This was my first-ever fic. It's a casefile written in screenplay format-so it's actually more of a spec ep, but not really good enough. It was written in Sophocles, and the filetype has been changed several times, so the formatting didn't hold up very well. Hopefully that won't be distracting.
I've been told that the end is weaker than the beginning. I want to go back and edit it, but I'm not sure how. Any advice would be appreciated!
Act 1: The Ties That Bind
TEASER
FADEIN:
INT- THE INSIDE OF AN UPSCALE HOUSE -- NIGHT
Enter LEXIE.
LEXIE runs down steps with a purse or bag over one shoulder,
carrying books in her hands. She reaches a bedroom door and opens
it.
LEXIE
So, I might not be home until later tonight,
Grandpa, and I was wondering if you could
lend me some money because I...
(drops books and begins to scream)
Oh, my God, oh, my God!!
Enter GRISSOM and CATHERINE, carrying equipment, with BRASS in
tow. Police cars dot the road as they walk up to the front door.
BRASS
Yeah. Name's John Blocker, Las Vegas
millionaire.
(frowns)
Plenty of motive, right there.
CATHERINE
Nice house.
BRASS
Wait until you get inside. I remember coming
here once for some benefit dinner.
They enter the house into an impressive foyer. Near the back
Lexie is sitting and crying, flanked by two policemen trying to
console and question her simultaneously. Lexie looks up as the
three enter. Brass Catherine walks over.
CATHERINE
Catherine Willows, crime lab.
(She shakes Lexie's hand, which is
limp as she is still concentrating on
crying.)
I'm assuming you're the grandaughter of
the...diseaced?
(Lexie nods, fighting back more
tears.)
We'll try our hardest to find out what
happened here. Would you mind if we asked you
a few questions? When you're ready, of
course.
GRISSOM
Tough.
BRASS
Yeah, especially when you've already lost
both of your parents.
(He reads off a clipboard, presumably
with information on the family.
Grissom ignores Brass' remark and goes up the stairs into a
large master bedroom.
INT- MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grissom begins to to work the crime scene. On the king-size bed
is the body, covered in blood, with a gun wound to the head.
There is no weapon in sight and no obvious signs of entry.
SARA enters the room.
SARA
Heard there was a high-profile vic. I figured
you'd need me. Nick and Warrick'll be here
soon.
GRISSOM
Good. They won't be dissapointed.
SARA
What, did you find something big?
GRISSOM
Sort of.
SARA
What?
GRISSOM
Nothing.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
Grissom and Sara work the crime scene, while musing about the
situation to each other.
SARA
It's your typical murder-mystery-novel case.
Rich and famous dead guy. No signs of forced
entry. Neat and clean bullet wound to the
head.
GRISSOM
No signs of struggle. But if this was a book,
we'd at least get to have the murder weapon.
SARA
Very few fingerprints. I'll bet this room was
cleaned recently.
Grissom bends and picks up something, dropping it in an evidence
bag.
GRISSOM
All we've got is the body, the bullet,
(raises bag slightly and glances at
it)
and a strand of hair.
SARA
We've solved cases with less.
GRISSOM
But this time, the media'll be all over it--
and they'll want more.
Catherine enters, slightly distraught.
CATHERINE
I tried talking to the girl, but she's still
worked up.
SARA
What'd you learn about her?
CATHERINE
Her name is Lexie, she's been living with her
grandfather since her parents died three
years ago.
GRISSOM
Are Nick and Warrick here yet?
CATHERINE
Just got here a minute ago. They're
downstairs talking to Brass.
GRISSOM
You help Sara finsih up in here.
CATHERINE
Sure.
GRISSOM
I'll have Nick and Warrick walk the premesis
with me.
Grissom exits.
INT-- DOWNSTAIRS FOYER-- SAME NIGHT.
NICK
Hey, Grissom.
GRISSOM
You already talked to Brass?
WARRICK
Yeah. Too bad, huh?
GRISSOM
You want to help me go around the outside?
NICK
It takes three of us?
GRISSOM
It's a big house.
EXT- OUTSIDE THE BLOCKER HOUSE-- SAME NIGHT.
Warrick and Nick head towards the pathway leading up to the front
door, having walked in opposite directions around the house.
Grissom is crouching, studying footprints on the front walkway.
WARRICK
Nothing much in the back. A couple of
footprints.
NICK
Same here.
GRISSOM
And here.
Warrick and Nick glance down at the ground and give each other an
overwhelmed look.
INT- CORONER'S OFFICE-- THE NEXT DAY
Catherine, Grissom, and Dr. Robbins are standing over John
Blocker's body. Catherine and Grissom anxiously listen to the
coroner's report.
CORONER
Well, he was pretty healthy for his age.
Stayed in shape, ate well, had a good heart.
The only thing abnormal here is that there
were some signs of a previous stroke.
GRISSOM
It wasn't in his medical records?
CORONER
No, but it's not uncommon for minor strokes
to go undetected.
CATHERINE
It's clear that the shot to the head was the
cause of death?
CORONER
No doubt about it. My guess? He was sleeping,
didn't know what hit him until it was all
over.
A RECEPTIONIST enters the room.
RECEPTIONIST
Ms. Willows? An Alexis Blocker here to speak
with you.
Catherine excuses herself from the room, walks down the hall, and
sees Lexie waiting. She smiles and waves.
INT- FOYER OF CSI OFFICE-- DAY
Catherine walks down the hall, preparing herself to talk to
Lexie. She feels responsibility for her now, after the
conversation she had with her the day of the murder. Sara has
already sat down and started talking to Lexie.
SARA
Trust me, I see this every day... and it's
not easy.
LEXIE
I guess...
Catherine greets Lexie a little timidly, not sure how to enter
the conversation.
CATHERINE
Good to see you, Lexie. Are you holding up
alright?
LEXIE
Yeah, well... not really, but
(she is crying slightly)
I want to help.
CATHERINE
I'm so sorry...
We really will do all that we can, and you
can tell us a lot that will help. Tell us
what happened when you found him yesterday.
LEXIE
Yesterday... in the afternoon he went
upstairs to do some work. He'd shut himself
(cries)
he'd shut himself in there for hours, so when
he was still there a few hours later I didn't
think anything of it. I went out to run some
errands and came back. Later when I left to
go to a friend's I thought I'd say goodbye
and...
Lexie stops abruptly and stares at her lap.
SARA
Is there anything you can tell us about your
grandfather. Any enemies? Old grudges?
LEXIE
My grandpa delt in real estate. He never told
me much abou tall that, because he said I
wouldn't understand and wouldn't be
interested anyway. But, truthfully, I really
was..
She starts to cry again. Sara and Catherine exchange glances;
Sara's face seems bewhildered, while Catherine's seems worried.
INT- DNA LAB-- SAME DAY.
NICK
Hey, Greg, did you process those samples I
gave you?
GREG
Yeah... here you go. One hair, it matches the
grandaughter.
NICK
Thanks.
INT- GRISSOM'S OFFICE -- SAME DAY.
SARA
Hey, I got some background on our vic, John
Blocker. Had real estate all over the US,
including two houses and two condos in Vegas.
GRISSOM
So... no disgruntled employees, but maybe..
disgruntled tenants?
SARA
Well listen to this-- Lexie? She lived with
her parents in one of her grandfather's
houses in LA, until 1999, when it burnt down,
trapping her parents inside. It was ruled
arson. The case was never closed.
GRISSOM
Interesting.
Nick enters with the DNA results and hands them to Grissom.
NICK
Greg finished with the hair sample-- it
matched the girl.
SARA
There goes our hair.
Grissom picks up a copy of John Blocker's DNA on his desk and
compares it with the printout.
GRISSOM
Was Lexie adopted?
SARA
I don't think so, why?
GRISSOM
Her DNA doesn't match the victim's.
ACT 2
EXT- MEDIUM SIZED APARTMENT-- DAY.
Grissom and Sara walk up to the front door and ring the bell. A
lady in her mid-thirties opens the door.
LADY
Hello? If you're with the media, we're not
avail--
GRISSOM
Gil Grissom, Las Vegas crime lab. And you
are?
MARISA
Marisa, Lexie's aunt, and her new guardian.
GRISSOM
Nice to meet you. We'd like to talk to Lexie,
if that's ok.
LEXIE
Aunt Marisa, is it Catherine?
SARA
Hi, Lexie. No, it's me and Grissom...
remember us? We met yesterday, I think.
LEXIE
Oh yeah, hi.
GRISSOM
Can we ask you a few questions?
LEXIE
Sure, come on in.
(to Marisa)
I'm sure it's ok.
INT- MARISA'S APARTMENT.
The apartment is on the small side. Grissom and Sara are led to a
kitchenette/eating area and sit down.
SARA
Lexie, We're having trouble identifying a
suspect in your grandfather's case.
GRISSOM
I know you've talked to Sara and Catherine
already, but is there anything you might have
forgotten?
LEXIE
Well, he was a private person and had
aquantances, not friends. He knew some of the
people who rented his houses fairly well.
SARA
If someone entered your house, would they
have access to any weapons?
LEXIE
Yeah.
GRISSOM
Like what?
LEXIE
There's Grandpa's gun collection. I didn't
think to show you it because nothing was
stolen or anything. There's one gun missing
(she frowns slightly here)
but it's been gone for a few months, I think.
(beat)
Are you sure you guys can do this?
SARA
We'll do the best we can.
GRISSOM
Thanks, Lexie.
EXT- SMALL ONE-STORY HOUSE-- DAY.
Catherine and Warrick ring the doorbell. A middle aged woman
opens the door.
CATHERINE
Hello. I'm Cahterine Willows with the Las
Vegas crime lab, this is Warrick Brown. I'm
sure you've already heard about your
landlord?
LADY
Yes, yes, I've heard. Devistating. Can I help
you with anything?
WARRICK
We were wondering if you knew anything about
the victim, anything that could help us.
LADY
Probably not much, but come inside.
INT- INSIDE SMALL HOUSE--DAY.
Catherine and Warrick are led into a small family room and shown
couches while talking to the lady.
CATHERINE
Did you have much contact with Mr. Blocker?
Do you know much about how he conducted
business?
LADY
Not really. We didn't have to contact him
very often. One time we had a leak and I had
to call him about fixing it. He was hard to
track down, but once we did he was really
nice and helpful.
WARRICK
The kind of person you'd want to be friends
with?
LADY
Yeah. Don't see why anyone'd have a grudge
against him or something.
CATHERINE
Well, thanks for your time.
The lady nods and closes the door behind them.
INT- BLOCKER MANSION, LATE AFTERNOON
Sara and Grissom enter the house and glance around.
SARA
She said that he kept his collection
downstairs..
INT- GUN DISPLAY ROOM
They proceed to the downstairs basement and walk through it into
a room with an impressive collection of guns. They are stored in
a large, glass covered display case.
SARA
(She points.)
Like she said, one's missing.
She begins to dust for fingerprints along the rim of the case.
GRISSOM
No signs of theft here at all. The case is
locked, the alarm is set.
SARA
Lexie did say the gun's been gone for awhile.
GRISSOM
If it was sold, why didn't they want the
ammunition, too?
SARA
If someone took it, they had to be able to
shut off the alarm. And if it was recent,
they would have reported it. Unless-- no...
GRISSOM
Well...
INT- LEXIE'S ROOM
They go upstairs to Lexie's room. Her room has a large bed and
several bookshelves.
GRISSOM
(reading the title of a book)
"The Care, Handling, and Use of Personal
Firearms." She knew how to fire a gun.
SARA
She loved him, though., She wasn't the kind
of-- I mean, I didn't really know her, but...
(beat)
We should get going.
EXT- CONDO, DAY.
Catherine and Warrick go up a flight of stairs to reach the
outside door of a condo. It seems to be nice and in an affluent
area. A man in his late twenties opens the door.
WARRICK
Warrick Brown, Las Vegas crime lab. This is
Catherine Willows. I'm sure you've heard--
(he gets cut off)
MAN
Yeah, a real shame.
CATHERINE
And you are-- Mark Shangauh?
MARK
That's me.
CATHERINE
We were wondering if we could ask you a few
questions.
INT- SAME CONDO.
The inside of Mark's condo is small but nicely furnished. There
are large comfortable couches.
MARK
Here, take a seat.
CATHERINE
How much contact did you have with the late
Mr. Blocker?
MARK
Oh, I talked to him a couple of times. He was
always real helpful. I remember going to some
of his charity things.
WARRICK
He held a lot of those?
MARK
Yeah. He always did stuff for charities. I
bet that's where his money's going.
CATHERINE
Well-- thanks.
They get up and shake hands.
ACT 3
INT- LAYOUT ROOM-- NIGHT
CATHERINE
Well, we learned that the vic didn't make
enemies. The people we talked to were all
pretty shocked by the whole thing.
WARRICK
And he owns nice houses.
SARA
We found out that a gun's been missing from
the vic's personal collection for several
months.
GRISSOM
Lexie said she thought it had been sold, but
everything you'd sell along with a gun is
still there.
NICK
While you guys were gone, I took a look at
Mr. Blocker's will. About half goes to
charity.
Sara grabs the papers he's holding from his hands.
SARA
And the other half goes to Lexie.
(preoccupied)
All the gun books...
Catherine looks shocked, slowly catching on to what Sara's
thinking. Sara and Grissom exchange glances.
GRISSOM
Wait... what was that Greg said about Lexie's
DNA?
SARA
Lexie and her grandfather had nothing in
common, DNA-wise.
NICK
So if Lexie was adopted, but that was never
disclosed...
CATHERINE
Grandpa never deserved custody, Lexie looses
her claim to the will, and--
NICK
The money is turned over to the next person,
Marisa, who's barely in the will at all.
GRISSOM
And in any case, Marisa control's Lexie's
inheritance until she's 18.
EXT- MARISA'S APARTMENT-- DAY
Grissom and Catherine walk up the stairs to the door. Catherine
rings the bell and Marisa answers.
MARISA
Hi again, Mr. Grissom. And you must be
Catherine?
CATHERINE
Yes, nice to meet you. Marisa, right?
MARISA
Yes, yes, come inside.
Lexie is sitting at the kitchen table, doing schoolwork.
LEXIE
Hi, Catherine! Hi, Grissom.
CATHERINE
Nice to see you, Lexie. Listen, we have some
more questions for you.
GRISSOM
Remember how you told me about that gun, you
thought your grandfather sold it? We think it
may be stolen.
Lexie seems shocked for a moment. Catherine takes a chance and
asks her:
CATHERINE
Lexie. Were you adopted?
LEXIE
No! What does that have to do with anything?
GRISSOM
It depends. Oh, we saw some books in your
room on guns. Did you hunt with your
grandfather?
LEXIE
Me? No way. Grandpa taught me how to shoot,
he wanted me to get into it like he was. But
I couldn't even shoot a squirrel. You don't
think-- no, I'd never!
CATHERINE
I'm sorry, Lexie. It's just that whoever took
the gun had to have been able to deactivate
the alarm--
Grissom's cell phone rings.
GRISSOM
Grissom.
(His face brightens somewhat.)
Thanks.
(He hangs up the phone. To Catherine:)
Sara says we got the prints back from the gun
case.
(To Lexie, who is looking
apprehensive.)
Don't worry. They're not yours.
INT- PRINT LAB-- DAY.
Catherine and Grissom arrive, Sara is finishing up documenting
the prints.
SARA
So I ran the prints through the database, and
I got a Mark Shagaugh. It turns out, he rents
one of Blocker's condos in Las Vegas.
CATHERINE
But Mark said that he'd only had minimal
contact with Mr. Blocker.
GRISSOM
Sara, can you--
SARA
(grinning)
Here you go.
She hands him a warrant.
GRISSOM
You want to come?
Sara and Grissom exit. Catherine walks down the hall to look for
Greg; she finds him in the DNA lab.
INT- DNA LAB-- A FEW MINUTES LATER
CATHERINE
Hey, Greg, can I ask you a question?
GREG
Um... sure.
CATHERINE
How can Lexie and Grandpa Blocker share no
identical DNA and yet still be blood
relatives?
GREG
It's possible.
Catherine looks at him skeptically.
GREG
Okay. Grandpa and Grandma each give half
their DNA to Dad. Dad and Mom each give half
their DNA to Lexie. It just to happens, the
half Dad gives was the entire half he got
from Grandma. Grandpa is still related to
Lexie, but...
CATHERINE
He didn't "donate" anything.
(She finds Greg humerous, yet is
impressed at the same time.
GREG
Yep.
CATHERINE
... thanks.
EXT- MARK'S CONDO-- AFTERNOON
Sara and Grissom walk upstairs to the door. Grissom knocks.
GRISSOM
Mr. Shangauh? Gil Grissom. I'm here with the
crime lab. I believe you spoke with my
colleagues, Catherine and Nick?
MARK
Oh yes, come on in.
SARA
We have reason to believe that you wee
present at the blocker home, just previous to
the death of Mr. Blocker.
MARK
I-- I was there, I had attended one of his
charity events.
GRISSOM
Charity? You didn't happen to, say, take
something at one of those-- charity events?
As he is speaking, Sara puts on a pair of gloves. She walks
across the room and picks up a newly cleaned gun sitting on a
table.
SARA
Like, say, a gun?
Mark looks stunned.
INT- BALLISTICS LAB-- DAY
Catherine and Sara wait for Nick's results.
NICK
Good news. These bullets match the one we
retrieved from the victim. Get this-- it's
registered to a Mr. John Blocker.
CATHERINE
I take it back-- murders are still done with
registered weapons these days.
SARA
But you guys, something's still not right. We
don't have a motive. In fact, we don't even
have a connection, except for the fact Mark
rented a condo.
CATHERINE
Well...
SARA
Warrick, can I see that folder?
WARRICK
Here, I'll help you.
INT- LAYOUT ROOM-- DAY
Warrick and Sara comb through the files.
SARA
Hey, Warrick, look at this.
Warrick studies the document Sara handed to him.
WARRICK
Fingerprints.
SARA
Yeah. Look.
WARRICK
Doing it the old-fashioned way?
(beat)
Where are those from?
SARA
The LA arson case, 1999.
WARRICK
Lexie's house.
SARA
Yeah. Found on a gasoline can found at the
scene.
INT- INTERROGATION ROOM-- DAY
Sara, Grissom, and Warrick question Mark, who is sitting
uneasily. Brass stands off to one side.
SARA
Mark, we traced your fingerprints back to the
scene of an arson case in LA, back in 1999.
Mark puts his head in his hands and stares hard at the table.
MARK
Oh, I didn't think...
I thought I was free, you'd never catch me.
I got my money and it was all over.
SARA
(quizzically)
You were paid? Who paid you?
MARK
Blocker... John Blocker.
GRISSOM
John Blocker paid you to burn down his own
house?
MARK
He'd lost a ton of money on some bad
investments. He'd also lost millions
gambling, so he found me and told me--
he told me, burn down this empty house, but
I-- I went to the wrong address.
WARRICK
And he got you because--
MARK
I'd met him in a casino. I wanted to go to
LA, nobody knew me there, it was perfect.
I need money.
GRISSOM
So why kill him?
MARK
He needed somebody dependable, so he called
me up.
SARA
So what, he wanted to kill himself, but
didn't have the guts?
GRISSOM
He didn't want to do the dirty work.
MARK
He loved her, that's why. He told me, he
loved her.
BRASS
You have the right to remain silent...
INT- GRISSOM'S TAHOE, PARKING LOT OF MARISA'S APARTMENT
Grissom and Sara pull up to the apartment. Sara seems distraught.
Grissom reaches over and rubs her hand gently to calm her. Sara
looks up, clearly surprised.
SARA
I just don't know how to tell her..
Grissom nods, clearly (finally) attentive to Sara's dilemmas.
SARA
She's already gone through so much.
(beat)
Catherine should have come, Lexie knows her
better.
GRISSOM
That's why we're the ones here.
They get out of the car and walk up to the front door of Marisa's
apartment.
EXT- MARISA'S APARTMENT-- SAME DAY.
SARA
Lexie. I hate to tell you this--
FADE OUT.
END.
I've been told that the end is weaker than the beginning. I want to go back and edit it, but I'm not sure how. Any advice would be appreciated!
Act 1: The Ties That Bind
TEASER
FADEIN:
INT- THE INSIDE OF AN UPSCALE HOUSE -- NIGHT
Enter LEXIE.
LEXIE runs down steps with a purse or bag over one shoulder,
carrying books in her hands. She reaches a bedroom door and opens
it.
LEXIE
So, I might not be home until later tonight,
Grandpa, and I was wondering if you could
lend me some money because I...
(drops books and begins to scream)
Oh, my God, oh, my God!!
Enter GRISSOM and CATHERINE, carrying equipment, with BRASS in
tow. Police cars dot the road as they walk up to the front door.
BRASS
Yeah. Name's John Blocker, Las Vegas
millionaire.
(frowns)
Plenty of motive, right there.
CATHERINE
Nice house.
BRASS
Wait until you get inside. I remember coming
here once for some benefit dinner.
They enter the house into an impressive foyer. Near the back
Lexie is sitting and crying, flanked by two policemen trying to
console and question her simultaneously. Lexie looks up as the
three enter. Brass Catherine walks over.
CATHERINE
Catherine Willows, crime lab.
(She shakes Lexie's hand, which is
limp as she is still concentrating on
crying.)
I'm assuming you're the grandaughter of
the...diseaced?
(Lexie nods, fighting back more
tears.)
We'll try our hardest to find out what
happened here. Would you mind if we asked you
a few questions? When you're ready, of
course.
GRISSOM
Tough.
BRASS
Yeah, especially when you've already lost
both of your parents.
(He reads off a clipboard, presumably
with information on the family.
Grissom ignores Brass' remark and goes up the stairs into a
large master bedroom.
INT- MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grissom begins to to work the crime scene. On the king-size bed
is the body, covered in blood, with a gun wound to the head.
There is no weapon in sight and no obvious signs of entry.
SARA enters the room.
SARA
Heard there was a high-profile vic. I figured
you'd need me. Nick and Warrick'll be here
soon.
GRISSOM
Good. They won't be dissapointed.
SARA
What, did you find something big?
GRISSOM
Sort of.
SARA
What?
GRISSOM
Nothing.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
Grissom and Sara work the crime scene, while musing about the
situation to each other.
SARA
It's your typical murder-mystery-novel case.
Rich and famous dead guy. No signs of forced
entry. Neat and clean bullet wound to the
head.
GRISSOM
No signs of struggle. But if this was a book,
we'd at least get to have the murder weapon.
SARA
Very few fingerprints. I'll bet this room was
cleaned recently.
Grissom bends and picks up something, dropping it in an evidence
bag.
GRISSOM
All we've got is the body, the bullet,
(raises bag slightly and glances at
it)
and a strand of hair.
SARA
We've solved cases with less.
GRISSOM
But this time, the media'll be all over it--
and they'll want more.
Catherine enters, slightly distraught.
CATHERINE
I tried talking to the girl, but she's still
worked up.
SARA
What'd you learn about her?
CATHERINE
Her name is Lexie, she's been living with her
grandfather since her parents died three
years ago.
GRISSOM
Are Nick and Warrick here yet?
CATHERINE
Just got here a minute ago. They're
downstairs talking to Brass.
GRISSOM
You help Sara finsih up in here.
CATHERINE
Sure.
GRISSOM
I'll have Nick and Warrick walk the premesis
with me.
Grissom exits.
INT-- DOWNSTAIRS FOYER-- SAME NIGHT.
NICK
Hey, Grissom.
GRISSOM
You already talked to Brass?
WARRICK
Yeah. Too bad, huh?
GRISSOM
You want to help me go around the outside?
NICK
It takes three of us?
GRISSOM
It's a big house.
EXT- OUTSIDE THE BLOCKER HOUSE-- SAME NIGHT.
Warrick and Nick head towards the pathway leading up to the front
door, having walked in opposite directions around the house.
Grissom is crouching, studying footprints on the front walkway.
WARRICK
Nothing much in the back. A couple of
footprints.
NICK
Same here.
GRISSOM
And here.
Warrick and Nick glance down at the ground and give each other an
overwhelmed look.
INT- CORONER'S OFFICE-- THE NEXT DAY
Catherine, Grissom, and Dr. Robbins are standing over John
Blocker's body. Catherine and Grissom anxiously listen to the
coroner's report.
CORONER
Well, he was pretty healthy for his age.
Stayed in shape, ate well, had a good heart.
The only thing abnormal here is that there
were some signs of a previous stroke.
GRISSOM
It wasn't in his medical records?
CORONER
No, but it's not uncommon for minor strokes
to go undetected.
CATHERINE
It's clear that the shot to the head was the
cause of death?
CORONER
No doubt about it. My guess? He was sleeping,
didn't know what hit him until it was all
over.
A RECEPTIONIST enters the room.
RECEPTIONIST
Ms. Willows? An Alexis Blocker here to speak
with you.
Catherine excuses herself from the room, walks down the hall, and
sees Lexie waiting. She smiles and waves.
INT- FOYER OF CSI OFFICE-- DAY
Catherine walks down the hall, preparing herself to talk to
Lexie. She feels responsibility for her now, after the
conversation she had with her the day of the murder. Sara has
already sat down and started talking to Lexie.
SARA
Trust me, I see this every day... and it's
not easy.
LEXIE
I guess...
Catherine greets Lexie a little timidly, not sure how to enter
the conversation.
CATHERINE
Good to see you, Lexie. Are you holding up
alright?
LEXIE
Yeah, well... not really, but
(she is crying slightly)
I want to help.
CATHERINE
I'm so sorry...
We really will do all that we can, and you
can tell us a lot that will help. Tell us
what happened when you found him yesterday.
LEXIE
Yesterday... in the afternoon he went
upstairs to do some work. He'd shut himself
(cries)
he'd shut himself in there for hours, so when
he was still there a few hours later I didn't
think anything of it. I went out to run some
errands and came back. Later when I left to
go to a friend's I thought I'd say goodbye
and...
Lexie stops abruptly and stares at her lap.
SARA
Is there anything you can tell us about your
grandfather. Any enemies? Old grudges?
LEXIE
My grandpa delt in real estate. He never told
me much abou tall that, because he said I
wouldn't understand and wouldn't be
interested anyway. But, truthfully, I really
was..
She starts to cry again. Sara and Catherine exchange glances;
Sara's face seems bewhildered, while Catherine's seems worried.
INT- DNA LAB-- SAME DAY.
NICK
Hey, Greg, did you process those samples I
gave you?
GREG
Yeah... here you go. One hair, it matches the
grandaughter.
NICK
Thanks.
INT- GRISSOM'S OFFICE -- SAME DAY.
SARA
Hey, I got some background on our vic, John
Blocker. Had real estate all over the US,
including two houses and two condos in Vegas.
GRISSOM
So... no disgruntled employees, but maybe..
disgruntled tenants?
SARA
Well listen to this-- Lexie? She lived with
her parents in one of her grandfather's
houses in LA, until 1999, when it burnt down,
trapping her parents inside. It was ruled
arson. The case was never closed.
GRISSOM
Interesting.
Nick enters with the DNA results and hands them to Grissom.
NICK
Greg finished with the hair sample-- it
matched the girl.
SARA
There goes our hair.
Grissom picks up a copy of John Blocker's DNA on his desk and
compares it with the printout.
GRISSOM
Was Lexie adopted?
SARA
I don't think so, why?
GRISSOM
Her DNA doesn't match the victim's.
ACT 2
EXT- MEDIUM SIZED APARTMENT-- DAY.
Grissom and Sara walk up to the front door and ring the bell. A
lady in her mid-thirties opens the door.
LADY
Hello? If you're with the media, we're not
avail--
GRISSOM
Gil Grissom, Las Vegas crime lab. And you
are?
MARISA
Marisa, Lexie's aunt, and her new guardian.
GRISSOM
Nice to meet you. We'd like to talk to Lexie,
if that's ok.
LEXIE
Aunt Marisa, is it Catherine?
SARA
Hi, Lexie. No, it's me and Grissom...
remember us? We met yesterday, I think.
LEXIE
Oh yeah, hi.
GRISSOM
Can we ask you a few questions?
LEXIE
Sure, come on in.
(to Marisa)
I'm sure it's ok.
INT- MARISA'S APARTMENT.
The apartment is on the small side. Grissom and Sara are led to a
kitchenette/eating area and sit down.
SARA
Lexie, We're having trouble identifying a
suspect in your grandfather's case.
GRISSOM
I know you've talked to Sara and Catherine
already, but is there anything you might have
forgotten?
LEXIE
Well, he was a private person and had
aquantances, not friends. He knew some of the
people who rented his houses fairly well.
SARA
If someone entered your house, would they
have access to any weapons?
LEXIE
Yeah.
GRISSOM
Like what?
LEXIE
There's Grandpa's gun collection. I didn't
think to show you it because nothing was
stolen or anything. There's one gun missing
(she frowns slightly here)
but it's been gone for a few months, I think.
(beat)
Are you sure you guys can do this?
SARA
We'll do the best we can.
GRISSOM
Thanks, Lexie.
EXT- SMALL ONE-STORY HOUSE-- DAY.
Catherine and Warrick ring the doorbell. A middle aged woman
opens the door.
CATHERINE
Hello. I'm Cahterine Willows with the Las
Vegas crime lab, this is Warrick Brown. I'm
sure you've already heard about your
landlord?
LADY
Yes, yes, I've heard. Devistating. Can I help
you with anything?
WARRICK
We were wondering if you knew anything about
the victim, anything that could help us.
LADY
Probably not much, but come inside.
INT- INSIDE SMALL HOUSE--DAY.
Catherine and Warrick are led into a small family room and shown
couches while talking to the lady.
CATHERINE
Did you have much contact with Mr. Blocker?
Do you know much about how he conducted
business?
LADY
Not really. We didn't have to contact him
very often. One time we had a leak and I had
to call him about fixing it. He was hard to
track down, but once we did he was really
nice and helpful.
WARRICK
The kind of person you'd want to be friends
with?
LADY
Yeah. Don't see why anyone'd have a grudge
against him or something.
CATHERINE
Well, thanks for your time.
The lady nods and closes the door behind them.
INT- BLOCKER MANSION, LATE AFTERNOON
Sara and Grissom enter the house and glance around.
SARA
She said that he kept his collection
downstairs..
INT- GUN DISPLAY ROOM
They proceed to the downstairs basement and walk through it into
a room with an impressive collection of guns. They are stored in
a large, glass covered display case.
SARA
(She points.)
Like she said, one's missing.
She begins to dust for fingerprints along the rim of the case.
GRISSOM
No signs of theft here at all. The case is
locked, the alarm is set.
SARA
Lexie did say the gun's been gone for awhile.
GRISSOM
If it was sold, why didn't they want the
ammunition, too?
SARA
If someone took it, they had to be able to
shut off the alarm. And if it was recent,
they would have reported it. Unless-- no...
GRISSOM
Well...
INT- LEXIE'S ROOM
They go upstairs to Lexie's room. Her room has a large bed and
several bookshelves.
GRISSOM
(reading the title of a book)
"The Care, Handling, and Use of Personal
Firearms." She knew how to fire a gun.
SARA
She loved him, though., She wasn't the kind
of-- I mean, I didn't really know her, but...
(beat)
We should get going.
EXT- CONDO, DAY.
Catherine and Warrick go up a flight of stairs to reach the
outside door of a condo. It seems to be nice and in an affluent
area. A man in his late twenties opens the door.
WARRICK
Warrick Brown, Las Vegas crime lab. This is
Catherine Willows. I'm sure you've heard--
(he gets cut off)
MAN
Yeah, a real shame.
CATHERINE
And you are-- Mark Shangauh?
MARK
That's me.
CATHERINE
We were wondering if we could ask you a few
questions.
INT- SAME CONDO.
The inside of Mark's condo is small but nicely furnished. There
are large comfortable couches.
MARK
Here, take a seat.
CATHERINE
How much contact did you have with the late
Mr. Blocker?
MARK
Oh, I talked to him a couple of times. He was
always real helpful. I remember going to some
of his charity things.
WARRICK
He held a lot of those?
MARK
Yeah. He always did stuff for charities. I
bet that's where his money's going.
CATHERINE
Well-- thanks.
They get up and shake hands.
ACT 3
INT- LAYOUT ROOM-- NIGHT
CATHERINE
Well, we learned that the vic didn't make
enemies. The people we talked to were all
pretty shocked by the whole thing.
WARRICK
And he owns nice houses.
SARA
We found out that a gun's been missing from
the vic's personal collection for several
months.
GRISSOM
Lexie said she thought it had been sold, but
everything you'd sell along with a gun is
still there.
NICK
While you guys were gone, I took a look at
Mr. Blocker's will. About half goes to
charity.
Sara grabs the papers he's holding from his hands.
SARA
And the other half goes to Lexie.
(preoccupied)
All the gun books...
Catherine looks shocked, slowly catching on to what Sara's
thinking. Sara and Grissom exchange glances.
GRISSOM
Wait... what was that Greg said about Lexie's
DNA?
SARA
Lexie and her grandfather had nothing in
common, DNA-wise.
NICK
So if Lexie was adopted, but that was never
disclosed...
CATHERINE
Grandpa never deserved custody, Lexie looses
her claim to the will, and--
NICK
The money is turned over to the next person,
Marisa, who's barely in the will at all.
GRISSOM
And in any case, Marisa control's Lexie's
inheritance until she's 18.
EXT- MARISA'S APARTMENT-- DAY
Grissom and Catherine walk up the stairs to the door. Catherine
rings the bell and Marisa answers.
MARISA
Hi again, Mr. Grissom. And you must be
Catherine?
CATHERINE
Yes, nice to meet you. Marisa, right?
MARISA
Yes, yes, come inside.
Lexie is sitting at the kitchen table, doing schoolwork.
LEXIE
Hi, Catherine! Hi, Grissom.
CATHERINE
Nice to see you, Lexie. Listen, we have some
more questions for you.
GRISSOM
Remember how you told me about that gun, you
thought your grandfather sold it? We think it
may be stolen.
Lexie seems shocked for a moment. Catherine takes a chance and
asks her:
CATHERINE
Lexie. Were you adopted?
LEXIE
No! What does that have to do with anything?
GRISSOM
It depends. Oh, we saw some books in your
room on guns. Did you hunt with your
grandfather?
LEXIE
Me? No way. Grandpa taught me how to shoot,
he wanted me to get into it like he was. But
I couldn't even shoot a squirrel. You don't
think-- no, I'd never!
CATHERINE
I'm sorry, Lexie. It's just that whoever took
the gun had to have been able to deactivate
the alarm--
Grissom's cell phone rings.
GRISSOM
Grissom.
(His face brightens somewhat.)
Thanks.
(He hangs up the phone. To Catherine:)
Sara says we got the prints back from the gun
case.
(To Lexie, who is looking
apprehensive.)
Don't worry. They're not yours.
INT- PRINT LAB-- DAY.
Catherine and Grissom arrive, Sara is finishing up documenting
the prints.
SARA
So I ran the prints through the database, and
I got a Mark Shagaugh. It turns out, he rents
one of Blocker's condos in Las Vegas.
CATHERINE
But Mark said that he'd only had minimal
contact with Mr. Blocker.
GRISSOM
Sara, can you--
SARA
(grinning)
Here you go.
She hands him a warrant.
GRISSOM
You want to come?
Sara and Grissom exit. Catherine walks down the hall to look for
Greg; she finds him in the DNA lab.
INT- DNA LAB-- A FEW MINUTES LATER
CATHERINE
Hey, Greg, can I ask you a question?
GREG
Um... sure.
CATHERINE
How can Lexie and Grandpa Blocker share no
identical DNA and yet still be blood
relatives?
GREG
It's possible.
Catherine looks at him skeptically.
GREG
Okay. Grandpa and Grandma each give half
their DNA to Dad. Dad and Mom each give half
their DNA to Lexie. It just to happens, the
half Dad gives was the entire half he got
from Grandma. Grandpa is still related to
Lexie, but...
CATHERINE
He didn't "donate" anything.
(She finds Greg humerous, yet is
impressed at the same time.
GREG
Yep.
CATHERINE
... thanks.
EXT- MARK'S CONDO-- AFTERNOON
Sara and Grissom walk upstairs to the door. Grissom knocks.
GRISSOM
Mr. Shangauh? Gil Grissom. I'm here with the
crime lab. I believe you spoke with my
colleagues, Catherine and Nick?
MARK
Oh yes, come on in.
SARA
We have reason to believe that you wee
present at the blocker home, just previous to
the death of Mr. Blocker.
MARK
I-- I was there, I had attended one of his
charity events.
GRISSOM
Charity? You didn't happen to, say, take
something at one of those-- charity events?
As he is speaking, Sara puts on a pair of gloves. She walks
across the room and picks up a newly cleaned gun sitting on a
table.
SARA
Like, say, a gun?
Mark looks stunned.
INT- BALLISTICS LAB-- DAY
Catherine and Sara wait for Nick's results.
NICK
Good news. These bullets match the one we
retrieved from the victim. Get this-- it's
registered to a Mr. John Blocker.
CATHERINE
I take it back-- murders are still done with
registered weapons these days.
SARA
But you guys, something's still not right. We
don't have a motive. In fact, we don't even
have a connection, except for the fact Mark
rented a condo.
CATHERINE
Well...
SARA
Warrick, can I see that folder?
WARRICK
Here, I'll help you.
INT- LAYOUT ROOM-- DAY
Warrick and Sara comb through the files.
SARA
Hey, Warrick, look at this.
Warrick studies the document Sara handed to him.
WARRICK
Fingerprints.
SARA
Yeah. Look.
WARRICK
Doing it the old-fashioned way?
(beat)
Where are those from?
SARA
The LA arson case, 1999.
WARRICK
Lexie's house.
SARA
Yeah. Found on a gasoline can found at the
scene.
INT- INTERROGATION ROOM-- DAY
Sara, Grissom, and Warrick question Mark, who is sitting
uneasily. Brass stands off to one side.
SARA
Mark, we traced your fingerprints back to the
scene of an arson case in LA, back in 1999.
Mark puts his head in his hands and stares hard at the table.
MARK
Oh, I didn't think...
I thought I was free, you'd never catch me.
I got my money and it was all over.
SARA
(quizzically)
You were paid? Who paid you?
MARK
Blocker... John Blocker.
GRISSOM
John Blocker paid you to burn down his own
house?
MARK
He'd lost a ton of money on some bad
investments. He'd also lost millions
gambling, so he found me and told me--
he told me, burn down this empty house, but
I-- I went to the wrong address.
WARRICK
And he got you because--
MARK
I'd met him in a casino. I wanted to go to
LA, nobody knew me there, it was perfect.
I need money.
GRISSOM
So why kill him?
MARK
He needed somebody dependable, so he called
me up.
SARA
So what, he wanted to kill himself, but
didn't have the guts?
GRISSOM
He didn't want to do the dirty work.
MARK
He loved her, that's why. He told me, he
loved her.
BRASS
You have the right to remain silent...
INT- GRISSOM'S TAHOE, PARKING LOT OF MARISA'S APARTMENT
Grissom and Sara pull up to the apartment. Sara seems distraught.
Grissom reaches over and rubs her hand gently to calm her. Sara
looks up, clearly surprised.
SARA
I just don't know how to tell her..
Grissom nods, clearly (finally) attentive to Sara's dilemmas.
SARA
She's already gone through so much.
(beat)
Catherine should have come, Lexie knows her
better.
GRISSOM
That's why we're the ones here.
They get out of the car and walk up to the front door of Marisa's
apartment.
EXT- MARISA'S APARTMENT-- SAME DAY.
SARA
Lexie. I hate to tell you this--
FADE OUT.
END.