03x16 - One night

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Cold Case". Aired: September 2003 to May 2010.*
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03x16 - One night

Post by bunniefuu »

Mom! Where's my jacket?

Where'd you put it Stevie?

Quit calling me that.
I don't remember.

Check the hallway closet.

Damn!
- Watch the language mister.

Oh, mom.

Mom, you found my jacket.

You're the best mom in
the whole wide world.

Go, Scat, get out of here.
You're gonna be late.

Where's dad?

Ed, Stevie's going now!

Hold on a minute!
Don't go!

Can anyone in this house
just talk at a normal level?

Say "cheese."

Doesn't he look handsome, Ed?

Mom, don't get all weepy. Jeez.

Wear your seatbelt tonight.
It's pouring cats and dogs out there.

Better get out of here before mom decides
she's going to the prom with you.

Okay. Parental units,
I'm out of here.

Don't forget your keys.

The Caddy?

Are you serious, dad?

Could be making the biggest
mistake of my life.

- Thanks, dad.
- Have a great time, son.

Be careful.

Bye.

Bye.

Are you a detective?

Yeah.

Can I help you?

I have information on a m*rder.

The boy who d*ed.

His name was Steve Jablonski.

Jablonski.

Sounds familiar.

He was buried alive years ago.

Right.

That was horrible.

Yes, it was.

You got some information?

I buried him with this.

You think this guy's for real?

Depends on that shovel head.
Lab say how long it'll take?

A couple hours, maybe.
Job went cold day one.

Been going through Jablonski's box.

Pretty grim stuff.
Check this out.

Doer made the kid
write out his own will.

Sent it to Jablonski's parents.

"My name is Steve Jablonski."

"This is my last will and testament."

"Mom, don't worry, because
he promised it won't hurt."

"It'll just be like falling asleep."

"I'm sorry about the car, dad."
"Please don't let this get you down,"

"because I know one day
we'll meet in heaven."

Parents found it in their mailbox a few hours
after their son's body turned up.

That's tough.

Cops never went public with it.

And now the doer waltzes
in years later.

If he's the doer.

Go find out.

Cold out tonight.

Yeah.

I hate the rain.

So what's your name?

John Doe.

That's original.

- And you are?
- Detective Rush. Lilly Rush.

I want you to know
that I feel terrible...

about what happened to that boy.

So why'd you k*ll him?

Couldn't help it.
I'm sorry.

Such a nice kid,
so worried about his dad.

Too bad I was the one
who stopped to help.

Yeah. Too bad.

We spent a lot of time...

talking about dying.
About saying good-bye.

Good-bye?

People lose a loved one and they grieve.

When you're the one dying,
you lose everyone.

- Ever experience that?
- No.

- Can't say I have.
- Steve did.

It was a heartbreaking thing to watch.

Let me level with you, John.

You haven't told me anything
the public doesn't know already.

So why should I believe
that you did it?

You look at me
and you see a quiet, simple man.

So did he.

Didn't believe me...

when I told him he was gonna die.

Can I give you a lift somewhere?

Yeah, there's a gas station
down off route ?

Sure. Get in.

I'm Steve, by the way.

Dripping all over your car. Sorry.

Not a problem.

Call me John.

- Looks like you're headed to a formal.
- My prom.

So you must be what?
? , Steve?

, yeah.

Great age.

Guess that makes you almost legal, huh?

What?
You think I poisoned it?

Thanks.

To getting to the prom.

To getting to the prom.

That's the turn off for the gas station.

Excuse me? You just passed it.

I hate to tell you this, Steve,

but you're gonna die tonight.

That's funny.

How do you feel?

Knowing that.

Could you just turn around please?

I put something in your beer.

I had to.
I'm sorry I lied.

In a few moments,
you'll be unconscious.

It won't hurt.

I think we should go back.
My dad will be really mad about the car.

I knew you'd try that,
so I removed the door handle.

There's no point in trying to escape
or trying to scream.

No one can hear you for miles.

And then you k*lled him.

Detective Rush...

now I remember that name.
You were in the newspapers last year.

You caught that serial k*ller.

- You getting off on this?
- Pardon me?

Waltzing in here,
playing games, making crap up.

I'm telling the truth.

So tell me how Steve said good-bye.

Don't forget your umbrella
on the way out.

"I'm sorry about the car, dad."

"Please don't let this get you down"

"because I know, one day,

we'll meet in heaven."

That's how.

Something you gotta see.

- The lab results came in, Lil.
- Okay.

They found fresh dirt on the shovel.

You did it again.
Didn't you, John?

There is another boy.

Time ran out for Steve Jablonski,
but maybe not for this one.

This boy's still alive?

Steve lasted six hours in the ground.

Maybe he will, too.

He kills once, stops for years
and then kills again.

Right. But as far as we know,
this kid's still alive.

ME confirmed it took about six hours
before Jablonski ran out of air.

- We gotta hurry.
- So what's the game plan?

ID the missing kid. Probably ,
same age as his first victim.

Check missing persons reports.
Maybe get lucky.

What about this John Doe character?

Guy had got no ID, wallet,
nothing with his address on it.

- We ran his prints?
- No luck.

Jablonski's parents are on their way up.
Maybe they know him.

- In the meantime, we keep him talking?
- Right.

He only wants to talk about the job.

We find out why he did that m*rder,
maybe we save this boy.

So let's cut to the chase, John.

You tell me where this boy is and
I'll make sure the DA cuts you a deal.

I'm not interested in deals.
That's not why I'm here.

You're here about Jablonski.

Why not tell us about your other victims?

There are no others.
Just him.

And the boy out there now.

- So what's your real name?
- It isn't important.

You walk in here confessing to a m*rder,
but you don't want to tell us who you are?

What I'm wondering is why wait
years before you k*ll again?

I mean, you must have been, what?
In your late s with Jablonski?

Knowing who I am isn't going
to help you find him. I'm sorry.

Why'd you make him write his own will?

People should have the chance
to put their affairs in order.

To make sense of their lives.

- To say good-bye.
- Now, that's real standup.

- Anger is stage number two.
- Excuse me?

Like you, he got angry, too.

What happened?

You're gonna die tonight, remember?

The Caddy.

The Caddy. I can't just leave it there.
It's, like, his most prized possession.

Who?
Your father?

I got my grades up, and I spent
weekends working on the yard.

So he'd trust you with it.

You gotta turn around.

My dad, he'll think I messed up again.
It's not true.

Sounds like you've been
a disappointment to your father.

You gotta turn around!

Why are you doing this to me?

- To know what it's like to die.
- Why me?

You said anger was stage number two.

Stage two of what?

The five stages of dying.

The first is denial.

Then anger.

Then bargaining.

Depression and acceptance.
I'm familiar.

- I'm sorry.
- Keep your condolences, please.

Their final thoughts, feelings.

You'll never know what they were.

You wish you did, don't you?

Steve Jablonski's mother
and father got to.

So stage number three is bargaining, John.

You know what we want.
What about you?

- I want to meet them.
- Who?

Jablonski's parents.

Why?

To tell them I'm sorry.

I used to dream about this moment,

fantasize about it.

What I would do to you if we met.

But now I know that won't
ever bring my boy back, will it?

You left him alone.

In that place.

Steve chose that playground.

Do you want to know why?

Tell me, please.

When he was ten years old,
he told me that's where he,

he hit his first home run.

And that it was the only time
in his life that he knew.

Knew what?

That you were proud of him.

Tell me...

tell me what it was like
for him at the end.

Are you sure you want to know?

I need to know.

Are you sure?

You want money?

Is that it?
Is that what you want?

Because my family, they,
they've got money, lots of it.

They'll pay anything you want.
I swear they will.

Are you ready to put
your affairs in order?

My dad is a lawyer.
He will do anything to get me back.

Are you ready to say
your final good-bye?

Just tell me what you want.

I want you to think about how
to say good-bye in your will.

Your last will and testament.

If you let me go, I won't tell.
I swear to god, not a soul.

You can just drive off.
What do you say?

I'll do...

you know, that.

What, Steve?

It'll just blow your mind,
what I'll do, like, if you...

Just please don't hurt me.

Mom...

- I'll k*ll you!
- Lynne, Lynne!

- I didn't mean to upset you.
- I'll k*ll you.

I told you that because
your boy was lucky.

You should go. Please.

- Don't listen to him.
- Some people don't have a loving family

and a cozy home to say good-bye to,
but Steve did.

We held up our end.
Now it's your turn.

Where is he?

Some people just have
a locker to call home.

And a vent to keep them warm at night.

You talking about yourself, John?

Or him?

A locker to call home.

This boy's what?
Homeless? Runaway?

A vent keeping them warm at night.
Subway station?

Or a train station.

th street?

Guy's the invisible man.
No one's seen squat.

If this John Doe was even here.
Could be a wild goose chase.

Heating vents, lockers.
You got a better idea?

This guy could be jerking us around.

Better than doing nothing,
because we're running out of time.

Got less than four hours left.

Put me in a room alone with him,

minutes. I'll get John Doe talking.

Son of a bitch.

He led us right to it.

Last will and Testament

- That from our new kid?
- Found it taped to this locker.

All we got so far is his name,
Justin Bradley.

"This is my last will and testament.

"Everything in my locker goes
to you, Valentino."

"It's not much, but it's all
I got in the world."

"Remember the horses in the field?

Maybe we'll meet there one day."

- That's it.
- Who's Valentino?

Vera and Miller are asking around.

Horses in the field.

Could be, like, Jablonski's
meet-in-heaven thing?

Anything in the locker?

Uh, sneakers, sweatshirt, this box.

Why's he carrying this around?

Vera found the friend, Valentino.

Picked him up a few minutes ago,
right outside the station. - All right.

Me and Justin kick it
time to time. So what?

He work the train
station, too, Valentino?

You mean, is he hooking?
Take a guess, Chico.

When did you see him last?

Earlier tonight. I don't know.

Was he with this guy?

I ain't no snitch.
Ask him your own damn self.

Look, we think this guy
abducted your buddy.

We think he might k*ll him.

So, from where we're standing, Chico,
you got two options.

Talk or take a ride down
to the morgue in a few hours.

Cops...
You're full of more juice than Johns.

It's all the same to you,
I gotta make a living here.

"The horses in the field."
Does that mean anything to you?

- Who told you that?
- Your friend Justin in this.

See, this John you're working
so hard to protect?

He makes his victims write out
their own wills before he kills them.

- I saw that guy a few hours ago.
- Yeah. What else?

Justin was standing right there.

Talking about horses in the field.

Cheap bastards could turn up the heat
in their rides, know what I'm saying?

I'm jacking the next one
and riding off into the sunset.

Yeah, sure. Two-bit hooker like you,
Justin, you'll get real far.

If I take the back roads,
the cops will never catch me, boy.

That's right. Saw it in that movie,
Thelma and Louise.

Those white girls end up
flying off the cliff at the end.

Is that how you want to blaze out?

Whatever.
You're tripping.

At least I got a plan.

You gonna get out of here, is that it?

That's it.

And go where, mijo?

Right here is where you're at.
Don't you forget it.

There was this other place.

My mom brought me there once.
When I was a kid.

There were these horses in a field.

That's where I'm going.

You want to come?

What?

Forget it.

Don't be scamming my lighter, yo.
Give it back.

I don't want your
cheap-ass plastic light.

Ask me again.

- Grandpa's mine.
- Yeah.

- So I'll catch you later or whatever.
- Yeah. Whatever.

Rode off into the sunset.
That's all I know.

And this guy was in a green minivan.

- You sure about that?
- Yeah.

Got a look at his license plate, too.

W-E-J- something.
Like "wedgie." Whatever, right?

Is there anything else
you can tell us about Justin?

He was a runaway,
sick of foster homes.

- On his own since forever.
- He had you.

Truth is, I met Justin two weeks ago.

Barely knew the kid.

You a regular at the train station?

Hardly.

- Sure about that?
- Yeah, positive.

Because these two kids, you know...

wonderbread suburbs boy,
broke-ass nobody.

- There's nothing in common, right?
- Right.

Except...

they're both .

It's a hell of an age, .

It was raining
when you picked him up tonight.

- It was cold out?
- Yes, it was very cold.

But your car is warm.
It's dry.

Justin gets in, he's shivering.

Maybe he's grateful
for the warmth, maybe not,

all that matters is...

he's this close.

You can smell his skin,

his hair, his breath.

- Anything can happen.
- You're way off base.

- You like teenage boys.
- That's not why I picked him...

When he begged for his life,
what'd you make Justin do?

- That's not why I picked him!
- Then why pick -year-olds?

Because the little bastards
think they'll live forever!

But they won't.

No.

You make sure of that.

In the end, they give up, too.

Here.

This is the place.

Why do you want to die here?

Who cares?

You wanted me to pick a place,
so I did.

There has to be a reason.

There's no reason, okay?

What are you waiting for?
Do it already. k*ll me.

I have to know, why here?

Me and her.

We rode the horses in this field.

Before she got in her car accident.

I was ten.

My mom was all I had in the world.

And this place?


Was where I mattered to somebody once.

He's so alone right now.

Out there in the rain.

If only someone would find him.

Boss wants you.

We tracked down his registration
off the license plate Valentino gave us.

Who is he? - John Harding, age , divorced,
father of two, high school teacher.

Who would've thought?

Rush and Jeffries are talking
with his ex-wife.

I haven't talked to my ex-husband
in almost a decade.

I can't help you. I'm sorry.

What about your sons?

They were never close with him.

After the divorce,
he just stopped coming by.

Something else you want to share?

Not particularly.

How old are your sons?

Jack is ,
and Stan is almost . Why?

The boy that was k*lled
and the one out there tonight?

they're the same age.

We're running out of time, Mrs. Harding.

John called me this morning,
said the tremors had started.

- Tremors?
- He said his time was limited.

The tremors signaled the beginning
of the end for him.

What are you talking about?

He didn't tell you?

John has M.S. Multiple sclerosis.

My ex-husband is dying.

Multiple sclerosis.

Your muscles atrophy,
you go blind, weak.

It can take years until your mind's
trapped in a near-dead body.

That's why you bury them alive.

You want to see them die,
slowly, the way you're dying.

You may be right.

The five stages of death, you weren't
talking about your victims,

you were talking about yourself.

Diagnosed years ago,

the same year Steve Jablonski goes missing.

Then you go into remission,
think you got it b*at.

One day your hands are shaking...

and you know it b*at you.

I see you met my ex-wife.

You tell her about your M.S.
when you got married?

Didn't think so.

When did she find out?

When our first son was born.

Husband diagnosed with a terminal disease.

She'd be a monster if she
dumped you, so she stayed.

Made do.

Settled.

Must've been lonely, you dying,
seeing that pity in her eyes.

- She never pitied me.
- No.

She just pretended to still love you.

Takes something out of you, pretending.

You never get it back.

The years go by,
and one day you wake up, and...

you're both strangers.

And alone.

And that's why you picked Steve.
Because he was young,

on top of the world,
the way you once were.

And Justin...

he's who you are now.
Alone, afraid.

Do you ever wonder...

what it must be like...

alone in the ground,

no going back?

The final stage.

Finally...

having to accept...

remember...

the horses in the field?

Maybe we'll meet there someday.

Will you make sure that
Valentino gets it?

I will.

- You ready?
- No.

Not yet.

It's so cold.

I can't stop shaking.

It's gonna be okay.

Will it hurt?

After a while, it's just...

quiet, still.

Like falling asleep.

I want things to be...

still.

There are so many things
I should have done,

I should have said.

I should have asked
Valentino one more time.

Asked him what?

Do you want to come?

You ready, Justin?

If I see my mom in heaven,
do you think she'll remember me?

What is it?

The music.

Can you hear?

The horses in the field.

That was the music playing.

I remember that music.

I'm ready now.

I think, in the end...

he accepted.

Is that where Justin is?
In that field?

Tell us where.

It's too late for him.

For me.

There's a point you have to accept
like Justin did...

that it's over.

We know he buries them where they ask.

Someplace important to them.

For Steve, it was where
he hit his first home run.

For Justin, the field he rode
horses with his mom.

Same field where
he said music was playing.

Music, horses...
that's a weird combination.

Whatever Justin had in his locker
had to be important to him.

- Significant somehow.
- There's nothing here but junk.

Tickets like you'd find at a fairground.

So...

Horses, music, fair, tickets.

- Merry-go-round.
- How many are there in Philly?

I know a few.
Veronica makes me take her.

- You remember where?
- Uh,

Germantown, corner of Lombardy
and, uh, damn.

Fourth street.

- Need a unit at Lombardy and fourth right away.
- Oh, there's another one down near the docks.

The water.
Can't bury him there.

- What's the next one?
- There's fairgrounds, and counting.

- We got to narrow it down.
- How?

He's gone through all the stages
of dying except one.

He needs someone to be there
like he was there for Steve, for Justin.

That's why he came in tonight.

The last stage : Acceptance.

He needs to do one more thing
before he can accept.

It finally stopped.

The rain.

Did it?

You read about me in the papers.

You know I was almost sh*t.

Yes.

Almost d*ed.

But you didn't.

You k*lled him first.

That's why I hate the rain.

The quiet it brings.

Why?

Because that's what
it was like inside my head

right before I pulled the trigger.

They say you see the moments
of your life right before you die.

No.

Just one moment.

Like Steve did.

Justin.

And, after, I think
you're ready to say good-bye.

Why are you here, John?

I already told you.

In this room, people
tell me all sorts of things.

You can, too.

And I'll listen and not leave you,
like everyone else has left you.

- To die alone.
- Like those boys d*ed?

How you must hate them.

Steve, Justin.

So young.

Their lives just starting.

They get into cars with strangers
and believe they'll live forever.

- You think that's a crime?
- It is because they won't.

They should know that
and not be disappointed later.

Like you once were.

I've been dying for years.
I never believed.

Didn't you?

And I'd give anything to never
have walked into that attic.

Never looked down the barrel of his g*n.

So I could still believe
that I'd live forever.

Remember?

No.

It's the most beautiful thing
we'll ever do.

Believing that.

I don't remember.

I do.

Wintertime...

alone on the street...

learning to ride my bike.

It's almost dark.

I remember the wind in my face,

and closing my eyes,

and suddenly I'm flying.

You don't hate them because
they believe they'll live forever.

You hate them

because we once did, too.

Remember?

Swimming in the river...

my friends...

dared me to jump from the bridge.

It was a hundred foot fall.

Did you? Did you jump?

I was .

Immortal.

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

You believed when you jumped.

So did Steve.

And Justin.

If only for a moment.

You could have d*ed
jumping off that bridge.

But I lived.

Let him live, too.

♪ Lifehouse's "You And Me" ♪

♪ What day is it? ♪

♪ And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive ♪

♪ I can't keep up ♪

♪ and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time ♪

♪ Cause it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
with nothing to do ♪

♪ Nothing to lose
And it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
And I don't know why ♪

♪ I can't keep my eyes off of you ♪

♪ All of the things ♪

♪ that I want to say
just aren't coming out right ♪

♪ I'm tripping on words ♪

♪ You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here ♪

♪ Cause it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
with nothing to do ♪

♪ Nothing to prove
And it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
And I don't know why ♪

♪ I can't keep my eyes off of you ♪

♪ There's something about you now ♪

♪ I can't quite figure out ♪

♪ Everything she does is beautiful ♪

♪ Everything she does is right ♪

♪ Cause it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
with nothing to do ♪

♪ Nothing to lose
And it's you and me ♪

♪ and all of the people
And I don't know why ♪

♪ I can't keep my eyes off of you ♪
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