CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–2015): Season 1, Episode 14 - To Halve and to Hold - full transcript
A human bone is found in the desert accidentally by a dog playing fetch with a man and his son. Grissom and Catherine assemble a team to comb the area for more bones. Back at the lab, they piece together the skeleton and determine that body was cut to pieces. From his teeth, the deceased is identified as a 70-year-old Mel Bennett. Catherine and Grissom pay a visit to his wife, who claims that her husband is at a nearby store. Sara and Warrick are called to a motel where a male stripper is found dead on the bed. The room is registered to a woman who recently threw a bachelorette party for her friend.
Come on, Sky.
Sky, come on.
Go get it, Sky!
Come on, Sky.
Bring it back, Sky.
Bring it back, Sky.
Good girl.
That's not Sky's stick.
What do you
have here, Sky?
Come here, girl.
What'd you get, here?
What is it, Dad?
Nothing... it's just...
uh, just an old bone
probably from a dead
animal or something.
It's a tibia...
or most of a tibia.
How long you think
it's been out here?
Well, long enough
for the animals
to pick it clean.
And long enough
for the elements
to have washed
away any evidence.
Evidence of what?
Well, it is a leg bone
and my guess is
that it didn't walk
out here by itself.
Well, it could have been
a hiker who got lost.
It's interesting to me
how you always
expect the worst.
You see, that way,
I'm never disappointed.
And then sometimes
I'm nicely surprised.
So, can we call it
a crime scene?
Potential crime scene.
Did you know that
there's 206 bones
in the human body?
Yes, Professor,
I, too, took Osteology.
Well, 205 more
bones and we have
a complete skeleton.
If we find the rest,
then we can determine
whether or not
it was a murder.
Well, I feel it in
every one of my 206 bones
that this was a murder.
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¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Who, who, who, who? ¶
¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Who, who, who, who? ¶
¶ I really wanna know ¶
¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Oh-oh-oh ¶
¶ Who... ¶
¶ Come on, tell me who are you,
you, you ¶
¶ Oh, you! ¶
Okay, Catherine and I
are on the case
from Mount Charleston.
Nick, we could use
your help on that.
Outstanding.
So I just talked
with the academy.
We're getting an entire class
of cadets meeting
us there.
All you guys got to
go on is a bone?
Mm-hmm.
The tibia.
Where there's one
there's usually
another.
So, we'll do
a grid search
and we really could
use your friend,
Teri Miller.
I don't think
that's necessary.
Well, why not?
She's a forensic
anthropologist
specializes in bones
and, hello...
all we've got is a bone.
I know what she
specializes in.
If we hit a wall,
I'll call her.
Okay.
Sara, Warrick--
dead body in
the Lucky Seven Motel.
Is that the place
with that weird pool?
"Maid found dead male body
in a hotel room."
Any chance it's old age?
Guy's 23. No.
Sounds like a live one.
Let's go.
Stop!
Looks like a piece
of skull bone.
What are you doing?
Bones are porous.
They stick to the tongue.
This doesn't stick.
It's a piece of rock.
I-I hope you had
your Hepatitis-B shot.
Did you?
It could be a piece
of wrist bone.
Well, do you want
to suck it?
To be sure?
Flag man!
Flag!
Flag!
So... you thinking
what I'm thinking?
How amazing
the universe is.
Everything made
from the same carbon.
Stars to trees,
trucks to human bones.
Mmm... no.
I-I was thinking that we have
about 100 bone fragments.
We could I.D. this body
before the end of the shift.
Hmm.
Stars and trucks?
Only in Vegas.
Looks like somebody had
a par-tay.
Here's the wallet.
Couple 20s inside.
"Darren Pyne."
Dead at 23.
Sign of struggle.
I'll dust for prints.
Looks like he was whacked
over the head with this lamp.
Yeah.
One hit or there'd be blood.
Unless each hit
was to a different part
on his dome.
Who's the room registered to?
Well, you know, that would be
Celine Dion.
But, uh, the bill was charged
to the credit card
of a Lynn Henry,
Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
O'Riley, you think...
Right. Find out the last place
she used
her credit card.
I love those shoes.
You can wear
them again.
And we have to
get your veil.
We have to
get your veil.
Lynn Henry?
You know my name.
What's yours?
I'm Warrick Brown,
and this is Sara Sidle.
Hi.
We're with
the Las Vegas Crime Lab.
Crime lab?
About what?
Darren Pyne was found
dead in your motel room
at the Lucky Seven.
Did you know him?
Oh, my God.
Yes, I-I do know him.
Sort of.
Sort of?
Uh, we, we gave Meg
a bachelorette
party last night.
We hired a male dancer.
I didn't want my fiancé
to know
because he's staying
at this hotel.
So we rented
a room in a sort of
out-of-the-way
place.
So, Darren was the dancer?
Yeah, h-he arrived
around... 10:00?
Oh, my God!
Whoo!
If Steve could see me now.
No husbands tonight, ladies.
Or fiancés.
So, we left at 3:00,
he was totally fine.
He was danced out,
but definitely alive.
He didn't leave when you did?
No... uh, he asked
if he could stay
and the room was
already paid for,
so I didn't see a problem.
Lynn, how did you get
those bruises on your wrists?
Oh, my God!
I-I don't know.
I-I was totally
tipsy last night.
I mean, falling
all over everything.
All right.
We'll probably have
more questions
after the coroner completes
his autopsy.
If we need
to talk to you
can we reach you here?
Yes.
My wedding is tomorrow.
Whatever we can do to help.
Thanks.
Our card.
Ankle bone?
Medial malleolous?
Goes on the bottom
of the tibia?
That is correct...
according to this book.
I'll take toe bones
for 200, Alex.
"All the king's horses
and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty
Dumpty back together again."
Hmm.
Have we hit a wall yet?
No.
This was a man,
judging by the pelvic bone.
Hey, Nicky?
Yeah.
Let's post this on
the Dental Society database--
see if anyone responds.
Five times the length
of the humerus
means this guy was...
six feet tall.
But we don't
know his race
and we don't know
whether he was right-
or left-handed, yet.
Well, he was old--
there's some calcification
on the rib cartilage.
60, 70 years old, maybe.
Hmm.
Are the bones whispering to you?
Look at these jagged
marks on the bone.
Wait a minute.
This guy was chopped up.
That's murder.
Well, not necessarily.
Could have happened
postmortem.
You know, one of those
tractors up in the hills
or a mulching
machine, maybe.
A mulching machine?
How long do you plan
on ignoring the obvious?
A 70-year-old man
found in the mountains
with clear evidence
he was chopped to pieces.
That's a... homicide.
Well, you should check
for hemorrhagic tissue
at the bone's tool marks...
to be certain.
Teri.
Hi.
Thanks for coming, Teri.
I told you I was...
calling Teri...
...didn't I?
Anyway, what were
you saying about
hemorrhagic tissue?
It's blood in
the soft tissue.
If you find it,
it means
the guy was alive
when he was cut up.
Hmm.
Well, maybe you two
don't need me, after all.
I would never turn away
a scientist of your talent.
Uh, could I have a word
with you outside, please?
You bring in a specialist
without my approval?
And you don't
bring in one
possibly compromise
the case, because you
two had a relationship?
Relationship?
I hardly know that woman.
Oh... so I guess that
dopey look in your eye
when she's around
is just that.
Here's the deal--
we're using Cliff Notes
to put that skeleton
back together in there.
Teri is availing
her services.
You said she's the best,
but hey, if you want
me to send
her away...
Just...
check with me about
stuff like this, will you?
Right.
Sorry.
So, how'd we do?
Not bad.
Scaphoid... cuneiform.
However, this is a wrist bone
and this...
is a foot bone.
I'm glad you're here.
It looks like someone
in the Dental Society database
saw your posting.
Really?
Sid Tucker.
No way.
A local dentist?
He has records
that go back 30 years.
Move over.
"Hairline fissure
of the mandibular canine."
Oh, God,
why didn't I learn Latin?
It's lower level
third from the middle.
Better memory than you.
And...
our first character match.
"Overlapping left incisors."
That's the front teeth, right?
Two for two.
"Gold fillings."
Well, I know that.
He's got
gold fillings
in adjoining right molars
and interspersed in left molars.
Tell me
this is all we need.
Nolan Ryan pitches
another perfect game.
And the winner is...
Mel Bennett.
326 Franklin Street.
Date of birth
September 6, 1931.
He was 70.
An electric saw?
You sure?
Grooves from a
handsaw would be
straight, parallel.
Now look
at the grooves
along the medial
condyle of the femur.
They're coarse. See?
A reciprocating
electric saw
was used on this person.
Excuse me, um,
the person's name
is Mel Bennett.
We just confirmed it.
We're going to meet Brass
at the widow's house.
I got to go.
Thank you.
Nick, would you stay here
and work with Teri
on this soft tissue stuff?
She'll explain it to you.
Sure.
Our male dancer.
Multiple blows
to the head?
That's right.
And one of those blows
did enough damage
to cause cranial bleeding.
Any of your ladies mention
having sex with this victim?
No.
Just lap dances, nothing more.
I think the dance might
have been a bit more intimate.
Penile swab's back
from the lab.
Vaginal cells.
Looks like
fried eggs.
That's because
the cells are fresh.
Darren had sex
just before he died.
What's the estimated
time of death?
Midnight.
What?!
These ladies said he was alive
when they left him at 3:00 a.m.
Someone's lying.
I don't mean to be snippy
but we're already late
for my rehearsal dinner.
Dinner's going to have
to wait.
We have forensic proof
that Darren Powell
had sex with a woman
just before he died.
And as far as we can tell
you were the last three women
with him.
So, who's lying?
I have two small children
and a husband.
I can't be involved in this.
Joyce... shut up.
About what?
Lynn, does this have
anything to do
with the bruises on your wrists?
Hey, tell us
or tell the D.A.
Okay.
After the bachelorette party,
we left.
I forgot my purse,
so I ran back in to get it.
Let go of me. Let go!
No!
Get off!
Oh, no.
I told him no, but he just
wouldn't take no for an answer.
So he raped you.
That's how I got the bruises
on my wrists.
I didn't even
tell them
until we got back to the hotel.
Was Darren alive when you left?
Very... unfortunately.
So...
can we go now?
My fiancee
is already asking questions.
Yeah, you can go,
but Lynn, uh...
a car's going to take you
to the hospital for an exam.
An exam for what?
It's just standard procedure
for sexual assault.
Yes?
I'm Detective
Jim Brass--
Las Vegas Police Department.
Are you Mrs. Bennett?
Oh, yes.
Is this about my car plates?
I have them.
I just haven't had time
to put them on the car.
Actually,
Mrs. Bennett
we're here about
your husband, Mel.
Oh, well,
Mel isn't here right now.
Well, do you know
where he is?
Yes, he's at the store.
Is there a problem?
Mrs. Bennett, we're going
to ask you a few questions
down at the station.
But I haven't done anything.
She looks... distraught.
Well, is that because
she just found out
he's dead or...
because she got caught?
Interesting how people
catalog their lives.
50 years of marriage
on the wall.
Yeah, that's
a lot of years.
Maybe a few too many
for the missus.
Oh, I don't know.
These two
were good with each other.
It takes a bad marriage
to recognize a good one.
Well, not even
an aspirin.
Look at this.
This bathtub hasn't
been used lately.
Well, maybe she only uses
her other bathroom.
Tub's the most obvious place
to cut up a body
but I don't see anything
down there.
Try phenolphthalein?
Give me a swab.
Hmm...
How'd you guys do?
We found blood in the drain.
You find anything?
Just the murder weapon.
Cleaned, in the widow's garage.
Bone of a pig.
They are the most like
humans, as you know.
This saw matches the one Brass
found in Mrs. Bennett's garage?
Exact model.
No doubt about it.
The marks on this bone
are consistent
with the marks
on Mel Bennett's bones.
Exact same electric saw,
same blade.
Can you tell
us anything
about the operator?
You mean, Mrs. Bennett?
Oh, right.
Reserve judgment.
How someone operates
a saw is as telling as how
someone operates a pen.
Now look at the femur.
The skipping marks
of a saw over the bone
tell us whoever used the saw
was unfamiliar with its use.
An amateur, if you will.
Someone with a weakened nature,
compromised musculature.
What do you mean,
"It doesn't add up?"
Well, we're assuming
that a couple of lamp hits
to the head
killed Darren, right?
For now, yeah.
You read the Coroner's
final report.
There's no traces of that lamp
on his head at points of impact.
Yeah, but maybe
the materials didn't adhere.
Doesn't mean he wasn't hit
in the head with the lamp.
What are you looking for?
I don't know yet.
I'll let you know
when I find it.
Well, if you don't know,
I can't help you.
What is this?
What? What do you got?
Some something.
Where?
Right there.
Good job.
Tiniest diamond in the world.
Oh, you think so, huh?
No.
Diamonds cut glass.
This is some
cheap-ass cubic zirconia.
The bride-to-be's ring, maybe?
She was here.
Let's go ask her.
Why do you keep
asking me
these kinds of
questions?
Well, because someone killed
your husband, Mrs. Bennett...
and was strong
enough to wield
an electric
saw to do it.
But not so strong
as to make clean cuts.
I didn't kill Mel.
I loved him.
Why didn't you
report him missing?
I mean, were you used
to him leaving
or, did you fight much?
Never.
Never.
We had a perfect marriage.
Perfect.
And you failed
to report him missing
for seven months because...?
I don't like your tone,
young man.
Detective, you said I could have
an attorney at any time.
I think I'd like one now.
Oh, sure, Mrs.
Bennett, sure.
Just sign this
form, please.
Every time we go
to find these girls
they're somewhere else.
You sure you got
that address?
The desk clerk was
talking very quickly.
They talk faster
at the sports book.
What?
In the old days.
Oh.
You think we're dressed
for a wedding?
Yeah, not my wedding.
What?
Lynn Henry's
SART exam's in.
She lied to us.
At this point, I think all
those girls are lying to us.
All right, let's
call Homicide
tell them to
meet us there.
Let's put this to bed
before the honeymoon.
Sorry, Elvis, the wedding party
has to leave the building.
What?
Oh, my God.
What's going on?
All three of you ladies are
coming in for questioning
in the murder of Darren Pyne.
Murder?
Is this a joke?
The clock's going
to explain it all,
believe me.
The, the clock?
What, what clock?
Hey!
Hi.
Where you going?
I'm leaving.
Town?
Don't worry, I was able
to isolate some soft tissue
from the preserved vertebrae.
Nick's working
on it now.
Well, I'm going to go
check that out.
Teri...
you rule.
Thanks, Catherine.
Well...
have a safe trip.
Yeah.
I-I need to apologize for not
returning your call last month.
Teri, I admire your
dedication to your work.
Um, dedication
to my work
didn't keep me from
returning your call.
Oh.
It, it was nothing.
I-I-I just called to
see how you were doing.
Um... well...
Are you still interested
in how I'm doing?
Of course.
So...
what's next?
Mutilation in the Everglades.
Maybe it was just an alligator.
Yeah.
And if it's not, I'll be filing
for a change of address again.
Anyway...
I got to go.
Do you have to go?
I mean...
couldn't you take
a later flight?
More bones?
Have dinner with me later.
I think the bodies will keep.
See the tissue?
I do.
There's no evidence
of blood.
Yeah.
Tells us blood
was not pumping
through Mel Bennett's veins
when he was cut up.
Which means he
was already dead.
Yeah.
So, what does
that leave us?
A spectrum of
possibilities.
The universe.
Leaves me with a Black Widow.
We want to thank the crime lab
for discovering
that Mrs. Bennett's husband
was dead
when she disassembled him.
Disassembled him?
So she admits to taking
an electric saw to her husband?
After he was dead, yes.
As you know, in Nevada,
there's no law against
cutting up a dead body.
There's no law saying
it's okay, either.
Does your
client care
to tell us how
her husband
came to be dead?
Well, she has no idea.
She came home
from the grocer's
went into
the bathroom
and there he was in
the tub, deceased.
No.
I-I want to explain.
Briefly, Mrs. Bennett.
I couldn't afford the burial.
So I-I got the saw...
and I cut him
into manageable pieces.
Manageable?
Mmm.
You made it easier
to transport his body?
Yeah.
To Mount Charleston.
I called
that whistle-blower's line
at the local Treasury office.
You know, the one that handles
social security fraud?
They were happy to help.
Well, Mrs. Bennett...
can you afford the burial now?
What are you talking about?
It's her husband's
social security checks
from the last two years.
The signature's
the same
till seven months ago.
Q.D. matched the
lady's writing.
Mrs. Bennett,
you've been cashing
your dearly departed's checks,
haven't you?
And that's fraud.
It's also a motive.
If you want to alert
the Government
about some forged social
security checks, be my guest.
But there's
no murder here.
We're done.
Excuse me.
Typical Vegas wife--
offs her old man
for the money
and there's nothing
we can do about it.
We have to go back
to the body.
Right.
There's always
a clue
except we don't
have a body.
We have bones.
I'll take it
to Greg.
Skeletal muscle of Mel Bennett.
It goes in...
Contents come out.
In 30 seconds--
Bioassay.
I like saying
that word.
Bioassay.
Sounds Nubian.
So how are you?
Never better.
Yeah? Well,
you look good.
I try.
Yeah. I heard Grissom's
lady friend was in town.
Lady friend? Hmm. Wouldn't know
anything about that.
Really? I thought you
and Grissom were tight.
We are.
Okay. Got it. Private.
Huh. Digoxin.
Digoxin?
It's supposed to treat
heart failure
but not if you're taking
the amount found
in Mel Bennett's bones.
She poisoned him.
Someone did.
We know your husband had
an overdose in his system.
We found it
in his bone tissue.
Did you kill him
for his pension checks?
Don't answer that question.
It's okay.
Mel took those pills himself.
He asked me to leave the house
so he could do it.
So, now it's suicide.
He was dying
from the heart trouble.
He was in chronic pain.
He asked me
to get it over with.
I couldn't.
I loved him.
This is the part that I'm having
a hard time with.
You were able to cut him up
when you realized
you couldn't
afford the burial.
I lied about why.
Mrs. Bennett, don't...
No.
Let me talk.
Mel made me promise
to hide his body
so I wouldn't lose
his social security benefits.
Because a wife's benefits
are cut in half
when the husband dies.
Yes.
Even if you've spent
50 years by his side--
packing his lunch
pressing his work pants.
Mel was my whole life.
I didn't kill him.
I couldn't even put him out
of his misery.
So what do you think, Jim?
I don't know.
You're the lab guys.
What is the evidence
telling you?
Forensically, we can't prove
if Mel took the digoxin overdose
or if she forced it on him.
So that leaves us
with one choice.
Equivocal evidence.
Golden rule.
Ah.
Well, "When faced with evidence
"that can equally exonerate
or implicate a suspect, we must
"as objective
interpreters
of that evidence...
side with the defendant."
Tie goes to the brother.
Rose goes free.
We'll never prove
who administered the fatal dose.
I don't think she did it.
Okay, then.
I guess I'm out of here.
I'll go start my paperwork.
See you.
Okay, so, I was wrong.
It wasn't murder.
It's not a contest.
You want to go
in with me?
Give her the
good news?
Could you do it?
I'm sort of late
for a dinner.
Sure.
Thanks.
So, ladies of the wedding party,
you get a free course
in the forensics
of sexual intercourse.
Secrets of our trade.
Lynn, when you had your exam
for sexual assault
a SART nurse makes a chart
like this.
This is the vagina.
And it does tell a monologue.
Some bruising is normal
when sex occurs.
Injuries at 11...
12, or 1:00,
indicate consensual sex
or what we would call "avid."
Injuries around
the dinner hour...
Five, six, or seven,
indicate forced entry.
The woman hasn't done anything
to help her partner
thus sustaining
serious bruising.
Sidle, I'm going to be
just outside the door.
Okay, O'Riley.
Lynn...
Your exam
showed no evidence of sex
in the last 48 hours.
Actually, in months.
But the epithelials indicate
that Darren had sex
right before he died.
And the coroner puts
time of death
when you've all admitted
to being present.
So...
Meg?
Joyce?
Look, we can run the clock exam
on each of you.
And the clock is going
to tell us what happened.
So who wants to go first?
I had sex with Darren.
And it wasn't rape.
Darren had been flirting with me
all night
and when it was time to leave
I told the other girls
to wait in the car.
I know it's crazy
but I thought...
I'm in Vegas.
It doesn't really count.
And...
Then I don't know
what happened.
I saw my engagement ring.
Then I-I thought about Luke
and how he trusts me.
I don't think
this is right.
Oh, you like it a little rough.
I tried to push Darren of me...
Okay.
We can do that.
But I-I don't think
it got through.
He wouldn't stop.
As soon as I hit him
with the lamp, I knew.
So you only hit him once?
Mm-hmm.
I didn't mean to kill him.
Meg, your engagement ring...
Is that a cubic zirconia?
No, it's a real diamond.
My fiancé wanted me
to have the best.
Does your fiancé have
a zirconia ring?
Zirconia studded.
It's a promise ring.
He told me to save my money...
for our honeymoon.
Damaged?
No, my ring is fine.
May we see it?
You were in that motel room
that night, weren't you, Luke?
I don't know
what you're talking about.
What happened?
You got wind of the party?
I don't know
where she is.
Let her go!
Your husband told me
you were here.
Now tell me where she is.
Let go of me.
Just give me the room number.
Tell me where she is.
Bruised up Lynn's wrists.
Meg, you did have sex
with Darren
the dancer.
Maybe you even
tried to stop
in the middle of it.
But something
got your attention.
I don't think this is right.
Oh, my God!
Luke.
Luke, you threw the lamp--
probably on the floor.
Understandable rage.
You did what any guy
in your position would do.
But you didn't stop
with one hit.
And you didn't know that you had
lost a piece of your ring.
Except we found it.
Honey, I'm sorry.
We just...
We just were hoping
we could get married.
Put it all behind us.
Laws don't end
when you come to Vegas.
I'm surprised.
I'm having a nice time.
Were you expecting
a bad time?
No. I just thought
we might be uncomfortable
away from work.
Are you?
No.
Nor am I.
Good.
It's kind of like
that old saying.
"How a person does
one thing is...
...how a person
does everything."
Exactly.
Excuse me.
Sure.
What's going on?
They found two bodies
in a crack den
at the end of the strip.
Evidently, they've been
dead a while.
They need me
to do an insect analysis ASAP.
Oh.
Well...
you are the bug guy.
Yeah.
But I asked you
to postpone your flight.
It's okay.
It happens.
Maybe I can...
I'm sorry.
Yeah. Grissom.
All right, look...
make sure the paramedics
don't leave
and have the primary
on the scene
take photographs of the corpses
at two minute intervals
until I arrive.
All right?
[Captioning sponsored by CBS
CBS PRODUCTIONS
and ALLIANCE ATLANTIS
Captioned by
The Caption Center
WGBH Educational Foundation]
Sky, come on.
Go get it, Sky!
Come on, Sky.
Bring it back, Sky.
Bring it back, Sky.
Good girl.
That's not Sky's stick.
What do you
have here, Sky?
Come here, girl.
What'd you get, here?
What is it, Dad?
Nothing... it's just...
uh, just an old bone
probably from a dead
animal or something.
It's a tibia...
or most of a tibia.
How long you think
it's been out here?
Well, long enough
for the animals
to pick it clean.
And long enough
for the elements
to have washed
away any evidence.
Evidence of what?
Well, it is a leg bone
and my guess is
that it didn't walk
out here by itself.
Well, it could have been
a hiker who got lost.
It's interesting to me
how you always
expect the worst.
You see, that way,
I'm never disappointed.
And then sometimes
I'm nicely surprised.
So, can we call it
a crime scene?
Potential crime scene.
Did you know that
there's 206 bones
in the human body?
Yes, Professor,
I, too, took Osteology.
Well, 205 more
bones and we have
a complete skeleton.
If we find the rest,
then we can determine
whether or not
it was a murder.
Well, I feel it in
every one of my 206 bones
that this was a murder.
[Captioning sponsored by
CBS
and CBS PRODUCTIONS/
ALLIANCE ATLANTIS]
¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Who, who, who, who? ¶
¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Who, who, who, who? ¶
¶ I really wanna know ¶
¶ Who... are you? ¶
¶ Oh-oh-oh ¶
¶ Who... ¶
¶ Come on, tell me who are you,
you, you ¶
¶ Oh, you! ¶
Okay, Catherine and I
are on the case
from Mount Charleston.
Nick, we could use
your help on that.
Outstanding.
So I just talked
with the academy.
We're getting an entire class
of cadets meeting
us there.
All you guys got to
go on is a bone?
Mm-hmm.
The tibia.
Where there's one
there's usually
another.
So, we'll do
a grid search
and we really could
use your friend,
Teri Miller.
I don't think
that's necessary.
Well, why not?
She's a forensic
anthropologist
specializes in bones
and, hello...
all we've got is a bone.
I know what she
specializes in.
If we hit a wall,
I'll call her.
Okay.
Sara, Warrick--
dead body in
the Lucky Seven Motel.
Is that the place
with that weird pool?
"Maid found dead male body
in a hotel room."
Any chance it's old age?
Guy's 23. No.
Sounds like a live one.
Let's go.
Stop!
Looks like a piece
of skull bone.
What are you doing?
Bones are porous.
They stick to the tongue.
This doesn't stick.
It's a piece of rock.
I-I hope you had
your Hepatitis-B shot.
Did you?
It could be a piece
of wrist bone.
Well, do you want
to suck it?
To be sure?
Flag man!
Flag!
Flag!
So... you thinking
what I'm thinking?
How amazing
the universe is.
Everything made
from the same carbon.
Stars to trees,
trucks to human bones.
Mmm... no.
I-I was thinking that we have
about 100 bone fragments.
We could I.D. this body
before the end of the shift.
Hmm.
Stars and trucks?
Only in Vegas.
Looks like somebody had
a par-tay.
Here's the wallet.
Couple 20s inside.
"Darren Pyne."
Dead at 23.
Sign of struggle.
I'll dust for prints.
Looks like he was whacked
over the head with this lamp.
Yeah.
One hit or there'd be blood.
Unless each hit
was to a different part
on his dome.
Who's the room registered to?
Well, you know, that would be
Celine Dion.
But, uh, the bill was charged
to the credit card
of a Lynn Henry,
Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
O'Riley, you think...
Right. Find out the last place
she used
her credit card.
I love those shoes.
You can wear
them again.
And we have to
get your veil.
We have to
get your veil.
Lynn Henry?
You know my name.
What's yours?
I'm Warrick Brown,
and this is Sara Sidle.
Hi.
We're with
the Las Vegas Crime Lab.
Crime lab?
About what?
Darren Pyne was found
dead in your motel room
at the Lucky Seven.
Did you know him?
Oh, my God.
Yes, I-I do know him.
Sort of.
Sort of?
Uh, we, we gave Meg
a bachelorette
party last night.
We hired a male dancer.
I didn't want my fiancé
to know
because he's staying
at this hotel.
So we rented
a room in a sort of
out-of-the-way
place.
So, Darren was the dancer?
Yeah, h-he arrived
around... 10:00?
Oh, my God!
Whoo!
If Steve could see me now.
No husbands tonight, ladies.
Or fiancés.
So, we left at 3:00,
he was totally fine.
He was danced out,
but definitely alive.
He didn't leave when you did?
No... uh, he asked
if he could stay
and the room was
already paid for,
so I didn't see a problem.
Lynn, how did you get
those bruises on your wrists?
Oh, my God!
I-I don't know.
I-I was totally
tipsy last night.
I mean, falling
all over everything.
All right.
We'll probably have
more questions
after the coroner completes
his autopsy.
If we need
to talk to you
can we reach you here?
Yes.
My wedding is tomorrow.
Whatever we can do to help.
Thanks.
Our card.
Ankle bone?
Medial malleolous?
Goes on the bottom
of the tibia?
That is correct...
according to this book.
I'll take toe bones
for 200, Alex.
"All the king's horses
and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty
Dumpty back together again."
Hmm.
Have we hit a wall yet?
No.
This was a man,
judging by the pelvic bone.
Hey, Nicky?
Yeah.
Let's post this on
the Dental Society database--
see if anyone responds.
Five times the length
of the humerus
means this guy was...
six feet tall.
But we don't
know his race
and we don't know
whether he was right-
or left-handed, yet.
Well, he was old--
there's some calcification
on the rib cartilage.
60, 70 years old, maybe.
Hmm.
Are the bones whispering to you?
Look at these jagged
marks on the bone.
Wait a minute.
This guy was chopped up.
That's murder.
Well, not necessarily.
Could have happened
postmortem.
You know, one of those
tractors up in the hills
or a mulching
machine, maybe.
A mulching machine?
How long do you plan
on ignoring the obvious?
A 70-year-old man
found in the mountains
with clear evidence
he was chopped to pieces.
That's a... homicide.
Well, you should check
for hemorrhagic tissue
at the bone's tool marks...
to be certain.
Teri.
Hi.
Thanks for coming, Teri.
I told you I was...
calling Teri...
...didn't I?
Anyway, what were
you saying about
hemorrhagic tissue?
It's blood in
the soft tissue.
If you find it,
it means
the guy was alive
when he was cut up.
Hmm.
Well, maybe you two
don't need me, after all.
I would never turn away
a scientist of your talent.
Uh, could I have a word
with you outside, please?
You bring in a specialist
without my approval?
And you don't
bring in one
possibly compromise
the case, because you
two had a relationship?
Relationship?
I hardly know that woman.
Oh... so I guess that
dopey look in your eye
when she's around
is just that.
Here's the deal--
we're using Cliff Notes
to put that skeleton
back together in there.
Teri is availing
her services.
You said she's the best,
but hey, if you want
me to send
her away...
Just...
check with me about
stuff like this, will you?
Right.
Sorry.
So, how'd we do?
Not bad.
Scaphoid... cuneiform.
However, this is a wrist bone
and this...
is a foot bone.
I'm glad you're here.
It looks like someone
in the Dental Society database
saw your posting.
Really?
Sid Tucker.
No way.
A local dentist?
He has records
that go back 30 years.
Move over.
"Hairline fissure
of the mandibular canine."
Oh, God,
why didn't I learn Latin?
It's lower level
third from the middle.
Better memory than you.
And...
our first character match.
"Overlapping left incisors."
That's the front teeth, right?
Two for two.
"Gold fillings."
Well, I know that.
He's got
gold fillings
in adjoining right molars
and interspersed in left molars.
Tell me
this is all we need.
Nolan Ryan pitches
another perfect game.
And the winner is...
Mel Bennett.
326 Franklin Street.
Date of birth
September 6, 1931.
He was 70.
An electric saw?
You sure?
Grooves from a
handsaw would be
straight, parallel.
Now look
at the grooves
along the medial
condyle of the femur.
They're coarse. See?
A reciprocating
electric saw
was used on this person.
Excuse me, um,
the person's name
is Mel Bennett.
We just confirmed it.
We're going to meet Brass
at the widow's house.
I got to go.
Thank you.
Nick, would you stay here
and work with Teri
on this soft tissue stuff?
She'll explain it to you.
Sure.
Our male dancer.
Multiple blows
to the head?
That's right.
And one of those blows
did enough damage
to cause cranial bleeding.
Any of your ladies mention
having sex with this victim?
No.
Just lap dances, nothing more.
I think the dance might
have been a bit more intimate.
Penile swab's back
from the lab.
Vaginal cells.
Looks like
fried eggs.
That's because
the cells are fresh.
Darren had sex
just before he died.
What's the estimated
time of death?
Midnight.
What?!
These ladies said he was alive
when they left him at 3:00 a.m.
Someone's lying.
I don't mean to be snippy
but we're already late
for my rehearsal dinner.
Dinner's going to have
to wait.
We have forensic proof
that Darren Powell
had sex with a woman
just before he died.
And as far as we can tell
you were the last three women
with him.
So, who's lying?
I have two small children
and a husband.
I can't be involved in this.
Joyce... shut up.
About what?
Lynn, does this have
anything to do
with the bruises on your wrists?
Hey, tell us
or tell the D.A.
Okay.
After the bachelorette party,
we left.
I forgot my purse,
so I ran back in to get it.
Let go of me. Let go!
No!
Get off!
Oh, no.
I told him no, but he just
wouldn't take no for an answer.
So he raped you.
That's how I got the bruises
on my wrists.
I didn't even
tell them
until we got back to the hotel.
Was Darren alive when you left?
Very... unfortunately.
So...
can we go now?
My fiancee
is already asking questions.
Yeah, you can go,
but Lynn, uh...
a car's going to take you
to the hospital for an exam.
An exam for what?
It's just standard procedure
for sexual assault.
Yes?
I'm Detective
Jim Brass--
Las Vegas Police Department.
Are you Mrs. Bennett?
Oh, yes.
Is this about my car plates?
I have them.
I just haven't had time
to put them on the car.
Actually,
Mrs. Bennett
we're here about
your husband, Mel.
Oh, well,
Mel isn't here right now.
Well, do you know
where he is?
Yes, he's at the store.
Is there a problem?
Mrs. Bennett, we're going
to ask you a few questions
down at the station.
But I haven't done anything.
She looks... distraught.
Well, is that because
she just found out
he's dead or...
because she got caught?
Interesting how people
catalog their lives.
50 years of marriage
on the wall.
Yeah, that's
a lot of years.
Maybe a few too many
for the missus.
Oh, I don't know.
These two
were good with each other.
It takes a bad marriage
to recognize a good one.
Well, not even
an aspirin.
Look at this.
This bathtub hasn't
been used lately.
Well, maybe she only uses
her other bathroom.
Tub's the most obvious place
to cut up a body
but I don't see anything
down there.
Try phenolphthalein?
Give me a swab.
Hmm...
How'd you guys do?
We found blood in the drain.
You find anything?
Just the murder weapon.
Cleaned, in the widow's garage.
Bone of a pig.
They are the most like
humans, as you know.
This saw matches the one Brass
found in Mrs. Bennett's garage?
Exact model.
No doubt about it.
The marks on this bone
are consistent
with the marks
on Mel Bennett's bones.
Exact same electric saw,
same blade.
Can you tell
us anything
about the operator?
You mean, Mrs. Bennett?
Oh, right.
Reserve judgment.
How someone operates
a saw is as telling as how
someone operates a pen.
Now look at the femur.
The skipping marks
of a saw over the bone
tell us whoever used the saw
was unfamiliar with its use.
An amateur, if you will.
Someone with a weakened nature,
compromised musculature.
What do you mean,
"It doesn't add up?"
Well, we're assuming
that a couple of lamp hits
to the head
killed Darren, right?
For now, yeah.
You read the Coroner's
final report.
There's no traces of that lamp
on his head at points of impact.
Yeah, but maybe
the materials didn't adhere.
Doesn't mean he wasn't hit
in the head with the lamp.
What are you looking for?
I don't know yet.
I'll let you know
when I find it.
Well, if you don't know,
I can't help you.
What is this?
What? What do you got?
Some something.
Where?
Right there.
Good job.
Tiniest diamond in the world.
Oh, you think so, huh?
No.
Diamonds cut glass.
This is some
cheap-ass cubic zirconia.
The bride-to-be's ring, maybe?
She was here.
Let's go ask her.
Why do you keep
asking me
these kinds of
questions?
Well, because someone killed
your husband, Mrs. Bennett...
and was strong
enough to wield
an electric
saw to do it.
But not so strong
as to make clean cuts.
I didn't kill Mel.
I loved him.
Why didn't you
report him missing?
I mean, were you used
to him leaving
or, did you fight much?
Never.
Never.
We had a perfect marriage.
Perfect.
And you failed
to report him missing
for seven months because...?
I don't like your tone,
young man.
Detective, you said I could have
an attorney at any time.
I think I'd like one now.
Oh, sure, Mrs.
Bennett, sure.
Just sign this
form, please.
Every time we go
to find these girls
they're somewhere else.
You sure you got
that address?
The desk clerk was
talking very quickly.
They talk faster
at the sports book.
What?
In the old days.
Oh.
You think we're dressed
for a wedding?
Yeah, not my wedding.
What?
Lynn Henry's
SART exam's in.
She lied to us.
At this point, I think all
those girls are lying to us.
All right, let's
call Homicide
tell them to
meet us there.
Let's put this to bed
before the honeymoon.
Sorry, Elvis, the wedding party
has to leave the building.
What?
Oh, my God.
What's going on?
All three of you ladies are
coming in for questioning
in the murder of Darren Pyne.
Murder?
Is this a joke?
The clock's going
to explain it all,
believe me.
The, the clock?
What, what clock?
Hey!
Hi.
Where you going?
I'm leaving.
Town?
Don't worry, I was able
to isolate some soft tissue
from the preserved vertebrae.
Nick's working
on it now.
Well, I'm going to go
check that out.
Teri...
you rule.
Thanks, Catherine.
Well...
have a safe trip.
Yeah.
I-I need to apologize for not
returning your call last month.
Teri, I admire your
dedication to your work.
Um, dedication
to my work
didn't keep me from
returning your call.
Oh.
It, it was nothing.
I-I-I just called to
see how you were doing.
Um... well...
Are you still interested
in how I'm doing?
Of course.
So...
what's next?
Mutilation in the Everglades.
Maybe it was just an alligator.
Yeah.
And if it's not, I'll be filing
for a change of address again.
Anyway...
I got to go.
Do you have to go?
I mean...
couldn't you take
a later flight?
More bones?
Have dinner with me later.
I think the bodies will keep.
See the tissue?
I do.
There's no evidence
of blood.
Yeah.
Tells us blood
was not pumping
through Mel Bennett's veins
when he was cut up.
Which means he
was already dead.
Yeah.
So, what does
that leave us?
A spectrum of
possibilities.
The universe.
Leaves me with a Black Widow.
We want to thank the crime lab
for discovering
that Mrs. Bennett's husband
was dead
when she disassembled him.
Disassembled him?
So she admits to taking
an electric saw to her husband?
After he was dead, yes.
As you know, in Nevada,
there's no law against
cutting up a dead body.
There's no law saying
it's okay, either.
Does your
client care
to tell us how
her husband
came to be dead?
Well, she has no idea.
She came home
from the grocer's
went into
the bathroom
and there he was in
the tub, deceased.
No.
I-I want to explain.
Briefly, Mrs. Bennett.
I couldn't afford the burial.
So I-I got the saw...
and I cut him
into manageable pieces.
Manageable?
Mmm.
You made it easier
to transport his body?
Yeah.
To Mount Charleston.
I called
that whistle-blower's line
at the local Treasury office.
You know, the one that handles
social security fraud?
They were happy to help.
Well, Mrs. Bennett...
can you afford the burial now?
What are you talking about?
It's her husband's
social security checks
from the last two years.
The signature's
the same
till seven months ago.
Q.D. matched the
lady's writing.
Mrs. Bennett,
you've been cashing
your dearly departed's checks,
haven't you?
And that's fraud.
It's also a motive.
If you want to alert
the Government
about some forged social
security checks, be my guest.
But there's
no murder here.
We're done.
Excuse me.
Typical Vegas wife--
offs her old man
for the money
and there's nothing
we can do about it.
We have to go back
to the body.
Right.
There's always
a clue
except we don't
have a body.
We have bones.
I'll take it
to Greg.
Skeletal muscle of Mel Bennett.
It goes in...
Contents come out.
In 30 seconds--
Bioassay.
I like saying
that word.
Bioassay.
Sounds Nubian.
So how are you?
Never better.
Yeah? Well,
you look good.
I try.
Yeah. I heard Grissom's
lady friend was in town.
Lady friend? Hmm. Wouldn't know
anything about that.
Really? I thought you
and Grissom were tight.
We are.
Okay. Got it. Private.
Huh. Digoxin.
Digoxin?
It's supposed to treat
heart failure
but not if you're taking
the amount found
in Mel Bennett's bones.
She poisoned him.
Someone did.
We know your husband had
an overdose in his system.
We found it
in his bone tissue.
Did you kill him
for his pension checks?
Don't answer that question.
It's okay.
Mel took those pills himself.
He asked me to leave the house
so he could do it.
So, now it's suicide.
He was dying
from the heart trouble.
He was in chronic pain.
He asked me
to get it over with.
I couldn't.
I loved him.
This is the part that I'm having
a hard time with.
You were able to cut him up
when you realized
you couldn't
afford the burial.
I lied about why.
Mrs. Bennett, don't...
No.
Let me talk.
Mel made me promise
to hide his body
so I wouldn't lose
his social security benefits.
Because a wife's benefits
are cut in half
when the husband dies.
Yes.
Even if you've spent
50 years by his side--
packing his lunch
pressing his work pants.
Mel was my whole life.
I didn't kill him.
I couldn't even put him out
of his misery.
So what do you think, Jim?
I don't know.
You're the lab guys.
What is the evidence
telling you?
Forensically, we can't prove
if Mel took the digoxin overdose
or if she forced it on him.
So that leaves us
with one choice.
Equivocal evidence.
Golden rule.
Ah.
Well, "When faced with evidence
"that can equally exonerate
or implicate a suspect, we must
"as objective
interpreters
of that evidence...
side with the defendant."
Tie goes to the brother.
Rose goes free.
We'll never prove
who administered the fatal dose.
I don't think she did it.
Okay, then.
I guess I'm out of here.
I'll go start my paperwork.
See you.
Okay, so, I was wrong.
It wasn't murder.
It's not a contest.
You want to go
in with me?
Give her the
good news?
Could you do it?
I'm sort of late
for a dinner.
Sure.
Thanks.
So, ladies of the wedding party,
you get a free course
in the forensics
of sexual intercourse.
Secrets of our trade.
Lynn, when you had your exam
for sexual assault
a SART nurse makes a chart
like this.
This is the vagina.
And it does tell a monologue.
Some bruising is normal
when sex occurs.
Injuries at 11...
12, or 1:00,
indicate consensual sex
or what we would call "avid."
Injuries around
the dinner hour...
Five, six, or seven,
indicate forced entry.
The woman hasn't done anything
to help her partner
thus sustaining
serious bruising.
Sidle, I'm going to be
just outside the door.
Okay, O'Riley.
Lynn...
Your exam
showed no evidence of sex
in the last 48 hours.
Actually, in months.
But the epithelials indicate
that Darren had sex
right before he died.
And the coroner puts
time of death
when you've all admitted
to being present.
So...
Meg?
Joyce?
Look, we can run the clock exam
on each of you.
And the clock is going
to tell us what happened.
So who wants to go first?
I had sex with Darren.
And it wasn't rape.
Darren had been flirting with me
all night
and when it was time to leave
I told the other girls
to wait in the car.
I know it's crazy
but I thought...
I'm in Vegas.
It doesn't really count.
And...
Then I don't know
what happened.
I saw my engagement ring.
Then I-I thought about Luke
and how he trusts me.
I don't think
this is right.
Oh, you like it a little rough.
I tried to push Darren of me...
Okay.
We can do that.
But I-I don't think
it got through.
He wouldn't stop.
As soon as I hit him
with the lamp, I knew.
So you only hit him once?
Mm-hmm.
I didn't mean to kill him.
Meg, your engagement ring...
Is that a cubic zirconia?
No, it's a real diamond.
My fiancé wanted me
to have the best.
Does your fiancé have
a zirconia ring?
Zirconia studded.
It's a promise ring.
He told me to save my money...
for our honeymoon.
Damaged?
No, my ring is fine.
May we see it?
You were in that motel room
that night, weren't you, Luke?
I don't know
what you're talking about.
What happened?
You got wind of the party?
I don't know
where she is.
Let her go!
Your husband told me
you were here.
Now tell me where she is.
Let go of me.
Just give me the room number.
Tell me where she is.
Bruised up Lynn's wrists.
Meg, you did have sex
with Darren
the dancer.
Maybe you even
tried to stop
in the middle of it.
But something
got your attention.
I don't think this is right.
Oh, my God!
Luke.
Luke, you threw the lamp--
probably on the floor.
Understandable rage.
You did what any guy
in your position would do.
But you didn't stop
with one hit.
And you didn't know that you had
lost a piece of your ring.
Except we found it.
Honey, I'm sorry.
We just...
We just were hoping
we could get married.
Put it all behind us.
Laws don't end
when you come to Vegas.
I'm surprised.
I'm having a nice time.
Were you expecting
a bad time?
No. I just thought
we might be uncomfortable
away from work.
Are you?
No.
Nor am I.
Good.
It's kind of like
that old saying.
"How a person does
one thing is...
...how a person
does everything."
Exactly.
Excuse me.
Sure.
What's going on?
They found two bodies
in a crack den
at the end of the strip.
Evidently, they've been
dead a while.
They need me
to do an insect analysis ASAP.
Oh.
Well...
you are the bug guy.
Yeah.
But I asked you
to postpone your flight.
It's okay.
It happens.
Maybe I can...
I'm sorry.
Yeah. Grissom.
All right, look...
make sure the paramedics
don't leave
and have the primary
on the scene
take photographs of the corpses
at two minute intervals
until I arrive.
All right?
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Captioned by
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