04x17 - What Happened to Courtney

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Chicago Fire". Aired: October 2012 to present.*
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Chicago Fire follows the lives of the firefighters and paramedics working for the Chicago Fire Department at the firehouse of Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61 and Battalion 25.
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04x17 - What Happened to Courtney

Post by bunniefuu »

Guys, meet the newest member of Truck 81, Stella Kidd.

I just split with my hubby and I'm really enjoying the solo life.

Hi. I'm Casey.

A little free advice.

You're in Chicago politics now.

There's no shallow end.

It's not what I signed up for.

You run a clean clean campaign, you get creamed.

Run a dirty one, well, you lose your soul.

Even more reason why the city needs you.

Mr. Becks.

Mr. Casey.

Are you here to concede?

Actually, I wanted to see your face the first time you realized you were gonna lose to me.

[dramatic music]

Squad 3, Ambulance 61: carbon monoxide investigation, 5708 Forsten Avenue.

♪♪


[engine turns over]

What do we got, Lieutenant?

Carbon monoxide alarm.

Security company called the owners to make sure they were okay.

Couldn't get an answer.

[siren wailing]

[indistinct radio chatter]

Fire department!

Anybody home?

Get us in there.

Strike.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[device pinging]

What are we dealing with?

[device pinging]

1700 ppm.

Okay, everybody, masks on.

Truck, get in there.

Otis, get the windows open.

Air this place out.

Herrmann, Kidd, first floor.

Dawson, upstairs with me.

Copy that.

[masks hissing]

Fire department! Call out!

[tense music]

♪♪


Fire department!

Anyone here?

♪♪

Fire department! Call out!

Otis, vent that.

All clear downstairs.

House is clear, Chief.


Copy.

Severide, you find the leak?

Not yet, Chief.

[device pinging]

Found it.

It's a multi-purpose chimney down in the basement.

Furnace is connected to the flue right here.

If this thing's all jammed up, the carbon monoxide will just come back down.

♪♪

[grunts]

♪♪

All right, everything's all intact in here.

[grunts]

Yeah, the blockage is probably higher up.

We'll get it from outside.

Yeah.

Hey, Casey, we're gonna need the aerial.

Chief, we're coming out.

I bet it's another pigeon.

[indistinct radio chatter]

Talk to me, Severide.

We're gonna need to call this one in.

Oh, man.

You guys ever see something like this?

Not personally, but one time 48, they... they found a dead body, years ago.

Turned out to be a burglar, or... an attempted burglar.

What do you think happened there?

You'll sleep better if you don't know.

[drill buzzing]

[tense music]

Oh, good Lord.

It's a child.

The wrapping's undone at the bottom.

Looks like a beach towel.

You see that there?

Yeah.

Where the wall's cleaner?

Uh-huh.

It looks the kid was stuck there for a while.

Body decomposed, shifted, fell down the flue.

Looks like the towel's holding the body together.

Won't much longer.

[groans]

[indistinct radio chatter]

Lieutenant. Stop right there, please.

Detective Bianca Holloway, Area South Homicide.

Who authorized the extraction?

Your forensics guy back there already took a bunch of photos.

I assure you, Detective, Lieutenant Severide would not break protocol unless he thought it was absolutely necessary.

Body was falling apart.

You just compromised my crime scene.

Help the lieutenant bag the victim in one piece then finish securing the scene.

Copy that.

I'm gonna need a statement from you.

Lieutenant.

I got it.

Excuse me.

All right.

Everyone, listen up!

After we eat, I want everyone to make sure your bottle is topped off at 4,500 psi.

If not, change it out.

Run the saws, top them off with fuel.

And after that, we're gonna do one hour of raising ground ladders.

So, it's what, a week until the alderman election?

[laughs softly]

Six days.

And if Casey's gonna b*at Becks in the polls, we need all hands on deck.

How much of a lead does Becks have?

He's up like 5%.

It's close.

You know what they call the guy who comes in second place?

Loser.

I can always count on you for a pep talk, Herrmann.

Hey, also, Herrmann, we're gonna throw an election party at Molly's.

No, we're not.

Of course we are.

What if I lose, and we're all sitting around there like a bunch of suckers?

Hey, you'll be sitting around like a sucker.

I'll be drinking and having fun.

You know what they call what you just did?

Anticipatory negativity.

And I don't roll with that.

You are gonna win and we are having a party.

Herrmann, get on it.

Who's gonna pay for it?

All right.

We'll work it out.

Mouch, can you keep me updated on the polling predictions?

The rest of you, there's 50,000 people in this ward.

Half of them don't even know when election day is.

Make sure they do.

Mm, telemarketing! Yes!

Cross that off my bucket list.

Kelly.

Detective Holloway called about getting your statement.

You need to write one up.

Alderman.

No, no, al-der-man.

Correct.

He's like a city council member, but with a stupid name.

Listen, you crooked, underhanded reptile, you got no honor, you know that?

My wife is the head of the PTA.

You're done.

Hey, Herrmann, are you nuts?

Dawson will skin you alive.

What, relax. It was a personal call.

I got problems with the Barney rental I got for Annabelle's birthday party.

Oh, that's so sweet. How old is she gonna be?

Eight.

You get what you get, and you don't get upset.

Now this jagoff is saying that he's double booked.

You know, I got a guy.

Yeah?

He's a musician, looking to make the switch to, you know, kid-friendly.

What kind of musician?

Like pop punk.

Like the kind of band your ex-husband is in?

Yeah.

Okay, listen.

Grant is trying to start over.

He just needs a chance to break in.

Why would you break up with the guy and then try to take care of him?

Be glad you don't know.

Herrmann, please.

Stella, I can't hire your broken-down ex for my only daughter's birthday.

He'll do it for free, as long as he gets to record it.

Deal.

Casey, you need to see this.

[clears throat]

Yes, hi.

I'm Jimmy Borelli, calling on behalf of Matthew Casey.

We have Alderman Colin Becks, who's up for reelection.

He's here answering your questions.

@MiltR3755 on Twitter wants to know, what's the difference between you and your opponent, Matthew Casey?

Oh, simple.

I gave up my law career to serve.

Lieutenant Casey plans to work full-time for the Chicago Fire Department, even if he's elected.

Aren't there other officials in Chicago pulling double duty in two city-funded positions?

Well, look, Illinois is one of three remaining states where dual mandates are still legal, but it's frowned upon, for good reason.

Matt Casey is essentially trying to pick the taxpayers' pockets twice.

[dark music]


Well, that ain't good.

♪♪

Hey, Casey.

What?

Chief's looking for you.

And... heads up, Chief Tiberg is with him.

The CFD won't tolerate a double-dipping firefighter in our ranks.

I understand, sir.

That's why I'll defer the alderman's salary if I'm elected to office.

Are you sure that's what you want to do?

Because that sort of thing you can't take back.

I'm not doing this for the money.

Especially if it means accepting it would jeopardize me being a firefighter.

So you plan to stay on active duty, even if you win?

Yes, sir.

As you know, most firefighters have other jobs on their off days.

I've run a successful construction business for ten years.

Lieutenant Casey has not missed a b*at since the campaign began, Chief.

No?

No.

I've reviewed 51's company journal.

How many shifts would you say that you switched or stepped out on since starting your campaign?

Too many.

But the campaign events are done with.

It's not gonna be a problem going forward.

I'm holding you to that.

Please do.

I'm working on it.

Owners of the house were up in Kenosha.

They just moved in five months ago.

M.E. thinks the Baby Doe's been there a few years.

Photos of the chimney's interior.

I wanted to see if there's anything that might catch your eye.

[sighs]

You got an I.D. on the body yet?

Clothes were stripped and we don't have any dental matches.

Besides the bones, everything looks normal.

Metal left over from burning scrap wood.

[dark music]

You see something?

♪♪

I think I know who this is.

Come on, Chief...

You remember Courtney Harris?

Yes, of course.

Well, I'm pretty damn sure it was her body that we found the chimney.

Who's Courtney Harris?

Little girl, wandered away from her parents' lake house in North Kenwood during a party.

Ended up drowning.

I have an uncle that lives nearby.

I know a ton of folks in the area.

We were off shift, but Chief, everyone here on Squad went out to help out in the search.

Squad lieutenant called it off on day three, figured the current had pushed the body out to deeper water.

Courtney's description included a Saint Nicholas pendant.

I remember because her mom told me.

That's it, Chief.

That's her necklace.

North Kenwood is over ten miles away from this morning's call.

Well, then, somebody transported the body, obviously.

I'm telling you, it's her.

That's why we never found her.

She wasn't in the lake.

Okay. I'll look into it.

[door opens, closes]

Kelly.

We're not sure of anything yet.

So how long has Grant been playing kids' music?

He hasn't.

But he wants to.

I mean, he never said that he wants to, but this is what he needs.

And what is he currently doing now?

He is living off me.

I... oh.

Yeah.

Oh... here he comes.

Jeez, okay.

You look... you're good, yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Hey, Grant.

So...

Kids' party?

New beginnings.

Remember, we talked about this?

I think it's gonna be great.

No, no, no, I'm not some glorified rent-a-clown with a guitar.

[sighs]

Okay, all right, all right.

Stella.

[playful music]

♪♪


I'll do it.

But under one condition.

What?

You give me another chance.

I said I'd do anything to get you back, right?

I said that.

If this party will prove that, then I'm gonna...

Okay, okay, just, just, just...

What?

All right. Just, just, just, just wait.

Stella Bella.

It's going to the best damn show those little bastards ever saw.

Extended three to five rungs above the roof line gives your extension ladder more stability, and it's, you know, easier to see in smoky conditions.

Hey, can you... ?

Mm-hmm.

That's right. Great, right there.

So, that's Amy Bell, from the "Sun-Times," so you can get the word out about the double-dipping thing.

Amy Bell.

Hi.

"Sun-Times." Great to meet you.

Matt Casey. Thanks for coming over.

Gabriela said you had some news regarding your campaign?

I wanted to announce I'll be deferring the alderman's salary if elected.

And what inspired that decision?

There's still families Alderman Becks hasn't helped out after the tornado.

They need it more than I do.

Is that one of the issues you'll be bringing up in the final debate?

The final debate was last week.

Alderman Becks' campaign told us one more debate was being set right before the election.

Um... this is the first I've heard of it.

Do you mind if we go inside to talk?

I'm freezing.

I do, actually.

This is my real job. We're running drills.

So, being an alderman isn't a real job to you?

[dark music]

Well, you know what he meant.

Okay.

I'll pop back around later, if that's okay.

Sure.

Yeah.

Thanks.

♪♪

Let's go.

Back at it.

♪♪

Hey, Lieutenant.

Squad 4 sent this incident report over for you.

Date says it's, like, six years old, though.

Thanks.

Courtney Harris.

This got anything to do with the Baby Doe we found?

Maybe.

Oh, yeah. I remember this case.

Yeah, from reading the newspaper.

But we were in the lake.

Well, excuse me for not being Squad-certified back then, Capp.

Let's go gas up.

Let's go.

I got a copy of Squad 4's report on Courtney Harris.

It mentions a fight on the docks.

It was between Courtney's dad and her uncle.

It may not be anything, but I figured you'd want to take a look at it.

I just got an update from the M.E.

She determined the cause of death.

Someone snapped Baby Doe's neck in half.

So what's next?

A lot of things.

And I've been trying to get a hold of Courtney Harris's parents, but no luck.

Their numbers have changed a few times apparently.

I can look into that.

Like I said, I know a lot of people in that area.

Yeah, if you could get me their numbers, that would be great.

We need to match their DNA against the Baby Doe's.

You don't need to keep calling her Baby Doe.

I'm telling you, this is Courtney Harris.

Time will tell.

How much time?

I've got it from here, Lieutenant.

That's Courtney Harris.

Hey, Grant emailed me.

He's super excited.

Yeah, he seems it.

Uh... he included his, uh... backstage rider.

What's that?

It's a list of requests.

Separate room to change, with a shower.

What...

Sparkling water, iced.

Six-pack of beer, iced.

Okay, well...

Aahp.

Three lemons.

Mm-hmm.

Pretzels, preferably Bavarian...

You know what, just don't even worry about any of that.

Just carve out a little space for him to perform, and he'll be there.

I guarantee it.

Well, Amy was right.

Some community group, Citizens of Neighborhood Development, put the debate together and they're claiming that one of their interns forgot to notify us.

When?

During next shift.

6:00 p.m.

We got to move it.

Local news coverage is already secured.

We move it, Becks spins it to make us look bad.

Hey, we got you covered here, Lieutenant.

Yeah, I appreciate that, but I gave Chief Tiberg my word.

This debate is your last sh*t to get voters back on your side.

You skip this, you're handing Becks the win.

So be it.

Matt, it's one shift.

No, it's way more than that.

When everyone here talked me into running for alderman, I was told it was a side job.

"It's one meeting a month." Do we remember this?

I've done the cocktail parties, I've gotten the message out.

I had to prevent myself from kicking Becks' teeth in when he dragged me and my mom's name through the mud.

I...

If that's not enough at this point, then it's a wrap.

I'm a firefighter first.

I'm not ducking out on another shift.

[dark music]
I don't know why he's just flushing it down the drain.

At least he's got a job.

He's so close and he's worked so hard and he's the right man to be alderman.

Who is ready for a sh*t?

Yeah.

Yeah.

[pop music playing]

Is that bubblegum-flavored vodka?

Yeah, I don't drink straight vodka.

I think it tastes like nail polish remover.

I said the same thing the first time I saw it.

It's not bad.

Fine, pour it.

Ladies, to Al Gore, who also finished second in his election, but went on to grow a really nice beard and alert us all to the dangers of climate change.

To Al Gore.

To Al Gore.

♪ ♪

Mmm.

Told you.

So, how did Grant's band break up?

Okay, so Grant's drummer got caught sleeping with the bass player's fiancé.

And... I sound just like Grant.

Wow.

They didn't make it.

Like 99% of all the other bands.

You think he'll ever change?

He doesn't have to change. He just has to grow up.

I did.

Do you still love him?

♪ ♪

[sighs]

He's got to show me something first.

♪ ♪

If he does, who knows?

♪ ♪

[dog barks in distance]

Emma Harris?

I'm not sure if you remember me.

Lieutenant Severide, of course I do.

Come in, it's freezing out here.

So, what brings you all the way out here?

A friend of mine has been trying to... to get a hold of you guys.

She left a few messages for your husband.

I... I just wanted to make sure that you got them.

I haven't talked to Eli in five years.

He moved back to Michigan after the divorce.

Who's your friend?

Here you go. Give her a call.

Detective... is this about Courtney?

I'm not 100% positive.

Oh, my God, it is, isn't it?

Is there an update? Did they find her?

They're just looking for some information.

Kelly, the weekend Courtney disappeared, it poured the whole time.

I said I wasn't leaving the docks until we found her.

You drove your car down so I'd have some place dry to sit.

I've never forgotten that.

Please, tell me what's going on with my little girl.

[dramatic music]

Yeah, I know where his office is, Connie.

Detective Holloway says she got a phone call from Courtney Harris's mother.

She said you stopped by for a visit, told her we found a body that might be her daughter's.

You said you'd get me her number.

I know.

I went there, I gave her yours, but she knew something was up.

I told her it was only a possibility and not to get her hopes up.

There are protocols, Kelly.

I know you don't like them, but they're there to protect people like Courtney's mother.

I know. I screwed up, okay, but... at least we got the ball rolling here a little bit.

By filling her with false hope?

We don't even have a DNA match yet.

There's your DNA. That's Emma's.

To test Courtney's body.

Great.

And your name will be added to the Detective Supplementary Report to confirm the chain of custody of the brush, since your DNA may have contaminated the sample.

Fine.

And Emma said that she's available anytime you want her to come down.

For anything.

If you're wrong about this, are you gonna be the one who goes to Emma's house to tell her it was someone else's kid?

Absolutely.

Wow.

Kelly.

Listen to her.

Yes, Chief.

The Harrises used to live a couple streets over from my uncle.

They used to go to his barbecue every summer.

The last time I saw Courtney, I was helping her dad at the grill while she and my little cousin played in the backyard.

They used to have this... this really nice house on the corner.

They were always planting flowers or taking care of the lawn.

After the search got called off, they stopped.

My uncle...

[somber music]

♪♪


He did his best to... to try and help with the upkeep.

But it was... it was like the life got sucked out of the place.

The flowers d*ed, the grass turned brown, and by the time they sold it, the whole yard was just weeds and dead leaves.

That's what I was thinking when I went to see Emma.

Hey, turn it up, Mouch.

Can you comment on Matthew Casey not attending tonight's debate?

Once again, Matthew Casey's actions illustrate his lackadaisical attitude toward this office.

If he can't show up for a debate, how can we count on him to show up when his community needs him?


[alarm blaring]

Truck 81, Ambulance 61: victim down, trapped, 7003 Victoria Boulevard.

[siren wailing]

[suspenseful music]

Please... help.

Yeah.

Tomas, he's stuck underneath.

Lieutenant Casey, Amy Bell from the "Sun-Times."

Why aren't you planning to be at the...

Not now.

♪♪

The car fell off the lift. We couldn't stop it.

Tomas was working underneath.

Okay.

[man grunting and panting]

♪♪

Tomas.

He can't speak English.

Spanish?

Yeah.

Dawson.

Tomas. [Speaking Spanish]

Okay?

[speaking Spanish]

The car is crushing his diaphragm.

He's breathing, but if his rib cage fractures...

Kidd, grab the airbags.

Herrmann, Otis, find something to stabilize this car.

Dawson, keep him talking.

Tomas? [Speaking Spanish]

Truck 81 to main, requesting Squad assistance to shore up a vehicle.

Sending Squad 2, currently en route.

[speaking Spanish]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Aah!

Shocks are going.

Main, ETA on that Squad company?

Squad 2 is five minutes out.

Airbags, good to go.

Everybody, back up.

I'm going to pull him out once we inflate.

Up on blue.

Up on red.

[panting]

Whoa.

[groaning] Come on.

Matt!

[dramatic music]

♪♪


We're good!

[grunting]

[screaming]

All right, all right.

[groaning]

Hang on, sir, stay still.

[speaking Spanish]

[speaking Spanish]

Let me see.

Looks superficial. You okay?

Yeah, I'm good.

Okay.

Up on three.

Ready? One, two, three.

[grunting]

♪♪

Hey.

Nice save, Lieutenant.

Boom.

Oh.

[laughter]

Hey, Lieutenant.

I saw your call went sideways.

Saw?

Must have been Amy.

At least she got my good side.

There are no bad sides. [Laughs]

Can you find your way to Chief Boden's office, Lieutenant?

Yeah, I can, thank you, Connie.

So... you were right.

Body belongs to Courtney Harris.

Have you spoken to Courtney's mother recently?

You told me to back off. I did.

Emma was supposed to come by over an hour ago, but she backed out last minute.

Wouldn't say why and she wouldn't answer my calls.

I went by her house and knocked, and she wouldn't answer the door.

She trusts you.

If you could go talk to her, maybe tell her she can trust me?

Grant, where the hell are you?

Would you please just call me or text me back?

[party music playing]

Hey, does Grant know that in order to play music at Annabelle's birthday party, he actually has to be here?

Yes, yes.

I think he just got stuck in traffic.

Just give me a few more minutes.

I... I'm gonna text him right now.

♪ ♪

I... I'll just...

It's... I'm...

Any luck?

I have called him ten times.

Stella, I think that means he's not coming.

♪ ♪

Okay, okay.

I need a pen and a big piece of paper.

Okay.

Okay, gather around, boys and girls!

Molly's Junior happy hour is now open!

Whoo! Here we go.

Whoo!

Okay.

Who wants a root beer float, huh?

[children clamoring]

Oh, all right. Okay.

Okay, so what is this?

Molly's Junior.

Some root beer floats.

There we go.

I guess it's better than nothing.

Okay.

Here you go, kids.

Because you wouldn't let me go down to the boats.

Stop trying to make me the bad guy.

Courtney was my family too.

You're too emotional to think straight.

You're being ridiculous.

The whole conspiracy with this is absurd.

I'm trying to protect you.

You're being paranoid.

[dog barking in distance]

Hey.

Hey, I just stopped by to see how you are doing.

Thank God you're here.

Can you talk some sense into my brother?

[dark music]

I don't know if you remember my brother, David.

Yeah, I do.

♪♪

I just talked to Detective Holloway and she said that you're not returning her calls.

Everything okay?

She's not talking to the cops.

You ever seen "Making a m*rder*r"?

David, I want to know what happened to Courtney.

I know you do. But you can't talk to them.

You know what they'll say?

They'll say you went crazy 'cause Eli was stepping out behind your back.

They'll know that he didn't want to have kids.

They'll say that you snapped Courtney's neck because you couldn't handle being a mother, and then what?

Look at all those parents whose kids disappeared.

They spend years in court trying to clear their name.

How did you know Courtney's neck was snapped?

Well, you told me.

No, I didn't.

This is the first I've heard of it.

Well, I heard it somewhere.

David, what's going on?

You need to go.

This is a family matter, and I need to talk to my sister.

Emma, do you want me to leave?

No.

I said get out.

Emma, go to the kitchen, call Detective Holloway.

♪♪

I'm warning you, get out.

I'm not going anywhere.

♪♪

[dramatic music]


[grunting]

[groans]

[both grunting]

[screams]

No! Stop.

Please.

Stop! Please!

[both panting]

[indistinct radio chatter]

[somber music]


Go home and clean up.

I'll get your statement later.

Thanks.

Hey...

Courtney's Saint Nicholas pendant.

You still need that?

[door closes]

Thank you.

[crying]

I mean, why can't we vote online yet?

You know, they do in Canada.

Some parts, anyway.

They do a lot of strange things in some parts of Canada.

[bar music playing]

Mm.

It's Tamara. Turn it up.

And in local news, a candidate in the 52nd aldermanic race was unable to attend a final debate with his political rival.

His supporters say he was too busy saving lives.

Here's a clip from earlier today.

Unlike Alderman Becks, Matt Casey prioritizes people over politics.

The way I see it, we can either elect another politician or vote for someone who gives a damn.

[all cheering]

All right, well, that's the scene down here.

Of course, we'll have to see what happens after the polls close.


It ain't over till it's over, baby.

♪ ♪

[sighs]

[guitar tuning]

[guitar strumming]

[laughs softly]

[guitar playing continues]

Hey...

Baby, please, don't mess with my bass line.

[scoffs]

[mumbling] Man...

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

I'm done.

What?

No.

Why?

You blew off the birthday party.

That was today?

No, that's not today. That's tomorrow.

It's tomorrow, I swear to God, I wrote it down here somewhere.

I wrote it down, it's tomorrow...

I went to bat for you, Grant!

I went to bat for you!

With people that I like, people that I don't want to disappoint.

Today is a big day.

All right, if you just... just listen to me, Stella.

And...

I started jamming, all right, to come up with some songs for the birthday party, and the songs, baby, I'm telling you, these songs, they're real songs, just pouring out of me.

I called Declan.

Mm-hmm.

I played him all the songs. He flipped.

We're getting the band back together.

[tense music]

You go and you knock 'em dead, Grant.

No. No.

Not now. Not...

Please, not like this. Why...

Hey, when did the polls close?

Hey. An hour ago.

Okay, so I know a guy counting ballots in your ward.

He said you were looking pretty good.

Oh, my gosh, this is nuts.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

And I don't care if that's negative anticipation, or whatever it's called.

Hey, you didn't have to do that.

Come on, you're my guy.

Hi.

This is so exciting.

We're just drinking beer right now, that's all we're doing.

Yeah.

[phone ringing]

Answer it!

Okay, okay.

Hello?

[bar music playing]

Wow, well, it's been a hell of a ride.

Yeah, thanks for the call.

[laughs]

I won.

[cheers and applause]

What, you won?

Yeah!

Yes!

[cheers and applause]

Congratulations.

I've never kissed an alderman before.

All: Casey! Casey! Casey! Casey! Casey!

[cheering]

Yeah!

I knew it, I knew it.

God, Baby, I'm so proud of you.

Thanks so much for believing in me.

[exhales]

Now what?
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