Sweet Charity Goes Sour In 'Money Plane'

See Also: 'Money Plane' Episode Guide

The Miami crew must discover why only the good die young in the upcoming CSI: Miami episode "Money Plane".

According to CSI Files sources, the episode opens in Coral Gables Estate, a high priced estate area, where one of the property owners is hosting a party. The celebrations are disrupted, however, when the roar of an engine booms across the skies. Partygoers look up in time to see the sight of a lifetime: an Air-Now Learjet 35 soars overhead and crashes into the ground. Things go from chaotic to weird when suddenly it starts raining... hundred dollar bills.

Horatio and his team arrive at the scene of the wreckage. The pilot, Mike Rider, doesn't know what could have happened, all he remembers is a green flash and next thing he knows the plane is going down. Delko examines Mike's eyes to discover a disturbing sight: corneal scarring. But what could cause corneal damage to a pilot's eyes so high above the ground? Horatio has a theory – a laser pointer.

Meanwhile, Calleigh and Ryan are walking through the wreckage. Hundred dollar bills are scattered all over the ground, and as they take pictures and notes they notice a man gathering canvas bags of money off the plane. The man introduces himself as Sean Walsh, Air-Now Freight Systems and owner of the plane. As it turns out, the plane was on its way to Savannah, Georgia, to transport 1.2 billion dollars to local banks, and plane crash or no plane crash they are still on a deadline. As Sean tries to make his case, Ryan notices something suspicious hidden under the canvas bags. His curiosity pays off when, after a little light digging, they find something Sean Walsh cannot explain: the body of a young girl. Looks like money isn't the only thing Air-Now was transporting to Savannah.

Horatio and Yelina visit Andrew Stern, a disgruntled denizen of Coral Gables Estate, who has complained on numerous occasions about planes flying overhead when they are not supposed to. But Horatio and Yelina are not there to tend to his allegations. Horatio is more interested in the wooden case sitting on Stern's counter, and the laser pointer he discovers inside of it. Andrew caves in without much persuasion and tries to convince Horatio it was a prank, but a plane crash doesn't sound funny to Horatio, and Andrew Stern is placed under arrest.

Back at the lab, Alexx has good news and bad news. The good news is she has identified the body as that of 20-year-old's Caitlyn Townsend; the bad news is Caitlyn's mother has filed an injunction to prevent any coroner from performing an autopsy on her daughter. Without her permission, Alexx cannot determine the cause of death, which is much needed in order for the investigation to go forward. But to Horatio Caine there's no such thing as a dead end road. He's determined to get this autopsy underway, even if the family's grieving process must be disrupted.

Horatio and Ryan visit the Townsend home, but arrive to an unexpected scene: looks like the Townsends are hosting a party. Heidi Dillon, the Townsends' maid, explains Caitlyn was co-chair of a charity that helps troubled girls turn their lives around, and they are preparing for their annual fundraiser's weekend. Much to the CSIs dismay, the show must go on, with or without Caitlyn.

Horatio is soon after in the presence of Sophie Townsend, who is quick to lavish the memory of her daughter. But looks can be deceiving, as Sophie also reveals Caitlyn was a recovering heroin addict. Sophie fears an autopsy will do nothing but create controversy and taint Caitlyn's memory. But after Horatio figures out a way to perform a non-invasive autopsy, the pieces of the puzzle quickly begin to unfold and the CSIs soon discover Sophie Townsend may not get her wish after all – looks like controversy was already a part of Caitlyn's life and the lives of those around her.

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details and the airing order of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Money Plane" will likely air in late February, 2005.

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