At the safe house, Nydia asks why no one else is watching her. Vic thinks he can handle it. He won't let her call Guardo; doing so might tip off the nonexistent kidnappers. This could be an inside job, so it's best Guardo not know anything. Nydia should wait until Guardo calls her.
Corinne brings Shane a box of hand-me-down toys for Jackson. Shane's Mr. Mom today because Mara is showing a house. Corinne heard the charges against Vic were dropped. She feels guilty for telling Kavanaugh about the money Vic gave her; if she hadn't said anything, maybe Lem would be alive. "Sweetie, no, Lem's not your fault," says Shane.
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| (Photo credit) |
Corinne worries that Vic hasn't been himself. What'll he do if he finds whoever killed Lem? Shane "lost one of my closest, most dearest friends" and can't stand the idea of losing Vic. Corinne feels Vic has grown distant from the kids, though part of that is her fault for not wanting Vic around. Shane promises he won't let grief stop Vic from being a good dad.
Nydia is suspicious; she's never heard of Salceda, the guy who's supposedly trying to kill Guardo. Vic thinks it's unlikely she'd know a guy who wants to take over Guardo's business. Mexicans would be thrilled to replace a Salvadoran. Maybe Vic should just let Salceda do that. Nydia stomps toward the bathroom. Vic tells her to leave her phone behind.
A drug store manager, pharmacy tech, and cashier all lie murdered behind the counter. Billings exposits that the suspects came in right at opening, shot the employees, and stole ephedrine. For those who don't know, ephedrine is a type of allergy medicine that can be used to make meth. He figures the killers were tweakers in search of a quick fix. A cook needing ingredients is an equally likely scenario.
Claudette wonders what the higher-ups will think of Farmington having two multiple murders within a few weeks of each other. "Spoken like a true captain," says Billings. He then apologizes to Dutch for resisting the idea of them being partners; they make a good team. As far as Dutch is concerned, the jury is still out on that.
"Your weaknesses are my strengths," Billings goes on, listing arrogance, overconfidence (same thing), and inability to give credit to other people. Dutch thinks Claudette is smarter than Billings (the K-9 unit dogs probably have higher IQs than our balding friend). Billings makes a good scapegoat if Dutch's closure rate goes down.
Shane tells Vic they should back off Nydia. The surviving Strike Team members are all out from under IAD's microscope for the first time in forever; they shouldn't borrow trouble. Vic refuses to allow Lem's death to go unanswered. Shane suggests telling Nydia they found Salceda, then going after Guardo again in a couple of months.
"The department doesn't want this case solved because it opens old wounds," says Vic. They hung Lem out to dry and branded him a dirty cop. "That makes us the only ones who care enough to make that right." True, it doesn't sound like the other Lemanskys gave a damn about him, dead or alive. Ronnie agrees that they owe Lem. Vic sends him and Shane to the Barn for more guns, just in case.
Shane asks how he's supposed to explain being there on his day off. If Claudette asks, they should say they're cleaning out Lem's locker. They need to get to the truth.
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| But, seriously, Vic, you can't. (Photo credit) |
Claudette and Dutch watch surveillance video from the drug store. He estimates the shooters are in their 30's and they don't look like tweakers. 12 boxes of ephedrine are missing from the store's inventory. Claudette noticed one of the suspects has tattoos, so there could be an Aryan or biker gang connection. Well, they're too far south for it to have been any of the Reaper Crew.
Dutch suggests she hand off the drug murder to the Strike Team and put him back on Lem's murder. Claudette thought he ran out of leads. Dutch did too, but the name Hernan keeps coming up during interviews.
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| Hernan Alvarez, perchance? (Photo credit) |
In the clubhouse, Shane and Ronnie zip Lem's favorite shotgun into a case. "You two still work here?" asks Claudette. Shane tells her he's taking personal time. Ronnie, the second most honest, blurts, "I used mine up on my wisdom teeth." You didn't have those taken out in high school?
Claudette needs them both if they're still on the clock. Ronnie heads to the parking lot with the gun case. Shane gives her the story they're picking up Lem's things. Claudette is glad she didn't have to bring that up; the Barn is short on lockers. How's Vic holding up? "We lost a friend," Shane shrugs. Claudette wants Vic back at work ASAP.
Billings struck out; the picture from the video doesn't match any known gang tats. "Looks like some kinda bird," says Dutch. If the suspects weren't male, I'd suggest a SAMCRO old lady, say, Wendy? They ask Ronnie for an opinion. He guesses it could be Navy ink. Claudette asks Ronnie to help Dutch and Billings. She wants the case closed before the cooks need more Sudafed.
"I don't need another person to babysit," Dutch gripes. Claudette reminds him who said drug cases are the Strike Team's turf. Besides, if Shane and Vic are hunting Lem's killer, Dutch might hear about it through Ronnie.
Nydia answers her phone. Vic grabs it from her and goes outside. He tells Guardo that his girlfriend is alive for now, but he shouldn't count on talking to her again. Right about then, Shane arrives in the van.
Guardo threatens to kill Vic if he touches Nydia. Vic responds with a threat of his own: He'll make Guardo listen while he rapes and kills Nydia. To avoid that, Guardo needs to drop the ransom in the trash can by the lake at MacArthur Park.
Guardo thinks he can be in L.A. by the day after tomorrow. Vic is curious what the cartels will think of a guy who can't protect his own girlfriend. Guardo changes his tune; he'll be there in three hours. Vic tells him to come alone. Once he has the money, he'll reveal Nydia's location.
Vic hangs up and asks where Ronnie is. Shane shakes his head: "He blew threw his goddamn personal days on his teeth." What if Guardo tries to set them up? Vic wants to go to the park early and check for traps.
Dutch isn't having any luck trying to reach a fed, Agent Zinman, about Hernan. Ronnie checked Navy records against L.A. residents who lost military benefits due to felony convictions and found a match. "We can wrap this up by dinner," Billings says enthusiastically, offering his hand for a fist-bump.
Ronnie advises Dutch to stay behind him as they approach their suspect's house. There's a BEWARE OF DOG sign and a drooling bullmastiff in the yard. Ronnie kicks in the door. A woman calls out, "Tommy, is that you?" "I have an arrest warrant for Tom Franklin. Where is he?" Ronnie's tone is all business. Tommy's sister Lisa thinks he might be working in the detached garage.
Ronnie breaks the lock. And what to his wondering eyes should appear but a meth lab. Lisa claims to have no idea Tommy was making drugs; he told her he was fixing a car. Tommy was gone when she woke up today. Dutch informs her, "Your brother killed three people." Lisa, who appears to be perfectly able-bodied and of sound mind, asks, "If he's not here, who's gonna take care of me?"
Vic watches the trash can through his binoculars. Shane speculates Guardo could've been south of the border when Lem was killed. "Then he ordered it and he knows who did," says Vic, "He'll give it up for his life." Nydia is in the van, which is parked behind them. Guardo is still about two hours away.
Shane tells Vic about Corinne's worries over what Vic might do and how it could affect the kids. Vic promises he'll visit them after they deal with Guardo. Why doesn't Shane check on Nydia?
"Hello, Sergeant. Welcome back," Dutch greets Danny. She reports another pharmacy has been robbed. No casualties except cabinets, but all the ephedrine was stolen.
Edgar-veda introduces Claudette to Skip Osaka, a photographer who wants to take publicity shots of some of the officers. Hey, It's That Guy! Ken Jeong has been a sitcom fixture recently as Senor Chang on Community and starring in his own short-lived show Dr. Ken. Claudette invites Skip to set up his equipment on an open desk.
"After Lemansky, they thought it was a good idea that the department get some good PR," the councilman explains, "We both want this place to survive, so I made sure that the Barn gets its shot too." The only publicity Claudette wants is lower crime stats. As a reservist, they naturally want pictures of Edgar-veda himself in uniform too.
Two carloads of Mexicans park near the drop-off point. "We need an army, Vic," says Shane, "With the shit these guys might be packing, I'm talking literally." Vic wants to wait to make sure Guardo is coming.
Tina tells Dutch the pharmacy robbers herded all the employees to the back of the store and broke the drug cabinets. Leticia the assistant manager IDs Tom's photo. The other suspect looked a lot like him. She didn't see what kind of car they were in and wonders why she wasn't killed like the people at the other pharmacy.
"Probably didn't have enough bullets," Ronnie guesses quietly. When Billings praises Ronnie's investigative work, Dutch actually pouts. Ronnie goes to the sidewalk to take a call from Vic. Dutch is looking over his shoulder, so Ronnie lets Vic know he can't talk. He pretends to Dutch that he was talking to a uniform who just arrested Tom.
Tom's buddy is good at avoiding cameras, meaning only Tom himself is on the hook for two armed robberies and three murders. "The Berkeley Law grads in the D.A.'s office are gonna be tearing each other's eyes out to get this case," Dutch says. Highly graphic and specific imagery there.
Tom didn't shoot anyone; it was his cousin Bobby: "He made a deal with some dude in the Horde to cook up 20 pounds of meth."
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| For the love of--I said "Horde," not "Nords." You're dismissed, Darby. (Photo credit) |
Bobby refused to back out of the deal; he'd already been paid and spent the money on a Harley. Robbing pharmacies was the only way to get ephedrine, but no one was supposed to get hurt. They can probably find Bobby in Van Nuys with his new lady friend.
Guardo stops by the trash can to drop off Nydia's ransom. Shane tells her to stay in the van and gets in Vic's car. "He's got 10 guys between us and him," Shane worries. Well, they're not really after the money anyway. Vic bets Guardo is hiding someplace. "What if he's not there alone?" Shane asks.
Vic tells him to take Nydia back to the safe house while he tails Guardo. They probably have half an hour before anyone gets suspicious. Shane wants Vic to call him when he knows where Guardo is. "If there's time," Vic says. Shane begs Vic to wait until he's there as backup.
Vic follows Guardo to a house. Ronnie is on a stakeout and can't get away. Dutch asks him if Vic is all right. "He's dealing with things his own way," Ronnie answers cryptically. Dutch brags he was the first one to figure out Kavanaugh was lying. Bobby arrives on his brand-new motorcycle, his girlfriend riding on the back.
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| Nope, not that Bobby. (Photo credit) |
Vic approaches Guardo's hideout, wearing a bulletproof vest and toting what looks like Lem's trusty shotgun. He takes a breath to steel himself, then kicks in the back door. Vic stops Guardo from climbing out the bedroom window. "Officer, you're not going to find anything here," Guardo says. Au contraire, mon ami. Vic pokes him in the stomach with the shotgun, then knocks him to the floor.
Meanwhile, Shane lies to Nadia that Salceda was hiding at Guardo's. Guardo isn't actually in town, but Salceda bought the rumor. Shane parks outside the safe house. Nydia thanks him for protecting her; she's about a month pregnant and Guardo doesn't know yet. Before leaving, Nydia plants a chaste kiss on Shane's cheek.
Dutch tells Claudette they recovered the gun and stolen ephedrine. Billings praises Ronnie for the assist. Nobody seems to notice the tension in Ronnie's voice as he asks, "So I guess we're done, right?" Not quite.
Tina is gung-ho to go after the Horde; Tom and Bobby are supposed to give them meth. "There is no meth," Dutch reminds her. They're not making a deal with murderers to get drug dealers. "The Horde doesn't know there's no meth," says Claudette. They could offer leniency for Tom.
Dutch wants to turn the case over to the D.A. The Horde is notoriously difficult to bust; Bobby gives them a valuable in. The bikers don't know what Tom looks like, so Ronnie can pose as him. Ronnie going after bikers?
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| This is oddly familiar... (Photo credit) |
Guardo wants a lawyer. Vic pulls the jacket off his face and surprisingly doesn't say something along the lines of "You're gonna want a doctor in a minute."
Guardo asks what this is all about. "You killed my friend a week ago. You tossed a grenade in his car and blew his guts out," says Vic. Guardo pleads both innocence and ignorance. Vic doesn't believe him, demanding, "Who led you to him?" He's sure Guardo ordered the hit.
Guardo wants to know if Vic hurt Nydia. Vic ignores that: "His name was Curtis Lemansky. He was a good cop. He was my friend and you killed him. All I want is to hear you say it." Guardo's been in Mexico for the last two weeks. At this, Vic actually snorts like an angry bull.
Shane enters the house and sees what Vic is up to. "Your friend is making a mistake," says Guardo. Vic won't let Guardo leave until he hears every detail of what happened to Lem. Maybe they can persuade him through Nydia. Vic tells Shane to bring Nydia in and undress her.
Guardo heard Lino Prieto killed Lem. He's none too pleased that Prieto didn't go through proper gang channels for approval. Guardo doesn't know how Prieto found Lem: "[He's] the one who should be hanging here, not me." "If you're telling the truth, he will be," says Vic, leaving Shane to guard their prisoner.
Vic calls Ronnie, asking him to look up Prieto. Ronnie is channeling his fallen comrade's fashion sense in a gray sweatshirt with the sleeves cut short. He's just typed Prieto's name into the computer when Dutch loudly clears his throat behind him. "Do you need something?" Ronnie snaps. Dutch says it's time to leave. Ronnie quietly gives Vic Prieto's last known address; Vic will have to do this mission solo.
At Prieto's apartment, his brother answers the door. Vic checks Filberto's ID and asks where his brother went. Filberto's answer is a surprise: Lino's been in jail for almost a month. Filberto's been taking care of Lino's wife Margie and his brother's kids. Vic implies Filberto and Margie must be having an affair, then adds, "Guardo says your brother killed a friend of mine. A cop."
Filberto doubts it; Lino's always been a liar. He was stupid to join a gang, but he's no murderer. Lino is currently locked up for stealing a car while he was drunk and crashing it into a store. Vic asks, "Why would Guardo give me your brother's name?" The oldest motive in the book: jealousy. Nydia told Guardo she thought Lino was good-looking. "You keep this visit to yourself, you'll never see me again," Vic promises.
At a gas station, Bobby hopes the Horde won't show up. Ronnie tells him not to count on that. Billings, in a separate stakeout car with Dutch, opines, "I like Ronnie. He's quiet, but there's something there." He wishes he could join the Strike Team, have some fun and excitement. "Yeah," Dutch mutters in a bored tone, "it's too bad you get those headaches."
Three bikers ride up to the gas station. Ronnie introduces himself as Tom. The Horde asks to see the product. Ronnie passes over a paper bag. As soon as the biker takes it, two things happen: Bobby bolts and Ronnie draws his gun. Uniforms, Dutch, and Billings converge to arrest everyone. Tina pats Ronnie on the arm: "Thanks for making me look good to the captain." Well, she always has had a thing for older men. Ronnie smiles, no doubt thinking, 'I wish Lem were here to tease me about this.'
At the Barn, Dutch is a bit cool toward Tina, likely because she was flirting with Ronnie. Our bearded friend appears, asking if Dutch and Billings can cover his portion of the paperwork. Ronnie gives Tina a bat on the back as he leaves. Meanwhile, Billings is entertaining the squadroom with an exaggerated version of his exploits. Someone tells him, "You're the man" without a trace of mockery.
By now, it's dark in the abandoned house. Guardo wants to be let go. "Shut up, shithead," Shane grumbles, holding his temple like he's got a migraine. Guardo swears they got the wrong guy, a fact Shane is well aware of. Guardo offers to give up enough intel for them to take down the whole gang, repeating that he didn't kill Lem.
"What about that backyard barbecue you blew up, huh?" asks Shane. (AKA the incident that gave him the awful idea in the first place). He shouts about having to walk through the dead kids' blood. "I'll give you money. Make you rich. What do you want?" Guardo whispers. Shane's reply is almost inaudible: "Peace."
Guardo knows he wouldn't be here if Shane were an honest cop. He could untie Guardo and make up a story about how he escaped. Shane puffs on his cigarette: "I don't like the way blood money spends." He tells Guardo that Nydia is pregnant.
Vic comes back and punches Guardo in the chest. He knows Guardo was lying about Prieto. "Come on, Vic, man," Shane pleads as Vic removes a coil of chain from the duffel bag. You can stop this, Shane, with just three simple words: "I killed Lem."
Vic doubles the chain back on itself, asking Guardo who told him about Lem. Was it Emolia or Kavanaugh? When he doesn't get an answer, Vic whips him with the chain. "I didn't do it!" Guardo shrieks. Vic hits him again.
Dutch didn't get anything new about Lem from Ronnie, "just a couple of phone calls he didn't want me to hear." He lies that working with Billings is okay. Dutch hasn't found Hernan yet. He asks if Claudette ever felt like she was carrying him on her back when they were partners. "You made me a better detective," she replies.
Guardo is now semi-conscious and whipped bloody. "Just tell me what I wanna know and this'll be over," Vic tells the arms dealer. Ronnie is now watching from the corner. Vic hits Guardo twice. "Who else was involved?" Vic demands. Guardo's words are slurred as he protests, "I don't know nothing." Shane is all "Vic, maybe you should stop." Of course, Vic doesn't listen.
Vic's voice is guttural, almost insane as he accuses, "It was Emolia! That Salvadoran slut tipped you off, I know it!" Shane loudly states that Guardo might really be innocent. Vic rounds on his best friend, "If it wasn't Guardo, who was it?!" Shane thinks Guardo should've given up a name by now. Ronnie finds it more likely Guardo was working alone. "Come on, this is crazy!" says Shane.
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| (Image credit) |
That answer doesn't calm Vic down in the slightest: "You're gonna put a price on Lem's life?" Shane shrugs that it always comes down to their families and futures. Guardo says the worst thing possible: "I'm glad your friend died." Vic gives him another smack with the chain.
Shane steps between Vic and Guardo. If Guardo dies, they lose their chance to find out what happened. Guardo wasn't the only one involved and...
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| (Image credit) |
Now it's time to dump the body. "As long as Guardo's at large, he'll always remain the primary suspect in Lem's death," says Ronnie. In shock, Shane says, "We just killed somebody." That's rich coming from you.
Dutch gives Tina a pep talk: "Detective work isn't as sexy, but it's where brainpower like yours really gets utilized." Really now? I have friends in uniform and in pretty much every police department, being a detective is considered the most glamorous job. He suggests Tina start keeping a library of interesting cases. She should also think like a detective 24/7/365.
Tina asks if Dutch really has a crime library. (It's probably more like a shrine in his closet). Dutch offers to take her to his place and let her see it sometime. As Claudette once said in another episode, "What kinda back-door con is that?" Tina falls for it.
Dutch pulls into his driveway, blasting "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls. He sure has a thing for 1980's one-hit wonders. Dutch brings up the idea of ordering Chinese food and cracking open a bottle of wine. "I-Is this a date?" Tina stammers. Dutch asks, "Do you want it to be?" Tina answers with another question: Does he have a girlfriend?
There's a woman on his porch who turns out to be Zinman, the ICE agent Dutch was trying to call earlier. She can tell him more about Hernan if Tina isn't around.
Vic dumps Guardo's naked, battered corpse in a hole. He, Shane, and Ronnie pour bleach and gas over him. Shane lights the match.
"Hernan is undercover in the Salvadoran organization," Zinman explains. She can't compromise that. Dutch needs to stop trying to find Hernan. Dutch refuses: "A cop was killed by the Salvadorans." Zinman is aware of that. She also knows Guardo didn't do it.
Dutch argues being out of the country doesn't mean Guardo didn't order the hit; grenades are his calling card. Guardo is stateside now, but Zinman won't let Dutch use Hernan to find him. "This isn't a pissing contest. It's an order," says the federal agent.
The guys are back in the Barn, dealing with the matter of Lem's locker. "Guy ever clean this thing out?" asks Vic, wrinkling his nose as he holds up a pair of sneakers, "It's like being back in high school." Ronnie points to a photo of himself, Vic, and Shane. Lem took it with a disposable camera confiscated from a drug dealer. Ronnie chuckles: "Almost got the case thrown out." "Tampering with evidence," Vic says with a grin.
Shane is sitting on the other side of the locker room, not lifting a finger to help. Vic wants Shane to have the picture. Claudette comes in and asks how they're holding up. "Just had my first good night's sleep in a while," says Vic. He politely declines taking the rest of his personal days.
Claudette has file for them on Kevin Hiatt, who used to work for INS and joined LAPD a year ago. Starting next week, he'll be assigned to Farmington. "You're not adding anybody to my team that I don't have approval of," says Vic. We're talking about your job, not Cassidy's date to Homecoming.
"He's not your addition; he's your replacement," Claudette corrects. Vic's 15-year anniversary (and forced retirement) is fast approaching. The guys go quiet. With everything that's happened recently, they must've forgotten all about that. End of episode.
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