Elementary (2012–…): Season 3, Episode 23 - Absconded - full transcript

Holmes and Watson look into the death of a member of Holmes' online beekeeping community who was a researcher looking into a deadly Northeast honey bee outbreak. During the investigation, they meet Tara Parker, a brilliant entomologist, academic and the leader of New York's beekeeping society. Also, Captain Gregson enlists Watson's services in an off-book investigation that helps him make a life-changing decision.

Can you read that
all right, Hugo?

You need glasses?

It's an ad, I guess.

Like, an online classified ad.

You don't need to guess--
you placed it.

IP address says it came
from the library

down the block
from your apartment.

"Wanted:
free spirits with dance moves.

Make a memory and 50 bucks."

You sent Raggedy Andy masks
like this one

to everyone who responded.

They thought they were gonna be
in a flash mob viral video.

When in fact
they were participants

in a human shell game.

Your unwitting accomplices
provided cover,

while you stabbed your boss

in broad daylight.

You then fled

amongst the dispersing Andys.

Nobody here thinks much
of your scheme,

but your masks,
they're impressive.

How long did it take you
to make 'em, Hugo?

You think I can sew?

Well enough
that it gave you away.

Half the masks
we recovered bore these

irregular stitches, here--
but only half.

These defects bothered you enough
to seek out a replacement bobbin

for your antique machine.

You bought two
at the Stitch-rite

down in the Garment District.

It's on tape.
Go ahead, then,

lock me up--
I got some bobbins.

And...

...a KA-BAR military knife.

We recovered that
from the furnace

at your mother's house.

The leather handle
and the blood evidence

have burned away,
but the serrated edge

may as well as signed your name
on your victim's ribs.

You want to give us
your confession,

help us help you,
now would be a good time.

Pat.

Hey.

No one told me
you were here.

Heard you were in the box,
so I said

I'd make myself at home.
Yeah.

Close the door, would you?

What brings you down?

Nothing bad.

Is it something good?

'Cause, uh...

that's some top-shelf scotch.
I may not look

like a fairy godmother, Tommy,

but... looks can be deceiving.

You and I are gonna have a chat

about the future of this unit.

I heard you found 12 mites
per hundred up at Hyde Park.

Most of their hives
won't make it.

I've been doing fieldwork
for the USDA for 15 years--

I've never seen Colony Collapse
numbers this bad.

I've got friends
in California

say they're
gonna lose 20%, 25%.

The winter was so cold
that folks up here

are gonna lose twice that.

Yeah.

What do you think it is?

Pesticides? Mites? What?

You know, I don't know.

But we're gonna get
to the bottom of it.

Everett!

What the hell have you done
to my bees!

Oh, my God!

Oh...!

♪ Elementary 3x23 ♪
Absconded
Original Air Date on May 7, 2015

== sync, corrected by elderman ==
@elder_man

No, sir.

Uh, understood.

I will, sir.

If you guys work for the USDA,
why didn't you just say so?

We don't.

My partner's on a
beekeeping message board

with a few of
their researchers.

They asked us
to come and have a look,

since it's one
of their colleagues that died.

Guess I should apologize
for the misunderstanding.

Oh, that's quite
all right, Officer.

It was very rude of me

to save your life
in such a brusque fashion.

I'm not sure
you saved my life.

Yanked evidence out of
my hand is more like it.

If he hadn't, you'd be
suffering arrhythmia by now.

If you kept smelling that egg
carton, it would've killed you.

Now, you said
you could tell that thing

was soaked in cyanide
by the scent?

From ten feet away.

Okay. So...

somebody dropped that
in the guy's smoker,

and then he goes off
to comb the swarm,

and poof-- he's gassing
the bees and breathing poison.

An eloquent summation. You might
want to tell your colleague

that the apiarist
is not a strong suspect.

The hell she isn't.

She was the only other person

out here when
this thing happened.

And as far as Watson and I

have been able to discern,
utterly devoid

of any motive--

unlike the soulless
corporate golem

that is AgriNext.

You think a company did this?

It wouldn't be the first time
they'd harbored a killer.

He's right-- we found one there
a few months ago.

So what makes you think
they did this?

Elevated levels
of Colony Collapse Disorder

along the Northeast.

You putting that
on AgriNext, too?

Everett Keck did.

His notes strongly suggest
that the company's

neonicotinoid pesticides
are the cause.

So this guy was killed
over some dead bees?

A hundred million dead bees.

The regional numbers
are so anomalous

that an international
apiary summit

has been convened
at Garrison University

to discuss the problem
this week.

Everett Keck's notes
suggest he was willing

to cut short that debate
and lay the blame squarely

at the feet of AgriNext.

Officer,
need a hand here!

So, are you good here?

I'm done here, actually.

Why?

The captain wants to see me
at the station.

He says he needs my help
with something.

"Come by the office.

No Sherlock."

Come in, come in.

Close the door.

I'm sorry for the
cloak-and-dagger-- it's just,

this is a little delicate.

Is everything okay?

I've been offered a promotion.

Wow.

Downtown likes
the work we've been doing,

and they want to bump me up
to deputy chief.

That's incredible!
Do I give you a hug?

No, no, no, no, no.

You can, you can sit.

This is not a done deal.

Well, but you're
gonna say yes.

Why wouldn't you?

If I'm not leaving
my people in good hands,

I'm not leaving my people
at all.

Now, the name they've floated
to replace me is Ann Vescey.

She's a C.O. of the five-one
squad, up in the Bronx.

Do you know her?

I know of her.

She's, uh, got some heat.

All the right people are fans.

But I'm worried
about her home base.

The five-one had
a property room scandal

a couple of years back,
and although

she wasn't implicated...

You want me to check her out.

Yeah.

A few of her guys there had a habit
of skimming from a big coke bust

that they had
in property lockup.

They were careful,
took a little at a time--

long story short is, IAB wasn't
sure that they got everyone.

Now, Major Crimes

has the biggest
discretionary budget

short of Counterterrorism.

I got to know
for sure that

I'm not handing over the keys

to someone with sticky fingers.

I get it.

I would've asked you
to bring Holmes, but...

It's delicate.

I'm happy to help.

You told me on the phone

this was about
the Barbara Conway case.

It seemed unlikely
you'd be willing

to talk about the real reason
for my visit, so I lied.

I'm sure you'll return
the favor soon enough.

I don't understand the
hostility, Mr. Holmes.

You... you solved
the murder of our CFO

and one of our
board members,

and you still don't think
we'd meet with you?

Because this place is
a malevolent hellmouth,

and all who pass
through it

are complicit in an ongoing
ecological onslaught.

Or does AgriNext still deny

that its pesticides are causing
Colony Collapse Disorder?

Of course it does.
There's never been a credible link...

So, the company
would have had

motive to do away
with someone

who was trying
to find the link.

Everett Keck, for example.

I doubt that anyone in this room
committed the actual crime,

but in a pit such as AgriNext,
it takes time to determine

where one snake ends
and the next begins,

so I'm going to give
your executives

as much warning as possible:
come forward with information,

you may be spared.

You're right...

about the company having
an awareness of Mr. Keck.

Naturally, we knew about the
work he was doing for the ASI.

We knew about his report.

But trust me, nobody here
needed to hurt him.

We were well prepared

to counter any claims
he might make.

Explain.

We invested in some
oppositional research.

As it turned out, Mr. Keck...

was academically under-qualified

for his position.

He was a Buddhist
seminary dropout.

Also an abuser of
recreational drugs.

He also had
problems at work.

He made enemies.

At one point, the USDA
even had to suspend him.

So I could probably
provide you with the names

of a few good suspects...

but I'm afraid you haven't
put me in a very generous mood.

So I think I'd rather
you just left.

Hi.

Is the captain leaving us?

Do you have his office bugged
or something?

So you don't deny it.
How could you...

Timing and context.
The spring

before an election is the NYPD's
traditional housecleaning season.

And it was only a matter of
time before our clearance rate

conferred glory
upon the captain.

Not that he isn't
deserving of it himself,

of course.

You saw the personnel file.

Lieutenant Vescey's name

is familiar to me, as are most
names within the department.

It's not a great leap to
imagine that the captain

would want to vet his
potential replacement.

Do you know much about her?
I know she's

considered by many
to be a rising star,

but as for the woman herself,
I've not had the pleasure.

She came up
with a few bad apples--

I'm supposed to find out
if they rubbed off.

Mm.

That's it?
What's it?

I tell you the captain
might be leaving, and nothing?

Well, did you imagine he
would remain a captain forever?

Do you think Marcus will
always be a detective?

You and I exist

outside of the bureaucracy
of the department,

and that is by design.

Our colleagues
are as vulnerable to promotions

as they are to demotions,

and we can do little

but honor the former
and mourn the latter.

And what if Captain Vescey
doesn't think she needs

a couple of consultants
hanging around?

Then she will reveal herself
an idiot.

And you and I

shall find a new perch--

presumably with the help
of a newly promoted friend.

Oh...

Looks like you opened up
a satellite office

for the Department
of Agriculture in here.

25,000 species of bee--
always much to learn.

Well, if you're planning on
picking up where Keck left off,

it might be nice
to solve his murder first.

at I believe
I may have already done.

I was gone for two hours.

Our friends at AgriNext planned

to run a smear campaign
against Everett Keck.

They claimed
he had a drug problem,

and he'd been suspended
from work.

Keck's tox screen confirmed

he was indeed
a habitual marijuana user,

and that he died
with Viagra in his system.

I enquired of the USDA
as to his work troubles.

Everett Keck received
a week's paid leave

whilst enquiries were made
to accusations levied

by a Poughkeepsie beekeeper
named Darryl Jarvis.

This guy thinks
that Keck killed his bees.

By introducing deadly
varroa mites into his hives.

During the course
of the investigation,

it became clear, though,

that Darryl Jarvis was
a paranoid schizophrenic.

Some speculated that his claims
were just results of delusions.

So that probably made Jarvis
even angrier.

That wasn't enough, have a look
at Mr. Jarvis's address.

Everett Keck examined hives
at an apiary

across the street
the day before he died.

So Jarvis would have had
ample opportunity

to tamper with the smoker.

Seems like a man
worth talking to.

It's never wise to wait for
rubbish collection, Mr. Jarvis.

It's always better
to burn the evidence.

What do you mean?

The ground apple seeds you used
in preparation of your cyanide,

the other half of the egg carton
you soaked in it.

You stuffed the other half

in Keck's smoker yesterday

when he was working
across the road.

I couldn't sleep.

That's why I answered
the door so fast.

I was lying in bed,

thinking about
turning myself in.

The minute I heard it worked,
I wished I hadn't done it.

Even after what he did
to my hives.

Even after
no one believed me.

You think I'm crazy,
too, don't you?

We're aware of your condition.

I'm a schizophrenic.

That means I'm in good shape
for an insanity defense, right?

I haven't
gone off my meds in years.

When I put that carton
in Keck's smoker,

I was in my right mind,

just like I was

when I saw him
put those mites in my hives.

Just like I am now.

Feel free to put all that
in your report.

Why would he have done it?

Keck?

Why would he have wanted
to harm your hives?

I don't have any idea.

I just know what I saw.

No, I'm a consultant
with the NYPD.

But a warrant could be arranged
pursuant to my request.

Or, if you prefer,
a formal summons could be issued

in response
to this needless obstruction.

No, don't me on hol...

Oh.

That didn't used to be here.

I'm on hold.

Oh, what's with the files?

We closed Keck last night.

I didn't dream that, did I?

I think Darryl Jarvis was right.

Everett Keck did kill his hives.

I thought the USDA investigated,
and they didn't find anything.

They didn't, but they may have

if bee stings didn't bear
some resemblance

to hypodermic marks.

What are you talking about?

I rendered the latter
with a pin.

Can you tell the difference
from the bee stings?

You're getting stung
by bees on purpose?

Obviously.

I don't have enough
caffeine in my system

to understand you
right now.

The Department of Agriculture
never officially closed

its investigation
into Everett Keck.

It simply withered on the vine

when the supervisor in charge,
Calvin Barnes,

suffered a heart attack,

and subsequent
anoxic brain injury.

He took early retirement.

The matter was dropped.

Okay.

Calvin Barnes
ran two marathons last year.

His cardiovascular health
was excellent.

But it was reported, he
sustained several bee stings

in the field on
the day he collapsed.

Some people thought

that he suffered
a delayed allergic reaction.

I, myself, do not.

I've been negotiating
with the hospital

that treated Mr. Barnes
to release his records.

When they do,
I suspect his blood work

will show elevated levels
of potassium and chlorine.

Hold on. You're saying
that someone poisoned him?

To bring on the heart attack.
Precisely.

But the injection mark was lost
amongst the bee stings.

So you think that Keck
tried to kill his boss

to cover up poisoning
a few bee hives?

More than a few.

I've come to believe

that Everett Keck
was not just studying

Colony Collapse Disorder.

Everett Keck was Colony
Collapse Disorder incarnate.

You might recall
my recent concern

over varroas
in my own hives.

These fears were born
out of rumblings on

Most of the talk

on the spike of this season's
colony death rate

centered around the spread
of deadly mites.

Okay, but I thought Keck was
gonna prove it was pesticides.

That's what his note suggested.

That's what he intended
to report, but

but the data suggests that
the parasites were appearing

in greater than expected numbers
everywhere he went.

You did all this
overnight?

You know I outsource arithmetic
to Harlan.

Okay, so, that's Keck.

And there are three other
ASI researchers.

He found more mites
than the others.

Many more.
According to Harlan,

the variance between Keck
and his colleagues

cannot be explained away
by known confounds.

The odds
that Mr. Keck was not actively

spreading varroa mites
everywhere he went

approaches one in 29,000.

So, there isn't a spike

in Colony Collapse
Disorder after all.

Every dead hive is a tragedy.

But outside of one nefarious
USDA field researcher,

no, the CCD baseline
would not be inflated at all.

Why would he do something like this?
I don't know.

I'm fairly certain, however,
he had help.

The heart attack
that almost killed Calvin Barnes

occurred whilst Mr. Keck was
doing his rounds in Connecticut.

He had a partner.

We've solved one murder.

Now we just have
the remaining 100 million.

I wish Cal was here
to help explain this.

I-I mean, really here.

In short, Mrs. Barnes,
we think that your husband

was on the verge
of uncovering a plot

to kill off the Northeast's
bee population.

Did he ever
talk to you about someone

named Everett Keck?

Sure, he was looking
into Everett

around the time
of his heart attack.

We think that might have been
more than just a coincidence.

I don't understand.

Are you saying that you think
Everett did this to him?

Not Mr. Keck, a partner
whom we have yet to identify.

Oh...

Well, that actually
makes... sense.

When I found Cal,

that's-that's
what I thought, too.

What do you mean?

Well, just the-the things
that I saw...

This mirror was smashed.

It had to be replaced.

There was a bump
on his head.

I thought they were signs
of a struggle.

But the paramedics told me
that sometimes this happens.

Someone will have
a heart attack, fall down,

knock things over.

So where was he lying
when you found him?

Right here, with his,

um, head towards
the living room.

All right.

Here?

Was this door open?

No, it was closed.

Closed.

What about this gash
in the molding here?

Is that new?

I think perhaps your husband
fell against the door?

No, that shouldn't be there.

We had this place painted
right before Christmas.

It was perfect.

Would you excuse me
for a moment?

So, what do you think?

I think there was a struggle
that started here by the closet.

And I'm now more certain
than ever

that Mr. Keck's partner injected
a potassium chloride solution

to stop Mr. Barnes's heart.

None of our unsolved cases
interesting enough, huh?

Got me turning heart attacks
into attempted homicides now?

Well, that's just
one more case for the pile,

but we are gonna
help you close it.

CSU isn't. They just got back
from Calvin Barnes's place.

There's plenty of blonde hair
and fingerprints,

but nothing you wouldn't expect
inside the home

of two blonde people
with a golden retriever.

The attack was four weeks ago.

That foyer has been cleaned
by housekeepers,

- if not the assailant himself.
- You any closer

to telling me why
someone would want

to kill a bunch of bees
up and down the Northeast?

Well, my most promising theory
was that it was an attempt

to manipulate
the commodities exchange.

New York is the second largest

grower of apples
in the United States.

The business is reliant
on pollination by bees,

so, it would most assuredly
be impacted.

But, as it turns out, no one has
been shorting the industry.

So you're back to square one.

Well, maybe one and a half.

I have another theory.

You know that apiary summit

you were talking about
in Garrison?

Every researcher
attending has motive.

How do you figure?

Colony collapse rates
have improved since 2011.

Research funding has begun
to dry up.

This new scare
could be the work

of an academic
rattling his tin cup.

It's worth a trip to New Jersey
to find out, right?

You seriously think someone

from the USDA is behind
these numbers?

Evidence is quite compelling,
is it not?

No. No way. You can't just
write off a global issue

because one guy went
on a bee-killing spree.

I share your concerns

about Colony Collapse Disorder
writ large, I do.

I have hives of my own.

But your degree
is in entomology, and, uh,

the mathematicians have spoken.

Uh, Griff? Come here.
You should hear this.

This is my husband,
Griffin Parker.

He's a professor here, too.

They think some USDA guy...

Everett Keck.
They think he was dropping mites

in hives all over New York and
Connecticut the past few months.

The purpose of your summit is
to study this year's spike

in Colony Collapse Disorder
and find answers.

We submit you might be holding
those answers in your hands.

So, this guy's, what, insane?

Or just a canny fund-raiser.

We think he has a partner
who may have a way

to cash in on the
higher CCD numbers.

Do you know if any
of your attendees

are writing grant proposals
to study the outbreak?

Offhand, no,
but it's a safe bet someone is.

But the outcry
for this summit

has come from all corners.
I mean, everyone

is worried about
what's happening here

in the tri-state area,
where it goes next year.

Well, you're not wrong
about the funds drying up.

We're the only entomology
department in the radius

of the outbreak that had
the cash to host this thing.

To our point-- many of your
colleagues, less fortunate.

It would be a great help
to us if you could give us

a list of your
esteemed guests.

The people you're talking
about... are scientists.

Not murderers.

The frequency of overlap
between those two vocations

might surprise you.

Thank you.

His Highness
Sheik Nasser Al-Fayed

is making an appearance?

Supposedly.

Nasser is an emir.

He's a member of the royal
family of Al Qasr

in the United Arab Emirates.

He's a black sheep.
He's not trusted

with state business,
like his brothers.

He's also got the most expensive
apiary on the planet.

State-of-the-art hives.
He's a recluse.

his family's estate.
Well, I wouldn't, either.

He has almost 1,000 species.
Uh, we were surprised

he RSVP'd, but I guess
he made the trip,

'cause he asked for a car
service to pick him up

in the city tonight.
Staying here in New York?

The Cardiff. Downtown.

You keep checking your watch.

Yeah. I forgot how long it
takes to get over the river.

I managed to get a copy of

the five-one's
property room log book.

I'm supposed to meet
a handwriting expert in 30 minutes.

He's gonna tell me
whether or not

Ann Vescey has forged
any signatures in it.

You cohabitate with
one of the foremost

forensic document examiners
on the planet.

You might have saved
yourself the expense.

You're not supposed to know
any of this, remember?

Well, should you require
a second opinion,

I'll be at the Cardiff.

Oh, so you're looking
into that sheik, right?

He's loaded.

So if he wanted money
for research,

why couldn't he just
use his own?

You're right-- Nasser Al-Fayed

and his family
are indeed loaded.

They stay that way thanks
to their many business holdings.

For example, they own several
agribusinesses in Turkey,

which would benefit greatly
if New York's apple orchards

were to suffer
from underpollination.

Hm.

I guess I could think of worse
reason to kill 100 million bees.

Are you sure?

Look at the bold garlands.
The-the-the short, nubby arcades

in the N's.

Same hand, no question.

Not what you wanted
to hear, is it?

To be honest, I'm not really
sure what I wanted to hear.

Excuse me.

Hey.
Did you talk to the sheik?

I did not.
No one's seen him in 24 hours.

Did he check out?

Not exactly.

Yesterday morning,
guests on this floor

were questioned by panicked
Arab men wearing suits.

Mr. Al-Fayed's bodyguards

were trying and failing
to locate him.

This was troubling,

so I availed myself
of a maid's key card

to have a look
around his suite.

I'm now reasonably certain

the emir has been kidnapped.

I was told you needed
my assistance

in contacting Sheik Nasser.

Now this gentleman says

that he has been
kidnapped.

You'll have to excuse
my colleague,

uh, Mr. Al Shamsi.

The NYPD isn't ready
to go that far.

For now, we consider this
a missing person's case.

We were hoping that you would
be able put us in touch

with the sheik's
security detail.

One of his guards,
Rasheed Musharakh,

is of particular
interest to us.

Why?

Because we feel
he may be responsible.

Every guest on
the sheik's floor

was questioned.
A few remembered

a guard stationed

outside his door
two nights ago-- Rasheed.

The next day, when all the
other guards were rushing

around in a panic,
Rasheed was nowhere to be seen.

And now he just
cannot be found.

And this hearsay
is the basis of your contention

that Mr. Musharakh absconded

with his charge?
There was no blood at the scene,

no sign of a struggle.

But then, there
wouldn't be if Rasheed

had just walked him
out of a fire exit.

Well, nor would there be
if he just checked out

and found
alternate accommodations.

A possibility.

If he had not
abandoned his epinephrine

with the rest
of his toiletries.

It's prescribed for
a deathly peanut allergy

and I doubt he would willfully
travel without it.

Do you have
numbers for either

of them--
something we could trace?

I'm afraid
it would be impossible

to provide you
with such information.

Why is that?

Well, as you said,

we can't say for certain
a crime has been committed.

Our U.N. mission
does not exist

to strong-arm our citizens

into American police stations.

A more likely explanation is
that your government has already

commenced negotiations
for the sheik's safe return.

On that point, among others,
you are entirely mistaken.

What I wish to know is why

you sought an audience

with the sheik to begin with.

We have questions
regarding a plan

to foment colony collapse
disorder here in New York.

Are you actually suggesting that
a member of our royal family

is involved in a plot
to kill American...

bees?

And so this meeting
has come to an ignoble end.

Please, Mr. Al Shamsi,

we are not accusing anyone.

We just want
to talk to the sheik.

If you will excuse me.

I have a busy day
at the mission.

I'll, uh...
I'll walk you out.

Anyone ever tell you
you're not much of a statesman?

Some statesmen have.
What was that in there?

What makes you think that
they're already negotiating

to get the sheik back?

He didn't bat an eyelid
when I told him

a member of the royal family
had been kidnapped.

I don't believe
even the gifted diplomat

could maintain
that kind of equanimity

unless his office

had already been
contacted with demands.

Makes sense, right?

The kidnapper has already had
the sheik for 24 hours.

If the plan was to
ransom him, why wait?

What I'd like to know is what
the hell any of this has to do

with Everett Keck
killing a bunch of bees.

So you thought that the sheik
was his partner, right?

It's a distinct possibility.

How his abduction relates
to the colony collapse hoax--

whether it relates at all--
is, at the moment,

a Gordian knot of seemingly
unrelated threads.

Well, let's put the bee thing
aside for now

and find this Rashid guy.

If he's got the sheik,

chances are he's got
some answers, too.

We'll see how the detective
is coming along.

I need a minute.

Can you talk?

I take it you're done
looking into Ann Vescey?

I am.

And as it turns out,

you couldn't ask
for a better replacement.

Great boss, loved and respected
by all of her people.

And as far as that
property room scandal,

the only discrepancy in the log

that wasn't accounted for

was the work of
a female undercover,

who has already taken
forced retirement, so...

Congratulations,
if you want to move on.

Uh... you'll be leaving the 11th
in good hands.

Hmm.

Okay.

You're having second thoughts?

You know, I know a thing or two

about big career changes.

Maybe I can help.

I love what we do.

You, me, Marcus, Holmes,

everyone--
what we do

for the city,
people that need our help.

It's not just some report
that shows up on my desk.

I see it.

I'm a part of this.

Whatever decision you make,

I have no doubt
it'll be the right one.

That's right. We've been calling
currency exchanges

all over the city,
looking for Mr. Musharakh.

Well, we don't know
the guy he kidnapped

is traveling with UAE Dirhams,
but he's a sheik.

"Stands to reason" is how
one of my colleagues put it.

Yeah, okay.
Thanks.

No luck on Staten Island?

Not a high destination for
vacationing emirs, apparently.

Not on vacation.

Yeah, well, I'm starting to feel
like a telemarketer here.

I may have something.

Atlas Exchange in Parkchester.

A clerk there saw a man

matching Rashid's description

come in with $20,000 Dirhams
last night.

Well, the detective and I
will investigate posthaste.

Why do you get to go?

Because I stood up first.

And as tiresome as calling
these establishments may be,

one of us has
to finish the list.

We can't put all our eggs
in one basket, can we?

I've interviewed blind men who
were better witnesses than that.

Three of them.
No, four.

Can't fault the owner for having
a broken surveillance system.

Of course I could.

If it had been broken.

Footage was black.

That man's fleecing
his customers.

He wiped the tape himself when
he heard we were en route.

Didn't want to hand us
a record of his crimes.

Holmes.

Indulge me a moment, would you?

Yeah, that, uh...

that might have been
the guy who was in here.

Really?
Yeah.

Because the watch
in this photograph,

the same one
that you have

on display here,

could lift 100

of Nasser Al-Fayed's
countrymen out of poverty,

and he's probably got
a drawer full of them,

so I doubt that he pawned
this one here in the Bronx.

You sure you didn't
buy it off this guy?

He was selling off
the sheik's assets

up and down this block
last night.

- I can't be sure. Uh...
- Look, man,

we don't care if you didn't ask
for proof of ownership.

Yeah, this was the guy,
right here.

Yeah, he brought in the watch.

How much he take for it?
Six.

And a laptop in trade.

Now, I hope you're
not gonna tell us

your surveillance
system's broken.

No. What, are you kidding?
I've been robbed

ten times in
the last couple years.

These cameras stop working,
so do I.

You mind getting the tape
from last night for us?

I think we can do
better than a tape.

There's anti-theft
tracking software

on all the electronic
goods here.

Well, like I said,
we've had robberies.

Do you deactivate the software
once a sale is made?

...and Chamberlain
will send it forward,

down the right side.

Alvarez there to collect.

But no,
Muncie powers him off it,

and there's no foul; Alvarez--

Hands up!
Get on the ground, now!

Give me your hands!

Clear!

There wasn't any sign
of the sheik?

Nope.

Still no answer
at the UAE's mission.

Nobody knows anything,

and Rashid's got a bridge
he wants to sell us.

What do you mean?

Rashid...

tell these people
what you told me.

What?
That's I'm innocent?

I told this man

I did not take the sheik.

I don't know anything.

Well, we might as well get a full
account of what you don't know,

so let's start at
the beginning, shall we?

Are you aware
of a plot to spread

colony collapse disorder
in New York?

Colony what?

Do the names Everett Keck

and Calvin Barnes
mean anything to you?

No.

All I know is simple:

Two nights ago, I was assigned
to the emir's door.

He was inside, with a...

a prostitute.

His taste.

Blonde. Tall.

A beauty mark above the lip.

I never left my post,

but in the morning,
they were both gone.

Vanished
into thin air.

I only ran because
I know it makes no sense.

The sheik was
my responsibility.

If you turn me over,

I'll be lucky to be buried
with my head.

We can't promise
you anything.

But the NYPD can petition
the DA for lenience

and refugee status
for helpful witnesses.

Hold up. You're buying this?

I said earlier
this case was a Gordian knot.

This man has just given us
a sword

with which to cut it.

When he says the sheik
and his courtesan vanished

into thin air,
I believe him.

I also think
I know where they materialized.

It's a thread about the
evolution of leafcutter bees.

Why are you showing this to me?

Page four,

post 103.

You'll see the moment
that you decided to lure

Sheik Nasser Al-Fayed
to the United States.

You proposed a meeting
in person.

This? This was
just me being nice.

So nice he invited you
to tour his hives in Al Qasr.

"I'll fly you in.
Ticket for one.

You can't bring
your husband."

I turned him down
in the next post.

Probably because you knew
it would be easier

to abduct and ransom him here,
away from his family compound.

What?

Three nights ago,
he disappeared,

shortly after his guards
let a prostitute,

matching your description,
into his hotel suite.

Please tell me you didn't ask me
to come here

just because I got some unwanted
attention on a message board.

You gave as good as you got.
Privately, of course.

You deleted
your private messages,

but he was able to dredge these

off the server.

There are hundreds of messages.

A dozen invitations to New York.

You even dyed your hair blonde

after you found out
that's what he likes.

You were quite eager
to show off your new look.

No.

I, uh...

actually hadn't seen these.

But I was
aware of them.

Tara told me about
the... flirtation.

But that's-that's all
in the past now.

Our relationship is great.

Really?

Yeah. We just booked

a second honeymoon in Vietnam.

A non-extradition country.
How heartwarming.

And all it took
to bring you closer together

was a kidnapping
and an attempted murder.

So Griffin is in on it with me?

Someone had to work the winch.
What winch?

The one that was attached
to the balcony railing

above the sheik's room.

Someone had to work it
to haul you both up,

away from Nasser's guards.

It wasn't the third member

of your cabal, Everett Keck.

He'd been murdered
the day before.

The guy
who killed all those bees?

Oh, so we're part
of that thing now, too?

Your online seduction
was not sufficient.

The sheik was unwilling
to leave his kingdom.

So, knowing
that his first passion was bees,

you set in motion
an apiary apocalypse.

Everett Keck caused a spike
in CCD so drastic

that the sheik had no choice
but to come to your summit.

Killing bees
to lure an oddball sheik.

Really?

I admit, it's a plan
almost too deranged

to describe out loud, and yet...

it worked.

Eventually.

Only real speed bump
was Calvin Barnes.

He was catching on to Keck,

so while Keck alibied himself
in Connecticut,

you ambushed Barnes in his home,

and shot him up
with potassium chloride

to give him a heart attack.

I've never seen that man before.

And I didn't do any
of the things you say I did.

You should know we've got you
and your husband on video,

checking into the sheik's hotel
the night he disappeared.

We know you were in the
room right above him.

And we found damage
to the railing

where the winch was attached.

You've gone back

to your natural color.

Did you do that
after the kidnapping

to avoid being identified?

Has anyone tried calling him?

Has anyone tried calling who?

The sheik.

I mean, sure,

Griffin and I were
at the same hotel.

That's not a crime.

You've obviously done a lot
of work here.

But has anyone actually talked
to Nasser?

Kidnapped men are difficult
to get hold of.

Well, I think
you should keep trying.

In fact, I think you
should try right now.

Maybe you could spare yourself
any more embarrassment.

The United Arab Emirates

and their spokesman,
Mr. Al Shamsi,

would like us to know
that Sheik Nasser is resting

on his plane home and is
unavailable for questioning.

They paid the ransom.

But they're claiming
he was never taken.

Why?
Because if word gets out

they negotiate with kidnappers,

it'll be open season
on their people.

Cheaper in
the long run

to pretend none of this ever happened.
Not to mention

less embarrassing.
They also said

this was the last time
they'd take any of my calls.

Perhaps it's time

to involve DHS.

See if we can get a warrant
to seek out any large transfers

emanating from Al Qasr.

We may be able to tell whether
the Parkers secured their bounty

in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands.
Why?

Justice?
I'm familiar with the concept,

but it's gonna be difficult
to prosecute a crime

where the victim is gonna swear
it didn't take place.

They didn't just kidnap
the sheik.

There's Calvin Barnes,
the bees...

Then get me some proof
of any of it.

'Cause as it stands now,
I got to cut the Parkers loose.

If you do, they'll be on
the next flight to Haiphong.

Then you
better hurry.

'Cause I got no choice.

Okay, those
are not evidence.

Aren't they?

Of low self-esteem? Definitely.
Of a crime...?

What did the lab have to say
about the stray hairs found

at Calvin Barnes's home?

Most of them belonged
to his wife, a few to the dog,

and there was one
that was not a match for anyone.

It was dyed blonde.
Just like Tara Parker's hair.

She was there
the night he was attacked.

I would say we should get
a DNA sample to confirm,

but what would be
the point?

When there's no proof
that a crime was committed,

and as far as the world
is concerned,

Calvin Barnes
just had a heart attack.

And as far as Sheik Nasser is concerned,
he was never kidnapped.

The Parkers have a knack
for committing crimes

that cannot be
identified as such.

Probably why they're gonna
spend the rest of their days

sipping drinks on
a Vietnamese beach.

They're not good-- they're lucky.
I don't disagree.

Otherwise Everett Keck
would still be alive,

and they'd have to split
their money three ways.

As it is, they get
to keep the whole pot.

You're not seriously
gonna leave those up all night.

Everett Keck.

The day he died, he was wearing
a T-shirt that said,

"Buddhists do it
to attain Inner Peace."

So?
His autopsy report

also revealed he'd taken Viagra
the night before.

Okay, I'll bite.

What does Buddhism have to do
with erectile dysfunction?

If I'm right, Watson,
everything we want it to.

Mrs. Parker, do you
understand your rights

as they've been read to you?

Yes.

What I understand
is that you're desperate.

Griff and I leave for
our trip tonight.

You want to try to delay us.

It's funny
you should mention Griff.

He's the reason we're here.

He gave you up this morning.

Sure, he did.

You don't believe us?

I know how this works.

Right now, some other cop
is arresting him,

saying I gave him up.

You want us to turn against
each other, but we won't.

We didn't do anything.

But you did,
as a matter of fact.

You both got
master's degrees.

What are you talking about?

Well, you both have your
degrees in agriculture.

But this scarlet academic hood
that you're wearing

denotes a degree in theology.

It belongs to your lover,
Everett Keck.

Like many a theology major,

Keck ultimately had to find work
in another field.

So he put his minor
in entomology to good use,

joining the USDA.

Your husband knew
you were sending

racy pictures to Sheik Nasser.

He was okay with that.

What he wasn't okay with

was you taking this one
at Keck's house,

wearing Keck's robe.

Until this morning, he'd never
taken a good look at this.

But when we were able
to procure this very robe

from Keck's residence,
along with dyed blonde hairs

from his shower and bed,

Griff became quite talkative.

You got away
with kidnapping the sheik.

You won't get away with
what you did to Calvin Barnes.

Or millions of bees.

I don't understand.

You're giving this back?

I can't take the promotion, Pat.

I'm grateful-- to you,

to the commissioner--
it's just not rig for me.

Not right now.

Tommy, offers

like this don't come around
every day.

I get that. And I get

that one may not
come my way again.

But the truth is,

the 11th is where
I want to be.

Youngest detective in
the history of the 14th Squad.

Head of Major Case at 40.

Lacks ambition?

Am I missing something?

My ambition's being met.

Right here.

I guess you're right.

I should take this back.

Moves like this, Tommy--
people coming, people going--

they get made two ways:

Sometimes it's the carrot,
sometimes it's the stick.

What the hell
is that supposed to mean?

It means
I've been around a long time.

I think I know a lifeboat
when I see one.

Are you saying somebody wants me
off this desk?

I just know
that this came from on high.

It was something
that was supposed to happen.

Why?

Maybe there are problems in
the 11th you don't know about.

Maybe Ann Vescey
has more friends than you do.

Or maybe I'm just wrong.

It has been known to happen.

Be happy here, Tommy.

Just... don't be comfortable.

== sync, corrected by elderman ==
@elder_man