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Lost Son
Lost Son
Season 3
Number 1
Writer David M. Stern
Director Peter Markle
Original Airdate September 20, 2004
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Previous Episode: Innocent
Next Episode: Pro Per

Lost Son is the first episode in Season Three of CSI: Miami.

Synopsis[]

A normal case which begins with the discovery of a businessman's bullet-ridden body aboard an empty yacht that smashed into a bridge has the team uncovering information that suggests that the dead man was delivering the ransom for his kidnapped son. The case soon takes a tragic turn when Speedle dies from injuries sustained in a shoot-out at a jewelry store, leaving the team devastated and more determined than ever to find out who is responsible.

Plot[]

Cars wait on a bridge for a boat to pass. The drivers and passengers seem irritated at the delay. One couple in particular is especially annoyed; they bicker back and forth as the boat approaches the bridge. Suddenly, the approaching boat slams into the bridge, rather than going around it. People scream and start to flee from their cars. The arguing couple try to, but the bridge starts to break up beneath their feet. Suddenly, it gives way under them and their car plunges into the ocean.

Horatio Caine arrives and surveys the scene. The couple have been pulled out of their car, which is now sinking into the ocean. Tim Speedle and Eric Delko approach Horatio. Speed expresses doubt that they’re looking at a crime scene, but Horatio notes that witnesses claimed the boat was heading directly for the bridge. On board the crashed boat, Yelina Salas (now a regular in the opening credits) stands over the body of a dead man in his fifties or sixties. Horatio tells her the boat was on autopilot, and then observes that their victim was shot at close range. Horatio notices the shooter’s muddy footprints leading to the edge of the boat. Horatio believes something must have gone wrong—it’s unlikely that the shooter would have wanted to draw this much attention to his crime. Alexx Woods gives Horatio an id on their victim: Reed Williams. Calleigh Duquesne finds a casing from the bullet, from a .22, but the bullet itself is still in the victim. Calleigh takes out her crime light, but she isn’t able to turn it on. “I may kill Speedle,” she sighs to Alexx. He borrowed her crime light and didn’t recharge it.

Horatio and Yelina go to the Williams’ house, where an anxious Mrs. Tawny Williams, considerably younger than her husband, greets them and ask for news of her son. Puzzled, Horatio and Yelina listen as Mrs. Williams tells them that their son, Joey, was abducted and her husband was paying the ransom. Yelina informs her that her husband has been killed, and Mrs. Williams lets them in. She explains that her son was taken from a martial arts class, and that the kidnappers had demanded three million dollars in jewels. Her husband had gone to take the kidnappers the jewels.

Horatio calls Speed to let him know the case involves a kidnapping. Delko has discovered a dead fish in the kidnapper’s bag; he thinks it’s a major clue in the case. He leaves Speedle to handle the muddy footprints and heads back to the lab to analyze the fish. Horatio and Yelina question Ken Timmins, Joey Williams’ martial arts instructor. First he tells them that Joey was taken by someone in a Mercedes, but Horatio can tell from the tire tracks that he’s lying about the make of the car. Ken admits to taking a bribe, and tells the detectives that the car was actually a Pontiac Grand Prix. Back at the lab, Calleigh confronts Speed about the crime light. He admits to borrowing it, and she asks for his in return, which he tells her she can take. He jokes to Delko that he hopes she doesn’t need another item from his kit. Delko is working on the fish he found, which is a grass carp, genetically engineered to eat vegetation to keep the canals clean. Delko uses the size of the fish to trace what may be the location of the kidnapper.

Horatio and Eric head to the canal where the fish was dumped and find Pontiac tire tracks. Delko dives and locates the car, but he can’t open the trunk, so they get a crane to lift the car out. The boy isn’t in the car, but Horatio finds scratches in the trunk and footprints that prove he was there. The kidnapper still has him. Delko heads back to the scene of the boat crash when the CSIs learn that the Department of Infrastructure wants to start their investigation of the bridge. Delko notices a piece of jewelry clinging to the boat; a quick dive turns up the rest. Meanwhile, Calleigh has examined the car and uncovered a pair of palm prints on the trunk door.

Valera delivers the DNA results to Horatio, which reveal that Mrs. Williams is Joey’s stepmother, not his biological mother. Delko brings the jewels to the lab, and Speed quickly identifies them as fakes. He tells Delko they were made in a lab. Horatio joins them and notices a bite mark on one of the emeralds. The kidnapper must have bit into the jewel, he concludes, and shot Mr. Williams when he realized they were fakes. Horatio and Speed go to Mrs. Williams house and tell her that her husband was killed because he tried to pass off fake jewelry as the real thing to the kidnappers. She insists the jewels were genuine, but Horatio and Speed both imply she may have set the whole thing up to get rid of her husband and get insurance money for the jewels. She maintains her innocence, and Horatio turns the questioning back to the jewels. When she tells them she got them cleaned at McCauley jewelers, Horatio and Speed head to the shop.

Outside the shop, Speed comments on a Porsche sitting outside and notes that he’s happy with his motorcycle. When Horatio says Speed might someday need something with doors, Speed says “There’s plenty of time for that.” Inside the store, the two are greeted by Rudy, the new owner, whom Horatio starts to question. Speed is immediately uneasy; he notices a man hiding under a table in the back and puts his hand on his gun.

Horatio picks up on Speed’s discomfort and begins to scan the store himself. Suddenly, a door slowly opens. A man appears, gun drawn. Horatio screams, “Speed!” and draws his own gun. The shooter fires first and Horatio returns fire. Speed tries to fire, too, but his gun chokes up. Speed pauses for an instant to check his gun. The shooter fires again, directly at Speed, and the shot hits Speed in the heart. Speed goes down, the wound spouting blood. Horatio takes out the first shooter, but another appears, and he and Horatio exchange shots before the second man runs off. Horatio kneels by Speed and calls frantically into his radio that a man is down at McCauley jewelers. He then turns to Speed, who is bleeding profusely, and tells him, “You’re going to be okay, Speed, you’re going to be okay.” Speed, who can barely speak, replies, “I can’t feel anything.” Horatio wipes the blood from his mouth and tells him to hang in there and keep breathing, but Speed murmurs, “can’t fight...” convulses, and dies. Horatio continues to say his name, leans down to listen for Speed’s heartbeat and raises his head when he can’t find one.

Alexx races to the scene. She runs in to the jewelers to find Calleigh looking on as Horatio continues to kneel by Speed’s body. Gently, she says, “Give him to me, Horatio. He needs to go with me.” A shell-shocked Horatio nods and rises as Alexx kneels down next to Speed. Horatio hands his gun and Speed’s to Calleigh, asking her to process them. Calleigh asks if there’s anything she needs to know, and Horatio admits Speed may have had to look at his gun. When Rick Stetler from IAB arrives, Calleigh turns on her heel and goes. Stetler apologizes to Horatio and asks about the guns, and Horatio tells him they’re with Calleigh. When Stetler suggests Horatio consider seeing a counselor, Horatio shoots back that the only therapy he needs is to find the Williams boy.

Horatio meets Yelina outside, who tells him that they are waiting for a translator for one of the surviving gunmen. However, Horatio says “I am not going to wait” he walks up to the cuffed jeweler Rudy and shoves him at the police car. However Yelina points out that there are reporters and cameramen, Horatio tells Rudy that he is going to put him in the car. Horatio, filled with rage, asks him “where is the boy?" But he claims he does not know what he is talking about. Rudy admits to swapping out the diamonds from Ms. William’s Jewelry, he says that he may be a jewel thief but that’s all.

Back in the lab, Calleigh processes Speedle’s gun. A CSI shot reveals that dirt prevented the gun from firing when Speedle attempted to discharge it. Calleigh opens the gun to reveal the dirt. She sighs, “Oh, Speedle,” as she fights back tears. She leaves the lab and runs into Stetler. When he asks her about Speedle’s gun, she tells him she hasn’t processed it. Stetler brings up the shoot out in ”Dispo Day”, when Speedle’s gun misfired as well. Stetler suspects poor gun maintenance, but Calleigh demurs and says she’ll give him her reports.

Delko gets a match for one Pete Heller. A SWAT team picks Pete up, and he points the finger at Mrs. Williams. Yelina does a computer search on Mrs. Williams and Pete Heller, and learns that Mrs. Williams used to be Sissy Huber, and together with Pete, scammed wealthy men out of their money. When Horatio and Yelina bring her in, she admits that this is what she’s been hiding from them. She says she hasn’t seen Pete in years. She confesses that Reed was originally a mark, but that she fell in love with him and his son. She says she’s changed. In the morgue, Alexx sobs quietly as she starts to examine Speed. She undresses him and washes the blood off his body. But when it comes time to make the first cut, she finds she isn’t able to. In the observatory, Horatio looks on, but he finds he can’t watch. He shakes his head and walks out, grief etched into his features.

Horatio questions Pete, telling him he got a CSI killed, and he’d better cooperate. Pete isn’t forthcoming, but Carrie gets something off the envelope the martial arts instructor gave them. It came from the Karate academy. Ken Timmins is Pete’s partner. Delko and Horatio head to the dojo, where they find sap. Delko traces it to Hell’s Bay, and Horatio realizes that Ken is going to throw the boy to the alligators, literally. When he arrives he finds the boy in the middle of the bay, terrified. A bloody shirt in the water tells Horatio that Ken was taken care of by the shark. Bravely, Horatio goes to the boy and carries him back to the shore. He then takes him back to CSI where Joey and Mrs. Williams are reunited. She thanks Horatio and tells him how sorry she is about the CSI who was killed.

On the day of Speedle’s funeral, Horatio stands in the locker room, dreading having to clean out Speedle’s locker. “You saved me,” he says sadly to Calleigh when she approaches with the report. She tells him that Speed’s gun malfunctioned, but doesn’t elaborate beyond that. The case is closed. The pair embrace, and Horatio tells her, and perhaps himself, to hang in there. The funeral procession heads through Miami. Horatio, Calleigh, Delko, Alexx, Yelina, and Stetler gather along with countless others to bury Speed. A flag lays draped on his coffin; an officer gives it to Speed’s parents, who sit by the casket. The officers fire the gun salute as Horatio and the other CSIs look on.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Major Events[]

  • As a result of failing to clean his gun, Speedle is shot dead while he and Horatio end up involved in a shootout at a jewelry store, leaving the entire team devastated.
  • Speed's funeral is held as the team all say their final goodbyes to him.
  • Yelina Salas is added into the credits as a main character.

Trivia[]

  • This is the final episode where Rory Cochrane plays the regular role of Tim Speedle, though he appears as a hallucination in Bang, Bang, Your Debt.
  • The MythBusters attempted to recreate the diamond creation. However, the myth turned out to be "Busted"; the graphite did not change its shape at all.

See Also[]

CSI:Miami Season 3
Lost SonPro PerUnder the InfluenceMurder in a FlashLegalHell NightCrime WaveSpeed KillsPiratedAfter the FallAddictionShootoutCop KillerOne Night StandIdentityNothing to LoseMoney PlaneGame OverSex & TaxesKiller DateRecoilVengeanceWhacked10-7
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