ACT ONE

FADE IN:

EXT. MOJAVE DESERT (AERIAL) - DAY

At a distance, it looks like GUISTINA Wright is just out for a stroll through the desert. A police car is approaching on a nearby asphalt road.

EXT. COUNTY ROAD 92 - DAY

The police car stops on the side of the road, and State Patrolmen BOYER and LANCE get out. Boyer grabs a pair of binoculars and starts scanning the desert. Lance shields his eyes, searching the landscape. From their POV they don't see Guistina right away. Boyer lowers the binoculars.

BOYER
Are you sure this is the spot?

LANCE
Caller said mile marker 105. That's
105 back there.

Boyer scans the land again, right past Guistina. He stops and scans back.

BOYER
There she is. Come on.

He drops the binoculars in the car and leads the way. As the two get closer they see this woman is very thin. She has a third degree sunburn. Her dress is worn from years of washing. Her hair was in a long, sloppy braid. On her forehead, disappearing into her hair is a large, bruised, cut. Her bare feet are cracked and bloody.

LANCE
Ma'am.

She doesn't stop walking.

BOYER
Ma'am, a man called in to report
you out here. He said he almost hit
you when you crossed the road in
front of him. Do you need help?
Would you like us to give you a
ride somewhere?

When she doesn't respond, Boyer grabs her shoulder to stop her. She screams and attacks him in a fury of rage. Boyer goes down and the two officers wrestle to get her stopped and handcuffed.

INT. GORILLA HABITAT - DAY

With camera in hand, Nick is searching the habitat for evidence. He snaps some photos of a few blood spots. He moves near the cage door that lets Ralph into the habitat. The door is down.

He notices the ground in front of the door is freshly dug, but at the doors of the other cage door it isn't. He crouches to photograph it.

Inside the cage is coated with blood that Greg is taking samples of.

GREG
Find something?

NICK
There's fresh dirt here.

Nick looks up, seeing blood on the bent bars of the door. None of the bars on the other cages are bent. He takes pictures, then takes a sample of the blood.

NICK
There's blood on the outside of
these bars.

GREG
Could be the victim's.

While collecting the blood, Nick notices a patch of blood on the habitat wall. A few black hairs are sticking out that may be a match to the victim's black hair.

NICK
That may be, but this isn't.

He takes photographs and a sample.

INT. RALPH'S CAGE - DAY

GREG
At least you have different
evidence. I have a cage full of
blood. If that's not a conviction,
I don't know what is.

NICK
Better not let Grissom hear you say
that. I think he feels sorry for
the gorilla.

Greg chuckles some.

INT. GORILLA HABITAT - DAY

Nick searches for more evidence. His eyes stop on a camera pointed into the habitat. He gathers his kit and goes through the small access door hidden behind a plant.

Omitted

INT. SUNRISE HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY

RILEY and CATHERINE are walking with field kits in hand. Down the hall Boyer and Lance are waiting for them. Boyer has several bandages and fingernail scratches on his face and neck. The four great each other with slight nods.

RILEY
Bad day?

BOYER
I've had better.

CATHERINE
Dispatch requested female CSIs. Is
it a sexual assault?

Both men shrug. Boyd glances through an open door. In the room beyond, Riley and Catherine can see Guistina lying on her side in the bed. Nurse LORETTA is finishing bandaging the woman's burned arm.

BOYER
A male caller told dispatch a woman
walked out of the desert right in
front of him and he almost hit her.
We responded and found her walking
through the desert barefoot. When I
tried to stop her, she went crazy
on me. Then she went limp. We had
to carry her back to the car. We
don't know if she's been assaulted
or not, or if she's just insane. We
asked dispatch to check with local
hospitals for missing patients.

CATHERINE
Thank you. We'll take it from here.

The men leave and the women enter the room.

INT. SUNRISE HOSPITAL - ROOM - DAY

Riley catches Loretta at the door.

RILEY
Did you get a rape kit?

LORETTA
I have it at the nurses' station.
She didn't consent, but she didn't
say no either.

RILEY
I'll pick it up before we leave.
Has she spoken to you?

LORETTA
Not a word. The E.R. nurse said she
didn't even flinch when she put the
I.V. needle in.

RILEY
Thank you.

Loretta leaves. Riley walks around to one side of the bed and uses a table to set up. On the opposite side, Catherine pulls a chair up to the bed and sets her kit on the floor next to her. Guistina's hallow face has been smeared with burn gel. She stares unblinking at a spot on the wall.

RILEY
Ma'am, can I scrape under your fingernails?

The woman doesn't answer. The two CSI exchange looks. Catherine nods slightly and Riley begins processing the woman for evidence.

Catherine pulls on gloves as she talks to Guistina.

CATHERINE
My name is Catherine Willows. This
is my partner Riley Sidle. We're
from the Las Vegas crime lab. Can
you tell me how you ended up barefoot
in the desert?

No answer.

Catherine pulls out a comb and paper. She reaches out to comb the woman's hair and the woman's eyes flick up. They stare at each other.

CATHERINE
(gently)
Did you want to say something?

The woman's eyes drift away. Catherine and Riley collect their evidence in silence.

INT. VETERINARIAN EXAM ROOM - DAY

Brass is questioning the habitat veterinarians TERRI and LACY. Lacy is crying. Terri is distraught, but he's hiding it better.

Gloved and meticulous, Grissom is processing Ralph while he listens to the conversation. Ralph is heavily sedated, but he still manages to watch Grissom.

BRASS
Did either of you know the victim?

LACY
Uhm... Yeah. Yes. She's...
Takoda Red Deer.

BRASS
Takoda Red Deer?

Grissom looks into Ralph's eyes and they stare at each other a moment. Grissom suddenly looks away, continuing his work.

TERRI
She's been here for six months
working on her doctorate thesis.
Anma okayed her to work with Ralph.

BRASS
And who is Anma?

LACY
His mom.

Brass glances at the gorilla, then Grissom, then back at the vets.

BRASS
So your saying the gorilla's mom
told you to give someone--

LACY
I don't need your cynicism,
Detective Brass!

Grissom picks up one of Ralph's hands...

CSI POV

The firm pad of his palm is scratched, the tips of his fingers are torn to shreds, and under his three middle fingers are bits of human skin, Caucasian.

BACK TO SCENE

BRASS
Okay. Okay. How'd you get
permission from a gorilla?

LACY
His mom is Doctor Anma Scotton, a
renowned anthropologist. She found
him in Nigeria next to his dead
mother. She rescued him and he
thinks she's his mom.

BRASS
Has Ralph ever been violent before?

TERRI
Ralph didn't kill Takoda. She was
his friend; he never would have
hurt her.

BRASS
We have a dismembered corpse and
cage full of blood that says
otherwise. Maybe he got tired of
living behind bars.

Grissom has worked his way down to Ralph's feet. He leans in...

CSI POV

Cuts cover Ralph's pads and the top of his feet. The ends of his toes are shredded.

Grissom imagines this was caused by him using his feet to dig at something solid -- like cement at the edge of his cage.

BACK TO SCENE

Grissom starts taking photographs of the injuries. He works his way around to the other hand, documenting the injuries on it as well.

TERRI
Ralph isn't violent.

BRASS
Then who did this? Who tore that
young woman apart?

The two can't answer that question.

BRASS
Does anyone else have access to
this area?

TERRI
The manager, the dietician,
janitors, and us.

BRASS
Have there been any problems with
the habitat? Any threats? Maybe
someone's concerned about the
exhibit's performance?

Grissom sets his camera aside. Starting at the head, he gently probes under Ralph's long, black hair. Ralph closes his eyes, making soft noises like purring. Grissom almost smiles. Ralph's eyes open when Grissom comes across an anomaly.

CSI POV

On Ralph's forehead, hidden by hair, is a long, bruised cut that's formed a knot. The cut has started to scab.

BACK TO SCENE

Grissom grabs his camera and documents this injury. He continues his probing, making Ralph 'purr' again.

TERRI
To our knowledge there haven't been
any threats and it's performing as
strongly as the lion and dolphin
attractions.

BRASS
I'll need everyone's name, save the
manager. Already have his.

They nod and turn to go.

GRISSOM
Was Ralph in a fight with another
gorilla recently? Maybe the silver
back I saw in the next cage?

The two shake their heads.

LACY
Why?

GRISSOM
His fingers and toes are scraped.
And there's a cut on his head. It
looks like he might have hit it
on something.

Lacy rushes over to examine the finds. She starts crying again.

LACY
Oh, sweetheart, what have you done
to yourself? What happened to you
last night?

Ralph makes a low sound, turning his head toward her. Grissom gives him a reassuring pat, something Brass notices but says nothing about.

EXT. CSI BUILDING - NIGHT

Establishing shot.

INT. CATHERINE'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Catherine is filling out paperwork when Grissom walks past. He returns and leans against the doorframe, knocking lightly on the door. She looks up, smiles.

GRISSOM
How's your case coming?

CATHERINE
You gave Riley and I a dead end. The
woman wasn't raped and with the
injuries she obtained wandering the
desert for three days, we can't be
certain she was attacked.

GRISSOM
Jane Doe won't tell you what
happened to her?

CATHERINE
Jane Doe isn't talking to anyone.

GRISSOM
Why?

CATHERINE
We don't know. Her doctor doesn't
think it's physical, the psychiatrist
thinks it may be emotional trauma.

GRISSOM
What do you think?

CATHERINE
She's either covering for someone
or she saw something she
shouldn't have.

GRISSOM
So no missing persons matching her?

CATHERINE
No one fitting her description has
been reported in the last two
weeks. I'm telling you, Grissom,
you gave us a dead end.

Sophie Curtis appears at the door, holding up a piece of paper.

BRASS
A missing persons just came in that
matches your victim.

CATHERINE
(to Grissom)
I didn't think we'd ever pick up a lead.

GRISSOM
Is this a woman only case?

Sophie grins.

BRASS
And we like it that way, Grissom.
How's your monkey business going?

As he leaves he answers.

GRISSOM
Primate. Slow. Good luck, ladies.

Catherine gets up and grabs her jacket. She joins Sophie at the door, taking the missing person's report and reading it.

CATHERINE
Let's go talk to this Joan Peters.

The women leave together.

EXT. SUNSET ACRES TRAILER PARK - DAY

Sophie gets out of an unmarked car. Catherine and Riley step out of a black SUV. The three join on the sidewalk in front of JOAN Peters' trailer.

Most of the trailers are well kept. The one directly across from Joan's has a new pickup, and isn't well kept. The road ends at the open desert. The CSIs and Sophie head up the deck stairs to Joan's trailer.

EXT. JOAN'S DECK - DAY

Riley looks at the old truck and sailboat parked beside the deck as they pass. Sophie knocks and they wait.

Joan, 40's, opens the door. She's dressed in paint stained shorts and tank, her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail. In one hand she's holding wet paintbrushes, in the other a cigarette.

BRASS
Joan Peters?

Joan is soft spoken unless provoked, a contradiction to her appearance.

JOAN
Yeah.

The woman sucks a drag from her cigarette. Sophie flashes her badge.

BRASS
I'm Detective Curtis. This is
Catherine Willow and Riley Sidle
from the crime lab. We'd like to
talk to you about the missing
person's report you filed on a
Guistina Wright.

JOAN
Did I miss something? The
secretary marked all the places I
had to fill out.

BRASS
The report was fine.

Sophie pulls a photograph out of her pocket, holding it up.

BRASS
Your description matches this--

Joan drops her brushes and rips the photograph away. She rushes to the opposite side of her deck.

JOAN
Elan! Elan!

There's a brief silence, then a window of the next trailer opens. Out of it appears ELLEN Hale, 50's. She wears a bright flowered muumuu and holds the end of long 1920's style cigarette holder with a brown unfiltered cigarette.

ELLEN
Yeah?

Joan holds the picture up.

JOAN
It's Guistina!

Ellen drops her cigarette. She leans out her window, snatching the picture away. She stares at it for a beat before looking up at them.

ELLEN
Is she dead? Did he kill her?

Sophie holds her hand out for the photograph.

CATHERINE
No. She's not dead.

JOAN
Is she in trouble? Where is she?
Can we see her? Oh God. What did he
do to her?

BRASS
Let's start from the beginning, okay?

Joan nods. Ellen sniffles.

BRASS
Where does Guistina live?

JOAN
She's our neighbor in that trailer.

Joan makes a feeble motion at shabby trailer across the street. Catherine and Riley both glance at it.

BRASS
In the report you stated that she
may have been missing for a week.
Why are you just now filing the report?

JOAN
He kept her locked up in there. It
was normal for us not to see her
for days until he went on a trip or
out drinking.

Joan shoots a dark look at the trailer she's talking about.

ELLEN
John Wright is an asshole!

They're all surprised by the comment, even Joan.

ELLEN
Well he is! He kept Tina locked up
in that trailer like some caged
bird. He never bought her anything;
she had to beg just for cloth to
make new dresses. Once he caught
her wearing pants I gave her, the
next day she was covered in bruises.
She is the sweetest, kindest girl
you'd ever meet, but he treats her
like dirt and for no good reason!

BRASS
John Wright is her husband?

JOAN
Yes.

The familiar story is getting to Riley. She turns a glare on the trailer.

BRASS
When was the last time either of
you actually saw Guistina?

JOAN
Monday, I think.

ELLEN
Oh nooo. I saw her Wednesday when I
took her a gift. A pretty little
canary. I thought it might help
brighten her day. She loved that
thing! Prettiest little cage too.

JOAN
But he's been home since. We
haven't seen her. Although... It's
really strange for him to be home so
long. And how did she get out in
the desert without him stopping her?

ELLEN
He drank, you know. Probably drank
himself stupid.

JOAN
Is she okay?

Catherine offers a sympathetic smile.

CATHERINE
Not really. She won't talk to anyone.

JOAN
Can we see her? Maybe she'll talk to us.

CATHERINE
I'm sorry. Not yet. We have a lot
of questions about the state she
was found in.

JOAN
State? Is she hurt bad? Did that--

CATHERINE
She's catatonic.

ELLEN
What the hell does a cat in a tonic
have to do with this?

JOAN
Catatonic, Elan. Maybe she'd snap
out of it if we visited her.

CATHERINE
Not yet. We'll let you know when
she can have visitors. Thank you
for your help.

The two nod. Sophie and the CSIs head across the street.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE