Without a Trace
4.16 - "The Little Things"
Original CBS Airdate: 03/02/06
Transcribed from CBS
Written by: JOHN POLSON
Directed by: DAVID GRAE
Transcribed by Elise B.
Contact the transcriptionist at [email protected]
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DISCLAIMER:
"WITHOUT A TRACE" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and (c) by JERRY BRUCKHEIMER Television, CBS Productions, and Warner Bros. Television (an AOL Time Warner Company). All Rights Reserved. This transcript was made without their permission, approval, authorization or endorsement. For Fair Use, for entertainment and for educational purposes only. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of this material in any form is expressly prohibited. It is absolutely forbidden to use it for commercial gain.
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SUMMARY: A boy is abducted from an affluent family and the team suspects a kidnapping-for-ransom plan until the father, who had been acting strangely during the weeks prior to the crime, can't be found. Also, Danny becomes suspicious of Martin's behavior.
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FADE IN
[Ext: Heller residence - day]
(A five-year old boy, ETHAN HELLER, and his NANNY walk out of the house towards the driveway.)
ETHAN HELLER: Why can't Mommy take me to school?
NANNY: Mommy had to leave for work early, Ethan. She had a meeting.
ETHAN HELLER: She always has meetings.
NANNY: That's not true.
ETHAN HELLER: I miss Mommy.
NANNY: I know, sweetie. But you'll see her later.
ETHAN HELLER: Is she going to be home to read me a story?
NANNY: She's going to do her best.
(She helps him into the backseat of the Range Rover and buckles him in.)
ETHAN HELLER: I'm not happy.
NANNY: Just think of all the fun you'll have with your friends at school.
(She smiles at him, the closes his door.)
(The car window reflects a masked man. She screams.)
(The Range Rover pulls out of the driveway and speeds down the street.)
CUT TO:
[Ext: Heller residence - day]
[caption: 1 HOUR MISSING]
(MARTIN pulls up to the scene. DANNY meets him as he gets out of the car.)
MARTIN: Get anything out of the nanny?
DANNY: Just the guy's tall. About 6'2".
MARTIN: What happened?
DANNY: Well, apparently the guy popped up out of nowhere, slammed the nanny's head against the car and took off with the kid.
MARTIN: Car-jacking gone wrong?
DANNY: Nah. He knew that kid was in the car.
MARTIN: Rover's worth close to a hundred grand. Sounds like these people have some cash.
DANNY: Sure looks like it doesn't it?
MARTIN: Yeah.
DANNY: Dad's a RD guy at Genacore Pharmaceuticals. Mom's a lobbyist. (phone rings) Taylor. Agh, alright. (aside to MARTIN) So much for the car-jacking. Alright. Thanks. (hangs up)
MARTIN: Find the Rover?
DANNY: Yeah. But the kid's not in it.
FADE OUT
END TEASER
TITLE CREDITS
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
FADE IN
[Ext: Heller residence - day]
[caption: 2 HOURS MISSING]
(JACK walks towards the house, surveying the scene. Agents and police still are patrolling the grounds.)
(JACK glances towards the driveway. He imagines the Range Rover, peeling out of the driveway and driving off down the street, ETHAN trapped in the backseat.)
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - living room - day]
(JACK meets up with DANNY and MARTIN inside the house. MARTIN is on his cell phone.)
MARTIN: Okay. Keep me posted. (hangs up) ERT says that the Rover's clean. No blood, no prints.
DANNY: He must have transferred the kid to another car.
JACK: Any witnesses?
MARTIN: Not yet. But we're going door-to-door, we set up checkpoints and we went wide with the boy's picture.
JACK: What's the ETA on the parents?
(As he says this, a distressed looking blonde woman, STEPHANIE HELLER, enters the house. MARTIN nods in her direction.)
MARTIN: I think the mom just got here.
(The agents turn to look. The NANNY runs towards STEPHANIE and hugs her.)
NANNY: Oh, Mrs. Heller.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Are you okay?
NANNY: They took Ethan. I'm so sorry.
(JACK walks over to them, his badge out.)
JACK: Mrs. Heller?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Yeah?
JACK: I'm Special Agent Jack Malone from the FBI.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Where's my husband?
JACK: We've contacted him. He's on his way. Um, is there somewhere more private where we could speak?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Yeah.
(She leads him towards another part of the house.)
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - den - continuous]
(JACK and STEPHANIE enter the den. He closes the doors behind them.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: Who would do this? Who would take Ethan?
JACK: Someone who knew your son's routine. What time he went to school, what time he came home.
STEPHANIE HELLER: God.
JACK: Have you noticed anyone watching the house?
STEPHANIE HELLER: No.
JACK: Have you noticed any unusual cars parked outside?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Not that I remember. Wha...Why would they do this? For money?
(He gestures towards a table and chairs. She sits.)
JACK: It's possible. If it is a ransom, we're ready. Mrs. Heller, um, I need to ask you. What kind of funds do you have available?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Maybe $500,000.
JACK: Okay. Who else would know about this?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I'm not sure.
JACK: Well, I need you to think about it. And think about it carefully. Because it could be relevant. Now, do you or your husband have any enemies?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Jim doesn't. I'm a lobbyist for the oil industry, so you can imagine.
JACK: Okay. So, have you received any threats lately?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Agh, I get hate mail everyday. Mostly from Eco Brigade.
JACK: And they are an environmental group?
STEPHANIE HELLER: A pretty radical one.
JACK: Anything beyond the letters?
STEPHANIE HELLER: They picket the office. Two weeks ago they got past security and spray painted my car.
JACK: So they know what you drive? They could have gotten your address from the license plate.
(She is speechless. This evidently hadn't occurred to her before.)
JACK: Do you know the names of any of these people?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I know the one who harasses me the most. Neil Brown.
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - living room - day]
(The agents are setting up their equipment in the Heller's house. MARTIN walks over to where the phone taps are set up, and begins fumbling with the cords.)
MARTIN: (angrily) Come on, guys. What are you doing? These suction cup mics fall off all the time. Get this thing hardwired.
(MARTIN shakes his head and stomps out of the room. DANNY sits across the room, talking on his cell phone. He observes MARTIN's uncharacteristic behaviour and looks worriedly after him as he leaves the room.)
DANNY: (on phone) Okay. Well, you have my number. If you hear from him, please have him call me. It's urgent.
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - den - day]
(STEPHANIE HELLER still sits at the table across from JACK, her head in her hands.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: What if it's my fault they took Ethan? What if it's all because of my job?
(DANNY enters the room and squats down next to JACK.)
DANNY: Excuse me, Jack.
(JACK turns so that he can whisper with DANNY, the conversation private from STEPHANIE HELLER.)
JACK: Hmm?
DANNY: I can't seem to get Mr. Heller on the phone and he definitely should have been here by now.
JACK: You try his office?
DANNY: Yeah. And they said he left over an hour ago.
JACK: Okay. Keep trying.
DANNY: Okay.
(DANNY gets up and leaves the room.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: What? Was that about Ethan?
JACK: We're just trying to figure out where your husband is. Have you talked to him since this happened?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I couldn't get through.
JACK: (surprised) He didn't call when he heard the news?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I'm sure he tried. My cell phone died on the way here.
JACK: Are the two of you having any problems?
STEPHANIE HELLER: What does that matter?
JACK: Everything matters.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Things have been difficult. He's been staying at a hotel.
JACK: Since when?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Last week. We've been fighting a lot lately and it just got to be too much.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Ext: Heller residence - back yard - day]
(STEPHANIE watches as ETHAN plays on a large wooden playset that has been set-up in their back yard. A WORKER makes some adjustments to the playset.)
(JIM enters the back yard, still carrying his briefcase. He is surprised and angry to find ETHAN sitting on the playset.)
JIM HELLER: What is this?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Hey. It's the playset we ordered.
JIM HELLER: That's not what I thought it would be. It's too big. Come on down right now!
ETHAN HELLER: But Mommy said I could play.
JIM HELLER: And I'm saying that you can't. Now get down before you break your neck.
STEPHANIE HELLER: I told him it was okay.
JIM HELLER: It's not okay! Why don't you just let him run out into the traffic and get it over with!
(Her eyes widen in shock and the unfairness of that comment.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: Jim!
(The WORKER embarrassingly smiles to STEPHANIE and goes to leave the yard. She nods to him.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: Thank you. (She turns to ETHAN) Ethan, go inside for a minute, okay? Thank you.
(ETHAN climbs down from the playset and runs inside.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: What is wrong with you?
JIM HELLER: It's nothing.
STEPHANIE HELLER: That's not good enough! You've been like this for weeks, Jim. You're uptight all the time. You blow up over nothing. Ethan is a nervous wreck around you. Did you know he started wetting his bed again?
JIM HELLER: No. Stephanie, I'm sorry.
STEPHANIE HELLER: I'm sick of the apologies. What I want is an explanation.
JIM HELLER: I don't want to talk about it.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Then you can't be here, Jim. Not until you figure this out. I will not put Ethan through it anymore.
(She turns her back on him and walks back toward the house, where ETHAN stands just inside the door.)
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
STEPHANIE HELLER: I really just wanted to shake him up. Get through to him. He packed a bag and went to the Carson Hotel.
JACK: And you have no idea why he's been behaving this way?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I wish I knew. He's a wonderful man.
JACK: Did you two talk about custody?
STEPHANIE HELLER: (gives JACK a dirty look) We're having some problems. We're not getting divorced.
JACK: But you wouldn't allow him to be around your son?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Yes, but...
JACK: Has he seen him since?
STEPHANIE HELLER: No.
JACK: Because you wouldn't allow it?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Jim had absolutely nothing to do with this.
CUT TO:
[caption: 3 HOURS MISSING]
[Int: Genacore research division - day]
(JIM HELLER's SECRETARY leads SAMANTHA and VIVIAN down the hall towards his office.)
SAMANTHA: So, you're sure Mr. Heller told you he was heading home?
SECRETARY: Of course. I mean, his kid just got grabbed. Do you think something's happened to him?
VIVIAN: We don't know.
CUT TO:
[Int: Genacore - JIM HELLER's office - continuous]
(They reach the office and enter. SAMANTHA sits down at the desk and starts looking through the computer.)
VIVIAN: Do you remember what time he left?
SECRETARY: Um, ten minutes to ten.
VIVIAN: Okay. So, we called him at 9:30. He left at 9:50. Where was he for twenty minutes?
SECRETARY: He was in here with the door closed. When he didn't come out, I started to get worried.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Int: Genacore - JIM HELLER's office - day]
(The SECRETARY looks into JIM's office. He's sitting at his desk, typing furiously on his laptop.)
SECRETARY: (surprised) Mr. Heller. What are you still doing here?
JIM HELLER: I'm just, I'm just finishing up a few things.
SECRETARY: Can't it wait?
JIM HELLER: You're right. I don't know what I'm thinking.
(He fumbles to gather all his things together.)
SECRETARY: Do you need help? Is there something that I can do for you?
JIM HELLER: No. I need to go home. If anyone calls, tell them I'm on my way.
SECRETARY: We're all thinking of you. We'll be praying for Ethan.
JIM HELLER: Yeah. Thanks.
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
SECRETARY: I just figured he froze. He got overwhelmed.
VIVIAN: Did Jim have any friends around here? You know, someone he could confide in?
SECRETARY: He's pretty tight with Al Carter. He's a research analyst.
SAMANTHA: Viv? Check this out. He got an email at 8:46 this morning titled "Your son". That's what, fifteen minutes after the kid was grabbed? Now, there's no message. But he did download an attachment.
(VIVIAN comes around the desk to watch the downloaded video.)
(The video shows a close up of ETHAN HELLER, talking to the camera.)
ETHAN HELLER: (on video) Please Daddy. Do what he says.
(SAMANTHA glances worriedly at VIVIAN.)
FADE OUT
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
FADE IN
[Int: FBI offices - tech room - day]
(MACK is analyzing the video file on the computer, as JACK observes over his shoulder.)
MACK: So, the video's only eleven seconds long. It was uploaded onto a wireless hub at a coffee shop in Queens. Kid looks like he's in the backseat of a car.
JACK: Can't ID the user?
MACK: No. No, but I was able to dig out a voice. Here, listen.
VOICE: (on video) Tell him what I told you.
JACK: That's a Midwest accent. Maybe 30, 40 years old. What's it picking up here?
(JACK indicates some fluctuations in the feed.)
MACK: Oh, most likely vibrations from his hand, shooting the video. And you see the second vibration source? Most likely frequency match on that is an engine.
JACK: Car's moving.
MACK: Yeah. Yeah, I'm thinking this was shot minutes after the abduction.
JACK: Well, it can't be the driver who's shooting it, so that means we've got more than one kidnapper.
MACK: Right. Right.
JACK: Any chance of IDing the car from the upholstery?
MACK: Well, um, there's not a lot of detail there.
JACK: You know, the right answer is "yes, sir".
MACK: Yes, sir.
JACK: Right.
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - den - day]
(MARTIN and DANNY play the video of ETHAN for STEPHANIE.)
MARTIN: Do you recognize the voice?
STEPHANIE HELLER: I need to hear it again.
(They watch the video again. STEPHANIE is crying.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: I don't think so. I can't tell.
DANNY: It's okay. We really appreciate you trying.
STEPHANIE HELLER: What does this mean? What are they going to do to Ethan?
DANNY: Well, Mrs. Heller. We're doing everything we can to get your son back.
STEPHANIE HELLER: What about Jim?
MARTIN: We're trying to find him too.
[caption: 6 HOURS MISSING]
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - hallway - day]
(ELENA catches up to JACK in the hallway.)
ELENA: Hey Jack. We tracked down Neil Brown, the angry environmentalist. No violent priors, plus he has an alibi.
JACK: How solid?
ELENA: Well, he's been in Oregon for the past three days, living on top of a giant redwood.
JACK: That's pretty solid.
ELENA: (She grins.) Um-hmm.
JACK: How're we doing on tracking Heller's phone records?
ELENA: He got a one minute call from a pre-paid cell just before he opened the proof of life video.
JACK: It's got to be the kidnappers.
ELENA: It fits. That's why Ethan told his dad to do what he says. I'm assuming he was referring to the call.
JACK: This schumck is trying to handle this on his own.
ELENA: We looked into his accounts and he's not trying to take money out for ransom.
JACK: Well, they kidnapped his son, so they want something. Keep digging into Heller's past. Let's find out what it is.
ELENA: No problem.
(They turn to go opposite ways.)
CUT TO:
[Int: Genacore - JIM HELLER's office - day]
VIVIAN: Thank you for sitting down with us, Mr. Carter.
AL CARTER: I just hope I can help.
VIVIAN: Now, was Mr. Heller having any problems here at work?
AL CARTER: No. Um, not that I'm aware of. He heads up the whole research division. That's certainly not an easy job.
SAMANTHA: You two were pretty good friends, right?
AL CARTER: Well, ah, I'd say we're more colleagues these days.
SAMANTHA: Why's that?
AL CARTER: The truth is, Jim's been acting a little odd the past month. Withdrawn.
VIVIAN: Did he ever say why?
AL CARTER: No. Then four days ago, something really strange happened.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Int: Genacore - parking garage - night]
(AL CARTER exits the elevator and enters the parking garage. He starts walking to his car, when he hears a scuffle coming from another line of cars. He walks over to investigate.)
AL CARTER: Jim? Hey. Hey!
(He sees a man who has pushed JIM HELLER up against his car. When AL yells, the man runs. JIM leans against his car, coughing.)
AL CARTER: Holy crap. You alright?
JIM HELLER: Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
AL CARTER: You sure?
JIM HELLER: I'm fine. I'm fine.
AL CARTER: Who the hell was that?
JIM HELLER: No idea.
AL CARTER: What did he want?
JIM HELLER: My wallet. I don't have it with me.
AL CARTER: Come on. I'll call the police.
JIM HELLER: No, no. What are they going to do, right?
AL CARTER: Jim, you should at least report this.
JIM HELLER: I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine, really. Just forget it.
AL CARTER: Alright.
(JIM climbs into his car. AL watches him, shaking his head.)
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
AL CARTER: He came to work the next day as if nothing even happened.
VIVIAN: Did you get a good look at this guy?
AL CARTER: Not really. The hood he was wearing blocked his face. I don't know why I listened to Jim. I mean, I should have reported it.
[white board: 4 DBD - HOODED MAN ROUGHS UP JIM]
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - living room - day]
STEPHANIE HELLER: Jim was attacked?
DANNY: Unfortunately, yeah.
MARTIN: He never told you about it?
STEPHANIE HELLER: No.
DANNY: We think it could be connected to the kidnapping.
STEPHANIE HELLER: How?
MARTIN: That's what we need you to tell us. Did Jim have any financial problems?
STEPHANIE HELLER: No.
MARTIN: Shaky investments? Lawsuits?
DANNY: Does Jim have a gambling problem?
STEPHANIE HELLER: No. Absolutely not.
MARTIN: Well, look at everything that's happened. He's clearly into something.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Not that I know about.
MARTIN: You are married to him, right?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Yes. But I can't imagine what it is.
MARTIN: Well, try imagining a little harder.
(MARTIN is getting increasingly belligerent. DANNY looks up at MARTIN, incredulous. Where did that come from?)
MARTIN: Excuse me. Sorry.
(MARTIN shakes his head and practically runs from the room.)
CUT TO:
[Int: Heller residence - bathroom - continuous]
(MARTIN stands in front of the sink, looking haggard. He splashes some water on his face.)
(DANNY appears in the doorway, angry.)
DANNY: What the hell was that?
MARTIN: I'm sorry, man. I just feel like crap. I don't know if it's the flu or something I ate.
DANNY: You know, maybe you should take a sick day.
MARTIN: I'm not taking a sick day. We're right in the middle of a case. I'll be fine.
(DANNY glances at him, a combination of worry and anger on his face. He turns and leaves MARTIN there.)
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - bullpen - day]
[caption: 7 HOURS MISSING]
(JACK walks over to where ELENA is sitting at her desk.)
JACK: How are we doing on Heller?
ELENA: Over the last two months, he's used his credit cards at gas stations and restaurants all over upstate, Connecticut, Jersey. See?
JACK: Hotels?
ELENA: A few times. And listen, the wife doesn't know anything about the trips.
JACK: So what else is new? Um, do you see any patterns?
ELENA: Well, they're all within a three hour drive. Little towns, big towns. He doesn't go to the same place twice.
JACK: Romantic getaways?
ELENA: It could be the guy that knocked him around was a jealous husband.
(JACK's cell phone rings.)
JACK: Albany. New Paul's. It seems like he's driving a lot of miles to get laid. (answers phone) Malone. Okay, great. Be right there. (hangs up) NYPD just found Heller's car. With him in it.
CUT TO:
[Ext: New York City street - day]
(JACK and ELENA pull up the scene and get out of their car. They approach a POLICE OFFICER at the edge of the scene.)
(JACK shows him his badge.)
JACK: FBI. Where is he?
OFFICER: In the Beamer. You said not to approach him so we just stayed put.
ELENA: What's he been doing?
OFFICER: Just sitting there.
JACK: I'll go talk to him. You want to stay here?
ELENA: Sure.
(JACK walks out onto the pier, where JIM HELLER's silver Mercedes is parked with him sitting in the driver's seat. JIM clutches the steering wheel, his knuckles white, and stares off into the distance.)
(JACK knocks on the driver's side window. JIM doesn't move.)
JACK: Mr. Heller? It's the FBI. Open up. I want to talk to you.
(There is no response. JACK climbs into the back seat of the car. JIM HELLER turns to him, surprised, then turns back to stare out the windshield.)
JACK: Mr. Heller. I'm Jack Malone from the FBI. I'm here to get your son back. Look, I know that they called you. I know that you saw the video of Ethan and I understand that you are scared to death.
JIM HELLER: You don't understand anything.
JACK: I know what they told you. Don't call the cops and we won't hurt him. You want to believe that if you do just as they say, this will just all go away. It'll disappear. It'll be like it never happened. But let me tell you something, Mr. Heller. That's just wishful thinking.
JIM HELLER: Don't have a choice.
JACK: Yes, you do. You have a choice. You're just refusing to take it. Now, they called you. So what do they want? It's not the ransom, because you haven't even tried to pay them. So what do they want you to do?
JIM HELLER: I have nothing else to say.
(JACK leans in close to him.)
JACK: I want you to listen to me very carefully. Because what I tell you is what's going to happen next. I am going to walk out of this car because you refuse to cooperate. And the next time we meet, it will be in a morgue to identify the body of your dead five-year-old son.
JIM HELLER: You get the hell out.
JACK: Okay.
(JACK climbs out of the car and JIM HELLER visibly relaxes.)
(Suddenly, his door is pulled open and JACK drags him out of the car.)
(JACK pushes him up against the car and handcuffs him.)
JIM HELLER: What are you doing? You can't arrest me.
JACK: No, but I can detain you. I'm not going to let your son die because you're an idiot.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - bullpen - day]
(SAMANTHA calls VIVIAN over to her desk, where she is looking at her computer.)
SAMANTHA: Hey Viv. Check this out. Three weeks back, Heller pulled fifty thousand dollars out of his brokerage account.
VIVIAN: Any idea where it went?
SAMANTHA: Yeah, he transferred it to a dummy account, then wired it to an M. Villante.
VIVIAN: Okay, so maybe this M. Villante didn't think it was enough.
SAMANTHA: So, what, he takes the kid to get more?
VIVIAN: Have we got an address?
[caption: 9 HOURS MISSING]
CUT TO:
[Ext: Villante residence - front porch - day]
(SAMANTHA and VIVIAN approach the house, weapons drawn. As they knock on the door, a child yells from inside the house.)
(The agents exchange a look, then burst through the door.)
CUT TO:
[Int: Villante residence - kitchen - day]
SAMANTHA: FBI!
(SAMANTHA and VIVIAN stop in the surprise. Instead of the kidnapped ETHAN, they have found a middle-aged woman sitting at her kitchen table with a toddler. Both are very surprised to see two armed agents burst into the house.)
(VIVIAN recovers from her surprise first.)
VIVIAN: We're looking for M. Villante.
MARIA VILLANTE: That's me. Maria Villante.
FADE OUT
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
FADE IN
[Int: Villante residence - kitchen - day]
(SAMANTHA and VIVIAN sit at the table with MARIA VILLANTE.)
MARIA VILLANTE: I was about to sell the house to pay for my son's medical bills. It was like a miracle when that money showed up.
SAMANTHA: You have no idea who gave you the fifty thousand?
MARIA VILLANTE: The bank manager told me the account it came from had been closed. I just figured it was sent to me by mistake. I keep expecting somebody'll ask for it back.
(VIVIAN slides a picture of JIM HELLER across to her.)
VIVIAN: Well, this is the man that gave it to you. Do you know who he is?
MARIA VILLANTE: Yeah. Yeah, he's from Genacore. It's Mr. Heller.
VIVIAN: (surprised) You work for Genacore?
MARIA VILLANTE: No. No, my son Tommy. He was in a clinical trial. For Excelair. It's their new asthma drug.
SAMANTHA: Right. You have any idea why Mr. Heller would be sending you money?
MARIA VILLANTE: No. It doesn't make any sense at all.
VIVIAN: Is your son still involved in the trials?
MARIA VILLANTE: Tommy passed away in January.
(VIVIAN is stunned for a moment. They weren't expecting that.)
VIVIAN: I'm sorry.
MARIA VILLANTE: It's hard for me to say it out loud.
SAMANTHA: Um, just so we're clear, here. You never met Mr. Heller before bringing your son into Genacore, is that right?
MARIA VILLANTE: Tommy was in the trial for three years. But I didn't meet Mr. Heller then. It wasn't until a few weeks after Tommy died. He came to the house one night.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Int: Villante residence - kitchen - night]
(JIM HELLER sits at the table with MARIA, taking notes as she talks.)
MARIA VILLANTE: Well, he was tired a lot of the time. You know, lethargic. So, is this normal? This kind of follow-up?
JIM HELLER: We're just collecting information that might be useful one day. For other kids.
MARIA VILLANTE: That's good. That's important.
JIM HELLER: I think so. Okay. Before the pneumosystis was diagnosed, what exactly were Tommy's symptoms?
MARIA VILLANTE: He had these sores in his mouth.
(His head pops up quickly at this.)
JIM HELLER: Oral ulcers?
MARIA VILLANTE: Yeah. That's right. I'm sorry, I just, ah, I can't think of anything else. You know, ever since he died, my memory's not so great.
JIM HELLER: Well, you've been extremely helpful.
MARIA VILLANTE: I can hardly remember his voice anymore. How can that be?
(JIM starts collecting his things, uncomfortable.)
JIM HELLER: I should leave you. Let you get back to your children.
MARIA VILLANTE: You don't have to rush off. It's okay.
JIM HELLER: I have a long drive. Thank you so much for your time.
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
MARIA VILLANTE: Him coming by meant a lot. It showed me that someone cared.
VIVIAN: Have you heard from him since?
MARIA VILLANTE: Uh-huh. But you're saying that he's the one that gave me the money. So why would he do that?
(VIVIAN simply glances across at SAMANTHA.)
CUT TO:
[Ext: Villante residence - street - day]
(The agents discuss their conclusions as they walk back to the car.)
SAMANTHA: Heller's afraid that Excelair's what killed that boy.
VIVIAN: Well, I bet she's not the only one he spoke to.
SAMANTHA: Maybe one of the other parents wanted payback.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - interview room - day]
STEPHANIE HELLER: Do you know who did this, Jim? Do you know who took Ethan?
JIM HELLER: No.
STEPHANIE HELLER: But you know what they want. Why are you protecting them? Just talk to me. Talk to the agents. We need to get him back.
JIM HELLER: That's what I'm trying to do.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - hallway outside interview room - continuous]
ELENA: Still not talking?
VIVIAN: Not even to his wife. Something's got him really scared.
ELENA: You know, maybe it's Genacore. The place where we picked him up is two blocks from the corporate offices. Now it turns out he was there this morning.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - JACK's office - day]
(Two men in suits, MICHAEL FLETCHER, Genacore CEO and his ATTORNEY, enter JACK's office.)
(JACK gestures to the two chairs next to his desk.)
JACK: Have a seat.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: We're all in shock over Jim's son being abducted. If there's anything at all we can do.
JACK: You could start by telling me how much of the company's revenue is generated by the sales of Excelair.
(MICHAEL glances over at his lawyer.)
JACK: I can't believe you need a lawyer to help you answer that question.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: I was under the impression we were here to discuss Jim Heller's situation.
JACK: What is it, 85%? Is that about right?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: (sighs) It's been the first product out of our pipeline to win FDA approval. We've been very fortunate.
JACK: I would say so. You now have five pharmaceutical companies courting you. Genacore is the hot new girl that everybody's chasing, but without Excelair, she can't give it away.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Very colorful. What's your point, Agent Malone?
JACK: If there were something wrong with the drug, it would derail a lot of plans, correct?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: There is no problem with Excelair. It's been on the market for over a year. We've helped thousands of patients.
JACK: Is that something that you discussed with Mr. Heller in your office this morning?
ATTORNEY: You don't have to respond, Mike.
JACK: We know that you had security remove him after an argument. What was the argument about?
ATTORNEY: You don't have to answer that either.
JACK: Don't you find it interesting, Mr. Fletcher, that after his son is kidnapped, the first person Mr. Heller speaks to is you? Why is that?
(The ATTORNEY moves to speak, but MICHAEL raises a hand to stop him.)
MICHAEL FLETCHER: It's okay. I've got nothing to hide. I saw Jim. He just showed up at headquarters. He was acting totally irrational.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Int: Genacore main offices - lobby - day]
(MICHAEL FLETCHER walks through the lobby with several men in suits.)
(JIM catches sight of him and runs in that direction, calling out.)
JIM HELLER: Mike. Mike, wait.
(MICHAEL turns, surprised.)
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Jim. What are you doing here?
JIM HELLER: I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back with the investigation.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: What are you talking about? What investigation?
JIM HELLER: It'll never happen again. I just want my son back. Please.
(The security guards manning the lobby eye the commotion JIM is making and begin to move in his direction.)
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Your son? You're not making any sense. Why would I have your son? Jim, you need to pull yourself together.
JIM HELLER: I know...
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Just pull yourself together.
(JIM is clearly going a little crazy. He grabs the lapels of MICHAEL's suit and gets in his face.)
JIM HELLER: I know that you know where Ethan is.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Hey! Get off me!
(The security guards grab JIM on both sides and begin dragging him away from MICHAEL and out of the building.)
JIM HELLER: Mike! Why are you doing this to me? He's my little boy! Mike!
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: I didn't hear the news about Jim's son until later on in the morning. Obviously I feel terrible about it.
JACK: Um-hmm. Heller thought that looking into Excelair was the reason his son was abducted.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: That's absolutely absurd.
JACK: Is it? You're sitting here with your lawyer. Obviously you knew he had concerns about the drug.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: I knew nothing about the investigation. Yes, he showed me some off data.
JACK: About what? Lung infections?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Pneumosystis. Yes.
JACK: And did you report it to the FDA?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Yes. And they agreed with a dozen Genacore researchers that reviewed the data. It was inconclusive. We followed regulations to the letter.
JACK: Tell that to the kids who died, Mr. Fletcher.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Look...
JACK: Who stands to lose the most if something bad comes out about Excelair.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: (absolutely confident) The children benefiting from it.
JACK: Do you have stock?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: We all do. Everyone who works for us was started with a generous equity package.
JACK: Share prices go down, people stand to lose a lot of money.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Nobody's made a dime from the sale of that stock yet. It hasn't vested.
JACK: When does it come due?
(MICHAEL FLETCHER hesitates, looking over at his lawyer.)
JACK: When does it vest, Mr. Fletcher? Answer the question.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: In two days.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - bullpen - day]
(ELENA joins VIVIAN at the conference table, where she is going through a stack of files.)
ELENA: So Mack enhanced the video. The backseat that Ethan was in is from six possible cars. What are those?
VIVIAN: Our agents found medical files stashed all over Jim's hotel room.
ELENA: Of the kids who died from Excelair?
VIVIAN: Yep. I've been talking to the families.
ELENA: Did Jim visit them?
VIVIAN: Yeah. After he left, a man showed up and asked the families a ton of questions.
ELENA: I don't suppose they got a name?
VIVIAN: No. But they're giving us a sketch.
ELENA: Anybody see the car he was driving?
VIVIAN: Yeah. Okay, blue Oldsmobile, late 80s.
(ELENA scans through the list of cars that MACK gave her.)
ELENA: Okay. 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass. It's on Mack's list.
VIVIAN: Let's put out an alert.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - interview room - day]
(SAMANTHA and JACK sit at the table facing JIM HELLER. SAMANTHA hands him a police sketch.)
(STEPHANIE HELLER observes the conversation through the two-way mirror.)
SAMANTHA: Do you know who this is?
JIM HELLER: I don't know.
JACK: But you've seen him before, right?
SAMANTHA: And he saw you interviewing all those families. We also think he's the guy who roughed you up in the parking lot.
JIM HELLER: I don't know what you're talking about.
JACK: Look, you had problems with Excelair. Somebody in the company thought you were going to go public. They didn't want you trashing the stock before it had time to vest.
SAMANTHA: So they grabbed your kid and told you to sit tight and shut up for forty-eight hours.
JACK: Look, we know everything. So whatever deal you made with them means absolutely nothing.
JIM HELLER: Where does that leave my son?
JACK: In a much better place now that we're involved.
JIM HELLER: How the hell do you know?
JACK: Look at this man. He's a hired gun. Make no mistake. He will finish his contract, kill your son, and collect the money.
SAMANTHA: So why don't you tell us what the kidnappers told you.
JIM HELLER: It's just like you said. I was supposed to keep quiet, and they'd let Ethan go.
JACK: When did you first realize this drug wasn't safe?
JIM HELLER: About a year before the approval. But the trials showed that 99% of the kids on Excelair were actually helped by it, so I convinced myself the risks were worth it.
JACK: And what changed your mind?
JIM HELLER: A couple of months back, Stephanie and I took Ethan to the doctor.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Int: examination room - day]
(The DOCTOR is examining ETHAN, while STEPHANIE and JIM observe worriedly from a distance.)
DOCTOR: He's had the fever and swelling how long?
STEPHANIE HELLER: Five, maybe six days.
ETHAN HELLER: My hands are itchy.
DOCTOR: (smiling at him) Then we'll just have to un-itch them. Kristin, can you take Ethan to the playroom?
(The nurse leads ETHAN out of the room.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: What's wrong with him?
DOCTOR: He's going to be fine. The textbook name for his condition is mucocutaneous lymphnode syndrome. Also known as Kawasaki's disease.
JIM HELLER: What is that? Is it serious?
DOCTOR: I won't lie to you, it certainly can be.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Oh, my god.
DOCTOR: But, with an course of intravenous gamma globulin, within a few weeks he'll be good as new. You're lucky. Before gamma globulin, there wasn't a lot we could do. I, ah, I lost a little girl to it not long after I started practicing.
JIM HELLER: How safe is the treatment?
DOCTOR: Oh, it's been around for twenty years. You have nothing to worry about.
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
JIM HELLER: Twenty years. I knew Excelair didn't have that kind of track record and it never would. Yet people were depending on it. They're trusting us with the lives of their children. I couldn't look away anymore.
SAMANTHA: Why didn't you tell your wife?
JIM HELLER: What was I going to say? That the drug I'd spent years working on was actually secretly killing kids? I know what happens to whistleblowers. I wanted to protect my family. Do it confidentially. I was gathering information to send to the New York Times when they took Ethan.
JACK: Did you talk to anyone other than Michael Fletcher about your concerns?
JIM HELLER: Nope. That's why I became convinced that he had to be involved. But now I don't know. What am I supposed to do now?
JACK: Talk to your wife.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - hallway outside interview room - day]
(JACK watches as STEPHANIE enters the interview room to talk to her husband. JIM pulls her into a hug.)
(ELENA runs down the hallway towards JACK.)
ELENA: Jack. Officer spotted a blue Cutlass in the Bronx with a kid in the back. Shots were fired.
FADE OUT
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
FADE IN
[Ext: Bronx - street - night]
[caption: 11 HOURS MISSING]
(MARTIN and DANNY pull up to the scene and get out of the car.)
(The agents walk over to a dead body spread-eagled on the ground.)
DANNY: This our guy?
MARTIN: Yeah, looks that way.
(The move away from the body.)
DANNY: I have to agree with you on this one.
MARTIN: Okay, let's clear out.
(DANNY nods to the officers clearing the scene.)
DANNY: Thank you.
(DANNY and MARTIN approach the ambulance, where a police officer is having a gunshot wound to his shoulder patched up.)
DANNY: Yo.
MARTIN: How're you doing, man? You okay to talk?
OFFICER: Yeah.
DANNY: You want to tell us what happened?
OFFICER: I spotted the Cutlass, went to check it out. That's when I saw the kid.
DANNY: Was the kid okay?
OFFICER: As far as I could tell. Right after, that's when it hit the fan.
FLASHBACK TO:
[Ext: Bronx - street - night]
(The driver of the car is staring up the road, the window open.)
(The OFFICER sees ETHAN sleeping in the back of the Oldsmobile. Gun drawn, he approaches the driver's window.)
OFFICER: Sir. Reach out with your right hand, lift the door handle, and slowly step out of the vehicle.
(The driver of the car reaches around as though to follow these instructions.)
(The OFFICER is distracted by another man approaching the car from the convenience store across the street. When he pulls a gun, the OFFICER shoots.)
(He turns back to the driver, but is shot in the shoulder and falls to the ground. The car peels away.)
END FLASHBACK. RESUME TO PRESENT.
OFFICER: All I could do was lie on my ass and get the plate.
DANNY: Okay, now. There was only one other guy in the car? You're absolutely sure?
OFFICER: Yeah.
MARTIN: Can you describe him?
OFFICER: Reddish hair. Average looking.
DANNY: Average looking?
OFFICER: I'm sorry. It just happened so fast.
MARTIN: It's alright. Take care, okay?
DANNY: Thanks.
(DANNY's phone rings and he answers as they walk away.)
DANNY: Taylor.
(MARTIN walks over to the dead body, where an officer investigates. He hands MARTIN a wallet.)
MARTIN: You got something?
DANNY: Alright, thanks. (hangs up and walks over to MARTIN) Alright, so the Cutlass is registered to a Scott Matthews.
(MARTIN holds up the wallet in his hand.)
MARTIN: You're looking at him.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - bullpen - night]
(ELENA, SAMANTHA, and VIVIAN sit at the conference table, alternately making phone calls. The scene rotates between their various calls, voices overlapping.)
ELENA: Scott Matthews.
SAMANTHA: No, I'm not looking for him. I'm looking for information on him.
VIVIAN: Well, do you know who any of his friends are? Well, maybe he hung around with other people in the building.
ELENA: Okay, was that his first job after he left the Marines?
SAMANTHA: I'm going to need a list of employees going back about ten years.
ELENA: No, no. Not tomorrow. Right now.
VIVIAN: Listen, lady, I could be doing other things too. I need it now.
SAMANTHA: What part of now do you not understand?
VIVIAN: He was a security guard? Uh-huh. And the company he worked for was WeimerTech? Can you tell me what year that was? Got it. Thanks.
(VIVIAN is the last one to hang up.)
VIVIAN: I just found out who Scott Matthews used to work with at WeimerTech.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - interview room - night]
AL CARTER: Yeah, I worked there.
JACK: What happened to that company, Mr. Carter?
AL CARTER: You know, what happened to a lot of start-ups. Didn't work out.
JACK: Is that where you met Scott Matthews?
AL CARTER: I don't think I remember anyone named, what? Scott Matthews?
JACK: You're going to spill your guts in here one way or another. Now, do you want to cooperate with me or not?
(AL looks away and stays silent. JACK gets up from the table.)
JACK: Okay.
(JACK walks over to the phone and picks it up.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[Int: FBI offices - hallway outside interview room - continuous]
(VIVIAN stands outside the two-way mirror, watching JACK interrogate AL CARTER.)
(The phone rings in the hallway where VIVIAN is standing. She glances into the interview room at JACK, confused, then answers the phone.)
VIVIAN: Yeah?
JACK: Clear the floor.
VIVIAN: What?
(VIVIAN looks at the phone, but JACK has already hung up.)
JACK: Now, Mr. Carter, I know you can't see out this window. But every agent is now clearing this floor so that they don't see what about to happen. It's like, if a tree falls in a forest, kind of thing.
(AL glances around nervously, trying to figure out whether JACK is bluffing.)
AL CARTER: I should get a lawyer.
JACK: Go ahead. Let's see if you'll make it to the door. Now, where's the boy?
AL CARTER: I don't know.
JACK: You had him kidnapped. You own eighty thousand shares of Genacore and Jim Heller was about to flush it down the toilet. Am I correct?
AL CARTER: He was going to ruin everything. Look, Excelair. It is a good drug. It's just that some anomalies showed up in the data.
JACK: Is that your way of saying the kids were dying?
AL CARTER: Very few. Compared to how many were being helped. So I, I reclassified them. In the analysis for the FDA. Dozens of people reviewed those numbers. And no one noticed a problem.
JACK: Jim Heller did. He was rechecking the data. Did he have any idea what you were up to?
AL CARTER: No one did. No one wants to know.
JACK: So you think that makes it okay?
AL CARTER: That's not what I'm saying here.
JACK: Yes it is. A hundred people turn their heads the other way, and no one is to blame. Now, who is Scott Matthews' partner?
AL CARTER: I honestly don't know.
JACK: They were in the Bronx heading south. Where are they going?
AL CARTER: I was supposed to meet them at the Westside Docks on 50th Street at 8:30.
JACK: With the boy?
AL CARTER: I was going to let him go. I swear. I didn't want anybody to get hurt.
JACK: It's a little late for that, Mr. Carter.
CUT TO:
[Int: Westside Docks - warehouse - night]
(DANNY and MARTIN cautiously make their way through the boxes and crates that fill the warehouse, weapons drawn.)
(MARTIN stops behind a stack of boxes and peers around.)
(He sees ETHAN, standing alone in an open area a few yards away.)
MARTIN: I got Ethan. I don't see the perp.
DANNY: He's still here. There's no way he left that kid without the cash.
MARTIN: You know, I don't care. We can't just leave him standing out there like that.
(MARTIN moves out from behind the boxes before DANNY stops him.)
DANNY: Martin. Listen to me. We're going to stick to the book, okay? Backup's on its way. It'll be safer for the kid.
MARTIN: Well, we don't have time to wait for backup. What if he shoots him while he's standing out there, huh? What if he shoots him?
DANNY: Martin. We're waiting for backup, alright?
MARTIN: No, we're not going to wait. You just cover me.
(Ignoring DANNY, MARTIN steps out from behind the boxes and walks over to ETHAN, not even checking to see if anyone is around.)
MARTIN: Hey Ethan.
(Just as MARTIN reaches ETHAN, a man steps out from behind some other boxes, between MARTIN and DANNY. He points his gun at MARTIN's back.)
DANNY: Hey! Hey!
(As DANNY yells, the man turns and fires. DANNY returns fire, taking the man down.)
(MARTIN turns and draws his gun, a second too late. He stares down at the man on the ground, frozen.)
DANNY: Martin, get the kid. Martin! Get the kid!
(This finally shakes MARTIN out of his stupor.)
MARTIN: Right, okay.
(MARTIN turns and picks up ETHAN into a hug.)
MARTIN: Come here. It's okay. It's okay. My name is Martin. I'm a policeman. You're safe now.
CUT TO:
[Int: FBI offices - hallway - night]
(VIVIAN gets off the elevator with ETHAN. She takes his hand and walks him down the hall to where he parents are waiting.)
(JACK steps out from his office, joining VIVIAN.)
STEPHANIE HELLER: Ethan!
(ETHAN runs to his parents, who pull him into a hug.)
VIVIAN: I'm going to go home now. Good night.
JACK: Night.
(VIVIAN walks away down the hall.)
(JACK puts on his jacket and heads toward the elevators. He steps into the arriving elevator, nearly running straight into MARTIN.)
MARTIN: Whoops. Oh, hey Jack.
JACK: Hey. How're you doing?
(MARTIN shrugs, not sure what to say.)
JACK: I heard that things went to crap pretty fast out there.
MARTIN: Yeah, yeah they did.
(JACK looks at MARTIN for a second, worried. He seems to shake off the i
