Episode Transcript
1x03 The Perfect Score
Written by Samuel Baum and Steven Maeda
Directed by Eric Laneuville
[CAL's office. Different types of rare artifacts are strewn around his office and desk, from human skulls to handmade dolls and pottery. GILLIAN enters with two cups]
GILLIAN: Looks like National Geographic exploded on your desk.
CAL [pointing to a picture]: What expression do you see? Quick. Quick. Quick. Quick.
GILLIAN [handing him a cup]: Uh, disgust.
CAL: Yep. Expression looks the same on a Papua elder or a Hollywood starlet.
[GILLIAN leans over and points to a black and white photograph]
GILLIAN [smiling]: Look at you in New Guinea. You reliving your dissertation glory days?
[She puts the photo back on the desk and picks up a wooden spoon-looking thing]
GILLIAN: What's this?
CAL: That's a koteka. That's hand-carved, very rare.
GILLIAN: What do they use it for, soup?
[GILLIAN imitates sipping soup from a spoon]
CAL: Genital presentation. If the man was trying to impress a woman he'd serve himself up on that, so to speak.
[GILLIAN looks surprised and puts the artifact down as HEIDI enters]
HEIDI: Dr. Lightman, Special Agent Dardis is here from the FBI. And I have your daughter on line two.
CAL: Thanks, Heidi. [putting EMILY on speaker phone] Hello, love. How's it going at your mum's?
EMILY: Okay, I guess. I mean, you know how mom is. She needs to know everything I'm doing every second.
CAL: Bloody intrusive, isn't it. What are you doing this very second?
EMILY: Dad.
CAL: Well, you still need a lift later?
[CAL takes a wooden statue out of a box and displays it to GILLIAN, who smiles]
EMILY: Uh, no, um, actually I've got a big chem test on Friday. I . . . I'm gonna sleep over at Katie's house.
[EMILY doesn't seem too sure of herself, and CAL looks at GILLIAN knowingly]
CAL: You sure about that?
EMILY: Yeah.
CAL [pausing]: All right, love you.
EMILY: Love you, too.
[CAL turns off the phone]
CAL: You heard that, right? Word repetition and her vocal pitch went up when she was talking about staying at Katie's.
GILLIAN: I'm sure it was nothing.
CAL: Well, what did you hear then?
GILLIAN: I heard a typical teenager in the process of forming her self-identity.
CAL: That's psychobabble, that is. [handing GILLIAN the statue] She was lying.
[CAL begins walking out of his office]
GILLIAN: Emily needs to have her own secrets. That's not the same thing as lying.
[CUT to Special Agent DARDIS describing a case to CAL and TORRES]
DARDIS: Danielle Stark, 17 years old, senior at Strivers Magnet School. She went missing a week ago. Her body was found a day later dumped in Rockcreek Park. She died from a blow to the head.
CAL: Well, you're not here because of the girl.
DARDIS: No, her mother is a federal judge on the D.C. circuit court. Judge Stark's been short-listed as a possible Supreme Court nominee but we're treating this case just like any other.
TORRES: Well, is there any, uh, physical evidence?
DARDIS: Unfortunately, it rained that night. Best we can do is determine that the blow came from the front, no defensive wounds, indicating Danielle likely knew her killer. The problem is with the mother. She says that she was alone in her chambers, and no one can verify it.
CAL: So you've got a suspect, right? I mean that's great, right, since you're treating this case just like any other.
DARDIS: As you can imagine, we need to proceed carefully before we start pointing fingers at a presidential appointee. But if she's lying, we need to know.
CAL: And if she's not?
DARDIS: Then we need to know who is.
[CUT to Danielle Stark's house. CAL and TORRES are here to speak with MS. STARK]
TORRES: Nice place.
CAL: Bit of a mausoleum.
[They enter a room where Special Agent DARDIS is already speaking to MS. STARK]
DARDIS: Dr. Lightman, Ria Torres, this is Danielle's mother, Judge Kathleen Stark.
MS. STARK: Agent Dardis tells me that you may be able to help catch the person who did this.
CAL: Yeah.
[TORRES begins setting up a video camera]
MS. STARK: What is that for?
TORRES: We just don't want to miss anything that could help.
CAL: So, what can you tell us about Danielle?
MS. STARK: Well, I've already told the FBI everything. So, what more do you want to know?
CAL [sitting]: Tell us about, uh, your happiest moment together. A family trip, a birthday party.
MS. STARK: I don't understand the purpose of this.
CAL: Okay, um, how did you feel when you found out she was dead?
MS. STARK: I, uh . . . I really can't talk about it. It was the worst day of my life.
[CAL notices her forehead and eyebrows, which are not moving at all]
MS. STARK: Do you have children, Dr. Lightman?
CAL; Yeah, I have a daughter. She's a little younger than Danielle was.
MS. STARK: Then it shouldn't be hard for you to imagine how I felt.
TORRES: Was Danielle having any trouble at home?
MS. STARK: Of course not. She was everything you could hope for in a daughter. She was a straight-A student, top of her class. She was so special. Please find out who did this to her.
[CUT to the Lightman Group building where CAL, TORRES and DARDIS are in an analysis room. MS. STARK's video is on a screen]
TORRES: It's pretty strange the way she talked about her daughter. "Straight-A student. Top of her class." Who cares about that after they lose their child?
CAL: Someone who's obsessed with image.
DARDIS: Perfect house, perfect kid. Perfect kids don't usually get murdered by someone they know.
TORRES: Yeah, well, maybe Danielle wasn't so perfect.
CAL: Well, it's not Danielle I'm concerned with.
[CAL presses a few buttons and the video begins to play]
MS. STARK [on video]: She was always talking about how important her friends were to her. You know, she was an
only child and, uh . . . I think she used them to substitute.
[CAL stops the video]
DARDIS: I've listened to a lot of grieving mothers, and if she's faking it, she's one of the best I've seen.
CAL: She's one of the best you've ever heard. [CAL presses a few more buttons] Now, this was recorded in 1994, day after Susan Smith's two children disappeared.
SUSAN SMITH [on video]: I love 'em. I. . . I just can't express enough. I-I have been to the Lord in prayers every day.
CAL: Sounds grief stricken, right?
SUSAN SMITH [on video]: It just seems so unfair that somebody could take such two beautiful children . . .
CAL: Right. She told police that she'd been carjacked. But later, she admitted to the police that she'd strapped her two children into their car seats and rolled them into the lake. Yeah, now watch it with the sound off.
[SUSAN SMITH is speaking on screen without sound. CAL waits for someone to notice what is wrong.]
CAL: Well, her face doesn't match the grief of her words. Right? There's no involvement in the forehead, nothing around the eyes. She could be reading from a grocery list. Now watch the judge again.
[CAL plays the footage of the judge without sound]
DARDIS: They look exactly the same. The judge is showing nothing.
CAL: No, the judge is showing everything.
[CUT to opening credits.]
[At the Lightman Group building, CAL and GILLIAN are walking down the hall when TORRES catches up with them]
TORRES: Oh, hey. Judge Stark has asked for a brief mourning period, but she'll be available after tomorrow's memorial service.
CAL: Yeah, we need to be there.
TORRES: We won't be able to talk to her.
CAL: Well, we don't need to talk to her. We need to watch. [To GILLIAN] You going to the funeral?
[TORRES leaves and CAL and GILLIAN walk into CAL's office]
GILLIAN: I can't. I'm meeting with the deputy chief of NASA. One of their experimental jets crashed and they think the pilot's lying about what happened.
CAL: Oh, well, that's not surprising since the whole space program is based on lies. Some of their top scientists were
Nazis recruited after the war.
GILLIAN [smiling]: They gave the world Tang.
[HEIDI knocks and walks in]
HEIDI: Dr. Lightman? It's Emily. Um, apparently they tried to bring her to your house first, but . . .
[EMILY walks in wearing smeared make-up and looking disheveled. She looks like she's been crying. A police officer walks in behind her.]
EMILY: Hey, Dad.
[The police, HEIDI and GILLIAN are gone. EMILY is leaning against the wall in CAL's office]
EMILY: It wasn't even a party really. It was just a couple of friends.
CAL: Cops said there were more than a hundred kids at your mum's house while she was away. So you lied to me about staying over at Katie's.
EMILY: I already said I was sorry. How many more times can I say it?
CAL: As many times as you want. Obviously, I can't trust you to be on your own when your mum's away, so you're gonna come here every day after school till she gets back.
EMILY: No! What am I gonna do?
[CUT to CAL opening the door to a very messy room filled with artifacts and papers]
CAL: You're going to organize this room.
EMILY: By myself?
CAL: Nope. Loker's going to babysit.
LOKER: Hey, Emily. Long time no see. Hey, you look terrible. Awful. Like Gene Simmons when it's really, really humid. All right.
[EMILY sighs.]
[CUT to a memorial service at a church. CAL and TORRES walk into a room full of people talking quietly. MS. STARK is among them.]
CAL [to TORRES]: You got any gum?
TORRES: What?
CAL: Gum. Chewing gum. Gum?
TORRES: Uh, yeah.
MS. STARK [to random person]: Thank you . . .
TORRES: You get anything off her?
CAL: Well, her tears are real.
TORRES: I still didn't see any sadness on her forehead.
[CAL takes the gum TORRES gives him and chews it for a few seconds, then sticks it to the light bulb of a nearby lamp]
TORRES: Okay, that was disgusting.
CAL: Just keep your eye on the judge.
[The light bulb sizzles for a second and then shatters. Everyone looks at it in surprise. There is still no reaction on MS. STARK's forehead]
CAL: That was interesting.
TORRES [freaked out]: Okay, you want to tell me what that was about?
CAL: There was still no action in the forehead, or around the eyes, even though she's startled.
TORRES: Okay?
CAL: She's definitely hiding something. Her age. She's using Botox.
[CAL and TORRES are now walking into the larger part of the church for the memorial service]
TORRES: No wonder I couldn't pick anything up.
CAL: It paralyzes the facial muscles. The tears were real, and her forehead would show sadness if it could.
TORRES: Yeah, but she still doesn't have an alibi for the night of the murder.
CAL: Chances are, any mother who killed her daughter would display shame unless she was a sociopath.
TORRES: If the mother's not lying, where does that leave us?
CAL: Looking for someone else. FBI says they think that Danielle knew her killer. It's possible that person's here.
TORRES: It's pretty risky to show up at the victim's memorial.
CAL: Well, it'd be suspicious not to, especially if they were close.
[TORRES turns around but CAL has already gotten up and walked away]
[CUT to GILLIAN and LOKER in a hanger of sorts for airplanes]
MAN: You're looking at the X-48, or what's left of it.
GILLIAN: I didn't realize NASA still did test flights.
MAN: Shuttle program's coming to a close. We're looking for the next generation. This was supposed to be it. Now it's $250 million worth of scrap metal.
GILLIAN: Tell me about the pilot.
MAN: Commander David Markov. He's had an exemplary career. Navy pilot, flight instructor. There's nothing on his record to suggest he would have crashed the plane intentionally.
GILLIAN: Then what makes you think he did?
MAN: Flight telemetry indicated no systems malfunction. All of a sudden, Markov went full throttle, flaps down. He ejected just before he dove the plane straight into the ground. I don't believe he was just disoriented like he's claiming.
LOKER: Did he have some sort of issue with NASA?
MAN: No. But we have to consider Markov's father. He was a rocket engineer with the old soviet space agency, defected in '72. The Russians are developing their own scramjet technology.
LOKER: Russian spies. Oh, what's next? Duran Duran and parachute pants? 'Cause I dug the 80's.
MAN: It's what we've got. Commander Markov won't admit anything. He's suspended pending the outcome of your investigation.
[CUT to GILLIAN and LOKER interviewing MARKOV]
MARKOV: I was at Angels Ten, zone five afterburners, C.A.V.U., and . . . just lost the bubble.
LOKER [smiling]: Wow, that is so cool. But I have no idea what you just said.
MARKOV: Sorry. Um, I was at a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet-- actually 10,500 --going top speed. I don't knowwhat happened. I had good weather, unlimited visibility. After that it just all went fuzzy.
GILLIAN: You blacked out?
MARKOV: No, ma'am, I was fully conscious, but I got disoriented, lost track of time. Next thing I knew, the aircraft was pointed at the ground. I managed to get to the ejection handles and punch out. [Indicating broken leg] That's how I ended up with this.
GILLIAN: Commander Markov, your father came to this country in 1972? He defected from the USSR.
MARKOV: You think I crashed the X-48 on purpose?
GILLIAN: Did you?
MARKOV: I love this country, Dr. Foster. I'd give my life for it.
LOKER: That's a nice deflection.
GILLIAN: That was a non-answer. You want to try it again?
MARKOV: I wanted to be an astronaut since I was eight years old. And I trained for the space program every day knowing that I only had a one-in-400 chance of getting in. I did not intentionally crash the X-48.
[CUT to CAL and TORRES at the funeral. A friend of Danielle's is speaking]
FRIEND: Danielle was my best friend in the world. I'm gonna miss her so much.
[CUT to another friend speaking]
FRIEND #2: I'll never forget her laugh. She had the greatest laugh. She was one of my best friends.
[CUT to a third friend speaking]
FRIEND #3: Danielle loved high school, but she was also excited about the future. We were even gonna apply to Princeton together. Now I'm not even sure if I want to go.
[CAL notices something strange about the girl speaking]
FRIEND #3: But I owe it to Danielle to follow my dreams. [The girl starts crying and is led away]
[After the service]
TORRES: Well, that girl seems pretty popular.
CAL: Yeah. Foster did a study once: popularity and lies in schools. You know what she found?
TORRES: There's a connection?
CAL: Yeah, the more popular the kid, the better the liar. Which makes me wonder why the queen bee showed asymmetrical sadness when she was talking about her dead friend.
TORRES: Uh, "When a person's facial expression is not symmetrical on both sides of the face, it is likely that they are
pretending to feel the emotion." From your article in the Journal for Behavioral Science, 2001.
[TORRES smiles but CAL just stares]
CAL: Sucking up is really not your strong suit, is it?
[Outside, CAL and TORRES meet up with the girl who spoke at the service, RILEY]
TORRES: That was a good speech.
RILEY: Um, thanks.
TORRES: But you didn't mean a word of it, did you?
RILEY: What? Who are you?
CAL [offering his hand]: I'm Dr. Lightman. We're helping the FBI with their investigation.
RILEY: Well, what kind of doctor are you?
CAL: I study people's lies, like the one you told in there about being Danielle's best friend.
RILEY: We were best friends.
CAL: Then why were you faking being sad then?
RILEY: I wasn't. I was just shocked, like everybody else.
CAL: You pluck your eyebrows?
RILEY: What?
CAL: Did you pluck your eyebrows before you came here so they'd be perfect just like that? Because signs of lying become particularly visible in the brows when they've been thinned. You weren't shocked at all about Danielle's death, were you?
RILEY: Look, Danielle was into some pretty bad stuff.
TORRES: What? Was she using? [RILEY nods] What was she on?
RILEY: I don't know. Um, I heard she was scoring from some burnout on the school paper. This loser basically just . . .
RILEY'S FATHER: Riley? You ready to go?
RILEY: Yeah. [to CAL and TORRES] Okay, please don't tell my Dad that I talked to you guys, okay? He's on the board of trustees at my school, and he'll freak.
[RILEY gets into her father's car]
TORRES: You never told me about the eyebrow plucking thing. Where'd you read about that?
CAL: Nowhere.
TORRES: Why not?
CAL: 'Cause it's complete crap.
[CUT to Strivers Magnet School. CAL, TORRES and the HEADMISTRESS are walking outside]
HEADMISTRESS: I can assure you we have no drug problem at Strivers Magnet School. We have a strict honor code. One infraction and you are out.
TORRES: And family money can't buy you back in?
HEADMISTRESS: Well, this is a public school. We have a rigorous admissions policy, wait list. These students, they want to be here, and they know that we don't tolerate violations of the code.
CAL: One of your students was murdered. Another one sold drugs to her. You don't think there's a connection?
HEADMISTRESS: Well, what can we do to help?
CAL: I want you to announce a mandatory locker search for all the students that were in Danielle's journalism class.
HEADMISTRESS: Okay. Well, that may take some time to coordinate with our school security.
CAL: No, no, no, I don't want you to actually search them. I just want you to announce it.
[CUT to a library, where a group of students are gathered]
HEADMISTRESS: In an effort to cooperate with the FBI's investigation, we will be searching the lockers of every student in Ms. Fife's journalism class.
MS. FIFE: I don't mean to speak out of turn, but the fourth amendment protects these kids against unreasonable search and seizure.
CAL: That's true. Absolutely true. But truth is, I only want to talk to one of you. Just one of you. [CAL approaches a boy] The one everyone's afraid to look at.
[CUT to GILLIAN, LOKER and the MAN from NASA watching a tape of the interview with MARKOV]
MARKOV [on video]: I was at a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet-- actually 10,500.
GILLIAN: So, Captain Markov admitted a lack of memory about certain details. He also used spontaneous corrections:
10,500 instead of 10,000 feet.
MAN: So, he's lying?
LOKER: No, those are all signs of telling the truth.
MAN: Well, our doctors examined him after the crash. Medically, he checks out fine.
GILLIAN: There's another possibility. It's called a hysterical blackout. It sometimes happens just before
someone tries to take their own life.
MAN: You think he could have been trying to commit suicide? And what, changed his mind at the last second and ejected?
GILLIAN: It's a possibility, but I'll need assess his psychological state prior to the crash. Do you have any old videotape of him?
MAN: We're the federal government. We record everything.
[CUT to the Lightman Group building where EMILY is organizing the messy room. She is looking at some old photos]
EMILY: Hey, have you seen these?
LOKER: Oh, those are . . . yeah, those were probably taken in the '80s. Your dad was doing research in Morocco proving his theory on the universality of emotion.
EMILY: Research? Are you kidding? He's baked.
LOKER: Oh, yeah. He's completely baked.
EMILY: Ugh, he's such a hypocrite. Like getting mad at me for throwing a party. I mean, look at him.
LOKER: Well, I think he's, um . . . I think he's just scared.
EMILY: Uh, no. No, I'm thinking wasted.
LOKER: No, I mean, he's scared right now about you.
EMILY: Why would he be scared about me?
LOKER: Well, you're a 15-year-old girl. Statistically speaking, you're at the prime age for abusing alcohol, experimenting with drugs, contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
EMILY: Wow. You really know how to take all the fun out of rebelling.
LOKER: Look on the bright side. You're way more likely to die in a car crash with one of your friends than any of those things.
[CUT to GILLIAN watching old video of MARKOV]
MARKOV [on video]: Control, this is Zulu 7. We are level and steady. We have ignition. Execute roll program.
[GILLIAN taps a few buttons, annoyed]
MARKOV [on video, quietly]: Going through Mach 1, Mach 2 . . .
GILLIAN: Is there something wrong with these speakers? I can barely hear him.
LOKER: No, it's not the equipment. It's the man.
GILLIAN: Slow, soft speech points to extreme sadness and anxiety. He doesn't sound like the same person we interviewed.
LOKER: You're still thinking suicide?
GILLIAN: I was but then I saw this from four weeks ago.
[GILLIAN switches to another video of MARKOV]
MARKOV [on video, excited]: Commencing scramjet simulation. Let her fly, boys! Kick the tires and light the fires! We have ignition. Oh, yeah!
GILLIAN: On all the tapes from before a month ago, Markov's mood is depressed. But on all the tapes in the
last few weeks, he's like this. He appears confident, relaxed, happy.
LOKER: Something changed for him.
[CUT to CAL and TORRES interviewing the boy from the group of students]
BOY: Go ahead, call my parents. I don't have to tell you anything, and there's nothing you can do about it.
CAL: Really?
BOY: My dad's a lawyer. I know my rights.
CAL: Well, you're telling the truth about that. Your dad probably is a lawyer. Though I don't think he's the kind that's
gonna help you out with a criminal case. I'm thinking . . . bankruptcy? Real estate? Tax law? [The BOY moves his arm slightly] Oh, there it is. Tax law.
BOY: You don't know anything.
TORRES: We know the FBI's going to charge this as a federal drug crime. Five year minimum unless we try to help you out.
CAL: Did you sell drugs to Danielle Stark?
BOY: Yeah, but I-I didn't kill her. I mean, I didn't even sell her any hard stuff. All she wanted was MPH.
TORRES: MPH? That's used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder.
CAL: Uh, how do you get high off that?
BOY: You don't. It helps you focus, cram for tests, pull all-nighters. Half the kids on honor roll are taking it.
TORRES: They're taking ADD drugs to help them study?
[A MAN interrupts, RILEY'S FATHER]
RILEY'S FATHER: Dr. Lightman? Can I have a word, please?
[CAL and TORRES leave the room]
RILEY'S FATHER: I'm afraid this is highly inappropriate.
CAL: Well, you're definitely afraid.
RILEY'S FATHER: No one wants to find the person who did this more than we do. The board has offered a sizeable reward for any information leading to an arrest.
TORRES: You've got kids here taking drugs to compete academically. Don't you think that may have had something to do with Danielle's death?
RILEY'S FATHER: No, I don't.
HEADMISTRESS: Of course not.
[The HEADMISTRESS caresses her hand for a moment]
CAL: You know, you're probably right. I think we're finished here. Thanks.
[TORRES follows CAL]
TORRES: Whoa, whoa. That's it? We're leaving?
CAL: Well, you can't get the right answers if you haven't got the right questions. Headmistress, definitely hiding something.
TORRES: I thought she didn't know about the drugs.
CAL: Yeah. Well, when you brought up academic competition, she started caressing her own hand.
TORRES: A self-comforting gesture. Trying to reassure yourself when you don't really believe what you're saying. That one's real.
CAL: Thanks for the tip.
[CUT to the HEADMISTRESS walking to her car outside the school. TORRES approaches]
HEADMISTRESS: Ms. Torres? I thought we were clear about your involvement.
TORRES: Oh, I'm not here to talk to any of your students. Uh, I came to congratulate you.
HEADMISTRESS: For what?
TORRES: Well, I was looking at your academic rankings for Strivers over the past decade. After you became headmistress three years ago, test scores shot up. Your national ranking went through the roof. I'm wondering how you pulled that off.
HEADMISTRESS: Well, it wasn't hard. All I did was give our students the proper motivation.
TORRES: What does that mean?
HEADMISTRESS: Well, I restricted the number of Ivy League recommendations to the top kids in each graduating class.
TORRES: So you've created a reward system that feeds into their fears. If they're not on track by the time they're 17, it's too late?
HEADMISTRESS: Well, we give our best students the best chance at success.
TORRES: Uh-huh. I need to see Danielle's academic records and transcripts for all of the honor roll students.
HEADMISTRESS: You don't really think this had anything to do with her murder?
TORRES: Why not? You do.
[CUT to the Lightman Group building where GILLIAN is interviewing MRS. MARKOV]
MRS. MARKOV: David would never endanger himself or anyone else in the space program. I used to tease him
that I was his second wife. His first love is NASA. Always has been.
GILLIAN: I know these are difficult questions, Mrs. Markov . . .
MRS. MARKOV: Hilary, please.
GILLIAN: Hilary. Have you noticed any changes in your husband's behavior?
MRS. MARKOV: What do you mean?
GILLIAN: Well, has his-his mood changed in the last few weeks?
MRS. MARKOV: Y--No. No, David's just David. I mean, he's been under a lot of pressure lately, but I . . . he's handled it just fine.
GILLIAN: What pressure?
MRS. MARKOV: Competition for the X-48 pilot slot was really intense. It was hard on our whole family, but we
got through it, and now things are great. We've never been better.
[GILLIAN enters an analysis room where LOKER is reviewing footage of the interview]
LOKER: Did you catch the false start?
GILLIAN [on video]: Well, has his-his mood changed in the last few weeks?
MRS. MARKOV [on video]: Y--No. No, David's just David.
LOKER: She started to say yes, but she said no.
GILLIAN: Yeah, and the slip of the tongue when she was talking about the pressure.
MRS. MARKOV [on video]: I mean, he's been under a lot of pressure lately, but I . . . he's handled it just fine.
LOKER: So, she's been handling it.
GILLIAN: But he hasn't. What's she hiding about him?
LOKER: Oh, sex, drugs or money. The holy trinity.
GILLIAN: Drugs could explain the change in demeanor.
LOKER: Aren't pilots drug-tested by NASA every couple of months?
GILLIAN: For illegal narcotics, but drug tests are exclusive. You have to choose what you want to screen for. Maybe he went on some kind of anti-anxiety medication a few weeks ago.
LOKER: And if he stopped taking it right before the test flight, withdrawal symptoms can include suicidal impulses.
GILLIAN: Exactly.
LOKER: I'll call NASA, have them run a new tox panel.
[CUT to EMILY organizing the messy room. CAL enters]
CAL: Oh, good job. You got a future as a housekeeper.
EMILY: Yeah. Not bad, right? And you've got stuff in here going back to the dark ages. Okay. I'm sorry I lied. I totally deserve the punishment.
CAL: Apology accepted. But can you remember this next time you decide to have a party behind my back?
EMILY: Oh, I'm not sorry about that. Just that I lied to you about it. You should check out my networker page. I had 200 new friend requests, all because of that party.
CAL: Hey, since when do you care about being so popular? I mean, you know the kind of trouble you can get into, a girl your age.
EMILY: Okay. Where is that coming from? Some case you're working on?
CAL: Oh, what do you care? What do you care about new friends if all they're looking for is a place to drink or to get high?
EMILY: Well, you're one to talk.
[EMILY grabs the photo she and LOKER had been discussing earlier]
EMILY: What do you . . . what do you call this?
CAL: Research.
EMILY: Oh, please!
CAL: Those are Berber nomads, completely cut off from Western civilization. I had to gain their trust.
EMILY: Come on. Talk about joining the tribe.
CAL: It's not the same thing at all, and you know it.
[TORRES enters]
TORRES: Hey. Uh, you were right about Judge Stark. Her alibi finally checked out. FBI found surveillance footage of the courthouse where they can make her out.
CAL: So she didn't kill her daughter then, eh?
TORRES: No, but there's something you should see. Danielle's academic transcripts.
CAL: I'll be right there.
CAL [to EMILY]: Conversation's not over.
[CAL leaves]
TORRES: Danielle's GPA was excellent. But her SAT scores were barely average. She took the test twice, scoring around the 65th percentile.
CAL: So?
TORRES: Well, she knew she wasn't going to make the top of her class, so she signed up to take the SAT a third time. Score just got posted this week.
CAL: Oh, 94th percentile? That's quite an improvement. I wonder what she did differently.
TORRES: I can tell you one thing. She got murdered the day before she took that test.
[CUT to a room where TORRES is looking through a stack if photos of I.D. cards]
TORRES: Why would someone else take the SAT for Danielle Stark the day after she was murdered?
CAL: D.C. Homicide kept the case quiet for 24 hours because of who the family is.
TORRES: I got it.
[TORRES shows CAL an I.D. card with Danielle's name but MS. FIFE'S picture]
TORRES: Woah. Danielle's name, but look at the photo. Look familiar?
[CUT to the library with MS. FIFE. They show her the photo]
MS. FIFE: I don't know what this is. It must be some kind of prank by one of my students.
TORRES: Danielle's I.D. wasn't stolen. I think she gave it to you.
MS. FIFE: Why would she do that?
TORRES: Well, so you could take the test for her.
MS. FIFE: I . . . I do not have to listen to this!
[MS. FIFE then slams her hand onto the table]
CAL: Whoo! Well, you might want to try that move again, love. Really. It was awful gestural timing.
DARDIS: What does that mean?
CAL: Well, she voiced outrage, and then she slammed her hand down. If she was truly outraged, it all would have happened at the same time.
TORRES: Look, we have the essay section of Danielle's test. If you took the test for her, we'll just match the handwriting to yours.
MS. FIFE: Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get by on a teacher's salary? How am I ever gonna pay off a
hundred grand in student loans?
CAL: Yeah, well, you've got a point there.
TORRES: That sounds like motive to me.
MS. FIFE: No, no. This is insane! I didn't know she was dead when I took the test. Why would I have taken it if I killed her?
DARDIS: Maybe she threatened to expose you, things got out of hand. So you decided to build yourself an alibi.
MS. FIFE: No. Nothing got out of hand. We just . . . we had an argument.
TORRES: About what?
MS. FIFE: Danielle contacted me through e-mail, but she didn't tell me what score she wanted on the test. I can hit any percentile I want. It avoids raising too much suspicion. But when I asked her, she looked at me like she didn't know what I was talking about. I mean, she hired me.
CAL: And where exactly were you when you had this argument?
[CUT to CAL and DARDIS in a hallway]
DARDIS: I'm ready to arrest the teacher.
CAL: I wouldn't do that if I were you.
DARDIS: She had opportunity and motive, and she admits to arguing with Danielle the day before the murder.
CAL: Yeah, but I saw no signs that she was lying, and typically, only an innocent person's gonna admit to an argument. A guilty person won't admit to anything that would seem incriminating.
DARDIS: You're saying it wasn't her?
CAL: Don't know, but I'd like to see how she reacted when she was confronted by her teacher. [pointing to a video camera in the hall] I want to see the tape from that video camera the day that she was confronted.
DARDIS: There's still no audio. You won't be able to hear what Danielle said.
CAL: I don't need to hear what she said. I just want to see her face.
[CUT to the Lightman Group building where EMILY is walking with a large box and trash bag]
GILLIAN: Emily, let me help you.
EMILY: Oh, yeah. Thanks, Gillian.
GILLIAN: You okay?
EMILY: Yeah. Just my dad being . . .
GILLIAN: Yeah, he can do that.
EMILY: He never lets me do anything fun.
GILLIAN: Oh, you mean like having a hundred friends over and getting pulled in by the cops?
EMILY: Uh, yeah. Yeah, like that.
GILLIAN: He knew something was going on when you called, you know.
EMILY: He did? Well, why didn't he say anything?
GILLIAN: If he said something every time you lied to him, oh, he knows he'd lose you.
[LOKER enters as EMILY leaves]
LOKER: Tox results are in. Buck rogers tested positive for a little drug we call Venlafaxine.
GILLIAN: For treating depression and anxiety. He was self-medicating and lying about it to NASA.
LOKER: Yeah, but the tox screen showed he was still taking the drug at the time of the crash. He didn't have a suicidal impulse from withdrawal.
GILLIAN: Well, then why did he crash the plane?
LOKER: The drug's side effects include time loss, disorientation, and dizziness. You add intense speed and g-force
from the new jet technology, you've got a very pricey pile of scrap metal.
[CUT to GILLIAN and LOKER speaking to MARKOV ]
MARKOV: I didn't take any medication. I've never even heard of . . . what's it called?
LOKER: Venlafaxine. The tox screen doesn't lie, Commander.
MARKOV: Well, maybe it's a mistake. I mean, labs have been known to make mistakes.
NASA MAN: Commander Markov, I'm turning your case over to the justice department, effective immediately.
MARKOV: I wasn't taking anything. You have to believe me.
GILLIAN [to NASA MAN]: Can I have a second? I think the Commander is telling the truth.
NASA MAN: The tox screen came back positive. What he's saying isn't true.
GILLIAN: You can say something that's untrue and still not be lying.
NASA MAN: How?
GILLIAN: If you don't know it's a lie.
[CUT to GILLIAN, LOKER and NASA MAN speaking to MARKOV and his wife]
MARKOV: I don't understand. You're saying that my wife was dosing me?
GILLIAN: Either she did it or you did.
MARKOV: Tell them, Hil. This is the craziest thing I've ever heard.
[MRS. MARKOV says nothing and MARKOV looks at her]
MARKOV: Hilary?
MRS. MARKOV: David, let me explain.
MARKOV: You did this? You drugged me?
MRS. MARKOV: I was trying to help you.
MARKOV: What did you do? Did you slip it in my coffee? I don't understand.
MRS. MARKOV: I researched all the drugs. Those side effects are incredibly rare. I didn't know they could make you crash.
MARKOV: I'm going to lose my job. We are going to lose everything.
MRS. MARKOV: We were already losing everything. You were so anxious all the time. I was scared. The kids were scared. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but think about it. How have you been feeling lately? About me. About the kids. How have you been feeling, David?
MARKOV: Better.
[CUT to TORRES, CAL and DARDIS watching video of MS. FIFE's confrontation with Danielle]
TORRES: Okay, there's the teacher. There's Danielle.
CAL: Can you zoom in on her face?
TORRES: No, you can't see her face. It's on her back when they start talking.
CAL: Try a trophy cabinet. [the video zooms in on Danielle's reflection] Oh, there she is. Can you blow up her eyebrows? And do that thing. Okay, what do you see?
TORRES: True surprise. Lasts less than one second, right?
CAL: She hasn't got a clue what her teacher is talking about.
TORRES: But if Danielle didn't hire Fife to cheat for her, then who did?
CAL: Someone who wanted her to succeed more than she did.
[CUT to CAL, TORRES and DARDIS speaking to MS. STARK]
MS. STARK: I did it for Danielle.
CAL: Well, why didn't you tell us?
MS. STARK: Well, what did that have to do with anything? I just wanted what was best for her.
TORRES: Best for her or for you?
MS. STARK: I knew that if she could just get into a good college she would shine, but she wasn't going to get in, not with her scores.
CAL: So, you hired the teacher?
MS. STARK: To tutor her. They worked together for weeks, but Danielle's second SAT was just as bad as the first. She was desperate.
CAL: No, you were desperate, right?
MS. STARK: I created an e-mail account in Danielle's name, and I contacted Ms. Fife again. I'd heard rumors that she had
done this for other students, and, well, Danielle didn't even have to know.
CAL: But she found out, right?
MS. STARK: She came home that night furious. I had never seen her so angry. She said that I didn't trust her.
CAL: Now, if Danielle threatened to expose the cheating, that would put her at risk.
MS. STARK [crying]: If I had contributed to her death in any way . . .
CAL: Do you know any of the other kids who were involved in this?
[MS. STARK shakes her head 'no']
CAL [to TORRES]: We need to get back to the student I.D.s, find out who else this teacher was cheating for.
[CUT to RILEY being questioned at the Lightman Group building]
RILEY: I've never cheated before in my life. I've always done my own work.
TORRES: So, what was Ms. Fife's photo doing in your student I.D.?
RILEY: I don't know! I swear!
TORRES: Your last SAT score went up 320 points. How do you explain that?
RILEY: I studied really hard.
[In another room, CAL, DARDIS and RILEY'S FATHER are watching the interrogation]
CAL: You know, your daughter is a really good liar.
RILEY'S FATHER: I don't know what you mean.
CAL: Well, studies show that the popular kids are the most facile. They adapt quickly to hide their true feelings. That's what makes them popular.
[CUT to interrogation room]
TORRES: Let's talk about Danielle's murder. Where were you that night?
RILEY: What? You can't be serious. Oh, my god! She was my best friend!
TORRES [on video]: Sure, she was. Right up until she threatened to expose the cheating scandal and ruin your college career.
RILEY [on video]: What kind of person do you think I am?
TORRES [on video]: You tell me.
RILEY [on video]: I would never hurt Danielle, not in a million years.
RILEY'S FATHER: That's enough, please. I can't do this.
DARDIS: Do you know what your daughter did, sir? Did she tell you?
RILEY'S FATHER: No.
DARDIS: You sure?
RILEY'S FATHER: She had nothing to do with this. It was me. I overheard Danielle arguing with Riley and threatening to expose her. I couldn't . . . I couldn't let her ruin my daughter's life. So, I followed her into the park and . . . I did it. I killed her.
DARDIS: You're under arrest for the murder of Danielle Stark.
[Two men escort RILEY'S FATHER out of the room]
CAL [quietly]: I just . . . there's one problem. I don't think he did it.
[CUT to CAL entering a room where RILEY'S FATHER is sitting]
CAL: Hey. How you doing?
RILEY'S FATHER: I've got, uh, I've got nothing more to say.
CAL: I'm not FBI. I told them to wait outside, so . . .
RILEY'S FATHER: Why? I told them what I did. I killed her.
CAL: Yeah. I just want to show you a few photographs.
[CAL places a photograph of a sad clown on the table]
CAL: What do you see?
RILEY'S FATHER: What is this?
CAL: It's the Stratton-Meyerhoff personality test. So, please, what do you see?
RILEY'S FATHER: It's a clown.
CAL: I know it's a clown. What emotion does he make you feel?
RILEY'S FATHER: What does this have to do with anything?
CAL: It's a simple question. It's a simple question. What do you see?
RILEY'S FATHER: Sadness. I guess.
CAL: Okay, well, that's good.
[CAL places a photograph of a happy puppy on the table]
CAL: And this one?
RILEY'S FATHER: Happiness, joy. I don't know.
[CAL places a picture of Danielle's body on the table]
CAL: And . . . this one?
RILEY'S FATHER [horrified]: What are you trying to do?
CAL: I'm trying to prove that you didn't kill Danielle Stark.
RILEY'S FATHER: But I told you that I did.
CAL: Now, Mr. Berenson, there is no Stratton-Meyerhoff test. I just made that up. I wanted to get an honest reaction to this photograph, and what I got was horror . . . and surprise. Now, the real killer, if confronted with his victim, would show disgust, contempt, even fear. But not surprise. Never surprise. Now, Mr. Berenson, I know you're trying to protect your daughter. You probably even think that you're doing the right thing by taking the blame for her. You can't protect her from this.
RILEY'S FATHER: I can't. I can't let my daughter go to prison. She didn't mean to kill her. She was just . . . just trying to stop . . . I wish she had never told me. I wish I didn't know.
[CUT to RILEY being led out of the building in handcuffs. She looks at her father and they are both crying. CAL looks over and sees EMILY walking by]
[CUT to CAL entering the once messy room, now clean]
CAL: You ready?
EMILY: I'll send you the bill. [CAL looks at EMILY] What?
CAL: Nothing. Good work.
EMILY: I know what you were saying before about girls my age.
CAL: Good.
EMILY: And considering, I guess you do a pretty good job of restraining yourself.
CAL: From what?
EMILY: From calling me a liar when you know I'm up to something.
CAL: Well, I'm sorry I always know.
EMILY [smiling]: You don't always know.
[EMILY leaves and CAL pauses, then closes the door]
Transcript typed by Amanda a.k.a. Sunpac
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