Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 2, Episode 11 - Scorched - full transcript
Charlie seeks out an engineering professor to help him recreate a fire scenario to solve an arson case.
♪
♪ I'm the trouble starter ♪
♪ Punking instigator ♪
♪ I'm the fear addicted ♪
♪ Danger illustrated ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ You're the firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ I'm the bitch you hated ♪
♪ Filth infatuated ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I'm the pain you tasted ♪
♪ Fell intoxicated ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter,
twisted firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
Damn, my phone.
What do you say, Colby?
Hey, Don.
Our friends from the Earth
Liberation Movement again, huh?
Yup. So this makes
for the fourth eco-fire.
You tell me how you're
gonna save the world
by burning down an SUV
dealership, you know?
Yeah, well, all I can tell
you is we got a guy over here
who's not gonna be
around to enjoy the fresh air.
Sean Grasso. He's
32, junior salesman.
The owner says he thinks
he probably came in here early
to do some paperwork.
You notify the family?
Yeah, Megan talked to his wife.
Evidently, they have
a four-month-old.
Don. Hey. I got your message.
Yeah. You... You didn't
have to come down, buddy.
Well, four fires doesn't
provide enough data
to create a hot
zone, so I thought...
I think there might be something
else here I could work with.
Come on. It's really
not much, Charlie.
It's just the burned out
SUV and this booth here.
Hey, Paul. Good to see you. Don.
How's it going? All right.
Colby. Paul.
Hi. I'm Charles Eppes.
I'm a FBI consultant.
Paul Stevens. LAFD
arson investigator.
Are you an arson expert?
I'm a mathematician.
You might be wondering what
I'm doing at the scene of an arson.
Hey, makes sense to me.
I mean, I... I've
got arson books
full of equations.
Open and contained
flame calculators,
uh, flow rates for oxygen...
Well, the... the
study of combustion
is based largely
on fluid mechanics.
You know, there's
some amazing work done
by Prandtl and Euler, Smits...
Equations are in the
books, not in here.
Mostly, I work with
physical indicators.
Scorch marks,
ignition devices, burn patterns.
Trying to build a signature.
Arsonist's M.O.,
that kind of thing.
So, anything?
Yeah. The SUV went
up with a Molotov cocktail.
That's the same
as all the other fires.
And the security booth here?
Cigarette and a book of matches.
Classic, old-school igniter.
Why bother with the booth?
There's a phone inside.
Probably wanted to make
sure no one called for help.
Only the salesman shows up early
and tries to make a call anyway.
Opens the door,
influx of oxygen,
creates a backdraft.
I mean, people underestimate
the power of a fire,
even a small one, you know?
What do you suggest
we do at this point?
Trying to catch an
arsonist by his signature
is like just trying to identify
someone by their shadow.
I mean, I might be able
to come up with a lot more,
if I can borrow
your professor here.
Yeah, I mean, it's
fine with me, go for it.
Sure. It's my pleasure.
Can I see what
you're working with?
Sure.
You know, in Colorado, these guys
eventually destroyed a ski resort.
They left a banner that said,
"If you build it, the
ELM will burn it."
You know, what's
really concerning me
is that with each fire,
they get more aggressive.
We all use math every day.
To predict
weather, to tell time,
to handle money.
Math is more than
formulas and equations.
It's logic.
Math is more than
formulas and equations.
It's rationality.
It's using your mind
to solve the biggest
mysteries that we know.
There is no more open door
by which one can enter
the study of natural science
than by considering the
phenomena of a candle.
Faraday said that.
Faraday?
I wonder if Faraday
ever used his insights
to crack an arson case.
Oh, do my sensors
detect frustration?
Yes, your sensors are correct.
Arson investigations
consider seven points of data,
fuel, burn rate,
scorch marks, smoke patterns,
flame temperature,
igniter, and, uh,
oh, point of origin,
to create what's
called a fire signature.
Hmm, seven points.
You know, this sounds
less like a signature,
more like a fingerprint.
Well, see, but that's just it.
It's... It's not
like a fingerprint.
Arson signatures are
not nearly as accurate,
nor are they as specific.
I need more parameters,
everything that gives a
fire its specific character.
All right. What's
to be done here?
Well, I've already started
by breaking down the
initial seven data points
into several subsets,
although I'm sure
there's more to follow.
Do you realize that if
every vehicle in this nation
averaged just 2.7
more miles per gallon,
we could cut our
dependency on Mideast oil?
Are you seriously trying
to justify the
arsonist's motive?
No, no, no, no, no,
no. Hear me out.
I'm merely making the point
that the ELM's
goals are ecological.
They're not pathological.
Larry, I'm not really interested
in the social
significance of these fires.
Well, you should be, Charles...
No, I shouldn't be, actually.
Yes, you should be.
Listen to me, here.
As fire destroys,
it also creates.
And not just heat or light,
but a solid product.
Soot?
Soot.
And the soot
created within that fire
is what gives the
flame its color.
Something you can't even see,
and yet it defines
its entire nature.
Larry. Charles.
All due respect, I don't get it.
This most recent
fire claimed a life.
The others didn't.
Intent.
Keep going.
Intent and...
Intent and result.
If each arsonist
approaches a fire differently,
then it... then it makes
sense that every fire set...
Would be as unique
as the person setting it.
And not just in terms
of the method used,
but in terms of... of the entire
character of that fire.
So, what you're talking
about really is like a, um...
Like a fingerprint for fires.
A fireprint.
That's ridiculous.
Why would the ELM waste
our efforts on an SUV lot?
Gas prices and common sense
are gonna do that work for us.
Your group's connected
to acts of sabotage
against construction sites,
and lumber mills,
and oil wells...
And has acknowledged
every single one.
The Earth Liberation
Movement has no involvement
in these fires, and
we've repeatedly said so.
So, tell me again then why it is
that your logo is spray painted
at all four of the crime scenes?
Anyone can put
three letters on a wall.
Even an FBI agent.
We've condemned the arsons,
we've cooperated
with your investigation.
Actually, you haven't.
We asked you for
your membership roster,
and you took us to court.
We're a national organization
with 200 active members
and 10 times that
number of associates.
We can't let you
randomly harass us.
A homicide investigation
is not random harassment.
The FBI has a history
of undermining
legitimate protest.
Congress of Racial Equality,
Mississippi Freedom
Democratic Party,
American Indian Movement.
That was the 1960s.
Do me a favor and
check a calendar.
These fires are
intended to discredit us.
In my book, that makes
you people the suspects.
I mean, it's possible.
Someone could be using
their logo to throw us, right?
Maybe in one fire, but four?
Yeah? So?
Well, the ELM isn't exactly
a monolithic organization.
Kids float in and float out.
Right, we just keep
busting their soldiers,
and they'll just
keep recruiting more.
Hey.
Hey.
Oh, where did you get that?
ELM office.
I'm positive I've seen that
guy in the middle before.
You stole this picture?
Well, it must have fallen
off the bulletin board
and gotten stuck to my shoe.
Gotta do what
you gotta do, right?
Wait a minute. You see that?
Look at that hat.
LA Center College.
Yeah, there's probably
only a few thousand kids
with that hat on.
Yeah. But hold on. Look at this.
Right there.
How many of those show
up at two different fires?
90 percent of all ELM
activists are college students.
They're all young,
white and male.
Yeah, but look at that.
That's a good match.
Yeah, I agree.
All right, so we got
a face and a school.
We just need a student ID match.
Ah, college.
Here it is, room B.
Hey, wait a minute.
Door's open.
Yeah, but anything
we find can be subject
to a challenge in court.
Why don't we try and
just break one law a day?
♪
Hi, I'm trying to
find Jake Eckworth.
Can you tell me
where I might find him?
Uh, Jake's my roommate, but
he doesn't tell me where he goes.
Do you mind if we take
a look around your room?
So, is Jake a geography major?
Uh, world history.
What are you studying?
Engineering.
Oh. Cool.
You're not gonna find anything.
He nukes the history.
Really? Well, how
do we know that?
Well, because they're
probably good friends, Granger.
I'm sure he uses your
laptop sometimes, right?
Sometimes, yeah.
You know, you should really
wait until Jake gets back.
Hold on a second. You
said he deletes the history,
so what if I run
a system restore.
You're gonna mess
up his software.
Just use the hard drive trace.
You can backdoor
it from the desktop,
instead of trying to
drop through the C drive.
All right.
"Glendale Chamber of Commerce?"
There's some notations on
the map around Glendale.
Yeah.
Look at this. "Verdugo
Ridge, Glendale, California.
"Private, luxury living
space, opening fall 2006."
This could
definitely be our guy.
100 units being built
on mountain habitat.
Well, that fits the profile
for an ELM target, doesn't it?
It certainly does.
Thank you.
It's pretty up here.
That's his car, the blue Honda.
Yeah, I see it.
Colby, we got his
car. Are you ready?
Yeah, we're on the
access road, Don.
If he wants to leave, he's
gonna have to come past us.
All right, we're moving.
You guys take this side.
Got it.
Jake, FBI, don't move.
Jake, wait!
Jake? Jake!
Colby, he's coming your
way. He's coming your way.
All right, copy that, Don.
FBI! Freeze!
Freeze! Drop the bag!
Get your hands up. Get them up!
I haven't done anything.
Wow. Cigarettes,
lighter, spray paint.
Thought you guys
were all about clean air.
I didn't set any fires.
Really? 'Cause the local
news puts you at two ELM fires
in the past three weeks.
ELM is being set up.
What, Jake, you
don't want credit?
Why is that, 'cause
someone's dead now?
ELM events are carefully
planned to protect human life.
Yeah, but then,
accidents happen, right?
What are you doing here, Jake?
I'm just meeting a friend.
Really? 'Cause
your roommate says
you've been
coming up here a lot.
Who's that, Ethan?
Ethan's a wannabe, he
doesn't know anything.
Who's your friend?
He's just a concerned citizen.
Concerned with what, Jake?
Setting fires in Glendale?
Oceans can absorb two
gigatons of carbon yearly.
We're putting four times
that into the atmosphere
with developments like these.
How about this guy?
How much carbon you put in the
atmosphere burning a 32-year-old father?
Why don't you take a good
look at that? Go ahead. Hmm?
No?
My only involvement with the ELM
is to forward
information to the media.
I am not and have
never been involved
in any illegal activity.
I am aware that you can't
hold me here without evidence,
so either release me
or get me a lawyer.
Kid knew exactly what to say.
Yeah, well, I used to be
smarter than everybody else, too.
Yeah, arrogance fits the profile
of a political
arsonist perfectly.
Well, we definitely don't
have enough to hold him.
So we're letting him go?
No, we'll put him
under tight surveillance,
which will at least keep
him from lighting another fire.
All right. I'll check his phone
records and credit cards.
Try and connect a few dots.
I think the roommate knows
more than we got out of him.
Yeah. If he hears
Jake bad-mouthed him,
he might be a little
more forthcoming, too.
So, were you able to determine
what caused the
booth to explode?
Like I thought, backdraft.
The igniter was shoved
under a seat cushion,
creating a high level
of heat in the booth,
limited oxygen, door
opens and boom.
So, let me get this straight.
The arsonist throws a
Molotov cocktail to start one fire,
but not the other.
Molotov cocktails are tricky.
I mean, if you want
a structure to burn,
a simple fuse ignition
source is easier.
It gives a better
shot at success.
Well, right now I'm working
on a principled
components analysis
to give us a more
accurate arson signature.
Well, great, but how do you... how
do you do that with seven data points?
Oh, no, Charles is
considering using over 600.
600?
Well, you're looking at rate of
heat, time span and weather, right?
Yeah, that's right.
Right, so I'm just calculating
you know, heat absorption,
the rate of fuel burn, and...
and the torching index.
That's a little beyond
what we're capable of
in the fire department,
I'll tell you that.
And can I also see all the
arson records for LA County
that you have access to
for, like... like, the past year?
That's several thousand fires.
Hmm. That's a
pretty limited sample.
You know what? Make
it the past two years.
OK.
He's a 17-year-old sophomore.
And I did some checking.
He published a paper in the
International Journal of Civil Engineering.
Oh, at 17, that's impressive.
Yeah. I, uh, I want
you to talk to him,
see if you could, uh, get
me some insight on him.
That's your field, Agent Reeves.
Yeah, but he's a young
genius in college with older kids.
I'm guessing he's feeling
some of the same
social pressures you did.
I'm looking for
a button to push.
Are these seats taken?
I don't have anything
to say to you.
What's the matter?
You told Jake I spoke to you.
Yeah, but I didn't tell
him anything you said.
Who's this?
A friend.
Ethan, Jake's headed for a fall,
and he's not the kind of
guy you want to be near
when he goes down.
Let me guess. A prom queen?
Cheerleader?
Excuse me?
You don't know what it's like.
The ones that don't ignore
me make me feel like a freak.
Scared of you,
because they'll never catch
up to you in the classroom.
Only talking to you
when they want your help.
And when they do
let you sit with them,
they have conversations
that go over your head,
and nothing's supposed
to go over your head.
Jake talks to you.
You wonder if he's the first
and last person who ever will.
Jake says he's innocent.
Well, okay.
Well, the best way to prove that
is to help Agent Reeves.
Help her get to the truth.
You don't understand.
May I?
"C sub h equals NA sub 1 plus
MA sub 2, where N equals M."
Single wall carbon nanotubes.
Potential applications
include artificial muscles,
combat jackets and
a space elevator.
I understand.
What do you want?
I want the name of the person
that Jake was
meeting in Glendale.
He has these
friends from Oregon.
He talks to them online.
I have to go.
I guess it does pay off
sometimes to be a know-it-all.
A backdraft is a
fascinating phenomenon.
We can demonstrate
it with this candle.
It's also called a
smoke explosion.
The flame causes the hot
gases rising from the candle to...
Reignite.
You know, somehow
I missed the fact
that the CalSci
engineering department
had a combustion lab.
That's pretty neat, huh?
We converted it from
an old laundry room.
Well, thank you,
Professor Waldie,
for setting this whole thing up.
Bill, please.
And you don't have to thank me.
Creating the conditions
for a backdraft,
that's just way cool.
Well, here's our booth.
And, as noted in
the arson report,
we have insulated
compartment, combustible ceiling.
Now, this geometry will
starve the fire just enough
so that when this
door is opened,
oxygen will rush inside,
creating a gravity current
of cold air and hot
gases, and boom!
Smoke explosion,
aka, a backdraft.
All... All we need
now is the heat source.
Ah, yeah. That would be me.
I, uh, I thought we
could use the same brand
that the arson
investigator found.
And you're ready to go.
Where'd you get a cigarette?
I know a guy.
Okay. So.
Stevens said that the arsonist
probably placed the igniter
near some fuel, like...
like a seat cushion.
Mmm-hmm.
This type of foam
is an excellent
hydrocarbon-based fuel.
Okay.
Temperature's rising.
When the temperature
inside reaches 600 degrees,
we'll open the door
and add oxygen.
Okay, well,
If the scorch marks
and flame indicators
were recorded correctly
for 5:41 a.m. start time,
then wind and outside
pressure are a check.
And at 600 degrees we should
be good to go on a backdraft.
And we're almost there.
Easy.
Huh.
Did we ventilate
the booth properly?
According to my calculations,
yeah, we... we did.
Heat release,
burn rate, air, time.
There's no error in your math.
No, no. That's a
statement, not a question.
The booth fire couldn't have
been caused by a backdraft.
All right, so if it
wasn't a backdraft,
then what was it?
Given the speed of
the flame, the heat,
the fire must have been assisted
by some sort of accelerant.
The lab came back
negative for any accelerant.
But some accelerants,
when used in small amounts,
often easily
evaporate, like, um,
like hydrogen
peroxide, for instance.
High concentrate
hydrogen peroxide
might oxidize the fire
enough for an explosion
and not leave a trace.
But that's difficult to
obtain, legally anyway.
Are we talking about
the hydrogen peroxide
in my medicine cabinet?
Charlie's talking
about industrial-grade.
Yeah, but you know, Larry gets
it for his intro class every year.
All right, so a student
could get their hands on it.
Yeah, but hold on a second.
If he uses gasoline for the SUV,
why not use it for the booth?
That would have
been a lot easier.
It's more like choosing a poison
that wouldn't show
up in an autopsy.
So you're saying they intended
to kill whoever opened the door?
You know, Larry posited
that the character of the fire
will reveal the character
of the person who set it.
Yeah. Larry's right.
And the person who
set this fire is a murderer.
So, the security booth fire
is an intentional homicide.
The ELM has no
history of murder.
Yeah, but these nuts
hide five-inch spikes
in the trunks of trees.
If nobody dies,
that's just luck.
I'm not defending their methods,
but the ELM has stuck
to environmental targets.
Construction projects,
chemical pollutants.
The injuries have
been unintentional.
Yeah, but not that
dealership fire, right?
I mean, that was
designed to kill.
Yeah, so either that
wasn't the ELM or...
Or else their
membership just got
a hell of a lot less exclusive.
And the roommate
said Jake was in touch
with people from
Oregon, right? Online.
Yeah, but I checked
his e-mails, and IMs,
and phone records,
and I didn't find anything.
What about chat rooms?
Yeah, why don't you
find out who their ISP is,
and subpoena their
records, all right?
Golly, used to be this garage
was for a laundry
and parking a car.
Sorry. All my cognitive
emergence theory work's over there,
so we had to expand out.
My God.
You're pretty sure
that you can identify
a single arsonist?
Well, I'm... I'm not trying to
identify a particular person.
I'm... I'm using principle
components analysis
and I'm inputting 600 variables
to quantify 5,000 fires
to create a database
that links the fires
to... to the people
that... that set them.
We're calling it a fireprint.
What's the next variable?
Um, uh, piloted
ignition temperature.
Piloted ignition... Huh?
It's describing a fire
that needs a
spark to ignite itself.
Oh. It's like a fuse being lit.
The match and the fuse
together both pilot the fire.
How else does
a fire get started?
Well, spontaneous
combustion. Yeah.
A gas being heated to the
point of producing a flame
without there being
an outside source.
And that would be
an unpiloted fire, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, but you have this
one described over here
as a piloted and unpiloted fire.
Well, you know, the
SUV fire was started
when gasoline was
ignited by a flame, piloted.
But the booth fire was
caused by heat rising
to the point of
oxidation, unpiloted.
That's right. The
explosion of flame
was caused by the
combination of hot gases
and the oxidation of
hydrogen peroxide.
That's a very complicated
way of setting a fire.
It is.
Well, I mean, then,
shouldn't they be considered
two separate fires?
I mean, for this to be
considered a fingerprint,
then shouldn't every fire
have only one set of fingers?
That's exactly right.
Yeah. One fire designed
to kill, the other isn't.
There's two different agendas.
Two different arsonists.
Hey. Hey.
So Jake Eckworth's
Internet service provider
downloaded everything
from his IP address.
And?
Well, turns out he was using
two different screen names
and passwords.
First one was fairly
straightforward.
EarthAvenger. His
password was his birthday.
But finding the password
to the second screen name
has been an entirely
different story.
Yeah, it looks
like Eckworth used
a Diffie-Hellman
encryption code.
Basically, impossible to crack.
And I'm guessing we're
gonna find all the good stuff
behind that encrypted password.
His second screen
name is NanoTube?
Yeah. Sounds like a
nerd porno star, huh?
Shows me where your
head is at, Granger.
It's a technical term.
I heard it used the other day,
when I was interviewing
Ethan Powell.
How sure are you?
Mathematically,
I'm almost positive.
You see, when fires
are being investigated,
several elements are studied,
elements that form together
to create a fire signature.
But unlike handwriting,
elements of the fire signature
are more general and
less individually specific.
Elements like scorch marks,
rate of burn, accelerants,
gas, acetone, kerosene, alcohol.
So I created a more
specific analysis,
just like I did with the
theory of fingerprinting.
And I thought you
didn't like fingerprinting.
I... I don't.
The points of comparison
aren't standardized.
Now with fingerprints,
it's generally believed
that no two are the same.
Well, that level of specificity
allows you to find matches
with as little as seven
points of commonality.
My fireprint analysis uses
over 600 precise variables
projected down to a
15-dimensional hyperplane.
So we have 15
numerical coordinates
to match that
level of specificity.
Now, these are the
fireprints from the two fires set
at the SUV dealership.
Mmm-hmm.
They're not the same.
No. Two different patterns.
When I ran these comparisons
against other fires set
in LA, I found matches.
The SUV fire was
nearly identical
to three other
previous ELM fires.
But the security booth fire
was extremely dissimilar.
So someone else set that fire.
That's the theory.
All right, so two arsonists.
Yeah. Now, when I ran
the security booth fire
against my database,
I found 17 identical fires
going back almost five years.
Five years?
And none, not one of them,
had any environmental agenda
or even the remotest
connection to the ELM.
So one guy sets a typical
ELM fire in the SUV...
And the other guy sets
the security booth fire,
only that one is intended
to actually kill somebody.
A leader and a follower.
It's Leopold and Loeb.
Huh.
Leopold and who?
It was the most sensational
murder of the 1920s.
These two guys
killed a little boy
simply to prove that they could.
Loeb was the
dominant personality,
and Leopold looked up to him.
Jake Eckworth. Ethan Powell.
Eppes.
Yeah. On our way.
Okay. Another fire.
Well, how is that possible?
Eckworth's been
under surveillance.
Yeah, but Ethan hasn't been.
It's arson. ELM again.
The fire was contained
to the sixth floor.
What's up there?
Oil exploration company.
They have bids
in to drill in Alaska.
What exactly happened?
Standard teams
went in, got up there,
flashover hit six guys before
they had a chance to get out.
What's flashover?
When everything in
the room ignites at once.
What might have prevented
the entire building from burning?
Fire doors must
have done their job.
Lucky for us, huh?
Fire doors, my ass.
That fire wasn't meant
to burn the building,
it was meant to hit those men.
Uh. let's say the arsonist,
or arsonists, plural,
know how to
engineer a backdraft.
Well, then doesn't
it stand to reason
that they could
create a flashover?
Well, look, I mean,
we're talking about
a serial killer now, right?
Yeah. Who's using
fires as a weapon.
So they're saying the fire doors
were able to contain the
blaze to the sixth floor.
Okay, which supports
Megan's theory
that people were the
arsonist's real target.
How did he do this?
Likely, used an accelerant.
There was no accelerant.
Hang in there, man. OK, thanks.
I double-checked the
thermodynamics myself.
There was no accelerant. Right.
Well, if you don't mind,
this is me just being me,
I'd like to recheck
those calculations.
Please. You know, I... I am
just about at the end of my rope.
How long were the men up there?
No more than a few seconds.
And that was sufficient
to cause all this?
It shouldn't have been.
Continue, please.
Well, this was... this
was a fairly typical fire.
I mean, given it
was a high rise,
i-it presented certain
logistical problems,
but nothing that these guys
shouldn't have been able to handle.
I mean, they hooked their
hoses to the standpipe, okay?
What is that, the standpipe?
The building's
water supply pipe.
It's firefighter use only.
And it was functioning properly?
The truck's computer said
it had all the water it needed.
I mean, this fire should have
been out in a few minutes.
Then why didn't it go out?
That's the same
question I have six families
asking me right now.
That's it. It's all there.
So you set all the fires?
Your buddy Jake had
nothing to do with it, huh?
Yup. It was all me.
First degree murder.
That's life in prison,
if you're lucky.
That's a big weight
to carry alone.
You still don't think I'm
capable of it, do you?
My IQ is over 160.
What I didn't think
you were capable of
was being this stupid.
You need to sign the
bottom, initial each page.
Maybe he's telling the truth.
Charlie's fireprint proves
that there were two
different arsonists
at that car dealership.
And one of them
is intentionally
trying to kill people.
I don't think Ethan
has that in him.
Press relations has
already issued a release
saying we found our guy.
You know, 300 years ago,
London burned to the ground,
and the guy that confessed
to it wasn't even in London
the night of the fire?
But they didn't realize that
till two days after
they hanged him.
Sometimes people
say things to be noticed,
because sometimes being ignored
is worse than being blamed.
Steven's calculations
were correct.
There was no accelerant
and the computer read-out
on the truck was
functioning properly.
Yeah, okay, small
fire, no accelerant,
a sufficiency of water.
The fire should have been
extinguished in minutes.
And reality agrees.
The fire goes out.
You know, I'm not
even gonna ask.
Okay, look, there
was another fire,
and apparently a
signed confession
does not satisfy Professor
Eppes' standard of guilt.
I don't know, I sort of
understand what it's like
to be this kid, Ethan Powell.
You know, my freshman
year at Princeton,
there were times where I
was pretty desperate to fit in,
any way I could.
What are you saying?
That you are who you are
because of just dumb luck?
That you were just
one roommate away
from being a pyromaniac?
No, of course not.
That's clearly not what I mean.
Good. Because that
wouldn't say much
for the time that your mother
and I put into raising you.
He makes a good point, Charles.
You know, there's just
something I don't understand.
Dad, you... you know about
fire suppression systems.
You know about
standpipes and sprinklers.
Yeah, of course. That was
one of the highest priorities
and one of the biggest
headaches for a city planner.
Okay, so answer me this.
How could firefighters have
adequate enough water pressure
and still not be
able to put out a fire?
Let me show you.
Larry, just turn
the water on, okay?
High. Yeah.
All right. Now turn it lower.
Slowly. Not off.
That's it.
There.
Dad, that's Pascal's principle.
Water distributes
its force uniformly,
but there's no way to tell how
much water volume there is
based on the pressure.
Fire hoses have nozzles
that automatically
maintain high pressure,
just like your thumb just did.
And the pressure
created by the nozzle
hid the actual amount of water
flowing through their hoses.
So they were
fooled into thinking
they had normal
amounts of water.
Which means between
the water supply
and the fire fighters
on the sixth floor,
the actual water
volume decreased.
Which suggests that someone
tampered with the standpipe.
Dad, who... who would know
how a building's
standpipe system works?
Contractors, plumbers,
firemen, engineers.
I got to go talk to Don.
Yeah, but I still have to
take a shower, you know.
No, thanks. Okay, all right.
The arsonist tampered
with the standpipe
and reduced the
water volume to a point
that the firemen
couldn't detect.
The water pressure seemed normal
when they turned their hoses on.
Which would take a pretty sophisticated
understanding of engineering.
Which Ethan certainly has.
Now, there are
other factors, as well.
Remember, the
character of the fire...
Should match the character
of the person that set it.
And whoever set the booth fire
was clearly expecting a fireman
to be the first responder.
Firemen were clearly the targets
at the high-rise as well,
so your second arsonist
is setting traps
for firefighters.
Which doesn't fit Ethan.
He's trying to impress Jake,
and the ELM, and his peers.
Doesn't that give us
only half the team?
Yeah, well, he
ain't talking, so...
Yeah, because he wants
to take full credit for this.
'Cause he doesn't understand
what he's taking credit for
is murder.
Why did you bring me back here?
Because I want the truth.
I already told you the truth.
You only told me part of it.
You think this makes you cool?
You think this is gonna make
other people look up to you?
Look, I told you everything
I'm gonna tell you.
Yeah.
That's why I brought
someone here for you to talk to.
What are you doing here?
They told me what was going on.
Well, thanks for coming
down, but I got it under control.
I don't think so, dude.
I don't care what you think.
I think maybe you do care.
I think maybe you care
too much what I think.
Don't flatter yourself, Jake.
You know, sometimes you
can be a real jerk, Ethan.
You have any idea what
it's like to be around a kid
who thinks he knows
everything, and usually does?
This guy you're protecting?
He used you, Ethan.
He wanted your
engineering skills
to help him create
more elaborate fires.
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Don't lie to them
anymore, Ethan.
You set it up for me to meet
him in Glendale, remember?
Dude, he wants to kill people.
You're wrong. What happened
to that salesman was an accident.
When have you ever
made an accident
in engineering, Ethan?
I mean, come on, you
had to have some idea
what this guy was doing.
You wanted to
join the ELM, right?
You wanted us all to think
that you could handle
what we're all about.
Then show me now
you can handle it,
and tell them what
they want to know.
There are six
firefighters in a hospital,
fighting for their lives.
Dude, it's okay.
I don't know his name.
We only talked online.
Then give me your password
to your second screen name,
and we can trace
him from your account.
Ethan, you have
to help us find him
before he hurts someone else.
I've got a line
on the kid's ISP,
which is giving me a back trace
to his chat room buddy.
Links up to a computer
at 200 Anaheim Street.
Anaheim Street. Where's that?
Station 117 firehouse. LAFD.
Specifically, the arson
investigation squad.
Wait, how do you know that?
Remember I said
that the one fireprint
linked 17 fires over 5 years.
Yeah.
Guess who investigated
all 17 of those fires?
Stevens.
Perfect, he sets fires
he knows he's
going to investigate.
Yeah, because it's
easy to look smart
when you know
everything about the fire.
Because you're
the one who set it.
He was using me all along.
Serial arsonists
have a driving need
to prove they're smarter
than everyone else.
Stevens applied for the
Los Angeles Fire Department
eight years ago, and
didn't pass the screening.
He got a job at a smaller city
and then worked
his way back to LA.
All right. We got two
teams up at Stevens' house.
CHP, PD, and
Sheriff's Department
have all been alerted,
but there's no
sign of his car yet.
Megan, let me ask you this.
Do you think he's
the type to run?
No. He's enjoyed this too much
to let it end with a ride to Mexico.
He's gonna need
to teach us a lesson.
Every fire he set required days,
really even weeks of planning.
And plus, he definitely saw
us talking at that last fire,
so he knows we're close.
Which makes him
dangerous and in a hurry.
He was going to meet Jake
at the Glendale development.
That's right. Now, why there?
Unless he's planning a strike.
Yeah. All right,
you come with me.
We need tactical and fire prevention
units up to Verdugo Ridge, ASAP!
Okay.
I don't see why he needed Ethan.
He wanted bigger and
deadlier fires, Charlie.
Ethan's engineering skills
could help him do that.
And by pretending
that he needed my help
with the arson investigations.
He did need your help, Charlie.
Serial killers will
often contact the police
if an investigation stalls.
They know they're going
to keep hurting people.
They want someone to stop them.
May I?
You did good.
Stevens!
Stevens, it's over! You hear me?
We know what happened
to you eight years ago.
We know that the Los
Angeles Fire Department
turned you down.
They said I wasn't good enough.
I understand.
We know better, we know
what you're capable of.
Paul.
White phosphorous, all right?
If this hits the
air, it explodes.
Okay.
Kind of fire that really
makes an impression.
Yeah, okay. Let's just
take it easy now, okay?
Paul, just listen
to me. Back up.
Paul? Back up!
I'm backing up.
Everybody back up. Slowly.
We're backing up, just relax.
Trust me, I know... I know
what I'm talking about.
Okay? Listen, let's just talk.
Paul, don't. Whatever
you're thinking, don't do it.
I'm getting out of here.
Don't do it!
Damn it.
Dad, Dad, Dad.
Oh, boy. Hey, guys.
What, you got plumbing
problems again?
More like one of Charlie's
hands-on investigations.
I used the shower
for a standpipe.
Yeah, and now we're
having a hard time unusing it.
Hey, that kid took
a plea bargain.
He did? How many years?
Three years.
Boy, one wrong decision,
his whole life's almost ruined.
Well, sometimes,
that's all it takes.
You know, I know what
it's like to be that kid.
I wished that I was a
normal college kid sometimes.
Kind of tough when
you're still in puberty.
Yeah, well, I'm sure
there were plenty of kids
who wished they were you.
Uh, during midterms, certainly.
At keg parties, absolutely not.
How about at shop class?
What do you mean?
I mean, how about
we call a plumber?
Dad, I can... give me
the... Give me the wrench.
Give me it.
You can't do it.
And we're sending
the bill to the FBI.
Here, give it to me, I'll do it.
Here. All right.
Come here, put your
hand on this valve.
Okay.
Okay.
I'm telling you this,
if the toilet goes,
you're on your own.
Just hold it. Oh...
Just hold it. That's my hand.
All right, all right.
That's my finger!
♪ I'm the trouble starter ♪
♪ Punking instigator ♪
♪ I'm the fear addicted ♪
♪ Danger illustrated ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ You're the firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
♪ I'm the bitch you hated ♪
♪ Filth infatuated ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I'm the pain you tasted ♪
♪ Fell intoxicated ♪
♪ I'm a firestarter,
twisted firestarter ♪
♪ Twisted firestarter ♪
Damn, my phone.
What do you say, Colby?
Hey, Don.
Our friends from the Earth
Liberation Movement again, huh?
Yup. So this makes
for the fourth eco-fire.
You tell me how you're
gonna save the world
by burning down an SUV
dealership, you know?
Yeah, well, all I can tell
you is we got a guy over here
who's not gonna be
around to enjoy the fresh air.
Sean Grasso. He's
32, junior salesman.
The owner says he thinks
he probably came in here early
to do some paperwork.
You notify the family?
Yeah, Megan talked to his wife.
Evidently, they have
a four-month-old.
Don. Hey. I got your message.
Yeah. You... You didn't
have to come down, buddy.
Well, four fires doesn't
provide enough data
to create a hot
zone, so I thought...
I think there might be something
else here I could work with.
Come on. It's really
not much, Charlie.
It's just the burned out
SUV and this booth here.
Hey, Paul. Good to see you. Don.
How's it going? All right.
Colby. Paul.
Hi. I'm Charles Eppes.
I'm a FBI consultant.
Paul Stevens. LAFD
arson investigator.
Are you an arson expert?
I'm a mathematician.
You might be wondering what
I'm doing at the scene of an arson.
Hey, makes sense to me.
I mean, I... I've
got arson books
full of equations.
Open and contained
flame calculators,
uh, flow rates for oxygen...
Well, the... the
study of combustion
is based largely
on fluid mechanics.
You know, there's
some amazing work done
by Prandtl and Euler, Smits...
Equations are in the
books, not in here.
Mostly, I work with
physical indicators.
Scorch marks,
ignition devices, burn patterns.
Trying to build a signature.
Arsonist's M.O.,
that kind of thing.
So, anything?
Yeah. The SUV went
up with a Molotov cocktail.
That's the same
as all the other fires.
And the security booth here?
Cigarette and a book of matches.
Classic, old-school igniter.
Why bother with the booth?
There's a phone inside.
Probably wanted to make
sure no one called for help.
Only the salesman shows up early
and tries to make a call anyway.
Opens the door,
influx of oxygen,
creates a backdraft.
I mean, people underestimate
the power of a fire,
even a small one, you know?
What do you suggest
we do at this point?
Trying to catch an
arsonist by his signature
is like just trying to identify
someone by their shadow.
I mean, I might be able
to come up with a lot more,
if I can borrow
your professor here.
Yeah, I mean, it's
fine with me, go for it.
Sure. It's my pleasure.
Can I see what
you're working with?
Sure.
You know, in Colorado, these guys
eventually destroyed a ski resort.
They left a banner that said,
"If you build it, the
ELM will burn it."
You know, what's
really concerning me
is that with each fire,
they get more aggressive.
We all use math every day.
To predict
weather, to tell time,
to handle money.
Math is more than
formulas and equations.
It's logic.
Math is more than
formulas and equations.
It's rationality.
It's using your mind
to solve the biggest
mysteries that we know.
There is no more open door
by which one can enter
the study of natural science
than by considering the
phenomena of a candle.
Faraday said that.
Faraday?
I wonder if Faraday
ever used his insights
to crack an arson case.
Oh, do my sensors
detect frustration?
Yes, your sensors are correct.
Arson investigations
consider seven points of data,
fuel, burn rate,
scorch marks, smoke patterns,
flame temperature,
igniter, and, uh,
oh, point of origin,
to create what's
called a fire signature.
Hmm, seven points.
You know, this sounds
less like a signature,
more like a fingerprint.
Well, see, but that's just it.
It's... It's not
like a fingerprint.
Arson signatures are
not nearly as accurate,
nor are they as specific.
I need more parameters,
everything that gives a
fire its specific character.
All right. What's
to be done here?
Well, I've already started
by breaking down the
initial seven data points
into several subsets,
although I'm sure
there's more to follow.
Do you realize that if
every vehicle in this nation
averaged just 2.7
more miles per gallon,
we could cut our
dependency on Mideast oil?
Are you seriously trying
to justify the
arsonist's motive?
No, no, no, no, no,
no. Hear me out.
I'm merely making the point
that the ELM's
goals are ecological.
They're not pathological.
Larry, I'm not really interested
in the social
significance of these fires.
Well, you should be, Charles...
No, I shouldn't be, actually.
Yes, you should be.
Listen to me, here.
As fire destroys,
it also creates.
And not just heat or light,
but a solid product.
Soot?
Soot.
And the soot
created within that fire
is what gives the
flame its color.
Something you can't even see,
and yet it defines
its entire nature.
Larry. Charles.
All due respect, I don't get it.
This most recent
fire claimed a life.
The others didn't.
Intent.
Keep going.
Intent and...
Intent and result.
If each arsonist
approaches a fire differently,
then it... then it makes
sense that every fire set...
Would be as unique
as the person setting it.
And not just in terms
of the method used,
but in terms of... of the entire
character of that fire.
So, what you're talking
about really is like a, um...
Like a fingerprint for fires.
A fireprint.
That's ridiculous.
Why would the ELM waste
our efforts on an SUV lot?
Gas prices and common sense
are gonna do that work for us.
Your group's connected
to acts of sabotage
against construction sites,
and lumber mills,
and oil wells...
And has acknowledged
every single one.
The Earth Liberation
Movement has no involvement
in these fires, and
we've repeatedly said so.
So, tell me again then why it is
that your logo is spray painted
at all four of the crime scenes?
Anyone can put
three letters on a wall.
Even an FBI agent.
We've condemned the arsons,
we've cooperated
with your investigation.
Actually, you haven't.
We asked you for
your membership roster,
and you took us to court.
We're a national organization
with 200 active members
and 10 times that
number of associates.
We can't let you
randomly harass us.
A homicide investigation
is not random harassment.
The FBI has a history
of undermining
legitimate protest.
Congress of Racial Equality,
Mississippi Freedom
Democratic Party,
American Indian Movement.
That was the 1960s.
Do me a favor and
check a calendar.
These fires are
intended to discredit us.
In my book, that makes
you people the suspects.
I mean, it's possible.
Someone could be using
their logo to throw us, right?
Maybe in one fire, but four?
Yeah? So?
Well, the ELM isn't exactly
a monolithic organization.
Kids float in and float out.
Right, we just keep
busting their soldiers,
and they'll just
keep recruiting more.
Hey.
Hey.
Oh, where did you get that?
ELM office.
I'm positive I've seen that
guy in the middle before.
You stole this picture?
Well, it must have fallen
off the bulletin board
and gotten stuck to my shoe.
Gotta do what
you gotta do, right?
Wait a minute. You see that?
Look at that hat.
LA Center College.
Yeah, there's probably
only a few thousand kids
with that hat on.
Yeah. But hold on. Look at this.
Right there.
How many of those show
up at two different fires?
90 percent of all ELM
activists are college students.
They're all young,
white and male.
Yeah, but look at that.
That's a good match.
Yeah, I agree.
All right, so we got
a face and a school.
We just need a student ID match.
Ah, college.
Here it is, room B.
Hey, wait a minute.
Door's open.
Yeah, but anything
we find can be subject
to a challenge in court.
Why don't we try and
just break one law a day?
♪
Hi, I'm trying to
find Jake Eckworth.
Can you tell me
where I might find him?
Uh, Jake's my roommate, but
he doesn't tell me where he goes.
Do you mind if we take
a look around your room?
So, is Jake a geography major?
Uh, world history.
What are you studying?
Engineering.
Oh. Cool.
You're not gonna find anything.
He nukes the history.
Really? Well, how
do we know that?
Well, because they're
probably good friends, Granger.
I'm sure he uses your
laptop sometimes, right?
Sometimes, yeah.
You know, you should really
wait until Jake gets back.
Hold on a second. You
said he deletes the history,
so what if I run
a system restore.
You're gonna mess
up his software.
Just use the hard drive trace.
You can backdoor
it from the desktop,
instead of trying to
drop through the C drive.
All right.
"Glendale Chamber of Commerce?"
There's some notations on
the map around Glendale.
Yeah.
Look at this. "Verdugo
Ridge, Glendale, California.
"Private, luxury living
space, opening fall 2006."
This could
definitely be our guy.
100 units being built
on mountain habitat.
Well, that fits the profile
for an ELM target, doesn't it?
It certainly does.
Thank you.
It's pretty up here.
That's his car, the blue Honda.
Yeah, I see it.
Colby, we got his
car. Are you ready?
Yeah, we're on the
access road, Don.
If he wants to leave, he's
gonna have to come past us.
All right, we're moving.
You guys take this side.
Got it.
Jake, FBI, don't move.
Jake, wait!
Jake? Jake!
Colby, he's coming your
way. He's coming your way.
All right, copy that, Don.
FBI! Freeze!
Freeze! Drop the bag!
Get your hands up. Get them up!
I haven't done anything.
Wow. Cigarettes,
lighter, spray paint.
Thought you guys
were all about clean air.
I didn't set any fires.
Really? 'Cause the local
news puts you at two ELM fires
in the past three weeks.
ELM is being set up.
What, Jake, you
don't want credit?
Why is that, 'cause
someone's dead now?
ELM events are carefully
planned to protect human life.
Yeah, but then,
accidents happen, right?
What are you doing here, Jake?
I'm just meeting a friend.
Really? 'Cause
your roommate says
you've been
coming up here a lot.
Who's that, Ethan?
Ethan's a wannabe, he
doesn't know anything.
Who's your friend?
He's just a concerned citizen.
Concerned with what, Jake?
Setting fires in Glendale?
Oceans can absorb two
gigatons of carbon yearly.
We're putting four times
that into the atmosphere
with developments like these.
How about this guy?
How much carbon you put in the
atmosphere burning a 32-year-old father?
Why don't you take a good
look at that? Go ahead. Hmm?
No?
My only involvement with the ELM
is to forward
information to the media.
I am not and have
never been involved
in any illegal activity.
I am aware that you can't
hold me here without evidence,
so either release me
or get me a lawyer.
Kid knew exactly what to say.
Yeah, well, I used to be
smarter than everybody else, too.
Yeah, arrogance fits the profile
of a political
arsonist perfectly.
Well, we definitely don't
have enough to hold him.
So we're letting him go?
No, we'll put him
under tight surveillance,
which will at least keep
him from lighting another fire.
All right. I'll check his phone
records and credit cards.
Try and connect a few dots.
I think the roommate knows
more than we got out of him.
Yeah. If he hears
Jake bad-mouthed him,
he might be a little
more forthcoming, too.
So, were you able to determine
what caused the
booth to explode?
Like I thought, backdraft.
The igniter was shoved
under a seat cushion,
creating a high level
of heat in the booth,
limited oxygen, door
opens and boom.
So, let me get this straight.
The arsonist throws a
Molotov cocktail to start one fire,
but not the other.
Molotov cocktails are tricky.
I mean, if you want
a structure to burn,
a simple fuse ignition
source is easier.
It gives a better
shot at success.
Well, right now I'm working
on a principled
components analysis
to give us a more
accurate arson signature.
Well, great, but how do you... how
do you do that with seven data points?
Oh, no, Charles is
considering using over 600.
600?
Well, you're looking at rate of
heat, time span and weather, right?
Yeah, that's right.
Right, so I'm just calculating
you know, heat absorption,
the rate of fuel burn, and...
and the torching index.
That's a little beyond
what we're capable of
in the fire department,
I'll tell you that.
And can I also see all the
arson records for LA County
that you have access to
for, like... like, the past year?
That's several thousand fires.
Hmm. That's a
pretty limited sample.
You know what? Make
it the past two years.
OK.
He's a 17-year-old sophomore.
And I did some checking.
He published a paper in the
International Journal of Civil Engineering.
Oh, at 17, that's impressive.
Yeah. I, uh, I want
you to talk to him,
see if you could, uh, get
me some insight on him.
That's your field, Agent Reeves.
Yeah, but he's a young
genius in college with older kids.
I'm guessing he's feeling
some of the same
social pressures you did.
I'm looking for
a button to push.
Are these seats taken?
I don't have anything
to say to you.
What's the matter?
You told Jake I spoke to you.
Yeah, but I didn't tell
him anything you said.
Who's this?
A friend.
Ethan, Jake's headed for a fall,
and he's not the kind of
guy you want to be near
when he goes down.
Let me guess. A prom queen?
Cheerleader?
Excuse me?
You don't know what it's like.
The ones that don't ignore
me make me feel like a freak.
Scared of you,
because they'll never catch
up to you in the classroom.
Only talking to you
when they want your help.
And when they do
let you sit with them,
they have conversations
that go over your head,
and nothing's supposed
to go over your head.
Jake talks to you.
You wonder if he's the first
and last person who ever will.
Jake says he's innocent.
Well, okay.
Well, the best way to prove that
is to help Agent Reeves.
Help her get to the truth.
You don't understand.
May I?
"C sub h equals NA sub 1 plus
MA sub 2, where N equals M."
Single wall carbon nanotubes.
Potential applications
include artificial muscles,
combat jackets and
a space elevator.
I understand.
What do you want?
I want the name of the person
that Jake was
meeting in Glendale.
He has these
friends from Oregon.
He talks to them online.
I have to go.
I guess it does pay off
sometimes to be a know-it-all.
A backdraft is a
fascinating phenomenon.
We can demonstrate
it with this candle.
It's also called a
smoke explosion.
The flame causes the hot
gases rising from the candle to...
Reignite.
You know, somehow
I missed the fact
that the CalSci
engineering department
had a combustion lab.
That's pretty neat, huh?
We converted it from
an old laundry room.
Well, thank you,
Professor Waldie,
for setting this whole thing up.
Bill, please.
And you don't have to thank me.
Creating the conditions
for a backdraft,
that's just way cool.
Well, here's our booth.
And, as noted in
the arson report,
we have insulated
compartment, combustible ceiling.
Now, this geometry will
starve the fire just enough
so that when this
door is opened,
oxygen will rush inside,
creating a gravity current
of cold air and hot
gases, and boom!
Smoke explosion,
aka, a backdraft.
All... All we need
now is the heat source.
Ah, yeah. That would be me.
I, uh, I thought we
could use the same brand
that the arson
investigator found.
And you're ready to go.
Where'd you get a cigarette?
I know a guy.
Okay. So.
Stevens said that the arsonist
probably placed the igniter
near some fuel, like...
like a seat cushion.
Mmm-hmm.
This type of foam
is an excellent
hydrocarbon-based fuel.
Okay.
Temperature's rising.
When the temperature
inside reaches 600 degrees,
we'll open the door
and add oxygen.
Okay, well,
If the scorch marks
and flame indicators
were recorded correctly
for 5:41 a.m. start time,
then wind and outside
pressure are a check.
And at 600 degrees we should
be good to go on a backdraft.
And we're almost there.
Easy.
Huh.
Did we ventilate
the booth properly?
According to my calculations,
yeah, we... we did.
Heat release,
burn rate, air, time.
There's no error in your math.
No, no. That's a
statement, not a question.
The booth fire couldn't have
been caused by a backdraft.
All right, so if it
wasn't a backdraft,
then what was it?
Given the speed of
the flame, the heat,
the fire must have been assisted
by some sort of accelerant.
The lab came back
negative for any accelerant.
But some accelerants,
when used in small amounts,
often easily
evaporate, like, um,
like hydrogen
peroxide, for instance.
High concentrate
hydrogen peroxide
might oxidize the fire
enough for an explosion
and not leave a trace.
But that's difficult to
obtain, legally anyway.
Are we talking about
the hydrogen peroxide
in my medicine cabinet?
Charlie's talking
about industrial-grade.
Yeah, but you know, Larry gets
it for his intro class every year.
All right, so a student
could get their hands on it.
Yeah, but hold on a second.
If he uses gasoline for the SUV,
why not use it for the booth?
That would have
been a lot easier.
It's more like choosing a poison
that wouldn't show
up in an autopsy.
So you're saying they intended
to kill whoever opened the door?
You know, Larry posited
that the character of the fire
will reveal the character
of the person who set it.
Yeah. Larry's right.
And the person who
set this fire is a murderer.
So, the security booth fire
is an intentional homicide.
The ELM has no
history of murder.
Yeah, but these nuts
hide five-inch spikes
in the trunks of trees.
If nobody dies,
that's just luck.
I'm not defending their methods,
but the ELM has stuck
to environmental targets.
Construction projects,
chemical pollutants.
The injuries have
been unintentional.
Yeah, but not that
dealership fire, right?
I mean, that was
designed to kill.
Yeah, so either that
wasn't the ELM or...
Or else their
membership just got
a hell of a lot less exclusive.
And the roommate
said Jake was in touch
with people from
Oregon, right? Online.
Yeah, but I checked
his e-mails, and IMs,
and phone records,
and I didn't find anything.
What about chat rooms?
Yeah, why don't you
find out who their ISP is,
and subpoena their
records, all right?
Golly, used to be this garage
was for a laundry
and parking a car.
Sorry. All my cognitive
emergence theory work's over there,
so we had to expand out.
My God.
You're pretty sure
that you can identify
a single arsonist?
Well, I'm... I'm not trying to
identify a particular person.
I'm... I'm using principle
components analysis
and I'm inputting 600 variables
to quantify 5,000 fires
to create a database
that links the fires
to... to the people
that... that set them.
We're calling it a fireprint.
What's the next variable?
Um, uh, piloted
ignition temperature.
Piloted ignition... Huh?
It's describing a fire
that needs a
spark to ignite itself.
Oh. It's like a fuse being lit.
The match and the fuse
together both pilot the fire.
How else does
a fire get started?
Well, spontaneous
combustion. Yeah.
A gas being heated to the
point of producing a flame
without there being
an outside source.
And that would be
an unpiloted fire, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, but you have this
one described over here
as a piloted and unpiloted fire.
Well, you know, the
SUV fire was started
when gasoline was
ignited by a flame, piloted.
But the booth fire was
caused by heat rising
to the point of
oxidation, unpiloted.
That's right. The
explosion of flame
was caused by the
combination of hot gases
and the oxidation of
hydrogen peroxide.
That's a very complicated
way of setting a fire.
It is.
Well, I mean, then,
shouldn't they be considered
two separate fires?
I mean, for this to be
considered a fingerprint,
then shouldn't every fire
have only one set of fingers?
That's exactly right.
Yeah. One fire designed
to kill, the other isn't.
There's two different agendas.
Two different arsonists.
Hey. Hey.
So Jake Eckworth's
Internet service provider
downloaded everything
from his IP address.
And?
Well, turns out he was using
two different screen names
and passwords.
First one was fairly
straightforward.
EarthAvenger. His
password was his birthday.
But finding the password
to the second screen name
has been an entirely
different story.
Yeah, it looks
like Eckworth used
a Diffie-Hellman
encryption code.
Basically, impossible to crack.
And I'm guessing we're
gonna find all the good stuff
behind that encrypted password.
His second screen
name is NanoTube?
Yeah. Sounds like a
nerd porno star, huh?
Shows me where your
head is at, Granger.
It's a technical term.
I heard it used the other day,
when I was interviewing
Ethan Powell.
How sure are you?
Mathematically,
I'm almost positive.
You see, when fires
are being investigated,
several elements are studied,
elements that form together
to create a fire signature.
But unlike handwriting,
elements of the fire signature
are more general and
less individually specific.
Elements like scorch marks,
rate of burn, accelerants,
gas, acetone, kerosene, alcohol.
So I created a more
specific analysis,
just like I did with the
theory of fingerprinting.
And I thought you
didn't like fingerprinting.
I... I don't.
The points of comparison
aren't standardized.
Now with fingerprints,
it's generally believed
that no two are the same.
Well, that level of specificity
allows you to find matches
with as little as seven
points of commonality.
My fireprint analysis uses
over 600 precise variables
projected down to a
15-dimensional hyperplane.
So we have 15
numerical coordinates
to match that
level of specificity.
Now, these are the
fireprints from the two fires set
at the SUV dealership.
Mmm-hmm.
They're not the same.
No. Two different patterns.
When I ran these comparisons
against other fires set
in LA, I found matches.
The SUV fire was
nearly identical
to three other
previous ELM fires.
But the security booth fire
was extremely dissimilar.
So someone else set that fire.
That's the theory.
All right, so two arsonists.
Yeah. Now, when I ran
the security booth fire
against my database,
I found 17 identical fires
going back almost five years.
Five years?
And none, not one of them,
had any environmental agenda
or even the remotest
connection to the ELM.
So one guy sets a typical
ELM fire in the SUV...
And the other guy sets
the security booth fire,
only that one is intended
to actually kill somebody.
A leader and a follower.
It's Leopold and Loeb.
Huh.
Leopold and who?
It was the most sensational
murder of the 1920s.
These two guys
killed a little boy
simply to prove that they could.
Loeb was the
dominant personality,
and Leopold looked up to him.
Jake Eckworth. Ethan Powell.
Eppes.
Yeah. On our way.
Okay. Another fire.
Well, how is that possible?
Eckworth's been
under surveillance.
Yeah, but Ethan hasn't been.
It's arson. ELM again.
The fire was contained
to the sixth floor.
What's up there?
Oil exploration company.
They have bids
in to drill in Alaska.
What exactly happened?
Standard teams
went in, got up there,
flashover hit six guys before
they had a chance to get out.
What's flashover?
When everything in
the room ignites at once.
What might have prevented
the entire building from burning?
Fire doors must
have done their job.
Lucky for us, huh?
Fire doors, my ass.
That fire wasn't meant
to burn the building,
it was meant to hit those men.
Uh. let's say the arsonist,
or arsonists, plural,
know how to
engineer a backdraft.
Well, then doesn't
it stand to reason
that they could
create a flashover?
Well, look, I mean,
we're talking about
a serial killer now, right?
Yeah. Who's using
fires as a weapon.
So they're saying the fire doors
were able to contain the
blaze to the sixth floor.
Okay, which supports
Megan's theory
that people were the
arsonist's real target.
How did he do this?
Likely, used an accelerant.
There was no accelerant.
Hang in there, man. OK, thanks.
I double-checked the
thermodynamics myself.
There was no accelerant. Right.
Well, if you don't mind,
this is me just being me,
I'd like to recheck
those calculations.
Please. You know, I... I am
just about at the end of my rope.
How long were the men up there?
No more than a few seconds.
And that was sufficient
to cause all this?
It shouldn't have been.
Continue, please.
Well, this was... this
was a fairly typical fire.
I mean, given it
was a high rise,
i-it presented certain
logistical problems,
but nothing that these guys
shouldn't have been able to handle.
I mean, they hooked their
hoses to the standpipe, okay?
What is that, the standpipe?
The building's
water supply pipe.
It's firefighter use only.
And it was functioning properly?
The truck's computer said
it had all the water it needed.
I mean, this fire should have
been out in a few minutes.
Then why didn't it go out?
That's the same
question I have six families
asking me right now.
That's it. It's all there.
So you set all the fires?
Your buddy Jake had
nothing to do with it, huh?
Yup. It was all me.
First degree murder.
That's life in prison,
if you're lucky.
That's a big weight
to carry alone.
You still don't think I'm
capable of it, do you?
My IQ is over 160.
What I didn't think
you were capable of
was being this stupid.
You need to sign the
bottom, initial each page.
Maybe he's telling the truth.
Charlie's fireprint proves
that there were two
different arsonists
at that car dealership.
And one of them
is intentionally
trying to kill people.
I don't think Ethan
has that in him.
Press relations has
already issued a release
saying we found our guy.
You know, 300 years ago,
London burned to the ground,
and the guy that confessed
to it wasn't even in London
the night of the fire?
But they didn't realize that
till two days after
they hanged him.
Sometimes people
say things to be noticed,
because sometimes being ignored
is worse than being blamed.
Steven's calculations
were correct.
There was no accelerant
and the computer read-out
on the truck was
functioning properly.
Yeah, okay, small
fire, no accelerant,
a sufficiency of water.
The fire should have been
extinguished in minutes.
And reality agrees.
The fire goes out.
You know, I'm not
even gonna ask.
Okay, look, there
was another fire,
and apparently a
signed confession
does not satisfy Professor
Eppes' standard of guilt.
I don't know, I sort of
understand what it's like
to be this kid, Ethan Powell.
You know, my freshman
year at Princeton,
there were times where I
was pretty desperate to fit in,
any way I could.
What are you saying?
That you are who you are
because of just dumb luck?
That you were just
one roommate away
from being a pyromaniac?
No, of course not.
That's clearly not what I mean.
Good. Because that
wouldn't say much
for the time that your mother
and I put into raising you.
He makes a good point, Charles.
You know, there's just
something I don't understand.
Dad, you... you know about
fire suppression systems.
You know about
standpipes and sprinklers.
Yeah, of course. That was
one of the highest priorities
and one of the biggest
headaches for a city planner.
Okay, so answer me this.
How could firefighters have
adequate enough water pressure
and still not be
able to put out a fire?
Let me show you.
Larry, just turn
the water on, okay?
High. Yeah.
All right. Now turn it lower.
Slowly. Not off.
That's it.
There.
Dad, that's Pascal's principle.
Water distributes
its force uniformly,
but there's no way to tell how
much water volume there is
based on the pressure.
Fire hoses have nozzles
that automatically
maintain high pressure,
just like your thumb just did.
And the pressure
created by the nozzle
hid the actual amount of water
flowing through their hoses.
So they were
fooled into thinking
they had normal
amounts of water.
Which means between
the water supply
and the fire fighters
on the sixth floor,
the actual water
volume decreased.
Which suggests that someone
tampered with the standpipe.
Dad, who... who would know
how a building's
standpipe system works?
Contractors, plumbers,
firemen, engineers.
I got to go talk to Don.
Yeah, but I still have to
take a shower, you know.
No, thanks. Okay, all right.
The arsonist tampered
with the standpipe
and reduced the
water volume to a point
that the firemen
couldn't detect.
The water pressure seemed normal
when they turned their hoses on.
Which would take a pretty sophisticated
understanding of engineering.
Which Ethan certainly has.
Now, there are
other factors, as well.
Remember, the
character of the fire...
Should match the character
of the person that set it.
And whoever set the booth fire
was clearly expecting a fireman
to be the first responder.
Firemen were clearly the targets
at the high-rise as well,
so your second arsonist
is setting traps
for firefighters.
Which doesn't fit Ethan.
He's trying to impress Jake,
and the ELM, and his peers.
Doesn't that give us
only half the team?
Yeah, well, he
ain't talking, so...
Yeah, because he wants
to take full credit for this.
'Cause he doesn't understand
what he's taking credit for
is murder.
Why did you bring me back here?
Because I want the truth.
I already told you the truth.
You only told me part of it.
You think this makes you cool?
You think this is gonna make
other people look up to you?
Look, I told you everything
I'm gonna tell you.
Yeah.
That's why I brought
someone here for you to talk to.
What are you doing here?
They told me what was going on.
Well, thanks for coming
down, but I got it under control.
I don't think so, dude.
I don't care what you think.
I think maybe you do care.
I think maybe you care
too much what I think.
Don't flatter yourself, Jake.
You know, sometimes you
can be a real jerk, Ethan.
You have any idea what
it's like to be around a kid
who thinks he knows
everything, and usually does?
This guy you're protecting?
He used you, Ethan.
He wanted your
engineering skills
to help him create
more elaborate fires.
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Don't lie to them
anymore, Ethan.
You set it up for me to meet
him in Glendale, remember?
Dude, he wants to kill people.
You're wrong. What happened
to that salesman was an accident.
When have you ever
made an accident
in engineering, Ethan?
I mean, come on, you
had to have some idea
what this guy was doing.
You wanted to
join the ELM, right?
You wanted us all to think
that you could handle
what we're all about.
Then show me now
you can handle it,
and tell them what
they want to know.
There are six
firefighters in a hospital,
fighting for their lives.
Dude, it's okay.
I don't know his name.
We only talked online.
Then give me your password
to your second screen name,
and we can trace
him from your account.
Ethan, you have
to help us find him
before he hurts someone else.
I've got a line
on the kid's ISP,
which is giving me a back trace
to his chat room buddy.
Links up to a computer
at 200 Anaheim Street.
Anaheim Street. Where's that?
Station 117 firehouse. LAFD.
Specifically, the arson
investigation squad.
Wait, how do you know that?
Remember I said
that the one fireprint
linked 17 fires over 5 years.
Yeah.
Guess who investigated
all 17 of those fires?
Stevens.
Perfect, he sets fires
he knows he's
going to investigate.
Yeah, because it's
easy to look smart
when you know
everything about the fire.
Because you're
the one who set it.
He was using me all along.
Serial arsonists
have a driving need
to prove they're smarter
than everyone else.
Stevens applied for the
Los Angeles Fire Department
eight years ago, and
didn't pass the screening.
He got a job at a smaller city
and then worked
his way back to LA.
All right. We got two
teams up at Stevens' house.
CHP, PD, and
Sheriff's Department
have all been alerted,
but there's no
sign of his car yet.
Megan, let me ask you this.
Do you think he's
the type to run?
No. He's enjoyed this too much
to let it end with a ride to Mexico.
He's gonna need
to teach us a lesson.
Every fire he set required days,
really even weeks of planning.
And plus, he definitely saw
us talking at that last fire,
so he knows we're close.
Which makes him
dangerous and in a hurry.
He was going to meet Jake
at the Glendale development.
That's right. Now, why there?
Unless he's planning a strike.
Yeah. All right,
you come with me.
We need tactical and fire prevention
units up to Verdugo Ridge, ASAP!
Okay.
I don't see why he needed Ethan.
He wanted bigger and
deadlier fires, Charlie.
Ethan's engineering skills
could help him do that.
And by pretending
that he needed my help
with the arson investigations.
He did need your help, Charlie.
Serial killers will
often contact the police
if an investigation stalls.
They know they're going
to keep hurting people.
They want someone to stop them.
May I?
You did good.
Stevens!
Stevens, it's over! You hear me?
We know what happened
to you eight years ago.
We know that the Los
Angeles Fire Department
turned you down.
They said I wasn't good enough.
I understand.
We know better, we know
what you're capable of.
Paul.
White phosphorous, all right?
If this hits the
air, it explodes.
Okay.
Kind of fire that really
makes an impression.
Yeah, okay. Let's just
take it easy now, okay?
Paul, just listen
to me. Back up.
Paul? Back up!
I'm backing up.
Everybody back up. Slowly.
We're backing up, just relax.
Trust me, I know... I know
what I'm talking about.
Okay? Listen, let's just talk.
Paul, don't. Whatever
you're thinking, don't do it.
I'm getting out of here.
Don't do it!
Damn it.
Dad, Dad, Dad.
Oh, boy. Hey, guys.
What, you got plumbing
problems again?
More like one of Charlie's
hands-on investigations.
I used the shower
for a standpipe.
Yeah, and now we're
having a hard time unusing it.
Hey, that kid took
a plea bargain.
He did? How many years?
Three years.
Boy, one wrong decision,
his whole life's almost ruined.
Well, sometimes,
that's all it takes.
You know, I know what
it's like to be that kid.
I wished that I was a
normal college kid sometimes.
Kind of tough when
you're still in puberty.
Yeah, well, I'm sure
there were plenty of kids
who wished they were you.
Uh, during midterms, certainly.
At keg parties, absolutely not.
How about at shop class?
What do you mean?
I mean, how about
we call a plumber?
Dad, I can... give me
the... Give me the wrench.
Give me it.
You can't do it.
And we're sending
the bill to the FBI.
Here, give it to me, I'll do it.
Here. All right.
Come here, put your
hand on this valve.
Okay.
Okay.
I'm telling you this,
if the toilet goes,
you're on your own.
Just hold it. Oh...
Just hold it. That's my hand.
All right, all right.
That's my finger!