02x03 - The Mystery Of The Locked Box

[bunniefuu]

(SCREAMING)

(SOBBING)

Laura: Someone really wanted this poor guy dead.

Zac Romero, 22-year-old tech wonder kid.

Even I know who Zac Romero is. Was.

Internet millionaire, right?

Yeah. That is if you spelled million with a "B."

He was the founder of Folkalize, the nano tech company.

Billionaire before he turned 21.

He was a genius.

He was a kid.

You know this place reminds me of that movie Big.

The superhero themes, the games, the obligatory three-story climbing wall.

I don't see a phone.

You?

Nope! (SIGHS)

Which is very weird because kids these days are surgically tethered to their phones.

Gotta be somewhere, I'll have Max put a trace on it.

Looks like lividity puts your time of death around midnight. (SIGHS)

Multiple lacerations with what appears to be a nine-inch blade.

What do you make of these blood splatters?

I've never seen anything like it.

Well, we'll definitely do a full blood-stained patented analysis, but I do agree this is a suspiciously wide trajectory for cast-off.

Could it be a narcotic reaction, arms flailing during the att*ck?

Yeah, but look at all the lacerations.

I mean, how many arms did the k*ller have?

And how did he get out of here without leaving footprints?

Billy and Meredith are checking with security, the press will be swarming.

We better give Santiani a heads up.

All you.

I'll take the housekeeper.

Housekeeper: That's just the trash.

But it's empty. I took it out before I left last night.

Laura: Almost empty.

Popsicle stick, no wrapper.

Is this Zac's?

I don't know. There weren't any in the freezer yesterday.

The only food in the house when I left were the meals Zac's mother makes him.

Ah! All carefully labeled.

Still taking care of her son.

Where are the knives kept?

They are all here, but I never saw Zac use them. He didn't cook.

Is there anyone else that we should contact?

Dad, close friends, girlfriend?

He didn't have many people in his life.

Mother, his business partner.

He mostly stayed home, worked on his computer.

He calls this place his "fortress of soledad."

Fortress of solitude.

It's a Superman thing.

And once the photographers started bothering him, it got worse.

Some days he barely left his chair.

Everything was automated.

Lights, doors, thermostat.

Who was in the apartment yesterday?

Me, from 10:00 to 6:00.

No one else was here.

At least no one I saw.

(SIGHS) Well, someone was here.

(THEME SONG PLAYING)

According to our log, after the housekeeper left at 6:04 p.m., no one entered or exited the unit including Mr. Romero himself.

What about someone who wouldn't show up on the log?

A break-in? Impossible.

The Barrison is what they call a safe rise.

Our residents choose this building because of its security and privacy features.

Okay. Let's work backwards, the elevators?

Mr. Romero had three elevators.

All private, all steel-plated.

All require a thumb print scan in order to operate.

A lot better than my deadbolt.

Cameras?

Well, each elevator is equipped with two cameras.

Monitored live right here with digital backup, of course.

Uh, we're gonna need that backup.

Pulling them from the mainframe right now.

What about the stairs?

Titanium alloy keys, impossible to copy.

Now, each floor has a different key, but Zac was the only apartment on his floor, so only he could've gotten in through the stairs.

That is if he wanted to walk up the 27 flights.

And the street?

I see an entry here, here and there.

That's right. Front door, back door, fire door all monitored in real time with our security personnel and 20 HD-CVI cameras.

Absolutely tamperproof, the kind used by the UN.

Well, then we need to let the UN know they have a problem 'cause somebody waltzed in here last night with a big-ass Kn*fe and chopped someone up.

All right, Bose, bring it.

I know you have some technical over-my-head theory.

I got nothing.

Really?

Unless...

That's the nerd I love.

Meredith: They potentially utilized a microchip that could somehow spoof the meta data to the federated credential system.

It is a long sh*t, but it is viable.

Any idea what she is saying?

None.

Don't look at me.

But if smarty-pants here says it's viable, it's viable.

I'll run it by the tech guys at TARU.

Okay. This is an important one people.

Jake: We were just discussing...

What happened to Zac?

Is it true that he's dead?

Exactly which news organization are you with?

I'm not with a news organization.

Then goodbye!

All right, what do we got?

Tech wiz lived alone.

Left the house at 16, dropped out of college the next year despite an A plus average.

I may have skimmed his autobiography, twice.

He worked mostly from home, and he barely ever left his apartment.

So he ran a massive company, but he didn't go into the office?

That's suspicious.

His phone is missing, also suspicious.

We initiated a trace, but hasn't been turned on yet.

Any leads from the apartment?

Popsicle stick without a wrapper that magically appeared from an empty freezer, sent it to the lab, could have the k*ller's DNA.

It's a long sh*t, but it might be the only trace our k*ller left behind.

Unless he left a digital trace.

If we're gonna figure this out, we can't just look at why, but how.

Then let's.

Billy and Meredith, check out the workplace.

Jake, stay glued to Reynaldo.

And, Laura, notify next of kin.

What kind of mom lets her child move out at 16?

When Zac was nine, he made me a clock for Mother's Day.

I don't mean he painted one, he made me a working clock from spare parts.

He was that smart.

(CRYING) My sweet little boy.

I'm so sorry, Mrs. Romero.

Rosalie. (BREATHING HEAVILY)

I was never missus. Zac's dad left the minute he found out I was pregnant.

Raising a child on your own must've been very hard.

I tried my best, but I felt like I didn't have the skills to raise the kid I'd been given.

I wanted Zac to have a regular childhood, but he was never a regular kid.

By the time he was in the fourth grade, he already knew more than all his teachers.

He taught himself to code and disappeared into a world of zeroes and ones and I didn't know what to do.

When he begged to go full time to Columbia, I let him move out.

And he found people who spoke his language.

He started to flourish.

(WHISPERS) Oh, God, why did I let him go?

(SIGHS)

Hey.

You did what was best for your child, even though it was hard for you.

(SNIFFLING)

You must be a mom.

So you know you never stop worrying.

I saw your Tupperware.

Every Sunday at noon, I would drop off food.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

It was a good excuse to spend a little time with him and get him to look up from his computer.

Was that the last time you spoke with your son?

No, no. I talked to him two days ago.

I had forgotten to ask him what he wanted me to fix this week, and since he never answers the phone, I, uh... I made his business partner go over there and literally hand the phone to Zac.

As much as I dislike him, the one person who can get through to my son is Shane Allen.

Reporter: Mr. Allen, what's the future of Folkalize?

Shane: Zac Romero was a visionary.

In his honor and memory, Folkalize will continue Zac's wish to innovate and improve the world around us.

The tragedy of Zac's death will never overshadow the triumph...

Shane Allen would probably have the know-how to access the mainframe of the security company and use nano tech to splice the signal.

I was just about to mention that.

Our parents gave us logic problems at dinner.

Didn't solve it, no dessert.

My dessert was on my plate before I even sat down.

Mama's boy. (CHUCKLES)

Damn straight.

Thank you all so much.

NYPD.

So, where are we with the investigation?

We are right here asking you where you were last night?

At a club in Chelsea, Devara.

You have anyone that can vouch for you?

Plenty of people, why?

Because when Zac d*ed, you became the sole owner of a billion dollar company.

When Zac d*ed, I became the sole owner of a company with a very bleak future.

Zac is...

Was Folkalize.

And what did you contribute?

Experience.

In 2005, you were one of the biggest names in tech.

Zac idolized you, am I right?

You're a lot of things, including right.

Zac needed me to get his idea out of his head and into virtually every computer processor on the planet.

You hadn't had a big idea in over a decade.

You used him.

Used him? I helped him.

Zac was lost without me.

He would hyper-focus on one thing and ignore everyone and everything else.

He was constantly losing his keys, his wallet, phone.

You know where his phone is?

No, but it doesn't surprise me that it's missing.

I gave Zac structure, schedule, security protocol, cleaning personnel.

You set him up in a high-tech holding cell.

Was he working on something new, something you wanted to keep under wraps?

I moved Zac into that building because he found a crazy woman sleeping in his bathtub.

This crazy woman have a name?

Abby. Abby Pollard.

So, right address, no Pollard.

No, but there is an "A. Romero."

She was using Zac's last name?

She probably has De Clerambault syndrome, like the woman who thought she was married to Letterman.

So, Abby decides she's married to Zac.

He denies it. She decides to "end" the relationship permanently?

It's a theory. I don't know how likely it is.

(DOOR OPENING)

Whoa!

Drop that!

Put your hands behind your back.

Blade's at least nine inches.

Big enough to k*ll a billionaire.

Why am I here?

Take a seat, Ms. Pollard.

It's Romero. Can you please tell me what I'm doing here?

Let's see. You came at two police detectives with a Kn*fe.

Got lab results on that popsicle stick.

And?

For starters, it wasn't a popsicle, it was an ice cream bar.

And for enders, it wasn't the k*ller's, it was Zac's.

Don't punish with silence. I can't take it.

You're not punished. It just doesn't make sense.

The housekeeper emptied the trash at 6:00, after which the stick just happened to appear out of nowhere?

Maybe Zac had a wrapperless ice cream bar in the freezer that he saved for a rainy day.

That's not a thing.

Okay. So, if we figure out how the stick got into the apartment, maybe we'll figure out how the k*ller got in.

Good thinking.

So, where did the stick come from?

Exactly.

No, I'm actually asking where it came from? What store?

On it.

Billy: Do I need to remind you that you're not the victim here?

I don't appreciate being treated like a criminal.

Billy: Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you tried to s*ab me with a w*apon I'm guessing you used to k*ll Zac Romero.

You seriously think I would k*ll my own husband?

Yeah, about that.

We can't find any record of marriage between you two, only a restraining order that Zac filed against you.

No! That's a lie. Zac loved me.

Detective Soto, what are you doing?

Mrs. Romero just lost her husband!

Please show some respect!

I suggest you leave right now before I write you up.

My bad.

(SIGHS)

Mrs. Romero, I am so sorry.

I'm gonna make this as easy and painless as possible.

Thank you.

You've been through so much, but first I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you about the Kn*fe.

I didn't know they were police.

I just assumed that they were the same people who k*lled my husband, and they were going to k*ll me next.

How did you two meet?

He was on the cover of TIME.

Hmm.

I know it was just an article in a magazine, but he put in all these coded messages to me.

And he had such mastery over the internet.

Every time I would check my email, these ads would pop up and I'd get these messages about the things he wanted us to do.

Did you do those things together?

Well, he was so busy. (SNIFFS)

We barely had time to see each other.

But you did see each other.

Of course.

Just two nights ago, we had a late dinner together at the Congee Noodle House.

He likes the number 8 with duck sauce.

Abby, are you absolutely sure this was two nights ago?

The building security insists that Zac never left his apartment.

Well, he did. We met up at 10:06.

And stayed until?

10:47.

Normally, we take our time, but... (INHALES)

Zac got into an argument with a rude man.

They were shouting.

The man grabbed Zac's arm, but Zac shoved him away and left.

Abby, what can you tell me about the man who grabbed Zac?

He was a white man, probably 40 or 50, and he was wearing a baseball hat and a dark jacket, I think.

I'm sorry. I don't think Abby did it.

The woman was madly in love with him.

The woman is bonkers!

Oh, totally bonkers. But I don't think homicidal.

Really, Doctor?

So, if Kn*fe lady didn't k*ll Romero, who did?

Abby claims that Zac got into a fight with a man at the Congee Noodle House a few hours before he was k*lled.

We know from the security cameras that Zac didn't leave his apartment that night.

There's no way he could've been by any noodle house.

(SOFTLY) Can I reiterate the bonkers part?

Abby was precise about the time, the food he ordered.

We should at least follow up.

Bose, could Abby have gotten through Romero's uber security system?

She got through Justin Timberlake's.

Zac's is more high tech, but if she was really determined, who knows?

(SIGHS) Abby Pollard is our primary suspect.

We will book her for assaulting two officers, request a psych eval.

Diamond, you and Jake check in with Reynaldo about the Kn*fe.

And, Bose, you and Billy follow up on the Congee Noodle House lead.

That was my lead.

Not sure I'd call it a lead.

Your m*rder w*apon is razor sharp.

This w*apon is dull, like your typical kitchen Kn*fe.

Diamond, what did I tell you about bringing food into my lab?

I skipped dinner.

And breakfast.

Abby could have used another Kn*fe.

Actually, I am no longer sure it's a Kn*fe at all.

Some of the blood spatter was micronized, almost a fine mist.

I assumed it was because the victim exhaled blood into the air, but there was no trace of salivary amylase or other oral bacteria.

Then why did we find such tiny droplets?

No idea.

(SLURPING)

But I can tell you there is no way it was the result of Kn*fe cast-off.

Any remotely positive thing you'd like to share it with us?

We have not found one single foreign fiber or hair yet. Very unusual.

Laura: That's your positive?

So, we are searching for a perp who committed a blood bath of m*rder without a single hair, fiber, footprint or fingerprint?

Okay. We're looking for someone with no hair, no clothes, no fingers, no feet.

Or who can't be seen on camera.

And good luck finding the invisible man.

How do you not have any footage?

It's not hooked up to anything, too expensive.

Do you recognize this man?

Number 8, shrimp and glass noodles, extra duck sauce. He's a regular.

When's the last time he came in?

Uh, two nights ago, 10:00 maybe.

Really? This man came in two nights ago?

Was he sitting with this woman?

No, he was with a guy. That woman never came inside.

But you did see her.

I see her all the time.

Every time number 8 comes in, she sits there at the bus stop staring through the window at him. It's creepy.

In her mind, she was having dinner with him.

What can you tell us about the man he did have dinner with?

White guy in a baseball hat.

Can you be a little more specific?

He had number 13, extra spicy.

Tall, short, how old?

Hard to tell. 50.

In a jacket?

Maybe. Look, I remember orders more than the clothes.

Did he and the possibly jacketed man leave together?

No, number 8 walked out first.

Then number 13 paid cash and left.

Can I get back to my kitchen?

Thanks for your help.

So, maybe mystery man forced Zac into a car?

The jewelry store should have some exterior security cams that are actually plugged in.

Okay.

Billy: Ready?

Laura: Yeah.

Billy: So, Zac leaves the restaurant, turns left.

Now, wait for it.

Some dude in a jacket and a baseball hat turns left, too.

He could have followed Zac home, and snuck into his apartment the same mystery way Zac got in.

I like it. Well played, Soto.

Only problem is, Zac never enters the building's lobby, but he somehow ends up sliced and diced in his bedroom.

So, what happened after dinner?

Zac got dessert.

He's not you.

(MOCKS)

Hey, Max. Where are we on the ice cream?

Don't have a location, but it was a Happy Meadow Dairy Bar.

How did forensics...

Forensic forschmenzics.

I did a little research of my own.

(LAUGHING) Okay? I'm slightly gassy.

I heart you, Max.

Okay, now, is there a place between the Noodle House and Zac's apartment that sells Happy Meadow bars?

What about the bodega?

Right behind Zac's building.

(SIGHS)

I saw it on the news.

What a tragedy.

You ever see Zac here in the store?

Yeah. Nice kid.

He liked to hang out here to avoid the paparazzi around his lobby.

Are you kidding me?

$7 for a box of crackers?

Do you have a layaway program?

Where's your mac and cheese?

Which kind? Truffle or Gruyere?

The orange kind. The kind that 7-year-old human beings consume.

I am working here.

Did Zac come in two nights ago?

Around 11:00.

He bought an ice cream, then went to his apartment.

How do you know he went to his apartment?

You can't see that from in here, it's around the block.

I'm working, too.

I just figured.

Or you followed Zac home.

Hell no!

Then answer mac and cheese mom.

How do you know where he went?

Look, the poor kid would hide out in here yanking on his hoodie drawstrings.

I felt bad for him.

How bad?

(EXHALES)

Come with me.

We had a plumbing leak last year.

When they opened up the wall we discovered this.

Forgotten during a remodel sometime last century.

It leads to the basement of Zac's building.

Straight into the interior stairwell.

Who walks up 27 flights of stairs?

The kid with 22-year-old knees and a three-story climbing wall.

Touche.

No sign of any security cams.

The HD-CVI cameras cover all the perimeter access points.

You could magically appear inside the perimeter.

Through, say, a hidden door that's been sealed shut for 50 years.

Mmm-hmm.

Could someone have followed Zac in through this door?

No chance, I was closing up when Zac came in.

He was alone, locked up right behind him.

I'm assuming you have the security footage verifying all that.

Definitely. I'll get it.

Okay, now I really want to talk to the Noodle House mystery man find out who he is, and why he was fighting with Zac.

Agreed.

We'll ask the manager for the security footage for when Zac came in.

Maybe we'll be able to spot the mystery man.

Jake, we just did that.

The manager's getting the footage now.

Yeah. No, I was just going over all the possible scenarios in my head.

Hey. We need to catch this guy. Let's go.

Okay.

I just have to pay for the boys' breakfast and lunch with one of my kidneys.

You should be prepared.

It's possible he may have suffered some neurological damage.

So, we got a hit on Zac's phone.

57th and 3rd for about 30 seconds just after 2:00 p.m.

Patrol combed the area, but the signal was long gone.

Bet you someone just switched it on to get something off the phone and then switched it off right away so that we couldn't track him down.

Yeah. I got four television networks asking me for a case update.

Do we have anything worth bragging about?

The mystery man is still a mystery.

We thought that Zac's mom might know who he had dinner with, but she had no clue.

Of course she didn't.

She's a free-range parent, lets her kid move to Manhattan when he's 16.

Now, my son is 14 and, uh, he hasn't slept away for more than one night.

And he is okay with that?

You got to squeeze kids and I am a solo parent, so I gotta squeeze twice as hard.

Well, I'm divorced, too.

I squeeze.

Divorced, but not a solo parent.

You're lucky to have Jake.

Okay, good talk.

I have to go track down our mystery man.

You have an idea I take it.

Yeah, the memorial service.

The mystery man was close enough with Zac to have dinner with him.

Chances are he'll be there.

But if he is, how would you know? We haven't even seen him.

I know someone who has.

Abby: Thank you for coming. Zac would've been grateful.

No mingling.

It's for your own protection.

It's what Zac would have wanted.

Of course.

I do need to talk to someone about the flowers, though.

Zac would have wanted sunflowers.

Abby, we need your help to find Zac's k*ller.

If everyone could please take a seat.

We gather today to celebrate the life of an extraordinary young man.

Meredith: I'm in position.

Roger that.

Minister: We're going to hear from some of those who were closest to Zac.

And first, I'd like to introduce his good friend Jordan Pelham.

I'm Jordan.

Zac was my friend ever since I forged a note to get him out of PE in fourth grade. (CHUCKLES)

Check out Shane Allen. Texting at a damn wake.

Major douche points.

I'm gonna see what's so important it can't wait.

Jordan: At least we got out of PE. So, I guess it worked.

Oh, he just qualified for the Douche Olympics.

Scheduled a dinner date right after burying his friend, which appears to include a champagne toast.

Okay. As much as I would love to hear about Zac's playdates, I have to hard out at 4:30.

Can I go up there and say some things? Now?

Shane Allen is currently bumping the speaker.

Douche World Cup.

Neither of us could have...

Thank you, Jordan.

Thank you for those beautiful memories of Zac.

Shane Allen, Zac's business partner, would like to say a few words.

Zac was more than my best friend.

He was my brother.

Stop it!

Everyone just stop!

Zac was not your best friend.

He was your meal ticket. You exploited him.

I know you're upset...

So many of you took advantage of my son!

(CROWD GASPS)

Put your phones away or I will throw them off the roof.

Hey, Jake, baseball hat, back left. Show Abby.

That's him.

That's the one you saw arguing with Zac?

Stick with her. Right with her.

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

Possible suspect, blue baseball cap, east exit.

Roger that. NYPD. Don't move.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Get your hands off me.

We'd like to talk to you about Zac Romero.

You know him?

Of course. He's my son.

He's a good kid.

I'm proud to be his father.

Yeah, I'm sure you are.

What's your son's birthday?

Where'd he go to kindergarten?

What's his favorite movie?

You have no idea what it is to be a father.

You had no interest in your son until he became rich.

Is that a crime?

No, but it is a motive.

If Zac didn't have a will, and what 22-year-old does, then you might inherit half of his wealth giving you half a billion reasons to k*ll your son.

I didn't k*ll anybody.

What did you two fight about, David?

Hmm. All right.

Zac was working on this big idea.

A new way to deliver Wi-Fi service. He called it Hi-Fi.

And you finally asked him for a part of it?

He could afford it.

And he said no.

He said no one was gonna own Hi-Fi.

The idea is worth all this money and the kid's gonna give it away for free?

That's stupid, man, and I told him so.

You had a chance to salvage your relationship with your son and you blew it, and now you are going back to being alone and angry.

And rich apparently. (CHUCKLES)

You have an alibi for two nights ago? Around midnight?

(STUTTERING) I was at the Apple store on 5th Avenue.

I'm sure someone would recognize me.

Ask around.

Don't worry.

We will.

Oh, there's one caveat I forgot to mention.

A parent can't inherit his child's wealth if he didn't provide for him for the first 21 years of his life.

Now, I'm sure you can prove that you never missed a child support payment, right?

Shall I open with the good news, the bad news or the other bad news?

Good news.

Bad news.

Bad news une, no sign of Zac's phone at Dad's apartment.

Bad news deux, Dad was, in fact, at the Apple store until 1:00 a.m.

Enough bad news.

Well, the good news is that we can arrest Dad for shoplifting.

Security footage shows him stealing earbuds.

Maybe good news was a bit of an oversell now that I hear it out loud.

So, with that alibi, time of death rules out the dad as our k*ller.

Maybe Dad's not the k*ller, but that guy is a real bastard.

Barely knew his son.

First time he meets him, he asks him for a piece of his billion-dollar idea.

Wait a minute, back up.

Shane Allen said that Zac wasn't working on anything new.

Apparently, it was top secret.

Maybe Shane didn't know about it.

Well, given Shane's micromanagement of Zac's every move, I find that very, very hard to believe.

Then why would Shane lie?

Maybe because it had to do with why he k*lled his business partner.

Max, did you pull anything up on Hi-Fi?

Yep. Precious little.

It doesn't exist say for a few domain name registrations under different spellings.

All registered to Shane and filed at 2:14 today!

Classy.

Wait, that's just after we got the pop on Zac's cell phone.

I bet Shane has it.

So, Shane found out what he was working on, k*lled him and then stole his idea.

The question is why?

That partnership was incredibly lucrative for Shane.

Maybe because according to Zac's dad, Zac planned to give the technology away for free.

You know, we need to surveil Shane.

Meredith said he has a hot dinner date tonight, if his emojis can be trusted.

Maybe we let Meredith run with this.

She's the one who has the best handle on the technology aspects of this company.

Let her interrogate.

I'm not farming out the restaurant surveillance.

Mama needs to eat.

Small point, we don't know where.

Oh.

Hi. This is Kate from the car service.

I'm just calling to confirm Shane Allen's pickup is...

7:30, that's what we have.

And I also want to confirm the destination is...

(KEYBOARD CLACKING)

Oh, I'm so sorry. My computer is so slow.

Right! Raymi. Thank you.

You're one hell of a liar.

Thank you.

I learned from the best.

This is my new favorite restaurant and I haven't even tasted the food.

Shane Allen and his date, 12:00.

Oh, yes.

But it isn't a date.

How do you know that?

Because he is with Grace Cook.

She owns Full Global Networks, telecom giant, and they own... Well, everything.

And you know this how?

Because her company donated tablets at the boys' school, and their class project was to write her thank you notes.

That doesn't mean Shane and Grace are not on a date.

Nothing wrong with being attracted to a hot woman in your field.

I don't think Grace's wife would appreciate it.

Ah. Then, it's a business meeting.

Ah. Misto ceviche, please.

What are you doing?

Going deep cover.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

All right, something is going down.

Second cell phone.

What do you think? Selling Hi-Fi?

Possibly.

And Grace is in the business of providing Wi-Fi devices.

Is that a cape? Superman!

That is definitely Zac's cell phone.

Let's move in before they tamper with anything.

Okay, you move. He'll recognize me from the memorial and...

I'm still waiting on ceviche.

Excuse me. Hi.

I just want to know is that the Superman phone case?

My boys love Superman.

Excuse me!

May I?

What the hell are you doing?

Oh. The cape comes off.

That's great. Where did you get it?

I don't know. Back off, asshat.

Hey.

(GROANS)

You're under arrest, asshat.

You might wanna take that to go.

(GROANING)

You told us Zac wasn't working on anything new.

But the week he dies, you're busy registering his new billion-dollar idea.

Zac didn't invent Hi-Fi, we did.

But Zac didn't want to sell it.

That's true.

But once you k*lled him, you're free to cash in.

You're wrong. Zac was k*lled before he could finish Hi-Fi.

And I knew I couldn't finish it.

So when I realized that he had most of the code on his phone, I figured I could at least sell what I had.

But why would Grace Cook of all people buy global Wi-Fi?

It would make her company and its miles of fiber optic cables worthless.

Unless she bought it so it'd never see the light of day.

It's just business.

It wasn't just business to Zac.

He wanted to use Hi-Fi to change the world.

I already gave you my alibi. I didn't m*rder anybody.

So unless you have a reason to keep me here, I'm leaving.

Here's a reason.

You kept this phone from the police, impeding a m*rder investigation.

So now I get to introduce you to a different kind of bars on your cell.

What? Bad news?

We found a woman Shane hooked up with in the bathroom at Devara after midnight.

Couldn't perform, but his alibi, if nothing else, is firm.

Please tell me that you got something off the phone.

Zac, our billionaire genius, had 4315 unread emails.

Unread?

They're not unread anymore.

And in related news, I am in desperate need of Lasik.

He never responded to texts or listened to voicemails.

There must be something in there. I mean, anything pop out at all?

His clothes are ready for pick up from the dry cleaner and he missed his teeth cleaning in 2014.

Anything relevant?

Maybe.

The whole week up until Zac was m*rder*d he was getting voicemails from the same number, but each time the caller says nothing.

And this happened 12 times the day Zac was m*rder*d.

T-welve.

They're from an 877 number. It's probably a pay-as-you-go.

Okay, well, who would make an anonymous call and then stay on the line and say nothing?

Times 12.

Somebody who's super pissed.

Super pissed enough to k*ll?

Let me have a listen.

To the dead air? As you wish.

(SIGHS)

(COMPUTER BEEPS)

(BEEPING)

(INDISTINCT SOUND)

Wait. What's that? Go back.

(WHEEZING SOUND)

What is that?

Sounds like Darth Vader.

Could you isolate that sound?

Yes.

(BEEPING)

(WHEEZING)

Oh, my God! It's wheezing.

I know who it is.

No, you do not.

It's Zac's childhood friend from the memorial.

Jordan Pelham, 23.

One semester of community college, still lives with his parents, filed for unemployment two months ago.

No computer classes, no tech training, no history of working with surveillance cameras.

This does not add up.

I've downloaded Jordan's voicemails to Zac for the last three months.

In related news, we owe Debbie in AT&T Compliance a box of cronuts.

And for you, milady, login info for Jordan's credit card, courtesy of our good friends at Union Bank.

Okay. You stay on "why." I'm on "how."

Okay, Jordan. Talk to us.

(BEEPS)

Jordan: Zac, I called four times.

You're a master of the universe now?

So, I can't expect you to understand how pathetic my life is, but you could at least call.

I got fired.

Oh, wow.

And Keith and Derek are still making my life miserable, if you can believe it.

Please.

(BREATHING DEEPLY)

I'm afraid I am gonna do something stupid.

Zac never played any of these?

Oh. Wow.

Jordan: I tell you that I'm gonna k*ll myself...

(EXHALES)

and you don't even call me?

You really don't care if I live or die.

That's it.

That's the moment he gave up on living.

But instead of taking his own life, he took Zac's.

And that was the last voice-mail, after that it's just hangups.

Yes, I got it!

What?

Zac's security system was impenetrable, nobody could get through it.

And yet you just said "I've got it," but a skoch louder.

At the wake, Jordan said Zac and he used to play with the latest gadgets, right?

Right.

Well, according to Jordan's credit card statements two weeks ago, he bought this year's must-have gadget, which is...

If it's not related to Minecraft, I got nothing.

He bought a drone, right there.

$1600 for a first-generation Scorpion Drone.

No human being could enter Zac's apartment without being detected, but a drone could fly right in an open door.

That kid from Connecticut figured out how to jerry-rig a drone to sh**t someone, Jordan jerry-rigged a drone to slash someone.

Interesting theory, but the door was closed.

By the time they found the body, yes.

But Zac's housekeeper said the apartment is programmed to do things automatically.

Look at this. Smart home settings.

Coffee maker turns on, 9:00 a.m.

Bathroom floor warms up, 8:00 a.m.

Terrace door closes automatically, 2:00 a.m.

We ran it by Reynaldo who confirmed that the micronized blood splatter could have been produced by the spinning rotors of a drone.

We can't put this in front of a judge.

Why the hell not?

If we don't support this James Bond theory with the actual drone, then forget it.

We need the m*rder w*apon which he probably flew straight into the East River.

No, maybe not. He was broke and he paid extra for the first generation model.

This is a collector's item.

And he did say at the memorial that he has been collecting gadgets his entire life.

A Liz George from MSNBC is holding.

Bump the press conference to 5:00.

I better have something to say.

I'll drive.

I see him. It's something else.

What do you see?

It's a drone.

Let's do it.

Police. Open up!

Put it down! Slowly, slowly.

Put it down. Slowly. All right?

Remote's down!

Jake: Laura, stay back! The blades!

We're losing the drone.

(SHOUTS) Laura, no!

We need it intact.

Hey!

Ha!

Laura: Shortstop's still got it.

It was the third base.

Blades galore, dried blood.

This thing's a k*lling machine.

Jordan Pelham, you're under arrest for the m*rder of Zac Romero.

Let's go.

I didn't wanna do it.

He forgot about me.

So, you k*lled him, you twisted son of a bitch?

I hope we can all forget about you.

Rosalie: Detective Diamond.

I hope I'm not bothering you.

Not at all, Rosalie.

I couldn't stand not cooking for Zac this week.

Homemade lasagna.

That boy loved it.

I hope your boys do, too.

You really shouldn't have, but I'm so glad you did.

Thank you.

God, I loved to cook for him.

And I'm sure he loved it right back.

Meal from Mom, it's comfort food.

If I had the chance, I would tell him that being independent doesn't have to mean being alone.

He always said he was fine.

I just wish...

I wish I had made him open up to me more, you know.

I do.

Thanks to the efforts of our dedicated 2nd Precinct detectives, we have made an arrest in the m*rder of Zac Romero.

Jordan Pelham is in custody.

Did Santiani actually just compliment us?

Don't get used to it.

Used to it?

Pretty sure I just hallucinated it.

Why do I sense a lecture coming?

No lecture.

Look, I know that you say that you feel fine.

And I know that you like to handle things on your own, but you don't have to.

You do realize this is a lecture.

Jake, I'm worried about you.

Laura, I'm fine.

Yesterday, you forgot that an entire conversation had taken place.

I have a minor heart condition.

It's a result of the sh**ting.

Oh, my God. I knew it.

Why would you keep something like that from me?

A small thing. Really.

Atrial fibrillation.

That's a big word for something that's supposed to be so small.

It just means I need to take blood thinners, a pill a day.

How did you pass the department physical?

Because they didn't test me for it.

I knew something was wrong, so I went to a doctor buddy from college, off the books.

He said I'd be fine.

Jake!

Laura, NYPD hears heart condition, and they're gonna pull me off the streets.

I love being a detective. I don't wanna let that go.

I don't want to lose my partner and I'm not talking about work.

I wouldn't put myself back on the force if I was a danger to anybody, including myself or you.

Still, hiding it is breaking the rules.

Bending the rules, your specialty.

Can we keep this between the two of us?

I will be at the house first thing in the morning to get the kids off to school.

Okay, partner?

Okay, partner.