Terminal Velocity - Recap

A couple of skydivers jump off an aircraft, and they love the experience. However, after the parachutes open, one of the skydivers is in trouble. It does not take long for the parachute strings to snap. His partner is shocked, but can do nothing to save him. Traffic jams extend for miles as the failed parachuter lies dead in the middle of a freeway. The detectives arrive at the scene, and find the dead body to be a bag of broken bones. Horatio discovers the suspension lines of the parachute are burnt. It looks like sabotage. Before long, Detective Frank gets a witness, who has seen the other parachute man – he floated westwards. When Ryan and Walter are about to lift the body into a bag, they notice a decaying smell. It cannot be natural because he has been dead only for minutes, and when the overturn the body, they find acid burning through to his bones. How could it have gotten into that backpack?

When Horatio and Frank go scanning the west area, they find a man hanging with his parachute from a tree. No he didn’t pack the acid. They check their bags themselves, and he doesn’t know about any acid. He just wants to be taken off the tree. Horatio and Frank leave, saying by letting him stay there, they know where to find him. Walter and Ryan hear something strange. It is the altimeter speaking out the height on the victim’s helmet. However, it strangely says the height is 3000 meters, whereas the height recorded should only be 10. Suspecting sabotage there, they go seeking the pilot. He admits he tampered with the altimeter, but that was to save fuel costs. He doesn’t have to fly the plane high enough, but the skydivers know he has. For whatever reason he did that, Ryan puts him in handcuffs. Does he really have to do this? Why don’t they get the guy who ruined Kevin’s (the dead skydiver) car?

Natalia confirms, someone ruined his car? Yes, a couple of days ago in their lot. Walter and Eric go investigating Kevin’s car. They discover the sports car has the engine area completely burnt. With the substance scanner, they find bleach elements, and Eric explains that is because someone put bleach in the gas – it overheats the engine. They also discover a little piece of burnt flesh. Whoever was sabotaging the car obviously got the accidental splash. When it is taken back to the lab, it turns out from DNA evidence that the skin belongs to Cameron Locke. Family match is found to the victim Kevin Ramsey as well. So is the killer a kin to the victim? The Ramseys doesn’t have children. May be Kevin does. It turns out that Cameron Locke, 19, is a sexual offender as well.

Detective Frank goes looking for Cameron. He is at a drama facility and is making some props with parachute wires and a knife. He thinks he is being charged falsely again – the sex charges were exaggerated for a mischief he did backstage once. But now, Detective Frank has proof he sabotaged Kevin’s car. Cameron explains he found out from a website that he is the donor kid of Kevin Ramsey. So he went to meet him. However, Kevin didn’t have time for him, and that made him angry. However, he never killed the man. Later when it turns out someone spat on the t-shirt Kevin was wearing on the day he died, the guess is on Cameron. However, when the DNA results are out, it does not belong to him. It seems it belongs to someone who is probably a half-brother to Cameron. It turns out that Kevin Ramsey donated sperms 103 times when the look up the website. So do they have 103 suspects? No, from the live messages showing up, they decide to lay their hands on Scott Vance.

Ryan has to talk to Mrs. Ramsey. When he talks with her, she claims never to have known about so many children. She is hysterical, and when Ryan asks if she is okay, she explains she actually is. She was older than Kevin when they got married, and she didn’t want children. So she thought with Kevin gone, there is nothing left of him. However, now that he has 103 children, she has something to look forward to, doesn’t she?
When Scott Vance is brought to interrogation, his mother is with him. It turns out he hacked some lab files to find out who is biological dad was. He hid that from his mother, but he thought it would be cool to meet his dad. He met him a month ago, and it was only because he wanted to reconnect. However, Kevin came across friendly, but a biological connection didn’t make him his dad. And besides, he suggested they never saw each other again. Horatio points out that is not entirely true. They have his spit DNA on the t-shirt they found Kevin had put on before skydiving. But Scott wasn’t there that time. Why doesn’t his mom say – yes, they were at a parent-teacher conference.

Natalia swabs his saliva, and the test returns positive. They also have evidence from his school he was there – couldn’t have been at two places at the same time. What does this mean – he has a twin! They go investigating and come across a house where woman claims to be alone. She is hanging washed clothes, and the detectives hear some kind of a sound in the backyard. Didn’t she say she was alone? They raid the place, and find Scott’s lookalike. His name is Trent. However, Natalia doesn’t think he is the woman’s real son. Both mother and son are taken to the police station, when Mrs. Vance almost lunges herself on Trent’s mother. She stole her son. No she didn’t. Vance paid for one, so she got one. And she didn’t have money or doctors, she raised him.
Before long, Scott and Trent meet each other in the washroom. It is weird, but Scott asks Trent if he spit on their dad’s t-shirt. Yes he did.

Listening from behind the door is Ryan – anything that they say in a police station is admissible in the court of law. When interrogated, Trent tells his story. He went looking for his dad, not because he thought it was cool, but because he needed a liver transplant – he has Wilson’s disease. When Kevin refused, he was livid, and spat on the t-shirt. And did he kill his dad – yes he did. If he is in jail he can get the jail doctors to treat him right? Yes, he did kill his dad. Ryan points out he is lying just for a free treatment. When the detectives reach the hospital where Kevin donated his sperms, they hold the doctor accountable for helping Kevin in passing on Wilson’s disease. They learn that someone broke into the lab earlier, and all evidence about Kevin’s donation is gone. Walter scans the lab, and discovers a strange substance. After getting samples to the lab, it turns out to be a chemical that one can wear on the hands to avoid corrosion from harsh chemicals.

Before long, the chase is on to catch the air pilot. When brought to interrogation, he boastfully admits to attempting murder on Kevin – with the faulty altimeter – so after all, it wasn’t for saving on fuel costs. And why he did is this – he discovered his daughter had Wilson’s disease, and she was a donor kid of Kevin Ramsey. That man killed his little daughter. When Natalia accidentally burns herself while testing concentrations of nitric acid, the yellow stain on her arm turns out to be the smoking gun. They need to check on Trent’s mom, who as it turns out knows nothing about nitric acid. Besides, her hands are rashed because of bleach – she takes in laundry to make some money. Next scanning of the hands is another donor kid who knows about Kevin being her father.

However, she has no idea what’s happening. Besides, she was never able to speak with her real dad. When Natalia points out they have a record of her calling Kevin’s phone, and a talking duration of 10 minutes, she tells Natalia she only got to speak with his wife. She knew who was calling, and angrily told her never to call here again. Natalia immediately calls up her colleagues to report they have to get Mrs. Ramsey back – didn’t she say she was unaware about the kids. Before long, they have Mrs. Ramsey confessing – Kevin lied to her everyday, and yes, she did want babies with him. However, he didn’t and got himself sterilized, which she found was only after their marriage. When Scott and Trent are released, they end up traveling in the same van – perhaps the way it was meant to be.

Written By David Sibert

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