♪ ♪
WOODS: So, you won't be able to play your guitar for a while, but you'll have your thumbs for your video games, okay?
Eric.
Oh!
I hope you're here to take me to breakfast.
Actually, just got done seeing Dr. Jacobs.
So...?
I'm good. (sighs) Yeah, I'm great, even.
No residual brain damage from the surgery.
And I can start back to work immediately.
That's so wonderful, honey.
I'm so happy for you.
So, why aren't you?
No, I'm good.
Uh... I'm happy.
How long have we known each other, Eric?
What, eight, nine years. Mm-hmm.
Long enough for you to know better than to lie to me.
(distant siren wailing) You ever regret leaving PD?
MAN: Dr. Woods!
I got to go, babe.
All right.
Okay, what do we have?
24-year-old woman in shock.
Blood pressure 70/45.
Tachy at 140.
Breathing rapid.
Her name's Lauren.
Boyfriend here found her unconscious.
WOODS: Okay.
On my count.
One, two, three.
Get a monitor on her.
I need O2 sat.
Okay, she's going into respiratory failure. What-what does that mean?
She's not getting enough oxygen.
We need to intubate.
(monitor beeping) What's your name?
Ethan. Ethan, how long has Lauren been out? I-I don't know.
She-she sounded weird. That's why I rushed over to her place.
Start positive pressure ventilation at 100% oxygen.
Can you be more specific?
She-she was mumbling her words.
She-she said her head hurt. Pupils are fixed and dilated.
No corneal reflex. DOCTOR: Sounds like a subarachnoid hemorrhage. I'll do a spinal tap.
Has Lauren been ill?
Ethan, has Lauren been sick?
Yeah, the flu. Is this the swine thing?
No, this isn't the flu. Doctor, please...
(flatlining) DOCTOR: Cardiac arrest.
What is with this girl? Lauren!
She's in asystole. Okay.
Lauren! Epi.
I'm starting chest compressions. Lauren!
Eric, please, get him out of here.
Come on, Ethan. All right? Come on. Here we go, sweetheart.
Let's go. It's gonna be okay, all right? Just...
Got to give 'em some space.
Come on.
DOCTOR: Still no rhythm, Alexx.
Get those paddles ready.
Another dose of bicarb.
Defib doesn't work in asystole.
Could be fine V-fib.
Charge to 300. (powering up) No, no-- 360.
Clear.
Ethan...
Anyone you want me to call?
Oh, um...
yeah, my mom and dad.
I got-got their number on my cell phone.
Sure.
You're going to propose.
Yeah.
Um...
I'll just wait until she gets better, you know.
She, uh-- she likes ice cream after she's sick, so I'm just gonna slip it in the dish.
That's cool.
Yeah.
She looked a lot better yesterday, so I figure maybe today's the day.
I'm sure she's going to be okay.
You said she was going to be okay.
(under breath): Hey, man...
Alexx, what happened?
I need you to get Horatio down here, please.
Why? 'Cause that girl was murdered.
And in my experience, you may have your number one suspect right here.
♪ Yeah! ♪ Captioning sponsored by\h CBS C.S.I. PRODUCTIONS
♪ We don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ Don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ No, no! ♪
♪ ♪
Technically, Lauren died from acute renal failure.
When the kidneys went, the other organs followed.
If she'd only come in a day earlier.
Horatio, the last time I saw something like this, it was back in the morgue on a homicide case.
So, you're thinking she was poisoned.
In my opinion, yes.
Who brought her in?
Boyfriend.
He said she looked a lot better yesterday.
Was actually going to propose to her.
Well, either he's blind or lying, because that girl hasn't had a good day in a week.
(mumbling): Son of a bitch.
He had me fooled.
Had an engagement ring and everything, I mean...
probably rehearsed the whole thing.
Okay, we don't have all the information yet, Eric.
Yeah, I know, but...
he was acting strange.
Wouldn't look me in the eye, didn't fully answer my questions.
Let's keep him here while I process the house, all right?
I'll send over her blood and tissue samples to the crime lab.
Thank you, Alexx.
Eric, stay with him.
Poison that can be absorbed by touch.
Man, that's diabolical.
I don't get it.
Nothing's lighting up.
Yeah, I'm flatlining on these tox screens, too.
That's the problem with poison-- the only way to find it is to take shots in the dark.
But I have tested her apartment for every poison I can think of.
Boyfriend might have slipped it in somewhere else.
Maybe.
So, you would bring food to Lauren when you went to check in on her?
Are you kidding? She was sick.
Like, coming out of both ends sick.
I mean, she could barely hold down water.
When did she start feeling ill?
A week ago.
Mmm, we went out to eat.
And, uh, when we got home, she started saying her stomach hurt.
(coughs) Where'd you go out to eat?
I-I don't-- I don't remember.
What do you mean you don't remember? You ate there, right?
I don't remember.
Look, deal was, that she'd pick and I'd pay.
I might have the receipt in my back pocket.
(coughs) (coughing) Was Lauren going to leave you?
What? No.
What do you think the ring's for?
I don't know. Maybe this was your way of keeping her from running.
Wh-Why are you asking me these questions?
Because Lauren wasn't sick, Ethan.
She was poisoned.
Which means that someone had to poison her.
And you're number one on the list.
Why would I kill Lauren?
You know, I've questioned a lot of guilty people before and they've all got one thing in common.
(coughs) It's a bad case of nerves.
Right now you're sweating like someone that's got something to hide.
I didn't kill her.
(grunting) Hey! Stupid...
That was just as good as a confession, you idiot.
Ethan?
Hey. Hey!
Ethan?
Hey, I need Alexx Woods in here, right now!
♪ ♪
Why would the suspect poison his girlfriend and then himself?
Well, he wouldn't, unless he pulled a Romeo and Juliet.
Yeah, but he was just getting ready to propose to her.
Exactly. The last thing they did before Lauren got sick was go out to eat, so I ran a food-borne illness tox.
This is what I got.
Lauren tested positive for E coli.
Okay, so then she wasn't poisoned?
E coli is poison.
We checked with Alexx. She confirmed it.
And based on how quickly this killed Lauren and put her boyfriend on life support, Alexx believes this is a new and very deadly strain.
And Alexx was concerned that the health agencies were moving too slow.
Well, I can understand why. By the time they finish their studies, her E.R.'s gonna be a morgue.
So, we must find the source before another outbreak occurs.
Look, I don't want to be that guy, but is this anywhere near the corner of our jurisdiction?
We must investigate every death.
DELKO: E coli doesn't just appear.
Someone allowed this to happen.
Someone allowed her to die. That's negligent homicide.
E coli can only be ingested.
So, the first step is to find where the infected food came from.
Ms. Boa Vista, we need a DNA fingerprint to track the strain.
I'll go pull in Valera. I'll grab Walter and Jesse; we'll, uh, read up on E coli.
Then Eric and I will go to the restaurant where they ate.
Now, listen. We treat this as we would any other murder, okay?
Right.
Welcome back.
Thanks.
So, how do you want to find the restaurant?
I've got an idea.
WOMAN: Kiss my ass, lady.
Can't you see I'm a little busy right now?
Where's my ten top, Lucy?
I'm waiting on the potatoes.
Are you brain dead?
How many times have I told you to start them first?!
Look, if you don't want to talk to me about our victim's last meal, that's fine.
I'm sure the 5:00 news would love to.
Really? Yes.
That's how you wanna do this? Yeah.
Okay.
You see this?
Means I run a clean store.
Your victim got it somewhere else.
Great, let's prove it.
Lauren had a vegetarian chopped salad last Sunday.
So, let's run your produce.
Can't. After a day, we pitch it.
Come here.
Let me educate you here.
E coli doesn't come from the kitchen.
It came from yours.
Then it was delivered that way.
You wanna know where E coli starts?
The grower. Who's your grower?
Aunt Sally's Farm out in Sweetwater. Okay?
Hey, Ryan, it's Calleigh.
Listen, I need you to make a trip to Sweetwater.
Okay, boys, how are we gonna pull this one off?
We don't have the authority.
And I don't feel a warrant in my pocket.
Walter, we have badges.
These rural guys barely have educations.
Okay?
Can I help you?
Yeah, we're, uh, we're looking for Aunt Sally.
Uh, sorry to disappoint, but there is no Sally.
PR folks thought Sally sounded better than Uncle Seth.
I'm Seth Ellers.
Well, Uncle Seth, uh, we had a couple that got sick with E coli from a restaurant named Sambello's.
We'd like to run a few tests on your farm to see if it's the source.
Is that right? Yeah.
Can I see some ID?
Yeah, sure.
You Feds? No, sir.
Well, you're not ag inspectors.
No, we're CSIs from MDPD. We're, uh, actually treating this as a homicide investigation.
Then you'll show me your warrant.
I see.
Then I'm afraid you're going to have to leave the property.
Looks to me like these rural guys know how to read their Constitution.
Yes, they do. Yeah.
ELLERS: What's he doing?
You don't have the authority to be here.
If I tell you to leave, you have to clear out.
Not if I have probable cause. Cause for what?
Oh, can I see your employees' green cards?
They don't have their cards then I do have the authority to shut you down.
Fine.
Look around for your E coli.
Saddle up!
WOLFE: I've got each of the crops batched together.
They're in rows-- soil, stalk and leaf.
Okay, now what do I do?
Hit the result window on the cards with the UV light.
If it glows, then the area the sample was taken from is positive for E coli.
I thought you read this book.
It's a lot of information.
You're getting all negatives.
Yeah, none of the tests on this crop popped for E coli, H.
Have we checked all the fields?
Yeah, this test isn't that difficult.
I don't understand.
I do.
E coli didn't come from this farm.
We're missing something.
Aunt Sally's is the only grower that ships to the restaurant.
Where else could the E coli have come from?
E coli is carried on the exterior of the plant, right?
Maybe it came in contact with the bacteria after it left the farm, like a processing plant.
But they ship direct by local truck.
Yeah, if the truck was infected, the shipment would've been infected, too.
Who delivers to that restaurant?
Let's find out.
CAINE: Well, there's the truck.
Where is Mr. Wayons?
Only one way to find out. Hey, which one of you guys is Al Wayons?
Hey!
Get your butt up!
Turn around.
Why were you running, Superfly?
Because you were chasing me.
Then we got a paradox, 'cause I didn't start chasing until you started running.
Look, where I'm from, cop calls your name, you run and ask questions later.
Mr. Wayons, you mind if I look in your truck?
Be my guest.
It's empty.
I'm between loads.
TRIPP: You deliver produce from Sally's Farm?
Don't have to say.
Hey, Frank, bingo.
What do you have to say about that?
Mr. Wayons, you have E coli in this truck that is responsible for the death of a 22-year-old girl.
Look, I only pick up and drop off. Hey, if the produce is dirty when I get them, it's not my fault.
Well, we tested the farm, and we got a negative.
That means your truck is ground zero.
If I got bugs, they came from Sally's.
Sometimes they don't show up in those tests out in the field.
Ask around. When they get in the heat of a truck, that's when they start growing.
Why don't you use refrigeration?
They don't pay me enough for that.
Who's "they"?
Seth Ellers?
If I yak, I lose this gig.
Then what do I tell my wife?
You tell her you want to stop killing people.
Well, look, Ellers, all those farmers, they're just like me.
We all work for someone else.
DUQUESNE: I pulled the corporate filings on Aunt Sally's Farms.
It's a subsidiary of Bixton Organic Food.
That driver was right.
Yeah, half the world works for Bixton.
Yeah, they're into food produce and pharmaceuticals.
And let me tell you, none of it's really organic.
Most people don't look past the name of the company.
No, guys, I meant the trucker; he was right.
Just because our tests weren't positive, doesn't mean that farm's clean.
We tested all the crops.
But we didn't test what goes on them.
E coli is primarily spread through fecal material.
Well, I didn't see anything in the fields.
There was port-a-johns for the workers.
How else could the feces get on the crops?
In diluted amounts?
Water.
Has anyone checked the irrigation system?
Uncle Seth will never let us back on that farm.
We go over their heads.
You can have a seat.
Thank you.
Lieutenant Caine, I'm Sheldon Parks, legal counsel for Bixton Organic Foods.
This is Jerry Mackey, CEO.
I'm glad we could accommodate you.
I've asked Mr. Mackey not to speak during the interview.
I'll be representing the company today.
And I'll be recording our conversation for legal purposes.
Indeed, gentlemen, let me cut to the chase.
We found a strain of E coli that killed a young woman.
That strain was traced back to one of your trucks.
Just to be clear, you are referring to Mr. Wayons' truck?
I am. Mr. Wayons is an independent contractor.
If you review Mr. Wayons' contract-- I'm providing Lieutenant Caine with a copy-- Bixton Organic is not liable for any negligence on his part.
That is simply not true.
The same E coli originated on a farm owned by your client.
We're aware of the testing you performed without permission or warrant.
We're also aware that you didn't find anything.
Isn't that correct, Lieutenant?
For the record, Lieutenant Caine did not disagree.
I need to test your irrigation system.
And I am certain Bixton's gonna help me 'cause they don't want any other deaths.
We're not responsible for any so far.
But Mr. Mackey has heard your concerns, he wants you to know that he's asked the Health Department to perform a study.
When is that going to take place?
When they can.
I think we're done here, then.
And Lieutenant, you are familiar with the veggie libel laws?
Florida has laws against the disparagement of agricultural products.
So I would advise you to keep these accusations to yourself.
It's been a pleasure.
I take it that didn't go very well.
We need to get back to that farm, Jesse.
Before they cover this up.
WOLFE: You guys do know that this is an illegal search and seizure, right?
Anything we find on this farm is gonna get tossed.
Doesn't matter. We're not going to the S.A.'s Office.
Yeah, Horatio wants to go straight to the Health Department. They'll have to act.
All right...
So, how do we do this?
Okay, we need to test each puddle out there.
So start at the sprinklers and work your way back until you find a well.
Yeah, and one more thing... What?
Don't get caught.
♪ ♪
(phone line ringing) Hey, Ryan.
Yeah, Walter, I found the well.
You get out of here! Put the gun down!
You put yours down! Put the gun down!
I told you Bixton suits, if I saw you on my land again, I'd shoot!
MDPD.
Bixton didn't send you? No.
What's your name?
Gavin Webb. Mr. Webb, I need you to put the gun down, you understand me?
Put it down.
You don't work for Bixton?
Thought all the farms around here did.
Doesn't mean they aren't trying.
To buy you out? Buy?
Hell, they're getting us for free.
They already grabbed my grandfather's first 40.
Well, how's that?
I've said enough. You're a cop.
Is it the disparagement laws?
You ever heard of drift?
No. Well, I got caught in it.
Bixton's patented seeds blew into my crops.
I didn't know you could patent a seed. Neither did I.
An inspector found a few of their seeds mixed up with mine.
And they accused you of stealing and sued.
Couldn't afford the lawyer, so I settled.
Had to pay with land.
That's how Seth lost Aunt Sally's to them.
I'm sorry to disturb you.
Yeah.
You guys find the source of the bug?
Yeah, take a look.
Check it out.
How many cards did you put down there?
Walter spilled the bag.
I told you not to set it up there.
The water from that well-- used for irrigation.
So, Bixton's contaminating their own fields.
That should shut them down for a while.
Hate to break it to you, fellas, but this isn't the source.
We still got to figure out how the feces are getting into the water.
Speaking of which, I think I stepped in some.
Where?
Over there.
Oh, man. Yeah.
You think it's coming from the well?
No, I think it's underground seepage.
(sighs) Yeah.
It could be runoff from the hill.
Oh, looks like we found what killed Lauren.
(siren wailing, monitor beeping) (flatlining)
This is a Bixton Foods outfit?
Yes, that's the cattle yard and the crops where the poisoning occurred.
I just became head of the Health Department.
I haven't seen anything this bad.
Yeah, I mean, I always thought that corn-fed beef was a good thing.
That's what Bixton wants you to think.
The only reason they use it-- they can get a cow fatter faster.
It also causes E coli, doesn't it?
That's what the research suggests.
Hmm. Wow.
Yeah, you know, a cow's digestive system is not designed for corn, so the acid builds up.
That creates a breeding ground for the E coli.
That's good. (phone ringing) It's another violation we can use to shut them down.
Oh, excuse me.
Not really, 'cause it's not against the law.
CAINE: Doctor? Hmm.
One second, please. I'll be right with you.
No, it's just how they do things nowadays.
It also proves that Bixton caused the outbreak.
No, no, no.
I would be very careful how I used that term.
What are you saying, Doctor? How many people does Bixton have to kill before you decide to call it an outbreak?
I'm just saying, we shouldn't jump to conclusions.
We will do a proper investigation.
Then we'll see what that turns up.
Well, what else do you need, Doctor?
Eric.
The DNA fingerprint from the E coli found in the manure matches the strain that killed Lauren Beck and put her boyfriend in the ICU.
Officer Delko, we have protocols.
We want to insure against implicating the wrong parties.
Bixton Foods is a reputable agricultural company.
So, you're basically saying that disparagement laws are more important than people's lives.
Lieutenant, please.
Eric, I think that we should let the doctor get to her lunch with the CEO of Bixton Foods.
What are you suggesting, Lieutenant?
CAINE: It's come to my attention, Doctor, that you are the ex-V.P. of a Bixton subsidiary.
Now, I am certain that's not going to affect your investigation.
DELKO: Let me tell you something.
Anybody else dies while you're conducting your investigation, I'm going to drag you down to the funeral, so you can explain why your protocol is more important than their kid's life.
I don't appreciate being threatened.
Have a good lunch.
I haven't gotten a chance to tell you, but I was so happy you're okay.
I'm really glad you're back.
I wish I felt the same.
I watched that girl die in front of me.
And now the same thing's happening to Ethan.
What's wrong?
It's not E coli.
Ethan doesn't have an E coli infection. What do you mean?
We didn't find any of the bacteria in his blood.
At first, I thought his symptoms were the same as Lauren's, but they aren't.
His heart stopped beating because he's in total paralysis.
The only thing keeping him alive is the respirator.
What do you think is causing this?
I don't know.
That's why I brought tissue biopsies and blood.
Our lab is too slow.
I'll have Walter run a tox screen.
Thank you, Calleigh.
Okay, so that's an air ball on basic tox.
To get any further, I need to know what I'm looking for.
Usually there's a crime scene that gives me clues.
We don't got one of those.
Well, it doesn't mean we don't have any clues.
Hey, Eric, what were Ethan's symptoms?
Alexx said he went into total paralysis.
Sounds like neurotoxin to me.
Blocks the nerves from talking to the muscles.
It starts in the limbs and works its way to the heart.
Yeah, but the bad news is, there's a whole catalog of neurotoxins.
They come in three flavors.
We got manmade poison, venom or bacterial.
DUQUESNE: Well, we've already ruled out man-made.
I doubt he was bitten by a snake.
So that leaves us with bacteria.
Well, then, we're back to something he ate.
Okay, this whole thing has centered around Bixton's produce, so, we know what the girlfriend ate.
What did Ethan order?
According to this receipt, he had a veggie burger and a corn on the cob.
The farmer that pulled the gun on me-- Bixton was growing genetically- engineered corn on his land.
Could the toxin have come from that?
I don't know.
Why would someone engineer a toxin into their food?
I don't know, but I know how to find out.
Mr. Webb.
The corn Bixton's growing on the land they took from you-- is that genetically engineered?
Mutants, every one.
Is it the same type they grow on Aunt Sally's farm?
Mm-hmm.
Well, Mr. Webb, I think I know how you can get back at Bixton.
I don't follow.
Let me have some of that corn.
♪ ♪
Is she done yet?
No, she hasn't said anything.
(scoffs) Really?!
♪ ♪ She done yet?
(sighs) You guys, I'm working as fast as I can here.
(beeping) Walter, where are the tox assays?
They're in trays.
Thanks.
All right.
So, you know what's killing Ethan?
Let me just run a presumptive on his blood first. Okay?
Did the toxin come from the corn?
It's from a bacteria gene that Bixton added to the corn.
I thought genetic engineering was about mixing a spinach with a cauliflower.
No, no, no, no, that's the dark ages.
Nowadays, they Frankenstein bacteria with plants.
Makes them resistant to aphids and stuff.
What was Bixton shooting for?
Well, you know how corn is hard to digest, right?
Yeah, because of the cellulose.
Exactly. Well, Bixton's scientists found a bacteria that eats the cellulose, the Clostridium dermacellum.
So, they added one of its genes to the corn's DNA sequence, so that the corn would expresses a protein that breaks down that cellulose.
So, they made digestible corn.
Exactly, but then they obviously ran into a problem.
Have you ever heard of cell conjugation?
Yeah. Bacteria absorbs the traits of their neighbors.
Well, the dermacellum's cousin is the Clostridium botulinum.
So, Bixton's cultures obviously had that in them, because their traits transferred to the bacteria they used.
Botulinum causes botulism.
Wow, so instead of expressing the cellulose protein, it kicks out botulism.
Not all the time, but in this case, yes.
Botulism causes paralysis.
That's what Ethan's suffering from.
There's an antitoxin for botulism.
I'm gonna go call Alexx. Is there enough to save Ethan's life?
I don't know, but it's enough to bring down Bixton.
♪ ♪
I may as well have been the caddy.
I was carrying Jim the whole course.
I can't wait to see the evidence wipe the smile off that CEO's face.
You did some good work today, Eric.
But I'm gonna take this one alone.
Come on, H. I'm not gonna lose it again, all right?
Eric, this is your first day.
Pace yourself. Okay?
Okay. All right? All right.
Gentlemen.
Lieutenant, as before, I've asked Mr. Mackey not to speak.
I'll be representing the company today.
I'd like to speak to Mr. Mackey alone.
Mr. Mackey is entitled to legal representation.
Yes, but there will be no charges filed, so it won't be necessary.
What's this all about?
Need some advice on your corn futures?
How much do you think a man's life is worth?
I don't know who that is.
His name is Ethan Durant. And your company killed him.
He's brain-dead, Eric.
No antitoxin can fix that.
I'm sorry, I did everything I could.
You think this was from a Bixton product?
It's called botulism.
You can't blame Bixton if the poor kid didn't refrigerate his food.
We reverse-engineered your corn.
And we believe that that... is the smoking gun.
Glad to see my tax dollars are buying you guys really nice toys.
So, now what?
Like you said, can't press charges.
If you knew, why did you put it out?
The protein for botulism presents less than one percent of the time.
And that's your acceptable risk.
If an airplane crashes, do the airlines ground all the planes?
They might get a few lawsuits, but as long as costs don't outweigh profits...
You see, you think farming is ma and pa with a pitchfork.
Farming is big business.
You have to take risks.
Like your customers. They take risks, don't they?
They don't know what's in their food.
They don't want to know. People just want their food.
They don't care where it comes from.
But I know where it comes from.
Cattle farms that produce E coli.
And so you know, I've contacted the FDA.
And they're going to close the farm down.
You know, you don't know anything, Lieutenant.
If we used only natural farming methods, prices would be astronomical.
People would starve.
So, if one man's death means 500 get fed, yes, I'll take those odds.
Speaking of which...
how about Bixton Food versus 12 jurors?
You said you weren't pressing charges.
Not criminal charges.
But Ethan's family has enough evidence now to mount a civil suit.
It won't go to trial, Lieutenant.
They have a full confession...
from the defendant.
So, I guess we'll see you in court.
♪ ♪
Eric?
Hey, Calleigh.
What are you still doing here?
I just needed to catch up on some of my cases.
So, I figured out what you're doing.
Can't wait to hear where this is going.
You're leaving CSI, aren't you?
(closes locker) (zips bag)
You always were good at reading me.
Look, um, let's not tell anybody else for now.
I don't feel like answering lots of questions.
I wouldn't.
So, why are you going?
Lot of reasons.
Life's too short?
Yeah, basically.
And what about you and me?
I guess CSI's not the only game in town.
Like I said, you know me too well.
♪ ♪
Captioning sponsored by\h CBS C.S.I. PRODUCTIONS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH\h access.wgbh.org