Oh... Honey, here. Take this.
Not again. We are buying that alarm system. No argument from me. I'm serious.
They got the cash. Why did they have to be such a mess? Oh, my God... What? What's wrong? Call 911.
Introductions? Joseph Felton, 44. Not an employee; no reason to be here. Mind if he and I have a moment together? No.
Burn marks? Unusual way to penetrate a safe. Hmm... How much was taken? 300 and something, small bills. GRISSOM: Multiple contusions to the back of the skull. Might've been taken by surprise. Robbery interruptus? Yeah, I think our robbery suspect is a homicide victim. One way to beat the rap. Captioning sponsored by PARAMOUNT PICTURES
♪ 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... ♪ Come on, tell me who are you, you, you ♪ ♪ Oh, you!
This is an easy one. The guy from the pottery store has got three hits to the head. Trauma to the brain stem was fatal. Death was instantaneous. Can you tell us anything about the murder weapon? Nothing definitive. But I swabbed the points of impact. Slide's under the microscope.
STOKES: Yellow looks like transfer from the murder weapon but what's with the glitter? ROBBINS: Unidentified mineral. I sent a sample to Trace for analysis. Hey, Doc, you have a comb?
Your hair looks great, Cath. Gee, thanks, Nick. Guy's still dirty. They don't get a bath till evidence is collected. That's what I'm doing although I don't think this is dirt.
He's covered in spores.
I think these are from a fern. Well, the back entrance was overgrown with them.
A fern plant deposits billions of spores in its lifetime. Most are just dust in the wind. In our case they're evidence. As good as fingerprints or fibers in placing a suspect at a crime scene.
Hey, you forget about the coroner? Melissa Marlowe. Excuse me? You lifted 38 prints from the pottery store. I scanned them through AFIS. One came back. Melissa Marlowe. Why do I know that name? Kidnapping-- Colorado-- 21 years ago... the little girl. Oh, that Melissa Marlowe. Wasn't she presumed dead? Well, not anymore. On the left is Melissa Marlowe's print, age four-- preschool fingerprinting initiative. On the right is a print that you lifted from the crime scene. I don't see a match. Neither did I but since fingerprints are set for life during the fourth month of fetal development I looked beyond the size differential. Now, both prints are ulnar loops. Bifurcation, recurve and ridge endings are identical.
I've aligned the prints along the delta.
WILLOWS: You've got a perfect match. Wait. Is she a suspect in the homicide? No. Her print wasn't fresh. There was dust on it. Has to be a few weeks old. I think we have two separate cases. So I'm going to take the new lead in the old kidnapping case. And Nick and I will cover the homicide.
SIDLE: Nadine Winston falls asleep in that chair and incinerates. We can make history. Oh, come on, now. Don't tell me you believe in that BS. No. Of course not.
I'm a scientist. I just... She has been reduced to ashes.
Come on, Sara. Spontaneous human combustion is science fiction. I know. There's no such thing as a human torch.
What if it is real, and we've uncovered it? Sara, this is a crime scene. Stay with me here, okay? Don't lose it. I'm not. I'm just open to all theories.
What's that?
Looks like cotton fiber... possibly from a nightgown. It's barely scorched. Weird. It's like the body burned, but... the clothing was fire retardant.
BROWN: Wow. Check that out.
Fire practically burned a hole in the roof but it's isolated in one spot. It's like the fire created a chimney for itself. The victim-- she live alone? Husband's already at the station. I am telling you, I have no idea what happened to my wife. Were you having marital problems? No. We were like newlyweds. O'RILEY: If I understand you correctly you went to bed. Nadine fell asleep in the easy chair. Ten hours later, you woke up, walked into the living room and she was a pile of ash. A human torch. Yeah, right. You say you were like newlyweds? Yeah. But the two of you weren't sleeping in the same bed. Good question.
She snored. It was a problem.
A small one. Mr. Winston... do you know how to use a blowtorch? Another good question. Look, I came down to this station on my own. If I can be helpful, let me know!
( door slamming ) So do you still think it's spontaneous combustion? Theories give way to conclusions once all the evidence is in. I am merely thinking about the next piece of evidence. Yeah. Hey, Nicky, you paged me? Yeah. Yeah, Jim, hi. I took these photos at the crime scene. Safe was cracked with a plasma lance. Okay, I'll bite. It's a high-powered electric blaster. It could cut through that hard plate with extreme precision. It's not common, but effective. Crime scene photo from a robbery case in '99. Joseph Felton our dead guy, was arrested but granted immunity in exchange for his testimony against his partner, Darin Hanson who used a plasma lance to crack that safe. Darin Hanson was released from prison last month.
His last known address-- Vegas. I see where you're going. So Hanson gets out of jail, hooks up with our dead guy. Yeah, they hook it up... break through the rear entrance of the pottery store Hanson lances the safe... Once the safe is cracked, Hanson steps back allowing Felton to collect the cash. With Felton's attention diverted Hanson seizes the moment... kills him. Revenge for testifying against him and putting him in prison. That's not bad.
Any chance you guys found the murder weapon? No, no... but I think we know who to ask. I haven't seen Joseph Felton since the trial two years ago. So it's a coincidence that he was killed shortly after you were released from prison. Yeah. Guy put me in jail. I had no reason to see him again. He put you in the "Gray Bar"? Sounds like motive to me. BRASS: Darin... you and Felton, you go back, huh? Mm-hmm. Knew the guy 15 years. My folks lived across the street from him. We'd barbecue together with his wife and daughter. He must have really pissed you off when he turned on you. STOKES: The transcript from your trial says that you used a plasma lance in that '99 burglary, and there it is again, Darin. Joe was the lance guy. He taught me how to break into safes. That's why the M.O.'s the same. BRASS: Where were you this morning early a.m.? I was in Barstow all week. Just got back this afternoon. Okay... here you go... receipts from the trip. Go ahead.
WILLOWS: Looks authentic. Cactus Pine Cafe, Barstow, noon today.
We can't hold him.
WOMAN: 21 years ago, the chief of police sat in our living room and told us our daughter was dead. After all this time, she's in Vegas? That's a hundred miles from our home. Well, we still don't know where she is. Her prints in the pottery store tell us that she was here possibly a few weeks ago, but Vegas is a tourist town. But you know she's alive. I'm still not sure we can find her. She's our only child. We never gave up hope. We're not giving up now. MILLER: Excuse me. Teri... come in. Hi. Teri Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Marlowe. Hello. Hi. Teri is a forensic artist. I called her to help us. Did you bring the photographs of Melissa? Yes, but I don't see how they can help. In some of those, she's just an infant. It doesn't matter. Do you remember her eyes? I could never forget. As we age, our eyes don't change. That's where we'll start. Using computer software Teri can age Melissa's picture so that we can determine what she looks like today at age 25. Then we send it off to every law enforcement agency in the state. It's been so long. Tell us the truth. What are our chances? Well, 21 years ago, they told you that your daughter was dead. Now we're moving in the right direction.
Where did you find him? At a pottery store on Stansberry Street.
Tammy, we've already I.D.'d your father. If you don't want to see him, I'd understand. No. I want to say good-bye. Well, don't be surprised by some swelling and discoloration.
You have any other family? No.
I can put you in touch with a counselor if you need to talk. No, thank you.
Is there anything you need?
Tammy... were you at the pottery store with your father?
What are you talking about?
WILLOWS: There's some plant spores on your sweater.
We found them on your father, too and matched them to some ferns behind the pottery store. I don't understand.
What are you doing? I'm taking these spores into evidence. They place you at the crime scene.
Is there anything you want to tell me?
Okay, I was there.
Dad!
Dad, don't do this. I'll get a job. We don't need the money. Tammy, go home.
And I don't know what happened after that. Why didn't you just tell me that? I wanted to preserve the good memories not remember my dad as a thief. I didn't kill him. I loved him.
I need a release from your office... so I can bury my father.
Okay, tell me everything you can about this foot. Where's the rest of the body? Incinerated. Lab results from the ashes came back negative for accelerant. Nothing flammable but sebaceous glutamate. Human fat. Well... I can tell you that the malleolus-- the ankle bone-- is completely hollowed out. Bone marrow was reduced to ash. Which means that the foot was burned off the body, not severed. That's consistent with your theory of spontaneous combustion. How do you know about Sara's theory? Word gets around. No. You're just siding with Sara 'cause you got a crush on her. No, that's why I wore a clean coat. I'm just reporting my observations. If the foot had been severed, the marrow would still be intact. So your official "observation" is spontaneous combustion? Not yet. I want to send a scraping down to toxicology.
Excuse me. I want to check for any flammable compounds in the blood. Don't expect much. The quality of the sample may have been compromised by the heat. I'm going to go talk to Grissom-- see what he thinks. No, no. We're a team. The only place we're going is back down to that crime scene. Okay, software's loaded. It's preprogrammed with developmental averages? Exactly. Aging is about predictable craniofacial growth. Faces grow down and out. So the first step is to stretch the bottom half of the face.
You try. Go ahead.
No, no.
Maybe you should drive. Good idea.
Here we go. So, at age four, the bridge of the nose is taking shape and the interorbital distance is established. And baby teeth are visible. I have a question. Okay. Since I screwed up our last date will we ever have dinner again? Oh, we'll have dinner... just not together. So the ears are low and large in proportion to the head. You know, I did apologize. And you're forgiven. So over the next ten years, the face elongates the skin thickens, the hair pattern is set and the small deciduous teeth are replaced by the secondary dentition. Once the face is aged I look to the mother to fill in the blanks.
Is that Mrs. Marlowe? Uh-huh. Most daughters at age 25 age quite similar to their mothers.
A network of grids allows me to fine-tune the tiniest facial characteristics one section at a time. I'm just softening a few edges, growing the hair... and we're done. Wow. Hello, Melissa. Am I interrupting? Not at all. You're just in time. GRISSOM: Catherine, say hello to Melissa Marlowe.
Oh, my God. What? That's Tammy Felton and we've already met.
Tammy Felton's our murder suspect? She was kidnapped 21 years ago and may have killed the man who raised her-- possibly the same man who kidnapped her. Whoa, wait. I thought her prints from the crime scene-- they weren't fresh. Yeah, well, she could've cased the place weeks ago and then remembered to wear gloves on the big night. So what's the word on the murder weapon? Well, the swab from the head wound's at Trace. And? I'm on it. You and I have an appointment with our shrink. Here. You twirl, I'll talk. My son has Little League in an hour. He's scared of the ball. You think this new bat's going to do the trick? ( chuckling ) Why don't you just talk with him?
Dr. Kane, this girl was kidnapped at age four. Would she have any recollection of her prior life? The theory of infantile amnesia suggests that we have no cognitive memory before the age of three but since Tammy-- or Melissa-- was taken from her biological parents at age four she may remember something of her former life. But these memories would be... tenuous? A sound or a smell might awaken some latent image or feeling but she'd have difficulty contextualizing these sensations. That's got to be frustrating. And it's precisely that frustration which dominates this woman's present state of mind. Kidnapped children at that age tend to exhibit some degree of sociopathy as adults. Such as? Inability to feel guilt, compassion or love, right? Correct. But the most defining characteristic is their instinct for survival. There's nothing that they won't do. Tammy Felton needs help. She may be a suspect, but she's also a victim. Cath, meet with her again. Ask open questions.
Thanks for your insights, Philip. I'll let you know how this unfolds. Gil... be careful. Sociopaths are dangerous because they don't function by the same... moral code as the rest of us. Welcome to my world. I checked with Homicide again. They found no evidence of foul play. What about the husband-- is he still a suspect? No motive. O'Riley spoke with friends and relatives. They were a loving couple. What about, uh... life insurance policies? No, and you're reaching. I'm not the one who's reaching here. We're scientists, right? We want answers, the satisfaction of certainty. I'm not ignoring scientific method. I'm just keeping an open mind. If we eliminate all the alternatives we're left with spontaneous combustion. That's exciting! That would be cool, but you've been jumping to that conclusion from minute one. She's a pile of ash. Well, I brought the ion detector. This will pick up even the smallest traces of hydrocarbon fumes. Great. I don't care what the lab says. This puppy will reveal exactly what accelerant was used to start the fire. ( clicking )
( clicking continues ) Well?
( clicking stops ) Nothing.
You know I love you. Yes... no, I love you more. No, I love you more. ( clears throat )
Bye, baby. Do you have the results on the swab yet? Uh... Uh... from the dead guy at the pottery store? The coroner sent over a sample. You were supposed to analyze the mineral content. Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Grissom has just been running me around like a lapdog. I haven't had a chance. Grissom's on a missing persons-- he hasn't sent you anything. Did I say Grissom? No, I meant Catherine. Oh, yeah. Catherine's working with me. Oh. Well, what do you say we check out that swab then, huh? Great. ( laughing ) Don't you ever goof off, huh? Do you ever get a little lost in life? No. Well, you should.
Okay... STOKES: Do you see the sparkly bits? Fluorescent minerals. Interesting. Here, do me a favor, will you? Put your nose down the scope. And, when you see the sparkling bits glow give a shout.
Okay, ready? Yeah, ready.
Lead. Zinc.
Lithium. Anything? Nothing yet.
Manganese.
Petroleum. All right, how about this? Whoa, whoa, whoa... Stop.
It's uranium. Are you serious? Simple quantum mechanics. When the molecule is bombarded with energy at a specific level the electrons excite, causing the mineral to glow. And, at this wavelength, it's definitely uranium. Which is radioactive. Do we need to evacuate the building or anything? The amount is trace. We should be fine. You sure? No.
But I can tell you one thing for sure-- there is definitely uranium on your murder weapon.
I hear that, uh Greg found uranium on the swab from Felton's skull. Yeah. He says I'm okay, but you know Greg. Tell me, am I radiating a green glow? You'll be fine, Silkwood. What's uranium doing on a murder weapon anyway? Well, before Peter Parker was bit by that radioactive spider and became Spider-Man back in the '50s oxidized uranium flecks were used as color enhancers. Color enhancers? Like paint? Paints, dyes, glazes... Since our guy was killed in a pottery store... Say no more.
( clicking )
You got to be kidding me. You found Melissa? Yes. When can we see her? It's not quite that simple. What do you mean? Well, I don't want to be evasive. It's just that, uh... we suspect she might have committed a crime. What kind of crime? A homicide. This can't be happening. Mr. Grissom, we want to see our daughter-- now.
Tell me about your mother. What's she got to do with this? Tammy, if you've got nothing to hide and you want me to find out who killed your father why don't you just answer my questions? Mara, my mother... died a few years ago. I can let you see her, but I can't allow you to talk to her-- not right now-- and not under these circumstances.
WILLOWS: Do you have any siblings? Only child. How was your childhood? Were you a happy child? Did you have any friends? Look, I don't see how these questions are going to help you. May I go? Sure.
( door slams ) Melissa... Melissa! Excuse me? It's Mom... Baby... Lady... I'm not your daughter.
Who is she? Her name? Who is she now? Tammy-- Tammy Felton. Oh, my God. What? Mara Felton was our baby-sitter. The police questioned Mara when Melissa disappeared. Tammy referred to her mother as Mara, now deceased. I am her mother. Of course. I didn't mean... We need a lawyer. Why would you need a lawyer? Not for us; for our daughter.
What were you thinking? I don't know. I wanted to observe them, I guess. That woman hasn't seen her daughter in 21 years. You actually thought a glass wall would keep them apart? I never thought about that. I know. You're not good with people. Yeah.
Interesting voice mail you left me. What's that? "Meet me behind CSI and bring a cotton nightgown." I'd wear it for you but, uh, I prefer pajamas. Really? It was actually for my girlfriend here-- Miss Piggy. We're experimenting on a pig again? Yeah. You know, I-I-I haven't eaten meat since Grissom used one to estimate postmortem insect growth. Well, I tried for human volunteers, but no takers. What are you going to do, exactly? What are we going to do? We're disproving the existence of spontaneous human combustion. You do not give up. Well, we're recreating the death of Nadine Winston, right? She was wearing a cotton nightgown-- thank you-- and she had a half a pack of smokes on her end table, which means she was probably smoking. If she burned herself with a cigarette she would've woken up, not burned up. Best part: toxicology sample came back. Nadine had a high concentration of Seconal in her blood. Sleeping pills. Enough to knock out a horse.
All right.
Care for a light?
Now what? We wait.
WILLOWS: Hi, Tammy. We just, uh, want to look around. We have a warrant. A warrant for what? Any evidence relating to the murder of your father. Tammy, could you step outside? This officer will keep you company.
Thanks.
( clears throat ) What? I should get a finder's fee.
Here. One for each of you.
Yellow paint. Shall we test for uranium?
I need a darkroom.
Now, if uranium is present the photons should react with the film.
Okay, I'm exposing it... Well, that's affirmative for uranium. Nicely done, Nick. Thanks.
Miss, have you ever worn these gloves? No. They belonged to my mother.
Really? Well, we'll see.
Tammy, I need your right index finger.
It's a perfect match.
Joe lanced the safe. Once the safe was cracked you seized the moment and bashed his head in-- three blows.
Nick, call Brass. Tell him it's time to make an arrest. Done. You're making a mistake. I didn't kill my father.
We weren't alone. I'm sorry, but there's no evidence to indicate that there was a third person present at the crime scene. Who else was there? I tried to stop her, I swear. Tammy... Who was with you?
Melissa Marlowe.
But that bitch wouldn't listen. So we're looking at a split personality? Quite possible. Two personalities in one. Is there any scientific evidence that supports this disorder? Brain scans have documented changes in the hippocampus of individuals shifting from one personality to another. But would these two personalities be aware of each other? Well, usually the dominant personality is aware of everything. The subjugated personality is only aware of itself. Tammy's the dominant personality. WILLOWS: But Melissa killed Joseph Felton-- Tammy's father. Who was also Melissa's kidnapper. BRASS: Revenge for a kidnapping 21 years after the fact? Well, it is possible. It may have taken that long for the subjugated personality to break free. BRASS: Maybe, uh, Miss Mirror-Has-Two-Faces is playing us for fools. We corner her with the evidence, she goes nuts sets the groundwork for an insanity plea. Forensic Psychology is a science. We have to stay open to all the possibilities. ( knocking ) Captain? Yeah? The girl's parents are here with her attorney. Well, this ought to be interesting.
Melissa... Lady, I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are. I'm not Melissa; I'm Tammy-- Tammy Felton. Tammy, my name is Randy Painter. I'm a defense attorney. The Marlowes have hired me to defend you. I didn't kill my father. Melissa, I don't know what you've been told but you're our daughter. You were taken from us. We've spent the last 21 years looking for you. My father was Joseph, my mother was Mara and they're both dead. Bail's been set at half a million dollars.
You looking at my necklace?
Your father bought this for me when you were born and you used to play with it.
We're not going to let you go to jail. Right? Right, Hank? Raising even ten percent won't be easy. ( sobbing ) Hank, she's not spending another night away from us. Whatever it takes. When are we due in court? The prelim's tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. Then I'd better hurry with bail.
I just got back to the lab, saw the smoke. What's up? We're just working the case. Yeah, we're disproving spontaneous human combustion. We dressed the pig up in a cotton dress and torched it with a cigarette. And what happened? The pig's been reduced to ash. The fat acted like candle wax; burned hot, slow and intense. Nothing spontaneous about it. You both knew that there would be a scientific explanation for the human torch, though, right? Of course.
Did you find the wick? The wick? The what? A piece of fabric that's scorched but not completely burned... like possibly from the nightgown.
We found the same thing at the crime scene. It's called the wick effect. It's like an inside-out candle. The fabric acts like a wick, and the body burns inward explaining the high temperatures which destroy the bone. The fabric ends up scorched, but not completely burned. You knew about the ashes? Why didn't you say something when you gave us the case? Well, in science we learn through experimentation, right? Sometimes we need to see it to believe it. You guys did a nice job. Now you have to clean it up.
Well, I would've looked like an idiot.
Thanks for covering. Well, you can show your appreciation by, uh, cleaning up.
Done. Thank you.
I got a call that Melissa wanted to see me. Thanks for coming. Am I speaking to Melissa... or Tammy? Melissa. I know who I am now... after spending time with my real parents. I'm not an attorney. There are no privileges here. Whatever you say... What are my chances... in court? The evidence is damaging. If I plead insanity...? You have a lawyer. Why are you asking me? You wanted to help me. When I I.D.'d Joe, you were kind.
I need you to testify that I was not sane at the time that I killed Joe. My lawyer says that would go a really long way with a jury. I'm not an expert. But it doesn't matter. You spent time with me. You could answer questions the right way.
I can't explain what happened in that room today but it's like... the only memories I have are of being a little kid. The last 21 years are blank-- like they never happened.
Then you shouldn't have any memories of me... Tammy.
There is no Melissa, is there? Get the hell out of here.
I'm gone.
( little girl voice ): Don't go!
Don't leave me here with her.
( normal voice ): Just practicing for court. Not bad, huh?
Guard.
Hey, come on. We're going to be late for the prelim. Tammy Felton's prelim has been postponed indefinitely. What? Why? She left town. Skipped bail. How much did the parents lose? Their house and their life savings.
It's over. Case closed. We move on. Right.
Brass, it's Catherine. I need a credit card purchase report on the Marlowes. The last 24 hours. Based on what? Based on the fact that the Marlowes are blind when it comes to their daughter and would do anything for her. We have no idea where she is. Look, you're here, she's not and we know that you helped her flee the jurisdiction. What? 22 bus tickets bought with your credit card to 22 different states? You made sure that we couldn't track her. Now, that's aiding and abetting the flight of a suspected felon. Wherever you think she is-- wherever you're planning on meeting her-- she's not there. She played you. Now, if you'll just tell us where she is, we won't file charges, right? Well, if she's apprehended, yes. Otherwise it's a felony. You're going to jail. Arrest us. Think about what you're doing. We know exactly what we're doing. Melissa's free. That's all that matters.
Frankie?
BRASS: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law... Am I late? Oh, you're worth waiting for.
You owe me one, Darin. Owe you? I'm the one that told you the truth about your father. And you knew exactly what I'd do about it.
Where to? Does it matter? Not in the least. Captioning sponsored by PARAMOUNT PICTURES our father.