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Driving through the middle of nowhere, Shane gives up on getting a decent signal and turns off Vic's radio. They pass a sign for Angeles National Forest. "Bring back memories?" asks Vic, parking the car, "On a clear night, you can see Guardo's house from here. Don't worry; I haven't seen his ghost around."
He takes Shane into the abandoned house, where Aramboles is chained up. Vic informs Aramboles, "I told your boss you sold his box of sins to the Armenians." Aramboles is sure Cruz won't believe that. "With the price on your head, I could retire," Vic goes on. It's in Aramboles' best interests to just disappear. Shane would just love to be his travel agent. Uh, Vic, remember what happened last time?Barely concealing sarcasm, Vic tells Armaboles how much Shane hates seeing innocents die.
Shane follows Vic out of the house, asking what the hell is going on. It's simple: Aramboles is the only way to defuse the time bomb Shane left on the Mackeys' doorstep. Vic helped himself to the blackmail files and set Aramboles up as a traitor. Shane is impressed.
Vic needs to Shane to call the coyotes they originally hired to get Lem to Mexico. He wants Aramboles gone by the next day. Shane doesn't like the idea of "setting him up on a goat farm with money and contacts" until he knows who he's dealing with. Vic harshly reminds Shane that he's been expelled from the circle of trust.
At the construction site, Vic tries to talk Cruz out of immediately whacking Rezian. It's too late for that. Cruz requests help with "controlling any blowback." Fellow Mexicans in county jail are already in position to kill Rezian. Vic tells Cruz this will hurt his legitimate businesses and their protection deal.
There's a new notice on the Barn's bulletin board. The mayor invited Farmington's top 10 gangs to a press conference. Oh, that'll go off without a hitch. "Are we makin' celebrities of these douchebags now?" asks Vic. Haven't we always? Look at Al Capone, the Gottis, Iceberg Slim, Tookie Williams. (I could go on).
Somehow, this press conference is supposed to help L.A. win its war on gangs. Claudette doesn't like the idea either, but she was outvoted. The mayor seems to think this will reassure the public. The sanctioned gang council has also made front-page headlines. "Fortunately, most of these bangers can't read," snarks Vic. He checks his watch, betting it'll take no less than three hours for a gang to kill someone in order to move up the power rankings.
Vic's hearing has been rescheduled to four weeks from now. Claudette would have no objection to him taking time off to strategize with his lawyer or PBA rep. Vic touches the badge on his belt: "As long as I got this, I'm gonna use it."
In the clubhouse, Shane starts to give instruction about the coyote. Vic cuts him off with, "This war we started is already spinning out of control." Rezian was greenlit and would be dead before they can get him into protective custody. Maybe Rezian is the only one who knows Vic was behind the money train heist. Even so, the second-in-command could still want to avenge his boss. Shane needs to warn Rezian so the Armenian will owe him a favor.
Rezian gripes to Shane about living off oatmeal and bologna and not being able to have sex. "Oatmeal's good for the colon," says Shane. Rezian fails to see the humor. His accountant has agreed to testify against him. Shane advises Rezian to watch his back; he's been greenlit by the Mexicans. Rezian threatens the Mackey and Vendrell clans should anything happen to him.
"I guess some of these bangers can read," Vic quips over the bloody body of a man dressed in a suit. The dead man has been IDed as John Layton, an average citizen from Pasadena. Of course, there are no witnesses. Ronnie guesses it could've been a drug deal gone bad. "This is not where whitey scores his powder," says Vic.
Claudette checks John's wallet; his cash and cards are still there. Maybe he was searching for hookers? Ronnie shakes his head and jerks his thumb over his shoulder: "Stroll's six blocks that way." Vic spots One-Niners and Los Mag tags on a nearby wall. Vic basically tells Claudette to have fun explaining to the mayor "that his list got a white guy popped." Claudette says there's no proof the incident is related.
Ronnie offers to take Shane with him to meet the One-Niners, but Vic would rather keep an eye on him. He sends Ronnie and Julien to interview the Los Mags. In the car, Shane informs Vic that Rezian "is a big believer in life insurance. He gets whacked, he comes after your family and mine." Vic sighs and whips off his sunglasses, asking again how they lost control.
Shane breaks the news about Rezian's accountant. Vic says keeping Rezian from getting shanked is their top priority.
Vic and Shane pay a visit to Moses, head of the One-Niners. His living room is trashed. "Redecorating?" inquires Shane. Moses gripes, "Pigs came through here like a damn hurricane." He doesn't know nothing about the dead body on his turf, but brags that the Niners are the #5 gang in Farmington. Murdering citizens is bad for business.
Vic suggests it could've been a baby banger trying to get street cred. Moses says that wouldn't happen without his knowledge. They should talk to Athens, Piru, Spookstreet, or one of the other gangs. Spookstreet didn't make the list and is in danger of being squeezed out if they don't prove their mettle.
Does Moses happen to have any soldiers in County? Moses nods. Vic thinks they can help each other out. The One-Niners protect Rezian, Vic gets the cops to back off the gang. Moses gives them until 4:00 that afternoon.
Elsewhere, a woman named Lana lies dead on the sidewalk. To Danny, it looks like a cinder block fell onto Lana's head. Witnesses told Danny a cinder block fell on Lana's head. "Death from above," Dutch quips tastelessly.
Lana's boyfriend Doug is agitated and tearful, insisting Lana was murdered. Mexicans in the neighborhood have been harassing them ever since they rented a rehearsal space for their band. Lana was the lead singer. "They're always yelling at us outta their windows, bitching at us to move! If they don't like our smoke, they can go back to Mexico City and choke on the smog!"
Dutch tries to get Doug to calm down and ushers him back behind the crime scene tape. Under his breath to Billings, he agrees that the cinder block was dropped intentionally. Tina talked to Lana's bandmates. Everyone was outside with her when she died, but nobody looked up to see what happened. Dutch asks the women to interview every tenant with a window facing the street.
While canvassing the building, Danny and Tina hear a couple arguing loudly in Spanish. "Great, we respond to a murder, we get a domestic," grumbles Tina. She pounds on the door, calling, "Abre le puerta!"
"WHAT?!" the male tenant bellows in her face. His woman is in the background, dressed in just a miniskirt and bra, tries to cover herself. In Spanish, she tells the man to shut the fucking door. The man starts to reach for something. Danny draws her gun, ordering him to put his hands in the air. Tina, inside the apartment, explains that the man was getting a shirt for his girlfriend to put on.
Chief Phillips calls John's murder a tragedy that couldn't have come at a worse time. It's resulted in a news blackout concerning gang-related crimes. "The mayor didn't want to fuel speculation that his gangbanger hall of fame is the cause," Claudette says hotly. Phillips is glad to hear Vic was assigned the case.
Julien asks who Shane is escorting to interrogation. That would be Jamal, shotcaller for Spookstreet. "Although he claims to be just another downtrodden black man in the struggle," says Vic, a comment I'm sure doesn't touch a nerve with Julien at all.
Upstairs, Vic informs Jamal that the streets are calling Spookstreet "the clown posse."
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Vic is sure Jamal was behind John's murder, a ploy to make the top 10: "I could make a top-100 list. Your piece of shit crew wouldn't be on it." Jamal argues he wouldn't have a beef with a strange white guy. Well, maybe Jamal was trying to teach his fellow Spookstreeters a lesson and the regular Joe from Pasadena got caught in the crossfire. If that's the case, the Strike Team can help.
Jamal lists off his personal problems: kids to feed, a dying mother. He's a man of peace "with the most high as my witness." He don't know nothing.
Dutch asks the landlord if there's gang presence in the building. Of course, Mr. Landlord says all his tenants are hardworking families who pay their rent on time. Nobody's complained to him about the noisy band and their cigarettes. Mr. Landlord was buying plumbing supplies at the hardware store when Lana died.
Dutch excuses himself to pull his partner away from flirting with a young Latina: "If this is the Billings level of effort I can look forward to, you may as well just go home." Is he the only one here even trying to solve the case? Danny and Tina both struck out with witnesses.
Dutch is disturbed that his partner is so apathetic about "a young woman getting her head bashed in." Billings complains that they've been out in the hot sun for a long time and they're no closer to finding out who killed Lana.
Dutch turns and announces to the crowd that they're all gonna get a look at what their tax dollars do. Nobody wants to come forward, so everyone will be taking a ride to the Farmington station for further questioning. He vows to make their lives "as unpleasant and inconvenient as possible." Yeah, that'll get them on your side, you fucking idiot. He tersely tells Danny to call a city bus.
A young couple has been shot to death in their car. "Colorado plates. Visiting USC for graduation," exposits a uniform. Vic snorts ruefully: "And they thought tuition was a bitch." This is the same neighborhood and M.O. as the earlier shooting.
An elderly black woman shuffles across the street with her walker, saying she saw what happened. "You need to stop snitchin', bitch!" a younger female voice screams. The elderly woman responds, "You need to mind your mouth and get back to your mama!" She tells the police how she's tired of watching "young folks turn these streets into a living hell."
Claudette suggests taking her statement back at the precinct. The witness isn't worried about her safety; she's too old to be scared. She proceeds to give chapter and verse about her life. Her sons are in jail. No grandkids because her daughter is a lesbian. Gotta love TMI from senior citizens. "I'm ready to see my Jesus!" she finishes.
Granny saw two shooters wearing gray do-rags. Vic knows that's a Spookstreet trademark. "They were like 13 or 14, maybe. They were babies," Granny frets.
Vic invites himself into Moses' house, ordering to call his friends in County and have them protect Rezian.
A female tenant of the apartment block tells Dutch she didn't see anything. She likes to sit around naked when she's home, so the blinds were shut. Across the squadroom, Billings is doling out quarters to the tenants' kids; they're running back and forth from the vending machines.
Vic brings Jamal in and is surprised to see his ex-wife and eldest child. Corinne lets him know she's aware of the Armenian situation. Vic herds Corinne into the clubhouse, promising he's handling it. "By tying Mara up and gagging her?" asks Corinne.
Vic claims the Armenian thing was an undercover assignment; she's better off not knowing the details. Shane used bad judgment (I'll say) and got them in trouble. The ex-cop is only following Corinne to protect her. In fact, Vic thinks it's a good idea to move her and the kids to a hotel.
Corinne shakes her head, tired of Vic's bullshit. Moving to Connecticut to live with her cousins sounds like a better plan. Vic vows he'd never let anyone hurt Corinne or their kids.
Cassidy wanders through the squadroom and asks if Billings works at the Barn. "8 hours a day, minus half-hour lunch," he confirms. Cassidy wants someone arrested, namely Daddy Dearest.
Claudette and Phillips just got a troubling anonymous phone call, claiming Spookstreet is in league with al Qaeda. Vic is pretty sure that's bullshit. Phillips has seen rumors posted on local online message boards. "On the Internet, Dutch Boy is still a 13-year-old girl looking for her first training bra," Vic points out.
Phillips doesn't think it's a stretch; terrorist groups supply drugs and weapons for street gangs to sell. Claudette reminds them how bad it'll look if they're wrong and something happens. Ronnie agrees to start on the international angle, but Phillips has called in Homeland Security. Vic storms out.
Next door, he tells Jamal lying is unacceptable. According to Jamal, if the shooters were wearing Spookstreet colors, they were just fronting. Vic can't help the gangbanger once the feds get involved: "Your boys used the al Qaeda card, which means you get a rainbow coalition of law enforcement shitting multicultural bricks."
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After that, "some kid called my phone from the barber shop, talking crazy shit." Jamal didn't take it seriously. He doesn't know the boy's name. Claudette shoos Vic out. Downstairs, Vic asks to see Jamal's phone.
Shane goes to the jail, asking to see Rezian's accountant Grubman. The deputy informs him no visitors are allowed. Shane spins a tale that he arrested Grubman and has reason to believe there's a threat against his life. If Grubman recants, an Armenian mob boss will walk. He appreciates that she's trying to do her job; why doesn't she come in with him?
Shane thanks Grubman for agreeing to testify. Is there anything else he can do to make him more comfortable? Shane doesn't want him to be scared of testifying. The police will protect him and his daughter Katrona. Would Grubman like to go over any of his testimony? The accountant wouldn't.
Vic offers to help Olivia by giving her the name and address of an illegal alien who sells weapons. She reads the paper Vic hands her. She's never heard of Aramboles.
Shane gives Vic an update. Grubman mysteriously has amnesia; Rezian is alive as far as he knows. Danny tells Shane he's been summoned to Claudette's office.
At her desk, Claudette flexes her hands a few times. She's about to take her pills when the door opens. She quickly hides the bottle. Claudette hopes Shane didn't talk to Grubman about testifying. She talked to the sheriff's deputy and the D.A.; Grubman has recanted.
Shane asks what good would come of him losing a high-profile arrest like Rezian. Claudette isn't sure...yet. Shane would be happy to talk to the D.A. anytime.
In the breakroom, Tina and Danny are sniping at each other again. The younger woman can't believe Danny is still pissed about their suspect getting away from the surplus store. Does Danny think it's her fault? "Where there's smoke, there's fire," says Danny. Tina argues she cleared the place; Danny is the one who drew a gun because she thinks she can't trust Tina. Dutch awkwardly listens to the whole thing.
Vic finds baby banger Little BK sweeping up hair at a local barber shop. They know BK called Jamal right before his arrest. Little BK denies it. "Your number's in his phone, little asshole," says Ronnie. Besides, if Spookstreet doesn't claim the murders, they'll never make the Farmington Top 10. Would Little BK like to be known in "'hood lore" as the guy who put Jamal away for accessory to murder?
The kid looks uneasily around before proudly declaring he did it. Jamal didn't know anything about it; this was all the kid's idea. Vic leads Little BK out of the store. A short time later, the baby banger watches as Ronnie and Vic parade arrested Spookstreeters down the sidewalk. Their fellow gang members chant "Spookstreet" and wave gang signs. (I thought getting caught was bad for business)?
"Meet al Qaeda's number two and three. Want me to call Juvie or ya wanna waterboard 'em?" Vic asks Claudette at the Barn. Billings wants to know if Vic has a minute to talk about Cassidy. The eldest Mackey child claimed that Vic attacked Shane's wife. Vic says Cassidy is acting out because he won't buy her a cell phone.
Billings understands how difficult it can be raising daughters. He assures Vic he didn't write down anything she said. Claudette steps over tenants from the murder scene. Is Billings really intending to keep them overnight? Dutch is sure someone will talk if they get tired enough.
He's still bitter about Billings making money from the vending machine. Claudette tells Dutch to let it go; Billings picking up the lawsuit again could be disastrous for the Barn. Dutch confronts him in the break room. Billings intends to get every cent of his pension. "God, is that all you want?" Dutch asks disgustedly.
Billings also wants a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Dutch is curious what Billings has done to earn it. Billings then suggests they take another shot at Nacio the apartment manager. Nacio is new to the job, just under a year. The tenants like him because he gets things fixed right away.
The reason the residents seem uncooperative is most of them are illegals. They also didn't like the noise and smoke from the band and were frustrated by the lack of police response. Dutch thought Nacio didn't know about the problems. Nacio shrugs he's talked to his tenants in the precinct lobby.
Nacio repeats he was at the hardware store during the murder. Dutch asks to see the bag Nacio claims he set down when he saw the dead body. Nacio, however, can't remember what he did with it. Dutch puts his own twist on one of Judge Judy's favorite sayings:
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Claudette asks where Little BK's mother is. The shithead replies, "Sucking yo' man's dick because you won't, bitch." The legal aid lawyer advises his client to remain silent. The kid boasts, "We smoked them fools all day long!" He refers to the murders as "paying the white devil his due." Little BK continually drops the 'N' bomb. Lovely.
Claudette inquires, "Do you realize that killing people because of the color of their skin is a hate crime?" Little BK doesn't care. Claudette enlightens him on how that word was used to reduce black people to mere property. She angrily slaps the table. Not only is Little BK a murderer, he's succeeded in dehumanizing himself.
"White man even got you talking by his rules now," says Little BK. Claudette looks like she wants to whip his ass. Au contraire. Claudette "wouldn't waste the N-word on someone as empty and godless as you."
Later, Insardi tells Claudette a complaint has been filed against her for "using a racist epithet" to a suspect. Little BK's lawyer witnessed the whole thing. Claudette admits to using the N-word out of frustration: "Some crack-baby tweener does a triple homicide and I'm the one being held over a barrel?"
Insardi doesn't think Claudette has anything to worry about other than "a rainforest of paperwork and some chest-thumping." She has bigger problems to worry about, like a mom who poured scalding water on her infant "because the father came home with a hickey on his neck." She asks Claudette to pass her congratulations to Vic and the team.
As the D.A. leaves, Dutch comes in and sits on the edge of Claudette's desk. She complains the department is painting her as a racist against her own race because the al Qaeda connection was bogus.
In their truck, Shane, Vic, and Aramboles watch ICE agents load a van with illegal weapons. Coyotes are waiting to take him back home to a nice house in the mountains. Does he like goat milk? (I'm waiting for Shane to pull the pin on a grenade).
Vic warns that if Armaboles tries to come back to the States, he'll be chased by the feds, the cartel, and the Strike Team. The cartel or feds catching him is actually the best-case scenario. "Hasta la vista, shithead," says Shane as the coyotes load Aramboles into another van. He then has the audacity to ask Vic: "You and me, we're on the road to being cool, right?"
Oh yeah, what's murdering one friend to save your own sorry ass? Shane adds, "I'm not your whipping boy for life, man. That's what you got Ronnie for." However, in 7 seasons, we've never seen anyone on the Strike Team be outright mean to Ronnie. Just good-natured, boys-will-be-boys ribbing.
Vic tells Shane that Mara's been having some interesting girl-talk with Corinne. He doesn't need Mrs. Vendrell causing trouble. Shane's phone beeps and it's the county jail.
At the jail infirmary, Rezian is pissed. Shane reminds him who made sure the Mexicans didn't succeed in killing him: "Those brothers sure as hell didn't pull that shiv-wielding ese off your ass to fulfill some community service requirement." He doesn't know the hit even came from the Mexicans. In fact, Shane wouldn't rule out a fellow Armenian.
"I may be the only friend that you can trust now," says the Southerner. Well, then Rezian's a dead man walking.
Vic guesses Aramboles ran off after selling the Box O' Blackmail. By the way, Rezian is still alive and "one pissed-off Eastern European." Vic can help Cruz get to Rezian, but "this 30-day trial bullshit is over."
Cruz thinks Vic owes him. Vic chuckles; a delayed hearing isn't the same as a saved career. He'd be happy to find out who has the Box O' Blackmail. Anything else will require renegotiation. Vic thinks $10,000 a week sounds fair. Armenian retaliation goes through Vic and Cruz has to promise no civilians get hurt.
Cruz points out war is messy. He scoffs at the idea of Vic having morals. Call girls get paid more than $10,000 to check their morals at the door. Vic gives Cruz until the morning to answer. End of episode.
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