Previously on Elementary:
I lied when I said I hadn't seen the captain.
Neither of us will be permitted to consult
for the department again.
Your father called. He's gonna be here tomorrow.
You've made a mess, Sherlock. I'm here to fix it.
Oh, what a shame. History repeats itself, I'm afraid.
- We're out of Tienchi flower. - This happens to you often?
It happened rather famously on your only visit to Baker Street.
Don't you recall excoriating me for not stocking your tea?
It won't happen today.
I gave up Tienchi in 2003.
Despite our infrequent correspondence,
I haven't forgotten the core of our relationship.
- I can spare you the speech. - To be a great detective,
- one had to be a listener. - I listened closely for years.
You were too busy to have patience for weakness,
real or imagined, and that hasn't changed.
I don't need reminding that a relapse is grounds for eviction.
- I told you. I'm here to help. - That's what you do, help?
I help you, Sherlock.
We have different definitions of that word.
Several years ago, who forced you into rehab?
Who paired you with Miss Watson?
Who set you on the path from which you have fallen?
Tell me, father, how are you to help this time?
Give your assent and I will see you restored
to the employ of the New York Police Department.
- Why would you do that? - When you had your troubles
in London, I lost faith in you.
I provided for you in New York because I wanted you
out of sight and mind.
Little did I know that the untended corner of the garden
would grow so strong and healthy.
Yes, I'm quite robust. Seven whole days sober.
I'm not talking about the last few days.
I'm talking about the last few years.
I respect what you've built, the work you've done.
I'm proud of you. Didn't think I would be.
In the early days, Miss Watson and I communicated via e-mail.
She described the support system you were building.
How your job at the department was an important part of it.
You have structure, friends. Without it, you'll struggle.
I have Watson, I have a program.
The department does not have monopoly on investigative work.
Perhaps I'm wrong to worry.
You know how often I'm wrong.
I don't know how long I'll be in New York,
but the offer is a standing one.
Quite simple for me to reverse your status with the police,
if that's what you and Miss Watson want.
- Well, I can't speak for her. - Of course not.
I'm hoping you will introduce us so I can
extend the same offer myself.
And I want to thank her.
She saved my son's life.
Taxes should be raised on the rich.
A, agree.
B, disagree.
Hey, Dr. Sarkisian, I need a break.
The minimum wage should be raised.
A, agree. B, disagree.
I don't wanna screw up, but I can't take it. Give me a minute.
Terrorists do not deserve due process.
A, agree.
B, disagree.
Both legal and illegal immigration should be curbed.
- Hello? - A, agree.
- Are you guys in there? - B, disagree.
Oh, my God. Oh, my.
Ripped & Corrected By mstoll
Hey. Have you been sitting there since last night?
Last night, I came home. You were thinking. I went to bed.
You're dressed for work.
You seem slow today. Not great timing.
We're due at the scene of a triple homicide.
- What? - We have a job interview.
Audition might be a better way of putting it.
- With whom? - Gary Burke. He's FBI.
I met him while you were working for Ml6.
He's buttoned-up, but the kind of guy we can get along with.
If he's in charge of triple homicide investigations.
I don't know how routine it is but he caught one this morning.
Three dead in a lab in Harlem. Top-secret research was stolen.
I convinced him he could use our expertise in neuro-economics.
Are you an expert in neuro-economics?
I mean, compared to an FBI agent, apparently.
We can bone up on the way.
He's the only one who called. Do you wanna work or not?
- Joan. Nice to see you again. - You too.
You must be Mr. Holmes. Special Agent Gary Burke.
- Thank you for the invitation. - About that, a few ground rules.
I know you guys are used to having some latitude.
But on this, you go where I go and that's it. Got it?
We got two dead scientists, one dead test subject
and seven hard drives stolen.
Janitors found the bodies early this morning.
Will we be right in assuming one of the stolen computers
- had surveillance video? - You would.
The contents of the other six are the reason
this is a matter to the FBI and not the N.Y.P. D?
Yes. But I'll let our DARPA buddies explain the rest.
They just arrived too.
- Morning. - Samuel Meher, deputy director.
This is Alta Von See, our head of Special Projects.
The director had to brief Congressional oversight.
- About this? - We fund hundreds of projects.
These researchers were onto something special.
This is more than a tragedy for their families.
The work that was taken, it's big.
I assume you're at liberty to use more precise descriptors.
How much do you know about neuro-economics?
- We're experts. - Well, I'm not, so go slow.
Dr. Sarkisian and Weller were mapping the loci in the brain
that light up when emotional responses are triggered
- when opinions change. - They were using the data
to perfect an algorithm, like a personalized search.
The program curates the news the user reads online.
- Curates? - The program learns
the stories you respond to and gives you what you want,
as a delivery system for favorable narratives.
It renders users' opinions more fluid.
They're perfecting the art of brainwashing.
That's not how we put it. It's a weapon of soft power.
Sarkisian and Weller hadn't presented the results.
They weren't out of beta. But we had high hopes.
Dr. Gail Sarkisian.
Figure she was killed first. She's closest to the door.
Shots fired from extremely close range.
Dr. Frank Weller was next. Shooter double-tapped him too.
Smooth, like a pro.
Test subject was a grad student volunteer, Ollie Tate.
No signs of a struggle. Must've happened quickly.
Like I said, we're looking at a pro.
Mr. Holmes?
This rat is quite recently dead. No visible signs of injury.
There was commotion last night. Maybe a tiny rat heart attack.
You jest, but rats are prone to cardiovascular disease.
How do you think the killer got inside?
I think Dr. Sarkisian let him in. Perhaps she knew him.
On the way in, he passed through doors
which required the key card for access.
Dr. Sarkisian's is not hanging on the lanyard
around her neck as is Dr. Weller's.
So,
she was shot after walking the killer inside.
Hmm.
It doesn't look like she kept much personal stuff here.
If we want to get to know her, talk to her family and friends.
- Go to her home, poke around. - We've already got a team there.
Should we meet them there?
I've gotta finish up here, stay in my lane.
If you two wanna take off now, that's fine.
Take off, as in go home?
We want to be as helpful as we can, Gary.
Our schedule's pretty open right now.
If we need a hand with anything we find at Dr. Sarkisian's,
we'll send it to you. Good enough?
While it's convenient to investigate
from the comfort of one's home,
I do find the FBI's team approach a little off-putting.
We're a team.
I'm confused as to how much help we can be,
attached to Agent Burke's hip.
A murder investigation is not a three-legged race.
Well, we prove ourselves on this one,
maybe they give us more leeway on the next one.
We could return to the N.Y.P.D. Where our colleagues
- already know our worth. - What are you talking about?
I met with father yesterday.
He's offered to resurrect our consultancy with the department.
Wait. You saw your father?
He came here while you were running errands.
- Are you okay? - Do I seem otherwise?
Well, you haven't seen him in, what, five years? More?
Look, I think it's nice that he wants to help,
but we can't go back. It's not possible.
Neither was war in the Falklands, but he gets what he wants.
- I can't tell if you're serious. - How much do you know father?
We've rarely broached the terms of your initial employment.
I dealt with people under him, he's some sort of consultant.
It is true, I'm not the first consultant in the family.
But the title is where the similarities end.
Father's business exists to grease the skids
so politicians, corporations, can operate around the globe.
Sometimes, noble ventures. More often, they are not.
But they happen, because father is an influence peddler.
And if he says he can restore us, he means it.
- What did you say? - I did not.
- Not sure it's worth the cost. - What cost?
One we would incur by accepting his offer.
- Did he ask us to do something? - No. It's only a matter of time.
With him, there is always a cost.
The toll always comes due.
Anyway, it's not my decision to make.
It's ours.
Well, he's your father.
But as you said, we are a team.
You deserve a chance to meet the man,
find out if Morland's someone you want to be indebted to.
I find the Chinese characters suspicious. Don't you?
Not their national fiber, the marking on this note.
- It means beautiful. - I am aware.
The indentations on the card reveal it was used in a bouquet.
"August 20th, a day I will never forget. XO, DZ."
DZ sent three more bouquets with similar notes.
Dr. Sarkisian's social media accounts are peppered
with risqué communiqués from a DiplomatDan.
Now, as luck would have it, there is a Dan Zheng
who works as a staffer at China's U.N. Mission.
So DZ, Dan Zheng, DiplomatDan, they're one and the same?
I think SpyDan might be a more accurate moniker.
Perhaps even KillerDan.
He wouldn't be the first to travel with diplomatic immunity.
Zheng's immunity would not extend to murder,
but he could make sense as a triggerman.
He's been pitching woo at Dr. Sarkisian for months,
- so she may have let him in. - Okay. But what about a motive?
Spies don't have motives. They have orders.
China's motive. PRC government controls Internet access.
What would they want with Sarkisian's research?
Those with power are often the people who want more.
No doubt the Communist Party has a track record of propaganda,
and then Weller and Sarkisian come along and perfect the art.
Did China kill to acquire it?
- Sorry to keep you waiting. - That's quite all right.
While waiting, we entertained ourselves by watching
our betters as they processed Mr. Zheng's apartment.
Well, it's like I told you. Consultants need a chaperone.
We are the FBI. We're big on the rules. What do we got?
You've seen it all, except the peach in the fridge.
Rent was paid six months in advance.
Hard to say when this guy ghosted.
We saw some of your agents there talking to his neighbors.
Nobody has seen him in a month. Sound like everyone hated him.
You guys missed this.
It looks like an old noise complaint.
We're on the hunt for the least competent spy
China's employed since the Ming Dynasty.
He's ahead of us so far.
This apartment is a stone's throw from Times Square,
the noisiest part of the noisiest city in the world.
Mr. Zheng still managed to rile his neighbors.
He's that bad blending in. He'll leave a trail a mile wide.
Yeah, well, we don't need a trail.
We just need a ping.
Not a blip, not a bleep.
Stolen computers are at least a mile away.
- That tells us if they're close? - It's a phone tower simulator.
It sucks up every signal in a 10-block radius.
When DARPA funds classified research,
the grant recipients have to use DARPA computers.
So the laptops that were stolen,
they all have a small, battery-powered 4G router,
and it would ping if this unit was close enough.
Listen, you guys, we gotta talk.
I'm impressed with how quickly you dug this guy up.
His disappearing act is pretty suspicious.
This is probably gonna be the end of the line on this one,
- at least for you guys. - You know we can help.
I've seen cases less sensitive than this
get whisked out of my hands by D.C.
My bosses will do everything in their power to keep a lid on this.
They won't want to tip Zheng, so he runs,
and they won't want to start a slap fight with China.
This is gonna be sorted out quietly, at a very high level.
- No, you're wrong. - Excuse me?
This isn't gonna be handled by D.C., it's not gonna be quiet.
It's gonna be loud.
As calls intensify for accountability from DARPA,
officials won't say if the Chinese government
will respond tonight or tomorrow.
No additional information is available at this time.
Good news. I'm not the leak, either.
Not a bracing interrogation, but technique was adequate. You?
Sorry about the third degree, you get why it had to be done.
- New people, new leak. - There's reason to be panicked.
Not sure if the media is more exercised about the program
or the fact it was insufficiently guarded.
D.C.'s more concerned with how this affects the manhunt.
If Zheng wasn't on the run before, he is now.
I wanna thank you both for all your help.
We just got cleared. You're gonna cut us loose now?
I'm sorry. We're in crisis mode. We're circling the wagons.
You'd reconsider if I tell you where you'll find Dan Zheng?
- What do you mean? - My theory's in larval stage.
Its development is hampered by a lack of access.
Only so much can be gleaned by glimpsing through a crack.
Give us a moment in that room, then tell us whether we belong.
As you can see, there's a silver lining to the leak.
Eleven million New Yorkers became deputies in your search.
One tip was legitimate. Zheng's near World Trade Center.
We have a team at the World Trade Center?
No pings yet but we got 25 people canvassing.
I suggest a more promising place to trawl for your quarry.
I'm sure that satchel Mr. Zheng is carrying
is a drummer's bag. It's meant for skins and sticks.
There were strange indentations in the carpet in his apartment.
In light of the noise complaint Watson found, that bag,
- they're made by a drum kit. - So what?
So that noise complaint was over a year old.
The kit's gone but he still has some of his gear.
He's been playing somewhere else.
There are seven different agencies hunting this guy.
And you think he was on his way to practice his drumming?
There's a station with access to the train at Columbus Circle,
home to the Bernstein Music Conservatory,
and the densest concentration of rehearsal spaces.
I could think of worse places to lie low.
Let's pull a team together. It's worth a shot.
Did we earn our place?
For now.
Tell your father we're not gonna make it to his office.
Last time I missed a meeting, it took a year to get back.
- So you should go. - On my own?
My absence might be good. I tend to be a distraction
when I'm around father. I look forward to your thoughts.
- Mr. Holmes? - Miss Watson is here.
Miss Watson. At long last.
I assume Sherlock won't be joining us?
- Work intrudes. You understand. - Just as well.
I wanted a chance to get to know you myself. Please.
I wish my business brought me to New York more often.
Yes, this is a nice office to never use.
I gather my son told you a bit about me, his opinions,
his colorful renderings of our past.
- You don't get along. - If you think that Sherlock
is the only one who considers me an enemy, you'd be wrong.
- He doesn't consider you enemy. - An antagonist, then?
No. I think he just thinks you're a terrible father.
I assume he explained my offer?
He said that you could get the N.Y.P.D. To take us back.
He made it sound like you could just wave a wand or something.
I wouldn't wave a wand. I would pick up a phone.
- And what do you want in return? - Nothing.
You find that hard to believe?
Hard to believe charity brought you to a place like this.
Charity didn't. Solving problems did.
Mm.
Is that what Sherlock and I are? Problems?
Heroin is a problem, Joan.
You know that better than most.
When I hired you to tend to my son,
I had no idea I was teeing up a partnership.
Nor did I see the benefits of working with American police.
But it happened, it worked.
I want it to work again.
We got a bounce on the computers on the corner of this block.
I want Marshall and Barrios to take the even floors.
O'Neill, Singer, take the odds. Get any pushback,
anybody wants a warrant, hit me on the radio, we line it up.
No shortcuts, okay? Let's go.
I'm feeling a bit vestigial at the moment.
- I'll be in the coffee shop. - Okay.
Yeah, it's Burke. Yeah, they're on their way in.
Yeah, I'll let you know. I will, yeah.
You forgot to assign...
If he has a summons, make it clear he's not here about...
Where'd you get that?
One day, you're going to have to explain to your agents
whether B is odd or even. B as in basement.
Others were too far down in the dumpsters.
I'm sure you've got people for that.
- It was in the trash? - I assume Mr. Zheng
put it there after he copied the research,
And wiped surveillance footage of the murders.
Yeah, it's Burke.
You're kidding me.
On my way.
Dan Zheng just turned himself in.
He says he's innocent.
It is beyond dispute. My client could not have authored
the tragic events in Harlem.
He was at the symphony here in Manhattan when they occurred.
Yet your news media has turned him into an international pariah.
No one has made claim Mr. Zheng pulled the trigger himself.
Fact remains his relationship to one of the decedents.
He could've induced Sarkisian to work with an accomplice.
Please forgive the interruption.
- We can't control the press. - No, of course.
It is a free country, as you are all so fond of saying.
And yet my client falls under suspicion
for having once dated an unmarried woman.
Ask how computers were found on the same block
as a rehearsal space rented in his name?
Every person in this hemisphere knew Mr. Zheng was your suspect.
The culprit clearly dumped the CPUs in your path to frame him.
And by extension, our country. You have nothing.
- Hey. What are you doing? - Working.
- In my office? - Technically, it's my father's.
Did he sweeten the offer today and throw in the brownstone?
- What did you think? - I don't know. In some ways,
he was what I was picturing, in some ways he wasn't.
- Explain. - No horns, for one thing.
No pitchfork. And seemed sincere about what he wanted for you.
- The most confounding part. - I'm still thinking it over.
But I didn't get the impression we need to rush into decisions.
Nor should we. Not at such a critical moment in our case.
- We got benched. What is this? - Well, that depends.
On?
How you feel about being made an accessory after the fact.
When I found stolen computers, I had a moment alone,
so I sent myself copies of Dr. Sarkisian's data,
correspondence, notes, et cetera.
- That is extremely illegal. - But entirely prudent.
Who knows how long it's gonna take FBI to draw inferences
and realize China is owed an apology?
What are you talking about?
Are you able to detect a difference between these two?
No. It's been a while since my neurology rotation. Should I?
Another test of your ability to compare and contrast.
Are they the same or different?
- They're identical. - Yes, except in one key respect.
The dates at which they were administered.
They are before and after surveys from the experiments.
They were beta-testing their algorithm.
Volunteers were put through brainwashing protocols
and none of them worked at all.
This guy was especially resistant to propaganda?
They all were. Hundreds signed up to be guinea pigs.
DARPA's algorithm, meant to change hearts and minds,
couldn't nudge anyone from supporting to opposing
even the most milquetoast of policies.
- Retiring the penny, for example. - That's pretty bad propaganda.
Dr. Sarkisian admitted as much herself.
She wrote an e-mail to her partner,
stated her intent to withdraw a proposal for further funding.
And Weller concurred.
"Our current understanding is simply not sufficient
to design a system by which those processes
can be effectively manipulated."
If Dan Zheng is to be believed, and at this point he is,
his last assignation with Gail Sarkisian
was the same day this e-mail was sent.
She told him her program was a dud and he lost interest?
He learned what he'd been sent to learn and reported back,
they had nothing to gain and nothing to fear
from an American propaganda program.
- The Chinese didn't do it. - Worse than that, Watson.
I think three people died for nothing.
- We have to tell the FBI. - Tell them what?
That I stole some top-secret research,
or that we have eliminated one billion Chinese suspects
in favor of one neo-reactionary monarchist?
I wouldn't phrase it exactly like that, no.
But Maurice Antonov has two really good motives.
One of which we're adequately prepared to present.
So why not just go with that?
The guy divorced Gail Sarkisian six months ago.
Ex-husband hates ex-wife, kills her, kills the witnesses.
Stealing the computers may have been to throw everyone off.
I'd rather not present a theory of the crime I do not believe.
- Simple stories sell. - Reading too much propaganda.
I do not wish to bamboozle the FBI into pursuing Mr. Antonov.
I want to question him myself. And if he fits,
present a complete thesis of his true motive.
This is a man who blogs as Henry IX.
Advocates for the restoration of a Tudor-style monarchy
- in the 21st century. - Yeah.
Well, being a kook doesn't make him less likely to be a killer.
My point is that if Antonov did do it,
it might not be because he grew to hate his ex-wife,
but because he was still in love with her work.
Sarkisian's earliest experiments were designed to push subjects
towards fascist beliefs about the failings of democracy,
a protocol Antonov suggested.
I submit that he hoped his wife's software
could sell his ideas to the masses.
We don't know if he still thought that was possible
or if he knew the algorithm was a failure.
Precisely. It should be a simple enough question to ask the man.
Congratulations. Didn't realize I had dropped enough clues
for anybody to find me.
You are the first follower to uncover my identity.
Why are you anonymous, Mr. Antonov?
Won't it be more difficult to hasten the demise
of the American imperium from behind a pseudonym?
Let's be clear. I never suggested that I become king.
Only that someone should.
An opinion that is not socially acceptable at the moment.
One day. Heh, heh.
How are you in high spirits with modernity, progressivism
eroding the natural order?
Do you have some fresh reason for optimism?
Of course. The two of you.
The truth draws talented people like moths to a flame.
More every day. Acolytes.
Is that what you'd call us?
You're kindred spirits. I mean, I'm sure you know your Plato.
"There will be no end to the troubles of humanity
until philosophers become kings."
Actually, we're not acolytes. We're detectives.
I'm with Churchill, I'm afraid. Democracy is the worst form
of government except for all the others.
We're wondering where you were three nights ago at 9 p.m.
This is about what happened in Gail's lab.
There's evidence that suggests you wanted to use her algorithm
to push your ideas online.
I was here.
I was hosting a seminar on Thomas Carlyle.
It started at 7 and ended at 10.
There are over a dozen witnesses who will vouch for me.
You know something, Mr. Antonov.
And why would I help a tool of a bloated and dying empire?
Because you don't wish to be doxed as a public servant?
What would your followers think if they realized
you suckled at the government's teat?
Look, you have the wrong idea.
No one would have killed Gail for that algorithm.
- It didn't work. - And you know that how?
Well, she never changed her password.
I would check on her sometimes.
We had 11 good years and I missed her.
Gail was disappointed with the program, obviously.
But well, she was nervous too.
She wasn't sure at all how her patron would take it.
- What patron? - A man named Samuel Meher.
He works at DARPA.
He put his neck on the line to fund the whole project.
He's very intense.
I didn't like the way he talked to her in e-mails.
I would've said something.
If it hadn't meant admitting to cyber-stalking your ex.
I never would've hurt her.
Yeah. Good luck overthrowing the government. Don't put us
against the wall when you get those firing squads going.
You buy Meher as a suspect?
Well, he's ex-military, he's capable.
It's worth checking e-mails for his intimidating comments.
Would you mind running his name at the FBI?
And if they ask why I'm looking?
It was ordained by the architect of a techno-feudal monarchy.
Are you looking into Samuel Meher?
You get copied on my searches?
All guest log-ins are monitored.
Got to be able to account for your activity.
I didn't even know you were coming into the office today.
So, what's up?
Sarkisian and Weller reported to Meher, their champion.
I just wanted to make sure their relationship was a good one.
And what about this stuff?
Sonic pressure shields.
Robotic dogs, nanotechnology.
These are the projects Weller was administering funding for
for the same lab that got hit.
I was just wondering who else had access.
Well, just keep me in the loop next time, okay?
Sure.
What's the mansion got to do with Meher?
Oh, this is something else for another case.
Well, I know what consultants make, Joan.
If you're looking for a new place,
you might wanna lower your aim.
- How did you fare at the FBI? - Not well.
I did not find anything in Samuel Meher's background
that would suggest he'd kill to cover up a botched project.
Hardly surprised. I'm beginning to sour on him as a suspect.
- Why is that? - Well, aside from the victims,
no one suffered a worse result from the crime.
I'm sure Mr. Meher would reject the old adage
that there's no such thing as bad publicity.
So a secret brainwashing program that everyone thinks
has fallen into the hands of the Chinese.
I'd say this qualifies as a PR nightmare.
- Is that Tienchi flower tea? - Mm.
It was on my mind today, amongst other things.
I've decided to take father up on his offer.
I don't think he's entirely correct that the department
is essential to my support system.
Our work hasn't been a boon to my well-being of late.
But there are other considerations.
I believe it would make me happy.
That matters. You're not worried about the cost?
One could argue it was paid long ago.
What does that mean?
If I've learned one thing over the last years,
it's the importance of making amends.
Sometimes they should also be accepted.
If it's all right with you, I need a little more time.
Of course.
Two op-eds calling for Samuel Meher's dismissal.
If he was behind the murders, it was an act of self-sabotage.
Just because an algorithm can't sway public opinion,
doesn't mean a good old-fashioned scandal can't.
Maybe we should look for someone who did benefit from all this.
When we get back, let's send those specs over to Gilchrist
and... Just a moment.
Hi. You're the consultants working with Agent Burke?
Samuel Meher said you were back in town
- to meet with Shapiro. - That's right.
Meeting with every member of the armed services committee
that approves presidential appointees?
Now the head of your agency is retiring.
Mr. Meher's career is in the tank, you're the heir apparent.
- It's a possibility. - It's also a motive.
Three murders, theft of some top-secret research.
It's a big move, but you need to leapfrog Meher on the org chart.
In a few months,
you're gonna be controlling DARPA's $2.8 billion budget.
I don't have a clue what you're talking about.
Dan Zheng, a suspect identified by the New Jersey dispatch.
They don't break a lot of national news in Trenton,
but this was the paper you trusted
because you went to college with their managing editor.
Given the 1st and 5th Amendments, it's unlikely you'd be outed
as the source of the leak, but who else makes sense?
You didn't know about Dan Zheng when you committed the murders.
But when he became a suspect, you took advantage.
You heard the FBI's looking for him around Columbus Circle,
so you dumped the computers right in their path.
So I'm not just the leak then?
I drove up from D.C. At night, killed three people
- like some kind of super spy? - Nope. You had an accomplice.
- Was it her? - Heh. I'll tell you what.
You can look anywhere you want for my accomplice.
I'll turn over my phone records, e-mail, bank statements.
It's all gonna be picked through when I run the agency anyway.
You can be the first to vet me.
Well, that's it. That's the last of it.
Every personal correspondence and financial data,
every last phone record and e-mail that Alta Von See
surrendered to the FBI, I have examined all of it,
and I haven't discovered her accomplice,
or even the slightest whiff of impropriety.
Ugh. That rancid smell isn't impropriety?
It's Hakarl. It's fermented Icelandic shark meat.
Brain food. It's a shock to the senses.
I thawed some out after you fell asleep.
We need something to dredge us out of this funk.
That stuff is contributing to the funk, trust me.
Oh, come on. Burke was clear about returning the evidence
in the same condition we got it in.
Heaven forfend that the unit designated Burke,
Agent Gary would get his papers back stained.
His operating system might shut down.
The FBI aren't robots.
You're upset we got a lecture for talking to Alta Von See.
You sure he's not a machine programmed to follow protocol?
I'm sure DARPA has one in the works,
along with their panoply of mechanical dogs,
sonic-pressure shields, cargo transport blimp...
What is it?
I think I may have discovered Alta Von See's accomplice.
One way to know. When was the last time you dissected a rat?
Alta, you are not a swift woman. You are not fleet of foot.
I'll admit, I did not think you capable of this crime.
I should not have discriminated. You're very clever.
We did you a favor coming here for whatever the hell this is.
You're not gonna let this man insult my client.
Clever is a compliment. You want insults, wait.
- You'll hear triple murderer. - That is what I'm implying.
Without any particular skill or training with firearms,
you were able to create a bloodbath here.
The work of a professional. You did this yourself.
No reason to talk, but do you mind if I say that's insane?
You seemed bold volunteering your bank and phone records.
We assumed we'd find the person who helped execute your plan.
Not to mention, three innocent people.
Problem was we were looking for a person, not a device.
- What is that? - Do you want to explain?
This is a sonic-pressure shield.
It's a truly ingenious, albeit fascist piece of technology.
The DARPA-funded scientists across the hall
have been developing it as a crowd control device.
It emits a direct blast of low-range sonic waves
which vibrate at the same frequency as lung tissue.
- Would you like a demo? - The idea is for police
to use it on unruly protesters,
to disrupt their breathing and incapacitate them.
You used it to turn Sarkisian, Weller and Tate into sitting ducks.
By the time you entered, your targets were suffocating.
You could approach them at your own speed
and shoot them without risk of being overpowered.
This is crazy. You don't have any proof.
That's not true. The shield's power may be invisible,
but its effects are not.
You shot before their lungs could be damaged badly enough
to show up in an autopsy. But there was a fourth victim.
Frank Weller's pet lab rat.
The otherwise healthy rodent has perished from asphyxiation.
I don't know what I'm looking at, but even if I did,
- who's to say she did this? - I'll say it.
We found traces of blood at the bottom of the shield.
We know it was used. There was an odd streak
on the baseboard in the closet across the hall
where the shield is stored. Black rubber.
This compels you to hand over your crutch
so we can test the rubber tip for a match. If it does...
Good luck explaining why you're locked in a closet
- with a bloody murder weapon. - Could be worse.
How embarrassing if it had come out
during your confirmation hearing.
Sorry to interrupt. Miss Watson's here to see you.
- She wasn't on the schedule. - It's all right, Jessica.
- Please take a seat. - I'm fine, thank you.
Did you misplace my number?
Some things are better to discuss in person,
like violating campaign finance laws,
bribing elected officials, that sort of thing.
Sherlock didn't say much about you, but he said enough.
I didn't think I should trust you, so I didn't.
I think you'll recognize this.
It's a small estate in South Hampton I used to own.
Up until very recently. Sold after Sherlock relapsed.
- That's right. - The price jumped out at me,
three million below market value.
It's not a great deal for you.
I don't know that it's as bad as you think.
No. Probably not.
Not when you consider that lucky home buyer did you a big favor.
He funded a super-PAC that supports the district attorney.
And just like that,
Sherlock is no longer facing charges against Oscar Rankin.
Would you like a drink, Joan?
No, thanks.
I don't know what to tell you.
There are things that money can't buy,
but fewer, perhaps, than you'd like to believe.
I'm curious.
Why kick rocks if you don't want to know what's beneath them?
You're here alone because you haven't told Sherlock.
No, I haven't.
I hope you'll have the good sense to keep it that way.
My son was born with a malignant sense of self-righteousness.
I have little doubt he would expose the arrangement,
probably land himself in prison just to spite me.
Be back where he was a few days ago, adrift, uncertain, at risk.
You took quite a risk yourself.
I've always been willing to go to lengths to protect Sherlock.
So have I.
Keep that in mind because Sherlock is gonna call you,
and he's gonna accept your help.
He wants to go back to the N.Y.P.D.
- I'm gonna go with him. - That's good news.
I can't imagine why you would deliver it as a threat.
It doesn't have to be.
But if you're gonna be a part of Sherlock's life again,
I want to make one thing clear.
I'm not gonna let you hurt him.