Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 3, Episode 5 - Traffic - full transcript
Charlie and the team grapple with the concept of 'randomness' while trying to find a killer targeting drivers on the freeway.
(male vocalizing
over funky rock intro)
♪ Yeah! Mmm, it was... ♪
(vocalizing continues)
♪ I can be loud,
man, I can be silent ♪
♪ I could be young,
man, or I could be old ♪
♪ I can be a gentleman,
I can be violent ♪
♪ I could turn hot,
man, or I could be cold ♪
♪ I could be just like the
calm before the storm... ♪
BOY: That was a weird movie.
Yeah, from the
reviews, I thought
it was gonna be more
of a comedy, huh?
I thought it was pretty good.
BOY: Teenagers like
boring movies.
You only like cartoons.
No. I just don't
like boring movies
about people in
love. (kicks seat)
(laughs)
(laughter)
Can we get ice cream?
No, we got to get home.
Oh, come on.
It's on the way. Kind of.
MAN: Actually, bud,
it's-it's not at all.
You know?
However...
You know you want to.
Well, see, if you
put it like that, then...
(laughing): Dad!
(laughing)
(gunshot)
Dad?
What was that?!
Take the wheel!
I'm trying!
Dad! Dad!
Watch out, you're
gonna hit that...!
Look out!
(tires squealing, horns blaring)
I got it!
Dad? Dad?
Dad!
Lady luck.
Chance.
Randomness.
Human beings truly have a
hard time understanding it.
Raindrops fall randomly.
Now, which of these two
images best represents
raindrops falling on a sidewalk?
Is it image A?
Image B? Okay.
You're wrong.
Our brains
misperceive evenness as random,
and wrongly assume that
groupings are deliberate.
Because of this,
people make all sorts
of irrational decisions.
Like, they-they won't
work in a high-rise building,
or they're afraid to live in
an earthquake-prone area.
And yet, a mathematical
assessment tells us
that you are far more
likely to suffocate in bed
than you are to die
in a terrorist attack.
You are ten times more likely
to die from alcohol than
from being in an earthquake.
And it is three
times more likely
that you will be
killed while driving
to buy a lottery ticket
than it is that you will...
that you will win the lottery.
(students laughing)
WOMAN: They said he was shot.
Yeah, that's what we think.
Is there anyone
who would want to
harm your husband?
No. No one.
I'm Don Eppes, FBI.
Marla.
So, do you know who did it?
Not yet, but-but
we're working on it.
I heard on the news
there were attacks
on the freeways.
Yeah. DAVID: That's true.
But we don't know if
those incidents are related
to the, uh, the attack
on your husband at all.
DON: Right, I mean,
what we'd like to do,
if we can, is just take a...
Excuse me. Uh, Mrs. Kinkirk?
Yes.
Your husband's stable.
Thank God.
There are issues that
need to be discussed.
DON: All right.
We'll give you a few minutes.
We'll wait for you down here.
Oh, please stay.
Um...
DON: I'll take these guys.
Why don't we go
hang out there, guys?
Okay. Thank you.
Come on. It's all right.
Your husband sustained a
gunshot wound to his head.
Luckily,
the bullet did
not penetrate far.
It's lodged in the
right occipital lobe.
Our neurosurgeon is
confident that he can remove it
without further damage.
(crying)
So, can you guys
tell me anything at all
that you remember
from what happened?
I heard a loud
crash from the back.
I turned, and Pete was scared.
From the noise.
Right.
And then I saw the blood.
And I looked where
Pete was looking,
and I saw Dad was hurt.
So, what happened then?
I grabbed the wheel, and I tried
to keep us from crashing.
Yeah, well, that's
smart. You know,
it's good thinking. Now,
right before the shot, is
there anything that stood out?
Any cars or anything
that you might remember?
I don't know.
I think maybe
there was a white truck?
Okay.
I didn't see who was driving it.
Sorry, I didn't see it.
Is-Is our dad going to be okay?
Yeah.
And, you know, we're
gonna do everything we can
to find the guy.
We got seven freeway
attacks in eight weeks.
Four people dead.
You okay?
Well, you know, I
just lied to those kids.
No, you made them
feel a little better, Don.
It's a tough time, you know?
I'm an idiot,
acting like everything's
gonna be normal.
Those kids need to believe that
if they're gonna make it
through. Come on, Dave.
Their lives are never
gonna be the same.
COLBY: There's no indication
of enemies, financial
or marital troubles.
Witness testimony
and tips came up empty.
All right, so what
have we got here?
We got seven attacks
in two months.
What do you think,
Megan, serial?
MEGAN: Uh, if so, it's atypical.
All the MOs are different.
Yeah, the previous attacks
we had a wrist rocket,
thrown rock, brick, tire iron,
golf club, and
then a rifle shot.
Now we're looking at a hand gun
from close range.
Victims don't fit
a profile, either.
DAVID: Yeah, it's
rich, poor, Asian,
Latino, whites,
across the spectrum.
MEGAN: You know, maybe instead
of one sociopath, we
have a bunch of copycats.
Maybe there's no pattern at all.
MEGAN: That's what
I just said, Charlie.
There's no pattern.
A single assailant,
or a bunch of copycats
both imply a pattern.
No, What I'm suggesting here is,
these groupings of
shootings might, you know,
very well be random.
Seven completely
unrelated attacks?
CHARLIE: Sure. Consider this.
An MP3 player has a
random shuffle function, right?
It uses an algorithm
to create a random
order to play the songs.
But when people listen
to their random shuffle mode,
they do perceive patterns.
That's just pure coincidence.
People swear their MP3
players like to play certain songs.
I know mine has
a thing for ZZ Top.
CHARLIE: Right, right.
And that's exactly it... that
human beings perceive patterns
where there just aren't any.
All right, look, you know,
until we know different,
then we're gonna pursue these
as individual crimes, all right?
Hey.
Hey, Larry, do
you have a minute?
Yes, I have the eight
and a half minutes
it takes me to
walk to my office.
Now, if we need more time,
I guess we could
choose a longer route,
maybe stop and
contemplate the turtle pond.
Or we could just keep
talking at your office.
Yeah, it's not as
scenic, but sure.
You know, I'm finding
it a little strange,
uh, being a professor after
being a student for so long.
(laughing): Oh.
We have all been
there, my young friend.
I mean, I feel like I
should be going to lectures,
not giving them.
You know, I run
into former teachers
every day, who act
like nothing's changed.
That's why, you know,
people usually leave the school
where they earn their doctorate
and go off and teach elsewhere.
But, what, CalSci made you
an offer you couldn't refuse?
I don't know.
Maybe I would have been
better off on the East Coast.
No, no, no, no. Come on,
this is not about geography.
Listen, you yourself must
embrace this new role.
'Cause only then will others
be able to see you differently.
Wow.
Larry, even for you,
that was profound.
I guess you just caught
me when the caffeine
was kicking in. Come on.
MEGAN: I get the concept
of random clusters, I do,
but road rage is associated
with certain factors,
none of which are present
in any of these cases.
Wait. When you say factors,
you mean, like,
what, like weather?
Yeah, and bad traffic, and
racial conflicts, and accidents.
Stuff that makes
people tense and angry.
All right, so, it's
not a typical streak.
No, and there's something
else... The youngest boy, Pete, said
he thought he saw
a white pickup truck.
Now he thinks he
saw the same truck
drive by his house that morning.
What? A white pickup truck?
I mean, they're
all over the place.
He says both had a bobble-headed
hula dancer on the dashboard.
Yeah? What do you think?
I think he's nine, and
he's been traumatized,
and he's searching, but
it opens up the possibility
that Jeff Kinkirk was
stalked, you know?
That he's not a random victim.
All right. Well, look,
play both sides. I mean,
get a list of white pickup
trucks from the DMV
and-and work it with the guys.
What's the other side?
Well, the wife
said she didn't think
the husband had any
enemies, but, I mean,
maybe she was hiding
something from us.
Okay.
I took out the garbage,
helped Pete with his homework.
Everything's good at home.
(knocking)
DON: Hey.
How's he doing?
They got the bullet out.
Now we just have to wait.
PETE: Did you find
the white truck?
Not yet, Pete,
but, I mean, we got a
lot of people working on it.
Guys, I need to
speak to your mom
for a minute. Is that okay?
DON: Your son Pete thinks
he saw a white pickup
truck the day of the shooting.
Now it's possible
that that same truck was
near your house that day.
Someone was following Jeff?
Yeah.
Any reason for that?
No. I-I can't think of anything.
Does your husband have
any problems at work,
or with neighbors,
anything at all?
No, there's nothing.
Anyone want to hurt you?
Me? Yeah.
Not that I know of.
Marla, somebody tried
to kill your husband,
and, I mean,
you have no idea
about who or why?
It doesn't make sense. I mean,
it could be something minor.
Just even a-a fight
over a parking space.
That's just it. You
have to understand Jeff.
He'd let someone else
have the parking space.
(voice breaking): If he has a flaw,
it's that he tries too hard to be nice.
Okay. All right,
that's-that's all I need.
Come on. That's all right.
We were looking
for a white truck.
I've checked 177 so far.
I'm just also checking
some other factors.
Looking at traffic, weather,
employment,
time of day, day of the week.
Looking for a
pattern in a series
of random events?
Oh, dear, Professor
Eppes wouldn't approve.
Okay, but here's the thing.
None of these attacks can
be linked to the typical causes
of freeway violence
like bad traffic
and hot weather.
Gang shootings.
Seven random freeway attacks,
and not one of
them fits a profile
of a random freeway attack?
Yeah, I see what you're saying.
At least some should
have typical causes.
All we have are
invisible assailants
and no motives.
Yeah, I mean, is it possible
for something to be too
random to be random?
CHARLIE: I'm sorry, too random?
MEGAN: Yeah. Too ran...
Uh, something can
be a little random.
Something can be very random.
But, no.
No, no, not, not too random.
Why?
Well, we're just
kind of assuming
that all these freeway attacks
are a series of random events,
but not one of
them can be linked
to the typical causes
of freeway violence.
You mean, like road
rage, stuff like that?
Yeah, actually.
70% of all traffic assaults stem
from arguments between drivers,
especially if one or the other
has something called
Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
Oh, we used to call that
having a screw loose.
(laughing): My dad
had... that screw loose,
but, uh, explosive rage
can be a little more serious.
People can erupt
into violent anger for
seemingly no reason.
I see what you're saying. Okay.
You're saying that in
this particular string,
there are none of the
typical causes. Mm-hmm.
And what are the odds of that?
I would say that
they're not very good.
What if there's a pattern that
you're just not able to detect?
Hidden variable theory.
The idea that, that
nothing in this world
is ever really random,
that there is some influence
or some force that
we can't detect.
Isn't it, like, weird that none
of these attacks are typical?
Not one?
Weird, yeah, yeah.
Unlikely, yeah.
Impossible, no.
How's it going?
White pickups checked: 1,307.
Only about 162,000 left to go.
Oh, just think
of the sense of accomplishment
you'll have when you're done.
Right. How you doing?
Looking for connections
between people,
you always find more
than you expect, you know.
Yeah, most of it doesn't
mean anything, though.
Two victims wore the
same brand of jeans,
went to the same college.
I got one I want
to take a look at.
These two victims
used the same car wash?
I want to get a
list of employees,
see if anybody has a record.
All right, I'll check
with the local cops.
COLBY: Victims number
two and number five,
Henry Rains and Cece Smith.
They're both patrons
of the Valley Car Wash.
DON: Uh-huh.
Now, Rains got
into a yelling match
with one of the workers there.
Two weeks later, he's
killed by a rifle shot.
What was the fight about?
He accused the worker of
taking money out of his car,
started getting loud with him,
so the car wash manager
had to call the cops,
but Rains split
before they got there.
So who did he accuse?
Calvin Oates.
Five years ago, he's
thrown out of a bar.
Comes back, fires a
handgun out the front window
from a moving car.
Car wash have links to
any of the other victims?
Still working on it.
All right, it's thin,
but go pick him up.
Manager special today: $11.95.
Wax, underbody, tire dressing.
What air freshener?
We let the FBI garage take
care of all that, thank you.
Hey, we're looking
for Calvin Oates.
Oh, man, I just had
this suit cleaned.
(yells)
You, back up! Back up!
Give me the bat,
give me the bat.
Thank you.
Next time, leave it
to the professionals.
(groans)
You're fired.
COLBY: Come on.
Dude said I stole his money.
He started screaming,
coming at me.
I didn't do nothing.
When the manager
called the cops, he split.
So why'd you run?
I'm stupid.
(laughing): Yeah.
When cops show up, I get lost.
I didn't think they'd
bother to chase me
'cause... I didn't
do anything wrong.
Well, that guy must
have made you furious.
He called you a thief
in front of your boss
and your co-workers.
Don't start the psych crap.
I've been in anger
management therapy
for three years.
I know when someone's
pushing my buttons.
You got a lot of buttons, huh?
That therapy was
court-mandated as a
condition of your parole.
Yes, and believe me, I
am now the poster boy
for anger management.
That must be one ugly poster.
Yeah, time cards show him at
work when Rains was shot, so...
You don't think he's the guy.
Either there isn't a guy...
And it's seven
unrelated incidents.
(phone rings)
or, if it's one guy,
he's definitely a lot
smarter than this dude.
Hey.
All right.
We just got another one.
Well, there you go.
(indistinct radio communication)
Victim was a 28-year-old
computer tech.
Died instantly.
The killer had to lug
this cinder block up to the
top of the tunnel entrance,
time the drop to hit a car,
and avoid being
seen by witnesses.
DAVID: That took work, planning.
I doubt it was vandals
or some crime of impulse.
You think she was
targeted or just unlucky?
DAVID: I think she
never knew what hit her.
Hey.
Pythagorean theorem,
law of cosines,
metrics. Equivalence principle.
Back to basics.
You know, I spent the
weekend at Politzer's
and he completely disassembled
my 11-D supergravity theory.
So here I am in ten dimensions
with two pea-brain solutions,
electrically and
magnetically charged
respectively to the C-field...
You still sleeping
in your office?
Yeah, sleeping, living.
Cuts down on the
morning commute.
You must find a
new place to live. No.
You can't live out of your office.
No, I'm not going to be out there
choosing wall colors
and toaster ovens.
Look, I just want to be
thinking about gravity.
How do you expect
to have company over?
What company?
Who? Oh, I don't know.
Who, I may... who,
what, M-Megan, maybe?
Oh, oh, oh, listen.
If you propose to start
discussing my love life,
then I'm gonna find
yours to be fair game.
Ah, point, point.
Point to Professor Fleinhardt.
Hey, so, speaking of Megan,
she comes by the
house the other day,
wants to know if a
sequence can be too random.
It's funny.
I... fail to see
the humor in this.
Too random, you know,
as in excessively random.
Yeah, I'm, I'm following you.
I will now ask you
a series of questions
and I would like
you to answer simply
in the affirmative
or the negative.
Okay.
This discussion of randomness.
Was it somehow related
to the freeway attacks?
Yes. Okay, might
she be concerned
that all of the attacks
have different MOs?
Yeah, but...
And given seven random
attacks, all with different meth...
Eight now.
Okay, eight random attacks,
all with different methods.
I mean, might'nt she just find
the improbability of all this
just a little bit disconcerting?
Larry, you know, I can, I can
roll a pair of dice eight times
and never get the
same result twice,
and that would still fall
within the realm of random.
Yeah... but something
that doesn't repeat
is not by definition random.
Shuffle mode. Hmm?
Shuffle mode.
Why am I such an idiot?
I think I've found new attacks.
These are insurance claims?
Mm-hmm.
There's damage reports
of objects striking cars.
Smart angle.
I have my moments, I think.
I was trying to find
related incidents
that didn't result
in any bodily injury.
COLBY: Objects
used include a rock,
a large slab of
marble, a lead weight,
a steel pipe.
No injuries, so
no police report.
Megan.
Hey.
I am so sorry.
What's the matter?
You were right, I was wrong.
About the freeway attacks?
Yeah. Remember shuffle mode?
Yeah, the patterns
that aren't there.
Controlled by an algorithm
that creates a random
order for the songs,
but the order
isn't really random
because the algorithm
won't ever repeat a song.
Just like the freeway attacks don't
repeat. That's what I was saying!
So these attacks could
be the act of one person...
Who's trying to make
them look random.
Thank you.
Let me show you something.
All right, here are
five new incidents.
CHARLIE: Five?
I didn't hear about
that on the news.
Oh, these cases haven't
been included before now.
Megan just found
them. All right, now,
let's look at them
chronologically with the others.
That's a fairly regular pattern,
showing increasing frequency.
Thank you.
Okay, I'm going
to call this one.
I am 99% sure.
The varied methods
are an attempt
to avoid any
discernible pattern...
Which is in itself a pattern.
Yes, but what the
perpetrator can't hide
is the intensity of his need.
The compulsion is growing,
so the time between acts is
getting shorter and shorter.
Classic serial killer.
We're looking at one guy.
You guys, check this out.
Just found that
five of the 13 victims
were involved in serious
injury accidents over the course
of the last two years. Oh, yeah?
Think that means anything?
I'm not sure if that would
hold true for any
similar group or not.
Maybe call a CHP
accident specialist.
And the department of insurance.
Five of 13... That's
less than half, man.
Yeah, I don't know if it's
just coincidence or not.
Well, let's find out.
So, Professor, you think
it's safe to drive, huh?
Even with this crazy person
out there attacking cars?
People get killed in
car accidents every day.
It's not like we worry about
that when we get on the road.
Uh-huh, speak for yourself.
Look, if you're worried
about the freeway killer,
you know, take the bus.
The bus does not go everywhere.
In case you missed it,
we live in Los Angeles,
the city of the car.
You know, people in L.A.
spend 100 hours a year in traffic.
100 hours.
That's four full days of waiting
for the car in front
of you to move.
I'm getting road rage
just thinking about it.
But, seriously, you are twice
as likely to hit a royal flush
on your first hand of
poker than you are of being
a victim of this
freeway attacker.
Yeah, but I'm not afraid
of hitting a royal flush.
I'll still be around to
play the next hand.
You want me to behave
irrationally and tell you
that, yes, I would prefer
if my only living parent
stayed off the roads until
we catch this guy, okay?
There, I said it. You happy?
No! I have to drive
to Culver City.
My mall project.
I don't know why I
let you do this to me.
I should see it coming.
Yeah, but you never do.
Hey, look who's awake.
Hi.
Honey, this is
the FBI agent I told you about.
Anything new?
Well, what we're working with
is that in five of the attacks,
the victims have been involved
in a serious car accident.
So we're checking on the others,
but, uh... no?
Jeff hasn't had so much as
a speeding ticket
since we were married.
No, I... I'm careful.
I worry about the kids.
A couple years
ago, I saw this...
bad accident where
this little boy was hurt.
It was terrible.
Yeah, you say you saw this?
JEFF: Yeah.
An SUV ran through this
light and smacked a sedan.
I tried to help
out at the scene.
I gave a statement
to the police.
Jeff Kinkirk was the only
witness to an accident
that left a six-year-old
boy badly injured.
Now, Kinkirk says he saw
the boy's father run a red light.
Father said he didn't.
But both insurance companies
went with Kinkirk's account.
Well, a lot of people
witness accidents.
Yeah, but they don't all end up
with gunshot wounds to the head.
It's such a strange motive
for a series of attacks.
Yes, it is, because
serial attacks
generally have a sado-sexual
component to them.
The assailant needs
to see the victim suffer.
But not this guy.
He wants to inflict
serious damage,
but he's happy to
do it from a distance.
And he's not that intent on
killing every victim.
So how would
the profile break down?
Likely male, and
meticulous and educated.
History of road rage,
problems with anger.
Might have difficulty
holding a job.
He identifies with the victims.
He feels a sense of injustice.
He's probably a victim
of a violent crime himself.
Or someone close to him is.
Well, we could get a list
of major injury accidents
and cross-check them
against the victims.
DON: Yeah, we'll let Charlie run
whatever we come up with, and
get a suspect list going, yeah?
Yeah, anything will help.
What do we have, five
million drivers in L.A. County?
The optimization algorithm
can be translated into software.
You know what?
I think Amita has it.
But there's stuff
in here we can use.
How's it going with Amita? Huh?
Oh, good, good.
No, yeah, she's... I mean,
we're both pretty
busy right now.
You know, she's a professor now.
Yeah.
It's always tough, huh?
What's always tough?
The whole thing, you know?
It's just tough.
How you doing with Robin?
Yeah, well, it is what it is.
Yeah.
I know you don't like to
talk about who you're seeing.
Hey, Charlie, if I have
anything worthwhile to say,
believe me, you'd
be at the top of my list.
You know who else doesn't
like to talk about his love life?
Your boy Larry.
What do you know?
I know Megan
thinks he's beautiful.
(mouths)
What does he say?
It's difficult to decipher
through all the, you know,
the cosmological metaphors.
But he does really seem to
really like her, you know?
Hey, here we go, I found it.
All right.
(chuckles) Okay.
(clears throat) Before
we run Amita's program,
I need to draw up
some parameters,
because there's a
component we're neglecting.
What's that?
Traffic.
I mean, this guy's
been attacking people
in broad daylight,
on busy roads,
running the risk of being seen.
Right. No witnesses.
So he must be
planning carefully.
He probably plans escape routes.
Yeah, possibly.
All right, so if we can
look at the traffic
patterns in the vicinity
of the attacks, that'll give us
a chance to guess at
those escape routes,
which will give us
a more general idea
of where he goes afterward.
Right, 'cause he'd
definitely want to avoid
traffic in each instance, right?
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
No, traffic flows just
like any other, you know,
dynamic fluid flow
in a closed system.
You know, it's like the
water in your house.
Water flows due to
pressure and release.
What is the optimum
length and width of the pipe?
What are the number of branches?
How many release
points are there?
I mean, it's a little more
complicated for traffic,
but partial differential
equations can help us
calculate the optimum number
of lanes, on- and off-ramps,
signal synchronization.
And I can use data
from road sensors,
traffic cameras and
satellite imagery.
I mean, hell, I can even factor
in the street light algorithms
used by the D.O.T.
This is fairly high-level math.
So ten out of 13
have been involved
in some sort of
serious injury accident.
Six are directly involved.
There's a lawyer for
an insurance company,
two accident witnesses
and a tow truck driver.
And we're still trying to
connect the last three.
Yeah, unfortunately, this
guy works to a schedule,
and, you know, he's due now.
(sighs)
Oh, look!
It's CalSci's
live-in cosmologist.
Listen, don't laugh.
I think that couch of mine
has finally fused my vertebrae.
What's going on, Larry?
Is there something
you want to talk about?
No.
I find any discussion
of my inner feelings
to be potentially catastrophic.
It's like a star...
Burns up all of its own fuel
and then finally
collapses in on top of itself.
I was just trying to be
supportive here, Larry,
not destroy a solar system.
CHARLIE: Who
needs a caffeine fix?
LARRY: Hey, you
know what Rényi said?
He said a mathematician
is a machine
that turns coffee into theorems.
(Charlie chuckles)
Thank you for
getting on this so fast.
Hey, I don't want to be shot
or struck by a brick while driving
any more than the next person.
You know, I guess
there's nothing to be done
about meteors... well, just yet.
CHARLIE: No, Larry, even the FBI
can't stop meteors.
No, not yet, but someday.
We'll have plasma cannons,
steam rockets.
Anything interesting?
Well, I loaded the data
into the modeling software.
It should produce
a clear graphic
of the flow of traffic
after the attacks.
I'll put it up on
the LCD. Great.
Also, I compressed
time, so that 30 minutes
plays in 30 seconds.
And what's this?
It's a traffic anomaly... a
street adjacent to the freeway.
Pull it up.
(beeping)
Huh.
CHARLIE: Look at that flow.
Optimized in one direction,
all the cross streets
are backing up.
Pull up another one.
(beeping)
Yeah, there it is again, wow.
And this timecode
is telling us that this is
after the shooting attack.
It's like someone opened up
an escape valve for traffic
coming off the freeway.
It's more like an escape route.
(horn honking)
MAN: Come on!
Get out of the way!
(horn blaring)
WOMAN: Move
out of the way, lady!
(siren whoops)
(low, indistinct
radio communication)
Ma'am?
(tapping)
Ma'am, roll down your window.
MEGAN: Kathryn Krager.
She's 46 years old, she
has two teenage children.
She works for the
City of Bellhaven.
Notify the family?
CHP's at the
house now, actually.
All right, we got to see
if she fits the traffic
accident scenario, right?
This is the second gunshot wound
at close range.
That's new.
All the other ones were
different forms of attack.
What? Different guy?
No, I think it's the same guy,
he's just not afraid
to repeat himself now.
Yeah, he thinks
we can't catch him.
And he might be right.
Come on, you know
we can get this guy.
All right, if you say so.
And how about the
next one on deck?
What's going on with you?
Nothing.
No record the victim was
ever in a traffic accident.
That was Krager's boss...
The city manager for Bellhaven.
Said that two years ago,
a neighborhood submitted
a petition for a light
at a blind intersection,
and Krager was in charge
of overseeing
the traffic budget,
and she turned
down the petition.
So she wasn't actually
involved in an accident herself.
Somebody might blame
her for causing one.
Right.
So an accident happened
six months after Krager denied
a request to have a traffic
light put at this intersection.
Three people in two vehicles.
One person survived:
Brennon Sommers.
His wife, the driver of the
other vehicle died at the scene.
And Sommers
suffered a head injury.
Anger and impulse
control problems.
He's lost his job,
he's living on disability.
He's been arrested twice
since the accident,
although the charges
were dropped both times.
Well, I can see where
he might blame Krager
for not putting in
the stoplight, right?
COLBY: Yeah, but she
wasn't the first victim.
I mean, why kill
other people first?
MEGAN: Well,
maybe his first victim
set him off some other way,
and then once he got going,
he went back for Krager.
Brennon Sommers!
COLBY: Put your hands up
and walk over this way.
What is this about?
Put your hands up
and walk over this way.
Get your hands up!
Turn around right now!
What?! What?!
I was an architect.
And now...
I can't concentrate.
I can't read for more
than a minute at a time.
And that's Kathryn
Krager's fault?
Who?!
Who is that?!
I think you know.
I mean, you wrote a
letter to the L.A. Times,
because Bellhaven
wouldn't put in a traffic light.
She was behind the decision.
I blamed the city, yeah,
but I never knew who
made the decision.
And you do get
into a lot of fights.
Maybe because people
don't treat you fairly?
No, because I have anger
and impulse problems.
It comes with the
frontal lobe damage.
I'm trying to deal with it.
By seeking out
people who hurt you?
No! Nothing like that!
I'm in group
therapy, that's all.
I used to be a nice,
easy-going guy.
Hard to believe, huh?
Doctor says he
couldn't lift a cinderblock
or fire a weapon accurately.
Found no firearms, no
evidence at his house
linked to any of the crimes.
He's close but not our guy.
Close? What do you mean?
Somebody like him, you know?
More capable or angrier.
Hey, you guys, Charlie's got
something he wants to show us.
Hey, Chuck, what do you got?
Hey, I've got
probable escape routes
gathered straight
from traffic data.
Now, these red routes
have the highest
level of probability.
Yellow routes, next highest.
Blue routes, least likely.
DON: Okay, good.
Why don't you guys
go check 'em out.
You know, see if you
can find a witness, right?
All right.
Here you go.
Field trip. Love it.
You drive, I'll navigate.
I remember it was
the day of the shooting.
I'd just heard the
report on the radio;
couple minutes later,
this truck blows by.
What made you notice
the truck... Was it speeding?
MAN: No, that's not unusual.
No, it was that, uh,
I see this pickup, you
know, coming up fast,
and then the light goes red.
Wait, wait, did you say pickup?
Yeah, yeah, white pickup truck.
MAN: The light's
red, like I said,
and he didn't slow down,
so I figured he
was gonna run it,
and then it goes green again,
after only a couple seconds.
You're sure about that.
It's my job to watch the light.
Can you describe the truck...
Maybe you got a
look at the driver.
Mm... it was a late-model,
American make, I think.
White, like I said.
I couldn't see
the driver, though.
It was just a white
dude with sunglasses.
Okay. Anything else?
Maybe there was something
on the dash, possibly.
Well, there was, now
that you mention it.
I couldn't see
what it was, though.
All right, thank you.
Infamous white pickup.
Sounds like the one
Jeff Kinkirk's son said he saw
just before he watched
his father get shot.
Yeah, the crossing guard's story
about that light changing...
You thinking what I'm thinking?
Yeah... that our killer
somehow figured out
how to tamper with the lights?
Yeah.
Hey, you.
Yeah, aren't you supposed to be
at the string-theory
symposium at USC?
Now, how do you
know I'm not there?
One of those
kinds of days, is it?
Oh, well, aren't they all?
Larry... is
everything all right?
Everything?
Well, I'm not sure that I
can account for the state
off all matter, but...
You know exactly
what I'm talking about.
Stop trying to Fleinhardt your
way around answering me.
What is it, exactly,
that you want to know?
If sleeping in your office
and missing an event
important to your field of study
constitutes something
that I need to...
be concerned about.
Well, as I previously explained,
I'm sleeping in my office
because I don't
wish the distraction
of finding and
furnishing a residence.
Fine. Fair enough.
The symposium?
I'm hoping to be unavailable,
due to a pressing
social engagement.
You're choosing dinner
with Megan over string theory.
The two are not incompatible.
But thank you.
For what? For looking after me.
It's so good to know
that if I ever stray
from the rational plane,
you will be there to accost me.
(phone ringing) Any... anytime.
Hello.
Oh, this modern age.
We think the freeway
killer uses a device like this.
It emits a pulse
of infrared light,
causes traffic lights to change.
They're legal only for
emergency vehicles.
All right, well, that explains
he's getting
through traffic, then.
Disrupting traffic lights
should leave a record in the
system... times and places.
There's cameras all
over Los Angeles...
On buildings, at intersections,
at ATM machines.
Okay, so we can check
the locations and the times
against the Web cam logs...
Use them to get a photo.
What do you think are the
chances of that, though?
More cameras, better odds.
What do you say, guys?
Hey. All right, so
here's what we got.
We've been through hundreds
of Web cams at intersections
indicated by Charlie's analysis
of traffic light disruptions.
We got this traffic Web cam
from La Brea and the 10 freeway,
at 15 minutes after
attack number nine.
COLBY: And three seconds
before he drove through that light,
it was hit with
an infrared pulse.
No license visible,
no way to identify
the truck or the driver.
And this? What's this?
Oh, that's some sort of decal.
Pulling together a lot of string
that the crossing guard
witness saw the killer...
That the guy in this photo is
the one who changed the light.
Maybe you're right... I
mean, maybe that's our guy.
TECH: We're getting something.
I'll flip it around
and print it out.
Looks like "HTSU."
"Head Trauma Survivors United."
Yeah?
Yeah... Brennon Sommers,
the guy we suspected,
I think he's part of
their Northridge chapter.
There's something on the bottom
of the decal that's
not quite legible.
Well, it could be Northridge.
Now that would not
be random chance.
COLBY: So far, we
have eight current
and former members who we
can link to freeway attack victims.
Ran the members through DMV.
Two have white pickups,
one's a 74-year-old lady,
the other is Mitchell McKenzie.
38, he's a home contractor.
McKenzie was in a
motorcycle accident a year ago.
He suffered a head trauma.
Two months after he
joined the support group,
the freeway attacks started.
Well, that must be it, right?
That must be how he's choosing,
is through the support group.
His accident was a hit and run,
So he's got no
target for all the rage.
He could be acting on
behalf of the other victims.
That's not the kind of
support anybody expected.
Mitchell's close to many
people in the group.
It's common for trauma victims
to feel like nobody understands
what they've been through,
except other victims.
And, Dr. Bird, do you discuss
the freeway attacks
in your group?
It's come up in meetings.
I remember I made
a note about it.
What was your note?
Mitchell talks a
lot at meetings,
has an opinion on everything.
But on the topic of
the freeway attacks...
he's been quiet.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Eppes.
Don, I think McKenzie
could be the guy.
We just got a hit
on his credit card.
A gas station in Long Beach.
So I got David, Colby
and LAPD on their way.
(siren approaching)
(glass shattering)
Come on, man!
(tires screeching)
(indistinct radio transmission)
(yells)
Come on!
(sirens blaring)
Get out of the way!
Get the hell out of the way.
Get your hands on the wheel!
You! This way! Get
your hands on the wheel!
(indistinct shouting)
I'm only trying
to do what's right!
Innocent people hurt and killed!
And those responsible
just walk away!
Somebody has to pay.
That's all I do. I
make things right.
I make things right.
What are you
sitting in the dark for?
Just thinking.
Thank God you
caught that guy, huh?
Five deaths, six people injured.
And tomorrow I got
12 new cases.
Yeah, you're having a
lot of tough ones lately.
Maybe you should think
of taking some time off.
Yeah, don't I wish.
Donny, it's not good
for you to get this way.
Oh, Dad, what are you talking
about? This is the way I am.
No, no, Listen to me. Donny...
Look, it's just, you
know, sometimes...
(door opens)
Hello.
Hey, Don.
Glad you're here.
Found something interesting
that I want you to look at.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
You know how I thought
that all the freeway attacks
were a random series?
Yeah.
They weren't. They weren't.
Because, yeah, McKenzie
was behind all of them,
but he didn't actually
start the sequence.
What are you talking about?
A hit and run driver
started the sequence
when he hit McKenzie.
The head injury the
McKenzie sustained
left him unable to control his
impulses, control his rage...
Oh, come on, Charlie,
the man is still responsible
for his actions.
Yeah, of course.
Except that the guy that hit
McKenzie was never apprehended.
He totally got away with it.
What, is this his accident
report? Yeah, Megan called
the CHP for me, and I just...
I thought it was something
you might want to look at.
Yeah, I think I see
where you're headed.
What? We got his tire treads,
paint and metal...
Yeah, there's
tons of information.
I mean, I can
help you with this.
DON: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, Charlie. This is good.
There's enough information.
You got a pen? Yeah.
We can narrow
down the suspect list.
over funky rock intro)
♪ Yeah! Mmm, it was... ♪
(vocalizing continues)
♪ I can be loud,
man, I can be silent ♪
♪ I could be young,
man, or I could be old ♪
♪ I can be a gentleman,
I can be violent ♪
♪ I could turn hot,
man, or I could be cold ♪
♪ I could be just like the
calm before the storm... ♪
BOY: That was a weird movie.
Yeah, from the
reviews, I thought
it was gonna be more
of a comedy, huh?
I thought it was pretty good.
BOY: Teenagers like
boring movies.
You only like cartoons.
No. I just don't
like boring movies
about people in
love. (kicks seat)
(laughs)
(laughter)
Can we get ice cream?
No, we got to get home.
Oh, come on.
It's on the way. Kind of.
MAN: Actually, bud,
it's-it's not at all.
You know?
However...
You know you want to.
Well, see, if you
put it like that, then...
(laughing): Dad!
(laughing)
(gunshot)
Dad?
What was that?!
Take the wheel!
I'm trying!
Dad! Dad!
Watch out, you're
gonna hit that...!
Look out!
(tires squealing, horns blaring)
I got it!
Dad? Dad?
Dad!
Lady luck.
Chance.
Randomness.
Human beings truly have a
hard time understanding it.
Raindrops fall randomly.
Now, which of these two
images best represents
raindrops falling on a sidewalk?
Is it image A?
Image B? Okay.
You're wrong.
Our brains
misperceive evenness as random,
and wrongly assume that
groupings are deliberate.
Because of this,
people make all sorts
of irrational decisions.
Like, they-they won't
work in a high-rise building,
or they're afraid to live in
an earthquake-prone area.
And yet, a mathematical
assessment tells us
that you are far more
likely to suffocate in bed
than you are to die
in a terrorist attack.
You are ten times more likely
to die from alcohol than
from being in an earthquake.
And it is three
times more likely
that you will be
killed while driving
to buy a lottery ticket
than it is that you will...
that you will win the lottery.
(students laughing)
WOMAN: They said he was shot.
Yeah, that's what we think.
Is there anyone
who would want to
harm your husband?
No. No one.
I'm Don Eppes, FBI.
Marla.
So, do you know who did it?
Not yet, but-but
we're working on it.
I heard on the news
there were attacks
on the freeways.
Yeah. DAVID: That's true.
But we don't know if
those incidents are related
to the, uh, the attack
on your husband at all.
DON: Right, I mean,
what we'd like to do,
if we can, is just take a...
Excuse me. Uh, Mrs. Kinkirk?
Yes.
Your husband's stable.
Thank God.
There are issues that
need to be discussed.
DON: All right.
We'll give you a few minutes.
We'll wait for you down here.
Oh, please stay.
Um...
DON: I'll take these guys.
Why don't we go
hang out there, guys?
Okay. Thank you.
Come on. It's all right.
Your husband sustained a
gunshot wound to his head.
Luckily,
the bullet did
not penetrate far.
It's lodged in the
right occipital lobe.
Our neurosurgeon is
confident that he can remove it
without further damage.
(crying)
So, can you guys
tell me anything at all
that you remember
from what happened?
I heard a loud
crash from the back.
I turned, and Pete was scared.
From the noise.
Right.
And then I saw the blood.
And I looked where
Pete was looking,
and I saw Dad was hurt.
So, what happened then?
I grabbed the wheel, and I tried
to keep us from crashing.
Yeah, well, that's
smart. You know,
it's good thinking. Now,
right before the shot, is
there anything that stood out?
Any cars or anything
that you might remember?
I don't know.
I think maybe
there was a white truck?
Okay.
I didn't see who was driving it.
Sorry, I didn't see it.
Is-Is our dad going to be okay?
Yeah.
And, you know, we're
gonna do everything we can
to find the guy.
We got seven freeway
attacks in eight weeks.
Four people dead.
You okay?
Well, you know, I
just lied to those kids.
No, you made them
feel a little better, Don.
It's a tough time, you know?
I'm an idiot,
acting like everything's
gonna be normal.
Those kids need to believe that
if they're gonna make it
through. Come on, Dave.
Their lives are never
gonna be the same.
COLBY: There's no indication
of enemies, financial
or marital troubles.
Witness testimony
and tips came up empty.
All right, so what
have we got here?
We got seven attacks
in two months.
What do you think,
Megan, serial?
MEGAN: Uh, if so, it's atypical.
All the MOs are different.
Yeah, the previous attacks
we had a wrist rocket,
thrown rock, brick, tire iron,
golf club, and
then a rifle shot.
Now we're looking at a hand gun
from close range.
Victims don't fit
a profile, either.
DAVID: Yeah, it's
rich, poor, Asian,
Latino, whites,
across the spectrum.
MEGAN: You know, maybe instead
of one sociopath, we
have a bunch of copycats.
Maybe there's no pattern at all.
MEGAN: That's what
I just said, Charlie.
There's no pattern.
A single assailant,
or a bunch of copycats
both imply a pattern.
No, What I'm suggesting here is,
these groupings of
shootings might, you know,
very well be random.
Seven completely
unrelated attacks?
CHARLIE: Sure. Consider this.
An MP3 player has a
random shuffle function, right?
It uses an algorithm
to create a random
order to play the songs.
But when people listen
to their random shuffle mode,
they do perceive patterns.
That's just pure coincidence.
People swear their MP3
players like to play certain songs.
I know mine has
a thing for ZZ Top.
CHARLIE: Right, right.
And that's exactly it... that
human beings perceive patterns
where there just aren't any.
All right, look, you know,
until we know different,
then we're gonna pursue these
as individual crimes, all right?
Hey.
Hey, Larry, do
you have a minute?
Yes, I have the eight
and a half minutes
it takes me to
walk to my office.
Now, if we need more time,
I guess we could
choose a longer route,
maybe stop and
contemplate the turtle pond.
Or we could just keep
talking at your office.
Yeah, it's not as
scenic, but sure.
You know, I'm finding
it a little strange,
uh, being a professor after
being a student for so long.
(laughing): Oh.
We have all been
there, my young friend.
I mean, I feel like I
should be going to lectures,
not giving them.
You know, I run
into former teachers
every day, who act
like nothing's changed.
That's why, you know,
people usually leave the school
where they earn their doctorate
and go off and teach elsewhere.
But, what, CalSci made you
an offer you couldn't refuse?
I don't know.
Maybe I would have been
better off on the East Coast.
No, no, no, no. Come on,
this is not about geography.
Listen, you yourself must
embrace this new role.
'Cause only then will others
be able to see you differently.
Wow.
Larry, even for you,
that was profound.
I guess you just caught
me when the caffeine
was kicking in. Come on.
MEGAN: I get the concept
of random clusters, I do,
but road rage is associated
with certain factors,
none of which are present
in any of these cases.
Wait. When you say factors,
you mean, like,
what, like weather?
Yeah, and bad traffic, and
racial conflicts, and accidents.
Stuff that makes
people tense and angry.
All right, so, it's
not a typical streak.
No, and there's something
else... The youngest boy, Pete, said
he thought he saw
a white pickup truck.
Now he thinks he
saw the same truck
drive by his house that morning.
What? A white pickup truck?
I mean, they're
all over the place.
He says both had a bobble-headed
hula dancer on the dashboard.
Yeah? What do you think?
I think he's nine, and
he's been traumatized,
and he's searching, but
it opens up the possibility
that Jeff Kinkirk was
stalked, you know?
That he's not a random victim.
All right. Well, look,
play both sides. I mean,
get a list of white pickup
trucks from the DMV
and-and work it with the guys.
What's the other side?
Well, the wife
said she didn't think
the husband had any
enemies, but, I mean,
maybe she was hiding
something from us.
Okay.
I took out the garbage,
helped Pete with his homework.
Everything's good at home.
(knocking)
DON: Hey.
How's he doing?
They got the bullet out.
Now we just have to wait.
PETE: Did you find
the white truck?
Not yet, Pete,
but, I mean, we got a
lot of people working on it.
Guys, I need to
speak to your mom
for a minute. Is that okay?
DON: Your son Pete thinks
he saw a white pickup
truck the day of the shooting.
Now it's possible
that that same truck was
near your house that day.
Someone was following Jeff?
Yeah.
Any reason for that?
No. I-I can't think of anything.
Does your husband have
any problems at work,
or with neighbors,
anything at all?
No, there's nothing.
Anyone want to hurt you?
Me? Yeah.
Not that I know of.
Marla, somebody tried
to kill your husband,
and, I mean,
you have no idea
about who or why?
It doesn't make sense. I mean,
it could be something minor.
Just even a-a fight
over a parking space.
That's just it. You
have to understand Jeff.
He'd let someone else
have the parking space.
(voice breaking): If he has a flaw,
it's that he tries too hard to be nice.
Okay. All right,
that's-that's all I need.
Come on. That's all right.
We were looking
for a white truck.
I've checked 177 so far.
I'm just also checking
some other factors.
Looking at traffic, weather,
employment,
time of day, day of the week.
Looking for a
pattern in a series
of random events?
Oh, dear, Professor
Eppes wouldn't approve.
Okay, but here's the thing.
None of these attacks can
be linked to the typical causes
of freeway violence
like bad traffic
and hot weather.
Gang shootings.
Seven random freeway attacks,
and not one of
them fits a profile
of a random freeway attack?
Yeah, I see what you're saying.
At least some should
have typical causes.
All we have are
invisible assailants
and no motives.
Yeah, I mean, is it possible
for something to be too
random to be random?
CHARLIE: I'm sorry, too random?
MEGAN: Yeah. Too ran...
Uh, something can
be a little random.
Something can be very random.
But, no.
No, no, not, not too random.
Why?
Well, we're just
kind of assuming
that all these freeway attacks
are a series of random events,
but not one of
them can be linked
to the typical causes
of freeway violence.
You mean, like road
rage, stuff like that?
Yeah, actually.
70% of all traffic assaults stem
from arguments between drivers,
especially if one or the other
has something called
Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
Oh, we used to call that
having a screw loose.
(laughing): My dad
had... that screw loose,
but, uh, explosive rage
can be a little more serious.
People can erupt
into violent anger for
seemingly no reason.
I see what you're saying. Okay.
You're saying that in
this particular string,
there are none of the
typical causes. Mm-hmm.
And what are the odds of that?
I would say that
they're not very good.
What if there's a pattern that
you're just not able to detect?
Hidden variable theory.
The idea that, that
nothing in this world
is ever really random,
that there is some influence
or some force that
we can't detect.
Isn't it, like, weird that none
of these attacks are typical?
Not one?
Weird, yeah, yeah.
Unlikely, yeah.
Impossible, no.
How's it going?
White pickups checked: 1,307.
Only about 162,000 left to go.
Oh, just think
of the sense of accomplishment
you'll have when you're done.
Right. How you doing?
Looking for connections
between people,
you always find more
than you expect, you know.
Yeah, most of it doesn't
mean anything, though.
Two victims wore the
same brand of jeans,
went to the same college.
I got one I want
to take a look at.
These two victims
used the same car wash?
I want to get a
list of employees,
see if anybody has a record.
All right, I'll check
with the local cops.
COLBY: Victims number
two and number five,
Henry Rains and Cece Smith.
They're both patrons
of the Valley Car Wash.
DON: Uh-huh.
Now, Rains got
into a yelling match
with one of the workers there.
Two weeks later, he's
killed by a rifle shot.
What was the fight about?
He accused the worker of
taking money out of his car,
started getting loud with him,
so the car wash manager
had to call the cops,
but Rains split
before they got there.
So who did he accuse?
Calvin Oates.
Five years ago, he's
thrown out of a bar.
Comes back, fires a
handgun out the front window
from a moving car.
Car wash have links to
any of the other victims?
Still working on it.
All right, it's thin,
but go pick him up.
Manager special today: $11.95.
Wax, underbody, tire dressing.
What air freshener?
We let the FBI garage take
care of all that, thank you.
Hey, we're looking
for Calvin Oates.
Oh, man, I just had
this suit cleaned.
(yells)
You, back up! Back up!
Give me the bat,
give me the bat.
Thank you.
Next time, leave it
to the professionals.
(groans)
You're fired.
COLBY: Come on.
Dude said I stole his money.
He started screaming,
coming at me.
I didn't do nothing.
When the manager
called the cops, he split.
So why'd you run?
I'm stupid.
(laughing): Yeah.
When cops show up, I get lost.
I didn't think they'd
bother to chase me
'cause... I didn't
do anything wrong.
Well, that guy must
have made you furious.
He called you a thief
in front of your boss
and your co-workers.
Don't start the psych crap.
I've been in anger
management therapy
for three years.
I know when someone's
pushing my buttons.
You got a lot of buttons, huh?
That therapy was
court-mandated as a
condition of your parole.
Yes, and believe me, I
am now the poster boy
for anger management.
That must be one ugly poster.
Yeah, time cards show him at
work when Rains was shot, so...
You don't think he's the guy.
Either there isn't a guy...
And it's seven
unrelated incidents.
(phone rings)
or, if it's one guy,
he's definitely a lot
smarter than this dude.
Hey.
All right.
We just got another one.
Well, there you go.
(indistinct radio communication)
Victim was a 28-year-old
computer tech.
Died instantly.
The killer had to lug
this cinder block up to the
top of the tunnel entrance,
time the drop to hit a car,
and avoid being
seen by witnesses.
DAVID: That took work, planning.
I doubt it was vandals
or some crime of impulse.
You think she was
targeted or just unlucky?
DAVID: I think she
never knew what hit her.
Hey.
Pythagorean theorem,
law of cosines,
metrics. Equivalence principle.
Back to basics.
You know, I spent the
weekend at Politzer's
and he completely disassembled
my 11-D supergravity theory.
So here I am in ten dimensions
with two pea-brain solutions,
electrically and
magnetically charged
respectively to the C-field...
You still sleeping
in your office?
Yeah, sleeping, living.
Cuts down on the
morning commute.
You must find a
new place to live. No.
You can't live out of your office.
No, I'm not going to be out there
choosing wall colors
and toaster ovens.
Look, I just want to be
thinking about gravity.
How do you expect
to have company over?
What company?
Who? Oh, I don't know.
Who, I may... who,
what, M-Megan, maybe?
Oh, oh, oh, listen.
If you propose to start
discussing my love life,
then I'm gonna find
yours to be fair game.
Ah, point, point.
Point to Professor Fleinhardt.
Hey, so, speaking of Megan,
she comes by the
house the other day,
wants to know if a
sequence can be too random.
It's funny.
I... fail to see
the humor in this.
Too random, you know,
as in excessively random.
Yeah, I'm, I'm following you.
I will now ask you
a series of questions
and I would like
you to answer simply
in the affirmative
or the negative.
Okay.
This discussion of randomness.
Was it somehow related
to the freeway attacks?
Yes. Okay, might
she be concerned
that all of the attacks
have different MOs?
Yeah, but...
And given seven random
attacks, all with different meth...
Eight now.
Okay, eight random attacks,
all with different methods.
I mean, might'nt she just find
the improbability of all this
just a little bit disconcerting?
Larry, you know, I can, I can
roll a pair of dice eight times
and never get the
same result twice,
and that would still fall
within the realm of random.
Yeah... but something
that doesn't repeat
is not by definition random.
Shuffle mode. Hmm?
Shuffle mode.
Why am I such an idiot?
I think I've found new attacks.
These are insurance claims?
Mm-hmm.
There's damage reports
of objects striking cars.
Smart angle.
I have my moments, I think.
I was trying to find
related incidents
that didn't result
in any bodily injury.
COLBY: Objects
used include a rock,
a large slab of
marble, a lead weight,
a steel pipe.
No injuries, so
no police report.
Megan.
Hey.
I am so sorry.
What's the matter?
You were right, I was wrong.
About the freeway attacks?
Yeah. Remember shuffle mode?
Yeah, the patterns
that aren't there.
Controlled by an algorithm
that creates a random
order for the songs,
but the order
isn't really random
because the algorithm
won't ever repeat a song.
Just like the freeway attacks don't
repeat. That's what I was saying!
So these attacks could
be the act of one person...
Who's trying to make
them look random.
Thank you.
Let me show you something.
All right, here are
five new incidents.
CHARLIE: Five?
I didn't hear about
that on the news.
Oh, these cases haven't
been included before now.
Megan just found
them. All right, now,
let's look at them
chronologically with the others.
That's a fairly regular pattern,
showing increasing frequency.
Thank you.
Okay, I'm going
to call this one.
I am 99% sure.
The varied methods
are an attempt
to avoid any
discernible pattern...
Which is in itself a pattern.
Yes, but what the
perpetrator can't hide
is the intensity of his need.
The compulsion is growing,
so the time between acts is
getting shorter and shorter.
Classic serial killer.
We're looking at one guy.
You guys, check this out.
Just found that
five of the 13 victims
were involved in serious
injury accidents over the course
of the last two years. Oh, yeah?
Think that means anything?
I'm not sure if that would
hold true for any
similar group or not.
Maybe call a CHP
accident specialist.
And the department of insurance.
Five of 13... That's
less than half, man.
Yeah, I don't know if it's
just coincidence or not.
Well, let's find out.
So, Professor, you think
it's safe to drive, huh?
Even with this crazy person
out there attacking cars?
People get killed in
car accidents every day.
It's not like we worry about
that when we get on the road.
Uh-huh, speak for yourself.
Look, if you're worried
about the freeway killer,
you know, take the bus.
The bus does not go everywhere.
In case you missed it,
we live in Los Angeles,
the city of the car.
You know, people in L.A.
spend 100 hours a year in traffic.
100 hours.
That's four full days of waiting
for the car in front
of you to move.
I'm getting road rage
just thinking about it.
But, seriously, you are twice
as likely to hit a royal flush
on your first hand of
poker than you are of being
a victim of this
freeway attacker.
Yeah, but I'm not afraid
of hitting a royal flush.
I'll still be around to
play the next hand.
You want me to behave
irrationally and tell you
that, yes, I would prefer
if my only living parent
stayed off the roads until
we catch this guy, okay?
There, I said it. You happy?
No! I have to drive
to Culver City.
My mall project.
I don't know why I
let you do this to me.
I should see it coming.
Yeah, but you never do.
Hey, look who's awake.
Hi.
Honey, this is
the FBI agent I told you about.
Anything new?
Well, what we're working with
is that in five of the attacks,
the victims have been involved
in a serious car accident.
So we're checking on the others,
but, uh... no?
Jeff hasn't had so much as
a speeding ticket
since we were married.
No, I... I'm careful.
I worry about the kids.
A couple years
ago, I saw this...
bad accident where
this little boy was hurt.
It was terrible.
Yeah, you say you saw this?
JEFF: Yeah.
An SUV ran through this
light and smacked a sedan.
I tried to help
out at the scene.
I gave a statement
to the police.
Jeff Kinkirk was the only
witness to an accident
that left a six-year-old
boy badly injured.
Now, Kinkirk says he saw
the boy's father run a red light.
Father said he didn't.
But both insurance companies
went with Kinkirk's account.
Well, a lot of people
witness accidents.
Yeah, but they don't all end up
with gunshot wounds to the head.
It's such a strange motive
for a series of attacks.
Yes, it is, because
serial attacks
generally have a sado-sexual
component to them.
The assailant needs
to see the victim suffer.
But not this guy.
He wants to inflict
serious damage,
but he's happy to
do it from a distance.
And he's not that intent on
killing every victim.
So how would
the profile break down?
Likely male, and
meticulous and educated.
History of road rage,
problems with anger.
Might have difficulty
holding a job.
He identifies with the victims.
He feels a sense of injustice.
He's probably a victim
of a violent crime himself.
Or someone close to him is.
Well, we could get a list
of major injury accidents
and cross-check them
against the victims.
DON: Yeah, we'll let Charlie run
whatever we come up with, and
get a suspect list going, yeah?
Yeah, anything will help.
What do we have, five
million drivers in L.A. County?
The optimization algorithm
can be translated into software.
You know what?
I think Amita has it.
But there's stuff
in here we can use.
How's it going with Amita? Huh?
Oh, good, good.
No, yeah, she's... I mean,
we're both pretty
busy right now.
You know, she's a professor now.
Yeah.
It's always tough, huh?
What's always tough?
The whole thing, you know?
It's just tough.
How you doing with Robin?
Yeah, well, it is what it is.
Yeah.
I know you don't like to
talk about who you're seeing.
Hey, Charlie, if I have
anything worthwhile to say,
believe me, you'd
be at the top of my list.
You know who else doesn't
like to talk about his love life?
Your boy Larry.
What do you know?
I know Megan
thinks he's beautiful.
(mouths)
What does he say?
It's difficult to decipher
through all the, you know,
the cosmological metaphors.
But he does really seem to
really like her, you know?
Hey, here we go, I found it.
All right.
(chuckles) Okay.
(clears throat) Before
we run Amita's program,
I need to draw up
some parameters,
because there's a
component we're neglecting.
What's that?
Traffic.
I mean, this guy's
been attacking people
in broad daylight,
on busy roads,
running the risk of being seen.
Right. No witnesses.
So he must be
planning carefully.
He probably plans escape routes.
Yeah, possibly.
All right, so if we can
look at the traffic
patterns in the vicinity
of the attacks, that'll give us
a chance to guess at
those escape routes,
which will give us
a more general idea
of where he goes afterward.
Right, 'cause he'd
definitely want to avoid
traffic in each instance, right?
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
No, traffic flows just
like any other, you know,
dynamic fluid flow
in a closed system.
You know, it's like the
water in your house.
Water flows due to
pressure and release.
What is the optimum
length and width of the pipe?
What are the number of branches?
How many release
points are there?
I mean, it's a little more
complicated for traffic,
but partial differential
equations can help us
calculate the optimum number
of lanes, on- and off-ramps,
signal synchronization.
And I can use data
from road sensors,
traffic cameras and
satellite imagery.
I mean, hell, I can even factor
in the street light algorithms
used by the D.O.T.
This is fairly high-level math.
So ten out of 13
have been involved
in some sort of
serious injury accident.
Six are directly involved.
There's a lawyer for
an insurance company,
two accident witnesses
and a tow truck driver.
And we're still trying to
connect the last three.
Yeah, unfortunately, this
guy works to a schedule,
and, you know, he's due now.
(sighs)
Oh, look!
It's CalSci's
live-in cosmologist.
Listen, don't laugh.
I think that couch of mine
has finally fused my vertebrae.
What's going on, Larry?
Is there something
you want to talk about?
No.
I find any discussion
of my inner feelings
to be potentially catastrophic.
It's like a star...
Burns up all of its own fuel
and then finally
collapses in on top of itself.
I was just trying to be
supportive here, Larry,
not destroy a solar system.
CHARLIE: Who
needs a caffeine fix?
LARRY: Hey, you
know what Rényi said?
He said a mathematician
is a machine
that turns coffee into theorems.
(Charlie chuckles)
Thank you for
getting on this so fast.
Hey, I don't want to be shot
or struck by a brick while driving
any more than the next person.
You know, I guess
there's nothing to be done
about meteors... well, just yet.
CHARLIE: No, Larry, even the FBI
can't stop meteors.
No, not yet, but someday.
We'll have plasma cannons,
steam rockets.
Anything interesting?
Well, I loaded the data
into the modeling software.
It should produce
a clear graphic
of the flow of traffic
after the attacks.
I'll put it up on
the LCD. Great.
Also, I compressed
time, so that 30 minutes
plays in 30 seconds.
And what's this?
It's a traffic anomaly... a
street adjacent to the freeway.
Pull it up.
(beeping)
Huh.
CHARLIE: Look at that flow.
Optimized in one direction,
all the cross streets
are backing up.
Pull up another one.
(beeping)
Yeah, there it is again, wow.
And this timecode
is telling us that this is
after the shooting attack.
It's like someone opened up
an escape valve for traffic
coming off the freeway.
It's more like an escape route.
(horn honking)
MAN: Come on!
Get out of the way!
(horn blaring)
WOMAN: Move
out of the way, lady!
(siren whoops)
(low, indistinct
radio communication)
Ma'am?
(tapping)
Ma'am, roll down your window.
MEGAN: Kathryn Krager.
She's 46 years old, she
has two teenage children.
She works for the
City of Bellhaven.
Notify the family?
CHP's at the
house now, actually.
All right, we got to see
if she fits the traffic
accident scenario, right?
This is the second gunshot wound
at close range.
That's new.
All the other ones were
different forms of attack.
What? Different guy?
No, I think it's the same guy,
he's just not afraid
to repeat himself now.
Yeah, he thinks
we can't catch him.
And he might be right.
Come on, you know
we can get this guy.
All right, if you say so.
And how about the
next one on deck?
What's going on with you?
Nothing.
No record the victim was
ever in a traffic accident.
That was Krager's boss...
The city manager for Bellhaven.
Said that two years ago,
a neighborhood submitted
a petition for a light
at a blind intersection,
and Krager was in charge
of overseeing
the traffic budget,
and she turned
down the petition.
So she wasn't actually
involved in an accident herself.
Somebody might blame
her for causing one.
Right.
So an accident happened
six months after Krager denied
a request to have a traffic
light put at this intersection.
Three people in two vehicles.
One person survived:
Brennon Sommers.
His wife, the driver of the
other vehicle died at the scene.
And Sommers
suffered a head injury.
Anger and impulse
control problems.
He's lost his job,
he's living on disability.
He's been arrested twice
since the accident,
although the charges
were dropped both times.
Well, I can see where
he might blame Krager
for not putting in
the stoplight, right?
COLBY: Yeah, but she
wasn't the first victim.
I mean, why kill
other people first?
MEGAN: Well,
maybe his first victim
set him off some other way,
and then once he got going,
he went back for Krager.
Brennon Sommers!
COLBY: Put your hands up
and walk over this way.
What is this about?
Put your hands up
and walk over this way.
Get your hands up!
Turn around right now!
What?! What?!
I was an architect.
And now...
I can't concentrate.
I can't read for more
than a minute at a time.
And that's Kathryn
Krager's fault?
Who?!
Who is that?!
I think you know.
I mean, you wrote a
letter to the L.A. Times,
because Bellhaven
wouldn't put in a traffic light.
She was behind the decision.
I blamed the city, yeah,
but I never knew who
made the decision.
And you do get
into a lot of fights.
Maybe because people
don't treat you fairly?
No, because I have anger
and impulse problems.
It comes with the
frontal lobe damage.
I'm trying to deal with it.
By seeking out
people who hurt you?
No! Nothing like that!
I'm in group
therapy, that's all.
I used to be a nice,
easy-going guy.
Hard to believe, huh?
Doctor says he
couldn't lift a cinderblock
or fire a weapon accurately.
Found no firearms, no
evidence at his house
linked to any of the crimes.
He's close but not our guy.
Close? What do you mean?
Somebody like him, you know?
More capable or angrier.
Hey, you guys, Charlie's got
something he wants to show us.
Hey, Chuck, what do you got?
Hey, I've got
probable escape routes
gathered straight
from traffic data.
Now, these red routes
have the highest
level of probability.
Yellow routes, next highest.
Blue routes, least likely.
DON: Okay, good.
Why don't you guys
go check 'em out.
You know, see if you
can find a witness, right?
All right.
Here you go.
Field trip. Love it.
You drive, I'll navigate.
I remember it was
the day of the shooting.
I'd just heard the
report on the radio;
couple minutes later,
this truck blows by.
What made you notice
the truck... Was it speeding?
MAN: No, that's not unusual.
No, it was that, uh,
I see this pickup, you
know, coming up fast,
and then the light goes red.
Wait, wait, did you say pickup?
Yeah, yeah, white pickup truck.
MAN: The light's
red, like I said,
and he didn't slow down,
so I figured he
was gonna run it,
and then it goes green again,
after only a couple seconds.
You're sure about that.
It's my job to watch the light.
Can you describe the truck...
Maybe you got a
look at the driver.
Mm... it was a late-model,
American make, I think.
White, like I said.
I couldn't see
the driver, though.
It was just a white
dude with sunglasses.
Okay. Anything else?
Maybe there was something
on the dash, possibly.
Well, there was, now
that you mention it.
I couldn't see
what it was, though.
All right, thank you.
Infamous white pickup.
Sounds like the one
Jeff Kinkirk's son said he saw
just before he watched
his father get shot.
Yeah, the crossing guard's story
about that light changing...
You thinking what I'm thinking?
Yeah... that our killer
somehow figured out
how to tamper with the lights?
Yeah.
Hey, you.
Yeah, aren't you supposed to be
at the string-theory
symposium at USC?
Now, how do you
know I'm not there?
One of those
kinds of days, is it?
Oh, well, aren't they all?
Larry... is
everything all right?
Everything?
Well, I'm not sure that I
can account for the state
off all matter, but...
You know exactly
what I'm talking about.
Stop trying to Fleinhardt your
way around answering me.
What is it, exactly,
that you want to know?
If sleeping in your office
and missing an event
important to your field of study
constitutes something
that I need to...
be concerned about.
Well, as I previously explained,
I'm sleeping in my office
because I don't
wish the distraction
of finding and
furnishing a residence.
Fine. Fair enough.
The symposium?
I'm hoping to be unavailable,
due to a pressing
social engagement.
You're choosing dinner
with Megan over string theory.
The two are not incompatible.
But thank you.
For what? For looking after me.
It's so good to know
that if I ever stray
from the rational plane,
you will be there to accost me.
(phone ringing) Any... anytime.
Hello.
Oh, this modern age.
We think the freeway
killer uses a device like this.
It emits a pulse
of infrared light,
causes traffic lights to change.
They're legal only for
emergency vehicles.
All right, well, that explains
he's getting
through traffic, then.
Disrupting traffic lights
should leave a record in the
system... times and places.
There's cameras all
over Los Angeles...
On buildings, at intersections,
at ATM machines.
Okay, so we can check
the locations and the times
against the Web cam logs...
Use them to get a photo.
What do you think are the
chances of that, though?
More cameras, better odds.
What do you say, guys?
Hey. All right, so
here's what we got.
We've been through hundreds
of Web cams at intersections
indicated by Charlie's analysis
of traffic light disruptions.
We got this traffic Web cam
from La Brea and the 10 freeway,
at 15 minutes after
attack number nine.
COLBY: And three seconds
before he drove through that light,
it was hit with
an infrared pulse.
No license visible,
no way to identify
the truck or the driver.
And this? What's this?
Oh, that's some sort of decal.
Pulling together a lot of string
that the crossing guard
witness saw the killer...
That the guy in this photo is
the one who changed the light.
Maybe you're right... I
mean, maybe that's our guy.
TECH: We're getting something.
I'll flip it around
and print it out.
Looks like "HTSU."
"Head Trauma Survivors United."
Yeah?
Yeah... Brennon Sommers,
the guy we suspected,
I think he's part of
their Northridge chapter.
There's something on the bottom
of the decal that's
not quite legible.
Well, it could be Northridge.
Now that would not
be random chance.
COLBY: So far, we
have eight current
and former members who we
can link to freeway attack victims.
Ran the members through DMV.
Two have white pickups,
one's a 74-year-old lady,
the other is Mitchell McKenzie.
38, he's a home contractor.
McKenzie was in a
motorcycle accident a year ago.
He suffered a head trauma.
Two months after he
joined the support group,
the freeway attacks started.
Well, that must be it, right?
That must be how he's choosing,
is through the support group.
His accident was a hit and run,
So he's got no
target for all the rage.
He could be acting on
behalf of the other victims.
That's not the kind of
support anybody expected.
Mitchell's close to many
people in the group.
It's common for trauma victims
to feel like nobody understands
what they've been through,
except other victims.
And, Dr. Bird, do you discuss
the freeway attacks
in your group?
It's come up in meetings.
I remember I made
a note about it.
What was your note?
Mitchell talks a
lot at meetings,
has an opinion on everything.
But on the topic of
the freeway attacks...
he's been quiet.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Eppes.
Don, I think McKenzie
could be the guy.
We just got a hit
on his credit card.
A gas station in Long Beach.
So I got David, Colby
and LAPD on their way.
(siren approaching)
(glass shattering)
Come on, man!
(tires screeching)
(indistinct radio transmission)
(yells)
Come on!
(sirens blaring)
Get out of the way!
Get the hell out of the way.
Get your hands on the wheel!
You! This way! Get
your hands on the wheel!
(indistinct shouting)
I'm only trying
to do what's right!
Innocent people hurt and killed!
And those responsible
just walk away!
Somebody has to pay.
That's all I do. I
make things right.
I make things right.
What are you
sitting in the dark for?
Just thinking.
Thank God you
caught that guy, huh?
Five deaths, six people injured.
And tomorrow I got
12 new cases.
Yeah, you're having a
lot of tough ones lately.
Maybe you should think
of taking some time off.
Yeah, don't I wish.
Donny, it's not good
for you to get this way.
Oh, Dad, what are you talking
about? This is the way I am.
No, no, Listen to me. Donny...
Look, it's just, you
know, sometimes...
(door opens)
Hello.
Hey, Don.
Glad you're here.
Found something interesting
that I want you to look at.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
You know how I thought
that all the freeway attacks
were a random series?
Yeah.
They weren't. They weren't.
Because, yeah, McKenzie
was behind all of them,
but he didn't actually
start the sequence.
What are you talking about?
A hit and run driver
started the sequence
when he hit McKenzie.
The head injury the
McKenzie sustained
left him unable to control his
impulses, control his rage...
Oh, come on, Charlie,
the man is still responsible
for his actions.
Yeah, of course.
Except that the guy that hit
McKenzie was never apprehended.
He totally got away with it.
What, is this his accident
report? Yeah, Megan called
the CHP for me, and I just...
I thought it was something
you might want to look at.
Yeah, I think I see
where you're headed.
What? We got his tire treads,
paint and metal...
Yeah, there's
tons of information.
I mean, I can
help you with this.
DON: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, Charlie. This is good.
There's enough information.
You got a pen? Yeah.
We can narrow
down the suspect list.