BOY: Come on, Sky.
Sky, come on.
Go get it, Sky! ( barking ) Come on, Sky. MAN: Bring it back, Sky. Bring it back, Sky. Good girl. That's not Sky's stick. What do you have here, Sky? Come here, girl. What'd you get, here? What is it, Dad? Nothing... it's just... uh, just an old bone probably from a dead animal or something.
It's a tibia... or most of a tibia. How long you think it's been out here? Well, long enough for the animals to pick it clean. And long enough for the elements to have washed away any evidence.
Evidence of what? Well, it is a leg bone and my guess is that it didn't walk out here by itself. Well, it could have been a hiker who got lost. It's interesting to me how you always expect the worst. You see, that way, I'm never disappointed. And then sometimes I'm nicely surprised. So, can we call it a crime scene? Potential crime scene. Did you know that there's 206 bones in the human body? Yes, Professor, I, too, took Osteology. Well, 205 more bones and we have a complete skeleton. If we find the rest, then we can determine whether or not it was a murder. Well, I feel it in every one of my 206 bones that this was a murder.
[Captioning sponsored by CBS and CBS PRODUCTIONS/ ALLIANCE ATLANTIS] ♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪ ♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪ ♪ I really wanna know ♪ ♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Who... ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Who... ♪ ♪ Come on, tell me who are you, you, you ♪ ♪ Oh, you! ♪
Okay, Catherine and I are on the case from Mount Charleston. Nick, we could use your help on that. Outstanding. So I just talked with the academy. We're getting an entire class of cadets meeting us there. All you guys got to go on is a bone? Mm-hmm. GRISSOM: The tibia. Where there's one there's usually another. So, we'll do a grid search and we really could use your friend, Teri Miller.
I don't think that's necessary. Well, why not? She's a forensic anthropologist specializes in bones and, hello... all we've got is a bone. I know what she specializes in. If we hit a wall, I'll call her. Okay. Sara, Warrick-- dead body in the Lucky Seven Motel. Is that the place with that weird pool? "Maid found dead male body in a hotel room." Any chance it's old age? Guy's 23. No. Sounds like a live one. Let's go.
Stop!
Looks like a piece of skull bone.
What are you doing? Bones are porous. They stick to the tongue. This doesn't stick. It's a piece of rock. I-I hope you had your Hepatitis-B shot.
Did you?
It could be a piece of wrist bone. Well, do you want to suck it? To be sure? Flag man!
Flag!
So... you thinking what I'm thinking? How amazing the universe is. Everything made from the same carbon. Stars to trees, trucks to human bones. Mmm... no. I-I was thinking that we have about 100 bone fragments. We could I.D. this body before the end of the shift. Hmm.
Stars and trucks?
( garbled radio transmission)
Only in Vegas. BROWN: Looks like somebody had a par-tay. Here's the wallet. Couple 20s inside. "Darren Pyne." Dead at 23. SIDLE: Sign of struggle. I'll dust for prints. BROWN: Looks like he was whacked over the head with this lamp. SIDLE: Yeah. One hit or there'd be blood. BROWN: Unless each hit was to a different part on his dome.
Who's the room registered to? Well, you know, that would be Celine Dion. But, uh, the bill was charged to the credit card of a Lynn Henry, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
O'Riley, you think... Right. Find out the last place she used her credit card.
WOMAN: I love those shoes. You can wear them again. And we have to get your veil. We have to get your veil. Lynn Henry?
You know my name. What's yours? I'm Warrick Brown, and this is Sara Sidle. Hi. We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Crime lab? About what? Darren Pyne was found dead in your motel room at the Lucky Seven. Did you know him?
Oh, my God. Yes, I-I do know him.
Sort of. Sort of? Uh, we, we gave Meg a bachelorette party last night. We hired a male dancer. I didn't want my fiancé to know because he's staying at this hotel. So we rented a room in a sort of out-of-the-way place. So, Darren was the dancer? Yeah, h-he arrived around... 10:00?
( all laughing ) Oh, my God!
Whoo! If Steve could see me now. No husbands tonight, ladies. Or fiancés.
So, we left at 3:00, he was totally fine. He was danced out, but definitely alive.
He didn't leave when you did? No... uh, he asked if he could stay and the room was already paid for, so I didn't see a problem. Lynn, how did you get those bruises on your wrists?
Oh, my God!
I-I don't know. I-I was totally tipsy last night. I mean, falling all over everything. All right. We'll probably have more questions after the coroner completes his autopsy. If we need to talk to you can we reach you here? Yes. My wedding is tomorrow. Whatever we can do to help. Thanks. Our card.
Ankle bone? Medial malleolous? Goes on the bottom of the tibia? That is correct... according to this book. I'll take toe bones for 200, Alex.
"All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again." Hmm. Have we hit a wall yet? No. This was a man, judging by the pelvic bone.
Hey, Nicky? Yeah. Let's post this on the Dental Society database-- see if anyone responds.
GRISSOM: Five times the length of the humerus means this guy was... six feet tall. But we don't know his race and we don't know whether he was right- or left-handed, yet. Well, he was old-- there's some calcification on the rib cartilage.
60, 70 years old, maybe. Hmm.
Are the bones whispering to you?
Look at these jagged marks on the bone.
Wait a minute.
This guy was chopped up. That's murder. Well, not necessarily. Could have happened postmortem. You know, one of those tractors up in the hills or a mulching machine, maybe. A mulching machine? How long do you plan on ignoring the obvious? A 70-year-old man found in the mountains with clear evidence he was chopped to pieces. That's a... homicide. WOMAN: Well, you should check for hemorrhagic tissue at the bone's tool marks... to be certain. Teri. Hi. Thanks for coming, Teri.
I told you I was... calling Teri... ...didn't I? Anyway, what were you saying about hemorrhagic tissue? It's blood in the soft tissue. If you find it, it means the guy was alive when he was cut up. Hmm. Well, maybe you two don't need me, after all. I would never turn away a scientist of your talent.
Uh, could I have a word with you outside, please?
You bring in a specialist without my approval? And you don't bring in one possibly compromise the case, because you two had a relationship? Relationship? I hardly know that woman. Oh... so I guess that dopey look in your eye when she's around is just that. Here's the deal-- we're using Cliff Notes to put that skeleton back together in there. Teri is availing her services. You said she's the best, but hey, if you want me to send her away... Just... check with me about stuff like this, will you?
Right.
Sorry.
So, how'd we do? Not bad.
Scaphoid... cuneiform. However, this is a wrist bone and this... is a foot bone.
I'm glad you're here.
It looks like someone in the Dental Society database saw your posting. Really? Sid Tucker. No way. A local dentist? He has records that go back 30 years. Move over.
"Hairline fissure of the mandibular canine." Oh, God, why didn't I learn Latin? It's lower level third from the middle. Better memory than you. And... our first character match.
"Overlapping left incisors." That's the front teeth, right? Two for two.
"Gold fillings." Well, I know that. He's got gold fillings in adjoining right molars and interspersed in left molars. Tell me this is all we need. Nolan Ryan pitches another perfect game. And the winner is... STOKES: Mel Bennett. 326 Franklin Street. Date of birth September 6, 1931. He was 70. An electric saw? You sure? Grooves from a handsaw would be straight, parallel. Now look at the grooves along the medial condyle of the femur. They're coarse. See?
A reciprocating electric saw was used on this person. WILLOWS: Excuse me, um, the person's name is Mel Bennett. We just confirmed it. We're going to meet Brass at the widow's house. I got to go. Thank you. Nick, would you stay here and work with Teri on this soft tissue stuff? She'll explain it to you. Sure. ROBBINS: Our male dancer. Multiple blows to the head? That's right. And one of those blows did enough damage to cause cranial bleeding. Any of your ladies mention having sex with this victim? No. Just lap dances, nothing more. I think the dance might have been a bit more intimate. Penile swab's back from the lab. Vaginal cells. Looks like fried eggs. That's because the cells are fresh. Darren had sex just before he died. What's the estimated time of death? Midnight. What?! These ladies said he was alive when they left him at 3:00 a.m. Someone's lying.
I don't mean to be snippy but we're already late for my rehearsal dinner. Dinner's going to have to wait. We have forensic proof that Darren Powell had sex with a woman just before he died. And as far as we can tell you were the last three women with him. So, who's lying?
I have two small children and a husband. I can't be involved in this. ( whispering ): Joyce... shut up. About what?
Lynn, does this have anything to do with the bruises on your wrists? BROWN: Hey, tell us or tell the D.A.
Okay. After the bachelorette party, we left. I forgot my purse, so I ran back in to get it.
Let go of me. Let go! No! Get off! Oh, no. I told him no, but he just wouldn't take no for an answer. So he raped you. That's how I got the bruises on my wrists. I didn't even tell them until we got back to the hotel. Was Darren alive when you left? Very... unfortunately. WHEELER: So... can we go now? My fiancee is already asking questions. Yeah, you can go, but Lynn, uh... a car's going to take you to the hospital for an exam. An exam for what? It's just standard procedure for sexual assault.
( doorbell rings ) Yes? I'm Detective Jim Brass-- Las Vegas Police Department. Are you Mrs. Bennett? Oh, yes. Is this about my car plates? I have them. I just haven't had time to put them on the car. Actually, Mrs. Bennett we're here about your husband, Mel. Oh, well, Mel isn't here right now. Well, do you know where he is? Yes, he's at the store.
Is there a problem? ( garbled radio transmission)
Mrs. Bennett, we're going to ask you a few questions down at the station. But I haven't done anything. ( crying ) GRISSOM: She looks... distraught. Well, is that because she just found out he's dead or... because she got caught? ( car door closes ) Interesting how people catalog their lives. 50 years of marriage on the wall.
BRASS: Yeah, that's a lot of years. Maybe a few too many for the missus. Oh, I don't know. These two were good with each other.
( sighs ) It takes a bad marriage to recognize a good one.
Well, not even an aspirin.
Look at this. This bathtub hasn't been used lately.
Well, maybe she only uses her other bathroom.
Tub's the most obvious place to cut up a body but I don't see anything down there. Try phenolphthalein? Give me a swab.
Hmm... How'd you guys do? We found blood in the drain. You find anything? Just the murder weapon.
Cleaned, in the widow's garage. ( drill whirs )
Bone of a pig. They are the most like humans, as you know.
This saw matches the one Brass found in Mrs. Bennett's garage? Exact model.
No doubt about it. The marks on this bone are consistent with the marks on Mel Bennett's bones. Exact same electric saw, same blade. GRISSOM: Can you tell us anything about the operator? You mean, Mrs. Bennett?
Oh, right. ( whispering ): Reserve judgment. How someone operates a saw is as telling as how someone operates a pen. Now look at the femur. The skipping marks of a saw over the bone tell us whoever used the saw was unfamiliar with its use.
An amateur, if you will. Someone with a weakened nature, compromised musculature.
What do you mean, "It doesn't add up?" SIDLE: Well, we're assuming that a couple of lamp hits to the head killed Darren, right? For now, yeah. You read the Coroner's final report. There's no traces of that lamp on his head at points of impact. Yeah, but maybe the materials didn't adhere. Doesn't mean he wasn't hit in the head with the lamp.
What are you looking for? I don't know yet. I'll let you know when I find it. Well, if you don't know, I can't help you.
( sighs ) What is this?
What? What do you got? Some something. Where? Right there. Good job.
SIDLE: Tiniest diamond in the world. Oh, you think so, huh?
( glass squeaks ) No. Diamonds cut glass. This is some cheap-ass cubic zirconia. The bride-to-be's ring, maybe? She was here. Let's go ask her. Why do you keep asking me these kinds of questions? Well, because someone killed your husband, Mrs. Bennett... and was strong enough to wield an electric saw to do it. But not so strong as to make clean cuts. ( sighs ) I didn't kill Mel. I loved him. Why didn't you report him missing? I mean, were you used to him leaving or, did you fight much? Never. Never.
We had a perfect marriage. Perfect. And you failed to report him missing for seven months because...? I don't like your tone, young man.
Detective, you said I could have an attorney at any time. I think I'd like one now. Oh, sure, Mrs. Bennett, sure.
Just sign this form, please.
SIDLE: Every time we go to find these girls they're somewhere else. You sure you got that address? The desk clerk was talking very quickly. They talk faster at the sports book. What? In the old days. Oh. You think we're dressed for a wedding? Yeah, not my wedding. ( beeper beeping ) What? Lynn Henry's SART exam's in.
She lied to us. At this point, I think all those girls are lying to us. All right, let's call Homicide tell them to meet us there.
Let's put this to bed before the honeymoon.
( tires screech )
Sorry, Elvis, the wedding party has to leave the building.
( whispers ) What? Oh, my God. ( whispers ) What? Oh, my God. What's going on? All three of you ladies are coming in for questioning in the murder of Darren Pyne. Murder? Is this a joke? The clock's going to explain it all, believe me. LUKE: The, the clock? What, what clock?
Hey! Hi. Where you going? I'm leaving. Town? Don't worry, I was able to isolate some soft tissue from the preserved vertebrae. Nick's working on it now. Well, I'm going to go check that out. Teri... you rule. Thanks, Catherine. Well... have a safe trip. Yeah.
I-I need to apologize for not returning your call last month.
Teri, I admire your dedication to your work. Um, dedication to my work didn't keep me from returning your call. Oh.
It, it was nothing. I-I-I just called to see how you were doing.
Um... well... Are you still interested in how I'm doing?
Of course.
So... what's next? Mutilation in the Everglades. Maybe it was just an alligator. Yeah. And if it's not, I'll be filing for a change of address again.
Anyway... I got to go.
Do you have to go? I mean... couldn't you take a later flight? More bones?
Have dinner with me later.
I think the bodies will keep.
See the tissue? I do. There's no evidence of blood. Yeah. Tells us blood was not pumping through Mel Bennett's veins when he was cut up. Which means he was already dead. Yeah. So, what does that leave us? A spectrum of possibilities.
The universe. Leaves me with a Black Widow.
We want to thank the crime lab for discovering that Mrs. Bennett's husband was dead when she disassembled him. WILLOWS: Disassembled him? So she admits to taking an electric saw to her husband? After he was dead, yes. As you know, in Nevada, there's no law against cutting up a dead body. There's no law saying it's okay, either. Does your client care to tell us how her husband came to be dead? Well, she has no idea. She came home from the grocer's went into the bathroom and there he was in the tub, deceased.
No. I-I want to explain.
Briefly, Mrs. Bennett.
( sighs ) I couldn't afford the burial. So I-I got the saw... and I cut him into manageable pieces.
Manageable? Mmm.
You made it easier to transport his body? Yeah. To Mount Charleston.
( door opens ) I called that whistle-blower's line at the local Treasury office. You know, the one that handles social security fraud? They were happy to help.
Well, Mrs. Bennett... can you afford the burial now?
What are you talking about? It's her husband's social security checks from the last two years. BRASS: The signature's the same till seven months ago. Q.D. matched the lady's writing. Mrs. Bennett, you've been cashing your dearly departed's checks, haven't you?
And that's fraud.
It's also a motive. FINN: If you want to alert the Government about some forged social security checks, be my guest. But there's no murder here.
We're done. Excuse me.
WILLOWS: Typical Vegas wife-- offs her old man for the money and there's nothing we can do about it. We have to go back to the body. Right. There's always a clue except we don't have a body. We have bones.
I'll take it to Greg. Skeletal muscle of Mel Bennett. It goes in... Contents come out. In 30 seconds-- Bioassay. I like saying that word. Bioassay. Sounds Nubian. So how are you? Never better. Yeah? Well, you look good. I try. Yeah. I heard Grissom's lady friend was in town. Lady friend? Hmm. Wouldn't know anything about that. Really? I thought you and Grissom were tight. We are. ( machine noise ) Okay. Got it. Private.
Huh. Digoxin. Digoxin? It's supposed to treat heart failure but not if you're taking the amount found in Mel Bennett's bones. She poisoned him.
Someone did.
We know your husband had an overdose in his system.
We found it in his bone tissue.
WILLOWS: Did you kill him for his pension checks? Don't answer that question. It's okay. Mel took those pills himself.
He asked me to leave the house so he could do it. So, now it's suicide. He was dying from the heart trouble. He was in chronic pain. He asked me to get it over with. I couldn't. I loved him.
This is the part that I'm having a hard time with. You were able to cut him up when you realized you couldn't afford the burial. I lied about why. Mrs. Bennett, don't... No. Let me talk. Mel made me promise to hide his body so I wouldn't lose his social security benefits. Because a wife's benefits are cut in half when the husband dies. Yes. Even if you've spent 50 years by his side-- packing his lunch pressing his work pants. Mel was my whole life. I didn't kill him. I couldn't even put him out of his misery.
So what do you think, Jim? I don't know. You're the lab guys. What is the evidence telling you? Forensically, we can't prove if Mel took the digoxin overdose or if she forced it on him. So that leaves us with one choice. Equivocal evidence. Golden rule. Ah. Well, "When faced with evidence "that can equally exonerate or implicate a suspect, we must "as objective interpreters of that evidence... side with the defendant." Tie goes to the brother. Rose goes free. We'll never prove who administered the fatal dose. I don't think she did it. Okay, then. I guess I'm out of here. I'll go start my paperwork. See you. Okay, so, I was wrong. It wasn't murder. It's not a contest. You want to go in with me? Give her the good news? Could you do it? I'm sort of late for a dinner. Sure. Thanks.
So, ladies of the wedding party, you get a free course in the forensics of sexual intercourse. Secrets of our trade. Lynn, when you had your exam for sexual assault a SART nurse makes a chart like this.
This is the vagina.
And it does tell a monologue. Some bruising is normal when sex occurs. Injuries at 11... 12, or 1:00, indicate consensual sex or what we would call "avid." Injuries around the dinner hour... Five, six, or seven, indicate forced entry. The woman hasn't done anything to help her partner thus sustaining serious bruising. Sidle, I'm going to be just outside the door. Okay, O'Riley.
Lynn... Your exam showed no evidence of sex in the last 48 hours. Actually, in months.
( snickers ) But the epithelials indicate that Darren had sex right before he died. And the coroner puts time of death when you've all admitted to being present. So... Meg?
Joyce?
Look, we can run the clock exam on each of you. And the clock is going to tell us what happened.
So who wants to go first?
I had sex with Darren.
And it wasn't rape. MEG: Darren had been flirting with me all night and when it was time to leave I told the other girls to wait in the car. I know it's crazy but I thought... I'm in Vegas. It doesn't really count.
And... Then I don't know what happened. I saw my engagement ring. Then I-I thought about Luke and how he trusts me. I don't think this is right. Oh, you like it a little rough. I tried to push Darren of me... Okay. We can do that. But I-I don't think it got through. He wouldn't stop.
As soon as I hit him with the lamp, I knew. WARRICK: So you only hit him once? Mm-hmm.
I didn't mean to kill him. Meg, your engagement ring... Is that a cubic zirconia? No, it's a real diamond. My fiancé wanted me to have the best.
Does your fiancé have a zirconia ring? Zirconia studded.
It's a promise ring. He told me to save my money... for our honeymoon.
Damaged? No, my ring is fine. May we see it?
You were in that motel room that night, weren't you, Luke? I don't know what you're talking about. What happened? You got wind of the party?
( groans ): I don't know where she is. Let her go! Your husband told me you were here. Now tell me where she is. Let go of me. Just give me the room number. Tell me where she is. Bruised up Lynn's wrists.
Meg, you did have sex with Darren the dancer. Maybe you even tried to stop in the middle of it. But something got your attention. I don't think this is right. MEG: Oh, my God! Luke. ( glass breaking ) Luke, you threw the lamp-- probably on the floor. Understandable rage.
You did what any guy in your position would do. ( screaming ) But you didn't stop with one hit.
And you didn't know that you had lost a piece of your ring.
Except we found it.
Honey, I'm sorry.
We just... We just were hoping we could get married. Put it all behind us.
Laws don't end when you come to Vegas.
( laughing ) I'm surprised. I'm having a nice time. Were you expecting a bad time? No. I just thought we might be uncomfortable away from work. Are you?
No.
Nor am I. Good. It's kind of like that old saying. "How a person does one thing is... ...how a person does everything." Exactly.
( beeping ) Excuse me. Sure.
What's going on? ( sighs ) They found two bodies in a crack den at the end of the strip. Evidently, they've been dead a while. They need me to do an insect analysis ASAP. Oh.
Well... you are the bug guy. Yeah.
But I asked you to postpone your flight. It's okay. It happens.
Maybe I can... ( phone ringing ) I'm sorry.
Yeah. Grissom. All right, look... make sure the paramedics don't leave and have the primary on the scene take photographs of the corpses at two minute intervals until I arrive. All right?
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