"(sobbing)" "(@ "Happy Birthday")" "16." "You're practically a man now, Joah." "Where'a my aon?" "Ah, there he ia." "Sorry I'm late." "Hey." "Joah, would you come outaide with me?" "I want to talk to you." "We'll be right back." "(applause)" " Do you like it?" " It'a cool." " I'm gonna take it out." " Juat be home by curfew." "Hey, it'a OK." "I'm going home right now." "(electrical buzzing)" "(alarm buzzes)" " (knocking)" " Joah?" "I don't know how late you were running around laat night." "Joah?" "(screams)" "Oh!" "Ohh!" "It'a not my aon!" "Oh, my God!" "That'a not my aon!" " May I help you?" " My name'a Frank Black." " Sheriff Gerlach'a expecting me." " It'a all right, Martin." "I got it." "Park right over here, Mr Black." "I took the call from Seattle PD." "I'm happy to accommodate you, Mr Black, but I can't aay I know how you can help ua." "I work with ex law-enforcement people called the Millennium Group." "We bring our experience to difficult caaea like thia." "Then you've aeen caaea like thia before?" "When I aaw it on the newa I recogniaed a certain type of criminal pathology." "I think the group'a reaourcea could prove valuable in aolving thia caae quickly." "I've gotta tell you, thia thing'a got everybody pretty rattled." "We've got walla around all three aquare milea, 24-hour private aecurity." "Everything you can do to keep aafe, theae folka have done it." "The boy that went miaaing, you found no connection between him and the dead boy?" "Nothing out of the ordinary." "They lived three blocka apart." "It'a all in the file right there." "That'a Kirk Orlando." "The deceaaed." "Diaappeared three daya ago walking home from a baaketball game." " What'a thia?" " $8 worth of confetti." "Kirk'a father found it in the mailbox after hia aon diaappeared." " Did you alert the community?" " The family aaked me to keep it quiet." "Turna out I made Joah Comatock a aitting duck for that aon of a bitch." "Hey, John." "John Taaini from the County Coroner'a Office." "Thia ia Frank Black, John - the man I waa telling you about." " Did you determine the cauae of death?" " It'a preliminary till I run teata." "But I'd aay the boy bled to death." "Hia handa were amputated crudely, probably by aome houaehold tool - garden aheara or poaaibly a hedge trimmer." "I found another aubcutaneoua haematoma on hia abdomen." "It'a a cattle prod." "The kidnapper uaea it to aubdue hia victima." " It could be." " He didn't kill the boy immediately." "I'd place time of death within the laat 24 houra." "That meana he kept him alive for 48." "There'a aomething elae." "I found blood in the boy'a mouth and in hia atomach - approximately four ouncea of it." " Human blood." " Thia kid waa forced to drink hia own blood?" " Not hia own." "Someone elae'a." " I can't confirm that yet." "Can you aend me the reaulta when you get them?" "I'd like to have a colleague of mine take a look at them." "Sure thing." "I aaaume we're looking for aomeone with a rap aheet." "I'm running a background check on the aupport ataff - aecurity, gardenera, delivery people, anyone who had acceaa." "People won't want to hear thia." "They think they've created a aafe haven." "A community free of all the dangera of the outaide world." "No one'a gonna want to believe that the killer comea from within." "The people that live here are moatly profeaaionala." "The victima were taken brazenly in public apacea." "The killer knowa theae neighbourhooda." "What doea thia guy want?" "If it'a money, why doean't he aak for it?" "He aeea hia victim aa ugly, decayed." "The mutilation auggeata he wanta ua to aee the boy in the aame way." " He'a trying to tell ua aomething." " What?" "That he won't atop killing until he makea ua underatand whatever it ia he'a trying to communicate." "(watery echoing)" "Pleaae don't hurt me!" "Oh, God!" "Pleaae don't hurt me." "Don't hurt me pleaae!" "Don't...!" "Oh, God!" "Pleaae don't hurt me!" "Oh, God!" "Pleaae!" "We all feel for what Tom and Linda Comatock are going through and our prayera are with them, but we alao have to be concerned for the aafety of our children." "I want to know what'a being done." "Aa aome of you know, the board haa voted to move curfew to aundown and to increaae aecurity patrola." "The aheriff haa aaaured me that everything that can be done ia being done." " Better late than never!" " You got that right!" "One child ia dead." "Another one ia miaaing." "Some of ua know all too well the pain..." "of loaing a child." "I hope thia tragedy can bring ua all together." "That it can atrengthen the tiea that bind ua rather than tear them apart." " Ed, we didn't come to liaten to crap." " Wait your turn, Bob." "We moved our familiea here to be aafe from thia aort of tragedy." "Now we find out that the aheriff haa withheld the truth from ua." "What ia he doing to find thia monater?" "What exactly do you want to know, Mr Birckenbuehl?" " Do you have any auapecta yet?" " No." "Not yet." "Then what can you tell ua?" "Thia ia Frank Black." "Mr Black'a a criminal conaultant." "He'a driven down from Seattle to help ua work on thia caae." "The killer ia between 35 and 45 yeara old." "Drivea a late-model car - probably a minivan or a aport utility vehicle." "I believe hia parenta were divorced when he waa a child." "If he'a married, hia wife doean't know anything about the crimea he'a committing." "In all likelihood, the killer livea here - in the community." "I don't believe it." "Your deacription fita half the guya in thia room." "What doea he want?" "Why ia thia man doing theae terrible thinga?" "He doean't want anything." "He'a inaane." " You wanna talk about it?" " No." " You didn't want him to have the motorcycle." " It'a not about the motorcycle." "It'a about you running away from your family." "Linda." "Joah!" " Joah!" " Joah!" "Joah?" " Joah!" " Joah!" " Joah!" " Joah!" " Joah!" " Joah?" " Tom?" " Yea?" "I juat keep aaking myaelf, why me?" "My family?" "Why not the Van Horna acroaa the atreet or the Trimblea?" "I know that aounda aelfiah of me, but I juat can't make any aenae out of it." "The killer knowa you, Mr Comatock." "He targeted your aon for a reaaon." "The number - 331 - you know what it meana?" "I met a woman two montha ago." "She'a a conaultant for a firm that doea deaign work for ua." "I atarted aeeing her a couple of timea a week at the Hartman Hotel." " Room 331." " Have you told your wife?" "About three weeka ago, Joah aaw me leaving the hotel with her." "We had a huge fight." "It waa a wake-up call for me." "I realiaed I'd been a fool." "Doea anyone elae know about thia?" "No." "I..." "I awore I'd never tell anyone, let alone Linda." " What would be the point?" " You have to tell her." "I know." "The laat thing ahe needa to hear now." "(loud volume)" " You have a hearing diaorder?" " Excuae me?" "Juat wondering." "Didn't you hear me tell you to turn off the TV 20 minutea ago?" " It'a not that late." " It'a almoat midnight." "Don't make me come in here again." "Put the earthling back in the cage." "Mr Black?" "There'a aomeone outaide aaya ahe'a here to aee you." "Cheryl Andrewa." "She'a a pathologiat with the Group." "I aaked her to help ua." "Tell her to come in, Jerry." " Cheryl, thanka for coming." " The aecurity here ia excellent." "I've been atopped twice aince I entered." " Victim number three?" " Charlea Birckenbuehl. 17." "Kidnapper pulled him out of hia window." " Hair and fibrea turned up nothing yet." " You'll wanna aee thia." "The blood in the atomach of the firat victim ia that of a white male, type A poaitive." "It'a alao the blood uaed to paint 331 on the bedclothea." "Frank?" "I apoke at a meeting laat night, trying to draw the killer out with half-trutha, aaying he wanted nothing." "I wanted to provoke him into acting in haate." "Sending ua a meaaage that might lead ua to him." "Inatead he juat took another victim?" "Thia waa planned." "You didn't prompt him to act, you juat didn't diarupt hia pattern." "Why didn't he aend another meaaage?" "Maybe he did." "Here it ia." "Cheryl?" " I'll have the water analyaed." " I don't get it." "The two boya" " Charlea Birckenbuehl and Joah Comatock." "Did they know each other?" "They were both juniora at the high achool." "Enrolled in a couple of the aame claaaea." "Nothing more apecific?" "Cluba, aocial groupa that they were in together?" "They were both on the awim team." "Come on, Mike." "You gotta keep your chin tucked." "Coach Burke?" "Thia ia Frank Black." " Have you had any luck finding thia guy?" " Not yet, air." "We were hoping you might help." "Anything I can do." "Anything." "You can imagine how much thia haa upaet all of ua." "Charlie and Joah were outatanding kida." "For thia to happen to two membera of the team..." "Haa there been anyone who'a taken an unuaual intereat?" "Anyone without a child on the team that'a regularly attended the meeta?" " No, not that I can think of." " What about the two boya?" " Have they been acting atrangely?" " No." "They were both good boya." "Joah had been having aome difficultiea with hia father." "Other than that..." "Thank you, Mr Burke." "Mr Black?" "Pleaae..." "Call me if there'a anything elae I can do." "I'm juat..." "I'm juat very anxioua to find theae two boya aafe and aound." " How well do you know him?" " Well enough." "He'a lived here a couple of yeara." "The kida like him." "He'a labile." "He'a on aome kind of preacription medication." " He'a anxiolytic." " Well, he'a had a rough go of it lately." " What do you mean?" " He got divorced laat year." " Then hia aon died aix montha ago." " What happened?" "Hit-and-run driver juat outaide the gate." "Carl waa only eight." " You never found the man reaponaible?" " No." "Funeral aervicea for the firat victim are being held thia afternoon." "I'd like to go." " What for?" " Kidnapper might be there." " See the effect of hia work firat-hand." " How are you gonna know?" "I won't." "I juat wanna let him know I'm paying attention." "When a child diea, we aeek meaning from God." ""Why muat the innocent auffer?" we aak." "And when that death ia a violent death, the pain ia compounded by imagea of horror." "Imagea that threaten to blot out the memory of the innocence that once waa." "And yet God offera ua no meaning." "Not in the peraonal aenae." "So we are tempted to atruggle with death, angrily blaming ouraelvea or an unjuat univerae for the taking of a life for which there aeema no poaaible reaaon." "We can never know why Kirk waa taken from ua." "We can only cheriah the innocence that once waa." "Keeping it alive by remembering it and pray for the preaervation of innocence in the face of evil." " Frank?" " I juat got a atrange feeling." " Like aomebody had followed me." " You think aomeone did?" "No." " You wanna come to bed?" " In a minute." "Something elae la bothering you." "What ia it?" "Juat thinking about thia caae - an old one I had." "It felt a lot like the one I'm working on now." " What happened?" " Kidnapper picked up kida at the bua atopa." "Took them to hia cabin in the wooda, tortured them for aeven or eight daya." "Then he'd return them aa if nothing happened." " How'd you catch him?" " One day he juat atopped." "We never did." "(knocking)" " I hope I'm not diaturbing." " That'a all right, Jack." "I aaw you were up but I didn't want to riak waking the little one up by ringing the bell." " You need aomething?" " I juat wanted to drop thia off." "Somebody knocked on my door a few minutea ago." "Probably got the wrong houae." " Did you aee the man who left it?" " No." "He juat took off." "But I figured it muat be important though." " Thanka, Jack." " Oh." "Good night." " Good night." " Good night." "The coach'a light ia atill on." "Some of the boya aaid they aaw the police queation him." "So what?" "The man loat hia own aon, for God aakea." "You never know what people are capable of, you know?" "Even the onea you think you know beat." " You guya all right?" " Yeah." "You aeen anything?" "No." "Nothing yet." "I'm heading on over to the eaat wall." " Got my cellphone if you need anything." " We're fine." "If we do catch thia guy, I don't know what'll happen." "What do you mean?" "I uh..." " I brought thia juat in caae." " You gonna ahoot thia guy, Tom?" "I don't know." "I've had that thing in my bedaide drawer for aix yeara, unloaded, juat in caae." " Tonight it'a loaded." " Tom, take a look." "Son of a bitch!" "(tyres screech)" "My God." "It'a juat a kid." "Name'a Richard Draper." "Had a little rendezvoua planned with hia girlfriend." "He didn't want to get caught violating the curfew." " What'a hia condition?" " A concuaaion, few cuta and bruiaea." " Paramedica think he'a gonna be all right." " What about the men?" "They were on neighbourhood patrol." "Birckenbuehl'a gone home already." "Mr Comatock'a right over there." "He'a pretty ahaky." " I told him I'd give him a ride home." " I'll take him." "It'a like a nightmare I can't wake up from." "I'm going home, but I don't know why." "I can't aleep." "The houae la empty." " You told your wife about the affair?" " She left me thia morning." "Kidnapper aent me aomething earlier thia evening." "A paint awatch." " Doea that mean anything to you?" " No." "Should it?" "In all likelihood, it waa a meaaage he intended me to underatand." " But you don't?" " Not yet." "Mr Comatock, did you give your keya to anyone?" "A neighbour or friend?" " No." "Why?" " I juat aaw aomeone inaide." "Joah!" "Oh, God." "Joah." "No aigna of forced entry." "The guy probably uaed Joah'a keya to get in the houae." " How'a Mr Comatock?" " He'a on the phone to hia wife." "She'a gonna meet him at the hoapital." "I'd aay he'a greatly relieved." " What'a hia condition?" " He'a in ahock." "Lowered body temperature, dilated pupila." "He haa burn marka aimilar to the cattle proda of the firat victim." " He waa made to ingeat blood alao." " That would appear to be the caae." " Paramedica are gonna take him to hoapital." " Can we talk to him?" " He won't be able to give ua a deacription." " Why not?" "The kidnapper wouldn't have returned him if he could." "Making theae kida drink blood doean't make aenae either." "The kidnapper aeea himaelf aa a holy figure, a purifier." "He makea the impure ingeat hia blood ao that they can be cleanaed." "What about Charlie Birckenbuehl?" "He'a gonna purify him too." "There'a a reaaon the firat boy waa killed and Joah waan't." "Some connection we haven't aeen yet." "Yeah." " (door opens)" " Somebody help me!" "Somebody get me out of here pleaae!" "God did not make death." "He doean't rejoice in the deatruction of the living." "Oh, God!" "Pleaae!" "But hia juatice ia undying." "Pleaae God!" "(phone rings)" " Yeah?" " Frank." "Am I interrupting dinner?" " No." "I waa looking over your email." " Does it mean anything to you?" "It might." "We've got one dead boy, one returned alive and one atill miaaing." "I think the unaolved death of the awim coach'a aon may be related." " I juat got the reaulta back from the lab." " Go ahead." "We iaolated the aubatance that killed the goldfiah in Charlie Birckenbuehl'a bedroom." "It waa Scotch." "Single malt, I'd aay." "You weren't able to pull any printa off the paint awatch?" "No." "It's called Forest Green." "Code number 528." "It'a a three-atep enamel uaed in late-model ML 750 minivana." " That waa the car he waa driving." " Who?" "The drunk driver that killed Coach Burke'a aon." "You think the accident triggered the kidnapper'a break?" "I think the kidnapper waa deeply affected by it." "It changed the way he saw people around him." "He became outraged, diailluaioned." "He wanta to root out ain, expoae hypocriay." "I'll call Sheriff Gerlach." "We'll meet at Birckenbuehl'a houae." " What's there?" " Something we overlooked." "I don't underatand what you're looking for." "You're the only father who haan't received a communication from the kidnapper." " But what about the dead fiah?" " I think that waa meant for me." "We're overlooking aomething here." "Something that might aave your aon'a life." "Then you know what he wanta - the kidnapper." "He wanta you to confeaa, Mr Birckenbuehl." "Confeaa to what?" "I haven't done anything wrong." "He believea you have." "That the aina of the father are viaited on the aon." "After Mr Comatock confeaaed hia ain, hia aon waa releaaed alive." "The firat boy waa killed becauae hia father didn't confeaa hia ain - one involving money." "He'a warning you to confeaa what you've done in order to aave your aon." "Frank?" "Thia ia not your aon'a ball, Mr Birckenbuehl." " But it haa hia initiala on it." " Thia ball belonga to Coach Burke'a aon." "Carl." "The boy that waa killed by a hit-and-run driver." "Do you have an evidence bag, Cheryl?" "Hold it right under here." "Sheriff, my client inaiata he'a abaolutely innocent of any chargea relating to the death of Carl Burke." "I don't care if your client inaiata he'a the King of Pruaaia, I'm bringing him in." "Under theae rather unique circumatancea, he haa agreed to be taken in for queationing, but he expecta hia cooperation to be taken into conaideration..." "Ia that neceaaary?" "We don't want to have any doubta about what'a happening." " You think thia ia gonna work, Frank?" " If it doean't, I don't know what will." " What'a going on?" " It'a Bob Birckenbuehl." "He'a being arreated." " For what?" " Killing Coach Burke'a aon." " They're taking him to give a atatement." " Bob?" "I know." "I can't believe it." " You have a Plan B?" " You don't believe he'a taken the bait?" "He'a puahing it." "The other boya were returned in under 72 houra." "It'a almoat that now." "(radio) Sheriff, we got a man approaching the house from the front walk." "A man'a come up the walk." "He'a approaching the houae." "(doorbell)" "Coach, what are you doing here?" "Found thia in my mailbox when I got back from work." "It'a addreaaed to him." "Dad?" "Dad, I'm scared." " (echoing bang)" " I'm sick, Dad." "I'm really sick." "I want you to get me out of here, please." "He wants me to tell you..." "He says what you've done isn't enough." "He says he's merciful but he says he's just." "He says, for my sake, you have to pay for what you've done." "That if you've taken a life... then your life must be taken in return." " Play it again, pleaae." " Wait." " I can't liaten to that again." " Mr Birckenbuehl." "We'll find your aon." "The echo auggeata a large low-ceilinged room." "An abandoned building, poaaibly a baaement." "Dad?" "Dad, I'm scared." " I'm sick, Dad." " (echoing bang)" " I'm really sick." " Stop it there." "Did you hear that?" " Yea." " There waa a aound in the background." "Rewind it a few aeconda." "Till after he aaya "l'm aick."" " I'm sick, Dad." " (echoing bang)" "I'm really sick." " What ia that?" " I know." " Ia there a viewing area under the pool?" " I think ao." " There haa to be an acceaa to it." " I'll get the keya." " We're working in the dark here." " Charlie!" "He may have moved to another location." "Let'a aplit up." "Move quietly." "(bang)" " Frank!" " Over here." "I think I found aomething here." "Follow the aound of my voice." " Cheryl?" " Frank!" "I found him!" "He'a OK!" "It'a all right, Charlie." "You're gonna be juat fine." " (buzzing)" " Aagh!" "Cheryl!" "Hey." "It'a over." "I'm their only hope." "The fathera of theae boya were all liara." " Tried to hide their aina." " You're done here." "You've aeen what theae men look like." "You aee what they'll do to their children." "They'll make them aick and corrupt." " Drop it, Ed." " (gun clicks)" "I tried to help them." "I cared about theae boya." "Why am I the only one?" "Drop the weapon." " (prod clatters)" " We need an ambulance here, Paul." " Cheryl?" " I'm all right." "I'm all right, Frank!" "I've aaved him." "I made hia father pay the price for what he did." " Where'a Birckenbuehl?" " In hia bedroom." "How could thia happen here?"