Come on.
Oops!
Forget it. These rocks are sharp.
Woo!
( loud thud ) What was that?
What?
Over there. That.
Oh, my God.
Everything she's wearing is designer.
After Five, this season.
She's wearing a high-end Movado watch, diamonds.
Rules out robbery.
CAINE: It's not exactly a diamond watch type of neighborhood though, is it?
Well, she didn't get here willingly.
Look at the ligature marks.
The way her makeup's smeared, I think she's been crying.
Did you get an ID, Alexx?
No ID, no purse, nothing.
Movado watches are registered.
We find out who bought it, we might find out who she is.
I'll check it out.
How'd you get here, honey?
Couple found her at 0500.
Said she fell from the sky.
Gets better.
She's in rigor.
She's in rigor in an hour?
Fully formed.
So, she was dead before she hit the ground.
Body dump.
So priority number one is for us to find the murder scene.
♪ Yeah! ♪
Captioning sponsored by CBS, C.S.I. PRODUCTIONS Captioning sponsored by CBS, C.S.I. PRODUCTIONS ♪ We don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ Don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ No, no! ♪
I thought we called for the whole crew.
Calleigh's in the parking structure and Eric is...
Eric is where?
I've paged him five times.
No answer.
I'll keep trying him.
Okay, let dispatch handle it.
You ready?
Nails are broken and worn down.
She's got dust all over her body.
You got an extra lifter?
Take all the trace you want.
She's covered with it.
It's even on her eyelashes.
It's on her eyelashes, and you know what that means.
She was in a confined space.
I'll post her first.
Let's get the gurney in here.
These boots were new.
Taking a break?
Yeah, just hanging out.
Did you talk to Eric?
No, nothing.
He's really screwing up.
Must have a new lady friend.
Level three...
So we're thinking he dumped her over that rail.
Did he leave us anything?
Any luck?
Not really.
There's no gated entry, so I figure the guy just drove in, got out, dumped her and left.
What about these sealant marks?
Well, it's too much to even bother.
I mean, the old ones look the same as the fresh ones.
Stuff's soft though. I got some on my boot.
That's one way to collect evidence.
I'll take it.
Well, there's not much up here.
Well, you know what the textbooks say, "If you can't place the suspect at the crime scene..."
"You place the crime scene on the suspect."
WOODS: So far no luck on any ID.
Her prints aren't in any database and no one matching her description has been reported missing.
Okay, Alexx, what can you tell me?
Cause of death is asphyxiation due to suffocation.
From being in a confined space?
Considered that until I washed her.
She's got bruising on both sides of her face.
From smothering.
Her frenulum is torn.
Classic signs.
Do we know what was used?
Maybe.
Found some plastic material on her shoulder.
Okay.
Bound, kept in a confined space.
This sounds like kidnapping, Alexx.
Seems odd to kidnap someone, then dump the body in a public place.
Well, we are applying reason to an unreasonable act, aren't we?
Unreasonable acts are all I see.
Amen to that.
Eric...
Whoa, I bet the other guy looks worse.
Was at the right place, wrong time.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm all right.
I took a beating, but I think I found a chop shop.
Okay, chop shop.
I think so-- I've got to run some VIN numbers and make sure.
Well, that explains why you weren't at the callout for the body dump.
Yeah, sorry.
What did Speedle and Calleigh have to say?
I think they're just concerned about you.
Look, is it all right if I run with this chop-shop thing?
I would check with Auto Theft first.
All right.
Thank you.
Horatio.
Yeah?
Well, I found who bought the victim's watch.
Okay, let me guess.
They don't live anywhere near Coral Reef do they?
That's right.
Came back to a Thomas Chandler, North Coconut Lane, Hibiscus Island.
We just tracked him to Coconut Beach.
Well, which one bought the watch?
Tommy.
Meet Lieutenant Caine.
Yeah, right lady.
He's a cop like you're a cop?
Let me guess, does he play the mean one?
You're the one who bought the Movado watch, son?
Yeah, like I told her, I gave it to my girlfriend as a birthday present. Girlfriend got a name?
Nikki Wilcox.
Wilcox Conglomerate, right?
Yeah, that's right.
Is everything okay here, Tommy?
Yeah, just give us a minute, will you?
Yeah, sure.
That's my buddy Keith.
He likes rock climbing.
Me, I like to keep my thrills on terra firma.
Afraid of heights.
Interesting.
When was the last time you saw Nikki?
All right guys, look, I really do appreciate this, but can we jump to the next stage please?
Next stage?
Yeah, come on, this isn't funny.
I would agree.
Whoa, nice work, especially the makeup.
I'm sorry?
The injuries, they look real.
They are real.
Look, enough fooling around, okay?
Just tell me Nikki's location and I'll go rescue her, okay?
You want to go see Nikki?
Yeah, I do.
( whimpering ) Oh my God-- Nikki.
You need anything else, Horatio?
No, Alexx, I think that'll be all.
( sniffling ) Then I'll give you two a minute.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
It's not part of the game.
It's no longer a game, is it, Tommy?
Nikki heard this extreme kidnapping thing was... the ultimate high.
How did she find out about it?
Uh... Some dude in rehab.
Said to pay this company 20 grand, and they'll arrange the whole thing.
Do you remember the name of the company?
"Gotcha."
Wouldn't tell us where or when they'd grab her.
Adds to the thrill, I guess.
When did they grab her?
We were coming out of Fate.
Closing the place down.
I was still rolling.
S-she hadn't slept in days.
Hey!
Your girlfriend was so bored, she needed to get kidnapped to get excited?
Nikki liked to push everything and everybody to the limit.
We both did.
Well, it sounds like somebody pushed back.
I'm truly sorry to hear about Ms. Wilcox, and I can assure you, I was not involved.
Well... you did kidnap her.
At her request.
Gotcha is for people who've tried it all and gotten bored.
I'm just like any other...
Drug dealer?
Service provider.
Except what I do is perfectly legal, and adrenaline is the purest rush there is.
That's what I give people.
You gave Nikki Wilcox a toe tag.
She was in the hands of two of my best guys.
Where are they?
( sighs ) I don't know.
They're independent contractors.
All I demand is that they report to me after every stage.
When did you lose contact with them?
Right after the ransom stage.
Ransom?
We get half our fee up front and the second half as a ransom, preferably in non-sequential hundreds.
We find that it adds realism to the rescue.
So, who was supposed to rescue her?
Her boyfriend, Tommy.
The kidnapping was his gift to her.
How thoughtful.
Trust me, it was.
Ever have make-up sex?
Multiply that by a hundred and you have rescue sex.
Except she was crying and fought for her life.
She knew exactly what she was getting into.
She signed a release.
We can get that over to Questioned Documents, check it for forgery.
Look, if you don't believe me, believe her.
"I, the fabulous Nikki Wilcox...
"understand that my safety and health, both mental and physical, cannot be assured."
This is so phat.
I know, baby.
( smooching, moaning ) TOMMY: Okay.
NIKKI: "And that kidnapping "is inherently dangerous and morally reprehensible."
As you see, that clears us of all liability.
SPEEDLE: Maybe for kidnapping.
But not for murder.
Horatio.
Yes, sir.
Your CSI, Delko, put the screws to me, but good.
What are you talking about, Frank?
I thought he told you about the ass-kicking.
He did tell me about it, why?
Then you didn't get the whole story, did you?
I guess I didn't.
Come on.
Let's find Eric.
"F" for penmanship, Delko.
This a "Z" or a two?
Look smart ass, I wasn't sitting behind a desk in a nice comfortable chair when I wrote this down, okay?
Got V-2...
2-Z.
All right, there are your vehicles.
All stolen.
My hunch was right.
This is a chop shop.
SW?
Why would there be a search warrant?
Auto Theft told me they weren't investigating the place.
Someone was.
Huh.
A search warrant was issued to...
1137 Cypress Drive.
Do me a favor.
Scroll down and see who the affiant is.
Damn it.
Frank Tripp.
What's the big deal?
Detective Tripp will probably thank you for helping him.
Wanna bet?
You first, Frank.
I was going to bust this place.
All right? Hold the chop shop over Hector Jones's head.
Get him to flip on his partner behind a homicide down in Olcola.
Now that you've conducted this illegal search, I got nothing.
It wasn't my intention to step on your case, all right, Frank?
I observed what I thought to be criminal activity and I gathered intel. You gathered intel?
Yeah, gathered intel, Frank.
What are you, Crime-Fighting Boy now?
What were you doing there in the first place?
Frank.
Eric, tell me what happened.
Nothing, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
It won't happen again.
Okay, for arguments sake, let's say we can't get Hector on the chop shop.
What about assaulting an officer?
Yeah, I'll testify to that.
We're going to need more than your word.
We're going to need some evidence.
These cuts and bruises don't count for anything?
Only if we can prove Hector did them alone.
Come on, guys, don't you have some sort of fancy gizmo you can prove Hector made those bruises?
Maybe one of your blue lights or your mass spectro thingies with all the bells and whistles on them and all that crap?
In this case, we don't, so I'm sorry.
So, this guy walks?
For now, Frank, until we can get something on Hector.
All right?
All right.
That green plastic sheeting Alexx found wasn't from a trash bag.
Are you sure about this?
Mm-hmm.
Traces of RDX?
Mixed with petroleum and a glycerin plasticizer.
C-4 explosives.
Wrapper was O.D. green.
Standard military issue.
Yep, only problem is-- no active military bases in South Florida.
We got an air national guard unit at Naranja.
That's less than a mile away from where they found the body.
A 3,000-acre ghost town.
It's a perfect place to hide.
After Andrew, we used these to hold the base's munitions.
Now they're all slated to be torn down.
This far away from the action, nobody uses them anymore.
Well, somebody did.
What's this, Speed?
It's Composition Four.
Explains the wrapper.
Yeah, open it.
( coughs ) And the trace on her body.
Take a look at this.
She was trying to claw her way out.
Yeah, I got a few hairs here, too.
Bloody fingernail.
Is that a tooth?
Tooth might have DNA.
Our victim didn't have a broken tooth.
She must have fought back.
Hey.
Hey. Hey.
You were right about the tooth.
It didn't match our victim.
Okay, so why are you smiling?
Because it does match Manny Ocola.
CODIS hit?
He got popped for a B&E back in '97.
Patrols are bringing him in now.
Hey, when I left her, she was alive, right?
And still kicking. Right, Manny?
Isn't that how you snapped off your tooth?
Things got out of control, didn't they?
You know what?
It's what she was paying for, man.
A lot of these people, they try to escape.
It's all part of the game, and my job's just to fight them off a little bit.
Restrain them, you know?
When was the last time you saw her?
It was before we went to collect the ransom.
But you never went back to check on her, did you?
Hey, that's not my job.
That's Jack's job.
Jack being your partner.
He kind of ran things for Gotcha.
I'm just there to, you know, help scare 'em a little bit.
Ms. Weber says I have this early Keitel look, you know?
Did Jack ever go too far?
Every kidnap victim has a safe word.
They say it, we're done. It's simple.
And Nikki Wilcox never used hers, did she?
Rich people are a little weird, you know.
Baby-sitting spoiled kids-- it beats boosting TVs any day of the week.
Beautiful young heiress like Nikki Wilcox?
Not your average client.
You kidding?
Most of the time my victim is some pasty dude in a diaper.
She just made things a little difficult to stay professional, you know?
For your partner, too, right, Manny?
Jack got me this job, all right?
So I'm not going to speak out of school.
Fair enough, Manny. Fair enough.
What I do want to know, is who was supposed to contact Nikki's boyfriend to set up the rescue?
You guys are going to have to talk to Jack about that, partner.
Manny, you can bet the ranch on it.
All right, so both of those fingernails that we found are liquid monomer and they've got traces of EMA.
That's acrylic nails.
Yeah, but that's where the similarities end.
They both have different applications.
DUQUESNE: One's pink and white and one's a polished French tip.
These are different processes, they don't match.
All right, I should have known that.
Well, I would be scared if you did.
You know, I'm thinking maybe her kidnappers have used this box before.
Looks like another lady tried to get out of there.
Or maybe tried to keep our victim in.
Excuse me.
Thanks.
Hey. Hey.
Yelina, did you find anything else about Nikki Wilcox?
Victim was a party girl.
Her old man's a self-made gazillionaire.
She lived at home.
Well, whenever she made it there.
Then only stayed to give her dad some face time.
Did you talk to her old man?
I'm on my way there now.
When was the last time you saw your daughter, Mr. Wilcox?
We, um... mostly spoke on the phone.
The missus saw her last.
Celine.
Nikki stopped by for some clothes about three nights ago.
Had that boy Tommy with her.
I take it he wasn't your favorite.
Some people got no class.
Tattoos, greasy hair, walked around with a, uh, fish hook in his lip.
It was a lip ring, dear.
In my time, it meant something, which wasn't very good.
Look, Lieutenant.
I will do anything to help you find the bastard that did this to my daughter.
All right, does that include showing us financial records?
I'll clear it with my lawyers.
How about you, Mrs. Wilcox?
She will do anything you need.
Nicole was wild, Lieutenant, but she was a good kid.
We all do things that we regret at 21.
Yes, well, regret is one thing, losing your life is another.
Hey, prize fighter.
Hey.
More like prize punching bag.
That's your shirt.
Did you forget you lint brush?
No, just looking for evidence.
Okay, so, let me get this straight.
You were walking by, you found a chop shop, you stopped and got into a fight.
Not exactly.
How old is she?
It's not like that.
Seriously.
Is that yours?
Nope. It's the bad guy's.
It's all dried out.
If you check the prescription, you might get something off it.
Actually, I think I have another idea.
Okay, well, I'm going to be doing some business in the AV lab if you need me.
Okay.
What'd you learn about the lifestyles of the rich and spoiled?
That not all of them are rich.
What do you mean, string bean?
That watch we pulled off the victim, the one the boyfriend claimed he bought her?
Yeah?
Well, Nikki paid for it herself.
Well, if you can't afford a watch, how can you dig up $20,000 for a kidnapping?
Maybe he asked the stepmom.
Oh, Daddy Warbucks had his wife on a pretty short leash.
Unlimited credit card use, but no bank account.
She didn't need it.
Take a look at what she bought last Tuesday.
All right.
Oh, Luis Feraud Russian sable coat, 20 grand.
Who needs a sable coat in Florida?
Not her.
Surveillance tape from the day after she bought the coat.
She returned it for cash.
Not just cash.
Non-sequential $100 bills.
So, I returned a few things.
It's no big deal.
It is a big deal if you used the money to kidnap his daughter and have her killed.
That is a big deal.
I might not have liked Nikki, but she was Hal's baby.
And the only thing between you and his fortune.
I don't want Hal's money.
You want some of it, otherwise you wouldn't return everything for cash.
I've spent ten years putting the stink of Tucworth, Alabama behind me, but I still love my family.
I'm, uh, I'm sorry, I don't, I don't get the connection.
That's where the money goes.
My husband supports me, and I support them.
Hey.
I just checked the Wilcox financial records.
How much does Celine Wilcox stand to make with the daughter out of the way?
Well, that's it; it doesn't change anything.
She's got a pre-nup?
Airtight. In fact, she actually makes more money the longer the old guy stays alive.
Pre-nup with an escalator clause.
Exactly.
If he dies today, she gets nothing.
She gets an extra million dollars for every two years they stay together.
So, you're saying she married for love.
Wonders never cease.
And we're back to square one.
Well, not quite.
A patrol car did pick up our lead kidnapper-- a Jack Hawkins.
P.D.'s got him, and Speed's already down there.
What, trying to get with a pretty girl-- now that's a crime?
No, but killing somebody is.
I didn't kill anybody.
You came back after collecting the ransom...
...but you didn't call her boyfriend right away.
You were hoping you were going to try your luck.
A little Stockholm Syndrome action.
And then you tried to keep her quiet, but you didn't realize you were suffocating her.
I know what you've been waiting for.
Somebody knew we were there.
That's who killed her.
Okay, so, what you're saying is you went to get the ransom money, and that's the last time you saw Nikki alive.
Swear on my mother.
I'm glad I'm not her.
Show us your shoes.
The bottoms.
Okay, that is the epoxy resin from the parking structure where Nikki was tossed.
( gasping ) Okay, whoa.
Now, if I dumped a body after its already dead, there's no crime there, right?
Go on.
I got back to the base, and she wasn't in the box.
So I threw her in the van.
I knew my boss and the girl's rich-ass dad, they'd come looking for me.
Now, I panicked.
How did the killer get inside the warehouse?
I don't know.
It's a double-bolt lock.
I have the only key.
Sit tight.
Do you think he's our guy?
No, I don't.
Why not?
Because there was no sign of sexual assault, he got his ransom money and the game was over for him.
Basically, he had no reason to kill her.
And every reason to let her go.
So what happened?
Somewhere, somebody changed the rules of the game.
We changed the locks and beefed up security since you were here last.
I'll be outside if you need anything.
Thank you, Sergeant.
Jack mentioned that he bolt- locked the door before he left for the ransom.
The window.
Maybe that's our point of entry.
Let's check it.
There's been a recent disturbance.
The dust is wiped away from the bottom edge.
Can you open the window?
Oh, yeah.
He definitely came in through here.
I'm going to check for prints.
What did you get, Speed?
Not much.
Gravel's a lousy surface for shoe prints.
Yes, it can be.
There are no prints on the inside window.
What have you got?
I've got a blueish powdery substance right here and above the frame.
I'll come down and check it out.
Did you get something, Speed?
Yeah.
Take a look at this.
Lipstick.
Looks like we found our murder weapon.
She looked him right in the eyes when he was killing her.
And he looked back.
So, I'll hand-carry this plastic wrap over to DNA.
Valera will swab it for epithelials, and then I'll check it for prints.
Great. I'll work on the blue powder.
Looks like it's just you and me, Sam.
Always a pleasure.
Appears to be some kind of chalk.
We found small amounts of it on the side of the building of our kidnapping site.
Let's see what the I.R. has to say.
Magnesium carbonate and...
silicate.
Chalk and some sort of a drying agent.
Yeah, these compounds are usually combined for athletes, to keep their hands dry.
Like rock climbers?
I was there, okay?
You were?
I even paid for it.
You paid for the kidnapping?
It's not like Tommy had any money.
So, we're learning.
Why would you pay for the kidnapping, Keith?
Something to do.
Tommy made everything fun.
It was you that got Nikki out of that storage room, wasn't it?
Yeah. I free-climbed through the window.
Nikki, come with me. Come with me.
What's going on?
I don't get this.
HORATIO: And then what happened?
KEITH: I left.
Why?
Did something go wrong?
Tommy went wrong.
I was there to watch, you know-- rescue sex?
Figured it would be all kinky.
Tommy changed his mind.
How did he change his mind?
I didn't wait to find out.
He had this crazed look in his eye.
I got the hell out of there.
I didn't know he was going to kill her.
Keith's father is here with his attorney.
I want to talk to my lawyer.
Everything we have points to Keith, right?
He paid for the kidnapping, he rescued Nikki, didn't he?
But you don't think it was Keith?
No, I don't. This is Tommy.
Tommy Chandler.
Keith is a lightweight.
He's a follower.
Well, we've got enough on Keith's statement to get a warrant on Tommy's house.
Okay, take Speed and Calleigh and let me know what you find, all right?
Lieutenant. Yeah?
There is a woman in the Atrium.
She's asked to speak with you.
Okay. Thank you.
I'm Lieutenant Caine.
You're Eric Delko's supervisor?
That's correct, ma'am.
I just came to see if Eric's all right.
He's such a nice guy.
Well, I would agree.
How can I help?
He was attacked in my yard.
You all right?
I took him to the hospital.
I see.
My home was broken into last month.
Lived there close to five years.
Eric was the CSI assigned to the case.
And you two became friendly?
It's not like that.
They stole my TV, broke my two front windows.
Eric bought me an old TV, replaced the glass, He even took my son to a ball game.
Yesterday he came to fix my fence.
The kid's father died three years ago September.
It hasn't been easy.
Well, losing somebody close can be hard, can't it?
Eric's been so helpful.
I just wanted you to know that.
Maybe, maybe you can give him a medal or something?
I'll look into it.
So, Hector, it's time for "Let's Make A Deal."
I'm listening.
We found your DNA on a contact lens.
The one you lost while you were assaulting a police officer.
I didn't know he was a cop.
Nice try.
We found your prints on his badge.
He's a cop.
Clock's ticking, Hector.
Okay.
I saw Rudy Nola shoot Arnold Vega.
I was there.
Okay, let me take your statement.
Maybe the state's attorney will cut you a deal.
Hi.
So, what's up with the 20 minutes?
Let's get to it.
You want to talk about it?
No, it's all right.
As a friend?
As a friend, man... drop it.
All right.
This is what the killer smothered her with.
What's that?
It's a lip print.
On the opposite side of where the victim's lips were.
Look at the center.
Guy's got his lip pierced.
Tommy, your partner Keith told us everything.
He was the one that climbed in the window and got her.
How do you know he didn't do it? Because we obtained a search warrant, and we entered the cottage that you rented, and we now know that you came up with the ideas while others paid for the pleasure.
Nobody was complaining.
I think if Nikki were alive today, she'd be complaining.
Nikki...
( sighs ): Nikki was a lot of fun.
Wild.
You know, it started off completely sexual: positions, places.
She was even into some perversions.
But soon, that wasn't enough.
Soon, the sex didn't do it for me anymore.
And then things changed.
Yeah... but I still needed Keith.
I'm out of here, man.
Then he got scared and left...
afraid of what was coming next.
And what was coming next was murder, right?
Eh, it's-it's funny, I...
I really thought that the kidnapping, rescue thing would be a-a real big thrill, but after awhile, it just...
It was boring.
You know, ransom notes, rescues.
This is the tearstrip from the box of plastic wrap that you used to kill her.
Keith borrowed some plastic.
Um, I didn't know what it was for.
Your DNA was on it.
It's mine. I'm sure I touched it.
Your saliva.
Your saliva is on it, Tommy, because you kissed Nikki while you were smothering her.
That's right.
It was unbelievable.
You did that on purpose, hmm?
That's what I do, Tommy...
and you made it very, very easy for me.
I found the ultimate thrill: looking into someone's eyes as they die.
You know, Tommy, sending a little worm like you to jail for the rest of your life...
that will be my ultimate thrill.
Hey.
What are you working on?
I got the Jenson lifts here.
Trying to find a match.
Good, listen, um...
Angela Morton came to see me.
So you know.
Yeah. She's quite a beautiful woman.
Yeah, yeah, she is.
She's, uh, she's also been struggling to make ends meet since her husband died.
She's got two young kids, uh, lives in a crummy neighborhood in a house that's falling apart.
Her life was devastated.
I, uh, wasn't looking for a date.
I get it... but, Eric, you put yourself at risk and compromised an active investigation.
I know...
but... you see these people's lives shattered every day at these crime scenes, and, uh...
catching the bad guys isn't always enough for me.
I understand that.
Everybody does what they have to do to cope on this job, okay?
I just want to I help out doing whatever I can.
But, Eric, as a rule of thumb, off-duty relationships, no matter how well intended, can be seen as a conflict of interest in court.
You understand?
Yeah, but, uh...
how do you suggest I walk that line?
Carefully.
Eric...
if we want to be effective in this job, we have to survive, too.
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