♪ Woke up this morning with a head full of snow ♪ ♪ Was it a dream? ♪ ♪ Picked up me body ♪ ♪ For the ride of a lifetime... ♪ Oh! All the way across. Did you see that? Oh! That's it. Let's see it. Come on. Bust it, bro. Relax, man, I'm going! You've got it. Don't puss out on me! Oh!
Oh! Sick! Yeah. Yeah, I thought for sure you were going to eat it, though. No way, man. I had that thing hooked up. Oh, hooked up? You got lucky, man. Lucky? Come on. ( distant thud ) ( wind whipping ) ( thud ) Ugh!
Oh, my God! ( garbled radio transmission )
We beat Grissom here? That's a first. Yeah? Maybe for you. Hey, how you doing?
The jumper's a John Doe. No wallet, no keys, no ID. Well, that's the least of this guy's problems. BRASS: The building's got to be what, uh... six stories high? BROWN: Six stories, 60 stories. It's not how you fall, it's how you land. STOKES: You know, if you landed headfirst, there should be more blood. Yeah, and more brain matter. GRISSOM: He didn't jump. ( beep ) Up here.
It's never the fall that kills you.
♪ 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 ♪ ♪ Are you? ♪
Rain or not, I'm not finding any shoe prints. High-velocity spatter usually implies a gunshot. No casings or bullets, either. Severe head trauma. It happened before the fall. STOKES: Sure looks like it. Hand to hand combat? Kill and dump. ( grunting )
Hey. Hey. I think the prints are out. Bones burst right through the skin. Compound fracture of the long bones including the phalanges. Extensive laceration. What about dental?
Yeah. Might be enough to work with. You think? Hey, wait a minute. Look. You might have another option. Check out that artwork. Tattoo. You think you can stretch that out? Yeah, no problem.
( sighs ) Wallet was with the vic. Money, cards, IDs. Name's Roger Edmonds. Car's his, too.
WILLOWS: Single gunshot wound to the chest, through and through. Entry wound is massive.
Unburned gunpowder. He was shot at close range.
Car door... is closed... but not latched. Vic was in a hurry? To get in or get out? Good question. I don't see any bullet holes.
What's this? Ah, blood and hair. Maybe the vic got a piece of the perp. Waitress phoned it in.
Look, I got to get out of here, okay? My kid's with a sitter and it's not like this gig covers day care. Yeah, I know what that's like. I got a kid at home myself. So what, now we're, like, related? Ah, you know what, get it off your chest. It sucks. You're living for everybody but yourself. But you know what? You're still breathing.
So? So, I'm out here busing tables, and I hear voices. ( shouting ) It's nothing new around here. ( gunshot ) And it's like a bomb goes off. I mean... I thought I was deaf. Then what? And then one guy's on the ground and the other guy's taking off. And no, I didn't see his face. You see a license plate? No. Can you describe the vehicle?
It was a pickup.
With one of those cover things on the back, you know, a... Camper top. on the back, you know, a... Camper top. I know what it's called. Look, Roger was a regular, okay? Draft beer. Tonight, he's drinking J.D. straight up, six in an hour. If you ask me, he was looking for trouble.
I've been searching high and low for a blunt object. Crowbar, two-by-four, brick, something like that. Nothing. But I did find this crack pipe. ( voice grows fainter ): I'll get it back to the lab, see if I can get some prints off of it. This roof's not that accessible, you know? ( almost inaudible ): Besides, coming all the way up here to get high and low... ( inaudible ) Swab it, print it, bag it. See if you can find out who smoked it.
Okay.
Wow. .50-caliber. Yeah, you need a cannon to fire a hunk of lead that big. Feel like hunting for a bullet? Anything it might have hit, it would have ripped right through. Thing's probably still moving.
Leah.
Good to have you back on nights. I know. I hate days. I came to you for your expert opinion. Shoot. See what you can make of this.
Hmm. Use of only black and gray ink is known as fine-line. Not a "scratcher" job. You recognize this? Signed by the artist himself. Take a look.
WARRICK: II? In Roman numerals, two. As in "tattoo." Premier skin artist in Vegas. Also a PhD in psychology. He's a shrink? Mm-hmm. So he gets in your head and under your skin, huh? You're a gem. Thank you. I got a new one. Really? Check it out. Nice. The rose is still my favorite, though.
♪ You're feeling the hate ♪ ( whirring )
♪ You're feeling the hate... ♪ Is the doctor in? Yes, I am.
Hmm. Skin and ink, ink and skin-- one makes the other one live. You see, that's strength and that's superiority and that's ambition without limit. See, it's the chosen one. Hmm.
This is my book. All my victims.
His name was Jimmy Maurer.
STOKES: Was? What do you mean, that's not his name anymore? He died, didn't he? Well, his fate was inevitable. I simply gave it form. Strength, superiority and ambition, huh? Not exactly the characteristics of an angel. No, it's not an angel. It's Greek mythology. Icarus. He flew too close to the sun on wings of feathers and wax. And when the wax melted, he plunged to his death. Hubris. Is that what brought Jimmy down, as well? Hey, man, you tell us. How should I know?
Hey, Greggy, any luck on those blood and hair samples? Don't insult me. Luck is for those without skill. Mm, spoken like a man who's never hit a jackpot. Sad but true. Slot plot on the blood and hair... came back negative. Not human. They're animal. Hmm. You can take that with you if you want. Thanks, I will. And I spoke with Brass. That squirrelly tattoo artist had a record. For what? Drug conviction: crack cocaine. You got a print off of that pipe? Lab's working on it now. Hey, Doc. Hi, fellows. Cause of death-- any takers? Phew. Blunt force trauma. You know if he's asking we're not going to figure it out. Nicely played. It's suffocation. After I cleaned him up, I noticed bluish discolorations on his lips and on what's left of his nail beds.
Cyanosis? Body was starved for oxygen. Strangled, and then thrown off of the roof? Found no ligature marks on his neck, no petechial hemorrhaging. Hence, no forcible suffocation. Okay, not beaten to death, not strangled to death. But something bad went down on that roof. He left half his head up there, man. Uh, more like... uh... 25%. BROWN: Suffocation means he died with his brain still in his head. Yeah, but there's no evidence of anyone else at the scene. How do you suffocate alone on a rooftop? You don't. All right. High impact from a high altitude. ROBBINS: Well, above 15,000 feet, hypoxia can occur in minutes. He died in the sky. Yeah... and the rest is gravity.
You know, your vic was an interesting guy. He had no home address. Just post office boxes in California, Utah, Vegas. Guy have a car? Nissan XTerra. Cali tags and license, but he was all squared away. None of this explains how he dropped out of the sky. Well, the, uh, possibilities are limited. I mean, either he was pushed out of a plane or he stowed away in the landing gear, or, um... skydiving gone bad. Oh, none of that works. I talked to Air Traffic Control and they had no aircraft operating in that area at that time.
La Lluvia de Peces. What? The raining of fish. Occasionally, usually in the early spring in Yoro, Honduras, it rains, um... sardines. Sardines? That's funny. Really. I've seen it. I mean, the scientific explanation is-- this sounds like a Grissom thing-- is that they get sucked out of the ocean by these waterspouts that are like, you know, you know, tornadoes, and, uh, then... Look, the point is, Rick, they got to come from somewhere. They got to come from somewhere.
What the hell were you doing in Honduras?
Bobby. So, not a lot of guns chambered for 50 AE. Kind of narrows the field. Got AMT Auto Mag Five, LAR Grizzly... Desert Eagle? Yeah, how'd you know? I had O'Riley run the vic for registered firearms. It turns out that Roger Mitchel purchased a Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark-Seven three weeks ago. I know the gun. Idiot-big and shiny. Right, well, you know some men feel the need to compensate. Actually, a gun like that intimidates, makes a statement. Yes, it does. Beer drinker switches to bourbon. He's got himself a brand-new gun. He's just looking for a fight. Statement is, "Bring it on." So, full of liquid courage, You want to play, huh? You want to play? he hauls out the big iron. You want to play? he hauls out the big iron.
But a drunk is not hard to disarm. ( grunting ) ( gunshot ) Vic gets shot with his own weapon. And the perp walks away with the murder weapon. STOKES: According to Trace, the yellow dust on Jimmy Maurer's leg was Pinion Pine pollen. Say that three times fast. Pinion's a desert tree found in higher elevations 4,500 feet and up. BROWN: 4,500 feet... Mount Potosi. Yeah, it fits the bill. Mount Potosi. Yeah, it fits the bill. I think our vic was there before he died. That's on the ground. Let's get on the Net and figure out how he got into the air. Yeah, but look under what? Hot air balloons? There was nothing in the air. I mean, we can... ( typing ) Flying? You're a genius. Of course. Pinion Pine Pollen, Pinion Pine Pollen Pinion Pine Pollen. O'RILEY: That camper-top pickup was reported stolen. The R.O. is a Ned Bookman. Lives in Henderson. Well, that's three miles from here. That's walking distance. Gets better. Ned Bookman and our vic live on the same street. Ooh, neighbors.
Ignition block's intact.
No sign of forced entry.
Hey, do you smell something? Like what? Something... fruity. Thought that was your perfume. No. I never wear perfume at work. It dulls the sense of smell.
Aha.
Mulberries.
( tones sounding )
( lower tone sounding ) ( lower tone sounding ) ( higher tone sounding ) ( very low tone sounding )
( camera clicking ) STOKES: It's amazing how simple it is. Air fills the canopy and you're off. BROWN: Yeah, sounds like you want to go for a spin. Well, it looks like it might be a rush.
Paragliding's a two-piece system-- harness and canopy. Now, the canopies are fitted to you according to body weight, so if anyone has dropped a few for vanity, speak up now, please. No? Okay. You're going to want to look around. Take in the sights. Do it. Enjoy it. The best view in the world. But don't forget, we weren't born with wings. We had to make them. So respect the equipment, okay? All right, then. It's time to fly. Any last questions? Yeah. Yeah, I know Jimmy. The guy's got an attitude. Cocky. Might be able to handle his own in the air but I don't care for his style. What's his style? Well, he likes to grandstand. You know, this sport's about soaring. He's about showing off. Looks like it should be about having fun. Yeah, it's about having fun. But there's etiquette. I mean, a guy breezes in from nowhere, does things his own way... Ah, maybe the... walk back'll humble him a little. The walk back? When you fly you need thermals or upshots of air used for lift. I mean, on a good day, you can stay airborne for hours. How high do these thermals get? Well, you can take them as far as they take you. One time I was above 18,000 feet, when I came down I was about 35 miles from where I launched. Whoa. Yeah, the walk back. That's Jimmy's truck-- it's been there since yesterday. What kind of trouble is he in anyway? The worst kind. Thanks, Rick.
Aw, crap! Like we said, your truck's not here. So why didn't you report it stolen? Look, I got another car. I hardly ever use the pickup. I work nights. Anybody could've stolen it. You know, I mean... it could happen.
Hmm. Hide-a-key.
Empty. Anybody else know about this? Apparently. Now how well did you know the victim? Roger lived across the street. Didn't make us pals, just neighbors. WILLOWS: Looks like Roger's got a mulberry tree. So, Ned, we found mulberry branches in your pickup and there's a mulberry tree in your dead neighbor's yard. I'm starting to like you, Ned and not in the good way. Uh, F-F-Frank Kraft stole my truck. Uh... I mean, I mean he-he borrowed it. He-he... he borrows my stuff.
I don't mind. Let me guess, um, Frank Kraft lives in the blue house on the other side of the fence. He and Roger, uh... had problems. But you didn't hear it from me.
Please don't say anything.
This guy's got a surfboard for California and a snowboard for Utah.
And a paragliding canopy for Nevada.
Ripped to shreds.
It's mine now. I'll swab it for epithelials. If his canopy was ripped to shreds, what the hell was he flying with?
What's that? "Guess you can fly with anything. Find me when you get back-- T." What?
I'll check it out.
Jimmy once told me "Only a paraglider knows why the birds sing." ( chuckling ) That sounds like a line. It is. They all use it. Skydivers, hang gliders, pilots. On some girls it even works. Did it work on you? My art is an attempt to express what it feels like to fly and Jimmy was helping me feel that.
Jimmy's leg loops are unbuckled. How come? He never buckled them. Jimmy enjoyed showing people up. It wasn't enough for him to be a great flyer. He needed everyone to see that he was fearless. I know that didn't sit real well with Rick Weston.
When did you take this one? Yesterday. And is that the canopy Jimmy normally flew with? Mm-mmm. Where'd he get it? I don't know. He told me somebody messed with his rig, but that wasn't going to keep him out of the air. And who's he butting heads with here? Fred Dacks. Who's that? He's a good flyer. He's very competitive. And by the looks of things, he was pretty competitive with Jimmy. Always. You think that's going to give you the edge? I could fly with anything. Then show me some air, punk.
( clicking ) Is that Fred there in the yellow and white canopy? Jimmy followed his line. He went after him hard. Had to win at all costs. Expensive price to pay.
This guy Kraft has a dozen complaints filed against him by residents on the block. Property line disputes, petty theft, one assault. A regular Mr. Rogers. Yeah. Check this out. Creative parking? Something.
( knocking )
What do you want? Frank Kraft? So what? Detective O'Riley. Vegas P.D. This is Catherine Willows from the Crime Lab. We'd like to have a few words with you. Show me the badge.
WILLOWS: That's a hell of a bruise you've got on your chin, Mr. Kraft. How did you get that? I sent away for it. You want one of your own? ( chuckles lightly ) Recoil's a bitch, isn't it? ( gunshot, grunting ) Do you have a dog? Do you have a warrant? No, we're just talking here.
Nice fellow. BROWN: According to the manager, Fred Dacks has been working here for three years. Model employee, knows his gear. Hi. I'm looking for Fred Dacks. He's right over there. Thanks. You're welcome. Thanks. You're welcome. But guess who just got hired here a month ago? Uh, Jimmy Maurer? Yeah. Small world, huh? Yeah, I'll say. Fred Dacks? Yeah, what can I do for you? I'm Warrick Brown. This is Nick Stokes. We're from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We need to ask you a few questions about Jimmy Maurer. Jimmy. The guy was a punk. Other than paragliding and working here we had nothing in common. Except maybe that tattoo right there.
Yeah, only 'cause that fool bit it off me. This was a one-of-a-kind around here until he rolled in with his little birdman or whatever. You mean Icarus, right? Dude, whatever, it doesn't change a thing. The guy was a mouth. He threw shade all over the place. Really? Yeah. Funny, that's what we heard about you. Oh, is that right? From who? That artsy chick? He was sticking it to her. What did you think she was going to say? Plus, she was still pissed at me that I didn't take part in her little "masterpiece." That really doesn't concern me, Mr. Dacks. What I want to know is did you fly with Jimmy the day he died? Hell, no. I wouldn't fly with him. Dude can't match my skills. Nothing but a menace. BROWN: Try again. Your yellow canopy.
We know that's you, Fred. Oh, yeah. See? Oh, yeah, see? Tight line, leading edge to the wind. Carving it up. Must be me. ( driving rock music pounding)
I'm gone, baby!
Ow!
Whoo! Yeah! Yeah, yeah, I remember now, all right? Last time I saw Jimmy, he was still on the ground tugging on his junk. It wasn't his junk. It was someone else's. Well, then, why are you talking to me, man? 'Cause the only rig I got is my own. We done? Yeah, for now. Uh-huh.
Uh, you know what? I'll take this one.
WILLOWS: Let me guess. Citizen Ned doesn't want to get involved? Kraft scares the crap out of the guy. Well, I guess he doesn't want to be seen talking to us. Boiled down, basically he said Kraft and the vic had a pretty bad history. Yeah, that's becoming really clear. Check this out. Kraft was stealing cable from Edmonds. Edmonds cuts the line. Hate thy neighbor. Did Ned mention anything about Kraft's dog? Only that it was always chained up in the yard. And always barking.
( barking ) ( tires screeching ) I'm starting to think the victim may have taken care of that. What about the tire marks? Not enough detail-- we'd never get a match. We can't check Kraft's property out without a warrant. But... Oh, that won't get you a warrant, either.
You like jigsaw puzzles?
Epithelials on the slashed canopy match the ones on the sleeping bag drawstring. Fred Dacks, both places. Thank you and good night. ( exhales ) So Fred does a number on Jimmy's canopy to keep him from flying. He's threatened by the guy. It's to keep from getting shown up, you know. He needs to be the top dog, huh? Hmm. Yeah, that sounds like you. Who? You. SANDERS: That sounds like both of you. Now please, can you take this somewhere else? So... Jimmy gets a new canopy. Flies, dies. Comes down unattached. We got no canopy, we got no harness. If we want to find out what happened, we need to find that rig. Well, you're not going to find it here. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Have you taken your medication today? See ya.
125 hertz? Minus 30 decibels. It's a significant decline from your last visit. Yes, but most human speech is above 300 hertz. My midrange is still clear. If it were clear all the time, you wouldn't be here. I think it's time to consider something like... surgery. Think about it. Let me know.
BROWN: He took off here and he came down here, right? Yeah. Now, the canopy's designed to soar. Has to fall downwind of the body. And at 15,000 feet, wind was northeast at 22 miles per hour. Well, we get a little classical dynamics going on we can find this rig.
Search area is northeast Summerlin. Yeah, let's put out a broadcast.
STOKES: Patrol unit spotted it on a routine traffic stop. BROWN: Yeah, we lucked out. Phew. What have we got? Well... Bingo.
These leg loops are unbuckled. I guess there's no surprise there.
15,000 feet up, no helmet the only thing holding you in are two shoulder harnesses and a chest strap. Not the kind of rush you're looking for? Mm-mmm.
( rustling ) Check this out.
"Property of Potosi Glide Center." That makes two liars. Weston didn't tell us he gave Jimmy his replacement rig. 'Cause he knew how it would end up.
Jimmy never had a chance, man. No way. I wanted to see him get his ass kicked, not killed. Yeah, problem is he did get killed. Flying your canopy. I don't know how that happened. BROWN: Well, it seems the lines leading to the A-riser were cut.
Your rig, your responsibility.
This is your chance. I'd take it.
Fred said that, uh... he just wanted to teach Jimmy a lesson. Rick. Yeah? Jimmy's going to hit you up for a canopy. Why don't you give him something big and slow? Oh, I got that blue-green trainer. That ought to be fun. ( chuckles ): Perfect. Ten minutes later Jimmy shows up all hot. He asked, I gave, he took. Couldn't let Fred get the better of him. Look... Jimmy lacked discipline. He needed to be brought down a peg or two. You brought him all the way down.
Don't tell me. Rick pleaded ignorance. Right before he lawyered it up. Really? Yeah. Well, that guy's wasting his money. Take a look.
It's frayed. You're saying if he had cut it with a tool, it'd be clean. These lines are spun polymer. They're lightweight, but strong as hell covered in a plastic shell. Now, over time, that plastic coating wears down. Unprotected lines rub against one another weakening, fraying, until... snap! It's normal wear and tear, man. But Weston knew that that canopy was in bad shape. And we don't have any evidence to suggest that he sabotaged it. Do you remember a case about a year ago? Diablo Canyon? Oh, the victim of sudden weather that you thought was murdered. Yeah. You fool me once, shame on you. You fool me twice... shame on me.
( clears throat ) Can you help me out? Uh... depends. I can't get out into the field because I'm maxed out on overtime for the month. Ah, and you're confined to the lab, huh? Well, hey, look, it's regular hours. I mean, go have dinner with the boyfriend... Hank, right? And, and... go, go to a spa. Hank is not my boyfriend. And you know, those places are filled with bacteria.
Sara, I don't make the rules around here. You've got to talk to Grissom about that. Yeah... he's, um, he's not really in a talking mood. What makes you think he's going to talk to me?
Get some rest. I'm not tired. Really. I'm not tired.
♪ ♪
That's the cumulus cloud right there, right, formed by warm air rising? Thermals? Yeah. Yeah, the-the bigger the cloud, the more air that gets sucked in the stronger the thermal. And check out our boys, heading straight for it. Yep. He's probably getting the ride of his life.
( wind gusting )
WARRICK: He's rising fast. Air is getting thinner. 15,000 feet he passes out and suffocates. ( wind gusting ) ( gasping ) You catch a good thermal and you take it as far as it takes you-- dead or alive. ( wind gusting )
And to show Fred up, Jimmy had to fly higher. But he had an oxygen tank on his harness. Why didn't he use it? Good question.
The key word here: retaliation.
Roger Edmonds cuts the cable that you stole. He was stealing it himself. Of course he was. ( sighs ): So, then you... chop up his tree... ...borrow Ned's truck to dump the branches... I borrow Ned's stuff all the time. He doesn't mind. It's not important to him. It's no big deal... Shut up. This isn't about Ned. It's about Roger. So... while you're out dumping the branches Roger comes home, sees what you've done to his tree. Ups the ante. ( dog barking ) ( tires squeal ) ( barks ) You return home... find your dog... start looking for Roger.
Your dog look as bad as my tree? ( both grunting and muttering) That's my dog! Huh, you want some of this, pal, huh?! Come on! Come on! ( gunshot ) ( gasping )
Detective.
Desert Eagle.
Something else you... borrowed? He killed my dog.
Well, the gauge reads full. Yeah, I don't think it works, bro. There's only one way to find out.
Flowing fine. ( sighs ) An experienced flyer prepared for the altitude. There's no reason not to use his oxygen. ( scoffs ) Unless he didn't think he needed it.
Okay. Las Vegas is 2,030 feet above sea level. You got that thing plugged in yet?
There it is. Let's see what we've got.
30 feet. ( chuckles ) I, uh, I think we're off by a couple Gs.
I'll dust it. Jimmy's altimeter, your fingerprints... on the inside. That's cute. You should put it in a frame. So I fix gear for other flyers sometimes, big deal. WARRICK: Oh, you fixed it, all right. You decalibrated it. It was off by 2,000 feet.
In the air, you lose perspective. You have to trust your instruments. Jimmy didn't know how high he actually was.
Hey, I already told you, man, this dude was soft in the air. He could've turned back anytime. BRASS: But you knew he wouldn't. You set him up. WARRICK: Yeah... perfect sky, massive canopy, bitchin' thermals, dude, and a challenge he'd never refuse. You played him against himself.
You couldn't stand the fact that he was better than you. Hey, I called him out. He took me on. Bigger air, higher altitudes, push the limit, dude. That's why we fly. No, it's not why you fly. The truth is on your arm. Alecto... Megaera, Tisiphone-- the Three Furies. Unceasing anger, vengeance and jealousy. That's what you're about. Sorry, dude.
Hey, Cath. Hey. I heard you know your Greek mythology. I'm impressed. Never would've guessed. Yeah, I'm a mystery. Yes, you are. ( chuckles ) So, where's Nick? He bugged out early. Well, good work, you guys-- both of you.
Would you let him know? Thanks. Yeah, I will. I'll see you around. All right. Have a good morning. You, too.
Closed that murder I was working. A man's life for a dog's life for a mulberry tree. Sometimes I wonder if people are meant to live together. Well, you know what they say-- "Good fences make good neighbors." Then you'd make a great neighbor. Hmm. ( chuckles ) New case? Ongoing.
Oh... ...bugs. Mmm. Enjoy.
♪ ♪
(whoops)