ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. LAS VEGAS (STOCK) - NIGHT

To establish.

INT. CSI - LAB - NIGHT

Greg stares at the hair fibers through a microscope. They're telling him nothing.

He looks up when Catherine sets a box of evidence bags next to his arm and stares at it.

GREG
You want me to run all this?

CATHERINE
No. I've been thinking... I'm not
Grissom, so here's what I'll do...
I'll give you seventy-two hours to
find anything that will support
your theory.

GREG
Really?

CATHERINE
Really. And if in seventy-two hours
you find nothing, you'll let it go
and focus on the evidence only.

Greg doesn't answer.

CATHERINE
Greg.

GREG
Okay. Okay. I promise.

CATHERINE
Finish what you're doing and get
started.

Catherine picks up the box and leaves the lab. Greg smiles, turning back to the microscope.

INT. CORONER'S OFFICE - AUTOPSY ROOM A - NIGHT

The doors open and Catherine pushes in a stretcher with a corpse. Robbins watches her.

ROBBINS
When did I hire you as my
assistant?

CATHERINE
David has three more coming.

Catherine stops, looking around the room. It is packed with corpses on stretchers.

CATHERINE
A full house.

Catherine sees a spot and pushes the stretcher down to it. She parks it and comes back to stand next to the corpse Robbins is working on.

ROBBINS
I hope you guys catch this killer
soon. I'm putting in more overtime
than the county would like.

CATHERINE
Me too. Anything new?

ROBBINS
No. This police officer was shot
like the others.

CATHERINE
Do you have a bullet?

ROBBINS
Already sent it to ballistics. You
know it's going to come back as his
own weapon, don't you?

CATHERINE
Probably that his own tools were
used to kill him. In this case, his
own sidearm. Have you gotten the
results on the couple found with
this policeman?

ROBBINS
Yes. Over dose of a sedative. Just
like all the others. I'm afraid
your killer is dead set on this
method of murder. No pun intended.

CATHERINE
We'll find something. Humans are
innately flawed.

ROBBINS
You better hope this one's innate
flaw shows up soon or there could
be murders involving mobs. Did you
see that demonstration at the
Henderson Clinic?

Catherine nods.

The doors burst open and David pushes a stretcher in while pulling another. He stops halfway in when he realizes there's no space left.

DAVID
Hall?

ROBBINS
Yes. And make sure to turn up the
air so they stay cool.

David pulls/pushes his stretchers back out. Catherine's cell phone rings and she answers it.

CATHERINE
Willows.
(listens to caller)
I'm on my way.

ROBBINS
And the EMS Killer strikes again.

CATHERINE
See you in a few hours.

Catherine heads for the door

ROBBINS
Unfortunately.

INT. CRESCENT COVE APARTMENTS - NIGHT

Catherine and Riley enter the building and get on the elevator.

RILEY
Are you sure this is the right address?

CATHERINE
That's the third time you've asked
me that.

RILEY
I know! I know. But the EMS Killer
only kills at houses.

CATHERINE
You know, Riley, other murders are
happening in Las Vegas that aren't
this serial killer's doing.

RILEY
Doesn't feel that way.

The elevator doors open to reveal Brass waiting for them. He steps back to let them out and leads toward an open apartment door with a policeman standing next to it.

BRASS
The EMS Killer has changed his
location preference.

Riley smiles when Catherine glances at him, but says nothing.

INT. CRESCENT COVE - APARTMENT 1503 - NIGHT

The two enter the apartment. David is kneeling next to the body. Across the apartment a woman sits in a chair crying. A policeman stands nearby comforting her.

DAVID
Time of death is between 7 and 9 P.M.

Catherine glances at her watch.

CATHERINE
Five hours ago.

BRASS
The girlfriend came home from work
and found him. The victim is Sergeant
Johnson, we graduated together. He
was retiring in three days. Like
the other scenes there is no sign
of forced entry and he was shot
with his side arm.

CATHERINE
Riley start in here until David
finishes. I'll start at the
elevator and stairs.

Catherine finds nothing by the time he's searched the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.

INT. CRESCENT COVE APARTMENTS - CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Catherine leaves the apartment, searching the hall. He goes to the elevator and searches the elevator car. He notices a camera in the corner. He steps back into the hall, looking one way, then in the direction of the stairwell. He sees a camera right above the stairwell door. Catherine pulls out his phone and dials.

BRASS
Brass.

CATHERINE
This building has surveillance cameras?

BRASS
I am now. I'll get a warrant for
the tapes.

CATHERINE
Thanks.

Catherine hangs up and returns to the car to continue processing it.

INT. CSI - LAB - DAY

Greg is focused on the document on the computer before him. There are several headshots of Petra O'Connor, along with on the bench next to him magazines she's modeling on the cover of. He doesn't respond when Catherine comes in and stands next to him.

CATHERINE
Greg.

Greg looks up.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)
Have you found anything?

GREG
Yeah. Toomey adopted his
step-daughter, but then gave up his
parental rights after the divorce.
We didn't find her the first time because
she'd changed her last name back
to O'Connor when she went into modeling.

CATHERINE
Then why haven't we questioned her?

GREG
She's a model for Vogue and her
manager says she hasn't been state
side for the last two months. But I
remember seeing her at the hospital
the day Toomey blew up the clinic.
I've tried reaching someone at Vogue,
but apparently LVPD's arm doesn't
reach to New York.

CATHERINE
Does she have a record?

GREG
No, but--

CATHERINE
I have surveillance footage I need
you to go through. I had it sent to
the A/V LAB.

GREG
Catherine, I--

CATHERINE
I gave you seventy-two hours to
prove your theory. I need you back
on the case and right now, I need
these tapes processed.

Greg sighs. Slowly he starts closing applications.

GREG
I'll get right on it.

CATHERINE
Thank you.

Catherine leaves. Greg watches her and when she's out of sight he quickly pulls applications back up. He rapidly types until he pulls up court information.

He jogs across the room and grabs two forms. He jogs back and fills out the paper work, then shoves them in a fax machine. Greg watches the halls as he impatiently waits for the fax to go through.

It finishes and he folds the forms, sliding them into his back pocket. Greg closes down the computer applications and hurries out of the lab.

INT. CSI - A.V. LAB - DAY

ARCHIE and Greg are at two different banks of monitors. Archie has four monitors running street camera footage. Greg is staring glassy eyed at one monitor that's showing an empty hall. Archie looks back at him.

ARCHIE
How long have you been staring at
that hall?

GREG
Actually staring or high speed staring?

ARCHIE
Actually.

GREG
Three hours. And I think I made

Catherine mad.

ARCHIE
How?

GREG
Not sure. But she gave me this job.
I must have.

Archie laughs.

ARCHIE
It can't be any worse than watching
four traffic cameras. There hasn't
been anything interesting on yours?

GREG
This old lady in 5112 goes in and
out of her apartment every time the
elevator doors open. And I think
the guy in 5102 is cheating on his
wife. She left for work, assuming
from the waitress uniform, and so
far I've seen two women come and go
from his apartment. And the policeman
came home and nothing else has
happened for three hours.

Archie laughs again.

Greg reaches out to turn the shuttle knob just as a masked figure comes into the hall. The individual looks very obese. The person is wearing a black ski mask, long sleeved turtleneck and cargo pants. Greg's hand drifts back.

GREG (CONT'D)
Who are you?

Archie gets up and stands behind him, watching.

The individual goes to the policeman's door and knocks. The person pulls a syringe from a pocket. When the door opens, the person attacks him. On the timecode minutes pass. The old lady steps out her door. The killer comes out, glances at the old lady but keeps walking.

Down the hall the philander comes out. He runs over to the open door of the police officer, then he attacks the killer. The killer uses karate moves that knock him out. The killer then pulls out a syringe and aims it to stab the man. The killer hesitates.

ARCHIE
The old lady is saying something.

Greg notices that now. The killer suddenly runs into the stairwell. The old lady gets the man and takes him into her apartment. Greg fast forwards the footage, watches the girlfriend come home, the police come.

After everyone has gone the philander finally goes back to his place. Greg stops the video and gets up, pulling out his cell phone.

GREG
I'll be right back.

Archie nods. Greg walks to an empty waiting room, closing the door.

INT. CSI - WAITING ROOM - DAY

Greg selects a phone number and dials it.

CATHERINE (ON PHONE)
Willows.

GREG
There's something you need to see
on the footage.

CATHERINE (ON PHONE)
I'll be there in a couple minutes.

Greg hangs up. He sits down, staring at his phone. He opens his phone book and selects the name Squigy, then hits dial. The voice that picks up on the other end is New York's CSI lab tech, ADAM Ross.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
This is Adam.

GREG
Hey Squigy.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Hey Pidge! How are ya?

GREG
Good. Hey, do you remember when we
were fifteen and your mom found
those cigarettes you had hidden
under your bed? And I told her
they were mine?

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Oh yeah! You got in so much
trouble. Your dad was going to
ground you for life!

GREG
(halfheartedly)
Yeah. Good times. Remember you said you'd do anything for me for that?

Adam immediately stops laughing.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
What do you want, Greg?

GREG
I need you to pull some strings
with your boss for my case.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Why aren't you going through your boss?

GREG
She told me to drop it, but I think
I'm on to something.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Does this have to do with that serial
killer that's been in the news?

GREG
Yes.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
No favor needed. How can I help?

GREG
I need information on a Petra
O'Connor or Petra Toomey. She works
for Vogue and I can't seem to get
anywhere from Vegas. Maybe a little
local muscle can get somewhere. Think
you can do that for me? It's low
priority so, you know, if they could
work on it when they had a chance...

Greg turns when the door opens. Catherine is waiting for him.

CATHERINE
What did you want to show me?

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Sure. Mac's pretty cool and we
haven't been too busy lately.

GREG
Great. Let me know what the trace
results are when you have them, okay?

ADAM (ON PHONE)
(taunting)
You're boss is there, isn't she?
You are so busted!

GREG
Whatever. Just do it.

ADAM (ON PHONE)
Alright. I'll see you in Warcraft tonight.

GREG
Thank you.

Greg hangs up and leaves with Catherine.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO