ACT TWO

FADE IN:

INT. CSI - GARAGE - DAY

Mac's Tahoe occupies a space. Danny, Hawkes, and Lindsay are being more diligent than usual as they examine the interior.

Lab tech ADAM Ross stands at the front with a laptop on the hood. Cables run to a box under the hood so he can download the audio and video from the hard drive. A window pops up on his screen when the download is complete.

ADAM
Okay. I have it.

The CSI gather around him. Stella shows up just as the video begins playing. The video and audio roll in the middle of Mac and Annie's conversation.

ANNIE (O.S.)
Buckle up.

MAC (O.S.)
Buckle up?

DANNY
Why would she want him to buckle up?

ANNIE (O.S.)
Yes.

LINDSAY
We don't even know why this woman
kidnapped him.

Danny shrugs. Good point.

The camera shows the Tahoe pulling out into the street.

MAC (O.S.)
What is this about?

ANNIE (O.S.)
We'll talk about this later. When
there's not an in-dash camera and
microphone recording us.

They are silent for three blocks.

STELLA
Adam, fast forward. We need to
figure out where they went from the
parking lot.

Adam fast-forwards until the Tahoe pulls into the parking lot of a large office complex. It's headed toward a white VW Passat. Danny points at the screen.

DANNY
There. Stop, Adam.

ADAM
We'll come back to it.

The Passat disappears off screen as the Tahoe parks beside it.

ANNIE (O.S.)
Turn it off.

The Tahoe turns off.

LINDSAY
Why is the camera still running?

ADAM
It'll run for another five minutes
after the engine is turned off.

ANNIE (O.S.)
Empty your pockets on the floor.
Put your sidearm under the seat.

They hear something heavy drop to the floor. Coins drop on the floor, more rustling.

HAWKES
That explains why his sidearm,
badge, wallet, and cell phone were
on the floor.

ANNIE (O.S.)
Get out.

They hear the door chime start when the dome light comes on behind the camera. They again hear the doors lock and then shut. The rest of the conversation is too soft for them to make out. After another minute, the headlights of the Passat come on, fading as she pulls away.

DANNY
Go back to the car. See if you can
get a license plate.

Adam stops the video and rewinds. He zooms in on the back and they share the defeat when they see it's covered.

STELLA
I doubt she left the parking lot
with it covered. I'll go back out
and see if it's in that parking
lot. Lindsay, pull Mac's credit
cards. See if she used any of them.

ADAM
I'll see if I can do anything with
that soft audio. Maybe we'll get lucky.

STELLA
Okay. Danny, Sheldon, are the two
of you done processing the Tahoe?

HAWKES
I am.

DANNY
Almost.

STELLA
Until we have more or she calls
with her demands, you guys have to
work on your other cases.

The other CSI nod and the team disperses. Danny returns to the Tahoe's driver seat. He finishes and finds nothing. He drops down, going over the floor. His flashlight stops on the gas pedal. There's a clot of mud that's dried in the grooves. He scrapes it off into an envelope and heads back upstairs.

INT. CSI - FINGERPRINT LAB - DAY

Danny is working at the AFIS computer, searching for multiple fingerprints. Lab Tech TIFFANY walks up and drops a piece of paper at his elbow. He picks it up, looking it over. She grins when he looks up at her.

TIFFANY
You want the 'eh' news, the good
news, or the bad news first?

DANNY
Depress me then dazzle me.

TIFFANY
The soil and dirt in the mud are
pretty common - grey and blue
sandstone, a little dolomite,
feldspar, trace quartz. I found a
beetle carcass. Its genus only
snacks on trees from the Catskills.

DANNY
That will help narrow the search
down some.

TIFFANY
But I haven't told you the good news.

DANNY
That wasn't it?

TIFFANY
Nope. I stuck some of it in the
chromatograph. I found refined
iron. Nature doesn't make refined iron.

Danny smiles at the printouts.

DANNY
It came from near an iron mill.

TIFFANY
Ya know, I kinda like Mac. He lets
me wear bikinis as long as I keep
my lab coat on. I hope this helps
find him.

Danny slowly looks up at her, surprised by the too much information she just gave him. He looks at the bare spot on her chest, then her face.

DANNY
Me too, Tif.

Danny pulls his cell phone from his belt and dials.

She leaves.

STELLA (ON PHONE)
Stella.

DANNY
Got some good news. Found some mud
on the gas pedal and Tiffany told
me we're looking for some place in
the Catskills with an iron mill nearby.

STELLA
Well that doesn't narrow it down much.

EXT. OFFICE COMPLEX PARKING LOT - DAY

Stella has pushed into the stiff bushes that border the parking lot.

DANNY (ON PHONE)
Any luck finding what was covering
the license plate?

He no sooner asks the question when she spots a piece of cardboard with black electrical tape on it - just like the piece in the video. She smiles.

STELLA
You must be magic, Danny. I just
found it. Start doing a search for
a VW Passat with the trace restrictions.

DANNY
I'm on it.

They hang up. Stella pulls on a glove and picks up the cardboard. With the naked eye, she doesn't see anything on it. She starts climbing out of the bushes.

INT. IRON MILL - CSI LAB - DAY

Four white, wide tables crowded with equipment surround a central counter. Extension cords run off to the outlets around the area, but none of them cross the middle. Except at the end near the plastic curtain where the power cord of Annie's laptop stretches to the nearest power strip.

She is surrounded by books about marine life, mainly whales. She occasionally stops typing to refer to them. On the other end of the counter Mac sits on a barstool reading a case file. He's dressed in worn jeans, sneakers, and a flannel shirt. His beard has thickened.

Around his ankle is an ankle cuff that looks like it was made for Houdini. To unlock it, the levers on it must be maneuvered in the correct order. A chain is welded to the cuff and attached to a large bolt in the center of the makeshift lab. He reaches down and scratches around the top of the cuff.

MAC
Do I have to wear this all the time?

ANNIE
I don't believe I will let a
trained special ops Marine have
free run in a place with chemicals
and sharp instruments.

Mac looks up at her.

MAC
What is your mother's name?

ANNIE
That's in the case files.

MAC
I haven't read that far. What--

ANNIE
Then keep reading.

MAC
You said I could interview you.

She looks up and he holds her gaze. She closes her laptop, so he grabs a pad of paper and pen.

MAC
Where did you get all this equipment?

ANNIE
I borrowed it.

MAC
You are smart enough to know that is not borrowing.

She doesn't defend her opinion, so he moves on.

MAC
After Jared Rapston raped you, did
you go to an emergency room?

ANNIE
Yes.

MAC
Did they collect a rape kit?

The question makes her noticeably uncomfortable.

MAC
Did they or not?

ANNIE
Only some of it.

MAC
Why?

She closes her eyes, revealing some emotion when a tear slides down her face.

ANNIE
I... Was a virgin. I... Couldn't
withstand any more humiliation
that night.

That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

MAC
What did they collect?

ANNIE
The nurse used a comb and swabbed
the exterior.

He flips pages in a case file, notes something and moves on to his next question.

MAC
On the day Jared Rapston was
killed, you were working for On
Time Delivery?

She nods.

MAC
Did you recognize the address 9234
thirty-fifth avenue?

ANNIE
I did not.

He opens another case file and flips through the pages till he finds what he's looking for.

MAC
You didn't recognize the name
Michelle Rapston?

ANNIE
No.

MAC
And the last name Rapston didn't
cause you to wonder about the residence?

ANNIE
If it had been the month after he
raped me, perhaps. I ceased being
paranoid about a name; it was
illogical. And the person's first
name was Michelle, a woman. I had
no cause to be suspicious.

Mac flips back a few pages.

MAC
She asked for you specifically.
Your boss told the CSI it was
normal for people to request
specific delivery persons and that
you were among her top five that
were requested daily. Must have
been a good worker.

ANNIE
Yes. I was. Until I was falsely
accused of murder.

Mac glances at her. Did he detect sarcasm?

MAC
I want you to tell me what you
remember when you arrived at
the apartment.

She closes her eyes and begins retelling of that night.

INT. MICHELLE RAPSTON'S APT BLDG - NIGHT (RE-ENACTMENT)

Annie trots up the steps of the brownstone apartment building. She glances at her deliver pad and stops at a door. She turns to the apartment door behind her and stares. The door's ajar and lights are on inside. She slips the delivery pad into the holster on her belt and knocks.

ANNIE
On Time Delivery.

The door swings open to reveal a living room and a wall that blocks the view into the kitchen. Blood has pooled from around the corner. The fluid hasn't had time to clot or separate.

ANNIE
Hello?

INT. MICHELLE RAPSTON'S APARTMENT - NIGHT (RE-ENACTMENT)

Slowly she walks into the apartment. At the corner and edge of the blood pool, she finds Jared Rapston lying on his back with a knife stuck in his chest. He's still alive and trying to pull the knife out. She drops her package and--

MAC (O.S.)
Wait a minute.

BACK TO SCENE

ANNIE
What?

He searches through the case files.

MAC
Where's the coroner's report?

She doesn't answer. He looks up, seeing she's surprised. She gets up and goes through the files and evidence boxes. She turns, mortified by her oversight.

MAC
You didn't get the coroner's report?

ANNIE
Shouldn't it have been with the
case files or evidence?

MAC
If we didn't have Sid Hammerback as
our coroner, yeah. He doesn't file
things for months.

He stands up.

MAC
Come here.

She approaches and stops several feet away.

MAC
I need you right here. In front of me.

He points to the spot. She approaches warily, her hand resting on the pistol holstered at her side. Mac eyes it, but doesn't make a move for it. He picks up his pen and her hand. He refers to a case file to position the pen as he imagined Jared Rapston's killer held the knife.

MAC'S POV

In his mind, he sees them in the apartment's kitchen. Jared Rapston towers over Annie Stohl.

MAC (O.S.)
Do you work out?

ANNIE (O.S.)
No.

She lunges at him with the knife. The knife slides into Jared Rapston below his heart and in the wrong location. Mac's mental scenario adds the stab wounds over his heart. Next, he envisions her running at Jared Rapston, but again the wounds are below the heart.

MAC (O.S.)
Do you play sports? Anything that
gives you upper body strength?

ANNIE (O.S.)
I used to jog five miles every day.

He imagines her standing on something and suddenly the motion freezes. He circles the image of the two before reality bursts in.

BACK TO SCENE

He shakes his head.

MAC
You're too short. So you either
have impressive upper body strength
or an accomplice.

ANNIE
Was there no mention of the
neighbor that came to assist when I
screamed for help? Did that man see
an accomplice?

MAC
No. But that doesn't mean the
accomplice couldn't have left
before you screamed.

She throws the pen at him and storms out of the lab area. Through the plastic, he can see her blurred image, but can't tell what she's doing.

ANNIE (O.S.)
This was a complete waste of time!

He can hear her unlock the door locks.

MAC
What are you doing?

ANNIE (O.S.)
Going to get Chinese before I do
something drastic such as shoot you!

MAC
Do I get to order anything?

The door slams open. Even though she doesn't answer right away, Mac waits. He hears the door creak.

ANNIE (O.S.)
(tired)
What do you want?

MAC
Hot and sour soup with won tons in
it and General Tao's chicken.

She doesn't answer right away.

MAC
I'll make you a deal. You bring me
back my order; I'll start working
on a piece of evidence.

ANNIE (O.S.)
Swindler.

MAC
You kidnapped me, remember?

ANNIE (O.S.)
Fine.

The door closes and he hears her turn the locks. Mac listens, waiting with baited breath. He looks around, grabs a scalpel and drops to one knee. He looks over the ankle cuff and realizes there's no lock. He drops the scalpel and tries to figure out the levers, but he can't.

He sits down on the floor, frustrated. His eyes drift up to the evidence boxes. He picks up the scalpel, dropping it on the counter, and opens a box. He pulls the bagged murder weapon out - a large kitchen knife with flat, brass screws holding the handle on it. Mac sets it on the counter and uses rubbing alcohol to sterilize everything.

He pulls out the knife and takes it apart. With a cotton swab, he swabs blood from the piece that attached into the knife handle and prepares to run it for DNA. He puts it in a machine before returning to read case files.

INT. CSI - FINGERPRINT LAB - DAY

With a smile, Stella removes the piece of cardboard from the fume hood. There are four prints on the cardboard and a partial print on the electrical tape.

She places the cardboard under a digital camera and snaps photos of the prints. She brings the photos up on the AFIS computer, and starts a search. Hawkes walks up, watching the screen with her.

HAWKES
There are prints?

STELLA
A partial and four full.

The four fingerprints on the cardboard belong to Mac. The search continues on the partial. 'No Match' suddenly appears on the screen. She pushes her fingers into her hair to hide her frustration. It's not something she can hide from Hawkes.

HAWKES
I have an idea.

He enlarges the print and then prints it off. He grabs a marker of the same thickness as the lines and starts drawing lines.

STELLA
What are you doing?

HAWKES
Sixty percent of prints have loop
patterns, which this looks like it
had here near the center. It will
give the computer more points to
search for.

He puts it on a scanner, scans it into the AFIS computer and starts a search.

HAWKES
With a guestimate as to where the
loop may have been, we might get
a hit.

STELLA
And that person may not be his kidnapper.

He looks at her.

HAWKES
That's why we still talk to people, Stella.

She smiles. Adam walks up behind them as the screen populates. He's carrying a mini tape recorder in his hand.

STELLA
Annie Stohl.

ADAM
How'd you guess?

They turn.

STELLA
What?

ADAM
Mac said her name. Here. Listen

He hands the tape recorder to Stella. She pushes play and the conversation starts as Danny and Lindsay enter the lab.

ANNIE (V.O.)
Go around to the back of the car.

They hear soft footsteps on pavement.

ANNIE (V.O.)
Pull off the cardboard.

Silence for a moment.

ANNIE (V.O.)
To the passenger side. Get in.

Footsteps again. They hear the Passat beep when she unlocks the doors.

MAC (V.O.)
What is that?

ANNIE (V.O.)
It's harmless.

MAC (V.O.)
(loudly)
You're Annie Stohl.
(beat)
Why are you kidnapping me?

ANNIE (V.O.)
Sleep, Detective Taylor. You're no
good to me tired.

Stella stops the tape.

LINDSAY
She didn't want him tired? That's
not exactly something you'd hear a
kidnapper say if they were planning
on hurting him.

DANNY
And since she hasn't called for
ransom, she apparently doesn't want
money. So what does this crazy
woman want?

LINDSAY
There was a news report about her
last night. It said she's been
pleading innocent since this started.

Stella starts to voice her opinion but is cut off.

HAWKES
All criminals usually claim that.

LINDSAY
Yeah, but... Her case files and
evidence are missing. What if she
took them?

HAWKES
How would she have done that?

ADAM
She used the badge Danny lost. Twice.

The CSI look at him.

ADAM
She was on the surveillance tapes.
I mean, she was dressed like a boy,
but with a pretty face like that,
she couldn't really hide it.

He motions at her mug shot.

HAWKES
So why Mac?

Stella tries again to interject, and again is cut off.

DANNY
He's a CSI.

LINDSAY
We're all CSI, and I'm sorry, guys,
we're low profile compared to Mac.
Taking one of us would have drawn
far less attention than taking the
head of the department.

DANNY
Maybe it's all about the media attention.

When Stella tries again to voice her opinion, they cut her off again. She's starting to lose her temper.

HAWKES
No. If she wanted attention, she
would have made some kind of
statement by now.

DANNY
He signed her case file. I
overheard him talking to DA Hillary
and Ronald about it.

LINDSAY
That would be enough motive.

STELLA
It doesn't matter why she took him!

The CSI and Adam look at her, silenced by her outburst. She's not hiding her frustration anymore.

STELLA
We are focusing on finding him. Okay?

They nod.

STELLA
Danny, did you get anything about a
white Passat?

DANNY
There are to many white VW Passats
near iron mills and the Catskills.
I've got at least five towns we
could search.

STELLA
We have to start somewhere. Pick one.

DANNY
The Sheriff in Grahamsville was the
most helpful.

STELLA
You and Lindsay go.

The two leave.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO