WOMAN: So what do you think?
I mean, come on. I earned this vacation.
You ever been married?
When it's good, it's great. And when it's over, it's even better. Mm-hmm.
I'm telling you, the seven comes up every six rolls. I got a system. You know what the casinos say about guys with systems? What?
Welcome.
He doesn't know what he's talking about. Everything you need to know about craps is right in this book.
I was talking to Shirley-- she said the only way to make money in that town is slots.
( rock music playing )
I'm up $1,500. That's nice, dear. Oh, I found the pictures.
Look at this. ( gasps ) Oh, look at him.
He's just learning how to walk.
Here's another one with his sister. Oh, there it is.
You have a beautiful family. Thank you. We've been blessed. Yeah, we sure have been blessed.
Well, folks, we just hit Mountain Pass.
Means we're about 40 miles outside of Vegas.
Some of you are going to be driving back with me.
Some of you are going to be flying back with all the money you're going to win.
In any case, you just sit back, relax, we'll see if we can't get you there ahead of schedule.
Hey.
Want a nip?
No. I know my limits.
( tires squealing ) ( screaming )
( screaming continues )
( garbled radio transmission )
Everybody stand by.
Do not touch this car until every victim is off the bus.
I feel so useless.
It's still a rescue operation.
We're not running this show.
Yeah. Not yet.
They do their job,-- then we do ours.
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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!
Okay, you got him there? Yeah.
Mine are lined up right over there. Yeah. Let me get under.
All right. There we go.
WOMAN: Walter?
Where's my husband?
Walter!
Walter! ( crying ) All right, I want everybody thinking worst case scenario. The highway's finally ours.
Cones and pictures, skid marks, ice patches, loose asphalt-- anything and everything. BROWN: Got it.. It's a pretty wide area up there. Are we clear to call in for help? Every Las Vegas CSI is on their way here. Cadets?
Call them.
( sobbing ) You the only trauma doc?
That's right. Lucky me.
I personally black-tagged six. Excuse me.
My line of work, that's a bad night.
Yeah. Mine, too.
That the bus driver over there?
Big surprise. Only person on the bus wearing a seat-belt.
Only one on a tour bus required to wear one. Thank you.
Hey. Got here as soon as I could. What are you doing here, Greg? All hands on deck. That was the call, right? Crims on the scene. Crims with field training. Come on.
I'm capable.
He does no collection.
You're taking my notes.
You didn't bring a warmer jacket? No.
MAN: Listen, I'll, uh... I'll do anything that I can.
I just want to help. Please.
No, sir, just, uh, uh, stick around. I'll be right here. Thank you.
( siren wailing ) Hey. Uh... Larry Maddox.
Owns the bus company.
Got here quick. That should tell you something. Yeah, he coughed up the passenger manifest, including the driver, Martin Draper. 24 passengers, one PAL.
Parolee-at-large. Calvin McBride. Seat One-C. California State Pen, two years, aggravated assault. He was paroled last week. And already over state lines. It was news to his parole officer. I'm sure it was. You know, my guys are matching names to faces both here and at the hospital. McBride tops the list. I'm going to talk to Maddox.
Four-point sweep.
Let's roll.
Fire Department says the driver of the Camaro is dead. Yeah, I heard.
But I think I know why the bus pulled to the right. Now that is a serious blowout.
And the front left tire's still intact.
Newton's Third Law: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Tire to rim. Rim to axle.
Axle to suspension.
Suspension to frame. And the lower radius rod arm... which connects the axle to the frame.
Not anymore.
So, if the rod arm broke while he was driving... Driver tried to maintain control. Veered to the left.
But turning the wheel was probably going to make things worse. Putting pressure on the right front tire, causing it to blow. The bus then veers to the right and goes off the road. And we're back to Newton.
The theory's correct if the rod arm was the first action.
I'm going to see what's going on with that Camaro.
We're going to get you out of here, okay? Rescue!
Can you tell me your name?
MAN: Miss, you need to let him go.
Let's go on three. One, two, three, in.
( clanging ) ( doors shut ) This never happened to me before.
The wheel just sh... shook right out of my hands.
How long after your scheduled stop in Barstow?
We... we... we always stop in Barstow.
Uh... McDonald's. The, uh... train station one.
I understand that, Mr. Draper, but how long after that did the wheel start to shake on you?
Uh... I don't, uh... I don't know.
Sir, are you okay?
No.
We're behind schedule.
I got to get back to the bus. Hold on, hold on.
Wait a second, now.
Mr. Draper... Mr. Draper, have you had anything to drink tonight?
I'm going to do a preliminary field breath test. You keep an eye on Mr. Draper for me. Mr. Draper, you sit tight.
I, uh... I got to go. This won't take a minute. I understand. I understand. Hang tight.
The, uh... there's people... I understand.
I want you to take a deep breath.
I want you to blow into the end of this for me, okay?
( coughing ) I need a doctor over here.
Greg, get some help.
Greg!
Get some help!
STOKES: That's all right, man. Stop apologizing.
SANDERS: Oh, I feel bad. I just froze up. That's why we have field training, Greg.
No disrespect, but you're not qualified to be out here.
Guess I just wasn't expecting blood to look like that-- pre-collection-- so different. Yep.
I remember my first time in the field. CSI One. Green as could be.
Initial call was a robbery. I get there, triple homicide. Blood all over the place-- mother and two kids.
How do you deal?
You just do.
Okay, what's next?
Well, we're missing a passenger. The only one unaccounted for is an ex-con named Calvin McBride.
According to Brass, he wasn't admitted to the hospital, and he's not in any of the body bags. What about the rest stop in Barstow? CHP and the Barstow PD are looking.
Anybody check the bus?
I'll find out.
Firefighters only look in the obvious spots.
Just out of curiosity, what are the unobvious spots?
For bodies? Yeah.
Walls, hot water heaters, stuffed in the box spring of a hotel room bed.
I found a head in a bucket of paint once.
I get the picture.
What do you see?
Well... McBride's not on the bus.
Grissom.
Cheap whiskey, broken bottle, brown paper bag.
You know, I never gave the bus driver a breath test.
Greg, bag this, take it to the lab, swab the rim for DNA.
You should be wearing gloves.
Sorry.
This guy was in 1-C.
Seat 1-C was the only seat with an unobstructed path through the windshield.
Where's the other half of this windshield?
STOKES: Laminated safety glass-- pops in, pops out.
Hello, Mr. McBride.
I'm afraid our ex-con just got the death penalty.
WILLOWS: He's one of the victims in the bus crash. He was in the Camaro.
He was driving the Camaro.
Excuse me. Ma'am, not now. Catherine Willows, with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. This will just take a second. Can you tell me your name?
Eric. Eric?
I just wanted to surprise her, that's all.
If I don't make it, please tell her I'm sorry.
Ma'am, this is the operating room. You need to leave.
I need the two front wheels, axle, suspension, all of it. The whole front undercarriage. You got it.
Excuse me, miss.
This is a crime scene. It's off limits. I know. I was, uh... I was on the bus.
Why are you here?
I don't... I don't know.
I'm sorry.
( sighs )
Shreds of rubber everywhere. Between the crash, and all the other interstate traffic, it might as well be the Indy 500. This stuff could be from any vehicle.
There's no doubt that this bus body-checked this K-Rail.
( tires squealing )
You got that "Sara" look.
You mean that "Grissom" look?
Second set of skid marks.
Camaro.
I got a theory.
Grissom said the suspension gave on the bus, right?
Broken rod arm.
Well, I'm thinking when that rod arm hit the pavement it made this great first impression here.
Okay, this is the bus.
The bus begins to slide right. Driver overcorrects.
Crosses the highway... slams into the K-Rail.
Meanwhile, the Camaro's holding steady in the right lane, heading straight for us.
Bus bounces off this K-Rail... back towards us.
Taking out anything in its path.
Bus crosses four lanes of traffic, and only takes out the car behind it?
Yeah. Someone upstairs was looking out big-time.
Hey, boss.
I had a feeling you were coming.
I ran the DNA on that whiskey bottle. You'll never guess. It's not the bus driver, but I do have an answer behind door number two. Seat number 1-C.
Calvin McBride. He's an ex-con. Found his DNA in CODIS.
Good, Greg.
Did you enjoy being in the field?
You heard about it, too?
What?
That I... messed up.
No.
Well, then I enjoyed it fine.
You're telling me this guy wasn't intoxicated? Not a drop of ethanol in his system-- not even from cough syrup.
He could barely put a sentence together. If he wasn't drunk, then what was he? My guess, hungry. Driver's medical eval taken just last month. Martin Draper, 40. Overweight. One of 15 million people in this country suffering from Type II diabetes.
On any medication? Primary course of treatment would have been exercise and weight loss to lower blood sugar. Doesn't look like he was hitting the gym.
But he was dieting. Crash dieting. Didn't find any food in his stomach. Means he hadn't eaten anything in at least six hours. An empty stomach invites hypoglycemia. Symptoms of which can mirror intoxication. And in extreme cases? Loss of consciousness and seizure.
Do I pass? Cum laude. Cause of death? Just what you'd expect. Massive injuries, internal bleeding. So it's not the driver.
We're looking at the bus.
Check this out.
A bolt?
Nice. I got 20 of them.
Well, this one's sheared.
It is, isn't it?
Bus company just faxed over a maintenance report.
Bus was in perfect working order. Serviced last week.
Does this look like it's in perfect working order?
Uh... no.
What did you get? Three-quarter inch bolt. It matches the bolt on the specs for this suspension system. The hex head says it's a grade eight.
Snapped in half? Bolts are graded according to their hardness. The higher the grade, the stronger the steel. STOKES: A grade eight bolt shouldn't snap like a toothpick. Did you do a Rockwell Hardness test? Yeah, I hit it with the Tru-Blue. It's not a grade eight. It's a grade five.
Often, when there's one... there's another one.
Bus company was using bogus bolts.
Inferior bolts would cause the suspension to give-- the bus veers off the road.
If the sheared bolts were the first action. No, the bolts snapped midway through the skid, after the bus hit the K-Rail.
Proof?
The gouge in the road.
Broken rod arm, maybe?
Okay. Driver hits the brakes, initiates the skid.
Why did he hit the brakes? Another vehicle. Nope. Only two sets of fresh skid marks on that stretch of highway.
And the Camaro's skid marks place it behind the bus. So I ask again-- why did he hit the brakes? ( chuckles ) Man, there could be a million reasons. Well, fortunately, we're just looking for one.
The kid in the Camaro didn't make it.
Eric Kevlin, 32. He was a resident at the UCLA Med Center. He was on his way to Vegas to surprise his girlfriend.
Only to end up pinned under a bus.
But he's rescued.
Given a second chance on life. And, uh... he signs this.
It's a pre-op DNR. BRASS: "Do not resuscitate"?
It doesn't make sense for a young person.
Why refuse CPR?
MAN: Our company has an excellent safety record. BROWN: Until last night. Look, you own an airline or a bus company-- any transport business-- accidents are inevitable. Criminal acts, however, are another matter. Wait a minute. I've got a family. Sometimes they ride my buses. I don't take a chance with their lives or anybody else's. I screen all my drivers. Zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol. I keep strict maintenance records. Vehicle inspection every 45 days as required by law. You're not going to find anything criminal here.
I believe this belongs to you.
Bolt, grade eight.
Sheared.
It doesn't happen. The front suspension was riddled with these.
We have more questions about the accident, but one thing we know-- the suspension didn't hold. I buy all my spare parts from reputable companies. We only care about the bolts. Brillway Bolt Company.
I just switched; they were low bid.
The consequences of saving a buck.
I think maybe it's time for another inspection.
I'll ground the fleet.
I get it, I get it, I get it. It's busy here in Barstow. But you do remember the bus? Yeah. I knew the driver-- Marty. Always fill him up on the return trip. I remember this one guy kept checking me out. Bought a lot of turkey jerky.
Oh, and this one couple was having a fight.
Did, uh... did they come off the bus?
I don't know.
But you do remember the bus? Of course.
Mojave Express. Always on time. Ten-minute rest stop, right back on the road.
Did you see a couple arguing?
No. But it was really busy.
Hey, Nick.
Making any progress?
Just this jacket so far.
Passenger seat. And you?
We checked Kevlin's property at the hospital.
There's no wallet.
Guy drives from L.A. four and a half hours-- I got an idea.
( grunts ) Hand me that, uh... crowbar there, please.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Bingo.
I always take mine out. Pain in the ass. Literally.
Yeah, that's him.
Yeah.
Nice-looking girl.
Wait.
I've seen her.
Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her. She was in the accident.
He said he wanted to surprise you.
He did.
In Barstow, at the rest stop.
It was supposed to be a girls' weekend.
Come back to L.A. with me.
No! This is my weekend. If this is going to work, I need my space. I don't want to lose you. Then go back home.
I saw him pull out.
Drive off.
Well, he didn't drive back to L.A.
I wish I hadn't yelled at him.
Is there any reason why Eric, in a medical crisis, would refuse resuscitation? What are you talking about?
He consented to lifesaving surgery, but... signed a DNR.
My God.
It's because he was a doctor.
He saw it every day.
People hooked up to machines, waiting to die.
He swore he wouldn't let anyone he loved go through that.
And, if his life was at stake, he wanted to make the hard decision so no one else would have to.
I thought I told you I'd page you with the results. I know. I want to wait.
Greg?
You're really good at what you do.
Sabotage.
Grissom.
I finally know the first action. What initiated the skid.
The right front tire started to come apart. When it blew, it left an indentation in the pavement.
I didn't see it. You and me both.
The treads from the right rear tire obscured it.
So, the driver overcorrects. But, since there's no more tire, all that force is displaced on the suspension system. The bolt snaps, the rod arm breaks and the bus broadsides the Camaro.
But why did the tire come apart in the first place?
I don't know. I do.
Chloroform. Inside the tire.
Newton's Third... with a twist.
Yeah, the front right tire was compromised. I found chloroform in the interior fragments of the rubber. Oh, that's original. What happened to slashing tires?
It wasn't vandalism. It was an act of premeditation. Why chloroform? Chloroform destroys the elasticity of the rubber. Sooner or later, the air pressure inside the tire causes it to explode. How much later? Well, that's what we're going to find out. We need a treadmill-- a big one. All right, to do what? Exercise a bus. Warrick, tell Larry Maddox it's in his best interest to lend us one of his.
Set it up in the empty police warehouse next door. Sara? Yeah, I'll be in Trace. They're going to love this.
Chloroform in the tire?
Yeah. Weird, huh? So, where are we?
Body count jumped to nine dead. Sabrina Wright, law student, 7-B. Pronounced an hour ago.
23 passengers, plus the driver.
WILLOWS: Whoever tampered with that tire was playing Russian roulette with people's lives. GRISSOM: Or maybe one of them was a target.
Hmm.... Gwen Murray, 1-B... was unemployed, but was clearing a bundle in alimony. Also got the Porsche and vacation home. Michael Goodman, 10-C, was picked up a couple of times by vice for making fake I.D.s. Ryan Hyde, a money manager, in 4-C, filed bankruptcy last year but carried a hefty life insurance policy. I mean, I could go on. Right.
You look hard enough, everybody's got a skeleton.
What was her skeleton?
Tracey Logan?
Seat 8-B.
Her boyfriend was Eric Kevlin, the Camaro driver. He was a doctor. He followed her from L.A. They had an argument in Barstow. He didn't want her in Vegas. First step to stopping her is stopping the bus.
And he has access to chloroform.
Chloroform can be picked up at any chemical supply store. Wait a minute. Eric Kevlin was a nervous boyfriend. He wasn't a criminal.
Still possible. Motive, access, opportunity.
His car should be towed in by now.
I'll check for residue.
So, who do you like?
The bus company.
Larry Maddox-- he talks a good game but, uh... he cheaped out on the supplies, and he's been way too helpful.
You busy? I got three minutes and... five seconds.
Then I have a question for you. Bus case? Uh-huh. I heard Sanders broke out of here, fared poorly and disgraced us all. No, he didn't.
Listen, I... I found chloroform on the inside of a steel-belted radial, and I need to know how it got there.
You ever hear the expression, "pissing up a rope"?
Not in a scientific context, no. Well, I don't know if you can urinate up a rope, but you can urinate against a rope and the urine will dribble down. Answer your question?
Yep.
You know we need to document this for The Journal of Forensic Science, right?
Is this the twin? Yeah, this is the rear trailing tire of the crash bus. It has the same maintenance record of the tire that blew. Chloroform, glass rod, valve core remover.... According to Vincent in Trace, it's like pissing down a rope. Gravity, huh?
Reattach the valve... reinflate the tire... ( air hissing )
...and you're done.
Minute, minute and a half tops.
Did you just see that?
Yeah.
You used your left hand to prop yourself up.
Perp could have done the same.
Yeah. I'm going to go dust that right rim. I'll see you guys.
Okay. "Drive," he said. Just the speed limit.
( motor whirring )
( computer beeping )
( cell phone ringing ) Warrick.
Hey.
Yeah, okay.
I'll be there in a minute.
Sara. She's at the print lab.
She needs me.
Checkmate.
Print off the rim matched a work card on file-- a Sean Nolan.
So, why are you paging me?
I pulled up his DMV records looking for an address. I found one. Not recent, but... he's got a Class B license with passenger endorsement.
WARRICK: Oh... so he can drive a vehicle with over ten passengers. I cross-checked his name with the employee roster from Mojave Express. Mm-hmm? He's a driver.
Well, I guess I'll grab a uniform and pay Mr. Maddox another visit.
Thanks.
Bus logged into Barstow at 8:03 p.m. Target would be two hours later. Well, if the tire was tampered with in Barstow, it should blow any minute.
If not, it was sabotaged in L.A. and we've got another two hours and 13 minutes.
Hello.
( sighs )
( explosion ) ( motor stops ) Cool.
Well, I guess it's Barstow.
Listen. I scanned Eric Kevlin's car and clothing with an ion detector. There was no chloroform. He was clean. And I got a hit off that print-- a Sean Nolan, employed by Mojave Express. Any chance he was in Barstow yesterday? Uh... his route is... Vegas-Grand Canyon, but I'll call Warrick. He's on his way to the bus company right now.
You know, if this guy Nolan worked for the bus company, his print on the wheel could be legit.
Well, I wish we had a "who," but at least we have a "where."
I have a zero tolerance policy. I found marijuana in Mr. Nolan's locker. He was out of here that afternoon. Well, we're still going to need those maintenance records.
Everything from fill-ups to tune-ups the last six months. Thank you.
There were security cameras behind the counter, but none of them were pointed out here. Five buses have pulled in in the last ten minutes. Not to mention all the private vehicles, truckers-- nothing's changed since I was here yesterday.
Forget about getting a usable print off that air hose. BRASS: Yeah, a guy putting air in a tire at a rest stop does not draw attention.
( cell phone rings ) Grissom.
Sean Nolan was fired two months ago. Maddox says he's working in Barstow and, since then, three of Maddox's buses had blowouts. They all went through Barstow.
Did you check their maintenance records?
Yeah. Only last night's bus had been serviced since Maddox changed suppliers. Way to go, Warrick. I owe you. Yeah, you do.
See you.
We got a suspect. Sean Nolan.
That's him. That's our boy.
BRASS: Sean Nolan?
Can I help you? Yeah. There was a bus crash up the road. About nine people died.
Yeah. It's all over the news.
I already talked to him. I forgot what you told me. There wasn't much to tell.
Your prints were on the bus.
Not following you.
Front right wheel hub.
I work here.
Julius Caesar, murdered in 44 B.C. Legend has it that the molecules from his last breath spread all over the world. Probably like your fingerprints, right? They're everywhere.
Uh... Mr. Nolan, have you handled any chloroform lately?
No.
You mind?
( slow beeping ) What are you doing?
Would you turn around, please?
GRISSOM: Whoa.
Is that a pickle in your pocket, or you just happy to see us?
Just wanted to stick it to him.
Give him a few problems.
Maddox?
Yeah.
I smoke one joint on the weekend... my time. Now I got a jacket as a junkie.
Can't get a job driving a bus to save my life.
So, you figured, "I'll just blow a couple of his tires."
Even if a tire blows, the suspension system should keep the bus on the road.
I been driving buses for ten years.
I've never seen a flat take out a bus.
Well, there's always a first time.
You're under arrest.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone, okay?
Well, I'd hate to be a juror in a case like this. Second-degree murder.
Reckless disregard for safety and human life, mitigated by bad bolts. Yeah, which was mitigated by greed.
MAN: Well, folks, we're about two hours and 45 minutes from Vegas, so sit back, relax, I'll see if I can get you there ahead of schedule.
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