Life (2007–2009): Season 2, Episode 12 - Trapdoor - full transcript

Crews and Reese investigate the execution style killing of three men, two of whom are suspected of being Russian mobsters. The third victim doesn't fit the pattern however and the police start to look at missing persons reports. They identify him as Paul, a Russian engineer and conclude the three victims were building something. Gangster Roman Nevikov claims not to know them but they are convinced the three worked for Nevikov. Dani decides to write the Lieutenants exam but also starts drinking again. Meanwhile, Charlie shoots an intruder in his house who turns out to be his father. Ted Earley is still in prison but Charlie makes sure he is protected.

REESE: Crews.

Crews.

Crews, you here?

Yeah, I'm here.
Well,

what do you think?

Do you think
it's a good idea?

Yeah, I think
it's a good idea.

I think
it's a great idea!

I think it's
a very bad idea.

You werert listening,
were you?

The one time that
I tell you something and
you werert even listening.



(POP MUSIC PLAYING)

CREWS:
What were you saying?

REESE: Just forget it.
It's not important.

No, it is.

If it werert important,
you wouldn't say
it's not important.

So it must be pretty
important for you

to say that it's
not important, right?

Okay.

I'm thinking
about taking
the lieutenant's test.

There, said it.

I think
that's a great idea.

It means you're in
a confident place in your
life, ready for what's next.

Hey!

Reese, I'm happy for you.



Are you touching me?

Execution.

Russian ink on those arms.
I don't know about that
one, but

those two,
full-on Russian mob.

I'm gonna walk the scene.

Mickey Rayborn,
this is Charlie Crews.

Detective Crews.
What can I do for you?

CREWS: Funny thing.

The other day you told me
about an FBI Agent who's
in the pocket

of a Russian mobster.

One Roman Nevikov.

Maybe we shouldn't
have this discussion
on the phone.

The funny part
is that right now I'm
standing over the bodies

of some dead
Russian wise guys.

So, you're thinking,
it can't be a coincidence.

You're thinking it's
all connected,
aren't you?

Yeah, I am.

Well, then I guess
you better find out
why those men are dead.

That is your job, isn't it?

REESE: Crews! You here?

Yeah, I'm here.

These two are all inked
up with Russian gang tats.

This kid is unmarked.

These two look like
they live pretty hard,
lots of time outside.

This kid, pale as the day
he was born.

Fingerprints are
burned off with acid.

There are some serious
calluses on these hands.

These two must have
done some heavy labor.

This kid's hands,
soft as a baby's.

Never did a hard day's
work in his life.

None of them
have ID.

And they all ended up executed
in a Los Angeles warehouse.

Oh, wait,
I got a partial
print on this finger.

It's not much,
but let's run it.

Crews, is it true
your roommate's back in
slam for parole violations?

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Give me your money.

My what?

Your money.

I don't have any money.

I can smell money on you.
It's somewhere.

You want me to look?

You know what it means
when he says we gonna
look for it, right?

Guys, I don't have
any money. All right?
Yeah?

Hey, hey,
get off of me!

You wanna fight?
Fine. You're gonna win.

I've been here before.
I know how it ends.

I know what I look like
when it's over.

So come on,
let's get it over with.

Come on.

Are you Ted Earley?

Yeah, that's right.

Charlie Crews
says don't worry.

Partial print on
the index finger matched
to the Interpol database.

This guy was Pyotr Lavrov.

We're pretty sure
that makes this other
one, his brother Dmitri.

The brothers Lavrov were
low-level Moscow wise guys.

Enforcement,
collections, protection.

No record of them
entering this country.

But they're here
and they're dead.

And the third guy?
We got nothing on him.

He could be
Russian, American
or anything in between.

But this kid was soft.

This kid
did not do enforcement,
collections, protection.

So who is he? Some rich
Russian kid and his
bodyguards?

Or a kidnapping gone wrong?

Crews?

These two?
Mmm-hmm.

No one's gonna know
if they're gone.

But this one here,

someone might
be missing him.

INTERVIEWER: You were
the responding officer

when that Russian
girl was killed
last year?

Never seen
anything like it.
Thrown out of a window.

And the LAPD never
caught who did it?

Oh. LAPD caught him.

Detectives Crews
and Reese brought him in.

But it's still
an open case.
No.

We caught him.
Roman Nevikov.

Threw that girl
out of a window.

And LAPD proved that?

We had a witness who saw
Roman throw her out
the window.

Just so you know, before we
rescued him, that witness,

Roman had that witness
in a dog cage.

A dog cage.

REESE: Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, thanks.
Looks like we
got something.

Missing persons report
filed last week.

The missing person
match our dead man?

Yeah.
Let's go.

Paul shot?
Who would shoot him?

REESE: Did you ever see him
with any of these men?

Or did he ever mention the
names Dmitri or Pyotr Lavrov?

No. They're Russian?

They were Russians, yes.

"Were."

No, he never
mentioned them.

But when he was on the
phone, he'd speak Russian.

When he was with me,
he'd speak English.

You don't know
Paul's last name?

He told me once. I...
I couldn't pronounce it.

Where did you meet him?

Here.

I was doing my
math work on break.

I'm in community college.

He saw that
I was struggling,
so he offered to help.

Did he help?

Paul has this mind,
it's...

Was always going.

When he was waiting
for me to work a problem,

he couldn't sit still.

He was working
some problem too.

Did he take money
from you?

No.

Did you ever feel like Paul
might be dangerous or feel
threatened?

No.

This is Paul, but
those questions of yours,

they're not about Paul.

Paul was sweet.
Paul was kind.

Liza, do you know
where he lived?

He wouldn't tell me.

I thought he was
ashamed to show me.

Did he say
what his job was?

Construction. But...

What kind of construction
could he do with hands
as soft as his?

Is that Russian on there?

Did Paul give it to you?
After we'd been together.

He said it was like
his good luck charm, but

that I was
his good luck charm now,
so he didn't need it anymore.

May we take it with us?

We'll bring it back.

This is the engineering prize
from Moscow Polytechnic
Institute.

Pavel...
Or, as we say here, Paul.

...Rozhdestvensky
won the engineering
prize three years in a row.

So he's not a mobster.

He's some kind of
engineering genius.

Okay, what else do
we know about Pavel?

Until a few months ago,
lived in Moscow, worked
at the university.

What happened
a few months ago?

He quit his job.

Is there
any record of Pavel
in the country legally?

According to immigration,
he was never even here.

What did Liza
say Paul did?

Construction.

But his hands were
too soft to be a builder.

And what did Pyotr
and Dmitri do over there?

Enforcers,
collection, protection.

Read a little deeper.

Enforcement, collections,
protection, mostly in the
construction rackets.

They worked
in construction.

They worked
in construction.

So we got
one dead engineer
and two dead builders.

They were
building something.

What were
they building?

And why did it
get them killed?

(SIGHS)
What were
they building?

And why did it
get them killed?

(RACHEL SCREAMS)

(RACHEL PANTING)

There was a man.

Where?
I thought it was Ted,
but it wasrt.

Did he have a gun?
He was holding something.

He went down the hall.
Go back into your room. Go.

Lock the door
and don't come out.

Oh, Charlie,
please don't die.

I won't.

(GUNSHOTS)

(SCREAMS)

(MAN GROANING)

CHARLES SENIOR:
You shot me?
You shot me!

Stay there.

Who is that?

You broke into my house!
You shot me!

What the hell
were you doing?

You shot me!

I asked you a question.

I was bringing you this!
The tube was her idea.

Couldrt just
be an envelope, no.

I didn't
expect to find
some girl screaming.

I was trying to get out
of here, but this house,
it's like a damn maze!

What's a man need with
all these hallways,
anyway?

I couldn't
find the damn door!

Do you know him?

Yeah. He's my father.

You shot your father?

I didn't know it was
him when I shot him.

He's, um, the...

The intruder seems
to have gained access by
breaking the window on the

kitchen door.
You shot your own father?

CHARLES SENIOR: He
couldn't return the RSVP.

Been mailing him these
invites for almost
a year now.

He got all this money, what,
he can't afford to buy
himself a stamp?

Where's your fiancee?

In Austin,
visiting her parents.

Who, as it turns out, she
does not feel the need to
shoot at!

Rachel, can you...

I'll go with him.
No, I don't
need a babysitter.

I'll go with him.

Oh, uh, this is Rachel.

She's a friend of the family.
She's been staying with me
for a while.

Mmm-hmm.

She's a friend of the family.

Mmm.

This is Dani Reese,
my partner.

Dani Reese?

Have we met?
You look familiar.

No, I don't think so.

I'll call you when
he's checked in.

Thank you.

You're on
administrative leave, so
I'll be needing your weapon.

Looks like he broke in
and you were well within
your rights, but

he's your father,
so the department
will be curious.

Reese, find out what
those three Russians
were building.

Big house.
Yeah, oh!

Yeah, that's right.
You've never been
here before.

Uh, yeah,
it's big, I guess.

Well, I'm gonna get back
to those Russian killings.

And you can't come,
you know, because
you just...

Shot my father.
Yep.

Yep. Yeah.

(SIGHS)

Three dead Russians,
no ID.

You're on
administrative leave.

No legal record of entry.

They were smuggled in,
an engineer and two
builders.

I'm going now.

Uniforms showed the
photos to everyone.
No one knew 'em.

Liza knew Pavel.
Goodbye, Crews.

No, Liza knew Paul.
Liza did not know Pavel.

But we know a Russian,
don't we, Reese?

What makes you think
that Russiars gonna
wanna talk to us?

We'll ask him nicely.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

(POP MUSIC PLAYING)

Cops.

You don't even have a gun.

I had it taken away.
He shot his father.

I didn't know it was him
when I shot him.

Still pretty messed up,
I guess.

Anyway,
if I need a gun,
I can just take yours.

Last time we saw Roman,
he threw a woman out
the window.

And got away with it.

(LAUGHING)

Sorry, detectives.
Invitation only.

But you...

You, I think
I find space for.

It's your
kind of party.
Do you want to see?

Live video.

That is right now,
back there.

Do you want to go
back there right now?

You, you
need invitation.

Oh, all I have is this.

No.

The one I sent out
had two women on it.

Kissing.
Cheap, I know, but...

We thought if one of your
countrymen turned up dead,

you'd be interested
to find out why.

Lots of Russians
in this city.
Why me?

Because you're Roman.

Let me have photo.

I ask around.

Detective Crews,
I read on internet
you shoot your own father.

I bet you thought
it was your father
Crews was going to shoot.

What'd he say?

Something in Russian.

Remember enough to get
any of it translated?

No. It was
probably just filth.

"Pardon our dust"?
You use those signs...

When you're
building something.

WOMAN: Here you go.
Two cokes.

Were you open
during construction?

No, we were closed
for three weeks.

What'd they do
to the place?

I can't tell.

They closed,
covered the windows.

Three weeks later,
we opened back up.

Place looks
exactly the same.

You ask the
construction workers?

Never saw them.

I think they may not have
been exactly legal.
You know?

Hmm.

Guess they went home
when they were done.

Yeah, I guess so.

We'd like you to
look at some pictures.

I have to go now.

Peek-a-boo. I see you.

That is super cool!

I gotta
get one of those.
Where'd you get it?

It's after market.
What else does it do?

Now I must invoke my right
to refuse service to anyone.

(CHUCKLES)

Pavel the engineer
worked for Roman.

Why do you kill
your own engineer?

ROMAN: Detective Crews.

You should
be more careful
with guns in your house.

Especially with that girl
living there.

Someone could get hurt.

INTERVIEWER: Crews
likes people living here?

He's got a lot of room.

Is it true that girl
is staying here now?

What girl
would that be?

Rachel Seybolt.

Do you think it's strange
for Rachel Seybolt

to live with the man
she thought killed
her family?

I think

that Charlie and Rachel
were both wrecked by
that crime.

When two people go
through something

dark like that,

I guess it bonds them.

Your dad's doing okay.

Bullet didn't hit
anything serious.

But they think he can go
home in a couple of days.

I know.
I called the hospital.

But you didn't call him.

That's my backpack.

It's time
for you to go, Rachel.
I'll explain in the car.

All I'm saying, Dani,

is I just want
you to be careful with
this Roman Nevikov guy.

Don't worry about me.
All right?

I don't want it.
I don't need it.

Just don't do it.

Okay.

Okay.
Okay.

Besides, I have my partner.

You're gonna give him
his gun back, right?

I guess so.

I mean, I have issues,
but to shoot your own
father?

And he didn't seem
too broken up about it
when he found out who it was.

(SHOWER RUNNING)

If I shot my old man,
I would never stop crying.

(CHUCKLING) Oh,
wait until you meet him.

Oh, Dani,
he is gonna love you.

Uh, where do you
keep your coffee?

In the freezer.

I think
you'll love him, too.

I mean,
if you love me.

Oh, and when I say
"you love me," believe me,
I know you've never said it.

It's just an expression.

A ticket, a passport
and cash.

A lot of cash.

You call me
if you need more.

There are numbers in there.
You need anything,
you call them.

I don't want to go.

It's too dangerous
for you here.

I can deal with
what happens here.

You shouldn't have to deal
with what happens here.

I know you
don't feel like it,
but you're just a kid.

You're sending me away
so I can be safe,

or you're sending me
away so you can be alone?

I know what people
do when they're alone
and it never ends up good.

You don't have
to drive around

with a car full of
bullet holes, you know.

Yeah, I do.

Maybe just for
a little while longer.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

How did we put Roman
together with those
killings?

Reese, you're drunk.

Drinking, not drunk.

You didn't go there
to show him
that picture of Pavel.

You went there to see
the look on his face
when he saw it.

Reese, how long
you been drinking?

Since I was 12.

I meant today.

When we saw those
three dead Russians,

you stepped off
to make a phone call.

That was about Roman,
wasrt it?

I am your superior officer.

Now you will answer
my question, Detective.

That call was about Roman.

It was information from a...

A guy I knew in prison.
I wasrt sure, though.

That's the last time you
don't tell me what's
happening

when it's happening.

You got it?

Got it.

Reese?

You needed to drink
to ask me about Roman

or ask me
about something else?

I am drunk.
Where's your bathroom?

(GROANING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(CLEARS THROAT)
Did you sleep?

Yeah.

You sober?

Yeah, you wanna ask
me any more questions?

You want me to?

See, that was a question.

You said, are
you gonna ask me...

You been riding the
desk since I took this?

Except for one trip to
the office supply store.

Out of gummy bears.

You are aware Roman Nevikov
is a federally protected
informant?

The Feds can't find
their ass with both hands.

If Nevikov
killed those three in LA,
then LAPD gets them.

(CLEARS THROAT)

I want you back in meetings.
90 meetings in 90 days.
90 in 90.

90 in 90. Copy that.

I thought things
were going so well.

They were.
That's when I screw up.

I do copy that.

Roman Nevikov,
we have a warrant
to search the premises.

ROMAN: Just the three of you?

The new captain, the
ex-con and the junkie.

(LAUGHS)

Four.

Okay, that's better.

Okay, that's more like it.
Come on.

Nothing. If he was
building something,
it's not there anymore.

Bobby.

Oh, you must
be the grown-up.

Special Agent Bodner, FBI.

Are you all special agents,
because if you're all special,

then none of you are
really special then, right?

Trust me. I'm special.

Don't know if your detectives
told you, but Roman Nevikov
belongs to us.

That's funny.
I thought we were
all on the same side.

Yeah, that is funny.

This is how
you get your friend
Ted Earley out of jail?

You shouldn't
worry about my friend.

What should I worry about?

We're here investigating
the death of a guy who
worked for Roman.

We think
Roman killed him.

I think that would worry
anyone who works for Roman.

His little
habit of killing
people who work for him.

You don't work
for Roman, do you?

You're making
a mistake here.

The Buddha said each
mistake is a rebirth.

Don't you
wanna get reborn,
Special Agent Bodner?

I know
I wanna get reborn.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

I have such a
small piece of pie.

You want some more?

(SCOFFS)
I don't think
I'm getting seconds.

Hey!

Bring your chow over here.

Give him your pie.

Anything else look good?

Bun looks pretty good.

Let Mr. Earley have your bun.

How long are you in for?

Don't you worry.
I'm in for three life terms.

One for each murder.

You ever miss it?

What?

The world.

This is the world.

That sounds like something
Charlie Crews would say.

That's something
Charlie Crews taught me.

LIZA: His real name
was Pavel?

I wish he had told me that.
I like that name.

Did you ever see him with
this man? Or did he ever
mention the name Roman?

No.

Liza, you see these
two police officers?

They're just gonna
stay here a while.
Just to be safe.

Liza, Paul said that he
worked in construction.

Did he ever say
what he was building?

He didn't like to
talk about his job.

When he was with me...
He wanted to be with you?

Yeah.

What did you and
Paul do together?

He liked America.
The people, the energy.

He liked to just go
and watch the people.

Where would
you watch people?

This coffee place
over on Grand.

Liza, you work
in a coffee store

and you and Paul would go to
another coffee store downtown?

(JACKHAMMER WHIRRING)

He'd come here and watch.

I don't think it was people
that Pavel the engineer
was watching.

No.

I think Pavel the engineer
was watching that.

You know what that is,
right?

CREWS: Yeah.

That's gonna be the
new Federal building.

You said the engineer was
casing the future home
of the Federal building.

So you called the Joint
Terrorism Task Force.

And they sent him.

Did Pavel
ever take photos of
the construction site?

Sometimes.
With his phone.

The workers, did
he ever talk to them?

Sometimes. Just casually.

What did
they talk about?

Liza, what words did they
use? Do you remember?

Stress loads. Levels.

Tolerance.

Okay, you can go.
We'll speak again.

When the Federal building
is done, it'll be
completely secure.

If you wanna plant
something in there...
Now's the time to do it.

So now this does belong to us.
So you stay away from
Roman Nevikov.

Wouldrt want anyone
making a mistake,

having to get reborn.

Did he just threaten us?

So.

Roman brings a team
from Moscow. Illegally.

They case the
Federal building.

They build something
in Romars club.

Something?
You don't think
it was a bomb?

I don't know what it was.
Roman knows.

But he's not talking.

Because he doesn't have to.

Pavel knows why.

But he's not talking.

Because he's dead.

You want to ask
the dead guy,
don't you, Crews?

Pavel got killed for it.

He wants to tell us,
Roman doesn't.

But, Crews, he's dead.
He's...

I have to go
to a meeting.

Is she okay?

No, I don't think she is.

How's your dad?

Resting comfortably.

Oh, I heard your
roommate's in jail.

It's been a big
couple of days.

(CREWS SIGHS)

(DIALING)

RAYBORN: Detective Crews.

Romars a terrorist?

Is Roman a terrorist?

CREWS: That's what
I'm asking you.

No, that's what
I'm asking you.

Who exactly are you?

I thought I was the guy
you wanted payback from.

Isn't that right?

(SIGHS)

Why do you
kill the engineer?

You said Paul was always
working something through.

Even when you were
doing a problem.

Hmm.

What were you working on
the last time you were
together?

I was working on this.
I'm not very good at math.

(LAUGHS)

Neither am I.

I like history.
I like history, too.

You got a date at the
top of the page, there.

Can you
show me what you were
working on three weeks ago?

Uh...

This.

That's not your writing.

Oh, no, that's his.
He was always
working things out.

These are from
the Hall of Records.
Blueprints of Romars club.

How was your meeting?

Sober people
telling drinking stories.

Pavel was studying
the Federal building,

but he was sketching diagrams
of Romars club.

Why would he sketch
Romars club?

Why would he sketch
Romars club?

(CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO)

Why did the engineer
have to die?

The Russian Tsars
hired engineers to build
security in their palaces.

Walls, secret tunnels.

When the work was done,
the engineers knew all
the secrets, so...

The engineer
had to die.

The engineers knew
when the job was over,
they were gonna get the axe.

So they built
little trapdoors,
to give themselves a chance.

You think Pavel built
himself a trapdoor?

Well, if he did,
he didn't get to it.

(CELL PHONE BUZZING)

Reese. All right, thanks.

The cop who left with
Liza didn't report in.

A unit went around
to check on them and...

Liza and the cops
were gone?

No! No guns! Now,
put your hands
behind your heads.

Now. On your knees.

Isn't that how it is done?

That is how it is done, yes?

Maybe you wish
me on my knees, too,
Detective New Money?

Where is she?

You looking for woman,
Detective Reese?

Just tell me your type.

You know, when the new
Federal building is done,

it'll have more floors
underground than over?

And all completely secure.

He is deaf.
She speak no English.

Pavel was studying how
to build below ground in
Los Angeles.

He was sketching your club.
You building underground
there, Roman?

Is there something
down there?

You searched my club.
Go on!

Search my club again.
I'm just a businessman.

Then I have a game
to get back to.

This controls everything.
Pavel build this for you,
too?

Maybe you wanna tell me
the password.

I heard you sent this girl,
Rachel, away.

Maybe I find her
and put my gun in her mouth.

Only it won't be my gun
and it won't be her mouth.

(SCOFFS)

Pavel the engineer
built this for you.

And Pavel fell in love.

Liza was his
good luck charm.

Liza.

Maybe try her full name.
Elizabeth.

All we have to do
is think like Pavel.
Pavel thought in Russian.

Which is hard, because
I don't know Russian.
But...

I did learn one name.

Elizaveta.
Am I saying it right?

Mmm.

Elizaveta.

The engineer's trapdoor.

I say this in English
because if anyone
finds this,

I am hoping it is
an American policeman.

My name is
Pavel Rozhdestvensky.

Me and two others, install
security system for
Roman Nevikov.

We also installed
underground vaults.
Hidden. It is secure.

Something terrible.
I put cameras down there.

If you are watching this,
this is what is going on
there right now,

under basement,
hidden underground.

He's got people down there.

Hidden underground.

BOBBY: Is he keeping
slaves down there?

REESE: Get those people
out of there right now.

(GROANS)

You're making big mistake.

That's what
I keep hearing.

CHARLES SENIOR: Her plane
landed an hour ago. So she
should be here any minute.

You can stay
as long as you want.

I would have
stayed in the hospital, but
they told me I had to leave.

Oh, it's okay.

You wanna talk about how much
you hate me for not letting
your mom come visit you

when you were in jail?

I don't hate you.

You won't come
to my wedding.

How come all you got
in your kitchen is fruit?

You never ate fruit
when you were a kid.

I do now.

Can I ask you a question?

Isn't that
what you just did?

How come your car is
full of bullet holes?

What does that mean,
that you drive a car
full of bullet holes?

Is that even legal?

(DOORBELL RINGS)

That'll be Olivia.

I'll get it.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

You drunk?

Uh...

I told Tidwell I drank
because...

Things were
going too well?

That's not why you drank,
is it?

No. I...

I need...
To know something?

Okay, don't finish
my sentences like
I'm one of our suspects.

Okay, you finish it.

I need you to tell me

what you know
about my father.

What he's done.

You sure?

Who is that?

My partner.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

Uh, his fiancee.

Hi.
Hi.

Dani.

(GUN FIRING)

MAN: Still hurts,
don't it?

You would think here
it wouldn't hurt.
But it does.

And that's
just messed up.

(SIREN WAILING)

REESE: Crews, you here?

Crews!

(GASPS)

(SIRENS WAILING)