
Well, the ME's office has Ellis' remains.
What are the odds that this harvester
left some trace evidence
that'll lead us back to him?
It's a long shot, but we'll do our best.
All right, we've got work to do.
I've got a feeling Brian Ellis
is just the tip of the iceberg.
(PLASTIC CRINKLING)
MEGAN: I found something anomalous.
Traces of high index cavity fluid
on the leg bones harvested
from Brian's body.
But cavity fluid's
only used for embalming.
Exactly. Any type of formaldehyde
would degrade the tissue
being harvested.
Add to that the fact
that at Brian's abduction site,
there was a hearse,
I think this guy harvested Brian Ellis
at a funeral home.
So Brian Ellis wasn't the only one
who was harvested there.
Five male college students
in the last two months
in the Philadelphia area
have been reported missing,
including one who disappeared
a week ago
by the name of Michael Finley.
Why didn't the police
make the connection?
There's no evidence of foul play.
College students aren't known
for being particularly stable.
That's no excuse.
Your failure to connect those dots
allowed this killer to prey
on young men with impunity.
You believe that,
you're not living in reality.
Hey, boys, knock it off.
You can blame each other later, okay?
We need to find the funeral home
that this guy is operating out of
before he kills somebody else.
CURTIS: Megan!
The cavity fluid you turned up
is a brand the FDA
banned eight years ago.
No active funeral home
is using this stuff.
So maybe he's using
a shuttered facility.
I'll call in for a list.
Slow your roll, Columbo. I got this.
There's only one
closed funeral home still standing.
And it's less than a mile
from five college campuses.
TOMMY: There's no way I can talk you
into staying outside
until we get the building cleared,
is there?
Not if the Finley boy
is possibly alive inside.
Listen, Brian Ellis
was harvested after two days.
Michael Finley has been gone
for a week.
Let's go.
MEGAN: Oh, God. Finley.
Building's empty.
Harvester must have left.
You knew he was going
to be dead, right?
But I hoped he wasn't.
- Detective?
- Yeah.
You need to see what's out back.
TOMMY: The guy's not just carving up
bodies for cash.
He's a serial killer.
He's figured out a way
to monetize his psychopathy.
That's a new one.
Sick and enterprising.
If he was just
preying on college kids for cash,
his victims would be more diverse.
These are all young males.
Same height, same build,
same hair color.
MEGAN: Except for Brian Ellis.
He's got brown hair.
All the others were blond.
Could mean something.
Could mean nothing.
We won't know until we find out
exactly what makes this guy tick.
Why risk the exposure
by selling the tissue of your victims?
You said he thinks he's clever.
He's probably daring us
to try to catch him.
Look what I found.
Gotta be at least 60 grand in here.
Probably the money
from his last harvest.
Gonna make it harder for him to run.
No.
He's probably got
multiple harvesting licenses.
All he's got to do to bring in cash,
harvest another victim.
TOMMY: You find anything beautiful
about this, Doc?
No.
Can I ask you a question?
Sure.
What are you still doing here?
This isn't a health crisis anymore.
It's a police matter.
I'm invested in the outcome.
What outcome?
The outcome of this case.
What else could I possibly mean?
You're a smart guy, Doc.
You can figure that out.
Cause of death was the same
in every victim.
(SIGHS) Exsanguination due to
laceration of the carotid artery.
So he cut their throats?
They bled out in under a minute.
But he didn't kill them right away.
He tortured them first.
From the bruising around the neck
and the petechial hemorrhaging,
I'd say he manually strangled them
to the point of asphyxiation
multiple times before ending their lives.
Why in the hell would he do that?
Make him feel powerful.
Bring them to death's door,
spare them,
literally hold their lives in his hands.
How long did he keep them alive?
Somewhere between 10 and 12 hours.
I got something.
Remember the clean blood sample
that the harvester sent to Bio-Gen?
Well, I wondered where he got it.
So I started to think,
"Maybe it was his own blood."
So I ran DNA on it.
Ethan, if you found this guy,
I will kiss you.
- Really? 'Cause...
- MEGAN: Ethan.
Right. No. It didn't ID the killer.
But it did match a college student
that went missing over a year ago.
In Arizona.
STAFFORD: Arizona?
So what, this guy's been harvesting
bodies across the country?
Looks like it.
Wait. I've seen Arizona
somewhere in this case.
Where?
Brian Ellis' roommate, Mason Geary.
He transferred here
from a school in Arizona.
Excuse me. Can you help me?
I can't seem to get this to turn.
Sure.
Thank you.
(CRACKLES)
(GRUNTS)
TOMMY: Victim's name
is Shawn Asher.
He left soccer practice at 7:30,
never made it back to his dorm room.
We traced his cell phone
to a garbage can on campus.
Mason must have dumped it
knowing we'd use it to find him.
He fits the profile.
Athletic, blond, young.
Just like the rest of his victims.
Except for Brian Ellis.
Now our assumption is that Brian
started to catch on
to some of his roommate's activity,
Mason had to kill him,
set up the abduction scenario,
made it look as real as possible.
Any ideas as to why Mason
is so focused on this type of victim?
Officer Dunn, you know more
about this than I do.
Mason Geary was a foster kid
who grew up
bouncing from home to home.
According to social services,
when Mason was eight,
he was regularly brutalized
by the biological son
of his foster parents.
A blond college athlete living at home
who enjoyed beating
the crap out of Mason.
Part of that abuse involved
strangling him into unconsciousness.
I see.
And by the time social services
found out about it,
and moved him to a different home,
the damage had already been done.
How did he learn about harvesting?
An anatomy class at Arizona Tech.
Harvesting tissue
was part of the curriculum.
That's just great. Okay.
He's not gonna kill Shawn
and then harvest him. He's got a ritual.
He'll strangle him repeatedly
before cutting his throat,
and he needs a safe place
to perform that.
I agree.
And the clock already started
ticking on this ritual two hours ago.
We got a very short window to figure out
where this safe place is
and to stop Shawn Asher from
becoming the harvester's next victim.
(MAN WHIMPERS)
(CHAINS RATTLING)
(PANTS)
Oh, God.
(EXHALES)
- Are you all right?
- No, I'm not.
I need to find that kid. Alive.
I cannot look at another dead boy today.
(INHALES)
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
(HUFFS)
(PANTS)
(CRYING)
Now you know how it feels
to be powerless.
And scared.
(COUGHS)
(GRUNTS)
- Did you find anything?
- Nothing yet.
We're running out of time.
- Wait a second.
- What is it?
It's a pay stub.
Mason had a short-term job
doing night security
at a campus storage facility.
This has got to be where
he's keeping Shawn Asher.
Come on. Let's go.
(GRUNTING)
It's time to die now, Shawn.
Don't be sad.
(CRYING)
You're about to become
so much more than you are.
Drop the scalpel.
(WHIMPERS)
You're not gonna shoot me.
(WHIMPERS)
One flick of my wrist
and Shawn's carotid artery is severed.
- He bleeds out in seconds.
- (CRYING)
You ever heard of
the medulla oblongata, Mason?
It's where your spine
connects to your brain stem.
In sniper school we call it the apricot.
You clip that with a bullet
and it's lights out.
If you're trying to scare me,
it's not gonna work.
No, I'm not trying to scare you.
I'm just telling you, the only one
who's gonna bleed out in here,
is you.
(WHIMPERS)
(GUNSHOT)
You're gonna be all right, Shawn.
- You okay, Shawn? You all right? Okay.
- (PANTING)
Hold onto me. Hold onto me.
Can you walk? Come on. Try to walk.
STAFFORD: I spoke to the mayor.
I told him how impressed I was
with you and your entire staff.
Having you on the job
makes my life a lot easier.
Thank you.
And I hope we can keep calling on you
whenever we need an expert virologist.
Yeah, get you out from behind
that desk that you love so much.
Well, I look forward to that.
- Mmm.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Hey, anybody here
drive a blue convertible?
I do. Why?
It's being towed.
Aw, come on!
(SCOFFS)
MEGAN: Uh, wait, hold up, Charlie.
I'll give you a ride to the impound.
STAFFORD: Oh.
I'll buy you dinner.
Okay. It's a deal.
Hmm.
That didn't work out
quite the way you planned, did it?
No.
It hasn't.
- Hey.
- Hey.
That was some fancy shooting earlier.
Oh, thanks.
But deep down
you're probably wondering,
what would've happened
if I'd missed, right?
No. You don't strike me
as a guy who misses.
You got a first name, Officer Dunn?
Riley.
Do you like hockey?
Sure. Who doesn't?
I got two tickets to
a Flyers game, Friday.
I don't know if you're interested.
I'd love to.
(CHUCKLES)