Previously on "The Beast" I'm Charles Barker, FBI
We fear Barker's strayed. We're concerned how far.
If you want to investigate him, go ahead.
But he's my partner, and you'll do it without me.
You're making a mistake.
You're going down with him or you're gonna end up dead.
That's what we have on Barker. Not enough to make a case against him.
If it were, we wouldn't need you. But it'll make you wonder.
I just noticed that you're, leaving early today.
- How would you know that? - I'm observant when it interest me.
It's killing you to lie to her? Get rid of her.
No excess baggage. Nothing you can't leave behind.
They were out of coffee.
Tea?
So, lance corporal Daniel Taylor
and Henry Ramirez, pfc.
They both look like they were about 20.
22 and 24.
When were the bodies found?
Ramirez was killed last week.
Taylor turned up, thursday morning.
Were they friends?
No reason to think they even knew each other.
Different service, different stations, different homeless shelters.
Here.
Homeless?
These soldiers were homeless?
Taylor was found in an alleyway near the chicago mission
and ramirez by the one off superior.
Homeless vets being murdered
complicates things for uncle sam.
Washington doesn't want the press anywhere near it.
Is that clear?
Clear as a bell.
Please, take a seat.
This is Amanda Taylor,
corporal Taylor's wife.
Closest thing we got to a witness on this deal.
She wanted to come in.
Mrs. Taylor.
This is agent barker.
- How do you do? - Hello.
I'm Charles Barker.
I'm the agent in charge of this investigation.
What can I do for you?
You can bring my husband back.
I can't do that.
But I can help him rest peacefully.
So, where were you when you heard?
I was at my folks' place in canton.
They've been helping me out since he left for the war.
When he came back...
What was he like?
It wasn't Daniel...
Just somebody that looked like him.
He, he didn't want to live with us,
and the baby coming only made it worse.
Forgive me, but I need to ask you this.
Did he ever scare you, you know, like...
Was he dangerous or act like he might hurt you?
No, not that.
It was more...
Well, once,
during dinner... We were just sitting there really quiet.
He was really quiet.
And then he just got up,
and he started kicking at the wall.
And he punched a hole in it.
That's when he stopped sleeping.
He wouldn't let me help.
Daniel was a kind man before he left.
That's the word people always used "kind."
Anyway, that's, that's all I had to say.
Thank you.
Please, let me.
You find out who did this.
Just thinking about you.
Good morning.
Late night? Morning.
So, someone is out there killing soldiers.
Both of them are returned vets. Both homeless.
Their military status makes it our case.
I asked Conrad for their dossiers. He said it would take six weeks.
Now, check it out.
Weapon was an army ranger tactical, part serrated.
Same point of entry, one strike to the chest,
penetrating the heart.
Now, what's that tell you about our perp, grasshopper?
- That he knows what he's doing. - Yeah.
Hey, hey, check this out.
So, taylor posted a video from iraq,
fallujah.
- We're out of here. - He's all-county, too.
- It looks like. The kid could throw. - You know what?
I don't give a damn if he can throw. I don't need to see his home movies.
- I need to see a crime scene. - What's the matter with you, man?
- These guys are vets. - They're victims.
Just another case?
Let's go.
I love you, mom. I'll see you soon.
Let's go.
Synchro: ShalimarFox
Okay, this is it.
What do we got here?
This is where they found Taylor's body.
Yo, mister.
Get lost.
Hang on.
Go.
All righty, so lie down right here next to the wall
with your, head by that pipe.
But it's all wet, man.
Act like a marine and do what you're told.
That's why I didn't re-up.
Oh, man.
So, what do you see?
You got a harder one? City-wide surveillance rig.
Yeah, got to love big brother, don't you?
I didn't think they were operational yet.
They're not, so the city says,
but I got a friend who can pull pictures off of them.
- Must be an interesting friend. - He is.
You got any contacts at the v. a. Hospital?
Well, you're gonna need to get some because I need dossiers
from Ramirez and Taylor.
And get the hell up, marine.
Captain Cole, extension 5839.
My name is Ellis Dove.
I have a 10:00 appointment to see Dr. Blake.
Have a seat.
All right. Thank you.
Sorry for the wait, but we're understaffed and overbooked.
You're the head of the v. a. Hospital's psychiatric department, right?
Yep. Chief administrator. So, how can I help you today?
Wheelchair to cardiology. Wheelchair to cardiology.
Someone's killing vets.
Really?
- How many? - Two so far.
All we know about them is that they were both homeless.
They're young. They're young vets.
So, what, you're assuming some level of ptsd,
which means they probably passed through here.
Access to their military files would be a huge help.
Yeah, but...
I think you know the answer to that as well as I do.
You know, the one thing that the d. o. d. does do well
is protect the confidentiality of our veterans.
Even if it puts them in danger, right?
Have you seen either of these men come through here?
Come on.
You were in the waiting room. We see 200 patients a day.
You're a marine, aren't you?
"Send us first. Tell us last."
- How'd you know? - It's not magic.
It's what I do in here all day long.
You know anyone who might want to kill these soldiers?
Yeah. We're killing them.
People who come in here need some serious care.
We got a staff of eight to handle this workload.
They're killing us, and we, in turn, are killing them.
And then they send them home, another 150 thou.
Christ, I hope we get some help by then.
You see, these men...
They have no homes to search, no families to question.
Military records are the most complete picture of who they are
and any patterns that we can track.
What are the names again?
Henry Ramirez, pfc,
and corporal Daniel Taylor.
I guess a case like this, hard not to get personally invested in it.
You advising me not to?
No, just the opposite. I'm saying you don't go the distance
for the people who had your back, what does that say about you?
All right, yes.
Both of them came through here.
But that's all I can tell you. That's all I can help you with.
I'm sorry.
Thank you for your time, doctor.
Yeah.
And if you ever want to talk about your time there,
you know where I am.
- You get my dossiers? - Got to find another way to get them.
- You're damned straight you got to. - I will.
- That's the guy. - This from your interesting friend?
Straight from the city's surveillance cameras.
So, he was walking down the street like a ghost was after him
the same day Ramirez was killed.
So go be a bloodhound.
Yes, Mr. Miyagi.
You seen those two characters before?
It ain't me. No, no.
Hey, buddy. You seen either of these guys?
That's a nice watch.
Come on, man. It's my watch! Mine!
- There's no way off the roof, stupid. - Go to hell!
Oh, man.
- Stay down. - What are you, spider-man?
Get off me!
- Where the hell did you come from? - Get off me!
- I ain't gonna tell you nothin'! - Really?
Hell, no. I'll call my lawyer.
- You got a lawyer? - You're gonna appoint me one, bitch.
- What's your name? - Lawyer. That's my name.
Come on, let's get him up here.
Get off me!
Get over here.
S... s... no! Stop!
You see your lawyer down there?
You better hope you land on him 'cause you're shit out of luck.
- Hey, man, you can't do this! - Oh, really?
No! God!
He was a jumper.
We tried to save him, but it was too late.
You were with Taylor when he died. How'd you kill him?
He was dead when I got there!
I just want my watch back!
You got any better ideas on how to make this sucker talk?
I never saw Ramirez.
Taylor had a bad habit.
Asked me if I wanted to buy his watch for 20 bucks.
Shoot, 20 bucks!
You know this is from iraq, right?
Yeah. You were there?
Sort of.
So, did you and taylor get into it?
Camp diamondback?
Until we built out mosul.
- You recognize the muslin? - Soft and sturdy.
Hells, yeah!
I'm gonna open up an import/export.
I got all the connects.
What, you think I don't want to work?
Is that where you know taylor from, camp diamondback?
Nah. Here.
Look, if you know Taylor,
you know he is one big dude and mad as hell.
Got us both kicked out on the street 'cause of this watch.
You know, you almost dropped me from a roof.
So, what happened to taylor after you got thrown out of the shelter?
He was in a bad way.
Talking about offing himself.
Just a matter of time.
- Excuse me. - Yes.
Another plate of fries, please.
All right. Let's go.
Hey, Tina, get him whatever he wants.
- Hey, so what's up? - We got another victim.
Same weapon, army ranger knife, same entry wound.
Why here instead of over by the mission with the others?
Lieutenant colonel Nichols wasn't like the others.
If he was, the press wouldn't be here. They wouldn't give a damn.
The good news is they think Nichols is an isolated incident.
So... let's keep it that way?
Why?
Because that's the order.
- So, do you have a current address? - Lincoln Park.
He lives in a big house over there.
Well, we can add lieutenant colonel Nichols
to the list of dossiers we need.
I'm gonna go over and check his place out.
His job was outlasting the enemy.
He did that every day.
Then he wins and he comes home to what?
He did his job, and shit happens.
- Now you do your job. - It matters.
What I'm saying matters. Just get me the dossiers.
Conrad's wrong, man.
It's a mistake not to go to the press.
Someone out there knows more than we do.
Yeah, Edward.
I got a headline for you.
Another one, please.
You do realize you're on the clock, right?
What do you think has driven me to this?
Total lack of charm and inability to relate to women.
I'm going back to my cube.
At least the cyber terrorists respect me.
You want my respect?
I need you to get me in here.
- You're kidding me, right? - You're my only way in, buddy.
You want access to the records room at the v. a.?
This is not going to happen. It's a breach of national security.
No.
I helped write the law for the a. g. when I was at justice.
Trust me. There is no way in.
No wonder you're a desk jockey.
I'm a desk jockey because I can't shoot, all right?
You can't shoot because you're a poindexter.
Believe me, the two are interrelated.
Come on, man. Someone's killing vets, and you've got a chance to stop him.
And you say, "oh, poor me, poor me another drink."
Read my lips.
I will not help you, and I cannot get you in.
Major?
Todd...
I. d., sir.
- Major Neal Casey? - That's right.
Ellis Dove.
You forget something?
No...
I came back because, uh, I thought about your offer.
Maybe I should make an appointment.
Why didn't you call?
See, I was on hold for, like, 50 minutes, so I just
hung up.
You're okay?
Events change us. There's nothing we can do about that.
How about tomorrow, late afternoon?
I'm gonna be here till 7:00.
Thanks.
- Yeah? - Okay.
Hey, you know, I hear they're taking this investigation public.
That's a good thing.
Anytime you turn a spotlight
on how our returning men and women are being treated,
it's a good thing.
See you tomorrow.
All right, here you go.
Do you want gravy on that?
Thank you.
You're new here. What's your name?
- Perry. Kevin Perry, sir. - You want to step out of line, Perry?
I sure would like a chance at one of them beds.
Not tonight.
Seniority rules here.
I just, I don't want to be sleeping out there no more.
Nobody does, Perry.
Look, you come here seven consecutive nights.
On the seventh night, you get in line for a cot.
Each night, I will punch your card.
That way, we know what's what.
My name's Harris.
- Mr. Harris. - All right.
Oh, excuse me, Mr. Harris?
Could... can I, can I show you something?
You know this man?
Nichols. Yeah.
I heard he used to come here.
Volunteered mondays, wednesdays, fridays, all day, sometimes.
- What are you doing with that? - He was my l. t., sir.
Yeah, him dying is a stupid shame.
So you knew him?
Why don't you get yourself back in line, all right?
It's like there's so much, you kind of lose your appetite.
It'll kick back in. Just give it a minute.
Where'd you serve?
10th mountain division, afghanistan.
You?
Reservist. Iraq.
2 tours.
Drove a pink elephant down main street every night for 15 months.
Fuel rig?
Oh, that is a crap detail.
I'm eight days from discharge,
and we hit a 155 mike-mike buried under a pile of garbage.
- Blew half my foot off. - Damn i. e. d. s. I hate them.
All you need is a cellphone and good timing.
You?
Me?
No.
Nothing like that. I...
I wasn't that lucky.
I can't drive in the right lane 'cause that's where the mines will be.
- That's stupid? - No.
Every time I walk into a room,
I got to check all the exit and all the entry points.
I hate it.
I know the feelin'.
Don't touch me.
I'm Jess.
Hello.
I'm, Kevin Perry.
Nice to meet you.
Who else wants to be in charge?
Who else thinks they're in charge of me?!
- Who else?! - Please don't hurt nobody.
Harris. Help me.
You all right?
Who the hell is that crazy sucker?
Trevor. He tried to come in last night.
Brought a knife and everything. Psychos, man. Too many psychos!
Yeah.
Public outrage has reached all the way to Washington
over the homicide of three Iraq war veterans
over the last few days in the skid row area of chicago.
Two of the victims were reportedly homeless,
while the third, a lieutenant colonel,
was said to have been a volunteer at the shelter.
Since the story has broken,
federal authorities are making this case top priority.
More on this and other news at the top of the hour.
- Hey. - Hey.
- You want to come in? - Thanks.
I'm meeting some friends at the oaks. Are you up for a round?
Another late night?
Early morning, should I say.
Ah, yes, the awkward, infamous moment in the hallway.
- It's not what you think. - It's all good.
I'm just finishing up some work.
Yeah. I am glad today is over, too.
You would not believe this con law professor.
He's just like that guy in "legally blonde."
You see that movie?
Guess you wouldn't, but it's a prerequisitefor blond law students.
You look hot.
Thanks.
Marines, right?
Yeah.
When did you get out?
A couple of years ago.
Yeah, my... my dad was in vietnam.
He was... he was a medic.
But whenever I ask him about his experience,
he says, "yeah, I treated a lot of gonorrhea."
That's about all he says.
You don't talk about it, either?
You military guys.
I feel a sweeping generalization coming on.
Well, am I wrong?
It just seems like military people
tend not to talk about their experiences in the military.
We talk about it...
Just to other vets.
Oh, I see.
It's not a topic a mere layman like myself could ever understand.
I was a sniper.
So this wouldn't be a real...
Pleasant conversation.
Actually, one of the guys coming out tonight, he served in iraq.
You guys might get along.
I'll pass on tonight.
You keep that stuff inside, it'll eat you up.
Thanks, oprah.
All right, i'll see you later.
All right. Be safe. Have fun.
Bye.
You certainly look the part.
I'll take that as a compliment.
Anyone at the shelter have you thinking?
Could be this guy Dan Harris. He runs the place.
All right. Is that all?
Trevor Heath.
And my bet is that is an alias.
I'll run him through the bureau database.
Along with the prints on this fork.
You are gonna find a jacket full of felonious assaults.
So, where are my dossiers?
So, I got in there, right?
Listen to this.
Taylor and Ramirez were both suicidal.
Been seen several times at the v. a. over the past few months.
Meaning?
That's the only pattern I've found so far.
What about Nichols?
I don't know.
The file's empty. Someone must have pulled his chart.
Well, he is the outlier.
Yeah.
Must have seen something he shouldn't have seen.
And that, my friend, is suspect number two,
Trevor Heath.
You want to have a face-to-face with him?
Absolutely.
Your world is a mess!
A goat rodeo!
Bedlam!
And I was put here...
To clean it up!
There.
Trevor, no!
You don't want to do this, son.
There are places...
Where there is no pain.
No, no, no!
Who tipped off the reporters?
Is this our guy?
- Did he do this? - Did you call them?
- Is this our guy? - I said no press!
We have zero information on who's behind this.
Who gives a damn who shook the tree
as long as the tree got shook?
Now, is this our guy?
Doubtful.
Knife doesn't match.
Trevor just got out of jail.
His name is Derek Matthews, 24, from kansas city.
I told you d. o. d. didn't want this in the headlines.
Nichols was a decorated soldier, hero,
and you let the press gang-bang him.
Whatever got us there.
So, Joe knew Nichols. He's gonna keep a lookout.
Look, you want to give a guy 20 bucks,
give the guy 20 bucks, but do not pretend to me he's a source.
What's your problem?
He's one of us.
So he's a vet.
We got one job and one job only,
and that is to find the killer,
- not take care of their little lives. - You act like you don't care,
but there's a lot of moves you could have made other than going to the press.
Just admit it, all right? You wanted this story out there.
Even if I did,
it would have been the best move to make.
Whether I care or not does not matter.
- Hey, harris. - Hey, what's happening?
- Taking care of yourself? - Yeah. How you doing?
I'm good. I'm good.
- Oh, hey, Jess. - Hey.
- How you doing? - Cool, man, cool.
- So, where are your things? - At my folks'.
I'm not homeless.
Get in.
I'm getting my own place.
Supposed to be last week, but the v. a. lost my paperwork.
As soon as disability comes through, man...
- How much they owe you? - Lost foot?
30%.
No.
Sometimes I wish I'd lost above the ankle.
- That's 40%. - No, you don't.
It works about the same.
So, you've been out a year, and they have not given you your disability?
Yeah.
I had the lieutenant colonel looking into it.
Probably made a thousand calls on behalf of the mission.
You know, but now that he's...
- Oh, you talkin' about Nichols? - Yeah.
- You know him? - Yes!
I served with him.
I put some flowers in front of his place
if you want to go by there.
In Lincoln Park?
No.
It's right around the corner.
So, Conrad had called.
We now finally have a solid lead.
What is it?
Memorial hospital read about the victims in the sun-times.
They called to say that they had a spike in morphine o. d. s from vets,
every one of them homeless.
- Different mode of killing. - Yep.
You think it's the same guy?
My guess is memorial was his early work.
Now, I found these
at Nichols' flophouse right next to the shelter.
- What about his place in Lincoln Park? - Did not live there.
Must have been too lonely for him.
- So all three victims were homeless. - Yep.
- Blake. - Yeah.
Every letter, the same signature "Blake".
You ran into him at the v. a.
What is your take on him?
Yeah, I don't know. He seemed okay.
He was overwhelmed, though.
And he does have access to all the files
and all three victims.
And Blake also has privileges at memorial.
Maybe you should have a face-to-face with Dr. Blake.
Guess I'm gonna have to.
Come in.
Please, have a seat.
What does that file say?
It says you were a very fine soldier, Mr. Perry.
It don't say that.
Well, I can assure you that it does.
No, sir.
It says you have an exemplary service career,
and then you were honorably discharged 12 years ago.
I'm not interested in what it says in this file, Kevin.
I'm more interested in why you came in today. Why don't you sit down?
I read in the papers that...
... there's some psycho out there
killing vets.
Well, with all due respect, Kevin, I don't think that's why you're today.
Sit down. Tell me what's going on.
Well...
The days, they...
Never...
... ever end.
And...
I can't sleep.
Well, you can't fall asleep? You can't stay asleep?
I... I... I just need a drug to help me sleep,
and...
I... I'll leave.
All right, I can arrange for that. But you said something about
"The days never end."
- What do you mean by that? - What do you think it means?
I think you're having nightmares, Kevin.
- I think you're hing nightmares... - Nightmares?!
I ain't having any nightmares. It's...
they're real.
It's like...
It's like h... happening all over again.
What's happening all over again?
He's right there...
... so close I can...
Hear him breathe.
He knows exactly where I am, and...
... every time I move,
I mean, e-even the tiniest bit...
... his breathing stops. My breathing stops.
And he's scared.
I'm scared.
And...
who's "he"?
The enemy.
And...
if he only knew any english,
h... he'd know my c. o. Was in my ear, barking at me,
going, "kill him. Kill him. Take the door. Kill him, god damn it."
And...
But he knew...
I mean, we'd... we'd been at a standstill for over an hour.
And... and... and...
So, I reached...
And I took out my knife.
He could actually...
Hear me unsheathe it.
And...
I rounded the corner...
... and he was already half dead. He was curled up in a corner,
propped against the wall.
He was...
Starin' at me.
- You had to kill him. - No, I wanted to save him.
The blood...
He was bleeding and bleeding, and... and I looked around
for for something to... to stop it,
to... to tourney it with.
And... and I ripped off this... this piece of curtain,
this dirty piece of blue, old curtain, and I wrapped it.
I pulled and I pulled, and I c...
I couldn't stop the bleeding.
I understand.
He's all I see...
His eyes staring at me.
He keeps begging me to finish him off.
And I can't.
There was no saving him.
He was... he was just a boy.
- There was no saving him. - He was 12!
And, ultimately, he would have suffered,
and he would have died.
And you know what you did? You stopped the suffering.
You said there will be no suffering, ken.
I will not allow it!
Is that what you do?
What do you mean, is that what I do?
What does that mean?
Can you stop the suffering?
I make it go away.
Is that what you did for that Nichols and Ramirez?
What?
Who?
What about that Taylor? He had a baby girl.
No.
You know, I heard something about you...
... over at that memorial hospital.
Was that you making it go away?
Now, you don't understand something here. Those men...
Those men were overwhelmed by pain. They were overwhelmed with pain.
And what I did...
... you know, what I did, I did out of mercy.
- Mercy? - It was mercy, what I did!
I took the pain away!
I killed those men because they were in pain!
Those men didn't come here for mercy.
They came here for help.
I am done in here.
- You don't understand... - Let's move.
I saved them from hurting others.
You could have helped those men.
I did. I did help those men.
I did help them.
I helped them. I helped them!
When did you know you had him?
He wanted to confess. He just needed a prompt.
You were really in Afghanistan?
Yeah.
Was that really what happened?
Did you believe it?
Yeah.
Then I did my job.
Macedonia.
I wanted to save him.
- Hey. - Hey.
You look tired.
Yeah?
I'm okay.
You all right?
Yeah.
- Rose, you coming? - Yeah, in a second.
- You sure you're okay? - Yeah.
Thanks for asking.
See you later.