ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

INT. INTERVIEW ROOM A - NIGHT

Greg has already sat down as Jackie takes her seat. He's quiet, withdrawn, and on the verge of losing it. Jackie picks up a folder and skims it before tapping the record button.

JACKIE
Please state your name.

GREG
(shaky)
CSI Greg Sanders.

JACKIE
Are you okay, CSI Sanders?

He doesn't answer her, so she moves on.

JACKIE (CONT'D)
What was your relationship with Capri Martinez?

He starts to cry...

INT. CATHERINE'S OFFICE - NIGHT (RE-ENACTMENT)

Catherine sits in a chair in before Catherine's desk. Catherine is looking over papers.

CATHERINE
I think you should look closer at--

Greg bursts into the office, all smiles and giddy.

GREG
(excited)
Guess what?

CATHERINE
You're forty minutes late and you'd
better have a really good excuse?

GREG
I have an awesome excuse! The most
amazing excuse you could imagine!
The kind that makes you feel like
you own the world, the moon, hell,
the universe!

Catherine starts laughing through Greg's melodramatic speech. Langston smiles, silently observing. Greg stops talking.

CATHERINE
So? What is it?

GREG
I'm--

BACK TO SCENE

Jackie stares at him, then starts shuffling through her papers.

JACKIE
You and Capri were engaged? For how long?

Greg wipes his eyes before he answers.

INT. CATHERINE'S OFFICE - NIGHT (RE-ENACTMENT)

Greg falls into the chair next to Langston.

GREG
Oh... About ten hours, maybe, I
dunno. Time doesn't even seem to
exist today! Which is why I'm late,
cuz I'm gonna get married!

Greg laughs happily, oblivious to Langston and Catherine's shocked stares.

BACK TO SCENE

Jackie is frozen, staring at him.

JACKIE
You asked her to marry you
this morning. Before that you
two were dating?

Greg nods. She puts the folder back on the pile and moves on.

JACKIE
I show you clocked in at almost ten
and your shift started at nine.
Capri was killed sometime between
nine and midnight, when her friend
found her. That would have given
you time to kill Capri.

Greg looks up at Jackie.

GREG
Why the hell would I kill the woman
I love after she said yes to marriage?

JACKIE
Perhaps you didn't want her being a
dispatcher. After all, she was--

GREG
She was going to be dispatch's
receptionist! She wasn't going to
be a dispatcher! Why can't anyone
get that straight!?

Jackie doesn't answer. She gives Greg a moment to calm down.

JACKIE
How long were you two dating?

GREG
We started dating when I was in the hospital.

JACKIE
She almost got you killed and you
started dating her while you were
in the hospital?

GREG
Capri came every day for two weeks
to apologize even though I wouldn't
talk to her. I forgave her. I'd
always liked her, just never had the
nerve to ask her out. Then she
asked me and I said yes.

JACKIE
Did you know she turned to
prostitution after she was fired?

Greg nods.

GREG
I found out when I showed up at a
scene and she was a witness. We got
into a fight about it and I broke
up with her. I couldn't date
someone who cheated on me every
night for money; she said she
couldn't stay with someone who told
her how to live her life. We were
apart for eight months and then
three weeks ago she asked me out to
coffee and said she wasn't a prostitute
any more. She got a job in a fast
food place and went back to school.
Last Monday she told me that Gary
offered her the receptionist job
and she took it.

JACKIE
Trace found your hair and semen on
her. Can you explain that?

INT. CATHERINE'S OFFICE - NIGHT (RE-ENACTMENT)

Catherine clears his throat.

CATHERINE
And this explains your tardiness because...

Greg's turn to be surprised.

GREG
My girl just said yes to marrying
me. Why do you think I was late?

Catherine doesn't get it yet.

CATHERINE
I... Give me something here, Greg.

GREG
We were... Busy celebrating. Ya
know. Celebrating.

Catherine just stares.

GREG (CONT'D)
Just engaged. Celebrating in the bedroom.

Catherine still doesn't get it.

GREG (CONT'D)
This is like telling my mom I'm not
a virgin anymore.

Catherine laughs, suddenly understanding why he's late.

CATHERINE
OH! I get it! Got it. Okay, I'll
excuse it this time but let's not
be late often because you're
celebrating, okay?

GREG
Got it!

Greg hops up, gives them both thumbs up and walks out. In the hall he meets Hodges and gives him a huge hug, then prances away. Hodges is a little freaked, but accepts it.

Catherine laughs, shaking her head.

BACK TO SCENE

Jackie smiles. She understands the reason why his DNA was found on Capri.

JACKIE
Did you Capri was dyslexic?

GREG
Yes.

JACKIE
When did you learn about it?

GREG
When I was in the hospital. She
said she had tried to hide it to
keep her job.

JACKIE
I'm still not clear why you would
have been so forgiving after her mistake
nearly killed you and your supervisor.

GREG
Do you know how many times I've
heard criminals say 'things just
got out of hand'? I never believed
them before. But now... Now I get
it. Capri grew up on the streets
and this was her first, honest job.
She was trying to keep it so she
could keep her clean, legal, life.
But things just got out of hand and
before she knew it, she'd hurt
Catherine and me. How can you hate
someone who just didn't want to
spend another night sleeping on the
streets? If you can't forgive
someone like that, what does that
say about the person you are?

JACKIE
Thank you for your time, Greg.
You're free to go.

Greg slowly gets up and leaves.

MATCH CUT:

EXT. OBSERVATION ROOM

Catherine and Nick watch Greg leave.

CATHERINE
Her pimp was Holes. He's your
informant, so talk to him. See if
he's good for this.

Nick slowly looks at Catherine.

NICK
He never said anything about her to me.

She smiles at him.

CATHERINE
Would you have listened? I know how
much you really hated her.

NICK
She is responsible for four firemen
and a paramedic being dead. There
is no way she is as good as he
believes she is.

CATHERINE
She did not kill those firemen;
they knew where they were going.
Everyone heard that. And the paramedics
could have ended up in a shootout
there or somewhere else -- she can't
be held responsible for fate. I know
you want to make her out to be evil,
Nick, but she wasn't. Her only
fault was she wanted a better life,
and she wanted it to be with Greg.

Riley suddenly appears in the door, grinning.

RILEY
I gotta suspect, guys!

The two turn.

NICK
Who?

Riley holds out her folder to Catherine.

RILEY
Someone we never would have suspected.
Which of you wants to do the honors
and exonerate Greggo?

Catherine takes it and Nick leans over her arm. This is the last person they would have thought as a suspect in Capri's murder.

EXT. FARM DRIVE - DAY (RE-ENACTMENT)

SUPER: November 8, 9:17 AM

Catherine holds Greg's wrist as they walk down the drive toward the farmhouse. In the daylight, their severe condition is more obvious.

They have sunken eyes, several infected blisters, skin that is bright red, yellow, and black in a few spots. Greg has gone into shock and is responding by instinct.

They pass corrals with livestock. From hiding, six dogs appear, barking as the run at the two. Neither CSI respond to the canines. When they don't run or stop, the dogs stop barking, and surround and follow them.

At the house, the door opens and a tall, tan FARMER steps onto the porch. He shades his eyes and it takes him a few moments to realize the two are in trouble.

FARMER
Carla, get water!

The farmer leaps off the porch, running to the two. The man reaches for Catherine.

CATHERINE
Help Greg.

The farmer helps Greg onto the porch and into a chair. He eases him down.

EXT. FARMHOUSE PORCH - DAY (RE-ENACTMENT)

Catherine starts up the steps. The farmer returns and helps her into the other chair. Out of the door bursts his wife CARLA, carrying two sparkling glasses of water. She hands one to Catherine and then to Greg.

Catherine takes a long drink before she notices Greg isn't taking his. She sets her glass down and crouches in front of him, taking the glass. Catherine lifts it to his lips, helping him drink.

FARMER
How long have you two been out here?

CATHERINE
Four days, I think. We need a ride
back to Las Vegas. I have some
money. I can--

FARMER
You don't have to pay for it, but
it looks like you need an ambulance.
He looks bad.

Catherine looks at Greg.

CATHERINE
We do, but there's someone that has
to know what happened. Then we can go.

CARLA
I'll drive you in. Rest here. I'll
go get the car cooled off.

CATHERINE
Thank you.

FARMER
Maybe we should just call for that ambulance.

CARLA
No. I can--

Catherine looks up. The farmer is staring at her. Carla is staring at her hip. She forgot about her sidearm. Catherine takes her badge from her pocket, holding it out to the man.

CATHERINE
LVPD. We were out there because we
got lost and our vehicle broke
down. Please, just give us a ride
to Las Vegas.

The farmer looks the badge over, then hands it back with a nod. Carla runs off to get their vehicle. Catherine turns her attention back to Greg. She smiles up at him.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)
Stay with me, Greggo. We're almost home.

He barely nods, making her smile. He isn't as far gone as he looks.

INT. INTERVIEW ROOM A - NIGHT

EMT Casey Thompson watches Catherine and Brass walk in. Brass leans on the chair at the end of the table. Catherine sits in the chair across from Casey. She opens a file folder she's carrying and sorts through it. Casey nervously glances from detective to CSI.

CASEY
I was told Greg was engaged to
Capri. Is that true? Was he?

CATHERINE
We're not here to talk about Greg,
Casey. We subpoenaed your fingerprints
from your Life Shield records and
they matched the fingerprints found
on the tubing used to strangle Capri
Martinez. Can you--

CASEY
He was engaged to her, wasn't he?

CATHERINE
We're not talking about--

CASEY
Why would he get involved with her?
She led my partner and me right
into a shootout. My partner died
because of her. And then there were
those three firefighters trying to
find a place in a hail storm, and
drove right off an unfinished
overpass because of her directions.
She nearly got you and Greg killed
when you two were stranded in the
desert. Why would he want to marry her?

CATHERINE
Casey, we also found your thumbprint--

CASEY
And then dispatch rehires her?
They were going to put her back on
the radio! Dispatch didn't figure
out a year ago that she was a
danger to everyone?

CATHERINE
Did you kill her because you
thought she was a danger?

CASEY
Why would Greg ever get involved
with her? She's not even that
special. She's stupid and--

CATHERINE
Casey, did you kill Capri?

Casey stares at him.

CASEY
I was protecting lives.

CATHERINE
By killing Capri?

CASEY
She was going to get more people
killed. People would die because we
couldn't get to them in time. I
saved more lives by killing one.

Catherine closes the folder. Brass walks around, taking Casey's arm as he motions an officer in to arrest him.

CATHERINE
Utilitarianism doesn't clear you of
murder charges, CASEY
CASEY
I saved Greg. Doesn't that count
for something?

CATHERINE
You destroyed his dreams, Casey.
You did not save him.

The door bursts open. Greg comes in shooting. Six bullets pierce Casey's body, throwing him back. When Brass tries to stop him, he pushes him away with superhuman strength. He charges up on Casey, aiming right between his eyes.

CASEY
I was saving you!

With a hateful sneer, Greg puts a bullet between his eyes.

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - MOMENTS EARLIER

Greg opens his eyes. He hasn't acted on his vision. Not even love can make him a murderer. Nick waits with him offering silent support.

NICK
Can I ask... Why Capri?

GREG
She was beautiful right down to her
DNA. And fearless. And full of life.
She fit right in to the crazy Sanders
family and my family adored her. She
and my mom spoke almost every day,
sometimes for hours. She loved Capri
almost as much as I did. That was why.

Greg turns and sits on the floor. He buries his head in his hands with silent tears.

Nick sits down, shoulder to shoulder.

INT. APARTMENT 152 - KITCHEN - DAY (RE-ENACTMENT)

Capri is making breakfast. Behind her Greg walks into the doorway, leaning against the frame. He has his hands behind his back, watching her with a smile. She turns and lets out a surprised yip, then laughs, putting her hand on her stomach.

CAPRI
You scared me, baby!

GREG
Sorry. I love watching you... Move.

Capri walks up to him, sliding her hands around his waist.

CAPRI
Let me show you my moves.

Greg pushes his fingers into her hair, kissing her.

GREG
Do we have homework?

CAPRI
No.

She pulls back, beaming.

CAPRI (CONT'D)
I aced my reading test. Only five mistakes!

He's proud of her and kisses her nose.

GREG
That's my girl. Now about those movesssss...

She starts to unfasten his pants.

GREG (CONT'D)
I have a surprise in there.

CAPRI
Oh yeah? Big surprise?

GREG
Little.

CAPRI
He is not...

His grin grows when she pulls her hand back holding a ring box. She stares wide-eyed at it. Greg opens it, taking out a simple engagement ring.

GREG
Stop me if the answer's no.

Capri watches the ring slide down her finger in silence. Greg starts to get a little worried. Suddenly she pounces on him, knocking him to the floor and kissing him.

CAPRI
YES! YES! YES! I LOVE YOU!

GREG
Forever?

CAPRI
Forever.

The two lovers forget about breakfast.

FADE TO: WHITE

THE END