CSI: Miami

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Burned

Written by Corey Evett & Matt Partney
Directed by Anthony Hemingway

Horatio and Tripp stand outside a smoldering n house as twenty-something Claire Gibbs stares at the charred body of her fiancé, boyfriend Brett Morrison.  The Fire Captain screams “Everybody Back!”  Horatio, Tripp and Claire make a mad dash.  A smoking water heater rockets through the air and lands on top of Tripp’s patrol car.      

 Delko pulls a glass shard from a burned window pane that holds a fingerprint of Ron Cramer, a plumber and small-time crook.  Claire tells Horatio that the arsonist might be her stalker, ex-boyfriend Anthony Bryant.  Horatio looks for Bryant and learns that Yelina Salas, Horatio’s widowed sister-in-law is back in town and working as a private investigator.  Yelina discovers that in following Bryant, she was unwittingly hired as his alibi for the night of the arson.  Horatio questions a smug Bryant, whose airtight alibi presents a major challenge to Horatio and his team. 

 Alexx discovers a bit of human flesh on one of Morrison’s teeth.  Natalia and Valera identify the flesh as belonging to young mobster Michael Lipton, who is brought in for questioning but refuses to talk with anyone but Wolfe.  Wolfe enters the interrogation room.  Lipton threatens to expose Wolfe’s ten thousand-dollar gambling debt if he doesn’t get him off.  Wolfe storms out of the room and asks Natalia to take over.  Lipton tells Natalia he fought with Morrison over a bad deal during which Morrison bit him.   Horatio asks Yelina to follow Lipton.  Cramer confesses to Calleigh that Bryant hired him to shoot Morrison, but when he broke a window with his gun, the fire erupted and he left.  Delko explains that gasoline vapors ignited the water heater’s pilot light causing it to blow after Cramer broke the window and let oxygen in.  Claire admits to soaking the floor with gasoline to frame Bryant and get rid of him forever.  Both Claire and Bryant are arrested.

 Yelina shows Horatio a video of Wolfe giving an envelope full of cash to Lipton.  Horatio informs Rick Stetler of the infraction, and Stetler fires Wolfe.  Wolfe surrenders his gun and badge and exits the building stunned and dejected.   Drenched in sadness, Horatio watches his team member walk away.