CSI: Miami (2002–2012): Season 8, Episode 24 - All Fall Down - full transcript

Anything for Walter Simmons?

Finally, that seminar
membership I've been waiting for.

How many, uh, uh, nerd
clubs are you a member of?

Would you like to get beat up?

No.

Simmons, Simmons, Yes...

Simmons. Thank you. Thank you.

Did I get any mail, Jen?

Maybe.

Hey, Walter, what is this about?

I don't know.



I got one just like it, though.

They're plastic transparencies.

Looks like they've
been cut up into pieces.

That's weird.

I have one for you, as well.

There's no postmark or return
address on this envelope.

So these didn't come
through the post office.

Hey, Jen, where'd you collect these?

Pulled all of it from
our box downstairs,

just like I always do.

Do you have any more like it in there?

Uh, these are made out
to Boa Vista and Cardoza.

These here look like crosshairs

from a rifle sight.



Is this a real threat?

That woman definitely
looks like a target.

This piece has the number 10 on it.

And this corner has 50.

What does that say?

"Hamden...

Court."

Read it left to right, you got
an address: "5010 Hamden Court."

I'm sending a unit out there right now.

There she is.

Hiya, pal.

Hi.

Now, sweetheart, you're okay now.

You're with us.

Mommy fell down.

What's your name? Daria.

Daria, I want you to come with me.

And we're gonna wait till
Daddy comes home, all right?

I just have that nagging
feeling if we had opened

the mail sooner, we could have
prevented it. I don't know,

but the message has
been sent loud and clear.

The killer's taunting us.

The kill shot is precise.
The killer must have

used a hunting rifle, . 270, .308 maybe.

That shot could have come
from over a hundred yards out.

I'll go outside.

I'll widen the search area, okay?

This is unbelievable.

Somebody out there thinks
this is a damn game.

The gun position had

to be close to straight on.

Yep.

Hey!

It's clear!

What the hell?

What is that, a .308asing?

Looks like it.

Looks like our shooter is long gone.

Looks like our shooter was
never here to take the st.

What are you talking about?
How else could he get it off?

This scope is WiFi enabled.

WiFi? He killed this lady online?

The trigger, the
left/right, the up and down,

everything can be controlled remotely.

This person could be
literally anywhere right now.

Where is she?

Oh, God, baby, are you okay, huh?

Daddy's here.

Could you just...?

Hey, baby, I'll be back
in just one minute, okay?

Sir, you can't go inside!

My wife is in there!

Officer, Officer? My wife is in there!

I'll take it from here. Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr. Potter,

your wife's body's been removed.

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.

I, uh, I can't believe
this is happening.

I just never thought...
I mean, you hear threats...

Threats? By who?

Ex-spouses of my clients.

I'm a divorce lawyer.

I make people angry for a living.

People say things.

What did your wife
do at Dade University?

Nothing. She w
a stay-at-home

We found these.

They're all for $120,
all from this month.

These are paychecks

made out to my wife's
maiden name, Janice Garber.

Why is that? I don't know.

Let's find out.

H, I heard about the shooting.

Yes, they used an automated rifle,

no prints, no trace, not registered.

Sounds personal.

Yes. We received a message
before the shooting.

A message? What, through the mail?

They slipped it into the
morning mail, exactly.

Why would they target us?

I think I just heard an "us" in there.

Yeah, that's right.

While I was gone, I realized
this is where I want to be.

Then I have you full-time.

I'm back, if you'll have me.

That's good news.

First order of business.

These checks are from Dade University.

Let's figure out

who this soccer mom
really worked for, okay?

Good to have you back.

Janice Potter volunteered

for a PhD psych research
project I was conducting.

The university checks were compensation.

Did she mention needing to
hide this from her husband?

Not that I can remember. Why?

Because she used her
maiden name to get paid.

Everybody's got reasons
for what they do.

What kind of research was this?

I was studying

the moral compass of the human brain.

Kind of a new take

on the Milgram
experiment on obedience--

the one that explains
Nazi Germany happened

because of obedience
to authority figures.

It's a very controversial
study, isn't it?

Yes.

So you got people like Janice who were

lining up to be your Guinea pigs?

She thinks she's shocking
people, but I'm studying her.

All right, you will ask the
subject a series of questions,

and if the subject answers incorrectly,

you will administer an electric shock.

Can you do that?

Yes, I can.

Great. Let's begin.

My theory is that Nazi
Germany didn't happen

because people respond to authority.

Simply put, the brain wants to be evil.

Did she prove your theory
right, she shock the subject?

Let's just say I'm glad

we weren't using actual voltage.

But I have her to thank for my success.

I'm moving on to a better
institution because of it.

Thank you for your time.

Good luck. Yeah.

A trained marksman knows his weapon

inside and out, every
part, every groove.

Can't keep his hands off it.

Did you find a print?

Nothing.

Well, this shooter didn't need

to be a trained marksman
to gun down a mother

in front of her
three-year-old.

He was a coward, and he just used

a computer to do it. Well,
can the computer at least

help us track him down?
That's what I'm hoping.

I'm gonna try to trace
the trigger command

back to its origin, and then
hopefully get an I.P. dress.

Okay, it's just

bouncing me all over cyberspace.

What about the .308 casing?

What did IBIS find?
Variation on a theme:

nothing.

Excuse me. My name is Craig Potter.

It's important I see one of your CSIs.

And I think that this is
something... Mr. Potter?

Can I help you?

I got it.

I found this in our mailbox.

It's my address, but
look who it's made out to.

Made out to the CSIs.

What was my wife into?

I mean, does this have
something to do with her?

What-What is going on?

You know, we just don't know yet.

I'm gonna go have this
run, but your fingerprints

are gonna be all over
it. I didn't kill my wife.

I was in court all morning
- call Judge Hillridge.

Hey, Natalia, you know
how all the envelopes

delivered this morning
were not postmarked?

No, they were all hand-delivered.

This was, too. No, no, this one wasn't.

This one was actually
stamped by the post office.

I don't think the post office

put that there; this is one of
those augmented reality tags.

What is an augmented reality tag?

This marking... Mm-hmm?

...it acts as a bar code.

You hold it up to your Web
camera, and certain Web sites

recognize it and put all
kinds of fancy 3-D graphics

on the computer screen.

Magazines use it as P. R. gimmicks.

So could this be another message for us?

Well, let's find out.

The message is:

we got to stop another murder.

But this pool could be anywhere.

Okay, try clicking on it.

No. It's nothing.

Yeah, but it moved. It moved.
Did you see that? It shifted.

So maybe you can shift the perspective.

See if you can spin it.

Ryan, that's Dade University Bell Tower.

That's the South side of the campus,

where the faculty pool is.

What are you doing here?

I got the call out.

That way! That way!

This is Wolfe! I need an ambulance

to Dade University faculty pool!

You got him?

Yeah, go, go!

CPR! Get started! Come on!

Breathe.

Come on, breathe!

No.

He's gone.

Porter 2: Ken, I'm here
at the scene awaiting

the arrival of Horatio
Caine. Well, there are rumors

that police knew and were
warned. We have reports

that there's a serial
killer loose in Miami...

We want to find out as soon
as he gets here. Lieutenant!

He's here now. Lieutenant!
Lieutenant Caine!

Is there a serial killer
on the loose in Miami?

Is it true that police
were warned about both

of today's murders before they
happened? Hasn't been determined yet.

Please do your job responsibly,

so I can do mine. Lieutenant Caine,

is there a serial killer on the
loose in Miami? Have a great day.

Lieutenant! Lieutenant!

H, we got here too late. It
was planned that way, Eric.

How did the press get it?
I don't know, not from us.

Maybe the killer; he
wanted some attention.

Okay, Dr. Loman.

C.O.D. was drowning.

But he also has bruises
and contusions to his scalp.

What about the fingernails?

Torn and bloody.

So maybe, gentlemen, he was in a fight,

and they held him underwater.

I have something.

Looks like some sort of... blue fabric.

Yep.

I think I know what he was fighting.

Our victim is a Professor in
the psych department, gentlemen.

Didn't our soccer mom
volunteer in a psych department?

Yeah. Yeah, but where's the
message for us on this one?

Why don't we open this?

There's our message.

Fleur-De-lis
on fire.

The paint is sticky, H.

Let's find out why our guy

in the pool was targeted.

I said after Virginia Tech

we should be allowed to carry guns.

Let's not overreact; the
police are handling this.

Lieutenant,

I didn't want to scare the others,

but, uh...

I think Melissa Walls

killed Janice Potter and Dr. Brusatti.

Dr. Madsen, why do you think she did it?

About a week ago,

Janice came to my office

and accused Melissa of
scientific misconduct.

Misconduct?

She caught Melissa doctoring
the results of her study.

Increase the voltage.

I want to stop.

The experiment requires you to continue.

You know you want to do this.

Come on,

let's go.

It's hurting him.

And you're hurting my thesis.

Ugh, I can't do this anymore.

See, I reviewed Melissa's findings.

She did doctor her studies.

She manipulated the
data to fit her theory.

So we had no choice but to
kick her out of the program.

I have her to thank

for my success.

I'm moving on to a better
institution because of it.

You cheated, Melissa.

No, you fired me.

What sort of message would we be sending

the other students if there were
no consequences to your actions?

I can't believe this.

You're just gonna ruin my career?

We'll speak on your behalf.

None of this will have to come to light.

Other institutions will have you.

Am I just gonna pluck another
thesis out of thin air?

New question, new data?

For six years, I did all the
work that you didn't want to do.

I slaved for you.

For what?

So that you three could take away

everything I've ever worked for?

No. No, I don't think so.

Where is she now?

She packed up her office this morning.

Thank you.

Hello?

Melissa Walls, Lieutenant Caine.

I told you people I don't know anything

about Janice Potter's murder.

Melissa, I need your help
with the Dr. Brusatti case.

You think I'm a suspect.

I'm not stupid. Hello, PhD here.

Yes, well, from what I understand,

you didn't achieve distinction,
and that you cheated.

What, like no one ever
cheats in academia?

One-third of researchers
admit to cooking data.

All the greats did it.

Ptolemy, Isaac Newton,
Washington Carver.

Did you or did you
not kill Janice Potter

and Dr. Brusatti? Is that your theory?

It is my theory.

You have no hard evidence.

Maybe I should accuse you of cheating.

Okay, why don't you come
in and do it in person?

No. You're so certain, come and find me.

I will.

Until we find Melissa,

we think it's best if both of
you remain under our protection.

Of course.

Thank you. I'm just

an adjunct Professor.

I'm not tenured like Stephen and Neal.

I didn't have any power
to sway the committee,

and Melissa knows that.

Both of you were on her PhD committee,

so what we're afraid of

is that one of you could be next.

I was Melissa's advisor.

I didn't want to see her getting
kicked out of the program.

That was their idea. It was
a unanimous decision, Bob.

Well, does this
symbol-- does this me

anything to either of you?

Fleur-De-lis.
Beyond that, no.

Melissa Walls is not a threat.
I don't need a bodyguard.

Take their protection, Bob.

I'll look out for myself.

I checked the whole apartment.

It's clear.

I knew they were
putting uniforms outside,

but I didn't know you were
going to be inside the house.

Yeah. It's just as easy

for somebody to get to you inside.

That's why I'm here.

True.

You know, those aren't
from, uh, just one woman.

Okay. No.

What I meant was that
they're not from a date.

They're from a, uh...

departmental party that I
hosted Thursday night. Got it.

Got it. Got it. I'm just gonna keep

looking around, if you don't mind.

For evidence.

Uh... not at all.

Um... I'd like to take a shower.

Is that okay?

Permission granted.

Thank you, Officer.

No. Call me Natalia.

Natalia.

Thanks.

Natalia, I-I found
a Fleur-De-lis.

Yeah, it's a logo for
some cologne called Ahtash.

A-H-T-A-S-H.
Yeah.

Hello?

Yeah, CSI Boa Vista.

I need an ambulance to 210
Springer Street now! Hurry!

Horatio, he's got third-degree burns

on his hands, face and neck.

Natalia, you saved his life.

The Fleur-De-lis painted
on the pool cover--

it's the same as the one painted
on this bottle of cologne.

So obviously, somebody got in here

and tampered with that
before we got here.

Yeah. I'm gonna take it back to the lab,

do a flame test, see what
incendiary Agent was used.

Let's do it here, okay? All right.

Purple means potassium.

Which combusts when it
makes contact with water.

So Madsen got out of the
shower, and he was still wet.

Sprayed on when he
got out of the shower.

Someone managed to
get their hands on this

when he wasn't looking.

Well, he did say that they threw a party

for the department here last night.

Natalia, didn't you say that

on the guest list was Melissa
Walls, our primary suspect?

Well, the Fleur-De-lis
was the last message,

so are we missing the next message?

Maybe not.

"Mass pandemics, such as

"the bubonic plague, reify

"the value of human life

"and in turn, the societal
ramifications for crimes

against humanity, as well."

Can I see it?

The quote is from an
article by Bob Starling.

I'm next, aren't I? Tell me.

We don't know that.

Don't protect me from the truth.

I deserve to know.

Do you recognize this?

Yeah, of course I do. It's an article

from a journal I published
last "Why Civic Discord is

Logical When Facing Mass Pandemic."

Maybe you've read it.

I couldn't put it down.

Why is this relevant?

Well, a quote from this
article was left for us

at Professor Madsen's home.

Left for you? Like a clue?

What is this, Sherlock Holmes?

Who does such things?

Right now, all the victims are tied

to your grad student, Melissa Walls.

Here we go again.

Look, these are your words

left at the crime scene.

We believe Melissa is behind this.

When's the last time you saw her?

I see her all the time.

She was in my office just yesterday.

Melissa, I don't have that kind of sway.

I don't have tenure yet.

But everybody listens to you.

You're my advisor, my mentor.
Can't you fight for me?

Look, you have to understand.

Falsifying your data
was a serious breech.

Oh, come on. Everybody does it.

Yeah, well, not everybody gets caught!

You know if she touched

anything when she was in there?

I left her alone for a few minutes

when I talked to the
department secretary.

All right, we're gonna have to process

everything that's in your office.

And you and I are gonna spend

some quality time together, till
we get this thing figured out.

I don't need protection.

I have a lecture this afternoon.

It'll be a... I'll be in
a room full of students.

I guess I'll be auditing that class.

We've been looking for you, Ms. Walls.

You weren't looking hard enough.

I wasn't hiding.

Prime suspect in a double murder

and an attempt at a third.

You still think I'm you're killer.

You had motive and opportunity.

Innocent people are usually cooperative.

They'll do anything to get to the truth

and clear their name.

You said, "usually, "
implying there's a percentage

of innocent people who aren't
cooperative, am I right?

We need your last 24 hours.

My day planner.

Have at it.

We'll take it, and we want you

for the murders of Janice
Potter and Neal Brusatti.

You have 48 hours to file charges.

If you can't, I'm free.

We'll take our chances.

Even if I am guilty,

taking me into custody
won't prevent any murders

that are already set in motion.

We grabbed Melissa Walls' day planner.

Hey, so when you guys
found the Fleur-De-lis,

the sprat-- was
tacky, right?

Yeah, tacky and non-transferable.

Right. Okay.

Well, I brought out the
same acrylic aerosol paint,

the same polyethylene sheeting,

to recreate the exact same conditions.

See how long it takes for
the paint to become tacky.

Exactly. Taking into account
the difference in sun position,

we should be able to approximate

when our killer painted
the Fleur-De-lis.

All right, hit it.

Hit it.

Tacky with no transfer.

46 minutes, and we
found the symbol at 2:15.

Okay. 46.

Which means our killer
painted the Fleur-De-lis

at approximately 1:30.

Yeah, well...

According to this,

Melissa Walls has a
lot of explaining to do.

That's good work, man.

Yeah, you put a lot
into this day planner.

Appointments, names, numbers.

Every random thought or idea.

I don't like to forget things.

Apparently, you forgot where you were

between 1:00 and 2:00 today.

I had a pilates class at this time.

We're gonna need confirmation on that.

I have it.

The names of nine people

from class. They'll be more than happy

to set you straight.

I also have an affidavit from the

instructor which States
that I attended class

from beginning to end,
in case you doubt me.

Why didn't we get this before?
You believed I was guilty.

I simply

allowed that belief to continue.

You wanted us

to believe that you were guilty? No.

I was completely neutral.

You had a single theory.
All your perceptions

in this case were shaped

to support that theory.

Why would you allow this to happen?

It's part of my new thesis.

First impressions, false perceptions.

Because of it, I just got accepted

to Eastern Florida University.

The mind of an investigator

needs an answer, so
it seizes on a suspect,

then alters perceptions

so that all evidence
fits that single idea.

On the guest list

was Melissa Walls, our primary suspect.

It's called

belief perseverance.

We followed actual evidence.

You followed me,

to the detriment of all
other viable suspects.

Like the D.C. Sniper case.

Someone calls in, reports

seeing a white van, and
cops spend all of their time

looking for it while more people die.

You know, your little experiment

puts other peoples' lives in danger?

You're doing that.

I'm just an impartial observer.

Not

if somebody else dies.

If you ask me, the girl did
it. She's jerking your chain.

This is everything
from Starling's office.

Is Tripp still with Starling?

'Cause he could be next. Yeah.
He's watching him like a hawk.

Look, check out these articles he wrote.

"Global Plague Hysteria,
" "Fear and the Flu."

This is interesting.

It's an application

for tenure. It's been denied.

It's the Holy Grail of academia.

It sure is. It buys you
academic freedom, job security.

And professors work years to get it.

Check out the names on the committee.

Neal Brusatti, Stephen
Madsen. Well, those are

two of our victims.
Okay, what if the person

we're protecting

is actually our killer?

I'm calling Tripp.

Went straight to voice mail.

Call patrol. Get a car out there.

Hey, guys, these look familiar to you?

Those are the stamps from our letters.

I'm sure the postal service

sells millions of those.

We're gonna need more than that

to connect Starling to the murders.

No. Stamps have fingerprints.

The postal service puts
secret watermarks on stamps

to prevent counterfeiting.

Each sheet has

its own specific watermark.

All you got to do...

is put a glycerin-based liquid on it.

Raises the watermark.

Those watermarks are a match.

Starling sent us these letters.

Shakespeare is a progenitor

of 20th-century analysis.

Without Shakespeare, there is no Freud.

Food for thought. All
right, go. Get out of here.

Lieutenant?

Janice Potter,

Neal Brusatti, Stephen Madsen.

What's this about?

We matched some stamps from your office

to mail sent to my CSIs.

Stamps? You matched stamps?

I believe that

you murdered Brusatti, and tried to kill

Madsen because they denied you tenure.

When Melissa Wall'' research went sour,

you were found responsible.

Janice Potter

dropped those fake results

in your lap, and made you look bad.

She became your first target.

Shakespeare shows us in Hamlet,

revenge delayed invites madness.

My mind is clear.

Put your hands behind your back.

I need to ask you why
you sent those letters.

Horatio.

"They all fall down."

Walter. Hey...

Walter? Walter!

Hey! Hey!

Calleigh? Calleigh?!

Calleigh.

Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Breathe. Breathe.

You hear me?

Calleigh, listen, please.

Somebody!

Somebody help! Help!