Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 6, Episode 11 - Scratch - full transcript

♪♪

Hey.

Is everything in
here onion-like,

bacon-esque or cheese-ish?

(clerk clears throat)

Ever seen one of
these things before?

Yeah, it's a TV, Pops.

You can read all about
it on the Interwebs.

Why read when I can watch?

GIRL (sighs): Lame.

Have a nice night.



(door opens, bell chimes)

(door opens, bell chimes)

MAN: Nobody move! Nobody move!

Nobody move!

- Don't move, man. Don't move!
- Behind the counter... go.

Nobody here!

Not the money; the
Change Your Life

scratch-offs... all of them!

Lottery tickets? There. There.

Watch him, man.

(unzipping bag)

Hey! Eyes forward!

Damn it!

Come on, man!
Keep it together, guys!



Okay, okay! Hey.

- (gun cocking)
- Gun!

- Come on! Come on!
- (shotgun blasting)

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God, he shot...

(shotgun blasting)

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

- Let's go! Let's go!
- (bell chimes)

(dialing number)

(phone line ringing)

CLERK: Yeah, I've been robbed.

Yeah, I shot one of them.

I think he's dead.

Just hurry, okay?

(crickets chirping)

(door opens)

"Grow a ponytail."

(chuckles) Yeah.

I found an old wish list.

Whose? Steven Seagal?

(chuckles)

No, I wrote this, uh...

when I just got out of college.

All the things I wanted
to do with my life.

All the dreams and aspirations
of your father's youth,

as scribbled on a flyer
for a Donovan concert.

"See Easter Island."

"Take a cooking class
at Cordon Bleu in Paris."

Yeah.

"Date Barbara Eden"?

- Genies were very hot back then.
- You know what's weird?

That I wanted to learn
how to play the banjo?

- What's not on the list.
- What?

Own a vintage home.

Play golf at Augusta.

- Have kids.
- Well, you know, priorities change.

I mean, when you're young,

your, uh... your life
is about adventure

and, uh, mystery,

and if you're lucky, uh...

- Love?
- I was going to say sex.

- That's a wish?
- Well, come on, I was only 21.

I wasn't in a rush to get
married and have kids.

Well, it's too bad life
doesn't follow lists.

Ah, maybe not back then, but...

I feel I have a
second chance now.

Yeah, you're actually
going to do all those things?

- Why not?
- Grow a ponytail?

I'm working on it.

You'd better be careful.

You know, my girlfriend's
coming back from Portland.

Yeah? She can have
you when I'm done.

Hey, baby, come here.

Let me look at you.

I felt you were
gone forever, huh?

Oh, me, too.

So...?

Trial just took longer
than we thought.

Yeah, huh?

Well, shouldn't we get
something to eat, maybe?

I just want to get
out of these clothes

- and have a warm bath.
- Yeah.

I think I can help you
on both those counts.

- Yeah?
- (phone rings)

Oh, just...

- I know that ring.
- All right, I think

I just need an hour.

Eppes.

The water's getting cold.

LIZ: Four armed
robbers stormed in,

demanding lottery tickets.

DON: All right.

- Take anything else?
- Nothing.

Even left cash in the register.

Pulling the surveillance tape.

Clerk provided a description
of the getaway vehicle:

cargo van, no plates.

Any prints?

These guys don't leave prints.

How do you know that?

The same crew has
hit eight other stores.

Always after the same thing:
Change Your Life scratch-offs.

Boyd Keene, security supervisor

for the California
Lottery Commission.

KEENE: Change Your Life is one

of 52 scratch-off
games that the lottery

is currently
running in the state.

And the answer to
your next question is no.

We have no idea why
they're targeting those tickets.

They've targeted stores
in several jurisdictions,

so the LAPD threw
the case to us.

Clerk fired two rounds.

12-gauge, double-ought buck.

First one missed.

Second one didn't.

Whoa, you all right there?

Lottery commission
doesn't deal with a lot

of... violent crime.

How about I.D.?

It was Wayne Peterson.

He had a record.

Not the kind you think.

He hit a $150,000
jackpot last year.

He's a lottery winner.

Wayne Peterson, 47, single,
unemployed landscaper.

Won 150 grand on the
Fantasy 5 draw last year

from the California
State Lottery.

Why would a lottery winner

with no criminal record

rob convenience
stores for lottery tickets?

Peterson's landlord said he
was two months behind on rent.

- Anything else?
- No, not much.

As far as we can tell, he
has no family in the area.

(sighs) Someone's
got to know the guy.

NIKKI: Here's an
idea... You found this

in Peterson's apartment?

They hold weekly
support meetings

for lottery winners.

What, are you kidding me?

Hey, bags of money are heavy.

Trust me, life can
get pretty complicated

the day you take home
a big lottery payout.

Well, I could handle it.

These scratch-off games...

How big a part of
the lottery are they?

The state lottery is a
$3-billion-a-year business.

Scratch-offs account
for over half of that.

It's the most popular game,

and it has the best odds.

Then, what happens
when the tickets are stolen?

Well, the retailer reports

the serial numbers of
the missing scratch-offs.

If anyone tries to redeem one,
an alert goes out to the store

where the ticket
is being redeemed

and to the local authorities.

So why steal scratch-offs
if they can't be cashed?

Most tickets are taken
by store employees

or shoplifted without
the clerk knowing.

They aren't reported right away.

It gives the thieves time
to cash in before the alert.

So, it's the gunpoint
that doesn't make sense.

Unless someone's figured
out a way to beat the system.

We're bringing down

an agent from our law
enforcement division.

She's an expert in
lottery-related crime.

You got lottery cops?

(elevator bell dings)

Can you hold the
elevator, please?

Hold the elevator.

- Thank you.
- No problem.

(woman sighs)

Sorry, I'm not
usually this frantic.

Missed a flight earlier today.

I'd be 0-for-two if I
missed the elevator.

Look at it this way...
You're 50% on time.

I'll take it.

It's better than most airlines.

Do you know that 63%
of commercial flights

run at least 22 minutes
behind schedule?

I base my airport arrival
time on those odds.

Doesn't always work out,

but, overall, it's
a real time saver.

- That's an excellent analysis.
- You know, odds, they,

they get a bad rap.

Even the name "odds," it
suggests irregularity, you know?

But numerically, actually,
odds are hyper-regular.

You know a lot
about numbers, huh?

Yeah, yeah. Well,
it's kind of my job.

I'm also quite knowledgeable
about the fact that...

I don't know, I think
that you are following me.

(chuckles)

Ah, well, perhaps we
are two hypotheses

that share an
empirical consequence.

- We're going to the same place.
- I think we are.

- Dr. Charles Eppes!
- What are the odds?

Robbery crew has stolen
nearly 10,000 tickets.

These guys really want to get
their hands on some winners.

The odds of Change Your Life

are one in 5.47, so...

you know, you could win
with fewer than six tickets.

Small payouts outnumber
the large ones in these games.

Mostly they'd win
a dollar or five.

DAVID: The amounts add
up; the value of the stolen

tickets is over $125,000.

- The robbers haven't cashed any of them.
- They will.

It's just a matter of time.

And what's this
shaded area here?

Uh, that is the
predicted target area

of the next robbery,

according to, uh,
my calculations.

Your methodology?

The order of the prior
locations of robberies.

Fractional diffusion equations?

Yes, from Professor
Dirk Brockmann's work

with human mobility networks.

- That's fascinating.
- Care to let us in on the fun?

Yes, of course. We're,
uh, we're talking about

the importance of
order or sequence

in establishing a
specific pattern.

So, think of these
robbery locations

as keys on a piano.

There are 88 keys.

But even playing
one note at a time,

more songs can be
composed on a piano

than there are atoms
in the known universe.

The key to knowing a
specific pattern or melody,

is to know the order in
which to play the notes.

(plays first four notes)

(of Beethoven's
"Symphony No. 5 in C Minor")

If we know the order
of notes in a melody,

we can take a good guess

at the next note.

And by using the
sequence of robberies

as the starting point,

I've been able to produce

a defined target area
with a high probability

of accuracy.

Math in stereo.

Yeah, the target
area's pretty big.

How many lottery retailers

are in it?

Uh... uh, 67.

CHARLIE: I think
I can be helpful

to Agent Hackett in
refining the predictive area.

All right, we'll stick to
some of that plain, old,

non-mathematical FBI work.

We'll focus on the
dead guy, Peterson.

MAN: "Everybody needs

"money.

That's why they call it money."

David Mamet wrote
that, and it's true.

And now that you have money,

everyone around you
will suddenly need money.

And they won't hesitate
to ask for it, because,

well, you got lucky.

You didn't earn it, did you?

What you must remind
yourself is, you did earn it.

You decided to play
the odds and you won.

And the fact that you
earned it means it's up to you

how wisely or unwisely

you decide to use your money.

Okay, next week,

we'll get into some specifics
about long-term investments.

Thank you. Thanks.

- Scott Wilson?
- Yeah.

Oh, you must be the FBI agent.

I am. And this is Agent Hackett

from the state lottery.

You look, uh, kind of familiar.

I was at the ceremony
when they awarded you

the $15 million two years ago.

You won the Super
Lotto with the numbers

2, 7, 19, 23, 41

and, of course, the
Mega Number... 13.

How do you remember that?

They're all prime numbers.

I mean, that hasn't
happened since

the Rhode Island Super
Bucks miracle of '98.

Ah, this is my son Zack.

Say "hello" to these agents.

They're with the FBI

and the lottery commission.

What do the FBI
care about the lottery?

What do you do...
You shoot minors

who try to buy lotto tickets?

Only if necessary.

You know what
you should do is, uh,

stop stupid people
from buying them.

WILSON: Zack, come on.

Lighten up.

Try not to miss me too much.

My wife passed
away five years ago.

When you're a teenager,

all the money in the world
doesn't make your dad cool.

Well, how can I help you?

Do you know this man?

This is Wayne.

He was a member of our group.

I-I heard about his
death. It's just bizarre.

What can you tell us about him?

He was the classic winner

who would have been
better off not winning.

Most of the people

I counsel have never had
access to a large sum of money.

They have no idea how to
make smart decisions with it.

You help them gain
that knowledge?

I try to educate winners

on life after the lottery.

How to spot a con,
dealing with jealousy,

getting started
with estate planning.

What was Peterson's story?

By the time he got here,

he'd quit his job,
gotten himself a Porsche

and bought a diamond
ring for a stripper

he'd met two days before.

He was pretty mad at himself.

He knew he'd blown it.

How much did he have left?

He said about $15,000.

He knew it wouldn't last.

I sent him to a
financial advisor,

someone who specializes in
working with lottery winners.

Yeah, well, we'll need a name.

Sara Lewis?

Hi.

I'm Agent Warner, FBI.

I just need a few minutes.

If you don't mind
walking with me.

I'm late for a lunch.

Sure.

I understand

you were Wayne
Peterson's financial advisor?

Not really.

I met with him twice.

By the second time, he'd
already lost most of his net worth.

He must've been
upset about that.

Very upset, very typical.

A lot of lottery winners
have a hard time

holding on to their capital.

75% go broke within five years.

Yeah, but most don't
rob convenience stores,

looking for more
lottery tickets.

That's true,

but we're talking about somebody

who thought his life
had changed forever.

Couldn't accept that he
was worse off than before.

Think it was too much
for him to handle?

I think it would be a lot for
me or you to handle, much less

an impulsive guy who
made poor choices.

I don't think he
ever had a shot.

We need to see
Peterson's financial records.

Get a subpoena,
and they're all yours.

I have a reputation
of discretion

to uphold and a lunch to get to.

Remember how your
mother used to hide

a lottery ticket in the present?

She'd call it a gift in a gift.

- That's right.
- Yeah.

And she'd line us
all up at the table

and make us scratch
them all off together.

- Yeah, yeah.
- Right.

Until you turned nine,
you refused to play.

That's right.

You told her the lottery is
"a voluntary tax on stupidity."

- And I was right.
- Yeah.

No. I mean, some of the money
goes to fund schools, you know,

and support teachers.

Well, that's the
irony, isn't it?

That the money funds
schools that teach,

among other
subjects, mathematics.

But, uh, I don't know.

Look, if more people
understood the probabilities,

believe me, fewer would play.

Well, you know,
people give more money

when they expect
something in return.

Yeah, but they're
buying into a game

that's designed to
make them believe

that the odds are
better than they are.

Listen, the lottery asks you

to pick six numbers
between 1 and 47, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, that's the
same as asking you

to pick a number between
one and 14 million.

That's why you have
your lucky numbers.

Oh, and what?

Yours are your
families' birthdays?

You think I'd tell that
to the lottery Grinch?

Hey, listen, a professor
at UCLA analyzed

20 million sets of
numbers played

in the California Super Lotto.

Among the most popular were
one, two, three, four, five, six.

One, two, three,
four, five, six?

The odds are the same as
picking any other set of numbers.

1 in 14 million.

Are you sensing a theme here?

Yeah. The odds are against us.

So what? They usually are.

And do you know that
roughly half the people that play

every week have a yearly
household income under $35,000?

Yeah, so, most of the people

who waste the most
money can least afford it.

So what? I mean, it's
their choice, isn't it?

If it wasn't the lottery,
it would be a casino

or a bookie.

This way, the money
goes for a good cause.

Oh, got to go.

It's a numbers game,

and if you understand the
numbers, it ruins the game.

Ran the list of names from
the lottery support group.

No histories of
robbery or violence.

Our bad guys get
zero points for style.

You know, they're
sloppy, anxious.

Don't know how
to handle weapons.

DAVID: Seems weird.
Why pull robberies

to get tickets that give you

a chance at winning money?

Robbing a bank is
much more direct.

What would you do if you
won the lottery, Sinclair?

Uh, well... (chuckles)

I'd drive a nice car to work.

What about you?

Well, first off, I'd
buy you a nicer car.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Then I'd make you
drive me to work.

(phone ringing)

(laughs)

Sinclair.

Yeah.

LAPD found the van

used in the robberies.

LIZ: A security guard
reported a suspicious vehicle

parked here overnight.

LAPD called it in.

DON: Trace it?

The VIN number led
us to a rental agency,

but the customer used a
fake name and paid in cash.

Anything in it?

Just a little something.

LIZ: 10,000 lottery tickets.

All of them scratched
off and just left there.

HACKETT: Yeah, not quite all.

We checked the serial numbers
of the recovered scratch-offs

against the list of
the stolen tickets,

and seven of the tickets
were not in the van.

So you're saying, we're
just missing seven tickets?

Yeah, all seven of
which were winners

of amounts less than $600,
which is a significant number.

Okay, why is that?

A ticket under

$600 can be redeemed
at any state retailer.

Amounts larger than
that have to be claimed

at a lottery field office.

But these guys left behind
a lot of other winning tickets.

Yeah, who pulls nine
robberies for seven tickets

worth less than $4,200?

And they put a lot
of effort into checking

every one of those tickets.

You ever scratch
off 10,000 tickets?

You know, it
takes a lot of time.

Takes a lot of
patience, you know.

Not to mention, you run
the risk of getting that, um,

carpal tunnel syndrome.

Which would make it hard
to shoot that gun, young lady.

I feel like you could
work through the pain.

How's that scratch-off
case coming along?

- The AG's asking about it.
- Why is that?

The lottery commission's
a high-profile state agency.

Gets a lot of media attention.

Well, I mean, we don't have

very much yet, you know.

Lotteries make for so
many legal headaches,

including class action suits.

People claim states
lie about the true odds,

that they skim the winnings.

Well, maybe they're just not
worth the trouble, you know.

The lawyer in me agrees.

The gambler in me would love

to retire to a villa in Italy.

Oh, yeah? Italy, huh?

Yeah.

Italy.

Live off investments,
that kind of thing?

Like that new motorcycle
that's parked in your spot.

Oh, you saw that.

Go for a ride?

Gonna have to
tell me about it first.

You'd be finer with a set of
fish tailpipes and some bullet

- axle caps.
- Excuse me?

Used to ride a bike in college.

If I look around, I can probably
still find my leather pants.

Look around.

(door closes)

Oh, now, what's all this?

That conversation we had about
lotteries got me feeling lucky.

Well, then it's clear I
failed to make my point.

Well, there's nothing
wrong with believing in luck.

Shakespeare did.

"Fortune brings in some
boats that are not steered."

And the other 14 million sink.

If I'm gonna do any of
those things on my wish list,

I'd better have a
way of paying for it.

Still growing the ponytail?

- I gave up that one.
- Oh, what a shame.

I had a scrunchie all
picked out for you, Dad.

There is something
you could get me.

- What's that?
- It's new on my list.

Grandkids.

That's not new.

- I've been hearing about that for years.
- Yeah?

- (scratching ticket)
- How's your lottery case coming?

I tweaked Agent
Hackett's analysis.

I wasn't able to refine
a smaller target area.

There doesn't seem
to be any importance

to the order of the robberies.

So, I think now

we just wait, basically,

for the bad guys to
make their next move.

Waiting to get lucky, huh? Yeah.

Maybe this will
change your luck.

- Try one.
- Tsk.

Uh, there's a part of this
you forgot to scratch off.

Yeah, that's for
the serial number.

Once you know you're
not a winner, why bother?

The robbers weren't
looking for the winning tickets.

They were looking for the
information on the tickets.

CHARLIE: All the
tickets recovered

from the robberies were
completely scratched off.

The serial numbers were visible,

even on the losers.

Oh, my.

Oh, my, what?

Well, the serial number tells us

if it's a winner.

It's the most important
piece of data on the ticket.

Oh, does the serial
number tell you

- how much the ticket's worth?
- Yeah, but we use

a computer-generated code
to randomize the relationship

between the prize amounts
and the winning serial numbers.

It would be almost
impossible for someone

to make the connection without,
you know, cracking the code.

Technology to generate

truly random number
sequences doesn't exist

yet, and until it does,

all codes are vulnerable.

Yeah, but to break our
code, you'd need to access

an enormous
amount of information.

Well, the robbers
have 10,000 tickets,

each with a serial
number and a prize,

for a total of
20,000 data points.

(sighs)

Uh, yeah, you're right.

I guess that's why you're
the famous math professor,

and I'm the state employee.

Oh, God, I can't
believe this whole time,

I've been focusing on
the fact that the robbers

are looking for winners.

First off, you're a
fine mathematician.

It's a lot easier to
explain this stuff to you

than it will be to the FBI.

The fact is that the robbers
did want winning tickets.

Lots of them.

If they break the code
that links the serial number

to the value of each ticket,
then they can figure out

which serial numbers
represent the big winners.

- Right?
- If that's what this case is about,

then we're not the
only two involved

that know a lot about math.

One of the robbers does, too.

DON: Okay. Yeah.

Hey, we got a hit.

Someone's trying to cash

one of the seven
stolen tickets right now.

Right now? Where?

Venice at some mini-mart.

We sent an alert
to the retailer.

He's trying to
stall the suspect.

I got Nikki and Liz
heading over there.

Somebody tried to
cash in the stolen tickets?

I mean, that doesn't
fit our theory that

- this case isn't about cashing stolen tickets.
- No.

No, that doesn't fit at all.

(siren wailing)

Hey!

WOMAN: Hey!

He's over here!

That's him! That's him!

- NIKKI: Stop!
- LIZ: I got the car!

All right, he's
heading for the canal!

(wheels screeching)

(wheels clacking)

(siren wailing,
brakes screeching)

Freeze! FBI!

Off the bike!

Guess you can skip
your spinning class today.

- Zack?
- Wait, you know this kid?

Yeah, we used to date.

His father runs the
lottery support group.

(panting)

Looks like we found
the seven missing tickets.

Your father withhold
a few thousand

from your allowance this week?

My dad doesn't have enough
money to pay attention.

He won $15 million.

Now he's broke.

ROBIN: Zack was in
possession of stolen lottery tickets.

- That links him to the robberies.
- He doesn't fit

the description of the gunmen.

Well, then how'd he get his
hands on the scratch-offs?

He says he found them.

And he seems pretty unconcerned.

He doesn't seem to
know that they link him

- to a serious crime.
- You think he's

- putting on an act?
- I think

he's got no idea what he
got himself mixed up in.

And we pulled his
father's financial records.

They confirm what Zack told us.

- His dad is bankrupt.
- Well, Wilson knew Peterson,

the robber that got shot.

- And Peterson was also broke, right?
- Then maybe

we're looking at a crew
of bankrupt lottery winners.

The evidence is circumstantial,

unless Zack tells us that he
got the tickets from his dad.

He's 16. All right,
we need to notify

his father that he's in custody.

If Wilson is one of the
robbers, there's no way

he's going to let
us talk to his son.

Yeah, but the
kid's his weak spot.

Maybe we can use that.

(knocking)

DAVID: Scott Wilson!

- FBI!
- (music plays over headphones, door opens)

Mr. Wilson?

Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Who are you?!

FBI, Mr. Wilson. We
knocked. The door was open.

(stammering): I was
expecting my son.

Why are you in my house?

Well, we're here about Zack.

Oh, my God.

Did something happen to him?

He's in custody.

Arrested?

What did he do?

We need you to come with us.

We're still convinced
that the robbers

are collecting data
from the tickets

in order to crack
the lottery's code.

How is that possible?

(chuckling):
Professor Eppes said

he would have a hard time

explaining it to you.

That's why he
brought a visual aid.

All right, what we've got
here is a three-dimensional

representation of the lottery's

numerical relationship between

the serial numbers
and the prize amounts.

We've got 50 data points.

Each one represents a serial
number of a stolen scratch-off.

As you can see,

- they appear to be random.
- HACKETT: With a limited

amount of information,
it's impossible

to determine the algorithm used

- to encode the tickets.
- CHARLIE: However,

our robbers have accumulated
10,000 serial numbers.

Which is a lot, so now

we get to see what happens...

(rapid chirping)

DON: All right, so
that's interesting.

- So it's not random.
- Yeah, once you know

the pattern, you
can crack the code.

HACKETT: Now, our robbers
have enough information

to identify the serial
number of the jackpot ticket.

DON: Which is how much?

Five million.

Uh, this seems
a bit far-fetched.

Even if someone
knows the serial number,

they don't know
where to find the ticket.

There are over

20,000 retailers in the
state that sell lottery tickets.

It could be any of them.

Besides, didn't you say

that Peterson was a landscaper?

An-And Wilson was
a truck salesman.

KEENE: No way they
have the math skills

- to pull this off.
- Well, I mean,

they could be working
with someone else.

Now it sounds like

we're making
assumptions to fit a theory.

He's got a pretty
good track record.

Trust me.

Hey. Got the dad?

He's in the interview room.

So I ran the financial records
on the lottery support group.

- Uh-huh.
- Turns out Wilson and Peterson

aren't the only ones
who lost all their money.

Two other members
are also broke:

Carl Graham and Raymond Brown.

And they've both gone
missing since the last robbery.

The innocent ones
don't tend to hide, right?

Wilson's lawyer's here.

She's demanding that the FBI

stop talking to Zack.

Officially, we have to
do what she's asking.

Yeah, how about unofficially?

Well, I'm not going to tell you

to put father and son
in a room, but if you did,

and if a conversation
took place,

it would be
spontaneous utterance.

A lot of "ifs."

What is this?

Well, he'd like to talk
to his dad before we

- process him.
- We'd like some privacy.

What's the big deal?

I tried to cash in
some lottery tickets.

Zack, what the hell
were you thinking?

Scott, don't say anything.

He's my son. I'm going
to talk to my own son.

Dad, this is an intervention.

(snickers)

Stop spending money.

For God's sake,
this is not a joke.

Sure it is.

Knock, knock. Who's there?

The kid whose dad
blew through $15 million.

It's a tough crowd.

Everything I did was for us.

- We're done here.
- DON: Mm, we're not done.

The tickets we found on him

implicate him in a
series of armed robberies.

- Armed robberies?
- Nine felony counts.

You're going to be
processed as an adult.

I didn't even know!

Dad? Dad, I didn't even know.

He didn't rob anybody.

I did.

The tickets were mine.

I hid them in a desk drawer,

and my son must've found them.

I mean, he's, he's a smart-ass,

but he is not involved.

Scott, don't do
anything you'll regret.

What do you want?

I'll talk if you drop the
charges against Zack.

I want Carl Graham, and
I want Raymond Brown.

(sighs)

Peterson said he knew someone

who had a way to
make us our money back.

- DON: Who?
- I don't know.

None of us did.

We were each given

a list... Which stores
to rob and when.

Ask Carl and Ray.

They'll tell you the same thing.

We can't find them.

(exclaims)

Idiots.

They wanted to keep
going after Wayne got killed.

I told them I wouldn't do it.

I want to know the next
store that's going to be hit.

- (bell chimes)
- Nobody move!

Where's the clerk?

(bell chimes)

Just hurry! Get the tickets!

Let's go! Let's go!

I got them!

(bell chimes,
police siren whoops)

DAVID: FBI! Don't move!

Put your guns down!

You got nowhere to go! Drop it!

Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

It's going down!
It's going down!

It's going down!

Stay right there.

(garbled radio transmission)

Mr. Raymond Brown.

And Mr. Carl Graham.

Graham and Brown both
claim they don't know any more

than Wilson does; Peterson
was dealing with someone else.

Kept the rest of
them in the dark.

- So we've got nothing.
- We're looking into

phone records, and techs
are searching his computer.

KEENE: Agent Eppes.

The commission's
just informed me that

we've uncovered
highly suspicious activity

in our software over
the past few days.

- Like what?
- Someone accessed

information about
the robbery locations,

before the robberies occurred.

- What, like you were hacked?
- No.

This person had clearance.

CHARLIE: That
totally makes sense.

The tickets, the code,
going after the jackpot...

The facts are lining
up like lottery balls

in a drawing machine.

Mmm, I love the smell of
probabilities in the morning.

(Charlie chuckles)

Well, we... we still don't
know how the robbers

plan on locating
the jackpot ticket

once they'd exposed
its serial number.

I mean, they'd need to know

where each ticket was
being distributed, right?

Right, and looking
at a ticket individually,

there's no way to
do that... Unless...

- "Unless" what?
- Well, we've been

analyzing these
tickets individually.

Looking at them like
points on a graph.

Is there another way
to analyze the tickets?

In groups.

The actual tickets are packaged.

They're... they're sent
to our retailers in batches.

So, once they knew the serial
number of the jackpot ticket,

they would then need to know

where the batch
containing it would be sold.

Right, but that's
restricted information.

Only lottery employees

with the highest
clearance level know that.

They're working with an insider.

- You think you know who it is?
- Well, there's only

a couple dozen employees
that have that clearance.

I mean, I know them all.

I work with them.
I... I trust them.

I did most of their
clearances myself, so...

Nancy Hackett.

Yeah.

You're under arrest.

What?

No, this is a mistake.

This is crazy!

Boyd, you know me. Tell them.

Nancy, please.

You may want to see a lawyer

- before you say something.
- What?!

- Now, wait a second.
- I'm sorry,

we would've
notified you earlier,

but we had to move fast,
as soon as we figured it out.

This isn't right.

Why do you say that?

Because she's been helping us.

Because she just got
done telling me her theory

about how someone inside
the commission was involved.

Why would she do that if
it'd only lead back to her?

Come on, what's
your evidence, guys?

Hackett used

her private password to
access the lottery software.

Records show that she
researched the serial numbers

of the scratch-offs and
locations before every robbery.

She was feeding the
robbers information.

No, there has to be
another explanation.

Show me an
equation that proves it,

and I'm with you.

Otherwise, we've got

a pretty clear case

against Agent Nancy Hackett.

So, Agent Hackett was
telling the robbers where to hit.

A routine security review
of the lottery commission's

software flagged
her unusual activity.

Yeah, it looks like
she was searching

for specific batch
numbers of tickets

and then pinpointing
their location.

This happened
right under my nose.

I should've figured
it out sooner.

What happens to her now?

I'll oversee her transport

back to Sacramento
to face charges.

You know, I can't say that
we've never had an instance

of employee fraud
before, but nothing like this.

This is a real blow
to our department.

ALAN: I heard that, uh,

Robin is back in town, huh?

Yeah, I haven't had a minute,

but I'm happy she's back.

Well, did you at
least tell her that?

Well, yeah, in so many words.

Donnie, it's men like you

that are the reason that Beyoncé
sings that "Single Ladies" song.

- Did you just say Beyoncé?
- Yes, I did.

- I'm up on current trends.
- Uh-huh.

For instance, did
you know, that, uh,

ponytails for men
are out of style?

- DON: Really.
- (Alan chuckles)

So, how's that
lottery case coming?

Well, we closed it.

- Hey, that's great!
- Yeah, except

Charlie's gut says we've
got the wrong person.

His gut, huh?

You know, I read that
intuition is actually a skill

gained by expertise
in a particular field.

It's what happens when you,
um, subconsciously see something,

even though you can't put
your finger on exactly what it is.

And then you just fill
in the details later on.

Charlie's not wrong a lot.

- I'll give him that.
- Nope, he's not.

- What's that, Easter Island?
- Yeah. (chuckles)

I always wanted to go there.

The problem is,
it's a 14-hour flight,

and I just can't see myself
on the plane for 14 hours.

Wait, that's it.

- What?
- The case.

What has Easter Island got to do

with the California
State Lottery?

No, it's not the island,
it's the plane flight.

Open it.

We pulled the lottery
commission's security report,

dates and times that
Nancy Hackett logged in,

using her private password.

Okay.

- What's going on?
- She was late.

She missed her flight.

I recall that, yes.

The report shows her

logging in from a hard
line, from a ground location,

when she was 31,000 feet

in the air, en route
to Los Angeles.

She was in two places at once?

I don't know, there must
be some explanation.

Maybe the explanation is,

Nancy Hackett wasn't

the only one using
her private password.

Well, of course she was.
Who else would be using it?

- You.
- DAVID: You're the one

that requested the commission
look into software logs.

Because we suspected an insider.

You asked for a review one day

before Wilson tipped us off.

DAVID: You had access to data

about where tickets
were being distributed.

And your name is all over
Peterson's phone records.

How does this work?

What can I give you?

We know you're
not trained in math,

so you must be working
with someone who is.

Someone who
could break the code.

Who?

I'd like another 32 tickets.

You feeling lucky or something?

Something like that.

- (bell chimes)
- Ms. Lewis.

Agent Warner.

And friend.

I actually don't have
time to talk right now.

Why do guilty people
love to say that?

I wouldn't know.

- You win anything?
- You were the financial planner

of four members
of a robbery crew.

Not responsible for
what my clients do.

Unless you help them do it.

Your connections

within the lottery support
group gave you access

to men who were
desperate for money.

Boyd Keene gave you up.

Oh, that little bastard.

- (handcuffs tightening)
- I spent years

watching idiots win
and waste millions.

People who didn't deserve
what they got handed to them.

I mean, using the
money to upgrade

your single-wide to a
double, who does that?

One guy spent millions

on a company who
promised him a light saber.

Their money, their
choice, not yours.

I hear bingo night's
popular in prison.

Is, uh, is that the
five-million-dollar ticket

- all this was about?
- LIZ: Yep.

- That's the one.
- Pretty crazy, huh?

Yeah, I guess.

You know, there was a
case in Oregon in 2007.

A woman used a
stolen credit card

to purchase a scratch-off
worth a million dollars.

- Did they catch her?
- Oh, yeah.

She had the ticket on her
when they arrested her.

NIKKI: And what happened to it?

Well, the judge ruled

that the seizing authority was

in possession of
the winning ticket.

So, uh, they got to
keep the prize money.

- I interviewed her.
- I held the scratch-off.

Agents, the arresting authority

is the FBI, so...

I'm just going to take
this on down to Evidence.

You trust him?

With $5 million?

Hey! Wait! Hey!

You know, being gone so long,

I wasn't sure what I
was coming back to.

Who? Me?

You know, you're the guy
who's always on the job.

One foot out the door.

I got used to that.

Whoa, whoa, hold on.
You're the one who left.

I wasn't the one in Portland.

What if long
distance works for us

because it's safe?

Because we like keeping
each other at a distance?

How are we going to do this?

(sighing): We're doing it.

ALAN: How about that Bulgarian

lottery last September?

Where six winning
numbers were picked

- in two consecutive drawings?
- Not that unusual.

'Cause Bulgaria has numerous
lotteries, so the same six

numbers in two
consecutive drawings...

Actually, the odds are
only one in 5.2 million.

Really?

As many as a billion people

play thousands of lotteries

all around the world.

Wild coincidences
are bound to happen.

My-my favorite is

one woman bought tickets

for both the Massachusetts

and the Rhode Island State
Lottery on the same day.

She picked the
winning numbers in both,

- but she didn't win a dime.
- Why?

- What happened?
- Her Massachusetts

numbers won in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island numbers

won in Massachusetts.

- No! Oh, wow.
- Yes!

Well, given enough
opportunities,

- the improbable will occur.
- Well, in that case,

Charlie, why don't you put
your money where your mouth is.

There.

- (Hackett laughs)
- CHARLIE: Now, see.

- Come on, come on.
- See, I knew

this was coming.
Listen, if I do this,

you have to promise me

to stop trying to
get me to approve

of playing the lottery as a
legitimate form of investment.

Charlie, just think
of it as a bandage.

- Just rip it off.
- Oh, boy.

Are you feeling numerically
violated? (chuckles)

I think I just won $10,000.

(gasps) Let me see that.

I can't believe it.

I mean, I-I... I can, but...

$10,000. What are the odds?

- I don't recognize this game.
- Wait a minute!

That reminds me of
that father in Pasadena

who bought a fake
scratch-off ticket

online to play a prank on
his genius but gullible son.

(both laughing)

- Yeah, I remember that story.
- Mm.

The father was never
heard from again.

So, what are you going to do?

Take me out with
differential geometry, huh?

Protractors and slide
rules at 20 paces?

HACKETT: Sorry, Charlie,

but the odds are with
your father on this one.

ALAN (laughs): It's just a joke,

Charlie, just a joke.

(Alan laughing)

(gunshot)