I received a memo from my superior officers just prior to calling this meeting. It reads as follows: 'There is no sniper.' Make no mistake about it. New York City has a sniper. And he's good.
“Hide Sight” · Season 7, Episode 7
In this episode: Mac Taylor (13), Jo Danville (9), Lindsay Monroe (5), Sheldon Hawkes (5), Chief Ted Carver (5), Tom Reynolds (5), Danny Messer (3), Don Flack (1)
Our hope is that this was an isolated incident and that the shooter will be in custody soon. I know that's what the brass wants the public to believe. What I don't know... what we can't know... is when or where the killer will strike again.
I miss the no-vacancy sign out front?
(laughs) Uh, standing room only. Three DUI vics in the corner, a robbery gone bad and a pair of unrelated suicides against the wall over there.
Perfect timing for a sniper attack.
[After Sid has been injured while retrieving a bullet from a body]
His vitals look good. He's a little dazed and confused but I think he's gonna be okay.
If it weren't for these he would be blind right now.
What the hell happened?
Well, he was retrieving the slug from our second sniper vic and all of a sudden, her head just... exploded.
Exploded?
Yeah.
Not bad enough this guy's killing people but he's shooting them with exploding bullets.
Chief Ted Carver [to Mac]: Heard about your antics this morning.
By antics, you mean telling the truth?
Look, your own people is one thing. I trust you're not going to be tearing up any directives from above in front of the press.
No, no. They were smart enough not to send me anything on paper this time.
All right, wait, wait, listen. Neither of us is to utter the word sniper, is that clear? That's a direct order from Chief Sinclair to me. Now it is a direct order from me to you. Is that going to be a problem?
They have a right to know.
The public has a right to know what we tell them.
I'm not going to lie for you or anyone else.
Who said anything about lying? Mac, look, I walked the beat just like you did, all right? I know where you're coming from but there is a difference between lying and withholding a truth.
I don't think there is.
Mac Taylor [to Chief Carver]: The sooner the people know, the faster they can take steps to protect themselves.
It's not your call, all right? And I'm not about to create a citywide panic.
Well, I don't think we can control that in this day and age, and why even have me up there at all?
You're the head of the crime lab. It's gonna look like I'm withholding something if you're conveniently absent.
RReporter
So what you're saying is both victims were shot from a distance, through a window, by an unseen gunman who was possibly perched on a rooftop? Sounds like a sniper to me, Detective.
Me, too.
[The reporters clamor]
Thank you. That's all for now (to Mac, as they walk away) What the hell was that?
Look, ask yourself one question. If you were a civilian, would you want to know?
You're a piece of work, Taylor, you know that? What the hell am I supposed to tell the commissioner and the mayor now?
You tell them I never uttered the word sniper.
How's he doing?
Well, doctor says he's fine. In fact, I hear he's already back at the office. They told him to take the rest of the week off, but you know Sid.
Right, right. I mean, he's not happy unless he's looking at dead things.
Blood on the beetle and mitochondrial DNA from the hair both got hits in CODIS Missing Persons.
To the same person?
A 9-year-old boy who went missing 15 years ago.
Michael Reynolds.
You know him?
I spent three years searching for him.
Michael had been missing for 72 hours when this case file came across my desk. He was on his way home from school when he was abducted.
Did you catch the guy?
Took 3 years. Arthur Francis. Twice convicted sex offender. Whole time he was missing, we didn't know whether he was alive or dead. It was the first case I ever questioned which of those two options might be worse.
I'm sure his own parents asked themselves the same thing.
At age 12, he finally managed to escape. Clawed his way through the floorboards to a crawl space.
I can't imagine that moment for a 12-year-old kid. It's heartbreaking.
I went to see him a few times after he returned home. Made sure he was doing all right. He always wanted to wear my badge. He asked me if it was pure gold the first time he put it on. His brother Tom, too. I thought for sure one of those boys would become a cop. I tried to stay in touch with the family, but then another case came along, then another case and I lost touch. Now he's the primary suspect in a murder investigation.
Mac... there's only so much this job allows us to do.
There are no bank accounts under the name Michael Reynolds. No credit cards, either.
In a lot of cases like Michael's, victims just want to fall off the face of the Earth, disappear, hide somewhere no one can find them.
Consistent with the method of killing.
Mac Taylor [to Chief Carver]: You prepared to tell the public the truth now?
How sure are we it's the same guy?
Sure as I was before.
So, I hear you've got a primary suspect. Somebody you're familiar with?
Michael Reynolds, missing person 15 years ago. I handled the case.
Complete whack job?
Well, he was held against his will for three years, physically and emotionally abused the whole time. It affected him, if that's what you mean.
Your stunt at the press conference didn't stop him from killing this guy, did it?
Chief Ted Carver [to Mac]: Exactly what do you want from me?
I want you to go to the commissioner, tell him we're going public... with the whole thing; Everything we know. This whole city should be on high alert. Otherwise, I promise you, there will be a fourth victim.
Michael Francis?
Another dead end.
Francis... Francis, Francis. Stockholm Syndrome. In a lot of abduction cases, the victim will actually start to sympathize with his captors.
Right, especially when they're held a long time.
And Arthur Francis was Michael's abductor. Michael Reynolds is Michael Francis. He took his kidnapper's last name.
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