After the most perfunctory of Strip shots, we transition to a minimalist tableau: a portly young man sweating under the glare of an interrogator's lamp as he stares down the barrel of a gun and listens to Sam Braun ask, "I'm going to keep this simple: who are you working for?" The kid protests that he's unemployed at the moment, and the second guy on the scene asks casually, "You got any idea what we did to chumps like you back in the day?" Said "Gimme five bees"?
The kid makes a wild guess that back in the old days, they refused to turn on the air conditioning, if the runnels of sweat coursing down his face are anything to go by. Close, but no onion. Sam says, "There's no law in this room." "You can't touch me," the kid asserts.
And then we go to his dead body crumpled at the base of a dead neon sign in the fabled YESCO neon sign graveyard outside Las Vegas. Looks like he was wrong about that -- unless Sam's a wizard and can kill people simply by thinking at them. The camera does a swoopy-doopy thing and comes down to rest on the body once more. This time, Brass, Gil, and Catherine are studying it; Brass has donned the Captain Exposition summer-weight suit and is explaining that the kid was tapped twice on the back of the head. "Tapped" is hard-boiled-speak for "shot." Gil looks a little taken aback, which seems odd until he speaks: "He's wearing a wig and a fat suit. It's not Halloween, is it? 'Cause my Spiderman costume won't be ready until the last of the spiders hatches." Or maybe he stops short. Catherine's all, "In this town, it's always Halloween." And the studs wear the fat suits 'cause they know the ladies love 'em. Whatever. Brass rifles through the wallet of deaf Ernie Menlo and snidely comments on the lack of cash. Catherine notes that the Rolex is still intact, so robbery's probably out. She asks Gil what he thinks. Gil says, "I don't know," then turns to look at the camera. Why? So he can ask us what we think? Or was it just a really clumsy transition to the sputtering Tam O'Shanter sign? "I'm looking for a sign," he says.
And The Who come on board, wondering who's responsible for that incredibly clumsy segue.
Meanwhile, in a smoke-filled back room:
Catherine's Father Issues: Well, look whose episode it is.
S.S. Geek Love: Enjoy it while you can.
The Promotion Plotline: Seriously. Because this season is mine!
Liam Goes in the Field, Part One: No. I believe I won "Most Promising Plotline" at the Continuity '04 Awards.
The Promotion Plotline: That's some attitude from a plotline that's been declared legally dead.
S.S. Geek Love: I'm not dead yet!
Catherine's Father Issues: Out with the old, in with the good.
S.S. Geek Love: I feel fine!
Gil's Going Deaf: You never see the one that gets you. It's like a waking dream afterward, everyone's still talking, but nobody's talking to you.
S.S. Geek Love: I'm sorry, did you say something? Cough, cough, out with the Season Three finale, cough. I'm still in the game, dammit!
Catherine's Father Issues: Gotta motor, dead boy. They're playing me on.
And then we're back in the neon graveyard under the harsh light of day. Catherine's confirming with Brass that Ernie Menlo isn't in the system as Ernie Menlo, and insists that he'll be there somewhere, dagnabbit. Gil doesn't appear to acknowledge this as he tells her, "GSR in the wound track. No stellate tearing." Ah, stellate, stellate for star. These wounds (the star-shaped gunshot ones) are what happens if depending on the kindness of strangers turns out to be a bad idea. Anyway, Gil notes that the shots appear to be close range but non-contact. He bags the wig, and Emergency Backup David checks the scalp, noting that there's no exit wound. Catherine adds that there aren't any shells around either: "Maybe the killer picked them up." "Professional hit," shrugs Gil. Emergency Backup David notes that Menlo's hands have been turned into marrow puree. Gil and Catherine conclude that this wasn't a body dump, but rather that Menlo was alive when he came into the neon graveyard. Catherine comments that the gravel and glass make good evidence, and as the camera zooms in really close, Gil says he'll bag a sample. A CSI bagging evidence? Really?
Catherine wanders off to take more pictures of the crime scene, focusing on a set of tire tracks she imagines can only have been made by a vehicle executing a three-point turn. As she begins measuring the distance between the tracks, Gil goes fishing in Menlo's pocket and finds a Form W-2G, used for stating gambling winnings. For the curious, the Rampart Casino is located on 221 North Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, . For those of you just joining us, the Rampart Casino is owned by Catherine's biological dad and occasional murder suspect Sam Braun. Gil comments, "Well, his day started out good. He won $436,278 dollars." Emergency Backup David says brightly, "The Rampart's always been lucky for me!" Aww. I find nearly everything he does adorable. Gil's now curious as to where $436,258 might be, since it wasn't with the body. He walks over where Catherine's hunkered down with her measuring tape (in front of a Binion's sign, natch. Nice touch), and she straightens up to tell him about the tire treads and the three-point turn. Gil clumsily segues into another plot point with, "It seems that robbery may be a motive after all." He shows her the W-2G. Catherine completely misses his point with, "Rampart. Guess I'll go check that out." Gil looks not at all thrilled to be telling her, "You can't. We found the body under the Whiskey Town sign, and the guy checked out at the Rampart casino." Catherine shoots back, "Coincidence." Gil counters, "Even if it is, they're still Sam Braun's casinos." Catherine's inductive skills have been exiled along with her daughter, going by her question: "Why is that a problem?" Gil spells it out: "He's your father. You can't be on this case." Catherine starts with, "Gil --" but he interrupts her and says, "Catherine. You have to go home." Gil looks really unhappy that he had to point this out; Catherine's really resentful that he sees a problem with the situation. God, Catherine. Self-centered much? Even if Gil had faith in your ability to remain impartial, there are appearances to consider. She's not even on shaky ground here; she's the Coyote doing the air bicycle the minute before it hits her that she's over a ravine. Anyway, Little Miss Drama hands over her measuring tape and camera like she's a Wild West marshal throwing her badge in the dirt, and stomps off. Gil looks sad.
Back in the smoke-filled room …
S.S. Geek Love: Oh, look who's just come in. Yawn.
Catherine's Father Issues: I-I-I-I- am the chammmmpion, my fri-end! / And I-I-I-I'll keep on fighting, to the end! / I am the champion! I am the champion! / No time for promotions / 'Cause I am the champion! / Of the show!
Lady Heather As Love Interest: Gloat while you can. Personalized attention to your every detail is fleeting.
Catherine's Father Issues: There's a new boss in town, missy, and its name is Father Figure. I will be your father figure / put your evidence away / I will be your perp and briber / and I am around to stay…
The Promotion Plotline: It will be such a pleasure to watch you kicked to the curb like Warrick's Gambling Addiction.
Lady Heather As Love Interest: He said he was just going out to the Kwik-E Mart for a burrito.
Gil's Going Deaf: A season and a half ago?
And then we go to a truly awesome morgue shot: an aerial of Menlo's body in the fat suit, so he looks not unlike a dress-up doll that's just been stripped. Sara and Warrick are combing the body for evidence, and Sara takes off the Rolex before noting, "No ticks. It's authentic." Warrick looks up, and for a moment, I wonder if we're in for another incident confirming that Warrick's a big ole metrosexual label whore. Sara checks out the sticker on the back (number: ) and notes, "Logo sticker isn't worn down. Watch could be brand-new." Warrick dolefully comments, "Guy hits the jackpot and has to celebrate." As opposed to doing what? Crying as he rocks back and forth and marinates in self-loathing? Warrick darkly adds, "Has to buy some bling-bling to impress the strippers with." Yeah, 'cause that fat suit's not going to be luring them in. Emergency Backup David calls for everyone's attention, because he's just noticed something: holes in the soles of Menlo's socks.
We then go to a montage of assorted casino tables systematically cleaning out the patrons. I love it -- it's such a refreshing change of pace from the usual Vegas cliché with the people winning big at the table. Gil stands in the middle of all this and just looks tired. I feel you, Gil. It's been a long season. As he scopes out the security cameras in the ceiling, Brass comes on over and says, "So I talked to the pit boss who signed the vic's W2. He was pulling surveillance. He remembers the big winner." Gil looks thoughtful. We can tell because he's not looking blank, or pissily judgmental.
Oh, I spoke too soon: here comes the pissily judgmental face. That would be because Sam Braun just came rolling up. He says without preamble, "The fat kid. He was cheating." Brass is all, "So. What'd you do about it?" Sam says they made a little small talk, but "I didn't kill him." Gil does not snort, "Of course not. That's why you have henchmen," because…well, because this show isn't cool enough to have any characters who employ actual henchmen. Gil instead asks if Sam took the kid to "the box," and Sam's all, "Gentlemen, these days we call it 'the holding room.' Or if we're feeling especially patriotic, we call it the 'freedom booth.' Do you now get the power of euphemisms?" Or something to that effect. Gil is unmoved by Sam's flowery talk.
Sam escorts Gil into the freedom booth, and Gil inhales deeply before saying artlessly, "Smells like the cleaning crew just left." Sam rolls his eyes and lets Gil set up his suitcase before walking over and saying, "Security brought the kid down here around 2 AM. I came in. We talked. He walked out around 3. It's all in [the security camera reel]." Gil's delighted, as this means he can pack away his least-favorite CSIs on tape detail. He then asks Sam to turn out the lights. Sam obliges him, and as Gil runs an ALS over the place, Sam points out, "It's well within my rights to have a discussion with anyone in my place. Kid was cheating. I wanted to know how." We flash back to Sam saying, "Nobody wins $400K at roulette. What's your system?" And then Menlo, displaying all the survival smarts of a lemming who wants to see where the crowd's headed, replies, "Clean living. Good karma. Either you call the cops and book me now, or I'm out of here." Sam tells him he's not welcome at the Rampart, and Menlo continues digging his grave with his mouth: "Awesome. I'll just take my money and go."
Back in the present, Sam asks Gil, "Do you have any idea of the house advantages in roulette?" Gil shoots back, "5.26 percent. Albert Einstein had a theory about roulette. He said the only way to win at roulette is to steal the money from the table when the croupier isn't looking." Sam counters that there's always someone looking. Gil stares implacably, the effect somewhat blunted by the giant red goggles he's wearing. If he thinks they make him look like Cyclops, he's mistaken. He's also aiming for the wrong X-Man: if you want to scare the pants off someone, you make like Wolverine. Gil says with some asperity, "Well, maybe it was an inside job, Sam. Maybe someone bought off one of your guys." Sam smiles and asks, "I'm curious. What bothers you more: the fact you couldn't pin a murder on me, or that Catherine cashed my check?" Gil stands up and stares, and you can tell he totally wishes he could shoot laser beams out of his eyes. Sam chuckles and says, "There were no strings on that money." Gil whips off the goggles and quips, "Just 'cause you can't see something doesn't mean it's not there." Sam shoots back, "Believe whatever you like. That kid walked out of here with my money. You figure out how he ripped me off, would you let me know?" Gil looks like he'd sooner approach Sara in the Labitrail and say, "So, about that whole boss-subordinate thing? Let's pretend it doesn't exist, head back to your place, and do things that will throw out a few of my vertebra for weeks. I even have props."
Meanwhile, in a smoke filled room …
Catherine's Father Issues: I will be your A-plot figure / give me all of your screen time --
The Promotion Plotline: Can't someone send him out to see what the hell's keeping Warrick's Gambling Problem down at the Kwik-E Mart?
Gil's Going Deaf: Meeeeeemory / Turn your face to the A-plot / Let your memory lead you / Open up, enter in. / I remember / a time I knew / what sweeps stunts were like. / Let the memory live again --
S.S. Geek Love: If there were a God, He would kill me right about now.
Liam Goes Into the Field, Part One: It's a mystery to me why you're still hanging on anyway. Shouldn't you be playing bridge with Gil vs. Ecklie?
Gil's Going Deaf: Meeeeeemory / All alone in dead plot hell / I can smile at the old days / I was in every show. / I remember / a time I knew / what A-plots were like. / Let continuity / revive my role --
Catherine's Father Issues: I don't recall inviting you to make my victory anthem into a duet. Shut up and go see how Catherine Loves Her Daughter is doing.
S.S. Geek Love: Oh, now the guy who locked her in the broom closet is all concerned.
Back at the morgue, David the Expository Coroner is pointing out to Warrick that the bruises on Menlo's foot match the holes in his sock. Warrick figures they're just part of the crunchy peri-mortem beating Menlo took. David carries on in detail concerning the many ways in which Menlo was wounded: the .22s used to kill him not only had historical value as the bullet of choice for discerning hit men everywhere, but they also "had the energy to enter the cranial vault, but not enough to exit, so they just ricochet around inside, shredding the gray matter until they stop." Warrick dryly comments, "Nice." Oh, so he caught Menlo's expression as the TMIcam gives us the inside view on how that shredding worked. David also comments on how, even if Menlo had lived, he wouldn't be using those hands to play piano again. Warrick, who only lives in Las Vegas and is well-acquainted with the gambling subculture and its attendant drawbacks, and might have had occasion to catch Casino on cable here and there, still can't fathom why anyone might want to crush someone else's hands. David focuses more on the how, and points out that a blunt object did the damage. The other shoe finally drops, and Warrick concludes, "Maybe a ball peen hammer." David asks, "What gets you to that?" Warrick elaborates, "They used to tell me that back in the day, the first time you got caught cheating, you'd get a couple of whacks in the hand with the ball peen hammer. The second time, you'd lose a limb." David asks, "The third time?" Warrick replies, "A long walk in the desert with a shovel."
Anyway, Warrick returns to the role we all know so well: shoe maven. He eventually finds a small, battery-powered device tucked into one sole of Menlo's shoes. The shot finds he and Gil descending a staircase into the lower bowels of the Labitrail, with Gil exclaiming, "A computer in his shoe!" Warrick explains, "As far as I can tell, it's a wireless receive. It picks up a signal and the solenoids drive the points up against the guy's foot, tell him what number to bet." Gil asks, "Based on what?" Warrick doesn't know, but some chick named Marsha's working on it right now. Gil reasons, "If our vic was a receiver, then there has to be a transmitter." Sara barges in on the conversation right about then to tell everyone how she got an actual ID for Menlo: "Teddy Keller. Everyone who buys a Rolex is registered at the point of purchase. I ran the serial number; he bought the watch at the Forum Shops two days ago, and I got his home address." Sara's been kind of breathless through this entire recitation, possibly because the minute she came over, Gil and Warrick began speed-walking around. When will directors learn that racing your actors like greyhounds doesn't nudge the plot along any faster than if they deliver the lines standing still? Anyway, Gil points out that Menlo's license was fake, and Sara counters, "A fake ID is for scamming a casino. A baller puts his real name on a Roley." Gil and Warrick both give her a look. Sara shrugs and jerks her head at Warrick as she says, "What? He rubs off?" If Warrick was really rubbing off on her, you can be damn sure the S.S. Geek Love would go down, all hands lost, 'cause she'd have better things to do.
We've now hopped to an unremarkable apartment complex, a tiny swimming pool glowing blue against the night, and the landlord, Mr. Green, is busy explaining that Menlo-cum-Teddy and his roommate Davis eat a lot of pizza, but generally don't cause major disturbances. Green lets Brass and Warrick into the apartment, and the camera lingers on his swollen, disfigured, and discolored knuckles.
Warrick and Brass walk into a freezing miniature game room, complete with regulation roulette wheel. Warrick marvels, what with the wheels running $1500, but Brass points out, "They cleared almost half a mil. I'd say that's a good investment." Warrick concurs. After surveying multiple charts of the roulette wheel and the odds on each number, Warrick concludes, "These guys definitely had a system." Yeah, he's the perceptive CSI. Brass, who has wandered off-camera, comes back into view and casually says, "Hey, Rick. You might want to check this out." Warrick heads into the bedroom with Brass and checks out Davis's supine body. Yippee! It's double the caseload!
The two men pull themselves together over the commercial break, and pull Emergency Backup David out of whatever emergency kit they're keeping him in so he can tell them how Davis also had two taps to the head. Brass is poking around the closet, which is filled with an extraordinary assortment of wigs and clothing, and cracks, "These guys liked to play dress-up." There's no need to judge, Brass. Especially since Warrick's already checking out the shoe selection. Brass eventually finds a bench where several shoes are being fitted for their own Inspector Gadget-like computers.
Meanwhile, Warrick finds a blood smear on Davis's jacket, which strikes him as odd. "Maybe the killer tried to clean up?" Emergency Backup David suggests. Warrick snorts, "That's ridiculous." Warrick, you're hot, but step off Emergency Backup David. Messing with him is asking for a karmic enema. Warrick then notes "a distinctive white mark on his shoulder. What do you make of that?" "Oh, now you want my opinion!" Emergency Backup David crows. In an alternate episode; in this one, he merely points out that Warrick's already shot him down once. Warrick deadpans, "Buck up. You could be right." He then asks that Emergency Backup David get the blood spot and the mystery mark to Trace, since he has better things to do, like go sneak up on Brass in the other room and rebuke the other man for picking up one of the shoe gadgets. Brass points out that he's holding it with a handkerchief. He then says, "Remember the time you said you could get a print off air?" "Well, I've said a lot of things," Warrick replies. Oh, he does not.
Gil's now shown up at the scene and is busy giving people the stink-eye until they let him go where he wants to go. That would be down a staircase near the pool, where he notices a lot of broken glass and sand not unlike the neon sign graveyard.
Oh, goody. It's Catherine and Krycek. I'd make a crack about how she spends her off hours, but at this hour of the night, Lindsey should be in bed anyway. So the two are strolling through a galleria, and Krycek's trying to be all sensitive and talk about Catherine's feelings, but she's decided it's more fun to snap at him, and squish her emotions into a little ball deep down inside so they can fester until she erupts later in a completely inappropriate way at exactly the wrong time. And then she distracts him by asking if he likes a large, abstract-print scarf. "Depends on what you're going to do with it," he smirks. "Wear it as a kicky accessory while I make my kid pancakes tomorrow morning. Does that get you hot, sailor?" she shoots back. Oh, she does not. Catherine just smirks. Krycek cracks, "You've got expensive tastes for a public servant." And just then, Sam pops up and says, "She can afford it." As Krycek happily gapes in Sam's general direction, Catherine makes a moue of dismay. "You going to introduce him?" Sam asks paternally. Krycek introduces himself, adding that Sam's hosts send a great many whales to the Acid Drop. Catherine's still working on getting the hinges in her jaw repaired. Once she manages that, she hauls Sam off and asks, "What do you want?" He wants to play Daddy: "Mugs, I heard you had some time off because of me." Catherine snaps, "Yeah -- and I could get fired for even having this conversation." Sam assures her, "Relax. This is a small town. I'm always running into people I know." Catherine's waiting for him to get to the point, and he doesn't disappoint: "Some people in this town think I'm a murderer --" Catherine interrupts to clarify, "Some people in this town know you're a murderer." Yes, and that number is very small since some CSI botched the case and got the trial thrown out. You in any mood to point fingers over that one, Catherine? Sam protests, "I did not kill those kids! I did not!" and Catherine picks up on what he says: "Kids? How did you --?"
And just then, Krycek displays really inopportune timing by coming over to see if Catherine's okay. Sam rolls his eyes at this display of gallantry and says, "You're not impressing her." Boy, he can just shrug that paternal role on and off as needed. Sam heads out, and Krycek's all, "So how are you two connected?" Catherine, who's been watching the wheels on Sam's car, absently answers, "He slept with my mother."
In that smoke-filled subbasement …
Catherine's Father Issues: Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?
The Promotion Plotline: You may have the jump on me historically, but I have been in more episodes this year.
Catherine's Father Issues: …
The Promotion Plotline: I can wait while you do the math. They do say age does affect your memory.
Gil's Going Deaf: Memmmmmories / All alone, as the A plot! --
Catherine's Father Issues: You set him off on purpose, didn't you? God, I hate you.
Back at the Labitrail, Hodges is busy explaining that the glass Gil found is lead-based, and the different curvatures and textures have traces of phosphorus and mercury, more or less pinning them as neon glass. Hodges tries yet again to make small talk with Gil: "I checked out that graveyard once. Pretty interesting." Gil has no interest in Hodges as a human being. He prods Hodges to get to the point, and Hodges says, "Your sample's consistent with the glass collected at the crime scene." Well, now Gil likes him: "See? That connects the two murders. Now we have a timeline." Hodges nods. I have the feeling he's about to become a regular, since having a lab monkey is so handy from a plot perspective, and they're getting ready to move Liam into the field.
Speaking of CSI staffers moving on up to the big time…the shot is of Nicky sitting on a bench in the co-ed locker room, staring at a piece of paper. It probably lists all the foodstuffs he's permitted to eat if he still plans on whittling himself down to girl-gymnast weight in time for the '04 fall premiere. Sara comes in and asks what's up. Displaying a genuinely startling and uncharacteristic amount of callousness toward the person with whom he was competing for the job, Nicky mopes, "This is about the key CSI position. Grissom recommended me." Sara's taken aback, but manages to pull together a smile and only sounds a little winded when she says, "Congratulations." El Sensitivo completely misses this as he continues, "That's not necessary. Position was cut. Budget had room for the new promotion or a new Qiagen Bio-Robot EZ-1." He pulls out his gun, and loads it. AIEEE! THE DAY OF JUSTICE HAS COME TO PASS! THE LABITRAIL'S BLOODY HALLS WILL MAKE THE OVERLOOK IN THE SHINING LOOK LIKE A WEE NOSEBLEED!
Whoa. Sorry. I got all panicky about that for a moment. Nothing happens with the gun. Anyway, Nicky grouses that Liam will be thrilled, which seems odd, since it's obvious to anyone that Liam only works in the lab under extreme duress now. Sara's still working on covering up her disappointment, but really, she could just drop the good behavior since Nicky's not exactly recalling any of the situation. God, this is crazy-making. In fact, he's looking extremely jackball-like as he says to Sara, "It's an honor just to be nominated, right?" He walks off before Sara can say anything.
And somewhere else…
The Promotion Plotline: Yeah, tough guy! You thought this was your show. I 0wnz0red you!
Catherine's Father Issues: What, by resolving yourself? Yeah, that's genius. I give you two weeks before you're caterwauling too, you big zero.
The Promotion Plotline: Oh, no. There's life in me, Big Daddy.
Catherine's Father Issues: What's th-- who are you working with? What did you promise them?
Gil's Going Deaf: Noises through / bad ears were muffled / Garbled enunciation / Like a radio / when there is no station / my plo-ot-line is fading…
[Music begins a big, dramatic run-up.]
The Promotion Plotline: Dude, I'm devious, but I'm not desperate. Give me some credit here.
Gil, meanwhile, has retired to the lab so he can feign deafness and monkey with the shoe contraption while Warrick carries on, "I have lived in Las Vegas my whole life. I have known guys who counted cards, hedged bets, crushed a poker table with a lowball pair, I've seen guys beat the house with their hands. But…" He ain't never seen an elephant fly? No. Warrick continues, "Never with their toes." ["Okay, I didn't say anything before, but I knew what it was the minute they mentioned the holes in the socks, and if I know about it, it's hardly obscure. Nor is it recent; you could buy a foot-operated transmitter/computer out of the back of a magazine as of the late seventies. William Poundstone devotes nearly an entire chapter to it in Bigger Secrets. Yeah, it was mainly for card-counting at the blackjack table, but still. For Warrick to be flabbergasted by this 'development' is weird, to me." -- Sars] Gil points to some random Radio Shack parts and calls them out as transmitter and receiver. Warrick, who is still holding a different conversation, says, "I was reading about some Silicon Valley guys in the 1980s, called the Eudaemonic Enterprises. Have you heard of them?" Gil has, in a manner of speaking: "The Eudaemon. Aristotle's presiding spirit of rationality." Warrick continues, "They say they figured out a way to beat the roulette wheel, not through a betting system, but through physics." And because it would apparently kill Gil to let someone explain something for a change, he jumps in with, "In principle. A fixed mass in a known orbit. As long as you can account for all the forces -- air resistance, friction, gravity -- you can land a probe on Mars." Warrick then leaps back into the conversation by pointing out every roulette wheel is different, so "the guy with the transmitter does the calibration, clocks the position of the ball, hits the switch, and the computer does the rest. Plays out the spin in milliseconds, predicts the results, and then transmits the results to the receiver telling where that ball will land." And during that time, Teddy had apparently learned Morse code with such proficiency, he could detect the dots and dashes on the soles of his feet.
We have a little flashback to Teddy cleaning up at the table while Warrick explains, "This set-up gives you a 44 percent advantage over the house. For every hundred these guys bet, they're pulling in $2200 an hour." Gil's all, "It's a nice return, but it's a complicated system." Just then, Nick comes in and gives us the background on the perps: they had hooked up with electrical engineering grad student Seth Landers; his print was on the transmitter, and he's already in AFIS thanks to a fake ID bust.
So we're off to the scenic WLVU campus. Brass checks Seth Landers's room, but he's nowhere to be found. Nicky reasons, "If someone hit my boys all Mob-style, I'd disappear too, you know?" Brass sighs that they're going to have to do this the hard way with a broadcast, but then Nicky notices someone unlocking their bike and Brass calls, "Hey, kid! You know Seth Landers?"
Evidently we shall know Seth by his velocity, if his footrace in the opposite direction is any indication. Nicky and Brass promptly follow suit. Nicky still runs like he learned off a WWII newsreel, but Brass is surprisingly fleet of foot. Seth continues running, with Nicky bellowing "Stop!" Dude, I'd run too; Nicky's dressed all in black, and nobody wants to see why one of the Sprockets is pursuing them. But you'd think that Brass and Nicky would make this easier on themselves by screaming that they're with the police. Especially since, once they do catch up with Seth (played by Eddie Kaye Thomas, whom some of you will remember as the guy enamored of Stifler's Mom in the American Pie movies) and pull him off a fence, he immediately begins screaming, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll do whatever Mr. Braun wants!"
And now we're in the interrogation room. Brass is working himself into fine form while Warrick looks menacing. I guess Nicky's off hiding from anyone who might want to force a few post-race carbs down his atrophied gullet. Seth tells us that Teddy and David approached him about the Late Great Roulette Heist of Aught-Four, and he only did it because he likes a challenge. He didn't even get a cut of the take. You'd think that engineering schools would have actually begun including courses like "Your Intellectual Property And You: How to License Your Work And Retire Early, Instead of Watching Some MBA Walk Away With It All" in the curriculum. Did nobody learn from the 1990s? Long story short, Teddy and David worked their way down a series of Sam Braun's casino properties, and got greedy, going for six-figure takes instead a few $30,000 tables here and there. You know, large sums of money always seem slightly surreal when you're talking about only $30,000.
Warrick asks if maybe Seth's got a Sam Braun vendetta going on, and Seth clarifies that no, he just likes them because "his casinos are old-school. Less interference for my gear." We flash back to the night Teddy was taken to the Freedom Booth. Davis freaked and took off, and Seth sticks to the slots while attempting play off the flop sweat as the latest in casual chic. Once Teddy got out of the Freedom Booth, two anonymous thugs accosted him and told him they'd like to take him outside. "And that was the last time I saw either one of them," Seth concludes.
Meanwhile, Gil's off in his portion of the lab tapping on a number pad. Catherine knocks, comes on in, then asks what Gil's doing. He replies, "I'm testing my podiatric dexterity." Catherine repeats her question. How can you have to sit through an anatomy class --as she presumably did, what with how she slings around wound location chitchat with the coroners like an old hand -- and not make the "pod" = "foot" connection? Has she never heard of a podiatrist? Should Gil have said, "I'm giving myself a pedicure, geek-style"? Anyway, Gil lets the question slide and asks, "What are you doing?" Catherine hems and haws, "You know those tracks we found at the neon graveyard?" Gil moves into smackdown position with "The ones from the case you're not working on?" Catherine's all, "Well, yeah." Gil rolls his eyes, since his managerial capacities get exhausted quickly and he'd rather just get back to the dexterity tests. Catherine explains that "Sam used to be a Caddy man. He'd drive a new one every year. These days he's being driven." Gil's being driven too -- being driven mad by his insubordinate subordinate. He asks how Catherine knows about that, and she tells him she ran into Sam. "And you walked away, I hope," Gil said. Catherine's all, "I made him walk away -- right into a stretch limo with a big turning radius." Gil points out that Catherine's walk on the ethical wild side proves nothing, and "besides, any evidence that comes from you is tainted." Catherine shoots back, "Then have it come from you. Warrant shouldn't be too hard to get. Especially if the call comes from someone whose character is above reproach." Oh, Catherine. People who live in houses made from the $250,000 payoff their murdering daddy gave them shouldn't throw stones. Gil glares at Catherine as she heads out the door.
However, in the shot, he is busy running a tape measure along the car, so he did go get that warrant. As Gil works, Sara runs a flashlight alongside the car's rear wheel wells and casually comments, "So, Nick tells me the budget for the promotion was cut." Gil conveniently goes deaf: "Two hundred and forty inches--20 feet." He gives her a "don't start with me" look, but Sara persists: "He also said you recommended him." She lets go of her end of the tape and it snaps back into the measuring tape dispenser Gil's holding. Take that! Recoil at the whiplash of Sara's fury, Gil! He gives her another glare, wondering why today is the day everyone decided to act up, and says flatly, "I did." Sara looks away and begins inspecting the wheel well again. Gil gives her a look and goes back to his clipboard. Sara comments on the possible neon glass fragment in the rear tread, and Gil comes on over to check it out. As he hunkers down to her, Sara looks up and gives him a look that's probably significant, but not to the case.
The two of them climb in the car, and as they work on spraying the fine Corinthian leather seats with assorted reagents, Sara says, "You said you didn't have a problem with me." Well, he's going to have one now, Sara. Gil lies and says he doesn't have a problem with her, but "I thought that Nick was the best candidate for the position." Sara asks, "Why?" and Gil replies, "'Cause he didn't care whether he got the job or not." Ah, career advancement the eightfold path way. Also, about as helpful to someone like Sara as tits on a boar. Maybe spelling it out in terms she could understand -- "I worried that you were more committed to excelling at your job than you were at solving crimes for the sake of the victim" would have been helpful, as would have, oh, I don't know, maybe saying something to her ahead of time instead of behaving as though he were the admissions committee at a college that admits or denies people without explanation. Seriously. He knew these two were jockeying for the job; what stopped him from saying anything?
Sara does not respond well to Gil's assessment. She says flatly, "That's a stupid reason." On the bright side, this conversation has probably nudged her closer to recovering from however Gil broke her heart when he torpedoed the S.S. Geek Love in January. Gil grimaces and sounds relieved when he finds blood in the car.
And in Hell's own anteroom…
The Promotion Plotline: Look who's back, bitches! My career's been revived more often than Liza Minnelli's.
Catherine's Father Issues: Yeah, but look who you had to deal with to get it. Was it really worth it?
S.S. Geek Love: I'm tan, I'm rested, I'm ready. I'm on the comeback trail!
Catherine's Father Issues: Don't get too comfortable here in the green room. It's pretty obvious you're back like the Titanic was raised -- in a purely imaginary capacity.
S.S. Geek Love: Cram it sideways, Oedipus Wreck. The fans love me. They'll never let me go!
Lady Heather as Love Interest: Once you've got the fans, you're guaranteed for life. Why do you think I'm still around?
Then there's some chest-beating and posturing as Sam Braun's arrested. We get to the interrogation room after the perp walk, and Sam's attack lawyer is all, "The show's over, gentlemen. What do you have?" Gil cites the tire patterns and the limo. Attack Lawyer points out that Sam's is hardly the only limo in Las Vegas. Gil replies, "We also found neon glass embedded in all four tires." He's nearly gloating, for him. The attack lawyer counters that "the hotel owns a construction site. It's a tenuous link at best." Gil practically smiles as he swoops in for the kill: "Then how did [the victim's] blood end up in the back of your client's limousine?" Brass figured that the real beatdown didn't take place in the Freedom Booth, but the limo, well away from the security cameras. In the flashbacks, Sam packs a hell of a backhand.
After we get through with Brass's version of events, which have Sam Braun smashing Teddy's fingers before killing him, Sam whispers to the attack lawyer, and the guy gives a shark-like grin before replying, "My client offered the young man a ride home. They stopped briefly at the neon graveyard, where they held a private conversation regarding the ethics of defrauding a casino." Brass laughs to imagine the dialogue. What, he doesn't think Sam led Teddy around to the inevitable conclusion via Socratic inquiry? The lawyer insists, "The young man returned the money to my client as a sign of respect for him and his position in the community." That's a lot of words when one -- "coercion" -- will do. Brass is not sympathetic to the idea that Sam's being set up.
Meanwhile, Warrick's back among the slot machines, reading the assorted electronic frequencies. He squints skeptically. Once he gets back to the labitrail, Hodges pops out of his hidey-hole and delivers the results on the shirt smudge -- it's interior paint, white. So all they have to do is find someone into minimalist interiors, and they've got their killer.
After that paint parry, Warrick swings on by Gil's workspace to ask, "You still liking Braun for these murders?" Gil allows that he is. Warrick says, "I'm thinking Seth Landers and his pals had a woody for him. I went back to the Rampart and I took some electronic noise measurements. The place is a mess of interference. Electronics in old casinos aren't well-shielded." Gil realizes that the shoe computers would have actually worked better in one of the newer casinos; Warrick replies that "a kid as smart as Seth wouldn't make a mistake like that." Gil figures the case just got personal.
Meanwhile, Warrick's busy checking Seth's old record when he notes that Seth's address was on Dunphy Road. That prods the ol' synapses, and he realizes that landlord Joseph Greene lives on Dunphy Road -- at the same address.
We then cut to a shot of the Sahara as seen through the window of a dingy souvenir shop. Brass and Warrick do a bad-assed roll through the parking lot outside and amble on into the shop, where they find Joseph Greene grimly and compulsively feeding quarters into the machine. Did anyone else read the May 9 New York Times Magazine article "The Tug of the New-Fangled Slot Machine"? Because this is, like, Exhibit A. Warrick and Brass stroll on over to Mean Joe Greene, and hand him a Coke and a smile. Or maybe they just snark on his choice of "casinos," establish that Seth Landers is his son, and move into the real meat of the conversation. Brass leans against the slot machine and says, "Let's stop playing dumb, Mr. Greene." Joe snaps, "Would you mind moving away from the machine? You're staring over my shoulder. You're looking at me. You're jinxing me, I'm having a --" Brass closes his hand over the arm of the slot machine and sweetly inquires, "Is that better?" He then asks what happened to Joe's lumpy and discolored hand, and Joe hedges, "I had an accident a long time ago." Warrick laconically inquires, "Sam Braun do that with a hammer?" Joe Greene's denials are so vigorous as to practically scream confirmation.
Meanwhile, down in Hell's green room…
Gil's Going Deaf: TOUCH ME! It's so easy to LEAVE ME / All alone with my MEMORIES / of my episode run…
The Promotion Plotline: I think he's still --
Gil's Going Deaf: If you TOUCH ME / You'll understand what A-plots are like / Look, a new show / has be --mmmph!
The Promotion Plotline: Was stuffing your extra corset in his mouth really necessary?
Lady Heather as Love Interest: This is how we do it in the subplot subbasement, bitch.
Mean Joe Greene and Sam Braun are accidentally-on-purpose stuck to each other in one of the waiting rooms back at CSI headquarters. Joe Greene can barely contain his loathing; it leaks out from beneath his weak attempt to pretend he doesn't know who Sam is. Sam looks over and smiles slightly. From behind a window, Gil and Brass watch like they're scoping out monkeys at the zoo. Brass says, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, that Joe Greene's name is actually Joe Landers, and concludes, "They're old friends." Then he rolls on into the waiting room and says, not at all apologetically, "Sorry to break up the reunion. Mr. Landers, if you'll come with me --" "It's Greene," Joe corrects him, and as he pushes himself against the chair in rising, his discolored knuckles turn a vivid shade of purple. Sam smiles and calls out, "Do your hands hurt when it rains, Joe?" Joe turns around and tries to brazen it out with, "Do I know you?" Sam chuckles. Gil watches and looks all thoughtful. I think Our Man of the Bugs has found himself a human nemesis.
Brass sits Joe down in the interrogation chambers and explains, "The exclusion/exemption clause means you don't get to gamble, period. Not even at the quarter slots at the Gas 'n' Go." Greene asks if maybe Brass could be using his energies elsewhere, like in finding out who killed Teddy and Davis. This is the second consecutive week we've hovered near the 48-minute mark with someone being all, "Have you found the real killer? Have you found the real killer?" Brass dishes it right back at Greene with, "You got any theories? It was your apartment building. Your son Seth fingered the guy you were sitting to. The guy you don't know. The guy who put you in the Black Book." Greene's wounded pride won't let him sit quietly; he corrects Brass with, "No. The Gaming Commission put me in the Black Book." Brass shoots back, "Yeah, for cheating, Joe." Joe quickly asserts that he didn't cheat, spiraling into a monologue he clearly has on a loop in his head: "I didn't need to cheat. I beat the casinos. Beat them, and they ganged up on me, and, uh, that was it. They didn't want me there." Brass provides the other half of the story: "You beat Sam Braun's casino, and he ended your gambling career. You are barred from the casinos for life. That sounds like motive to me." Joe ripostes, "Motive for what -- playing the quarter slots?" The two have a quick chuckle, and Brass chortles, "Okay, look. Here's a quiz. Teddy Keller, Davis Mullins and your son Seth were caught fleecing the Rampart. Now two of them are dead!" He's not laughing by the end of it. Joe vigorously disclaims any knowledge of the boys' goings-on, and sticks up for his kid. Brass replies, "Then why'd you use him to settle an old score? Maybe Sam Braun is innocent. Maybe Seth Braun whacked his partners because they got caught." Joe's all, "La-la-la! Look at Sam."
Ah, excellent scene. How pleasant it is to watch two seasoned pros pack a lot of subtext into a plot-related exchange, and not have the thing degenerate into any one of a number of tedious personal dramas.
Anyway, the clouds are gathering over Las Vegas because the gods of cheap, pretentious symbolism have booked them for the denouement, and then we're looking at a bloody t-shirt that just happens to be found on the rain-soaked ground near the dumpster behind Seth Landers' dorm. And -- whoopsie! There's a gun wrapped in the t-shirt! Nicky notes that it's a .22 revolver with two live rounds and four spent ones.
Back at the Labitrail, Nicky does some cursory testing to see if this is the gun that fired the four fatal shots. Since we're at the 49-minute mark, there's no time for talky exposition with charming tertiary characters. He hands the bullet off to Warrick, who promptly matches the test fire to the bullet found in Teddy Keller's body. There is not the usual elation over having found the murder weapon. Warrick says, "I don't know. Kid thinks up this elaborate scheme to cheat the casinos. Then he kills his partners and dumps his gun in his dorm?" Nicky notes that the gun's hardly a bad-assed weapon of choice. You should talk, o promotion-deprived one who was but a trigger pull away from the Day of Justice. Warrick agrees. Nicky then notes, "Two bodies, two taps to the head. But…the loads are different." Warrick tries to explain away the different bullets with, "Maybe he went back and bought another brand." "And reloaded, yeah," Nicky nods. Warrick continues thinking aloud, noting that the bullets found in Teddy's skull were CCI .22s. Nicky adds that the two rounds found in Davis's skull were Remington .22s, and reasons, "Based on the position of the cylinder, the Remingtons were fired first?" That doesn't square with the timeline of Teddy getting iced before Davis.
Don't blink! You'll miss Liam the Lab Tech's appearance. He's going over the results of the tests done on Davis's shirt, and it's not looking good for ol' Seth. There's a pause, and Gil asks, "What?" Liam says, "That means Sam Braun's innocent. This time. Aren't you disappointed?" Gil doesn't look up from the report as he replies, "It's the evidence."
Warrick heads on down to the pokey, where a nervous Seth flings himself against the bars, begging to get out. Warrick starts in with the questioning, and Seth says, "You know what, you keep asking me all these questions, but my lawyer says I'm not even supposed to talk to you." Finally! Someone who has a semi-effective lawyer! I say "semi-," because Warrick persuades Seth to sing with, "Okay. You don't have to talk to me. But you gotta know, you're looking at two counts of murder. Talk to me. Tell me what happened. Where did you go. For real."
Long story short: after spending an hour outside the casino waiting for Teddy, Seth headed back to the apartment to look for Davis, stumbled over the body (explaining the epithelials Liam found), then went to his dad with "Braun's on to us. What am I going to do?" Why, hand over the t-shirt soaked in Davis's blood, and trust Daddy to take care of everything. Which he did by setting his son up. This is made sadder when Seth says dispiritedly, "The truth is, I just wanted him to like me. But I'm not him. I'm never going to be him. Counting cards, and the poker face. They say it's a skill, but it's a gift. 'Til Sam Braun took it away." Warrick wants to make sure he's got all this: "So you went after Sam Braun to prove something to your old man?" Seth protests, "I went after the whale, but I skinned it! I did what my dad could never do." Warrick looks down at Seth's unblemished knuckles, then sighs and asks if Joe Greene owns a .22. Seth nearly breaks down, which is pretty much all the answer anyone needs.
Gil and Warrick find nothing in Greene's apartment and correctly conclude that he was expecting the police. They do find some paint on his keychain, however, and so they go into the empty, white apartment. Sure enough, the paint in the drip pans matches the paint sample Hodges ID'd on the shirt. Gil walks on over to the closet and checks inside; he's rewarded with a duffel bag. Warrick walks on over and asks, "What's in the bag, Dad?" Oy. Gil replies, "Money from…the Tangiers. Money from Pike's. I bet there's fifty grand in there. Plus what could be paint and blood smears." Warrick makes with the case wrap-up by pointing out, "That blood could match the stain that we found on Davis's shirt. I don't understand why he had to kill his kids. They were making a lot of money off of Braun. Dad was getting his revenge." Gil says, "My guess. It stopped being about the money."
We then see a flashback to the whole chain of events: Teddy calls Joe in full freak-out mode, and Joe walks in just as Davis is packing to flee. Joe then kills Davis all quick-and-dirty, then goes out to see Teddy at the neon graveyard so he can kill him and crush his knuckles too. Warrick concludes, "Why settle for the money when you can frame up your worst enemy for murder?"
Now that the case is over, Catherine and her CSImobile are apparently okay with heading back over to see Sam. She catches him outside his limo and asks, "Could I buy you some dinner?" "Feeling a little guilty?" he asks. Heh. Catherine shakes her head with an I-don't-believe-it half-smile. They're about ten seconds away from resolving this thing when Seth pops out of Sam's limo, points to his highball glass and shouts, "Hey, Sam! Where's the ice?" Sam tells him it's to the TV. Catherine checks the scene, then turns around to gape at Sam. He tells her, "You want to catch a cheater? Hire one." "Riiiight. He gets to work off his debt," Catherine replies. Sam says matter-of-factly, "One way or another, I always get my money's worth." And then he gets in the car, leaving Catherine to wonder if she maybe should have set her price higher.
Catherine's Father Issues: Hey, you know what didn't called out in the last ten minutes of the episode? The Promotion Plotline.
The Promotion Plotline: Don't gloat yet. I'm not done by a long shot.
Catherine's Father Issues: You're done, baby. Kaput. Workplace drama is over. I, on the other hand, am damn near immortal. I'm untouchable.
Catherine's Ex-Stripper Issues: -- saying the same thing? Honey, we all did. Family trait.
The Promotion Plotline: Family? Where is Lindsey anyway?
Catherine's Single Mom Issues: Eh, I think she went to the Kwik-E Mart with Warrick's Gambling Problem. [pause] What? Why are you looking at me like that?
Warrick's Gambling Problem: Hi, guys! You wouldn't believe the line at the Kwik-E Mart. And then I ran into Gil vs. Ecklie, and we got to talking, and...what? Why are you looking at me like that?