Vic cuts the crime scene tape off Shane's front door and rifles through some boxes. "He must've split in a hurry," Ronnie observes. Jackson's toys, a package of Pull-Ups, and furniture are all still in his room. Vic points out how much time Shane's had to figure out an escape plan. In another box, Ronnie finds one of the old Strike Team calling cards, a softball trophy, and a framed photo with all four guys in it.
Shane's truck was found abandoned downtown and there's an APB out for the Lexus that started it all. Maybe they're headed south. "Shane knows the first place we'd look is Mexico. Question is if he's stupid enough to go there anyway," Vic says from the kitchen. There's still plenty of food in the fridge. Pictures are missing from frames, though oddly not Shane and Mara's wedding photo.
Vic finds something else interesting in the refrigerator: a bottle of amoxicillin with Jackson's name and yesterday's date on the prescription label. Ronnie bets Shane and Mara will be looking for somewhere to get a replacement. Vic tells Ronnie to keep gathering police information for when Mara calls; he'll handle tracking down Shane.
Ronnie sounds uneasy about this plan. What if Shane is dragging Mara around with him? "What, his accomplice?" asks Vic. Ronnie reminds him, "She's pregnant and the kid's 2." Vic doesn't want to worry about that until they have to make decisions.
Meanwhile, Dutch is having a cozy homemade dinner with Lloyd's mom Rita. He asks conversationally if Lloyd ever lets new people in his life. Rita explains she started a relationship too soon after her husband left, which Lloyd didn't take kindly to. "It was one of Lloyd's teachers when we lived back in Tulsa and--" Rita trails off, afraid the subject would ruin their romantic evening. Dutch accepts that but is more than willing to listen if she ever wants to talk about it again.
After a minute, Rita confesses that the boyfriend/teacher was physically abusive to Lloyd. She declines to provide anything further on the subject. Dutch asks if Lloyd has had trouble at school since shooting the classmate who broke into their house. "Lloyd adjusts easily, all this moving around," shrugs Rita.
She changes the subject entirely by kissing Dutch. He pulls away abruptly, saying they shouldn't do this. Lloyd's case is still open. "Wasn't this a date? A good one?" Rita leans in to kiss him again, strategically placing Dutch's hand on her breast. Dutch apologizes, repeating this isn't a good idea. They should get distance between them and the case; however, he thinks they might have a chance in the future. Rita sighs sadly.
Vic goes to a pharmacy, identifying himself as a detective. Can the pharmacist tell him what amoxicillin is prescribed for? The pharmacist checks the label and explains, "Pertussis is whooping cough." Shouldn't Jackson have been vaccinated against that? Vic inquires if anyone has requested a refill on this prescription number in the last day. He knows medical records are privileged, but he's trying to track down a murderer who's likely fleeing the country. The pharmacist agrees to help...if Vic has a subpoena.
The pharmacist asks if Vic has police ID other than his business card. Vic lies he must've left his badge at the station house. The pharmacist would be happy to call Vic's boss about getting a subpoena. Vic tells him that isn't necessary.
Chief Phillips has put out a statewide APB on Mara's Lexus and sent recent Vendrell family photos to other departments. Nothing has been put in the newspaper; Claudette hopes they can keep it that way until they arrest Shane. Chief Phillips plans to go public with the story if they don't find Shane in 24 hours.
Ronnie wants to be off desk duty. "We already discussed this," says Claudette. Ronnie requests to pick up Strike Team cases with Julien because gangs don't take days off. "Gangs aren't your problem anymore. I'm dismantling the Strike Team," Claudette announces. Chief Phillips cuts in; she can't make that kind of decision on her own.
Ronnie adds that they have the highest arrest rate in Farmington. Claudette wants to know who'll get credit for hauling Shane's "corrupt ass" in. "You don't blame the whole army for one soldier's war crimes," says Chief Phillips. However, he did give her full control over the Barn and has no choice but to let her.
Claudette reassigns Julien back to uniform patrol; she'll make sure he's promoted once he passes the detectives' exam. Ronnie will be assigned elsewhere once Claudette takes him off desk duty. Ronnie is none too pleased; he was put in charge of the Strike Team and thinks it could work with new blood. "I've had enough blood," the captain says shortly. If Ronnie doesn't like it, he's free to transfer.
"I don't like this," Corinne says tensely. She and Vic are in her kitchen waiting for Mara to call. Corinne wants no part of finding the Vendrells if Vic plans to hurt them. "The last thing in the world I'm gonna do is hurt 'em," Vic grumbles. Corinne doesn't buy that for a second. Vic tells her this isn't about revenge; it's about him staying out of jail.
They both jump out of their skins when the phone rings. Corinne answers while Vic listens in on the other line. She gives Mara the timeline of when the media is releasing Shane's picture; state and federal authorities have joined the manhunt. Border patrol stations and airports have pictures of the couple.
Corinne could give more details if she had a 50-mile radius of where the Vendrells are. Mara consults with her husband about this, to which Shane says, "Gimme the phone." He knows Vic is there and wants to talk to him. Corinne obliges.
"The deal was my wife speaks to your ex-wife," says Shane hotly, "Not that you sit in on the call or coach Corinne on how to pump Mara for intel." "Don't want your plan to go to shit just like your plan to kill me and Ronnie," Vic retorts. Shane argues his plan would've worked if Two-Man had finished the job. If Vic doesn't help him, they'll both end up in prison. Vic can't do that without knowing which direction they're going. "I'm gonna be pointing at you if I catch you near any one of these calls again," Shane threatens. When they call back at 10 PM, Corinne better have new intel and Vic better not be there.
Vic hangs up and tells Corinne that Shane is paranoid (no shit). He calls upon his ex-wife's knowledge as a nurse. What would happen if Shane's kid had whooping cough and suddenly stopped taking his medicine? Corinne replies it could turn into pneumonia.
Over lunch, Ronnie informs Vic that Claudette pulled the plug on the Strike Team, "another thing I gotta thank Shane for when we catch up to him." Vic fills Ronnie in about the phone call. He asks Ronnie to find out if Shane's tried to get the antibiotics refilled; he can't get anywhere without his badge.
Vic muses that Shane could be using a fake ID. Ronnie doubts it. Popping an eggroll in his mouth, he asks, "How's Shane financing this cannonball run?" Vic guesses with cash, possibly the $100,000 the Mexicans didn't manage to steal from Rezian. He kind of hopes Jackson's cough will get worse.
Mara wants to get out of L.A., but Shane thinks it's best they keep their heads down for a few days. With some difficulty, Mara turns her pregnant self around to check on Jackson in the backseat. The toddler's coughing and she frets that he still has a fever. "Hell, I'm doin' the best I can Mara," Shane gripes. They need to ditch the car.
"If that black asshole you hired had done his job, then we wouldn't be running like this," Mara bitches. Shane fires back, "I don't get to pick and choose which guys I get to hang murder charges over." He gets out of the car for a chat with Redding the mechanic. Does he have any cars with a clean VIN and papers? Shane reminds Redding that he let him beat some pretty serious charges. He'd be happy to call for an evidence team to come check for stolen parts.
Shane offers Redding the Lexus. Straight trade, no questions asked. Redding tips his head in the direction of a rusted green sedan. That's not good enough for Shane. "She runs," shrugs Redding. It's the only car he has with legit papers.
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"Look, the guy tried to kill me," Ronnie reminds him, "If I can't be in the game, I'd at least like to hear the play-by-play." Tina stares after Ronnie as he leaves the clubhouse.
Vic pays a visit to an old informant. Does he know anyone who could make Shane a good fake passport with minimal turnaround time? The informant is aware Vic's been fired and boasts he doesn't have to say shit. Vic concedes he's not a cop, but at least he's not a "crooked wetback." The guy agrees to give up one name, then Vic is out of favors.
Vic finds Marcos in the back of a print shop and twists his arm behind his back. Forging federal documents carries a minimum sentence of 3 years. He shows Marcos a picture of Shane. "He skipped town without saying goodbye. I wanna send him a postcard, but since you gave him a new name, I don't have an address."
Marcos swears he didn't make anything for Shane. Vic twists his arm harder: "One more lie and I'm sending half of you to a hospital. The other half I'm leaving on the floor." Shane threatened Marcos if he talked. Vic tells Marcos who he should be more afraid of. Marcos admits to making passports for Shane, Mara, and Jackson; they used the names Shawn, Katie, and Bryan Hoover.
Vic compliments Marcos on the quality of his work and notices Shane's picture isn't on the passport yet. He'll be taking it with him.
At a motel, Jackson is crying. Mara says his fever is worse. Shane hands her a wet washcloth and suggests running another bath. There's a knock on the door. Mara hustles into the bathroom with the toddler. Another guest complains, "Does that kid ever stop making noise?" Shane apologizes; they're trying to figure out how to get medicine for him. "Figure it out quicker," snaps the other guest. He has jetlag and a meeting he needs to sleep for.
"We're doin' the best we can," Shane snarks, "Most people wait 'til it's dark to go to sleep." The guy tells Shane to "shut his goddamn kid up." "How about I take a shit in your goddamn earholes, give you a little peace and quiet?" Shane suggests. Mara lays a hand on her husband's shoulder, explaining their son is miserably sick with a fever. She promises Jackson will be better and quiet soon.
Inside the room, Mara wants to get in the car to pick up Jackson's medicine and leave town. Shane lays his gun on the dresser. Shane tells her criminals get caught because they move too much; the Vendrells are smarter than that. They need to keep off the roads and out of sight. "For how long?" Mara demands.
Shane has an idea. A presidential motorcade is coming to L.A. is over the weekend, which will tie up traffic. It's their best chance to get gone. Until then, they're stuck. Mara retorts they have to go out for Jackson's medicine. "Only because you left it at home," says Shane. Still, he agrees to make a pharmacy run.
Billings' wife Allison and teenage daughter Margaret pay a visit to the Barn. Margaret rolls her eyes when Billings tries to call her Mags. Billings apologizes that his child support check is late, but that's not what Allison wants to talk about. A man named Irving recently moved into their neighborhood and is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of molesting a teenage girl.
Billings and Dutch knock on Irving's door, introducing themselves as detectives. Irving grumpily tells them he updated his address two weeks ago. "Consider us the welcome wagon," says Billings before expressing his concern about his family. Irving knows his rights and that the detectives are out of their jurisdiction.
Billings shoves his foot in the door when Irving tries to close it. Irving admits to raping the teenager in Sacramento, but he's served his sentence, adding "haven't touched jailbait since." Charming.
"I didn't see your bulletin until after he left," a pharmacy tech tells Vic. Shane and his sick kid left about a half hour ago. She didn't notice what kind of car he was in, but Shane bought something besides antibiotics.
"Hi," Shane greets cheerily. He tells Mara he already gave Jackson the medicine. It should work fast, but the pharmacist said to keep an eye on him. Shane also has a single red rose for Mara. He notices local real estate magazines spread all over the bed. With the state of the economy, some houses have been vacant for over 6 months.
Shane thinks squatting is too risky. Mara's concerned about Jackson's health with them living in this dusty old hotel. They can expect more knocks on the door if he keeps crying.
Vic tells Ronnie to contact local ERs with Shane's alias: "Jackson might be sicker than we thought." Vic will start checking the hotels closest to the pharmacy. Ronnie doubts Shane is stupid enough to pick up prescriptions near where he's staying. "No, but maybe Shawn Hoover is." says Vic.
Ronnie reminds Vic of the decision he'll have to make if they find Shane. "Mara's not an innocent," Vic says vehemently. Shane purposely kept his wife in the loop about all the shady shit he gets up to; if Mara gets caught, she'll start pointing fingers at Vic and Ronnie. "Jackson's too young to be a witness," Vic adds heavily.
Cruz gives Edgar-veda a tour of his new campaign headquarters and introduces him to his friend Guillermo. Edgar-veda knows Miguel Calderon is interested in being his campaign finance chief, but he has someone else in mind. Cruz reminds him that all this help comes with a hefty price tag: "The dick is up your ass. And I'm the one who decides when and if it comes out."
"It was all I could do to keep from breaking that prick's jaw!" growls Edgar-veda. Chaffee reminds him the point of the meeting was to make Cruz believe he's in charge. Once he starts making mistakes, it'll be easier for Olivia to take him down. Edgar-veda gripes he won't win the election if he's "pretending to be this asshole's water boy." He wouldn't be surprised if Cruz's new friend Guillermo works for the cartel. Olivia asks Edgar-veda to sit down with some mug books.
Julien reports to Tina that Shane traded the Lexus for a green '91 Taurus. He asks her to call in the plate number. Julien doesn't plan to pass this info along to Ronnie. Practically the whole city is looking for the Vendrells.
Vic shows the motel manager a picture of his old buddy "Shawn Hoover." He has a bottle of medicine that "Shawn's" kid really needs. "Been getting a lotta complaints about that brat crying," says the manager. He points Vic in the direction of the room. On the motel walkway, Vic draws his gun. Panting, he kicks in the door of Room 213. It's empty.
The Vendrells are sitting in a hospital waiting room. "This people look fine. Jackson is really sick; he needs to see a doctor," Mara whispers. Shane asks what she expects him to do. Mara worries Jackson might be having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.
Ronnie calls Vic with a tip; "Shawn Hoover" signed his feverish son into City of Angels Hospital. Mara's Lexus is at a chop shop in Sunland. Claudette already has the details on Shane's new car.
Allison, looking upset, is in the Barn's back parking lot. Margaret told her mom that Irving's been glaring at her and passing by the house frequently. Billings thinks it'll be okay; he went to Irving's to put the fear of God in him. Allison argues nothing is fine as long as he's living on their street.
"Now he sees my kids as a threat," she says. Billings assures her, "Nothing's gonna happen to our kids." Irving knows he's a cop. Allison regrets thinking he could help.
"You lied to me, you goddamn bastard," Rita says in an all-too-calm voice, "Lloyd told me everything last night. You think that he shot that kid deliberately?" She calls herself stupid for thinking she could trust Dutch.
The good detective has looked into what Rita said about her ex in Tulsa; the teacher/abusive boyfriend wanted to file criminal charges against Lloyd for tying up the man's son, threatening to torture and kill him. "It was a game," Rita insists, "You made me think we were on a date and all you were doing was gathering evidence on my son."
Billings watches interestedly as Rita threatens to slap Dutch. She doesn't want Dutch near her or Lloyd again.
Edgar-veda has ID'ed Guillermo as Guillermo Beltran, a former secretariat of the Mexican presidential guard. He resigned during the Vincente Fox administration because of a corruption investigation. Guillermo is now head of security for the Guerrero drug cartel and a three-year member of a Department of Defense watch list.
"Power player of this caliber elevates him way beyond Byz Lat gang level," says Edgar-veda. The cartel must want a hand in running Los Angeles. He wants Olivia to stop treating his mayoral campaign as just a pawn in an ICE investigation. Vic turned in his badge, making Edgar-veda the agency's new most valuable asset. He wants credit for helping take down an international criminal or he'll recant his ID of Guillermo.
Dutch tells Billings that Irving hasn't violated his parole. Billings wasn't thinking of going after him officially. Dutch scoffs, "I'm supposed to be Shane Vendrell to whatever Vic Mackey plan you've hatched?" Billings changes the subject to Rita, wondering why she looked so pissed. Dutch thinks she's starting to realize her son is a murderer.
Billings reminds his partner how helpful he was during Lloyd's investigation. It's time for Dutch to pay it forward. Dutch refuses to "be a party to anything that's unethical." Billings goes back to his desk, presumably to pout.
The ER doc has just finished giving Jackson a shot of a stronger antibiotic. He's concerned about the toddler's fever and wants to keep him for overnight observation. Shane lies that he has a new job starting in Northern California; it's gone if he's not there. "Your son shouldn't be traveling," the doctor advises.
Shane whispers he's been out of work a while and the family is uninsured. He promises to bring Jackson to the closest ER if he doesn't get better. He and Mara will watch Jackson around the clock. Doc agrees to give them some antibiotic samples to get them through the next couple of days. Meanwhile, Vic has spotted the green Taurus in the City of Angels Hospital parking lot.
Irving is led out of his house in handcuffs. Detective Keefe tells Billings the parole officer found child pornography in Irving's bedroom. It's the second time he's violated parole, so he's going back to prison. Someone called in an anonymous tip.
Mara drags Jackson out of the exam room, telling Shane they have to leave. She heard nurses saying a gunshot victim is coming in, which means police presence too. Shane hurriedly snatches Jackson's backpack and the antibiotic samples. "It's okay, Jackson," Mara soothes, forgetting her son is named Bryan as far as the hospital is concerned.
Vic is waiting behind a column with his gun. Mara freezes at the sound of sirens. Shane sees his former best friend pointing a gun at them and whispers something in his wife's ear. Mara calls toward the police car parked behind them, "Officer! That man over there has a gun!"
Vic initially ignores the officers' commands to stop walking, then raises his hands in surrender. Shane gets in his car and watches as Vic kneels on the ground.
Allison and Margaret thank Billings for getting Irving out of their neighborhood. "Feeling better about yourself?" Dutch asks when they leave. Billings does, actually, knowing his daughters are safer. Dutch accuses his partner of falsely reporting Irving and getting his friend Keefe to plant the porn. Irving has stayed out of trouble since his original parole violation 6 years ago. "A cop helped another cop out. It's called loyalty," says Billings. Dutch disagrees, "It's wrong."
"Vic Mackey was detained by two police officers in a hospital in East Hollywood tonight," Claudette informs Ronnie, "A couple with a small child told the officer that he had a gun and pointed it at them." Ronnie doesn't think that makes sense. Claudette goes on; hospital surveillance tapes show the couple in question were the Vendrells. Ronnie keeps a poker face. Claudette says, "Tell me what you know about this and don't leave anything out."
Ronnie has no idea what Vic's been up to while he's been on desk duty. Sure, Vic wants Shane brought to justice, but Ronnie has no clue how Vic found him. Claudette tells Ronnie he has two choices: See Vic's departure as a fresh start or throw away his career just like Vic did. What's it gonna be? Ronnie doesn't hesitate: "I want my job."
Claudette advises him to act like it. She asks the tough question, "Why does Vendrell want you dead?" Ronnie sits down and answers honestly, "Vic and I found out that Shane killed Lem." They'd suspected him for weeks. Right before Lem died, they busted a Salvadoran weapons operation and Shane had pocketed a grenade.
Claudette inquires why Shane would want to kill Lem at all. "The only thing that we could figure out was Shane's involvement with the Armenians. Shane was double-dipping, Lem found out about it." Ronnie fibs. Claudette asks if there's proof.
Ronnie tells her about Kavanaugh's final report: "The night Lem was killed, Shane told us he'd been followed all night long, just like we had. Kavanaugh wrote only Vic and I were followed." "And why am I just finding out about this now?" Claudette asks.
Ronnie sighs that Shane was their friend; they didn't want to accuse him without solid evidence. Shane must've put the pieces together, then tried to have him and Vic killed. Ronnie's pretty sure that Shane was hiding in Vic's apartment to finish him off last night.
"So Vic went to the hospital for revenge," says Claudette. Ronnie shakes his head: "A bullet's too good." Vic wants Shane to suffer in prison for his crimes.
Olivia fills Vic in about Beltran. Vic would happy to look into Beltran's street crimes if ICE formalizes their relationship. Olivia explains quitting his job turned Vic into just another CI. "Then I'm not freelancing for you people in a war zone," Vic says flatly. He won't settle for anything less than "ICE credentials, a paycheck, and full dental." "That was an easier sell before you turned your badge in," says Olivia.
Vic might not be valuable to Cruz anymore and if that's the case...he's shit out of luck. "If anything, being badgeless just means I have more time to devote to his cause," Vic argues. When the Box O' Blackmail turns up and Olivia's file is in it, she'll realize what a mistake she's made. Vic asks for a chance to get close to Beltran.
A crying Rita turns up on Dutch's porch, asking, "Why are you so convinced Lloyd's a murderer?" Dutch invites her in. Rita tells her she had an argument with Lloyd about her wanting to date Dutch. Lloyd laughed nastily and called her pathetic. He accused Dutch of ruining his mom.
Dutch advises Rita to get away from Lloyd. "He's not an abusive husband or a cheating boyfriend; he's my son," she sniffles. Rita cooks for him and drives him to school. Dutch has another idea: bring Lloyd to the police station and convince him to confess. "What if he's innocent?" sobs Rita. Dutch thinks they both know otherwise. "He's my boy," Rita chokes out.
"Every killer that the world has ever seen started out as somebody's boy," Dutch says gently, "Lloyd is gonna kill somebody else eventually. Someone else's son or daughter. Unless you help me stop him." Rita puts her hands over her ears, refusing to believe it. She storms out of Dutch's living room.
"What if Shane saw you coming here?" Corinne asks Vic. Cassidy is curious why her dad is there so late at night. Vic thinks she should get ready for bed; he and Corinne are waiting for an important call. Cassidy gives her dad a good-night hug and kiss. I'm shocked she didn't argue that she's old enough to know what's going on.
The phone rings. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Mara demands from the other end. She understands why Vic lied, but not why Corinne would. "I didn't lie to you," Corinne insists. Mara yells, "Vic tried to kill us tonight and you helped him! He made you an accessory to attempted murder! And now you're a criminal! Just like Vic!" (I don't think so, Mara. Corinne works at Mission Cross, not City of Angels, so she didn't rat you out).
Corinne frowns, wondering aloud what Mara means. Mara explains what happened at the hospital when she took Jackson in about his fever. Vic was ready to kill all the Vendrells, including Mara and the unborn baby. He won't stop until he gets what he wants and "the deaths of my children will be on your head." When Mara calls tomorrow afternoon, she expects Corinne to have specific, detailed information.
Corinne hangs up. Vic wants to know what Mara said. She lies that Shane doesn't trust Vic anymore and won't be calling back ever.
Elsewhere, Shane has a big favor to ask of his wife. He wants Mara to go back to L.A. and turn herself in. The police have no evidence against her and she can say Shane threatened her into helping him. They'll believe Mara was scared for her life and the life of her baby. Mara refuses.
"Mara, you gotta take care of yourself," Shane pleads. And Jackson and their unborn daughter. She and the kids can still have a decent life; that's all that matters to Shane. "But we wouldn't have you," says Mara. Shane kisses her. Mara takes Jackson out of his carseat and holds him. "We're a family," she says, "Nobody's gonna tear us apart."
Shane breaks into a vacant house and deadpans, "Well, I always told you I'd get you a mansion someday." End of episode.
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