EPISODE

16. Phantom

Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a paroled bank robber, killed only two days after he was released from Sing Sing prison. During the investigation, Goren and Eames visit the victim's sister, Charlotte Fielding, and her boyfriend, Gerry Rankin, a mysterious man living a double life. Rankin leads everyone to believe that he is an economist for the United Nations, but the UN tells the NYPD that they have no knowledge of him. As the detectives close in on the suspect, they find that everyone involved in the case has been living a delusion, but that Charlotte's brother knew the truth. Although Rankin desperately wants the approval of his children, Goren suspects that he may also be planning to kill them, and must talk him out of it, by convincing him that they see him as a hero.

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Plot summary

Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a paroled bank robber Frank Caspari ( Andrew Fiscell ), killed only two days after he was released from Sing Sing prison. During the investigation, Goren and Eames visit the victim's sister, Charlotte Fielding (Charlotte Caspari) ( Cara Buono ) and her boyfriend, Gerry Rankin ( Michael Emerson ). Rankin is a mysterious man living a double life who leads everyone to believe that he is an economist for the United Nations, but the detectives discover that is a lie. For years he has been unemployed, using money from his father's estate and father-in-law's savings to maintain the deception. After Charlotte Fielding is found unconscious and barely alive, the detectives close in on Rankin. Goren suspects that he may be planning to kill his children and after taking him down, Goren manages to talk him out of it and capture him.

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