06x05 - Gum Drops

[bunniefuu]

FADE IN.

[EXT. VARIOUS LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) -- NIGHT]

(Various dissolves of the camera pulling away from the city and into a small town.)

[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - NIGHT]

(Except for a couple of lights on, the house is dark and in a quiet neighborhood. The sound of crickets chirp over the whistling wind.)

(Dissolve to: Camera moves slowly up the front steps toward the front door. There's no sign of movement in the house.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They came to ... my house.

DISSOLVE TO:

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - FOYER - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They had a fight.

(In the foyer, we see the large puddle of blood and messy footprints on the floor and on the stairs. There are no bodies.)

FADE TO:

(Camera pans over the items on the desk in disarray.)

(It moves continuously over to the foyer table filled with framed photos of various smiling family members.)

(Camera moves over the photos and across the tossed room to the mantle with more framed photos of various smiling family members.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They couldn't find what they were looking for.

(Camera swings around and zooms over to the dining table with a plate of food on it and other items in disarray.)

(Camera lingers on more bloodied prints going from one room to another. The camera turns and goes back to the foyer. It lingers on the pool of blood near an abandoned red sneaker.)

(The camera moves up the stairs to the second floor bedroom. We see into the master bedroom. The camera turns and heads over to the little girl's room.)

(Inside, we find Nick standing at the foot of a little girl's heart-framed bed. He stares at the unmade bed. The window above it is open, the light breeze moving the wispy curtains.)

CUT TO:
[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - FRONT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]

(Sheriff Brackett stands near the front porch as an officer looks around the grounds.)

(Behind him, the door opens and Nick exits the house to join him.)

Nick: Sheriff? Who, uh ... who called it in?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Anonymous 911.

(Nick nods.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Listen, we haven't had a m*rder in all of Lincoln County in ten years, let alone a quadruple.

Nick: Without the bodies, I can't confirm there was a m*rder.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: No offense, Mr. Stokes, but did you see the amount of blood in that house? Somebody's dead.

Nick: What do you know about the family?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Jude McBride -- great guy, stay-at-home dad. Nina owns a local coffee shop. Jeremy's a junior in high school, smart kid. Ten-year-old daughter, Cassie. Pip-squeak.

Nick: Sounds like all that's missing is the white picket fence, huh?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Yeah. We don't even know where to start looking.

(The sheriff looks out at the group of officers combing through the grounds with their flashlights in the dark.)

Nick: Begin at the beginning.

WHITE FLASH TO: END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

---

FADE IN.

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE -- MORNING]

(Various dissolves of individual framed photos of a happy couple and smiling children. In the background, we see Nick.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I loved my family.

(Final photo is of Cassie McBride.)

(Nick is looking at a particular family photo - Jude McBride has his arm around his wife's shoulders in an easy manner, Jeremy stands next to Cassie making rabbit ears with his fingers on the back of her head. They're all smiling in an easy manner.)

(He continues to look around the room.)

CUT TO:
[EXT. ROAD - DAY]

(An SUV travels along the long road. Sara takes the exit to her right. She continues driving - over a bridge, through a small town.)

CUT TO:
[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - KITCHEN -- MORNING]

(Nick is in the kitchen leaning over the counter and looking at the coffee machine.)

(Sara walks in carrying two cups - one of coffee, one with tea. She notes the bloody prints on the floor. We hear the coffee machine perking.)

(She walks into the kitchen.)

Sara: Are we having a Taster's Choice moment?

(Nick turns and looks at her.)

Sara: Grissom called me from the airport. He's teaching a human remains recovery class at the body farm. He said you needed backup, and I figure you needed coffee, but ... looks like you already took care of it.

Nick: Oh, no. No, I didn't do it. Coffeemaker's programmed to go on Monday through Friday.

(The timer on the coffee maker reads 6:00.)

Sara: So, somebody cleaned up Friday's coffee and reset it to go off today?

(She looks around the kitchen and sees the place a mess. All the cupboards are open, the drawers are open and some things are on the floor.)

Nick: You'd have to be alive to do that.

Sara: Which means whatever happened here happened over the weekend.

Nick: Blood pools are dry, so, crime scene's at least 12 hours old.

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - FOYER -- MORNING]

(Nick leads Sara into the main hall.)

Nick: There were at least three major blood events -- Here ... here ... and up the stairs. Without the bodies, we'll have to confirm the source of the blood through DNA comparison.

Sara: I'll collect toothbrushes, hairbrushes ... you know, it's possible it wasn't the family that died here.

Nick: The sheriff confirmed the McBrides' cars are parked out front, and their cell phones, car keys, wallets are all right there.

(Sara turns and looks at the things on the hallway table.)

Sara: Can't get far without those.

Nick: Mm.

(Sara turns and looks around.)

Sara: It would also seem to eliminate robbery as a motive.

Nick: Yeah.

(Warrick and Greg walk into the house. Warrick takes it in.)

Warrick: (exhales) What a mess.

Greg: If you're not gonna clean it up ... why take the bodies?

Warrick: Yeah. Well, I'm gonna start upstairs.

(Warrick heads for the stairs.)

Greg: I'll take outside.

CUT TO:
[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE -- MORNING]

(Greg is on the outside of the house examining the window. He tries to open it, then takes several photos of it.)

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE -- MORNING]

(Dissolve to: Sara makes her way down the stairs carrying plastic bags with shoes in them. Nick is on the base of the stairs looking through a camera set up on a tripod. He takes several photos of one of the blood pools.)

(Dissolve to: Nick marks the shoe prints with colored circle stickers. He places a yellow sticker next to one of the shoe prints.)

(Several dissolves of Nick continuing to mark the shoe prints throughout the room.)

(Dissolve to: Near the outside doorway, Sara puts a measuring ruler down near a print. She notes it down in her log:
shoeprint size 11.5
multiple prints
shoeprint size 10.5 )

(Dissolve to: Nick swabs some blood on the stairs. He caps the swab tip and puts it in the box.)

(Dissolve to: Sara lifts the shoe print. She looks up and stands up.)

Sara: Based on their shoes, dad wore a nine-and-a-half, mom wore a nine. Jeremy wore an eight-and-a-half, and Cassie wore a one.

(Nick notes the size of the shoe print he's working on.)

Nick: There is that men's nine-and-a-half between blood pool number one and blood pool number two.

Sara: And the barefoot print on the stairs looks smaller.

Nick: Yeah, they're consistent with the mom, size nine. No matches to Jeremy or Cassie, though.

Sara: Let's just assume they were shot. Maybe they were shot first. There's no blood to step in if you're first.

(Quick flash of: Cassie opens the door and someone sh**t her. End of flash.)

Sara: Or mom could have grabbed Cassie up, try to take her away from it all.

(Quick flash of: Nina McBride grabs Cassie and runs up the stairs.)

Sara: (V.O.) b*llet penetrated both bodies.

(Someone fires one b*llet and hits them both. Nina falls to her knees. End of flash.)

Nick: Could explain why there are only three blood pools.

Sara: There are three other sets of shoeprints. One size 12, two size 11.

(Nick looks down at the blue-stickered shoe prints on the floor. He also notes the white-stickered shoe prints.)

Sara: Two of the sets appear to be going back and forth from the kitchen area to the front door. One set, and only one set, headed upstairs for the bedrooms.

(We note the yellow-stickered shoe prints up the stairs.)

Nick: I'll go up there and see what I can find.

CUT TO:
[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - SECOND FLOOR -- MASTER BEDROOM -- MORNING]

(Warrick opens the bag and takes out a JIMMY BUFFET shirt.)

(Nick makes his way cautiously up the stairs.)

(Warrick opens the bedside table and finds a g*n inside. He takes several photos of the drawer's contents.)

DISSOLVE TO:

[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE -- MORNING]

(Sheriff Brackett's deputies are out in the yard looking around.)

(Greg snaps a couple of photos of a tire print in the dirt.)

Greg: Sheriff Brackett ... did your deputies drive anything up here with a hitch?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: No. Why?

Greg: I got an odd-sized tread here.

(Greg stands up and looks around the area. He finds some weed. He picks it up, then puts it back down. He looks around and finds some Bubblicious gum near the front walk. He snaps some photos of it.)

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE -- MORNING]

(Inside, Nick snaps some photos of bloodstains on the carpet. He walks over to the bed and finds some hair strands. He snaps photos of it.)

(He puts it in a bindle.)

(Nick leans down under the bed and finds a plate with half-eaten bread on it, a bottle of cough medicine and a shoe.)

(He shines his light under the bed and visualizes seeing Cassie McBride huddled underneath, scared.)

(He reaches under the bed and takes out the bottle of medicine. He looks at the label.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I hate the taste of that stuff.

(The label reads:
Cough Syrup
Multi-Symptom Relief
Original Flavor
Relieves: Headache, Aches, Pains, Runny Nose, Sneezing, Cough, Sore Throat, Nasal Congestion, Fever.)

(Nick reaches under the bed and takes out a shoe. Inside the shoe is some green liquid. He smells it, then pours it into a plastic sample container.)

(Cut to: Nick looks around Cassie's room. On the shelf, she has a row of Nancy Drew books.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I like Nancy Drew. She always gets the bad guy.

(On the shelf below, he sees a toy bubble gum ball dispenser and other things.)

(He looks at the photos pinned to the wall next to the shelf. In one of them, Cassie's in a swimsuit, hair cap and goggles. She's smiling with her coach. He also sees the medal on the wall with a photo of her with her coach.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I knew all my lines and Hansel's, too.

(Also pinned to the wall is a CHILDREN'S THEATRE program book for HANSEL AND GRETEL. Above it is a photo of Cassie dressed as Gretel standing next to Hansel.)

(Nick smiles.)

(He continues to look at the other photos of Cassie pinned to the wall.)

(Cassie giggles.)

(There's a photo with Cassie blowing a bubble with her gum.)

(Cassie giggles.)

(Nick looks around, confused by something. He steps out of the room and into the hallway.)

(Cassie giggles.)

(Nick walks over to the next room.)

(Cassie giggles.)

(Nick pushes the door open and walks into Jeremy's room. He finds Warrick standing over a keyboard.)

Nick: What is that?

(Cassie giggles.)

Warrick: If it's labeled correctly, it's, uh, Cassie's laugh.

(Nick walks over to the keyboard to see an "F" key labeled "CASSIE'S LAUGH". Warrick presses it and we hear Cassie giggle.)

(Nick and Warrick look around the room. Nick looks over by the bed. Warrick finds some composition papers on the desk:
"The Influence of Classical Philosophy On Shakespeare"
Jeremy McBride
5th Period English Literature
Mr. Rothchild

(The next paper reads:
'The Relevance of Shakespeare for the 21st Century Student"
Mark Hervatin
4th Period English Literature
Mr. Rothchild

(Warrick sits down at the desk and goes through the stack of papers:
"The Definition and Uses of Infrared Light"
Mark Horvatin
1st Period Physics
Ms. Bakken

The next papers show:
Jeremy McBride
2nd Period Social Studies
Mr. Sauls

Jeremy McBride
5th Period English Lit
Mr. Rothchild

Mark Horvatin
6th Period World Politics
Mrs. Olviera

Mark Horvatin
4th Period English Literature
Mr. Rothchild

(Finally on the bottom, he sees a composition tablet with some $100 bills in the pages.)

(He opens the composition notebook and notes the list and prices of the papers.)

Warrick: Our man Jeremy's a bit of an entrepreneur here.

Nick: Oh, yeah? How's that?

Warrick: He's trafficking in term papers.

Nick: Whatever happened to just flipping burgers, man?

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - KITCHEN -- DAY]

(Sara is in the kitchen dusting for prints. She finds prints on the counters. She continues dusting.)

(She walks over to the bulletin board and sees the calendar with the stars on it. Greg walks into the kitchen.)

Sara: I think I figured out when all this happened. Cassie never got to her Saturday morning chores. I was really into gold stars when I was a kid.

Greg: As opposed to now?

(Greg looks at Sara. Sara scrunches her eyes, then turns and walks away.)

(Greg looks at the mail in the mail carrier. The envelope is from the EAST SIDE WATER & POWER COMPANY. He looks through the mail and opens the electric bill.)

Greg: Whoa! The McBrides must have a broken meter. Even if they left every light on day and night, it wouldn't add up to $2,000.

(Sara clears her throat and rubs her nose.)

Greg: Maybe Brass can check it out.

Sara: I think this print dust is getting to me. Would you mind finishing the fridge?

(Sara passes Greg on her way out.)

Greg: Do I get a gold star?

Sara: (dryly) Ha-ha-ha.

(Sara walks around the corner and sees some blood on the mat in front of the door leading to the cellar. She notes the lock is missing from the door.)

(She opens the door and looks inside.)

(Sara turns on her flashlight and looks down the stairs leading to the cellar. She heads downstairs. She turns the corner and sees something.)

Sara: Greg? I found something.

(Greg joins her.)

Greg: Is it the bodies?

Sara: No.

(In the cellar, the McBrides have a pot farm complete with artificial light. Greg walks down.)

Greg: Sweet Mary Jane. The emerald city.

(Sara walks down the steps and joins him.)

Sara: Explains the $2,000 electric bill. And all the footprints throughout the house.

Greg: It's a ganja graveyard.

Sara: No ... it's motive.

FADE OUT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

---

FADE IN.

[INT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - BASEMENT -- DAY]

(Sara snaps photos of the various items in the basement. Warrick comes down the stairs.)

Warrick: Whew ... ! Looks like someone shot out the lock upstairs. I found what looked like fragments of two b*ll*ts; they may be too m-and-d for a comparison, but I could probably get type and caliber.

(We see that Nick and Greg are also in the basement processing. Warrick looks around. He notices the empty lines used for drying the plants.)

Warrick: Man. If those suspects got everything on those lines, they made out like fat cats.

Greg: Yeah, but they were only interested in the dried stuff.

Nick: If this was a territory w*r, or something like that, wouldn't the dealer want to take the new growth, to try to put these guys out of business?

Sara: Maybe one of the customers got greedy.

Warrick: Well, we're talking about getting rich, not getting high, you know? And these dry ones go a lot faster than those. The price of an ounce these days is anywhere from $200 to $400.

Greg: Don't you guys think it's weird that the McBrides did all this with two kids in the house?

Nick: (scoffs) Yeah, if they didn't care before, I bet they do now.

CUT TO:
[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - FRONT DRIVE -- DAY]

(One of the sheriff's men carries out a paper bag full of marijuana. Nick is standing at the car, the back hood open as he writes on an evidence box. He puts the box in the container.)

(Sara exits the house and walks over to him.)

Sara: Well, we took some representative samples of the green plant material.

Nick: Okay, Ecklie's sending out a tech. I'll include it with the other evidence.

(Sara hands Nick the sample bags.)

Sara: Pioche PD's going to hold on to the rest until we can secure it for bulk transport. How's it going with the phone records?

Nick: No outgoing calls from the house after 6:00 P.M. Friday night. I scrolled through Jude McBride's recent cell phone calls. No activity all weekend until Sunday night. Several incoming calls, all from the same number. According to Pioche PD dispatch, it's the same number as the anonymous 911 call. So I had the phone company cross-check it. The guy's local: Dr. Malcolm Parker.

Sara: I'll go check it out.

(Nick nods.)

CUT TO:
[EXT. ROAD - DAY]

(Sara drives back into town. She turns into the PIOCHE MEDICAL CLINIC, A Satellite Facility of Pioche Medical Group.)

CUT TO:
[INT. PIOCHE MEDICAL CLINIC - HALLWAY - DAY]

(Dr. Malcolm Parker and a patient walk out from the office into the hallway.)

Malcolm Parker: Be careful with those stitches, okay? I just put them in a couple days ago. Your mom will k*ll me if it scars.

Patient: Okay.

(The patient leaves. Sheriff Brackett and Sara both stand up from their hallway seat.)

Malcolm Parker: Sorry about that, guys. You had some questions?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: You placed an anonymous 911 call Sunday night. Said you were outside the McBrides' house and you could see blood in the entryway.

Sara: Right before that, you called Jude McBride's cell phone three times. Late night house call ... ?

Malcolm Parker: Dennis, do I have to answer that?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: It looks worse if you don't.

Malcolm Parker: Well, Jude and I have a standing Sunday night appointment.

Sara: For what?

(He looks anywhere but at Sara.)

Sara: You are aware that it's illegal.

Malcolm Parker: Okay, look, I have no idea what went on out there, before I got there.

(Quick flashback to: [EXT. MCBRIDE - FRONT PORCH - NIGHT] Malcolm Parker is on the phone outside the closed front door.)

Malcolm Parker: (to phone) Hi, Jude, it's 8:00. Where are you guys?

(He looks in the window and sees the blood on the foyer floor.)

Malcolm Parker: I called 911.

(End of flashback. Resume to present.)

Malcolm Parker: I didn't leave my name, because ... because I didn't want to explain what I was doing there.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: You and Jude are making me look like an idiot. He's selling dr*gs, and you're buying them. Tell me something, Malcolm. Are you high when you treat my daughter?

Malcolm Parker: Dennis, of course not. And Jude was discreet. He rarely sold to anybody in town. He sent most of it out of state.

Sara: Dr. Parker, what size shoes do you wear?

Malcolm Parker: What size shoe do I wear? A ten.

Sara: And where were you Friday night?

Malcolm Parker: I was here, doing rounds.

CUT TO:
[EXT. MCBRIDE RESIDENCE - FRONT DRIVE -- DAY]

(A woman exits her car parked in the driveway. Nick is sitting on the front porch drinking his water - his kit open next to him and a writing board on his lap.)

(The woman looks around and sees Nick.)

Sage: Hello, there.

Nick: Hi. Can I help you?

Sage: I'm Sage. I'm looking for Nina.

Nick: Yeah? So am I.

Sage: She left work early Friday to see Jimmy Buffet in Tahoe. But then she never showed up at the shop today.

Nick: And what was your name again?

Sage: Sage.

Nick: Sage. Okay, yeah, maybe you can help me out. Um, the family, what do you know about them? Are they having problems? Marital problems, anything like that?

Sage: Are you kidding? Jude and Nina had the marriage we all wanted.

Nick: Really?

(She looks at Nick and smiles. She leans forward and gently touches his forehead.)

Sage: You know, uh, your third eye is so open right now. Are you having visions or hearing voices?

Nick: No.

(She suddenly crouches down to look at Nick.

Sage: I'm really sorry. (Nick smiles.) But you're radiating this crazy feminine energy.

Nick: (chuckling) Really.

Sage: Mm-hmm. Do you believe in past lives?

Nick: No, ma'am.

Sage: How come?

Nick: Because I'm just trying to make it through this one.

Sage: (suddenly very serious) I think you're doing pretty well.

(Sage suddenly gets to her feet, turns and heads back to her car. Nick gets up and stops her.)

Nick: Hey ... Sage. (She looks back.) Thanks.

(Sage heads for her car.)

CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - DAY]

(Catherine is on the phone with Nick.)

Catherine: Hey, Nick. Well, there's no hits off the fingerprints from the kitchen cabinets. Dozens of unknowns, none of which were in the system -- no work cards, no prior crime. So I expanded the search to other databases, and I did get one hit: a Mark Horvatin, 17 years old, junior ROTC. His print was in the kitchen, but not in blood. Could just be a friend.

CUT TO:
[EXT. PLAYING FIELD - LATE DAY]

(Mark Horvatin leaves the field with his friends.)

Mark Horvatin: That was nice, dude. That was nice. You got smoked.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Hey, Mark! Mark!

(Mark looks up. Sheriff Brackett waves. He and Nick are standing by Mark's car. Mark looks at his friends and excuses himself.)

Mark Horvatin: Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later.

Friend: Later, man. FRIEND: Later.

(Mark walks over to Sheriff Brackett and Nick.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Nice game Saturday.

Mark Horvatin: Oh, hey, Dennis.

Dennis Brackett: Listen, we should probably go with Sheriff Brackett on this one.

Mark Horvatin: Oh, okay, Sheriff.

Dennis Brackett: This is Mr. Stokes from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

(Nick waves and steps forward.)

Nick: What size shoe do you wear?

Mark Horvatin: Twelve.

Nick: Can I see the bottom?

Mark Horvatin: Should I get my dad?

Dennis Brackett: No, we're just talking.

(He shows Nick the bottom of his shoes.)

Nick: Oh, yeah, they're new, huh?

Mark Horvatin: Yeah, I got them this weekend. My old ones were thrashed.

(Mark walks over to his car and opens the back door to put his gear inside.)

Nick: Huh. You know, when I played ball, I used to stick all my gear in the trunk.

Mark Horvatin: Yeah, well, this is just easier.

Nick: Parking lot still school property?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Yep.

Nick: Why don't you go ahead and pop the trunk for me?

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Go ahead.

(Mark opens the trunk. Inside are the dried marijuana plants.)

(Nick reaches inside and opens the bags.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (whispering) Daddy's garden was supposed to be a secret. Someone must have told the secret.

(Nick turns and looks at Mark.)

CUT TO:
[INT. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM - EVENING]

(Mark Horvatin is in the interview room. We hear Sheriff Bracket's voice over the speaker.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: (over speaker) This doesn't look good, Mark. Not a lot of places you can get that much marijuana. There's no way it could be a coincidence. Tell me where the bodies are.

(In the observation room, Nick and Sara watch the interview.)

DISSOLVE TO:

[INT. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT - GARAGE - EVENING]

(Warrick has the plants on the lit table while Greg is looking the car interior over with an ALS.)

Greg: I'm not finding any blood in here. Besides, four bodies would never fit inside this car. You know, maybe, the pot was stolen after the fact. Crime of opportunity?

Warrick: (scoffs) What are you, his lawyer? Whoever stole the pot ... had a g*n and shot the lock off the basement door.

(Greg finds a receipt in the back of the car.)

Greg: Someone went to the ATM at 10:03 Friday night. Right in the window of the murders.

Warrick: Hand that over to Sheriff Brackett. He can run the account number.

(Greg looks around the inside of the car. In the back seat floor, he finds a Bubblicious piece of gum. He stops and looks at it.)

Greg: I found this exact kind of gum in the driveway at the McBrides'.

(Warrick doesn't say anything immediately. He's looking through a microscope and getting very frustrated.)

Warrick: (groans) This microscope I got from the high school is a joke. How am I ever going to prove that this is the pot from the house? Where's that evidence we collected?

(Greg points. Warrick turns around and gets the bag out from the closet. Greg walks over to him, watching as Warrick empties out the plastic bag.)

Warrick: All right, this is the bag from the house. And this is the bag from the car.

(He lines up the ends of the bags.)

Warrick: The striations line up. These bags are from the same roll.

Greg: Nicely done.

(Nick walks in.)

Nick: Fellas. We have a little problem. Mark's not talking, not even to pass the buck. And his dad, Mark Sr., is a lawyer, and he's challenging our search and seizure, saying that even though we were on school grounds, we lacked probable cause to search personal property.

FADE OUT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

---

FADE IN.

[INT. CSI -LAB -- DAY]

(Catherine spreads out the crime scene photos on the trace table in the same pattern as it appeared in the house.)

Catherine: (sighs) Blood pool closest to the front door, and the size nine-and-a-half shoe print ... both in Jeremy's blood.

(Quick flash of: The sh**t cocks the g*n and points it at Jeremy. He appears surprised. The sh**t fires, sh**ting Jeremy.)

Jude: (o.s.) Jeremy, what's going on?

(Jeremy falls down the stairs. Jude runs into the foyer.)

Catherine: (V.O.) Jude stepped in Jeremy's blood.

(Jude's shoe slips in a pool of blood.)

(End of flash. Resume to present.)

Catherine: Blood pool number two. In the hallway,
(Quick flash of: Jude McBride is dead on the floor in a pool of blood.)

Catherine: (V.O.) ... between the foyer and the kitchen.

(There's a second g*nsh*t. Jude falls to the floor near Jeremy.)

(End of flash. Resume to present.)

Catherine: Nina's footprints, dual contribution, Jeremy and Jude.

(Catherine notes, "J & J's blood" on the photo.)

(Quick flash of: Jude and Jeremy are on the floor. Nina McBride comes down the stairs.)

Nina McBride: Jude? Jeremy? Is everything okay?

(She sees Jude on the floor in a pool of blood. She rushes downstairs and sees Jeremy.)

Nina McBride: (crying) Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Jeremy!

(She kneels down next to Jeremy, her feet slipping in the blood on the floor. She hears a sound behind her.)

(From the kitchen, a man walks out. Nina sees him and runs up the stairs. Mark picks up the g*n and points it at her.)

Catherine: (V.O.) Blood pool number three ...

(He fires and hits her in the back. She falls on the stairs.)

Catherine: (V.O.) ... Nina's blood.

(End of flash. Resume to present.)

(Catherine makes the notation on the photos. She turns the cassette recorder off and looks over the DNA results.)

(She picks up the phone and calls Nick.)

Catherine: (to phone) Yeah, Nick, I got the DNA results back. Blood pools were confirmed for mom, dad and Jeremy. None of the blood was Cassie's, so ...

INTERCUT WITH:

[EXT. PIOCHE - SIDEWALK - DAY]

Catherine: (from phone) ... either her death was a bloodless crime ...

Nick: ... or they took her alive. Thanks, Catherine.

(Nick hangs up and heads over to the park table where Warrick, Sara and Greg are sitting, eating and discussing the case.)

Sara: How did Mark know where the pot was, if McBride was as discreet as Dr. Parker claims?

(Nick returns to the table.)

Nick: DNA confirmed to everyone but Cassie.

Sara: Interesting.

Nick: Mm-hmm.

(He sits down.)

Warrick: Mark knew the pot was there because of Jeremy. Come on, I'm sure Jeremy wasn't voted the most popular boy in school. He's done everyone's term paper. He's a nerd.

(Quick flash of: Jeremy gets his books from his locker. He talks with Mark Horvatin.)

Jeremy: So you guys want to come over and hang out? I could sell you some pot.

Mark Horvatin: Now, where are you gonna score fresh herb?

Jeremy: My parents are going out of town. My dad has pounds of it.

(End of flash. Resume to present.)

Greg: Yeah, so how does that end up a quadruple m*rder?

Sara: One of them was stupid enough to bring a g*n.

Warrick: I was talking to Tina the other night. She said something to make me think.

Greg: (coughs) Yoko Ono. (coughs)

(Nick laughs.)

Warrick: Tina's dad is a doctor of anthropology, so, one day, when she was a little girl, she asked her dad where on her body her anthropology was. You know, he's a doctor. Mark's dad's a lawyer.

(Sheriff Brackett pulls up along the curb nearby and gets out of his car. He makes his way toward them.)

Warrick: Maybe Mark was thinking habeas corpus -- "body of the crime"?

Sara: "Body of the crime" is content of the case, not an actual body.

Warrick: Yeah, but a kid could easily misinterpret. Maybe he's thinking, "no body, no crime, no crime, no punishment."

Sara: Does Yoko Ono want a job?

(They chuckle.)

(Sheriff Brackett puts a basket of muffins on the picnic table.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Morning.

Voice: Morning.

Sara: Hello.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: My wife made muffins.

Sara: Thank you.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: You're welcome. We got a lead on the ATM. The account belongs to Jim Locke. He's got a son named Peter, the same age as Mark. We pulled some surveillance footage. It's a little grainy, can't see much.

(He gives the video tape to Warrick.)

Warrick: I'll give it over to Archie and see if he can clean it up. Thanks.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: All right. I'll be in the car waiting when you guys are ready.

Nick: All right, thank you.

(The sheriff steps out of camera frame.)

Greg: You feeling a little homesick there?

Warrick: You want to draw straws?

Greg: No.

Warrick: Call me if you need me.

Nick: All right.

(Warrick stands and leaves.)

Sara: All right, let's head over to Locke's house, and see what we can find.

(Greg and Sara gather their things. Nick stays where he is.)

Sara: You coming?

Nick: No ... no, you go ahead, I'll catch up.

Sara: You think she's alive.

Nick: (nods) You don't? (Sara shakes her head.) None of her blood was found at the house.

Sara: I think she was drugged, and ... she was lucky if all they did after that was k*ll her.

Nick: I don't think she was drugged. She's a smart little girl. She hid that cough medicine in her shoe; that's like hiding green beans in your napkin, you know?

Sara: I hope you're right. But everything in our experience tells us they're dead, all four of them.

Nick: Doesn't mean we just give up.

Sara: No one's giving up. It's just that ... you're acting like you're going to rescue a person, not recover a body. And on this job ... that's just not usually the case.

Nick: (shrugs) I was rescued.

Sara: It was not your day to die. When it's your day, it's your day, you know?

Nick: I don't think it was Cassie's day.

CUT TO:
[EXT. DESERT / COMMUNITY (STOCK) - DAY]

[EXT. LOCKE RESIDENCE - FRONT DRIVE -- DAY]

(Greg and Sara are looking at the boat parked in the driveway.)

Greg: That looks like the plant material I found in the McBrides' driveway.

Sara: And this looks like the same wheelbase as the tread you found.

(Sheriff Brackett talks with Jill Locke, Peter's mother.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: We found something in Mark's car that we think might be Peter's. Is that your account number?

(He shows her the receipt:
UNION INTERSTATE BANK
Thank you for visiting a Union Interstate Bank ATM
10/14/05 0217PM SGI090
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX4302
PIOCHE, NV
WITHDRAWAL FROM CHECKING $100.00 )

Jill Locke: Yes.

Sara: Does Peter have access to it?

Jill Locke: Sure. He has a limit, but he's never gone over it.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Mrs. Locke, when was the last time you took the boat out?

Jill Locke: Friday night. Peter and some of his friends took it out for one last hurrah before it gets too cold.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Do you know which friends?

Jill Locke: I was already in bed. Sorry.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Do you mind if the CSIs take a look at it?

Jill Locke: Sure. Have the boys been drinking beer on the boat again?

CUT TO:
[EXT. PARK -- DAY]

(Nick sits at the park table and looks at a photo of Cassie. In the background, we hear the sounds of kids playing.)

(In front of him, Nick has the file folder open with several photos out on the table.)

(Out in front of him, four children play ball with a dog. They bounce the ball between them and laugh as they watch the dog jump for the ball. The children laugh as the dog barks. They continue to play. Nick smiles.)

(He picks up twp photos - one of Cassie blowing a bubble with her bubble gum and the other of Cassie dressed as Gretel and standing next to Hansel.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) Everyone told me I was the best Gretel ever.

(Nick looks up and watches the children play, bouncing the large rubber ball between them. One of the girls lifts the ball to throw it. Nick stops and looks at the photo of Cassie blowing a bubble with her bubble gum.)

(In front of Nick on the table is the photo of a Bubbilicious bubble gum found outside the house.)

CUT TO:
[EXT. LOCKE RESIDENCE - FRONT DRIVE -- DAY]

(Greg looks at the frayed rope.)

Greg: My dad used to take me sailing when I was a kid. Do you know what the inboard end of an anchor rope is called? "The bitter end."

(Greg and Sara are both on the boat, looking around on deck. Sara opens the compartment and takes out a roll of trash bags.)

Sara: This explains why we're not finding any blood.

(Sara climbs out of the boat and puts the roll of trash bags down on a paper bag. Her phone rings; she answers it.)

Sara: (to phone) Hey!

Nick: (from phone) Hey!

INTERCUT WITH:

(Nick is walking back to his car.)

Nick: (to phone) Sara, did you find any gum on that boat? Any gum at all -- wrapped, unwrapped-- anywhere?

Sara: Yeah ... how did you know that?

(Sara turns around and walks to the end of the evidence line where the gum is in a plastic bag.)

(Nick gets in his car.)

Nick: I think Cassie was on that boat -- alive. I think she was leaving us a trail ... of gum, "gum drops." (Sara picks up the plastic bag.) In the driveway, in the car, on the boat. It's like Hansel and Gretel. Half the pictures I've seen her in, she's chewing gum.

Sara: Nick, that's a bit of a stretch. A lot of people chew gum.

Nick: You tell Sheriff Brackett I'll meet you at the station.

CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE STATION - INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY]

(Sheriff Dennis Brackett interviews Peter Locke.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Peter, we know you were in Mark's car. We found your ATM receipt. We also know you guys took the boat out Friday night.

(Quick flash of: Photos of Cassie in her swimsuit with her coach, Peter Locke. End of flashes.)

(In the observation room, Nick and Sara listen to the interview.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: We know that there were three people involved. Who was the third?

(Peter doesn't say anything.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Pete, we found your print on a cough syrup bottle, underneath Cassie McBride's bed.

(Quick flash of: Cassie scared and hiding under the bed. The covers lift and Peter looks under the bed. End of flash.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Your buddy Mark's not talking. He's gonna pay for that. You be smarter. You do the right thing.

CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB]

(In the lab, Archie is working on the security tape from the ATM machine. He grids a specific portion of several video frames and extracts the image in pieces.)

(He works quietly and efficiently. He goes frame by frame, meticulously removing the pieces of the image in the back seat of the car.)

(Once he has the pieces, Archie works on putting the pieces together to get a single image. The pieces move, shift and turn on the screen.)

(Finally, the pieces stop and meld to form one picture: Mark Horvatin holding Cassie in the back seat, her eyes closed and sucking her thumb.)

(Archie looks at the image.)

Archie Johnson: Dead bodies don't suck their thumbs.

(He sends the image to Nick.)

CUT BACK TO:

[INT. POLICE STATION - OBSERVATION ROOM /INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY]

(In the observation room, Nick's PDA beeps. He checks it as the image comes in:
INCOMING FILE
RE: ATM FOOTAGE
FROM: A_JOHNSON(a)LVPD.COM
TO: N_STOKES(a)LVPD.COM

(The image appears. Nick looks at it. He looks at Peter Locke in the interview room. His face hardens.)

[INT. POLICE STATION - INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY]

(Nick exits the observation room and bursts into the interview room, seething angry. He walks up to Peter and grabs his wrist showing Peter's injury.)

Nick: How'd you hurt your hand?

(Nick grabs Peter's hair and pulls his head back to look at him.)

Nick: What's the matter? She fight back?

(Sara follows Nick into the room.)

Nick: (to Peter) You tried to drug her, but guess what? She was too smart for you. You coached the little girls' swim team, 'cause you liked to watch 'em in their bathing suits, is that it? You're gonna answer me right now!

(Nick grabs Peter by his shirt, pulls him to his feet and slams his back up against the wall.)

Nick: (shouts) No more screwing around! Where is she?!

(Peter doesn't say anything. Sara and the sheriff watch.)

Nick: Where is she?

(Peter starts crying.)

Nick: Where is she?

FADE OUT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

---

FADE IN.

[EXT. PIER -- DAY]

(Officers are around the pier. Sara stands on the pier talking with an officer. Nick rushes up to her.)

Nick: Okay, my guess is the guys stopped at the ATM to get cash for gas. That's cash only, and Eddie over there says he filled the t*nk to the top Friday night.

(He points to the man filling up the boat with gas. Sara looks and nods. Her mind is on another matter.)

Sara: Can I talk to you for a minute?

Nick: Sure, what's up?

Sara: I-I think I need to talk about what happened at the station.

Nick: Oh, yeah.

Sara: I'm slightly concerned about its effect on the case, but more than that, I'm concerned about the case's effect on you, Nick, and I'm absolutely sure that, six months ago, you wouldn't have lost it like that.

Nick: I know, I'm sorry. I apologize for that.

Sara: How much gas was left?

Nick: Three-quarters of a t*nk. Took an eighth to get out there, an eighth to get back. (He pulls out a map.) And according to the gas mileage, on the Lockes' boat, that would have been about three miles out from this launch point right here.

(He points and motions for Sara to follow him.)

Nick: Come on.

(Sara takes a step to follow him. She stops and checks under her shoe and removes a piece of Bubblicious gum.)

Sara: Nick?

Nick: Yeah?

(She shows him Cassie's gum. Nick takes a breath and looks at his map again.)

TIME CUT TO:

[EXT. LAKE - DAY - 45 MINUTES LATER]

(The patrol boat is out on the lake.)

Patrol: (to Sara) This is the three-mile mark.

(Sara nods. The boat's engine is cut. Nick opens the kit next to him and takes out the underwater remote camera. They put it in the water and wait.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I used to love going to the lake, but not anymore.

DISSOLVE TO:

(They gather around the monitor as the underwater remote camera moves under the water.)

(After a while, they find something.)

Patrol: There's something there.

(cc) CASSIE MCBRIDE: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They k*lled my whole family.

(On the monitor, they find Jeremy, Nina and Jude dead, their heads sticking out of the plastic trash bags wrapped around them.)

(The remote continues past Jude, but they find nothing, but the weights tied to the body.)

CUT TO:
(The diver opens the body bags. Sara snaps several photos of Jude, Nina and Jeremy.)

Sara: Where's the fourth?

Diver: We only found three.

CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY -- DAY]

(Robbins goes over the findings with Warrick.)

Warrick: COD?

Robbins: g*nsh*t wound to the chest. (He picks up Jude's hand.) Though it appears to have gone through his hand first.

(Close-up: The b*llet hole in Jude's hand.)

Warrick: Dad wrestled with the g*n, huh?

(Quick flash of: Jude wrestles for the g*n. The g*n goes off. End of flash.)

Warrick: Anything else?

(Robbins points to Jeremy's body on the second exam table.)

Robbins: Contact wound on the boy. (Warrick turns and looks at the body.)
Shot up-close and personal.

(Standing behind Robbins, David is writing on a clipboard.)

David Phillips: Mom was shot twice in the back. Not up-close.

(Robbins picks up a metal dish with the b*llet inside and hands it to Warrick.)

Robbins: Rinsed and ready for you.

(Warrick picks up the b*llet and looks at it.)

Warrick: ..22 ... probably from a revolver. (He puts the b*llet back in the metal dish.) Six sh*ts. Four in the bodies, two in the lock. Well, that would explain why we didn't find Cassie's blood in the house. They ran out of b*ll*ts.

CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- DAY]

(Warrick is walking through the hallway; he's on the phone with Sara.)

Warrick: Sara, the b*ll*ts pulled from the bodies were from a .22-caliber revolver. Ibis bounced back a hit. They were entered into Ibis from the Department of Wildlife, for sh**ting a deer with a small caliber handgun. Firearm was returned to the owner -- a Chris Daniels from Pioche, Nevada.

CUT TO:
[EXT. DANIELS RESIDENCE - BACK -- DAY]

(Chris Daniels is grilling steaks on the barbeque. The steaks sizzle as he prods them with the fork. The sports announcer is on the radio in the background.)

(Sheriff Dennis Brackett and Sara walk alongside the house.)

Chris Daniels: Hey, Dennis, what's up? Hey, just in time for steaks.

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: Mr. Daniels, do you, uh ... do you own a .22 revolver?

Chris Daniels: You know the answer to that. You cited it and fined me two hunting seasons ago.

Sara: Sir, I'm Sara Sidle from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. It's evidence in a homicide investigation. I'm going to need it.

Luke Daniels: (o.s. from the house) Dad, how long on the steaks?

(The back door opens and Luke stops in the doorway. He sees Sheriff Brackett and Sara.)

Sheriff Dennis Brackett: We're going to need to speak to Luke.

Chris Daniels: What did you do with my g*n? (Luke doesn't say anything.) If you did anything to jeopardize that football scholarship of yours, you're done.

(Chris turns to look at Luke. Luke glances down at the cooking fork in his dad's grip. Sara also notes Mr. Daniels tightening his hold on the fork as he glares at his son.)

CUT TO:
[EXT. DANIELS RESIDENCE - FRONT PORCH -- DAY]

(Sara exits the front door onto the porch. Sheriff Bracket escorts Luke out of the house.)

(From his car, Nick watches them head for the officer's car. Chris Daniels remains behind on the porch.)

(Sheriff Brackett helps Luke Daniels into the back of his squad car. Luke has his wrists handcuffed behind him.)

Brackett: Duck your head.

(Chris Daniels turns and heads back inside.)

(Sara carries the evidence bags to Nick. She shows him the large hunting knife.)

Sara: Found this in his pocket when I patted him down. Tested positive for blood.

(She shows Nick the shoes.)

Sara: As did these.

(Luke is in the back seat of the police car. He turns and levels a cold stare at Sara talking to Nick and showing him the evidence bag.)

CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE STATION - HALLWAY -- DAY]

(Luke Daniels sits in the hallway under the watchful eye of an officer. Sara exits the room and sits in the seat next to him.)

Sara: You just wanted to intimidate Jeremy, right? Scare him a little? But Mr. McBride was still home and he didn't scare so easily.

(Quick flashback to: [MCBRIDE HOUSE - FOYER - NIGHT] Jeremy meets with Mark Horvatin, Luke Daniels and Peter Locke. Jeremy is trying to get the guys to leave.)

Jeremy McBride: You guys have to go. My parents are still home.

Luke Daniels: Dude, I thought you said there were pounds of pot.

(Jeremy pushes them toward the door, but they don't go.)

Jeremy McBride: You guys got to get out, okay? Please, just get out of here, all right?

Peter Locke: Just listen to him, man. Do what he said.

(Luke takes out the g*n and points it at Jeremy.)

Jude McBride: Jeremy! Jeremy, what's going on?

Voice: What the heck?

Jude McBride: Jeremy, what's going on?

(Jude steps out from the kitchen.)

(The g*n fires and hits Jeremy in the chest. Jeremy falls to the floor.)

(Jude grabs the g*n. Luke fires and Jude falls to the ground.)

Peter Locke: What the hell did you just do?

(End of flash.)

Sara: Mrs. McBride came downstairs, so you had to sh**t her, too.

(Quick flash to: Luke fires and hits Nina McBride in the back. She falls on the stairs. End of flash.)

Sara: Peter went upstairs to deal with Cassie ...

(Quick flash to: In Cassie's room, she hides under the bed. The bed covers lift and Peter finds her. End of flash.)

Sara: ... while you and Mark bagged the pot and wrapped the bodies in garbage bags. But ... Peter couldn't do it. He couldn't k*ll Cassie ... so he tried to drug her. You guys got in Mark's car, you went to the ATM, you got cash, you picked up Peter's boat, you went back to the McBrides' and you loaded the bodies onto the boat.

(Quick flash to: On the boat, the boys wrap the bodies in the trash bags and tie them together.)

Sara: (V.O.) You were out of b*ll*ts, way out on the lake. One small, loose end to tie up.

(Peter gently brushes the hair from Cassie's face. Her eyes are closed and she's leaning against the side of the boat. He looks back at Luke.)

Luke Daniels: Bring her over here.

Peter Locke: No!

Luke Daniels: She can identify us! There's no way she's staying alive.

(Peter stands up and punches Luke.)

Peter Locke: I said she was a strong swimmer. I didn't say we could throw a drugged ten-year-old into the lake.

(Luke opens his knife and pushes Peter aside. He heads over toward Cassie.)

(He kneels down and puts the knife to Cassie's neck.)

(End of flashback. Resume to present.)

Sara: Did it make you feel like a man? To k*ll a little girl?

CUT TO:
[EXT. LAKE -- NIGHT]

(Nick and the Patrol are out on the boat searching the waters for Cassie's body. They reach the edge of some rocks and trees. They shine their flashlights, looking for any sign of Cassie.)

(They follow the line where the water meets the land. Nick sees something partially hidden in the grass. He doesn't take his flashlight off the object.)

Nick: Stop the boat. Stop the boat. Let me out.

(Nick takes his cap off and tosses it aside.)

Nick: Let me out.

(Nick jumps in the water and rushes over to the shore. On the ground, he finds Cassie. He checks for a pulse. We see that her face is white and dirty, her eyes closed.)

(Nick checks her hand and sees the rest of her Bubblicious gum in her grip.)

(Nick looks back at the boat and around. He puts a hand on Cassie's head.)

CUT TO:
[VARIOUS FLASHES OF: PHOTOS OF CASSIE]

(Cassie is on the ground, her eyes are closed and the knife cut evident on the left side of her neck.)

(Cassie, young and healthy, smiling as she blows a bubble with her gum for the camera.)

(The McBride family photo.)

Cue Sound: (PRE-LAP) RESPIRATOR PUMP

(With every fade out/in, we hear a heartbeat.)

FADE OUT.

FADE IN.

[INT. HOSPITAL - CASSIE'S ROOM]

(Cassie is in the hospital bed, sleeping.)

FADE OUT/IN.

(Cassie's eyes are open.)

FADE OUT/IN.

(Cassie's awake and coloring. She looks up when she hears someone enter the room. In the background, we hear the heart monitor beeping.)

(Nick walks up to Cassie's bed. She stops coloring.)

Nick: Hi.

(He puts his things down on the bedside table. Cassie gives Nick the card she's been working on. The cover has a picture of a house and a lake. It reads:

Thanks for finding me!

(He opens the card:

FROM: CASSIE
TO: GOOD GUYS
ABOUT: BAD GUYS

(Nick is touched. He smiles.)

Nick: You're welcome, sweetie.

(He puts a hand on her head. Cassie writes in her notebook: WHERE IS MY FAMILY?!)

(She looks at Nick.)

Nick: They're in Vegas.

(Cassie writes:

I'M TEN YEARS OLD
DON'T BABY ME !!!

(She underlines the words several times.)

Nick: Their bodies are in the coroner's office, honey.

(Cassie puts her notebook aside.)

Nick: Hey, Cassie ... I know when bad things happen, it's hard to remember. But if I give you some details, do you think you could tell me the story of what happened to your family?

Cassie McBride: (hoarse whisper) Okay.

Nick: Okay. We'll go slow, okay?

(Nick sits down next to the bed.)

Nick: And we'll just begin at the beginning, okay?

(Nick puts a hand on her arm. She struggles for a while, then starts.)

Cassie McBride: (hoarse whisper) They came to ... my house.

DISSOLVE TO:

(Out in the hallway and through the glass in the door to Cassie's room, we see her in bed. Camera is pulling back.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They had a fight.

(A nurse walks past.)

DISSOLVE TO:

(Camera is pulling back down the hallway. More people walk across the hallway, in and out of camera frame.)

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) They couldn't find what they were looking for.

(She takes a deep, shuddering breath and exhales.)

FADE TO BLACK.

Cassie McBride: (V.O.) (hoarse whisper) I loved my family.

End