ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. GRISSOM'S OLD OFFICE - NIGHT

Greg comes in with several case files and goes to his desk. He sets them down, noticing a case file sitting on his desk with three small evidence bags clipped to it. There's a sticky note attached to the case file:

ON NOTE

Greg, found these on Nick's truck. The gold paint was too generic to identify a make or model. This was the only other trace I found. Ronnie

BACK TO SCENE

Greg pulls off the envelopes and looks at each of them. There are a couple brown hairs, some fine gravel, and a bit of moss. He sets them and the case file aside, and starts working on his own case file. He'll learn only too late the evidence he's putting on low priority is critical.

INT. CSI - TOXOCOLOGY LAB - NIGHT

HENRY Andrews and Langston are discussing some results when Nick comes in. Both smile and he returns it. Warrick follows Nick in, looking over the lab.

LANGSTON
Did you pass your evaluation?

NICK
No. I came in to ask Archie for a
favor. Thought I'd stop by and see if
Henry found out anything about the
pills the shrink prescribed me.

HENRY
I did. Let me find it.

Nick leans over on a table, rolling his neck. He reaches back and scratches his neck. It draws Langston's attention. He suddenly grabs Nick's hand, pulling it away from the irritated bruise on the back of Nick's neck.

LANGSTON
How did you get this bruise, Nick?

NICK
There's a bruise?

Henry finds the report but patiently waits.

LANGSTON
Yes. Henry, hand me a magnifying glass
and a small scrape.

Henry brings the items and a test tube.

CSI POV

There are three very small needle marks in the bruise, each with a powdery crust.

BACK TO SCENE

NICK
What is it?

Henry is trying to see what Langston is looking at.

LANGSTON
You have a bruise on your neck that
appears to be created from an injection
in the same location. Are you on an
intravenous treatment for something?
For example chemo? Although... The
neck is a strange place for an injection.

NICK
I'm not on any treatment. Just taking
anti-psychotic for sleep, that's it.

Langston scraps some of the crust into the tube.

LANGSTON
Why are you taking an anti-psychotic
for sleep?

NICK
That's what the shrink gave me.

Langston hands it around to Nick. Nick lifts it up, but it means nothing to him. He hands it off to Henry.

HENRY
If those are the pills Catherine gave
me, they aren't anti-psychotics.

He grabs the results that he hands off to Nick. Langston reads over Nick's shoulder.

NICK
It's Halcion? What's Halcion, Henry?

LANGSTON
It's a hypnotic drug that contains
triazolam. Henry, are you sure this
dosage is right?

HENRY
I tested it three times.

NICK
What's wrong with the dosage?

LANGSTON
Point five or above is considered
unsafe, your pills are point four
milligrams. That dosage shouldn't be
given to anyone outside of a hospital
or care facility. The side effects
could be dangerous.

NICK
Would side effects include loss of
memory, doing things you don't
recall, behaving like a complete ass?

LANGSTON
It could. I take it that's what
happened to you?

Nick nodded.

HENRY
Maybe the pharmacy got it wrong.

NICK
Maybe.

LANGSTON
Why don't I draw some blood and see
what we find?

NICK
No. That's okay.

LANGSTON
Nick, let me draw some blood. Henry
can run it as a John Doe.

Nick looked up at Henry. He beams.

HENRY
You've just become a John Doe. How's
it feel to be anonymous?

It makes Nick laugh.

WARRICK
This kid always made me laugh too.

NICK
Fine. I'll give you vampires some
blood. But make sure you tell
Catherine about it.

LANGSTON
I'll go get my kit. Be right back.

He leaves as ARCHIE comes in.

ARCHIE
Nick, I ran all the city feeds we had.
The face recognition didn't find you
anywhere they were at. I could
subpoena The Mirage tapes.

NICK
No. You can't. This case doesn't
exist, remember?

ARCHIE
Right. Sorry. Ecklie knows you're in
the building and he's on a head hunt.
You might want to get out of here.

Archie leaves.

HENRY
If you want, I could meet you at the
pharmacy in the morning and we can
talk to the pharmacist.

NICK
You'd do that?

Henry nods.

NICK
Thanks, Henry. I'd appreciate it.

HENRY
See you at Al's Market at nine thirty.
And if you go down the back stairs
across the hall there, I'll tell Ray
you're waiting for him in his office.
Ecklie wouldn't think to look there.

Nick really smiles now.

NICK
Thank you, Henry.

Henry nods, watching Nick hurry away.

INT. CATHERINE'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Catherine stares at the print out. She looks up at Ray and Henry.

CATHERINE
Help me out here, guys. What is
modafinil and why should it concern me
that it's in Nick's blood?

LANGSTON
Modafinil is a stimulant drug used to
treated sleepiness. It's present with
triazolam, which is used to treat
sleeplessness. Nick told me that
yesterday he experienced memory loss
and he was behaving strangely.

Catherine nods.

LANGSTON
Mix an upper and downer like that, and
Nick wouldn't have known if he was
coming or going. He was not acting out
on his own, Catherine.

CATHERINE
That's a bit of good news.

HENRY
Not really. Those results show that
the triazolam was at a lower level of
saturation than the modafinil. He'd
had to have taken several doses of the
modafinil for that to happen, the last
being less than six hours before Ray
drew his blood.

LANGSTON
And I found needle marks with a
power crust on over them on the
back of his neck, a place he
couldn't have injected himself.
When Henry tested the powder, it
came back as Modafinil, so we know
how it was introduced into his system.

HENRY
And that Nick didn't shoot up
willingly. Someone intentionally
drugged him.

Catherine picks up her desk phone and starts to dial a number.

CATHERINE
Unfortunately, with all the people
he's put away, that's a long list.
Thanks guys.

Langston and Henry leave.

GREG (on PHONE)
Hey Catherine.

CATHERINE
I need you to do something for me.

GREG (on PHONE)
Shoot.

CATHERINE
See if you can retrace what Nick
did from whenever you left him
until four o'clock yesterday. And
he said Archie already went through
all the public video and found nothing.

GREG
This has to do with the tape,
doesn't it?

CATHERINE
That, and Henry and Ray found a
real interesting drug cocktail in
his blood.

GREG (on PHONE)
How interesting?

CATHERINE
Someone drugged him. But we don't
know who.

GREG (on PHONE)
No one else knows about his
imaginary friend, do they?

CATHERINE
So far, no. He's going to try
convincing Julia it was the drugs
talking at their next appointment.
I'm going to ask the medical board
to review her license. Something
about her isn't right.

GREG (on PHONE)
I'm sorry, Catherine. This was
supposed to be a simple, easy--

CATHERINE
Greg. It's okay. None of us could
have planned this.

GREG (on PHONE)
I know, I'm just--

CATHERINE
Greg. It is okay. Find Nick. Fix that.

GREG (on PHONE)
Okay. Bye

They hang up.

INT. CSI - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT

Greg has papers spread out on the table. He's checking phone records and jotting notes on a legal pad. Brass enters carrying a cup of coffee and plants himself at the end of the table.

BRASS
How's it going Ace?

GREG
Not as good as I'd hoped.

Brass turns his cup a couple of times.

BRASS
I hear we have a problem with Nick.

GREG
Yeah. I don't even know where to
start that conversation. Apparently
he was drugged the day before
yesterday and he can't remember
anything. There was some pretty
hefty drugs in his system too.

BRASS
Yesterday, about eleven in the
morning, an officer had dispatch
call me. He'd responded to a
disturbance call at The Mirage.
Nick got bounced for counting cards.

GREG
At eleven?

Brass slowly nods.

BRASS
I picked him up from the officer
and dropped him off at home. I
stayed until I was sure he was
asleep. I left around two thirty.

Greg jots the information on his notepad.

BRASS
I didn't tell you that to account
for his whereabouts.

Greg looks up at him.

GREG
Then... Why did you?

BRASS
Nick was talking to Warrick from
the time I picked him up until he
passed out. He said he's been
seeing him since the tunnels. But
something tells me that this
probably comes as no surprise to
you or Catherine. Right?

Greg looks away, not admitting anything.

BRASS
Better let you get back to work.
Let me know if you need any police
muscle for this. Have a good night, Ace.

Jim leaves the break room.

INT. OFFICE CORRIDOR - DAY

Nick and Warrick walk down the hall and enter a doorway.

INT. JULIA'S OFFICE - RECEPTION AREA - DAY

Nick enters, glancing at the empty chairs. He turns at the receptionist desk, signing the sheet.

NICK
Where is everyone?

ARLENE looks up.

ARLENE
I'm sorry?

NICK
Where's the other people that are
usually waiting?

Arlene shrugs, turning her attention back to her work. Nick turns and sits down. Warrick sits down a seat away from him.

WARRICK
Something's off.

Nick doesn't respond. He looked up when Julia's office door opens and she stepped out.

JULIA
(snarling)
Nick.

INT. JULIA'S OFFICE

He goes in with her and sits down. She starts the camera and settles into her chair.

WARRICK
Watch your back, Nick.

JULIA
You seem more yourself today.

NICK
Yes, ma'am.

JULIA
Tell me. Do you give your regular therapist
as hard of a time as you do me?

Warrick walks over and leans on her chair, glaring down at her.

WARRICK
Greta isn't a complete cunt, so no,
we reserve that treatment for
really special people.

NICK
I'm sorry?

JULIA
I'm under investigation now because
of you. Because of that little stunt
you pulled the day before, coming
in here on drugs.

NICK
Drugs you gave me.

JULIA
I did not prescribe you triazolam
or modafinil. Your supervisor may
believe your lies, but I don't.
Where did you get them?

NICK
The triazolam was in the prescription
bottle your pharmacy gave me with
my name on it. I have no idea how
the modafinil got in my system. I
also don't know how I got a needle
mark on the back of my neck.

JULIA
Did the pharmacist say I called a
prescription of triazolam in for you?
I know you checked, he called me.

NICK
No. He confirmed that, but he also
wasn't the pharmacist I spoke to.
When I described the one I did, he
had no idea who was talking about. He
said he was at lunch when I was there.

JULIA
Perhaps you are an addict and were
hallucinating that the pharmacist
like you are your dead co-worker.

NICK
Julia, I–

JULIA
I spent years earning the title of
doctor, Nick.

WARRICK
Really? Because I think you got
your degree from a cereal box.

Nick's not holding his temper in this time. She's pushed too hard and he's too tired and frustrated.

NICK
Fine. Doctor Green, I am not an
addict. I did not take any drug
other than the ones in the bottle
with my name on it that I picked up
from the pharmacy you told me to go
to. Now if we aren't going to do
something productive in here today,
then I think I should leave.

WARRICK
Nick, calm down.

JULIA
So I suppose you're going to tell
me that the dead co-worker you were
talking to was because of the drugs?

NICK
Have you ever seen me talking to a
dead co-worker any other time I've
been here?

JULIA
You're hiding something, Nick
Stokes. Something that is a danger
to yourself and to the people you
work with. I'm recommending we extend
this for another two weeks.

Nick springs to his feet.

WARRICK
Nick, calm down, man.

NICK
You are a piece of work, woman!
Know that? How on earth did you
ever get into this line of work?
You are rude, you hate people, you
hate me, and you don't want anyone
to get better.

WARRICK
Nick, take a breath! Calm down!

NICK
You put people down, you push
people around, if I didn't know
better, I'd say you did all this
just for fun! You are evil. That's
the simplest way to put this.

JULIA
So now you believe I'm the
reincarnation of something evil?

NICK
No. That's not even possible. I
don't think there's anyone out
there worse than you.

JULIA
My other patients don't think so.

NICK
Your other patients are probably
too intimidated by you to do
anything. But I'm not.

JULIA
If you don't believe me, ask them.

NICK
They aren't here.

JULIA
You seem good at bending the law.
Find them and ask.

WARRICK
Don't walk out, man. Do. Not.
Walk out.

NICK
I will!

Nick storms out, slamming the door. Warrick is right behind.

I/E. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

A gold colored car pulls up in front of a small single story house between two newly built townhouses. Nick digs out a piece of paper from a pocket. It has two addresses in his handwriting on it, one the house he's at. He gets out of the car.

EXT. 1412 HACIENDA AVENUE - DAY

Nick walks up to the door. He reaches out to touch the doorbell and stops. The door is ajar, an abnormality even for this neighborhood. He fishes in his jacket pocket, takes out his gloves, and pulls them on. He pushes the door open, looking inside.

NICK
Hugh?

No one answers.

NICK
Herminie? Or George? Your door is
open. Are you home?

There's no answer. Nick walks down the stairs and spots a narrow gate next to the house and sitting open. He goes into the empty backyard. He goes to the garage and tries the door. It won't open, but he can hear a car inside. He can't see through a window. He scales the fence into the alley.

EXT. HACIENDA ALLEY - DAY

Nick pulls open the garage door. Nick pulls it open and quickly falls back, coughing and wheezing a little. He stops and looks in the garage. The car in the garage is a tight fit; he couldn't squeeze in without disturbing the scene. He can see a body slumped over in the driver's seat, but can't see who it is. But he has a pretty good idea who it is. Warrick appears next to Nick, patting his shoulder.

WARRICK
Do you really need to see inside to
know that's Hugh?

NICK
No.

WARRICK
Better go call it in. Nothing you
can do here.

Nick finds a way back over the fence and goes back out front.

I/E. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

Nick sits down in the front seat, reaching for the cup holder. His hand passes through air and he looks down.

NICK
Where's my phone?

Nick leans over to search for his cell phone. He jerks suddenly.

NICK
OW!

He grabs his leg as he turns and sits up. He looks up at the postman standing by his door. The man is Jeff KATRICK, a criminal Nick put away seven years ago, but he's disguised and Nick doesn't recognize him.

KATRICK
Do you live here?

Nick's vision blurs for a few seconds. He wipes his hand over his brow.

NICK
No. A friend of mine does. You look
familiar.

KATRICK
You don't look familiar to me.

Nick rubs his leg where it was stung.

NICK
Do you have a phone on you?

KATRICK
Yes.

Katrick doesn't get his phone. He's watching Nick. Waiting. Warrick appears beside Nick.

WARRICK
Nick, drive. Get the hell out of here!

Nick yawns. He's fighting a losing battle against sleep.

WARRICK
Nick, drive. Drive now.

Nick tries to focus on him before he falls asleep.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE