CSI: Miami

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Pro Per

Teleplay by Steven Maeda & John Hayes
Directed by Karen Gaviola

The sumptuous waterfront estate of “entrepreneurial” designer Deuce Deuce hosts a young and beautiful hip-hop crowd partying to a pulsing beat.  Beautiful Jennifer Valdez is one of the partygoers, whose 10 year-old son Ritchie, plays in the surf nearby.  A cigarette boat with two iced-out homeboys onboard roars past, then slows; one of them draws an M-11 9mm machine pistol and opens fire on the party, sending everyone scrambling for cover.

 When the smoke clears, Jennifer is found floating facedown in the pool, a bullet through her chest.  The entire CSI team is on the scene, where the party guests suddenly claim to have seen nothing – at least nothing that will help in the investigation.  It’s clear to Caine that this wasn’t meant as a targeted murder.  It’s a drive-by, Miami-style.  Caine talks to Ritchie Valdez, learns that the shooter had a black gun.  Perhaps the kid might just be a lead to his mother’s killer.

 With help from the Coast Guard, Delko and Det. Tripp locate the boat used in the drive-by, and apprehend its driver, a twenty something Vanilla Ice wannabe named Bob Davenport who claims he simply found the craft and took it for a spin.  Examination of the boat reveals a partial print, numerous shell casings and a couple of bullet holes, apparently from someone at the party who shot at the boat.  As Delko wonders, who shot first -- someone at the party or someone on the boat?

 Horatio tests Deuce Deuce for gunpowder residue – positive.  Deuce Deuce admits that he shot back in self-defense, and finally gives in to Horatio’s queries, telling who the shooter on the boat was – a jealous punk named Byron Middlebrook, aka B. Smooth.  Back at the station, Ritchie has identified Middlebrook from a book of photos.  Meanwhile, Tripp has found out from Davenport where the boat was taken from – Virginia Key.  Middlebrook is arrested for murder and counsel is appointed.

 At his arraignment, Middlebrook shocks the courtroom by firing his attorney and opting to represent himself at trial, going Pro Per.  Before the arraignment is over, Deuce punches Middlebrook and ends up spending three days in jail, while Middlebrook walks free on bail.

 Yelina tells Horatio that Ritchie’s aunt is coming for him from Oregon, but that she will have to wait until he testifies at the trial.  Horatio tells her, and is adamant that the boy will not testify about seeing his mother killed.  Caine then discovers blood spattered on the boat, indicating a possible second victim, but this one aboard the vessel.

 Middlebrook himself shows up at the CSI lab, demanding to see all evidence related to the alleged crime.  Delko steps in to try and assist Calleigh with him, but only angers her for stepping in her territory.  Middlebrook subpoenas Calleigh to court…as a witness.  Caine is called to County Jail, where Deuce Deuce has been stabbed to death by an unremorseful prison lifer who was transferred in just that morning.  It hits him -- Middlebrook had the guy subpoenaed from a prison up north to testify on his behalf as a “character witness,” knowing this is where he would be housed.  Sensing the danger to Ritchie, Caine houses the boy with Yelina.

In court, Middlebrook questions Calleigh and does a good job of rattling her on the stand.  Delko finds more evidence indicating that Davenport found the boat after the blood was on it.  Davenport admits that indeed, there was a dead body in the boat when he found it, and that he dumped it out at Rum Point.  Delko knows that’s where a lot of shrimp poachers trawl and gets a list of known poachers from Fish and Game.  A visit to one of the poachers turns up the bloated and bullet-riddled body of the driver of Middlebrook’s boat.  Before long, Caine figures out that it was a flaw in Middlebrook’s peripheral vision that sent three bullets into the back of his own driver.

Just when it seems that the case against Middlebrook is tight, Caine panics when he learns that Middlebrook has discovered that there was more than one eyewitness to the killing.  He knows about Ritchie!  Now, not only is young Ritchie’s life at stake, but also the lives of Horatio’s own nephew and sister-in-law, unless he can get to them before Middlebrook’s recently dispatched armed killers do.