- An escort appears to have died from an overdose, but her mother, a Phoenix police officer, insists it's not true. Meanwhile, Raydor's continuing investigation makes Brenda comes to terms with a shocking reality.
- Opening has Commander Taylor printing murder scenes of a female victim, a woman comes off the elevator, Taylor acknowledges himself, he shows Pope the file, they learn the victim is the daughter of the woman, a Detective Ortega from the Phoenix Arizona police department, narcotics division. The detective explains she is in L.A. to clear her daughter's name from being a drug-induced-suicide, regardless of the evidence presented. Her daughter was a diabetic and would not be taking any drugs, despite what showed in the tox-screen by the LAPD lab. The coroner's report Pope looks at determined cause of death to be a heroin overdose, either accidental or suicidal; there was also Ambien present in her. Ortega disagrees with the findings.
Brenda joins the three in a conference room, learning the victim was a type I diabetic, and hearing the victim's knowledge of the risk related to her disease, she knew any drug use would magnify the risk. There has to be another explanation no matter what was in her systems at the time of her death. Has anyone tried to contact her husband Drew? He was not a good person.
It had been two years since mom saw daughter, left home because parents told her not to see Drew, she bolted with him for L.A. and got married. Sedona was seventeen when she met Drew, who was twenty-three. She quit school and left with him. She called a few weeks ago but before Detective Ortega could speak at length with her daughter, Ortega's husband hung up on her. Brenda tells Ortega her daughter was working as an escort when she died, and that it is not unusual for someone in that profession to be involve in drugs.
Pope chastises Brenda out of the room for blatantly telling the detective her daughter was a prostitute. The case was handed off by Hollywood division to Robbery/Homicide and Pope would like Brenda to handle the case as a courtesy to a fellow police officer. While Brenda is venting to Pope, Raydor walks into the murder room, stares at them through the open blinds. Brenda's crew has turned over Raydor's questions their local union representatives, except Sanchez who has yet to sit with the Captain.
Gabriel gives the box of Sedona's belongings to Brenda, Flynn reviews the items in the box with her. She was nineteen, her body was found in a hotel room arranged for her to meet with persons of interest. One of the items from the box is the needle found in her at the time of death, as Brenda eyes the hypodermic. Brenda informs Det. Ortega a warrant is being obtained to search her daughter's apartment, while Det. Sanchez is going to the morgue to secure the release of her daughter. Ortega insists on accompanying Sanchez. She views her daughter's body, confirming with Dr. Morales she was not a frequent drug user. Morales identified the other needle marks as her insulin injections. Confirmed was the single mark where they found the drug injection, her arm.
They travel to Sedona's apartment where Det. Ortega views Sedona's id for a community college, her GED is framed and hanging on the wall. Sanchez has Buzz video a boarding pass for Las Vegas, three one-hundred-dollar casino chips and a note in a foreign language. Sanchez confirms with Lt. Tao the hypodermic serial numbers were not a match to that found at the hotel. Det. Ortega declares she knew it would not match.
The murder room conversation covers the fact the hotel room was paid for by an escort service. The detectives look up the service, finding its owner, who is on her way up with Provenza and her attorney. Brenda learns Sedona was in Vegas on escort business, she translates the note and confirms the trip from looking at the boarding pass. Brenda asks Gabriel to see if Agent Howard is in the building, she would like him to join her in the interview room.
Agent Howard threatens the attorney and his client, Linda Prall, if their cooperation is not forthcoming. Prall informs them of Sedona's estranged relationship with her husband. She gives his location and associates, one of which Det. Ortega was familiar from her Phoenix narcotics detail. Prall comments, why would Drew kill her? The girl was paying the guy to leave him alone. Sanchez got Drew's address from Sedona's cell phone and Agent Howard promises to get the most recent client name from Ms. Prall. Brenda advises Det. Ortega she will not be going with to Drew's house.
The officers are greeted by gun shots at the door. A shootout commences, no police hurt, all residents shot dead. A sergeant patrolman requests Brenda and team step outside as Brenda stalls while looking for evidence of needles. Brenda meets Raydor outside, where the two bargain for an exchange, needles in the house for an interview with Det. Sanchez. Brenda agrees to the blackmail arrangement.
Off the elevator, Agent Howard greets Brenda with information about Sedona's last john, a Spencer Pittman, who got cold feet and never showed up. Raydor comes with needle evidence, she also found Ambien, not part of a natural prescription. Lt. Tao confirms the needles found by Capt. Raydor match the needle found in Sedona Gibson. Commander Taylor sadly informs Det. Ortega there is not enough evidence to close this case; Brenda agrees.
Flynn comes with Sedona's DNA test leading to her father identity, he was arrested on an embezzlement charge in 1992. An L.A. resident until six months ago, when he died, his name was Randolph Pittman. Det. Ortega responds to the question, who is Randolph Pittman, by responding Sedona was adopted at three months. The subject isn't anything she thinks of outside of a doctor's office, she asks Brenda how is it relative?
Brenda asserts, Ms. Prall said Sedona was looking for her family, which must have meant the family in L.A., her biological family. It could not have been Ortega, whom she called recently. Brenda recognizes the name as the last john Sedona was to see. Chief Johnson requests Lt. Flynn secure a background check on Spencer Pittman and bring him in as soon as possible.
Raydor interviews Sanchez. Question one was there any conversation with Turell Baylor before he got to his house? Yes, Chief Johnson asked if he wanted to revoke his immunity agreement. He said no. Do you think Chief Johnson would have let him out if he had said yes?
When you arrived at Turell Baylor's did you sense any danger? It's a bad neighborhood. Do you want to know what I remember Captain? I remember Turell Baylor murdered a seventy-four-year old man and shot his eight-year-old grandson in the head. I am foggy on the rest, sorry Captain.
Lt. Flynn informs Chief Johnson Spencer Pittman is in interview room one, and he has been read his rights. Flynn told Pittman they were looking into the escort service. Gabriel claims Pittman was never in the hotel room, and a fifty-thousand-dollar withdrawal found in one of Pittman's personal accounts. The weight of the uncut heroin at the house was valued at $50,000. Randolph Pittman's holdings were to be left to his two sons, Spenser and Bennet; at least until Sedona came along. They found Pittman had a prescription for Ambien.
Chief Brenda and Det. Sanchez connect in the hallway, and Brenda asks him, how did it go with Captain Raydor? Sanchez answers, Chief, do you really think we had anything to do with Turell Baylor getting killed? It didn't, he showed up looking for protection because his own gang was shooting at him. It didn't matter if we let him go, because his own gang was after him.
Brenda responds, well I don't know about that, she says there are gaps in the record.
Gaps? There were no gaps. Let me fill in a gap for you. Turell Baylor committed a double homicide because he did not want to pay for a beer. So, let's say we let him go and somehow, he doesn't get killed off by his friends. A a day, a week, a month later, we're kneeling over someone else Turell Baylor shot to death. How do we explain to family members how we let a confessed murderer out in the street? We'd probably get sued for that too. Gaps? Chief, no gaps.
Spencer Pittman is in with Det. Sanchez and Brenda. We know you didn't show up for that prostitute, especially because she is your half-sister. Yes, the money was for her. Sanchez says that is not what Sedona's husband is telling us. Sedona's husband is painting a very different picture. I'm just going to run this by Mr. Gibson and see how he reacts. Taylor looking at the interview from the media room says what; Pope comes out the same room saying Drew Gibson is dead. Brenda says Pittman doesn't know that.
Sedona's husband says you gave him fifty-thousand-dollars to kill her. He says you paid him to kill her. The man is a lunatic and a junkie. Brenda says the first person to talk gets a deal, the other gets the death penalty. Spenser says he gave Drew Gibson the money to give it to Sedona for her to return to Arizona. The hotel room was a place for the Gibson's to meet, so Drew could speak to his wife. Brenda hands Pittman the evidence envelope with fingerprints on it, one set are Drew's, containing Ambien given to Drew to knock out Sedona.
Spencer tells Brenda he paid Drew Gibson the money to make sure she never came by his house again. I paid Drew to kill the woman that was threatening my family, is that good enough? Pope looks at Taylor, both also in the same hallway hearing the conversation, and Det. Ortega is hearing the same words also. Sanchez tells Spencer Drew Gibson was shot dead earlier today, as Brenda opens the door to the empty interview room. He cuffs him with Brenda saying, get rid of him Detective.
Det. Ortega to Spencer, did Sedona ever once ask you for money? No, but she was a whore, what else could she want? He is quickly lead away by Sanchez. Det. Ortega shakes Chief Johnson's hand thanking her for the help. She says I feel I know my daughter again.
The closing conversation between Captain Raydor and Chief Johnson in Brenda's office centers on what Det. Gabriel said before you left the Baylor house. Det. Sanchez refused to tell me and the Baylor attorney already knows what was said and I don't. Tell me Chief Johnson what did Det. Gabriel say to you? Det. Gabriel asked me if I thought we should stick around. Raydor responds, I see. And you told him to go? I did. That's the law suit isn't it? Det. Gabriel asked you the twenty-million-dollar question. How does the plaintiff's attorney know how you answered it? What are you thinking? Somewhere in your division Chief Johnson, you have a leak.
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