Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2011): Season 7, Episode 17 - Vanishing Act - full transcript
A "modern age" magician disappears from the coffin in which he had buried himself for thirty-one days...only to reappear in an older magician's "blade box", with seven swords stuck in his body. Goren and Eames initially suspect the old man of murder, but he is quickly cleared when the M.E. informs them that the victim starved to death. However, further testing shows that he had been given potassium cyanide through his I.V. drip, mimicking a heart attack, and the investigation turns to a small circle of suspects who had their own motives for wanting this magician dead.
(Male announcer)
In New York City's war on crime,
the worst criminal offenders
are pursued
by the detectives
of the major case squad.
These are their stories.
Miles Stone.
He can do it. Totally.
He's hot.
The guy is a chick magnet.
I'll tell ya something.
When they dig him
out of there,
we are gonna par-tay.
I'm gonna be happy
with his overflow.
♪Miles Stone's♪
♪the next Houdini♪
♪when he escapes,♪
♪I'll buy him a martini♪
♪Miles Stone lies♪
♪six feet under♪
♪how he does it♪
♪makes this cowboy wonder♪
[Cheers and applause]
(Shaun Robinson) Harry Houdini
once buried himself alive
for 31 minutes.
David Blaine a week.
Magic phenom Miles Stone
has been buried alive
for 31 days.
And tonight in the shadow
of Harry Houdini's final
resting place,
Miles Stone will attempt
to rise from the grave
while the world watches.
[Cheers and applause]
Cut to the casket.
We're on, Amanda.
Miranda.
Amanda. Miranda.
Whichever.
This is what Miles Stone
told access Hollywood
exclusively before embarking
on his latest visionary
challenge 31 days ago.
I've gone beyond tricks.
I'm taking my mind and my body
to the absolute limit.
Magic as we know it
is dying.
And I'm willing to risk
my life to revive it.
The public doesn't want
cheap tricks
and illusions anymore.
It wants reality.
Try giving them that
with a top hat, a rabbit,
and a deck of cards.
There, sir.
Is that your card?
[Scattered applause]
Thank you. Thank you.
You all come in the same cab?
Kidding.
Now I'm going to attempt
something so dangerous
it's been banned
in 39 states
and the district
of Columbia.
All of you faint of heart,
you've been warned.
Clearly, Miranda
has grown too big
for her sequined britches.
High time I cut her down a size
with these razor sharp,
hand forged,
carbon steel
samurai swords!
[Gasps and exclamations]
Something's wrong.
Dig him up!
Miles said
"under no circumstances."
Kill the feed!
Get Miles out of there now!
Move!
Don't worry, ladies
and gentlemen.
This won't hurt...
Much.
(Jacob) Come on, dig him up!
Get these cameras
out of here!
Come on!
Dig him up! Move!
[Grunts]
[Grunts]
Where is he?
Where's Miles Stone?
Oh, my lord.
Oh, my lord.
Oh, my...
Miles.
(Woman) The great Carmine saved
his best trick for last.
Carmine closes the lid,
does the swords,
opens the box, and presto.
Miles Stone.
At 9:45,
his lovely assistant
climbed into this.
This is a, uh,
a-a-a blade box.
It's... it's a-a classic.
You know,
old school magicians,
they all have this
in their repertoire.
My uncle used to take me
to Tannen's magic shop.
Carmine
and his assistant.
He's in his dressing room.
Miranda... no last name...
Fled the scene.
You get statements
from the audience?
All six of 'em.
They only saw
what they were supposed to see.
Rigor is just
setting in.
This guy's emaciated.
Well, he's been on a diet,
locked in a casket
for a month.
Even so,
seven stab wounds,
there'd be more blood.
Mm.
Well, this isn't
a typical blade box.
It's a, uh, modified
mummy cabinet.
See, what... what...
There should be a mummy
where Stone is now.
The system
closes the door.
Now I... I... inside,
there's a...
Spinning cabinet here
like this
to trade places
with the mummy.
And she should show up
in the back of the house.
So this explains
how she got out
and how Stone got in,
or how someone put him in.
Where'd the assistant go?
Oh, backstage,
there's a fire exit.
Oh, you're ruining
the illusion.
Please call me
as soon as you can.
Something went wrong.
It was awful.
I didn't even know
her last name.
You always
hire strangers?
Last month,
out of the blue,
my girl Mercedes
quit on me.
Been with me for years.
In walks this new kid.
Costume fits.
She has experience.
I hired her.
Well, how'd you find her?
Craigslist?
Who's Craig?
I put the word out.
She found me.
I didn't mean
to kill Miles.
When the swords go in,
that box should be empty.
So someone wants us to believe
you wanted Stone dead.
Come on.
He used to sweep my stage.
I taught him
twisting aces.
I gave him his start.
He's a star now.
Besides, I'm practically
the only guy in the business
who still likes him.
How's that?
He's got no respect.
Makes himself out to be...
Better than the tradition.
Tradition.
Does that include...
Getting drunk
before you go onstage?
I mean, not even that onion
could keep the smell
of vodka off ya.
Just enough to loosen up
the old cords.
[Cell phone rings]
"The great Carmine,
"the man who taught
Dean Holiday, Miles Stone
everything they know."
Mm, the great Carmine.
Let him dry out
in holding.
We got another stop
to make.
The grave's been filled in
before anyone called the cops?
People thought Stone's
vanishing act
was part of the show.
By the time we got here,
the casket was already loaded
in the hearse.
Doesn't smell like anyone's
been living in this thing
for a month.
Gotta be a-a-a trap door
somewhere.
Mm. When my partner's
done playing,
send this over
to the trap specialist
at the garage.
[Casket thuds] Who's in charge?
Guy named Jacob Green.
Of course he was supposed
to be in the casket
when it opened.
I can't explain
how this happened.
Can't or won't?
Well, I-I think
Mr. Green feels
he has to protect
Miles Stone's secrets.
You know, I-I respect that.
But this is
a murder investigation.
I only know
what everyone knows.
Miles was buried
in that casket
with nothing
but a breathing tube,
a catheter,
and an iv for fluids.
And a web cam
streaming a live feed.
Last night was the moment
he dreamed of.
He'd done it.
Sounds more like self torture
than a magic trick.
He called it the new magic.
Trained like a triathlete.
Mm.
What about the red alert?
The vital signs crashing.
That big rush
to pry him out.
That was preplanned
for the finale.
Miles liked drama.
How did he keep track
of time underground?
Pure mind over matter.
He was a Superman.
I still think when I get home
I'll find him in my kitchen
drinking my last beer.
(Woman) Where is he?
Where's Miles Stone?
(Ross) Magicians are like
doctors and priests now?
Jacob Green thinks
he can claim
some kind of magician's
privilege?
That's their code.
You know, you can't tell anyone
how a trick works.
And Carmine
isn't talking either.
Well, he's still
sleeping it off.
Anyway, that trick
is too sophisticated
for an old drunk.
Okay, how about
the missing assistant?
She was backstage
putting on her sequins by 9:00.
Miles Stone had to have been
on his way
to coney island by then.
Out of his casket
and into a blade box
without anyone seeing
how it was done.
You have a theory,
detective?
I-I'd tell ya,
but, you know...
The code.
(Woman) I've done
thousands of autopsies.
Never seen bowels this empty.
That and his muscle tone,
looks like he's been
in a box for a month.
Well, he was on an iv
for nourishment.
Bare minimum.
Just enough to keep him alive.
Is that why he didn't bleed much
when he was stabbed?
No. If his heart was pumping,
he'da gushed
no matter how emaciated
he was.
So what killed him?
Heart attack.
An arrhythmia
brought on
by prolonged,
acute malnutrition.
He starved himself
to death.
(Goren) Then why wasn't he
in the casket
when they opened it?
Carmine will be relieved
to hear that the guy he stabbed
was already dead.
[Door opens]
Officer,
where's the old man?
He's been in here all...
I don't unders...
He couldn't have just...
Disappeared.
Well, he is the,
you know, great Carmine.
Yeah, I guess
we underestimated him.
Tell us what happened,
officer Jones.
The old man asked
for some coffee.
So you brought him a cup.
Handed it to him
through the bars.
Was his, uh, hand steady?
He had the DTs.
Spilled coffee
all over himself and me.
So it was, like, shaky? Sure.
That's what I was saying.
Hey!
That's my fault.
That's my fault.
I'm very sorry.
Here.
I got it.
No, let me...
Let me just help you out.
You want to do it?
Fine.
It's... I’m... I'm sorry.
And then you help him,
you know, helped him
wipe it up, I guess.
Yeah.
Here.
You know, it's the classic
misdirect, right?
That's why magicians
have pretty girls with them
because you're lookin'
at the girl instead of...
(Ross)
Speaking of pretty girls,
when you find Carmine,
see what he knows
about his mysterious assistant.
And officer Jones,
you and I aren't done yet.
Clothes. Cards.
Handkerchiefs.
Everything a magician
might need.
Looks like Carmine
was getting ready
to take his act
on the road.
[Laughs]
This is a-a-a Dollhouse.
A-A illusion.
I wanted one of these
when I was a kid.
Look at this.
[Cane snaps]
[Cane smacks sides]
Can't take me back
to jail again.
I swear,
I didn't kill Miles.
Yeah, w... w... we know.
So I'm free to go.
I-I gotta gig in Elko.
Need to catch a bus.
Not until you tell us
how his body got
into your blade box.
I got no idea.
Your assistant
might know.
Oh, that's right.
You don't know who she is.
She worked
for Dean Holiday.
That was good enough
for me.
Did you call Holiday,
you know, check it out?
Why? She knew his act.
Inside stuff.
I'da known if she wasn't
on the square.
No last name.
No phone number.
You did pay her, right?
Under the table,
same as me.
We good?
Sorry.
We have to charge you
for your great escape.
Uh, well, maybe there's
a little something more
I can, uh,
give you to, uh,
identify her.
A man has needs.
You know this woman?
Goes by the name of Miranda.
She was Carmine's
assistant.
Carmine's still
a peeping Tom.
Hole in dressing room wall?
Uh, no. Teddy bear
nanny cam.
Hmm. Old boy's keeping up
with the times.
And what about
his assistant?
Must be new.
She wasn't with him last year
when he came backstage.
(Woman over P.A. system)
Mr. Holiday, two minutes.
Oh, but Carmine said
he hired her
because she worked
with you.
Knew your act.
Probably got it off
the Internet.
You'd be amazed
how many web sites
are devoted to me.
Oh, I can't wait
to check them out.
Well, why not just stay
for my midnight show?
Atlantic City is hoppin'
after dark.
Some other time, maybe.
This girl.
She duped Carmine.
He may not be as sharp
as he used to be.
Although, I did hear
he escaped recently
from one police Plaza.
Is he really a suspect?
You think
he's beyond that?
Carmine's old school.
Catskills.
Sullivan show. Stone's illusions
are way too advanced for him.
M.E. told us, um,
Stone really was
buried alive.
No trick.
Believe me, detective.
You ask any true magician,
there is always a trick.
Took me a while to figure
this one out.
Electromagnetic strips
hidden in the head panel
and edges of the casket.
As long as the juice
is runnin',
the magnetic seal
won't budge.
Where'd the current
come from?
Carbon battery
like this strip.
Hidden in the base
of the casket.
Looks like ordinary
black tape.
Mm-hmm.
So how did he turn it off
to open the trap?
With a remote
like this one.
No locks or latches.
Ingenious.
Well,
ingenious as it is,
Stone was still buried
six feet under.
It may be a clever way out.
But out to where?
Here's where your cemetery
tunnel ends.
Maybe 50 yards
from the grave.
Well, Stone would have had
to crawl
to... to get here.
But from here on,
he could've gone anywhere.
Well, the shape he was in,
he couldn't have gone far.
Oh, it's cemetery dirt.
Mm.
Lot of tracks.
Tracks that way.
(Woman) This isn't about Miles.
It's about you too.
Your future. Your career.
My career?
I'm freaking out here.
What if they find it?
They won't. We're the only ones
who know where it is.
Teresa, you swear
you never told anyone?
How can you even
ask me that?
Eames.
Where could that go?
Well, easy in, easy out.
(Eames) An open casket.
Matches the one
in the cemetery.
And a web cam.
Miles Stone didn't spend
31 days in that cemetery.
He spent it in here.
Why'd you bring me here?
What is this?
You know what it is.
This is where the real web cam
was set up.
So his fans could watch him
suffer
for his vision
day and night.
Right here.
And when he needed
a break,
you switched to the pre-recorded
video loop.
It was a sham.
I don't know anything
about this.
(Goren) You don't?
But it was
your design.
The tunnel
and the electromagnetic traps
I mean, Stone couldn't have come
up with this on his own.
He didn't have
a high school education.
But you,
Caltech at 16.
Straight A's
in engineering.
I'm telling you,
I was never here.
We're gonna find your
fingerprints on this casket
and your DNA
all over this room.
Oh.
Look, I was just trying
to protect him.
From what?
Himself.
Miles started to believe
his own hype.
He wanted to be buried
for real.
I told him I could make it
look and feel real
with a lot less risk.
Well, I guess
you were wrong.
I had nothing
to do with his death.
You know
I was at the cemetery.
I was on TV.
You had an accomplice.
Who else knew
about this place?
No one.
I had the only key.
(Goren) Oh.
Well, then, I guess
you're the last one
to see him alive.
Because I was keeping him
alive.
I changed his iv bags,
I made sure he got exercise,
I put salve on his sores.
Oh, we get it.
You were a regular
Florence Nightingale.
You know
who this woman is?
She goes by the name
of Miranda.
She was Carmine's
assistant.
I don't know her.
Sorry.
Can I go now?
Nope.
We've had enough
vanishing acts lately.
Officers.
You're arresting me?
Yup. That's what happens
when you lie to the police.
So, Jacob says
that he changed
Stone's iv bags.
Stone had a central line
inserted.
That's something that...
That doctors do.
These gloves,
they seem small for a man.
Our missing assistant
fit into Mercedes' costumes.
I bet she fit
into these.
Serial number.
Mm.
This stuff's not mail order.
She might have had
access to a hospital.
Well, I missed it
the first time.
Color me chagrined.
Potassium chloride?
Yeah, triggers
a heart attack.
There were traces of it
in the IV bags
and at the insertion point
of the central line.
But it's hard to detect.
Impossible,
once it's in the body.
Perfect choice
for an angel of mercy.
We traced the IV bags
back to this hospital.
This is a municipal hospital.
Things disappear.
And these are all
the female physicians?
Mm-hmm.
What about the nurses?
Oh, you have to be
at least a resident
to insert a central line.
What a nurse is authorized
to do
and what a nurse
is capable of
are two different things.
We have over 800 nurses
on staff here.
Do you want photos
of each one?
Yeah, start with the units
that specialize
in long-term iv care.
[Knock at door]
(Teresa)
It sounds lame, I know,
but I joined the sideshow
to get Jacob's attention.
It's like he was engaged
to Miles, instead of to me,
the amount of time
they spent together.
Oh, you and Jacob
are engaged?
Then how come
when we showed him
your picture,
he said
he didn't know you?
Probably weirded out.
He had no idea
I was working for Carmine.
Oh, why'd you keep that
a secret?
I was going to bring Jacob
to the show
and surprise him
for his birthday.
And how did you hear
about the job?
Was that, um, Carmine's ad
or his post on Craigslist?
Craigslist.
That's it.
Mm, why'd you disappear
the night Carmine stabbed Stone?
I panicked.
Something went wrong
with the trick.
I just freaked out
and ran.
Oh.
I just...
I, you know,
I have one more question.
So when was the last time
you were at the safe room?
Because we found
your prints on these.
I was just there
once.
I swear.
All I did
was insert the line.
We found potassium chloride
at the insertion point
and on the iv bags.
Do you have
a professional opinion
about how they got there?
Do I need a lawyer?
Carmine didn't post
on Craigslist.
No, but Teresa did get her job
in time
for Stone's grand finale.
We left calls
for his old assistant.
It's time to pay her
a visit.
She didn't call you back
because Mercedes didn't take
her cell phone with her.
With her where?
My sister won a contest.
A cruise
around the world.
Wow.
She really hit the jackpot.
Ah, it was
a dream come true.
She always wanted
to travel.
You know
where she is now?
Um, well, the last postcard
I got was a week ago.
Oh, Casablanca.
You know who sponsored
this contest?
She didn't even remember
entering.
But sometimes fate works
in mysterious ways.
Doesn't it?
Thank you.
Her lifelong dream.
Someone made it happen.
Mm, just like magic.
I'm getting
something else.
College.
Freshman year.
A tattoo parlor.
But you chickened out.
My folks
would have killed me.
[Laughter]
You never got
that tattoo.
Right?
There's no way
I could know
what it was.
Well, Shelly, tell me.
Does this take you back?
No way.
That's the tattoo
I wanted.
But you're forgetting something,
right?
The name
of an old flame?
Oh, my gosh.
That's my college sweetheart.
[Cheers and applause]
How did you do that?
Well, I would tell you,
but...
I'd have to kill you.
[Laughter]
[Cheers and applause]
[Whispering and laughter]
Detectives.
We caught
the end of your show.
Your stage manager
let us in.
Shelly, why don't you
and your friends go down
and have a drink
on me,
and we'll do that photograph
a little later, all right?
Okay.
You should have called.
I would have comped you.
How'd you like my act?
It was magical.
[Laughs]
(Goren) Eames.
Look, it's our friend,
Adele.
With the great Carmine
and her sister Mercedes.
Only met her the one time.
Don't remember the name.
(Goren)
she was Carmine's assistant.
Until she won
an around-the-world cruise.
Only we checked
with the cruise line.
She didn't win
any contest.
Turns out someone here
in Atlantic city
wired cash to buy her a ticket.
A lot of high rollers
in this town.
(Goren) Yeah.
Well, somehow,
one of them knew
that her dream
was to see the world.
You know,
like he read her mind,
much like you just did onstage.
You know,
onstage with that girl.
Oh, you think that's
what I was doing tonight?
What would you call it?
[Clears throat]
Hold on.
I-I think I'm getting
something here.
I think
there are
some unresolved issues
with a man
in your life.
Some trust issues.
He's betrayed you,
hasn't he?
Kept a secret from you.
Not for the first time.
Poor thing.
How's my aim?
Pretty close?
Well, good chance guesses,
they usually are.
Anyway, that's the trick
of a cold read.
Psychics, charlatans
use it all the time,
you know,
to con their clients.
(Eames) Or an audience.
Well, so do criminal profilers.
Biggest frauds of all.
What's the name
of that shrink
who helped catch
the mad bomber back in the '50s?
James Brussels.
Right, now he said
that the bomber
would be German,
a loner with a facial scar...
(Goren)
yeah, meticulously dressed
in a double-breasted suit.
Right, and...
When he was arrested,
he was wearing just that.
But he wasn't German.
Right, and he had no scar,
but...
Brussels didn't get it
all right,
but he did get enough right
to stop a madman.
Oh, come on.
Brussels was way off
his read.
He's just another carny
tent hustler
who got over.
Oh, I'm sorry.
You consider him to be
the father
of criminal profiling,
don't you?
[Scoffs]
This guy... yeah, and you,
you leave your eyes open
when you do a read.
I mean,
that's your tell...
There's two kind of psychics:
The kind that shut their eyes,
who truly believe
that they have a gift,
and then the ones that leave
their eyes open like you,
who know
that they're a con.
Well, I told you,
there's always a trick.
I admit
I'm a fraud.
How about you?
Actually, we were wondering
if you were a murderer.
Now there you go.
That is a good chance guess.
But you missed.
Wanna try another?
(Goren) We know that Mercedes
went backstage
after Holiday's show.
Where he read
her mind.
I believe you,
but do we have any proof
Holiday paid
for her cruise ticket?
No trace
in his financials,
but it wouldn't be hard
for him to hide
100,000 in cash.
He makes that much money?
Yup.
Nothing compared to Stone.
This is Stone's latest deal
with NBC.
Nine million
over three years.
Mm-hmm,
Holiday had a similar deal,
but they dropped him
when they signed Stone.
So where was he
the night Stone died?
At the casino
for his midnight show.
According to his keycard,
he was in his room
all evening.
Guy made
the space needle disappear.
I'm sure he can make it
look like he was in his room
when he wasn't.
Teresa's lawyer's here.
Maybe she's ready
to deal.
A few weeks ago,
I was walking home from work
and I hear someone call
my name.
Dean Holiday,
in a limo.
He just happened
to be cruising by the hospital?
What'd he want?
We just talked.
About the cemetery stunt?
He couldn't get over it.
He kept saying
how brilliant Jacob was.
How Miles was just the face,
but Jacob had the real talent.
He ask you
how the trick worked?
I didn't tell him.
I swear.
He talked
like he already knew.
He said,
"there has to be a tunnel."
I said,
"I don't know."
And he said,
"I thought so."
Well, he was reading you.
Your reactions.
I didn't mean
to give it away.
You proud of Jacob?
He doesn't know
how good he is.
And after you told
Holiday that,
did he offer
to make Jacob a star?
He said
he could help.
In exchange
for putting potassium chloride
in Stone's iv?
No.
No, I swear.
All he said was
that his friend Carmine needed
an assistant
for a few weeks.
That's all he wanted?
Jacob cannot know.
Okay?
Three nights,
I slept on the couch,
worried that he would smell
Holiday's Cologne on me.
I've told you
everything I know.
Just please
don't tell Jacob.
She told Holiday
about the safe room?
No way.
She would never betray me.
No?
Then why was she working
for Carmine
without telling you?
I don't know.
Wanna guess
who got her the job?
Teresa would never hurt Miles
or me.
Jacob, only you and Teresa
knew about the safe room.
And you think that she would
never tell Holiday.
Then how did Stone's body
end up in coney island?
Jacob.
Jacob, please.
Say something.
Well, I don't think
he's gonna forgive her,
but he wouldn't turn
on her.
You're buying
their little soap opera?
I think they might have helped
kill Stone.
I just don't think
that they knew.
[Footsteps]
This is the last loop
that Stone pre-recorded.
It was switched on
with an hour to go.
It gives him time
to get from the safe room
to the underground casket.
Mm-hmm.
Look at his breathing.
(Eames) He's barely breathing.
This one...
It's an hour earlier.
The live feed
from the safe room.
He's not breathing
at all.
Oh, please.
Please, I've done nothing.
Ah!
Don't!
[Grunt]
[Applause]
That's...
That was great.
[Laughing] Really.
Oh, Dean, go ahead.
I'm sorry.
You can do your bow thing.
I used to have
one of these when I was a kid.
I did, really.
Honestly.
Mine was 11 foot.
But, you know,
a little different than this.
Mine was a double blade.
This is, a, um, er,
a body switch, right?
Something like that.
Yeah.
You can take off.
This is really cool, though.
It really is.
You know, I mean,
it's all pretty simple.
You know.
It's all just fake legs,
trapdoors...
Please don't touch that.
[Laughing]
I mean, it all just seems
so obvious
when you finally know
what the secret is.
It's just, like,
right in front of your face
the whole time.
Yeah, it's misdirection.
Yeah, misdirection.
Yeah, we arrested
Stone's killers.
Jacob Green
and his fiancee.
She's a, uh, burn unit nurse.
Uh, Teresa.
Really?
I-I-I know
how this trick works.
Did they confess?
No, but they poisoned him
through his iv.
Their prints were
all over the safe room.
Please, one time.
Oh, that's how they did it.
The buried alive gag,
I mean.
A safe room.
Well, killing him
was the easy part.
He was a sitting duck.
(Goren) But the theatrics,
the spectacular...
I know how to do this.
I can... watch.
You know, the thing we can't
figure out is how
Jacob pulled off the switch.
[Gasps]
Isn't that great?
Look.
[Goren laughs]
Sorry.
Well, didn't you say
his fiancee was involved?
Oh, she was onstage
with Carmine
when Stone's body
must have been moved,
and Jacob was
at the gravesite.
This.
Thanks.
So, all he needed
was a stagehand
to move the body
from the safe room
to coney island.
But not just anyone.
I mean, you can't give
an outsider the ace to palm.
I mean, it had to be
another magician,
someone as good as Stone.
Look, you know,
for awhile,
I thought it was you.
You know,
'cause you fit the profile.
For whatever it's worth,
and according to you,
not much, but...
[Scoffs]
Still, it's always flattering
when people think
you're smarter than you are.
Or more vain.
Didn't you used to have
a network deal
before they dropped you
in favor of Stone?
How many millions of people
saw him on TV that night?
(Goren) 15.
Perfect opportunity
to show millions of people
that Stone wasn't
the real deal.
Well, all due respect,
he wasn't.
(Goren) Not like you.
I mean, I thought
that you killed him
because he eclipsed you.
[Scoffs]
That's a pathetic portrait.
(Goren)
and it's way too simple.
I realized when I was watching
Stone's web cam feed
that for almost an hour,
his chest stopped moving.
Mm, his fans were watching
a dead man
and didn't even know it.
(Goren)
the killer was brazen enough
to kill Stone in front
of millions of witnesses.
It took real passion.
That's when we knew
it couldn't have been you.
You have some anger,
don't you, detective?
Is it the betrayal?
Well, what about yours?
You know,
your betrayal
of your art.
We saw your show,
and you know...
You're phoning it in.
Ten years ago,
you would have had
the audacity,
but now, no chance.
What about you,
detective?
Lost a step or two
over the years,
or do you still think you can
pull off the big solve
when you need to?
(Eames)
oh, but he solved this one.
Jacob was the jealous,
unsung genius
who pulled off
the greatest trick
of all time, live,
while the nation was watching.
I thought you said
you still didn't know
how he did it.
No, we don't,
but he'll probably end up
pleading out.
You wanna know
the irony of the thing?
If you insist.
That Jacob engineered
the whole trick
just to show the world
that Stone wasn't
what they thought he was.
Yeah,
and since he won't confess,
Stone's death
is still a mystery.
Right, he'll probably
end up being
a bigger legend than,
I don't know, like, Houdini.
(Eames) And Jacob,
the only person
who knows the secret,
won't reveal it.
[Laughs]
Jacob is not a genius;
He's a geek.
The tunnel,
the safe room,
they're all very workman-like,
but no vision.
No, not like Stone,
who, I think, you know,
he transcends magic.
Mm-hmm.
Stone was an overpaid,
overindulged little punk.
But he had nerve,
you gotta give him that.
Nerve?
[Scoffs]
The only nerve that he had
was to think
that it all began and ended
with him.
You know, there is a history
to what we do.
There is a code.
That kind of disrespect...
And he needed
to be taught a lesson.
Yeah, yeah,
he did.
(Eames)
you had the perfect crime:
Slip into Stone's safe house,
inject the potassium chloride,
slip out.
You even had
two perfect patsies
to take the fall.
But you're too much
of a showman for that.
You took Stone's body
to coney island yourself,
planted him
on Carmine's stage...
Come on, Dean.
What's the bigger crime?
That you killed Miles Stone,
or that no one
will ever know?
I mean,
you need to take him down.
There's only one way.
You know, Stone is as much
to blame as I am.
If he hadn't starved himself,
if he hadn't made it
look so real...
He might have had the strength
to put up a fight.
[Laughs]
He made it easy
for me.
Dean Holiday, you're
under arrest for the murder
of Miles Stone.
No, I don't think so.
[Laughs]
Is all this restraint
really necessary?
We learn our lessons too.
Glad some people still know
the meaning of respect.
In New York City's war on crime,
the worst criminal offenders
are pursued
by the detectives
of the major case squad.
These are their stories.
Miles Stone.
He can do it. Totally.
He's hot.
The guy is a chick magnet.
I'll tell ya something.
When they dig him
out of there,
we are gonna par-tay.
I'm gonna be happy
with his overflow.
♪Miles Stone's♪
♪the next Houdini♪
♪when he escapes,♪
♪I'll buy him a martini♪
♪Miles Stone lies♪
♪six feet under♪
♪how he does it♪
♪makes this cowboy wonder♪
[Cheers and applause]
(Shaun Robinson) Harry Houdini
once buried himself alive
for 31 minutes.
David Blaine a week.
Magic phenom Miles Stone
has been buried alive
for 31 days.
And tonight in the shadow
of Harry Houdini's final
resting place,
Miles Stone will attempt
to rise from the grave
while the world watches.
[Cheers and applause]
Cut to the casket.
We're on, Amanda.
Miranda.
Amanda. Miranda.
Whichever.
This is what Miles Stone
told access Hollywood
exclusively before embarking
on his latest visionary
challenge 31 days ago.
I've gone beyond tricks.
I'm taking my mind and my body
to the absolute limit.
Magic as we know it
is dying.
And I'm willing to risk
my life to revive it.
The public doesn't want
cheap tricks
and illusions anymore.
It wants reality.
Try giving them that
with a top hat, a rabbit,
and a deck of cards.
There, sir.
Is that your card?
[Scattered applause]
Thank you. Thank you.
You all come in the same cab?
Kidding.
Now I'm going to attempt
something so dangerous
it's been banned
in 39 states
and the district
of Columbia.
All of you faint of heart,
you've been warned.
Clearly, Miranda
has grown too big
for her sequined britches.
High time I cut her down a size
with these razor sharp,
hand forged,
carbon steel
samurai swords!
[Gasps and exclamations]
Something's wrong.
Dig him up!
Miles said
"under no circumstances."
Kill the feed!
Get Miles out of there now!
Move!
Don't worry, ladies
and gentlemen.
This won't hurt...
Much.
(Jacob) Come on, dig him up!
Get these cameras
out of here!
Come on!
Dig him up! Move!
[Grunts]
[Grunts]
Where is he?
Where's Miles Stone?
Oh, my lord.
Oh, my lord.
Oh, my...
Miles.
(Woman) The great Carmine saved
his best trick for last.
Carmine closes the lid,
does the swords,
opens the box, and presto.
Miles Stone.
At 9:45,
his lovely assistant
climbed into this.
This is a, uh,
a-a-a blade box.
It's... it's a-a classic.
You know,
old school magicians,
they all have this
in their repertoire.
My uncle used to take me
to Tannen's magic shop.
Carmine
and his assistant.
He's in his dressing room.
Miranda... no last name...
Fled the scene.
You get statements
from the audience?
All six of 'em.
They only saw
what they were supposed to see.
Rigor is just
setting in.
This guy's emaciated.
Well, he's been on a diet,
locked in a casket
for a month.
Even so,
seven stab wounds,
there'd be more blood.
Mm.
Well, this isn't
a typical blade box.
It's a, uh, modified
mummy cabinet.
See, what... what...
There should be a mummy
where Stone is now.
The system
closes the door.
Now I... I... inside,
there's a...
Spinning cabinet here
like this
to trade places
with the mummy.
And she should show up
in the back of the house.
So this explains
how she got out
and how Stone got in,
or how someone put him in.
Where'd the assistant go?
Oh, backstage,
there's a fire exit.
Oh, you're ruining
the illusion.
Please call me
as soon as you can.
Something went wrong.
It was awful.
I didn't even know
her last name.
You always
hire strangers?
Last month,
out of the blue,
my girl Mercedes
quit on me.
Been with me for years.
In walks this new kid.
Costume fits.
She has experience.
I hired her.
Well, how'd you find her?
Craigslist?
Who's Craig?
I put the word out.
She found me.
I didn't mean
to kill Miles.
When the swords go in,
that box should be empty.
So someone wants us to believe
you wanted Stone dead.
Come on.
He used to sweep my stage.
I taught him
twisting aces.
I gave him his start.
He's a star now.
Besides, I'm practically
the only guy in the business
who still likes him.
How's that?
He's got no respect.
Makes himself out to be...
Better than the tradition.
Tradition.
Does that include...
Getting drunk
before you go onstage?
I mean, not even that onion
could keep the smell
of vodka off ya.
Just enough to loosen up
the old cords.
[Cell phone rings]
"The great Carmine,
"the man who taught
Dean Holiday, Miles Stone
everything they know."
Mm, the great Carmine.
Let him dry out
in holding.
We got another stop
to make.
The grave's been filled in
before anyone called the cops?
People thought Stone's
vanishing act
was part of the show.
By the time we got here,
the casket was already loaded
in the hearse.
Doesn't smell like anyone's
been living in this thing
for a month.
Gotta be a-a-a trap door
somewhere.
Mm. When my partner's
done playing,
send this over
to the trap specialist
at the garage.
[Casket thuds] Who's in charge?
Guy named Jacob Green.
Of course he was supposed
to be in the casket
when it opened.
I can't explain
how this happened.
Can't or won't?
Well, I-I think
Mr. Green feels
he has to protect
Miles Stone's secrets.
You know, I-I respect that.
But this is
a murder investigation.
I only know
what everyone knows.
Miles was buried
in that casket
with nothing
but a breathing tube,
a catheter,
and an iv for fluids.
And a web cam
streaming a live feed.
Last night was the moment
he dreamed of.
He'd done it.
Sounds more like self torture
than a magic trick.
He called it the new magic.
Trained like a triathlete.
Mm.
What about the red alert?
The vital signs crashing.
That big rush
to pry him out.
That was preplanned
for the finale.
Miles liked drama.
How did he keep track
of time underground?
Pure mind over matter.
He was a Superman.
I still think when I get home
I'll find him in my kitchen
drinking my last beer.
(Woman) Where is he?
Where's Miles Stone?
(Ross) Magicians are like
doctors and priests now?
Jacob Green thinks
he can claim
some kind of magician's
privilege?
That's their code.
You know, you can't tell anyone
how a trick works.
And Carmine
isn't talking either.
Well, he's still
sleeping it off.
Anyway, that trick
is too sophisticated
for an old drunk.
Okay, how about
the missing assistant?
She was backstage
putting on her sequins by 9:00.
Miles Stone had to have been
on his way
to coney island by then.
Out of his casket
and into a blade box
without anyone seeing
how it was done.
You have a theory,
detective?
I-I'd tell ya,
but, you know...
The code.
(Woman) I've done
thousands of autopsies.
Never seen bowels this empty.
That and his muscle tone,
looks like he's been
in a box for a month.
Well, he was on an iv
for nourishment.
Bare minimum.
Just enough to keep him alive.
Is that why he didn't bleed much
when he was stabbed?
No. If his heart was pumping,
he'da gushed
no matter how emaciated
he was.
So what killed him?
Heart attack.
An arrhythmia
brought on
by prolonged,
acute malnutrition.
He starved himself
to death.
(Goren) Then why wasn't he
in the casket
when they opened it?
Carmine will be relieved
to hear that the guy he stabbed
was already dead.
[Door opens]
Officer,
where's the old man?
He's been in here all...
I don't unders...
He couldn't have just...
Disappeared.
Well, he is the,
you know, great Carmine.
Yeah, I guess
we underestimated him.
Tell us what happened,
officer Jones.
The old man asked
for some coffee.
So you brought him a cup.
Handed it to him
through the bars.
Was his, uh, hand steady?
He had the DTs.
Spilled coffee
all over himself and me.
So it was, like, shaky? Sure.
That's what I was saying.
Hey!
That's my fault.
That's my fault.
I'm very sorry.
Here.
I got it.
No, let me...
Let me just help you out.
You want to do it?
Fine.
It's... I’m... I'm sorry.
And then you help him,
you know, helped him
wipe it up, I guess.
Yeah.
Here.
You know, it's the classic
misdirect, right?
That's why magicians
have pretty girls with them
because you're lookin'
at the girl instead of...
(Ross)
Speaking of pretty girls,
when you find Carmine,
see what he knows
about his mysterious assistant.
And officer Jones,
you and I aren't done yet.
Clothes. Cards.
Handkerchiefs.
Everything a magician
might need.
Looks like Carmine
was getting ready
to take his act
on the road.
[Laughs]
This is a-a-a Dollhouse.
A-A illusion.
I wanted one of these
when I was a kid.
Look at this.
[Cane snaps]
[Cane smacks sides]
Can't take me back
to jail again.
I swear,
I didn't kill Miles.
Yeah, w... w... we know.
So I'm free to go.
I-I gotta gig in Elko.
Need to catch a bus.
Not until you tell us
how his body got
into your blade box.
I got no idea.
Your assistant
might know.
Oh, that's right.
You don't know who she is.
She worked
for Dean Holiday.
That was good enough
for me.
Did you call Holiday,
you know, check it out?
Why? She knew his act.
Inside stuff.
I'da known if she wasn't
on the square.
No last name.
No phone number.
You did pay her, right?
Under the table,
same as me.
We good?
Sorry.
We have to charge you
for your great escape.
Uh, well, maybe there's
a little something more
I can, uh,
give you to, uh,
identify her.
A man has needs.
You know this woman?
Goes by the name of Miranda.
She was Carmine's
assistant.
Carmine's still
a peeping Tom.
Hole in dressing room wall?
Uh, no. Teddy bear
nanny cam.
Hmm. Old boy's keeping up
with the times.
And what about
his assistant?
Must be new.
She wasn't with him last year
when he came backstage.
(Woman over P.A. system)
Mr. Holiday, two minutes.
Oh, but Carmine said
he hired her
because she worked
with you.
Knew your act.
Probably got it off
the Internet.
You'd be amazed
how many web sites
are devoted to me.
Oh, I can't wait
to check them out.
Well, why not just stay
for my midnight show?
Atlantic City is hoppin'
after dark.
Some other time, maybe.
This girl.
She duped Carmine.
He may not be as sharp
as he used to be.
Although, I did hear
he escaped recently
from one police Plaza.
Is he really a suspect?
You think
he's beyond that?
Carmine's old school.
Catskills.
Sullivan show. Stone's illusions
are way too advanced for him.
M.E. told us, um,
Stone really was
buried alive.
No trick.
Believe me, detective.
You ask any true magician,
there is always a trick.
Took me a while to figure
this one out.
Electromagnetic strips
hidden in the head panel
and edges of the casket.
As long as the juice
is runnin',
the magnetic seal
won't budge.
Where'd the current
come from?
Carbon battery
like this strip.
Hidden in the base
of the casket.
Looks like ordinary
black tape.
Mm-hmm.
So how did he turn it off
to open the trap?
With a remote
like this one.
No locks or latches.
Ingenious.
Well,
ingenious as it is,
Stone was still buried
six feet under.
It may be a clever way out.
But out to where?
Here's where your cemetery
tunnel ends.
Maybe 50 yards
from the grave.
Well, Stone would have had
to crawl
to... to get here.
But from here on,
he could've gone anywhere.
Well, the shape he was in,
he couldn't have gone far.
Oh, it's cemetery dirt.
Mm.
Lot of tracks.
Tracks that way.
(Woman) This isn't about Miles.
It's about you too.
Your future. Your career.
My career?
I'm freaking out here.
What if they find it?
They won't. We're the only ones
who know where it is.
Teresa, you swear
you never told anyone?
How can you even
ask me that?
Eames.
Where could that go?
Well, easy in, easy out.
(Eames) An open casket.
Matches the one
in the cemetery.
And a web cam.
Miles Stone didn't spend
31 days in that cemetery.
He spent it in here.
Why'd you bring me here?
What is this?
You know what it is.
This is where the real web cam
was set up.
So his fans could watch him
suffer
for his vision
day and night.
Right here.
And when he needed
a break,
you switched to the pre-recorded
video loop.
It was a sham.
I don't know anything
about this.
(Goren) You don't?
But it was
your design.
The tunnel
and the electromagnetic traps
I mean, Stone couldn't have come
up with this on his own.
He didn't have
a high school education.
But you,
Caltech at 16.
Straight A's
in engineering.
I'm telling you,
I was never here.
We're gonna find your
fingerprints on this casket
and your DNA
all over this room.
Oh.
Look, I was just trying
to protect him.
From what?
Himself.
Miles started to believe
his own hype.
He wanted to be buried
for real.
I told him I could make it
look and feel real
with a lot less risk.
Well, I guess
you were wrong.
I had nothing
to do with his death.
You know
I was at the cemetery.
I was on TV.
You had an accomplice.
Who else knew
about this place?
No one.
I had the only key.
(Goren) Oh.
Well, then, I guess
you're the last one
to see him alive.
Because I was keeping him
alive.
I changed his iv bags,
I made sure he got exercise,
I put salve on his sores.
Oh, we get it.
You were a regular
Florence Nightingale.
You know
who this woman is?
She goes by the name
of Miranda.
She was Carmine's
assistant.
I don't know her.
Sorry.
Can I go now?
Nope.
We've had enough
vanishing acts lately.
Officers.
You're arresting me?
Yup. That's what happens
when you lie to the police.
So, Jacob says
that he changed
Stone's iv bags.
Stone had a central line
inserted.
That's something that...
That doctors do.
These gloves,
they seem small for a man.
Our missing assistant
fit into Mercedes' costumes.
I bet she fit
into these.
Serial number.
Mm.
This stuff's not mail order.
She might have had
access to a hospital.
Well, I missed it
the first time.
Color me chagrined.
Potassium chloride?
Yeah, triggers
a heart attack.
There were traces of it
in the IV bags
and at the insertion point
of the central line.
But it's hard to detect.
Impossible,
once it's in the body.
Perfect choice
for an angel of mercy.
We traced the IV bags
back to this hospital.
This is a municipal hospital.
Things disappear.
And these are all
the female physicians?
Mm-hmm.
What about the nurses?
Oh, you have to be
at least a resident
to insert a central line.
What a nurse is authorized
to do
and what a nurse
is capable of
are two different things.
We have over 800 nurses
on staff here.
Do you want photos
of each one?
Yeah, start with the units
that specialize
in long-term iv care.
[Knock at door]
(Teresa)
It sounds lame, I know,
but I joined the sideshow
to get Jacob's attention.
It's like he was engaged
to Miles, instead of to me,
the amount of time
they spent together.
Oh, you and Jacob
are engaged?
Then how come
when we showed him
your picture,
he said
he didn't know you?
Probably weirded out.
He had no idea
I was working for Carmine.
Oh, why'd you keep that
a secret?
I was going to bring Jacob
to the show
and surprise him
for his birthday.
And how did you hear
about the job?
Was that, um, Carmine's ad
or his post on Craigslist?
Craigslist.
That's it.
Mm, why'd you disappear
the night Carmine stabbed Stone?
I panicked.
Something went wrong
with the trick.
I just freaked out
and ran.
Oh.
I just...
I, you know,
I have one more question.
So when was the last time
you were at the safe room?
Because we found
your prints on these.
I was just there
once.
I swear.
All I did
was insert the line.
We found potassium chloride
at the insertion point
and on the iv bags.
Do you have
a professional opinion
about how they got there?
Do I need a lawyer?
Carmine didn't post
on Craigslist.
No, but Teresa did get her job
in time
for Stone's grand finale.
We left calls
for his old assistant.
It's time to pay her
a visit.
She didn't call you back
because Mercedes didn't take
her cell phone with her.
With her where?
My sister won a contest.
A cruise
around the world.
Wow.
She really hit the jackpot.
Ah, it was
a dream come true.
She always wanted
to travel.
You know
where she is now?
Um, well, the last postcard
I got was a week ago.
Oh, Casablanca.
You know who sponsored
this contest?
She didn't even remember
entering.
But sometimes fate works
in mysterious ways.
Doesn't it?
Thank you.
Her lifelong dream.
Someone made it happen.
Mm, just like magic.
I'm getting
something else.
College.
Freshman year.
A tattoo parlor.
But you chickened out.
My folks
would have killed me.
[Laughter]
You never got
that tattoo.
Right?
There's no way
I could know
what it was.
Well, Shelly, tell me.
Does this take you back?
No way.
That's the tattoo
I wanted.
But you're forgetting something,
right?
The name
of an old flame?
Oh, my gosh.
That's my college sweetheart.
[Cheers and applause]
How did you do that?
Well, I would tell you,
but...
I'd have to kill you.
[Laughter]
[Cheers and applause]
[Whispering and laughter]
Detectives.
We caught
the end of your show.
Your stage manager
let us in.
Shelly, why don't you
and your friends go down
and have a drink
on me,
and we'll do that photograph
a little later, all right?
Okay.
You should have called.
I would have comped you.
How'd you like my act?
It was magical.
[Laughs]
(Goren) Eames.
Look, it's our friend,
Adele.
With the great Carmine
and her sister Mercedes.
Only met her the one time.
Don't remember the name.
(Goren)
she was Carmine's assistant.
Until she won
an around-the-world cruise.
Only we checked
with the cruise line.
She didn't win
any contest.
Turns out someone here
in Atlantic city
wired cash to buy her a ticket.
A lot of high rollers
in this town.
(Goren) Yeah.
Well, somehow,
one of them knew
that her dream
was to see the world.
You know,
like he read her mind,
much like you just did onstage.
You know,
onstage with that girl.
Oh, you think that's
what I was doing tonight?
What would you call it?
[Clears throat]
Hold on.
I-I think I'm getting
something here.
I think
there are
some unresolved issues
with a man
in your life.
Some trust issues.
He's betrayed you,
hasn't he?
Kept a secret from you.
Not for the first time.
Poor thing.
How's my aim?
Pretty close?
Well, good chance guesses,
they usually are.
Anyway, that's the trick
of a cold read.
Psychics, charlatans
use it all the time,
you know,
to con their clients.
(Eames) Or an audience.
Well, so do criminal profilers.
Biggest frauds of all.
What's the name
of that shrink
who helped catch
the mad bomber back in the '50s?
James Brussels.
Right, now he said
that the bomber
would be German,
a loner with a facial scar...
(Goren)
yeah, meticulously dressed
in a double-breasted suit.
Right, and...
When he was arrested,
he was wearing just that.
But he wasn't German.
Right, and he had no scar,
but...
Brussels didn't get it
all right,
but he did get enough right
to stop a madman.
Oh, come on.
Brussels was way off
his read.
He's just another carny
tent hustler
who got over.
Oh, I'm sorry.
You consider him to be
the father
of criminal profiling,
don't you?
[Scoffs]
This guy... yeah, and you,
you leave your eyes open
when you do a read.
I mean,
that's your tell...
There's two kind of psychics:
The kind that shut their eyes,
who truly believe
that they have a gift,
and then the ones that leave
their eyes open like you,
who know
that they're a con.
Well, I told you,
there's always a trick.
I admit
I'm a fraud.
How about you?
Actually, we were wondering
if you were a murderer.
Now there you go.
That is a good chance guess.
But you missed.
Wanna try another?
(Goren) We know that Mercedes
went backstage
after Holiday's show.
Where he read
her mind.
I believe you,
but do we have any proof
Holiday paid
for her cruise ticket?
No trace
in his financials,
but it wouldn't be hard
for him to hide
100,000 in cash.
He makes that much money?
Yup.
Nothing compared to Stone.
This is Stone's latest deal
with NBC.
Nine million
over three years.
Mm-hmm,
Holiday had a similar deal,
but they dropped him
when they signed Stone.
So where was he
the night Stone died?
At the casino
for his midnight show.
According to his keycard,
he was in his room
all evening.
Guy made
the space needle disappear.
I'm sure he can make it
look like he was in his room
when he wasn't.
Teresa's lawyer's here.
Maybe she's ready
to deal.
A few weeks ago,
I was walking home from work
and I hear someone call
my name.
Dean Holiday,
in a limo.
He just happened
to be cruising by the hospital?
What'd he want?
We just talked.
About the cemetery stunt?
He couldn't get over it.
He kept saying
how brilliant Jacob was.
How Miles was just the face,
but Jacob had the real talent.
He ask you
how the trick worked?
I didn't tell him.
I swear.
He talked
like he already knew.
He said,
"there has to be a tunnel."
I said,
"I don't know."
And he said,
"I thought so."
Well, he was reading you.
Your reactions.
I didn't mean
to give it away.
You proud of Jacob?
He doesn't know
how good he is.
And after you told
Holiday that,
did he offer
to make Jacob a star?
He said
he could help.
In exchange
for putting potassium chloride
in Stone's iv?
No.
No, I swear.
All he said was
that his friend Carmine needed
an assistant
for a few weeks.
That's all he wanted?
Jacob cannot know.
Okay?
Three nights,
I slept on the couch,
worried that he would smell
Holiday's Cologne on me.
I've told you
everything I know.
Just please
don't tell Jacob.
She told Holiday
about the safe room?
No way.
She would never betray me.
No?
Then why was she working
for Carmine
without telling you?
I don't know.
Wanna guess
who got her the job?
Teresa would never hurt Miles
or me.
Jacob, only you and Teresa
knew about the safe room.
And you think that she would
never tell Holiday.
Then how did Stone's body
end up in coney island?
Jacob.
Jacob, please.
Say something.
Well, I don't think
he's gonna forgive her,
but he wouldn't turn
on her.
You're buying
their little soap opera?
I think they might have helped
kill Stone.
I just don't think
that they knew.
[Footsteps]
This is the last loop
that Stone pre-recorded.
It was switched on
with an hour to go.
It gives him time
to get from the safe room
to the underground casket.
Mm-hmm.
Look at his breathing.
(Eames) He's barely breathing.
This one...
It's an hour earlier.
The live feed
from the safe room.
He's not breathing
at all.
Oh, please.
Please, I've done nothing.
Ah!
Don't!
[Grunt]
[Applause]
That's...
That was great.
[Laughing] Really.
Oh, Dean, go ahead.
I'm sorry.
You can do your bow thing.
I used to have
one of these when I was a kid.
I did, really.
Honestly.
Mine was 11 foot.
But, you know,
a little different than this.
Mine was a double blade.
This is, a, um, er,
a body switch, right?
Something like that.
Yeah.
You can take off.
This is really cool, though.
It really is.
You know, I mean,
it's all pretty simple.
You know.
It's all just fake legs,
trapdoors...
Please don't touch that.
[Laughing]
I mean, it all just seems
so obvious
when you finally know
what the secret is.
It's just, like,
right in front of your face
the whole time.
Yeah, it's misdirection.
Yeah, misdirection.
Yeah, we arrested
Stone's killers.
Jacob Green
and his fiancee.
She's a, uh, burn unit nurse.
Uh, Teresa.
Really?
I-I-I know
how this trick works.
Did they confess?
No, but they poisoned him
through his iv.
Their prints were
all over the safe room.
Please, one time.
Oh, that's how they did it.
The buried alive gag,
I mean.
A safe room.
Well, killing him
was the easy part.
He was a sitting duck.
(Goren) But the theatrics,
the spectacular...
I know how to do this.
I can... watch.
You know, the thing we can't
figure out is how
Jacob pulled off the switch.
[Gasps]
Isn't that great?
Look.
[Goren laughs]
Sorry.
Well, didn't you say
his fiancee was involved?
Oh, she was onstage
with Carmine
when Stone's body
must have been moved,
and Jacob was
at the gravesite.
This.
Thanks.
So, all he needed
was a stagehand
to move the body
from the safe room
to coney island.
But not just anyone.
I mean, you can't give
an outsider the ace to palm.
I mean, it had to be
another magician,
someone as good as Stone.
Look, you know,
for awhile,
I thought it was you.
You know,
'cause you fit the profile.
For whatever it's worth,
and according to you,
not much, but...
[Scoffs]
Still, it's always flattering
when people think
you're smarter than you are.
Or more vain.
Didn't you used to have
a network deal
before they dropped you
in favor of Stone?
How many millions of people
saw him on TV that night?
(Goren) 15.
Perfect opportunity
to show millions of people
that Stone wasn't
the real deal.
Well, all due respect,
he wasn't.
(Goren) Not like you.
I mean, I thought
that you killed him
because he eclipsed you.
[Scoffs]
That's a pathetic portrait.
(Goren)
and it's way too simple.
I realized when I was watching
Stone's web cam feed
that for almost an hour,
his chest stopped moving.
Mm, his fans were watching
a dead man
and didn't even know it.
(Goren)
the killer was brazen enough
to kill Stone in front
of millions of witnesses.
It took real passion.
That's when we knew
it couldn't have been you.
You have some anger,
don't you, detective?
Is it the betrayal?
Well, what about yours?
You know,
your betrayal
of your art.
We saw your show,
and you know...
You're phoning it in.
Ten years ago,
you would have had
the audacity,
but now, no chance.
What about you,
detective?
Lost a step or two
over the years,
or do you still think you can
pull off the big solve
when you need to?
(Eames)
oh, but he solved this one.
Jacob was the jealous,
unsung genius
who pulled off
the greatest trick
of all time, live,
while the nation was watching.
I thought you said
you still didn't know
how he did it.
No, we don't,
but he'll probably end up
pleading out.
You wanna know
the irony of the thing?
If you insist.
That Jacob engineered
the whole trick
just to show the world
that Stone wasn't
what they thought he was.
Yeah,
and since he won't confess,
Stone's death
is still a mystery.
Right, he'll probably
end up being
a bigger legend than,
I don't know, like, Houdini.
(Eames) And Jacob,
the only person
who knows the secret,
won't reveal it.
[Laughs]
Jacob is not a genius;
He's a geek.
The tunnel,
the safe room,
they're all very workman-like,
but no vision.
No, not like Stone,
who, I think, you know,
he transcends magic.
Mm-hmm.
Stone was an overpaid,
overindulged little punk.
But he had nerve,
you gotta give him that.
Nerve?
[Scoffs]
The only nerve that he had
was to think
that it all began and ended
with him.
You know, there is a history
to what we do.
There is a code.
That kind of disrespect...
And he needed
to be taught a lesson.
Yeah, yeah,
he did.
(Eames)
you had the perfect crime:
Slip into Stone's safe house,
inject the potassium chloride,
slip out.
You even had
two perfect patsies
to take the fall.
But you're too much
of a showman for that.
You took Stone's body
to coney island yourself,
planted him
on Carmine's stage...
Come on, Dean.
What's the bigger crime?
That you killed Miles Stone,
or that no one
will ever know?
I mean,
you need to take him down.
There's only one way.
You know, Stone is as much
to blame as I am.
If he hadn't starved himself,
if he hadn't made it
look so real...
He might have had the strength
to put up a fight.
[Laughs]
He made it easy
for me.
Dean Holiday, you're
under arrest for the murder
of Miles Stone.
No, I don't think so.
[Laughs]
Is all this restraint
really necessary?
We learn our lessons too.
Glad some people still know
the meaning of respect.