Elementary (2012–…): Season 4, Episode 5 - The Games Underfoot - full transcript

When an archeologist is murdered, Holmes and Watson believe the man may have been killed for what he discovered during his last excavation in a local landfill. Also, Sherlock's relationship with Alfredo, his friend and former sobriety sponsor, hits a rough patch.

Previously on Elementary...
Oscar?

Long time, no speak, huh?

We can talk about Alfredo.
What?

Well, I'm the one who took him.

You help me
find my sister, maybe

you'll see Alfredo alive again.

Alfredo!

Hey, I said no phones.

(grunting)

(doorbell buzzes)

Alfredo!

It's so great to see you.

(laughs)

Please, come in.

Well, if I'd have known
hugs were on the table,

I'd have left Chicago
a lot sooner.

(Alfredo laughs)

Please, sit down.

So, you were gone so long,
I thought maybe you were moving.

Sherlock said you
got back last week?

I can only take my sister's
cooking for so long.

Well, I-I just
got through with a meeting.

I thought I'd stop by,
say hi to Sherlock.

Actually, Sherlock
went to a meeting.

I thought you two
might be together.

Well, you're right
that we usually

meet up at 11:00,
but today he was a no-show.

Oh. Well, something
must have come up.

Well, the thing is, he hasn't
been to St. Luke's all week.

I thought after his relapse,
he would be doubling down.

Oh, he has been.
Or at least he said he was.

I mean, it's hard to imagine
he might be avoiding meetings.

Maybe it's not the meetings
he's avoiding.

All the stuff

that's happened-- Oscar Rankin,

me getting tied to a chair--

I only told Sherlock
a million times

I don't blame him.

No, he gets it.
He understands.

And yet, I haven't seen him
since I got back.

Well, whatever's going on,
it's cool.

I just want to know he's okay.

(phone rings)

This is Eddie.

I'm either not here
or screening my calls.

Leave a message.

(beep)

WOMAN: Hey, Eddie,
it's Sharon next door.

I think I smell gas
coming from your place.

I'm worried you have a leak.

I'll try your cell phone, too,
and if I can't get you,

I'll call the gas company just
to make sure everything's okay.

Thanks.
(hangs up)

(ringing)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

BELL: Victim's name
was Eddie Ross.

We had to I.D. him
with dental records.

Stabbed in the chest
and incinerated.

Did the killer also
throw him off a roof?

He was dead
before the fire started.

Figure there was a struggle,
the perp torched the place

to cover up any evidence
he left behind.

The neighbor-- you said

you interviewed her yourself.
Yeah.

And she smelled a gas leak,
as in natural gas?

Well, her unit and Ross's
both have gas stoves.

She thought maybe
the pilot went out,

only it didn't.
We checked.

So she must have smelled
the gasoline, got mixed up.

But they don't smell the same.

No, but not everyone
has your nose.

The fire destroyed any prints
on the murder weapon,

but you can still see the brand

etched on the blade.
It's an archaeologist's trowel.

Don't know yet
whether it belonged

to the victim or the killer,

but we're
canvassing suppliers,

trying to identify
the person who bought it.

Pretty sure
it wasn't the victim's.

Most of the wear

is on the right edge

of the blade,
which means it was used

by a left-handed person.

But the musculature of
the victim's right arm

is more developed than his left.

Which means he was
probably a righty.

BELL: So the owner of
the murder weapon is

a left-handed archaeologist.

How many of those can there be
in New York City?

WOMAN:
I'm sorry, I just...

I can't believe
Eddie's dead.

According to his
Facebook page you two

were a couple,
right up until last summer?

You don't think that I...

Honestly, it's too soon
for us to think anything.

We're just
getting the lay of the land.

We were together
almost two years.

How did you meet?
Grad school.

Um, we both
studied archaeology.

I was lucky,
I... I got a great job.

But Eddie, he was...

he was still struggling.

And it just came
between us.

We stayed friends.

I still cared about him.

So can you account for
your whereabouts last night?

Uh, I was giving a seminar

on Iranian antiquities
down at Penn.

I had breakfast
with Dr. Charvat,

the department head,

before I came
home this morning.

All right, we'll need
his number before we go.

HOLMES: Ms. Burstyn,
archaeologists

are very protective of their
tools, so can you tell us

how yours came to be
in your ex's possession?

Uh...

about a week and a half ago,

Eddie came to me and asked
to borrow some of our equipment.

I-I gave him whatever he wanted.

Did he say what
he was using it for?

A dig.

He wouldn't tell me what
he was trying to excavate,

but he was excited.

He said he was
onto something big.

Big as in
"of great historical import"

or "worth a lot of money"?

I'm-I'm asking because,
in either case,

he may have had
some competition.

Um, I'm-I'm sorry, he...

he didn't say.

What kind of equipment
did you loan him?

Um, stakes and buckets,

a-a pickaxe, a shovel...

my truck.
Your truck?

He didn't have a car.
He needed something

to carry all the gear,
plus whatever...

whatever it was
he was digging for.

Any idea where the truck is now?

I think he just parked it
on the street near his place.

So Eddie Ross's background
check was a bust.

No criminal record,
no enemies,

as far as his friends
knew, and no

unusual debts. And his ex-
girlfriend's alibi checked out.

She was in Philadelphia
all last night.

Well, I hope she's not
in a hurry to reclaim her truck.

It's gonna need a little while
to air out.

This was what was in her truck?

First two
buckets of 12.

The rest
are in the evidence room.

Well, I don't get it.
Eddie's big find was garbage?

You're familiar
with garbology?

It's the study of rubbish.

Archaeologists employ it
to learn more

about different cultures.
The idea being that

we are what we throw away,

as were the ancient Romans
or the first American settlers.

So Eddie's dig site
was at a dump.

More likely a landfill.
Most of the stuff here

is from the late '70s,
early '80s.

From our conversation
with his ex,

I doubt he was studying culture.

More likely looking
for something.
He was probably studying

this refuse in order
to zero in on his prize.

Well, if it was a prize,
why would someone throw it away?

One man's trash
is another man's treasure.

Put the word "vintage" in front
of glass bottles, cameras,

trading cards-- you can
turn a tidy profit.

WATSON: Vintage
rainbow suspenders.

If there's money in stuff
like this, I need to get to

my parents' basement fast.

Hopefully, the other buckets
will yield more insight.

Oh, hey, Alfredo came by
the brownstone yesterday.

Oh?

Yeah. He said you hadn't
been to St. Luke's all week.

Uh, he's correct;
I have not.

Just wanted to make sure
you were doing okay.

What, you're worried I haven't
been to any meetings?

Well, you can both rest easy.

I've just been
going to different ones.

Some in Flatbush,

some in the, uh,
Kingston Avenue Jewish Center.

Okay.

Even though St. Luke's
is right up the street?

Si...

Since my relapse,

I've had to start
my program anew.

My "days sober" count
has reverted to one,

so I thought I would have
a correspondingly fresh approach

in regards to my meetings...
all right?

You know how conducive
I find a change of setting

to my work as a detective.
I thought the same might apply

to my work as an addict.

Okay, well, Alfredo just thought
that you might be avoiding him

because you feel guilty
about everything

that went down with Oscar.

What happened on that day is
no reason to avoid my friend.

Okay, well, then you should
check in with him,

let him know you're doing okay.

WATSON:
"Reagan for President."

If you're thinking
about sending money,

let me save you the trouble.

What interests me are not
the contents of this mail

but the fact
that it is mail.

This arrived at this address
postmarked October 7, 1980.

It was then discarded

and then picked up again
and transported to a landfill.

The same landfill
that Eddie was digging in.

We can call the department
of sanitation,

find out where the garbage
from this address

was taken to in 1980.

Find out where Mr. Ross
was digging,

we might find out what
he was digging for.

Okay, so this neighborhood
is sitting

on top of an old landfill.

It was shut down in 1982

and repurposed
for new construction.

Now, we know that
the garbage our vic dug up

came from somewhere
right around this block.

What we're looking for is the
exact spot he was working,

along with any witnesses
who might have seen him.

I miss anything?

Uh, I would add that,

given the equipment
Mr. Ross borrowed,

he was not digging through
asphalt or concrete,

so that could further
narrow our search

to areas of
accessible soil.

All right, that's it.
Fan out.

Holler if you
find anything.

Yeah, sure.

Guy works for the city, right?

Is that what he told you?

Told me? Guy had I.D.

The glowy vest.

He's been digging up
the backyard for a week.

Said something
about the power lines,

and it's a mess back there.
I been wanting to ask him

how much longer
he's gonna be, but I haven't

seen the guy for a few days.

Would you mind
showing me the spot?

What are you doing?

These were chained
to a lamppost down the street.

And you figured
you'd steal them?

I'm re-stealing them.
I peruse the crime blotter

when I'm bored, and these were
stolen in Chelsea last month.

And you're just gonna walk
around with 'em

for the rest of the day?

Oh, don't be ridiculous.
This one's for you.

(phone rings)

Watson?

I'm behind the townhouses

down the block.
You guys should get over here.

You found the dig site?

Not just that.

There's someone digging in it
right now.

Look, for the last time, I di...
I didn't do anything wrong.

You were digging a hole on
someone else's property.

So... there's that.

I didn't know Eddie
didn't have permission.

And I didn't know he was dead
until they told me.

I never even met the guy.
I mean, not exactly.

Not exactly?

We posted on the same

online discussion board,
that's it.

Can you tell us where you
were between the hours

of 12:00 midnight
and 2:00 a.m.?

Is that when he...?

I-I was at a video game
tournament, at an arcade,

out in Bayville.
I was there all night,

I didn't leave
until around 6:00.

I was there with friends.
I can give you their names.

One of them even
tweeted some pictures.

We'll look into that.
In the meantime, maybe you could

tell us what you were doing
in that hole.

I wanted to see if Eddie
found the games.

HOLMES: What games?

The... games.

I thought you guys
already knew.

I mean, you found the hole, too.

We don't know

what Eddie was looking for,
so tell us.

Nottingham Knights.

He was looking
for Nottingham Knights.

I remember this.
It was made by a company

called EmeryVision.
My brother and I

had one of their consoles
when we were kids.

Everyone did.
Without EmeryVision,

you wouldn't have PlayStation
or an Xbox or a Wii.

Then how would humanity
idle away its time--

solving world hunger,
curing cancer...

"Nottingham Knights:

The worst game ever."

Allegedly.

What do mean, allegedly?

Nottingham Knights
was supposed to be

EmeryVision's big
Christmas release in 1980.

There was a huge ad push.

But the reviews
on advance copies were so bad,

stores started
canceling their orders.

Yeah, says here
EmeryVision

was worried it would
take down the whole company,

so they cut their losses,
dropped the release

and hauled every last copy
to a landfill.

So this is what Eddie Ross
was digging for?

Bunch of video games that were
so bad they were buried?

Why?

HOLMES: A company opts
not to release

a bad product, that's one thing.

They decide this product
is so colossally bad

it has to bury
the whole inventory,

that's the stuff of legend.

Yeah, yeah,
it became this thing

that gamers talked about

for decades.
It was like

the Holy Grail.
If the Holy Grail

were a plodding, pixelated
failure banished to a dump.

Every few years, somebody
would try to find the games.

They'd get their hands
on company records

or, uh, track down the sites

where EmeryVision dumped
their garbage.

This year, it was Eddie.

He was posting updates
on the board.

A few days ago,
he said he was close,

and then... radio silence.

I went over there today,
because I had to see

if he'd actually done it.

And?

Look, you're the only one here

who's been in the hole.

Had he found the games?

I couldn't tell.
There was some stuff

from EmeryVision in there,
from the right years--

a piece of an old console,
a few recalled joysticks--

but I didn't see any sign
of any of the cartridges.

So maybe the killer took
the games.

He was an obsessed gamer,
just like you.

Yeah. Or he was just in it
for the money.

Money? What money?

For the games.

Those advance copies,

the ones
in the original packaging,

go for ten grand apiece.

If the... legend

is true,
there would've been

thousands in that landfill.

Altogether, you're talking
about a few million bucks.

Did I not mention that?

(Holmes clears throat)

'69 'Cuda.

Owner wants 40 grand for it,
if you're interested.

It would seem my week has
a theme of middle-aged men

clinging to pubescent glory
via collectibles.

Nice to see you, Alfredo.

Likewise.

I take it
Joan told you I stopped by.

I've been difficult
to reach lately.

Thought I'd explain.

Just about
to get some breakfast.

Want to join?

That's not breakfast.

Maybe not where you're from.

Try one.

I did. Two years,
three months, 27 days ago,

when you first brought
a box to a meeting.

You do realize pink coconuts
do not occur in nature.

Everyone else loves
these donuts.

Addicts and alcoholics
often crave sugar.

You put frosted rocks
in a gingham box,

they'd eat those, too.

That's why
you switched meetings?

Get better snacks?

As you know,

I've found the program immensely
helpful over the last few years,

and my appreciation for that
support's never wavered.

But, since my relapse,
I find the routine

which used to bring me comfort--
the familiar faces, rooms--

just reminds me
of my failure.

And I'm one
of those familiar faces.

In... context, yeah.

Well, it's like
I always told you--

you gotta be selfish, do what's
right for you. Whatever it takes

to stay sober. Just...

It's the only thing
that matters.

Obviously, my new regimen
should not affect our friendship

outside of the meetings.

Of course.

So, you... find
a new sponsor yet?

His predecessor
has proven difficult to replace.

Hm.

Well, don't take too long.

Fresh faces are good, but...

you don't want to try
to go it alone.

That's the one way
the program doesn't work.

WATSON: Sherlock?
HOLMES: Study.

(door shuts,
footsteps approaching)

Marcus and I just met with
the owner of the building

where Eddie was digging.

He had no idea
Eddie was back there

until the super told him
about it this morning.

All he wanted to know was
who was gonna pay

to fix his yard up.

I've been perusing the
message boards that Eddie,

Tyler, and their ilk used
to share their appreciation

of Nottingham Knights.

You find anything?

Eddie interacted
a number of times

with a user named
IntegerOverflow.

It appears Mr. Overflow searched
for the games himself in 2009,

but failed
to find them.
"IntegerOverflow:

"Beachwood only had trash up
to '79.

"ArtifactEddie:
What about Flushing Avenue?

"IntegerOverflow: The map

I have is spotty,
but you can have it."

Okay. So they were
sharing information.

More specifically,
IntegerOverflow was sharing

the benefits of
his past efforts.

What's notably absent from
these posts is any mention

of how the maps and other
materials passed hands.

So you think
they met in person?

That is a distinct possibility.

If Eddie found the games
with so much help from Overflow,

perhaps Overflow felt entitled
to the spoils.

Is there any way
to get Overflow's real name?

I have put that very question
to our friends at Everyone.

I should be hearing back
shortly.

Though I'm loathe to imagine

what fresh tortures they will
conjure up as payment.

Oh. How'd it go with Alfredo?

(sighs deeply)

We are both aware
of the unintended

yet unavoidable consequences
to my changes in routine.

When we made the transition
from sponsorship to friendship,

we made the occasional effort
to socialize.

But it became apparent that our
shared experience in recovery

was our friendship.

So I guess you two
don't have much else in common.

In the same way that many drug
users only relate to one another

because they use drugs,
the thing that Alfredo and I

did together was not use them,
so... (clicks tongue)

It is a conundrum, to be sure.

(doorbell buzzes)

(unlocking door)

It's from Everyone.

"Finish me."

(8-bit music playing,
sound effects blipping)

WATSON: (gasps) Look out!

I'm looking out.
(sighs)

You have to go left. Left!

Do you mind?
I'm trying to help.

(blipping)

Your help has just resulted

in that man's murder.

Again.
Okay,

first of all,
he wasn't murdered--

he was zapped
into another dimension.

And second of all,
he still has two lives left.

Yes, yes, of course, that's
what happens in real life.

If you die, you get
two more chances.

Somewhere, two
more Eddie Rosses

have just resumed
digging their hole.

Okay, don't get grumpy with me
just because Everyone

is making you finish
this old video game.

What are you even supposed to do
once you're finished?

It's not like they left us
instructions.
Well, obviously

they want proof that I
finished the game. So I'm sure

a photograph of the final
screen will suffice.

And then Everyone
will provide us

with IntegerOverflow's
real name.

(grunts)

May I?

(electronic whirring, blipping;
music resumes)

According to my research,
Swords of Saturn

was one of the best
games of the era.

If Nottingham Knights was one
of the worst,

then consignment to a landfill
was too kind a fate.

Well, it appears you
have some aptitude

for avoiding
digital blobs.

I told you. I had one
of these consoles growing up.

I've played this game before.

A fact you could've
shared several hours ago.

(fanfare playing)

(gasps)
Yes! Yes.

My hero.

Okay, so where
do you want this sent?

Well, it appears we don't
have to send it anywhere.

WATSON: Oh. "Sound by
Integer Overflow."

So making us play the game
wasn't the price of the answer--

it was the answer.
This is elegant, even by
Everyone's standards.

All right. So now all
we have to do is find out

who designed the sound
for this game.

There's got to be
a record somewhere.

Check the Internet.
I'm going to go ice my thumb.

You think I killed Eddie Ross

over the Nottingham Knights
games.

You do go by the online handle
IntegerOverflow, do you not?

I do.

And can you tell us
where you were

two nights ago,
around 2:00 a.m.?

Here. Alone.

You and Eddie were
in communication on and off

the discussion board.
We think he may have found

a stash of video games worth
millions of dollars

thanks to your help.

HOLMES:
We suspect that your
career as a composer

of ear-splitting digital
music peaked in the early '80s.

So perhaps when Eddie
found those games,

you felt your ship
had finally come in.

I'm sorry. Is there
something funny about all this?

Little bit.

You want to let us in
on the joke?

You're way off.

I didn't kill Eddie,

and I didn't take
any Nottingham Knights games.

No one could've taken them.

And why's that?

Come on. I'll show you.

(crickets chirping)

I understand you're new at this,
Mr. Ostrin,

but revealing you're
in possession of the very items

we believe a man was killed over

is not a great way
of clearing yourself.

These are the games
that EmeryVision dumped

in a landfill in 1980.

Only no one killed Eddie
over them.

Because Eddie
didn't find them.

I did.

Six years ago.
In a totally different landfill.

And you can prove that?

Only with about 100 hours
of video.

I recorded every step.

Thought it would make
for a good documentary one day.

You were helping him
on the discussion board.

I was leading him
on a wild-goose chase.

Looks like you've
been on one, too.

Sorry, but whatever Eddie found
in that hole,

it wasn't these games.

BELL: Dwight Ostrin's
story checks out.

And he's had the Nottingham
Knights games for six years.

He held onto his digging
permits, video footage,

even nondisclosure agreements
from the crew that helped him.

Pretty thorough for a guy
who was hiding the fact
that he found 'em.

He knew he might need
to authenticate the
discovery someday.

In the meantime,
he's been selling one
online, every few months,

and claiming it was one
of the advance copies

Tyler Eggert told us about,

the ones that went out
to reviewers in 1980.

Got almost ten grand apiece
for them.

If they're so valuable,
why sit on them?

Why keep them a secret?
Supply and demand.

They're only valuable
because they're so rare.

And there's only
a small number of people
who'd spend money on them.

Flood the market
with 1,000 copies,

and the price would plummet.

BELL:
Best thing he could do was
act like he never found them,

keep feeding the hype
around the legend. That's why

he was pretending
to help Eddie.

So where's
this leave us?

Not quite square one,
but close.

We haven't been able
to find anyone

who had a problem with Eddie.

It's possible
he walked in on a burglar,

but as far
as his family can tell,

nothing of value is missing
from his apartment.

Nothing they knew about,
at least.

What do you mean?

Eddie was out of work
and single.

He had nothing else going on
in his life aside from the dig.

It still feels
like it's the best lead we have.

So you think he went looking
for the games

and he found something else?
Well, maybe

there was some other kind
of hidden treasure,

one that somebody else wanted.

Send CSU back to the hole
he dug.

See if anything
new comes up.

I will, but the building owner
won't be too happy about it.

He wants the hole filled.
He gave us an earful

when we went
to see him yesterday.

Well, tell him I got
his earful right here.

Feel free to give
him my number.

Sherlock.

Hi.

Martin.

Yes, I remember.

Ah. Got your 30-day chip
last week, right?

I did.

Feels good, right?

You should be proud.

Yes, well, actually,
it's my second time.

I, um... Prior to last month,

I had three years.
Mm.

Did better than me.

Four relapses
in my first three years.

Didn't think
I was gonna make it.

But look at me now--
22 years clean.

(quiet chuckle)

There's more, you know.

What?

Donuts. Over there.

You okay?

Was there another meeting here
earlier?

Yeah, there was one at 8:00.
Why?

Joan?

Yeah. Back here.

Is this everything
the Department of
Sanitation sent over?

Yes, records for all
the other companies

that dumped their garbage
in the same landfill
where Eddie was digging.

Hmm. Did any of them
throw anything away that
sounds like treasure?

No. Actually,
just the opposite.

But the name Corrigan Chemical
came up a few times.

I recognized the name,
so I did a search.

It turns out
that Corrigan was caught

illegally dumping
toxic chemicals

in two other landfills
in 1985.

You're thinking maybe they did
the same thing here?

Say they did,
and Eddie found proof,

and then threatened
to go public.

Someone at that company
might have killed him

to keep him quiet.

WOMAN:
Detective Bell?

Amy Kim. I heard

you have questions
about Corrigan.

Yeah. This is my
colleague, Ms. Watson.

Actually, we're
a little confused.

We thought this
was Corrigan.

Brower acquired Corrigan
in 1998.

We keep this as the address
of record,

so any inquiries come here.

Handling those inquiries
is part of my job.

So, how can I help?

Actually, it's probably best
if we discuss it in private.

This is the first
I'm hearing of any of this.

Your victim-- Mr. Ross?

I can assure you
he never approached us.

Couple of hours ago,
the EPA ran some tests

on the soil Mr. Ross took
from the landfill.

The results showed
high levels of dioxin.

That's the chemical your company

was charged
with dumping illegally

at two other sites.

Not our company. Corrigan.

We acquired them
after these incidents

took place.

Whatever they did before
isn't our responsibility.

I could see how that would be
Brower's position, but...

It's a fact, and to be
honest, I don't think

Corrigan would be
held liable, either.
What do you mean?

They hired
an independent contractor

to dispose
of their hazardous waste.

They paid the full rates
for a proper disposal.

The contractor, apparently,
cut corners

and disposed of the waste
illegally by reporting it

as inert materials.

None of that has anything
to do with Brower.

A court might feel differently.

Maybe, but so far, the courts
have ruled in our favor.

Three similar
cases have come up

since I started here,
and Brower was cleared

of liability in all three.

I can show you the cases.

In one of them,
the state paid

for the whole cleanup.

In another, the current
property owner was on the hook.

WATSON:
Are you talking about

the person
who bought the property

after the landfill was sealed?

Yeah, doesn't seem fair,
does it?

But that's how
the Superfund law works.

It's like buying a used car.

You need to check
under the hood,

because once you pay for it,
it's yours, warts and all.

The building owner.

The one who was in a hurry

to fill in the hole
that Eddie Ross dug.

Maybe that's not just
because it's an eyesore.

Mr. Brice, when Ms. Watson
and I visited you

in your office yesterday,

we asked you if you'd ever
heard of Eddie Ross.

You told us you hadn't.

Thing is, we went back
and had a longer conversation

with your secretary Elaine.

You should know,
she's very loyal to you.

She started out insisting
she didn't remember anything.

GREGSON:
Once we pointed out to her

that she could
go to prison

for hindering prosecution,
her memory cleared up.

WATSON: She said that Eddie
came to your office twice.

The first time was
about two weeks ago.

According to Elaine,

he asked your permission
to dig behind your building.

Your super said he claimed
to work for the city,

so we're guessing
you said no.

Elaine is a sweet woman,
but she's obviously mistaken.

I don't recall
any of this.

MAN:
Which makes all of it

"he-said, she-said" at best.

Sounds to me like
you coerced a statement.

We'll see if a judge agrees.

Well, it's understandable
you don't remember.

You're a busy man.

And Eddie Ross's hunt
for discarded video games

probably ranks quite low
on your list of priorities.

But we imagine his second visit
left a more lasting impression.

The only thing that your
secretary could tell us about it

was that you quickly pulled
Eddie behind closed doors.

See, we think
he'd approached you

with evidence
of what he'd found.

Chemical drums
that contained toxic waste.

He had the expertise
to identify the drums.

He had the equipment
to test the soil.

He almost certainly
understood what he had found

and its ramifications to you.

Now, perhaps he came to you
in good faith,

to give you a chance
to remedy the situation,

or perhaps he offered
to forget what he had seen

in exchange for a tidy sum.

Either way,
you settled on a third option.

WATSON: I did some research.
It turns out

your building is in escrow,

along with a row
of adjacent properties.

You're about 15 days away

from closing
on a ten-million-dollar sale.

Toxic waste would have been
a deal killer.

You'd be out all that money,
not to mention

facing lawsuits
from all of your tenants.

Much easier to just
get rid of Eddie Ross.

Right?

GREGSON:
Brower Chemical, the company
that bought the company

that did the dumping, has
been cooperating fully.

Using their records,

we've been able
to figure out exactly

how many drums of waste
were buried at that landfill.

We executed a search warrant on
your property this afternoon,

using ground-penetrating radar.

And guess what?

You're two drums short.

Obviously, they're the two drums

that Eddie uncovered
when he was digging.

So, who aside from you, would
have had reason to move them?

I'd like a moment alone
with my attorney.

(muffled, indistinct
conversation)

You're not even gonna
try to read lips.

Their backs are to us.

Well, it's never
stopped you before.

Oh, how was the meeting?

When Alfredo came
to the brownstone the other day,

you're certain that he said
I hadn't been to any

of the meetings
at St. Luke's last week?

Yes.
And those were
his exact words?

WATSON:
Yes. Why?

(knocking on glass)

My client's statement.

He admits to having
removed the drums.

He was just getting around

to letting the buyer know
about them.

The sale will probably fall
through, and you're right--

he'll probably
face some civil

complaints-- but what he won't
be facing is a murder charge.

BELL:
How do you figure that?

Your client still
hasn't accounted

for his whereabouts
three nights ago.

There's the name
and address

of a garage out in Hoboken.

My client's company
keeps a truck there.

I'm sure they have
security cameras.

I'd recommend
you review the footage

around 1:00 a.m. that night.

Should answer
all your questions.

WATSON:
Just like he wrote
in his statement.

He hired those workers
to move the drums,

and he let them use
his company's truck to do it.

And he did it
at the same time

the fire broke out
at Eddie Ross's place.

A despicable alibi,
but an alibi nonetheless.

Duncan Brice is not our killer.

(8-bit music plays,
electronic blipping)

What are you doing?
I'm punishing my brain.

And what did your brain
do to deserve punishment?

It's what it didn't do.

We know that Duncan Brice
is an abhorrent human being

who'd rather hide
evidence of toxic waste

than protect his tenants.

And he's almost certainly
behind the death of Eddie Ross.

Right. He had an accomplice--
someone who went to kill Eddie

while Duncan dealt
with the drums.

That's why we went
to separate quarters--

to try and figure out
who it was, right?

I've been pouring through
the man's life for hours now,

trying to find someone
he would plausibly

approach for such a task,

and I have nothing
to show for it.

How fares your brain?

Actually, it thinks
it found something.

Four years ago, there was a
fire that gutted a building

owned by Duncan Brice.

It was ruled accidental,
but...

the building was
well-insured.

They payout was
in the millions.

You're suggesting

this fire was set deliberately?
It wouldn't be the first time

someone like Brice used
insurance to finance a rebuild.

Let's say I'm right.

Four years ago, he
hires an arsonist.

Then, three nights ago,

he realized he needed
Eddie Ross dead.

Now, Brice isn't a Mob boss.

He doesn't know dozens
of criminals for hire.

He only knows one,
so he calls him.

If this was arson-- and that's
a considerable "if"--

it was carried out
so meticulously

that it was never detected.

Eddie Ross's murder
was a mess.

The weapon used
was one of opportunity--

a trowel left lying around.

Now, no one goes
to commit a murder

hoping there's going
to be a weapon handy,

least of all a professional.

I thought about that,
and then I remembered

something you said
in the morgue the other day.

Eddie's neighbor
told police

she smelled gas, not gasoline.

Marcus thought she got confused,
but what if she didn't?

Go on.
What if the killer was
planning to set a fire that was

supposed to look like a gas
leak, but then Eddie woke up

and walked in on him?
Once things got messy,

there'd be no point in staging
a fire that looked accidental.

HOLMES: So he replaced
the gas with petrol.

Needed to be sure he left
no trace of himself on the body.

Figure out who
committed this arson...

then maybe we'll figure out
who committed this one.

(low, indistinct talking)

(quiet laughter)

Anything you have to say,
call my lawyer.

I'm not talking to you
without him.

Actually, you're not going to
have to do any talking at all.

Nice building.

Can see why you'd want
to have offices in it.

The building that used to
occupy this space was a dump,

so, it's a small wonder
you had it burned down

so your insurance company
would pay for an upgrade.

Is the NYPD looking
for a slander suit?

BELL:
You hired a professional

torch named
Vladimir Orlov

to set a fire in this building
four years ago,

and to kill Eddie Ross
four nights ago.

No. I've never
seen that man before.

WATSON:
When this building

burned down in 2011,
the smoke detector in the unit

where the fire started
never went off.

The batteries were dead,

even though
the building manager swore

he had just replaced them
a week before.

GREGSON: There was no
other sign of foul play,

so no one thought much of it.

But after everything
that's happened

the last few days,
it jumped out at us.

We wonder-- did your arsonist
replace the fresh batteries

with dead ones to delay the
arrival of the fire department?

And if he did so in 2011,

did he also do so in 2015?
WATSON:
Turns out he had.

But when things went sideways,
and he had to undo the fire

he was planning to set,
he put the good batteries back

into Eddie's smoke detector.

BELL:
Unfortunately for him,

well, and for you,

the new fire was concentrated
around Eddie's body.

Didn't do any damage
to the smoke detector,

or to the prints Vladimir Orlov
left on the batteries.

We've had him in custody
the last few hours.

He named you

as the guy who hired him

to kill Eddie Ross.

Duncan Brice,
you're under arrest.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can be
used against you in court.

You know what doesn't scare me
at all?

Coming back to my garage

and finding some strange
white guy let himself in.

Not like that's ever gone badly
for me.

Sorry. I was waiting outside,

and I got bored,
so I came inside.

And then I got bored again.

You tell me you came up
with a solution

for that wiring problem,
all is forgiven.

So what's up?

You doing okay?

Uh, actually, I was,
I was wondering if, uh...

you were okay.

Um, the other day,
you told Watson

that I had not been
to any of the meetings

at St. Luke's
that whole past week.

That's right.

Right. St. Luke's holds
five meetings a week.

You typically attend
two of them.

It occurred to me
you wouldn't know

I hadn't been to any unless
you had been to all of them.

And then, yesterday,

at an entirely
different meeting,

I noticed this box of donuts

from the shop up the street,

that you like.

So you'd been to that meeting
just before, had you not?

What if I had?
Okay.

Well, obviously, it means
you're attending more meetings

than you usually do.

And that would suggest

that you're struggling
with something.

I just didn't want
to put this on you.

Put what on me?

I don't know. I'm... down.

And before you
even think it--

it has nothing to do
with Oscar Rankin.

What does it have to do with?

If I knew that,
I wouldn't have gone

to eight meetings this week.

Well, you know,
I am your friend, so...

you could have told me.

You just got your 30-day chip.

And helping you
would be good for me.

Right?

You've always suggested

that I should sometimes
be selfish

with regards to my sobriety,
and yet, here you are

with yours at stake,
and you choose to be selfless.

♪ Religion... ♪

Shame on you.

♪ Religion... ♪

(laughs)

♪ No, oh, oh... ♪

You got plans tonight?

I do not.

Well, close this door,
I'll cook us some dinner.

I'll even use food
that occurs in nature.

And that would be helpful
to you?

Ah, I don't know.

I guess we'll find out.

♪ ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh... ♪