The Closer (2005–2012): Season 7, Episode 2 - Repeat Offender - full transcript

Previously on The Closer:

Got an advance copy of the
department's organizational chart.

You will be directing all of your inquiries
to new Assistant Chief Russell Taylor.

Did Major Crimes
investigate the murders...

of an elderly convenience-store
owner and his 8-year-old grandson...

referred to as the
Shootin' Newton murders?

- What is this about?
- Turell's mother has filed a suit...

against the city, the L.A.P.D.,
Chief Pope, yourself...

and every member of your division
for the wrongful death of Turell Baylor.

- How about I just quit?
- I'll tie this lawsuit around your neck...

and tell the attorney
whatever happened to Baylor...



was a consequence of
your own personal actions.

Chief! Chief, are you okay?
- Chief!

- Come on, now.
- This is Deputy Chief Johnson.

I've got an officer down.
Repeat, we have an officer down.

During his years of service...

Chief Thomas Delk embodied
the core values of the L.A.P.D.:

To serve and protect.

The aneurism that
cut short his life...

has also robbed us of his vision for
our city's future in law enforcement.

Chief Delk was a family man...

and he brought the same level
of commitment and dedication...

to his second
family, the L.A.P.D.

And I know that he would
agree that in our interim chief...

the torch has passed
to a worthy leader...



one who will guide us through this
next and even more difficult transition.

Chief William Pope.

Will?

Today is not about our future
purpose but our present loss...

and the too-short life of a
30-year veteran of the L.A.P.D.

- The king is dead.
- Yeah, long live the pope.

I had the privilege of working
closely with Chief Delk...

during the few months
of his too-short tenure.

On behalf of the
department and the city...

I offer Tommy's wife,
Nicole, and his sons...

Carlton and Tommy Jr...

our deepest condolences.

Brothers and
sisters, let us pray.

How long do you think the commander
is gonna stare into that grave?

You guys might wanna consider
putting Taylor on suicide watch.

Delk was his only way up.

- Poor guy. PROVENZA:
Yeah, it's a real tragedy.

Flynn, lend me a hankie, huh?

- Major Crimes. Detective Gabriel.
- Uh, Chief Pope?

I would've told you the mayor
appointed me interim chief...

but I just found out
myself in the car.

So I guess this means
that Commander Taylor...

is not going to
be assistant chief?

That'd be a pretty good guess.

Budget savings anyway in
my keeping both positions.

So we're back to normal?

As long as there's
"interim" in front of "chief"...

I'm planning to move
carefully. Eventually, yeah.

And what about, uh, Captain
Raydor's investigation...

into Major Crimes, the Shootin'
Newton case? Is that over?

- Chief?
- Uh, one second.

Yeah. Chief?

We caught a murder.

- Chief? Murder?
- Yes, detective. Murder.

- Where? FLYNN:
Over here, chief.

How'd y'all get here so fast?
Did you take the freeway?

Sepulveda.

Anyway, about an hour ago...

officers responded to a 911
call from inside the house.

When they entered,
they found the victim...

female, early
20s, dead for days.

Who called this in?
- The homeowners.

Daniel and Emily Dixon.
That's their son, Jesse.

They just returned from vacation
to find their home burglarized...

- and their house sitter dead.
- The, uh, victim's name is Ashley Reed.

- She was found by Mrs. Dixon.
- Excuse me, uh, detective?

Oh, no, uh, sorry, Mr. Dixon.

- The person you'd be looking for...
- I'm Deputy Chief Johnson.

Mr. Dixon, would you mind telling me
what y'all did when you first got home?

- Did you touch anything?
- No. No. Um, I don't know.

Like I told the officer, my, uh, son
just graduated from high school.

We took him to
Hawaii for 10 days.

Uh, got back, was getting the bags out
of the car, and I heard my wife scream.

I ran in, and, uh, I saw Ashley.

- Ashley was your house sitter?
- She wasn't just a house sitter.

Her mother and I are
best friends since college.

I've known Ashley since she
was a baby. She was family.

My God, this is my fault.

- It's not your fault, honey.
- I'm the one who asked her to stay.

Ashley's family is in Chicago.

- What am I gonna tell her mother?
- Better let us deal with that, ma'am.

Um, I'm gonna look inside now.

But if you could keep talking to,
uh, Lieutenant Provenza here...

about Ashley, we'd like
to learn everything we can.

- I'm sorry.
- Thank you. I'm...

Please don't be mad.

I put a blanket over her.

I just couldn't stand the thought
of anybody seeing Ashley like that.

Like what?

Okay, Buzz, come
on, let's go upstairs.

- Was it the fall that killed her?
- Neck's broken, but I can't say for sure.

There's a lot of decomp.

She's been dead a
good four or five days.

She's practically naked. Her shirt's
torn. Any sign of sexual assault?

Hard to tell in a body in this
condition. You'll have to ask the doctor.

Yeah, that's her. Ashley Reed.

I got her Illinois driver's license
and her student ID from USC.

Found her cell phone and a suitcase full
of clothes in the downstairs guest room.

What was she doing upstairs?

Wow, this is worse
than the master bedroom.

Well, he is a teenager.

Some of this mess is probably
from before the break-in.

But look, flat-screen
TV is still here.

So is the stereo and the Xbox.

- If this is what they left behind...
- What did they take?

- Cell?
- Yeah. Battery's dead.

- Not a problem.
- No sign of forced entry, chief.

If it wasn't a break-in, who would
Ashley open the door for dressed like this?

The, uh, Dixons'
story seems legit.

They showed me their
plane tickets to Maui...

and then I had them open
up those fancy suitcases.

Did you see those sunburns?
Guess they never heard of skin cancer.

Make sure they weren't here
during the time of the murder.

So check the airports
and the hotel in Maui.

The house has been picked over, but they
didn't bother with the big-ticket items.

- Maybe they were interrupted.
- I don't know, chief.

This burglary looks
really amateur.

Yeah, so maybe
somebody rapes Ashley...

throws her over the
railing to stage the scene.

I got Ashley's phone working.

The last few days, she's received
lots of the same text messages:

"Where are you?" However, the last
messages she replied to were sent...

- Five days ago.
- Exactly.

Four-thirty p.m. from A.
Banks: "Pick you up at 6:30?"

To which Ashley
replied, "Great."

And then at 9:14 p.m.,
another one from A. Banks:

"How was bedtime?" Ashley wrote,
"All's well. Kids are asleep. Have fun."

So she was house-sitting here
and babysitting somewhere else?

Okay, so we have a phone
number for an A. Banks.

Can we get an address?

Mrs. Banks, good
morning, I'm Deputy Chief...

Oh, God, what
happened? Is it Alex?

- Alex? Is that your husband?
- Yes. Yes. Was there an accident?

Uh, no, ma'am.
Sorry to alarm you.

We just wanna ask you a few
questions about Ashley Reed.

Ashley?

She's one of Alex's students.
He's a journalism professor.

And does Ashley
also babysit for you?

Like last Wednesday
evening, for example?

Uh, yes. My husband and I went to dinner
for our anniversary. What's this about?

And have you heard
from Ms. Reed since?

No, not since Alex
drove her home.

Oh, God.

Did something happen?

- Is Ashley filing a complaint?
- Ma'am?

Oh, my God.

That's why he poured me
that extra wine at dinner.

How could I be so stupid?

And he hasn't said a thing
about it for almost a week.

I'm sorry, I have to
call him right away.

Mrs. Banks, may I come
in for a moment, just to talk?

Thank you.

- The husband?
- Yes, find him.

So Turell Baylor confessed to the
murder of 74-year-old Charlie Niles...

and his 8-year-old
grandson, Chris.

This case could not be prosecuted,
however, because as you know...

at your request, the DA's office
had given Mr. Baylor immunity...

in exchange for his statement.

Chief Johnson then released
Mr. Baylor at his home.

Later, he was found beaten
to death behind his residence.

But Chief Johnson's conduct during this
investigation and that of her division...

fell entirely within California state law
and the rules and policy of the L.A.P.D.

Case closed. I am done.

I gotta say, captain, on the face of it,
this audit seems incredibly superficial.

- Sir?
- I want you to go back down...

to Major Crimes, interview everyone,
make sure we have no vulnerabilities.

We always have vulnerabilities.

Okay.

If you want further analysis
of our legal defense...

then I think the city...

No, I'm not opening our
files to any outsiders, period.

My relationship with Chief
Johnson is already complicated.

Well, you're the one who decided
on a career in Internal Affairs.

I don't know exactly
what happened...

but dropping Baylor off in
front of angry gang members...

was not Chief
Johnson's finest hour.

And insisting on immunity
for a child-killer was not yours.

Listen, captain.

I plan on keeping this
job. Part of that plan...

is making sure this lawsuit does
not reflect badly on the L.A.P.D.

You will go back down to Major
Crimes and finish your audit.

Seeing that I am
legally prohibited...

from discussing with Chief Johnson
why I am haunting her murder room...

would you perhaps
consider telling her...

that I am there under
direct orders from you?

What do you think?

- This is the worst part of my job.
- Great to see you as well, detective.

- You know what I mean.
- Not much I can tell you.

Five days on the floor, even with
a.c., the body's in terrible condition.

Intracranial bleeding and broken
neck are consistent with a fall.

But look.

Bruising that appears
to be perimortem.

She was grabbed, trying to
get away from the killer, maybe.

Or being thrown off the landing.

And, um, what about rape?

No evidence of foreign
biological materials.

Though she was dead for
so long, I can't rule it out.

When you open her up, see if Ms. Reed
was pregnant or recently had an abortion.

You know something I don't?

Ashley was babysitting
for one of her professors...

a Mr. Alex Banks, who drove
her home the night she died.

According to his wife, the professor
had an affair with another student.

How'd the wife find out?

The professor paid for the
woman's abortion on his credit card.

Mm-hm, careless. That's why it's a
good idea to keep cash around the house.

You think Ashley might have
been the professor's latest girlfriend?

Maybe she just found
him more resistible.

The last one, he knocked up.
This one, he knocked down.

Ah. Everything about the
Dixon Maui trip checks out.

Their alibi holds.

So I had the family give me a list
of everything stolen from the house.

I doubt we'll
recover any of it...

but I'm putting it into the Stolen
Property System just in case.

Chief, I got Professor Banks Mirandized
and waiting for you in Interview 1.

I, uh, took his cell phone, so he
hasn't had a chance to speak to his wife.

- But he's got lots of questions.
- Yeah, so do I.

Chief? Chief, could you
hang on there just one second?

What's the matter, lieutenant?
- Um...

Captain Raydor. And I know you asked
me to give her everything she needs...

but now she's wants to interview
every member of our division...

starting with me.

The guys are starting
to ask questions.

Chief, what is this all about?

I don't know anymore.

Captain Raydor, may I speak
with you for a moment, please?

- Oh, of course, yes.
- Thank you.

What on earth are
you still doing here?

I am conducting a transparency
audit on the Shootin' Newton murders.

Ordered by Chief
Delk. And he's dead.

I'm positive that Chief Pope
will reverse that decision.

But until I am ordered to
leave... You understand?

Until I am ordered to
leave, then I must proceed.

I need to interview every
member of your division...

including Commander
Taylor and Buzz Watson...

as long as it doesn't interfere with
the proper execution of their duties.

All right, then. Uh,
Detective Sanchez...

get a warrant to search the
professor's home, car and office.

And, uh, take Buzz along with
you to document everything.

You have an interview.
Shouldn't I be...?

No, thank you. And,
Commander Taylor, are you here?

- Yeah, I'm here, chief.
- Of course you are.

Um, I'd like you to supervise the
rest of the squad on a grid search.

Please get copies of the theft
reports and see if you can find...

the Dixons' stolen property anywhere
between their home and the professor's.

Yes, ma'am. A grid search.

Breaks up my day a little.

Is this grid search
really necessary?

If the burglary was a cover-up
for Ashley Reed's murder...

the killer or killers
would've dumped the items.

You're sending your entire
division on a scavenger hunt...

to frustrate my investigation.

Your investigation is history
the moment I brief Pope.

I'd love to be a fly
on the wall for that.

Make sure you let me
know what Pope says.

Professor Banks, I'm so
sorry to have kept you waiting.

I'm Deputy Chief Johnson.

I wanna thank you so
much for dropping in.

I didn't drop in. I was
practically arrested.

- Someone tell me what is going on here.
- Oh, I apologize. Um...

We're conducting
an investigation...

and we didn't want any
details leaked to the press, so...

I'm sure being a journalism
professor, you can understand.

Maybe if we were
in Soviet Russia.

Part of my citizenship test covered the
openness of the American legal system.

So I'm a little bit surprised to be dragged
downtown on secret police business.

It's not a secret. And you
did get your rights read to you.

Are you familiar with a woman
by the name of Ashley Reed?

Familiar? Yes, I'm
familiar with Ashley.

She's a student in my seminar.
I'm her independent study adviser.

Do you have a personal relationship
with her, outside of class, I mean?

She's done some
work for my family.

She looked after your children for
you and your wife last week, is that right?

- Yes.
- And when she was done?

I drove her back to...

Well, she was
house-sitting nearby, so...

And when you dropped her off, did
you by chance walk her to the door?

No, I don't believe I did.

Simple question. You walked
her to the door or you didn't.

I didn't.

She got out of the car,
and I went straight home.

- You didn't go inside the house with her?
- No.

And you didn't
take her clothes off?

God, no.

What the hell is this about?

- Has Ashley made a complaint?
- Do you have a history of complaints?

- I don't understand your question.
- How about this, then?

Have you ever had sexual relations
with any of the girls in your class?

Of course not.

If I were to ask your
current students...

and former ones that
question, they'd agree?

Absolutely. Now, these
questions are personal...

and I have no idea
what they're about at all.

I'll give you the headline.

"Coed Brutally Slain."

Not a picture you could put
on the front page, I imagine.

Now, take a good look,
professor, if you would.

Do you recognize that woman?

I know it might be hard because
she's been dead for five days.

Ashley's been
dead for five days?

And from what you just told me,
you're the last person to see her alive.

- You can't think I did this?
- Well, the thought crossed my mind.

Especially since you lied
about having an affair...

with one of your students
and the abortion you paid for.

At least, if what your
wife tells me is true.

You spoke to Sara?

Oh, my, did I just reveal
my source? Oh, well.

Would you like to comment
on the murder of Ashley Reed...

for the record?

Yes, sir, it is a
big task ahead.

But, uh, under these
unfortunate circumstances...

I'm, uh, very grateful to
have such supportive partners.

Okay. Thank you, sir.

Okay. Bye-bye. Could you knock?

- Just since I'm chief?
- Interim chief.

You wanted to see me?

Why did you pull 20
uniforms off patrol...

and send them on a grid
search with your division?

Because I couldn't get a confession
and the suspect faked the burglary...

of the Dixon house to cover up
the rape and murder of my victim.

Then he probably dumped
whatever he stole on the way home.

You sent your whole squad out
on legitimate police business...

and not just to avoid
Captain Raydor?

Oh, Will, please, please, can't
you just make her go away?

It's inconvenient, I know.

Look, when Delk assigned Raydor
this audit, I openly opposed it.

But since it's underway now,
we need to see it through.

By the way, I saw myself
on TV in the uniform.

Why did you not tell
me I'd gotten so...?

Sorry. You're fat. Feel better?

Look, I'm a little
more concerned...

about Captain Raydor
interviewing my division...

- and asking Taylor about me.
- That's annoying.

How much longer is he gonna
stay in that stupid cubicle?

Brenda, I can't start shuffling people
around until my own situation is settled.

Taylor is temporary. Raydor is temporary.
Unless you want somebody new...

coming in who may or may
not dismantle Major Crimes...

we need to focus on
making me permanent.

What's the point of being in
charge if you can't change anything?

Just be patient. I'm working
on it. These things take time.

You spend your
whole life in the system.

You trust that your hard work and
years of service will be recognized...

and good things
will come to you.

Then, poof, your reward drops
dead right in front of your eyes.

- I should've brought my own car.
- I played the game.

I played the game
as well as anyone.

- Guess I was just riding the wrong horse.
- Probably the extra weight that killed him.

Gabriel! Gabriel,
did you find anything?

Uh, no, actually. The, uh, garbage on this
side of the street was picked up yesterday.

I sent the patrol
officers to the dump.

When they get back, we can
check across the street over there...

Oh, no, no. No waiting.

Now, I am not going to stay
here any longer than I have to.

So you get your coveralls,
young man. You're going in.

- Are you gonna help?
- I don't Dumpster.

God.

This warrant gives us the
right to search your home...

automobiles,
computers and e-mail.

But if you could sign this consent
form, it would show your cooperation.

I need to talk to my husband.
He's not answering his phone.

I mean, have you found some
kind of evidence that he...?

- I mean, is he under arrest?
- We just need to search the house.

Hope you guys aren't too hot.

If I find a big umbrella,
I'll make you some shade.

He had me to his
house, you know, Delk.

Right before he died.
"Trust me," he says.

- "I got big plans for you."
- Hey, wait, wait, wait. Hey.

Whoa, hang on, hang
on. Gabriel, get down here.

Gladly.

Huh?

Now, that's the same kind of
luggage that the Dixons had.

- The ones they took to Hawaii.
- You sure?

Yeah, yeah. Must be part
of a set. Open that up, David.

Unbelievable.

Good catch, lieutenant.
Yeah. Good catch.

Oh, it's password-protected. Let me
see if I can get ahold of the manufacturer.

If you give them a serial number,
they can give you a workaround.

- Excellent job, commander.
- I can't believe you found anything.

Well, never bet against my
years of experience, captain.

Yeah, we couldn't
have done it without you.

A regular Nancy Drew. - English.

You find Professor Banks' fingerprints
on any of the items that you recovered?

- Um, no, but we'll get him. Don't you worry.
- Tech support.

Hey, so I'm entering the stuff we
found into the Stolen Property System.

It's a funny thing. The Dixons, they
never mentioned a missing laptop.

Representative.

Maybe the computer
belonged to Ashley Reed...

and the professor took it to hide
communication between them.

Representative. Representative.

Ah, jeez, I'm gonna
be here all night.

Chief, the professor's
wife is here to see him.

- We set them up in the break room.
- I wired the walls and the ceiling.

I can't guarantee they'll always be on
camera, but the sound should be fine.

All right, then.

Let's see what the, uh, lovebirds
have to say to each other.

How many more were there?

Just tell me, Alex.

How many students
were you screwing?

None, Sara.

- Heh, it's not true.
- Let's just get it all out, okay?

Now that things are
as bad as they can be.

The police tore apart our house,
Alex, right in front of the children.

Just tell me what you
did to that poor girl.

You don't really
believe I murdered her?

Do you seriously think that I'm
capable of something like that?

I didn't think you were capable
of cheating on me either.

I never thought that you could lie to
my face while destroying our family.

I promised I would never do
anything like that to you again.

I've been taking counseling
seriously, spending time with the kids.

- I am trying so hard to rebuild our trust...
- Yeah, well, it's not working.

Did you marry me
to become a citizen?

Just tell the truth, Alex.

Was I a way out of
visas and green cards?

Let's not have this
conversation again!

I understand why
you're so upset. I do.

But this is important.

If you talk to the
police again...

you need to tell them...

that I came straight home
after I dropped Ashley off...

and that you were
awake when I got into bed.

What? Why?

Because that's what I told them.

Here we go.

Let's hope.

You mean you didn't
come straight home?

Oh, my God, Alex.
What did you do?

I drove around for a little bit.

- I wasn't tired...
- What did you do, Alex?

- I didn't feeling like going home.
- Just tell me the truth.

What did you do?

I drove by Chloe's house again.

- Chloe? Who's that?
- That's the former student/mistress.

What?

- Sara, let me explain why...
- You went to that whore's house again?

Are you serious? While I was passed out
from the extra wine you put in my glass?

While your own children
were sleeping in their beds...

on our anniversary?

It was the... It was
the wrong thing to do.

I am really sorry, and I am
completely ashamed right now.

- Oh, please. Ashamed.
- But I did not go into her house.

I did not get out of the car.
I did not talk to her, even.

- And I came right home!
- Why are you even telling me this?

Because I lied to the police, and
they may ask you where I was.

So if I still mean
anything to you, Sara...

listen.

Knowing how this
would make you feel...

I would never tell you that I drove
by Chloe's house unless it were true.

Hm?

- If you could just...
- Don't touch me.

Sara, this is my life
we're talking about.

It's not what you think.

You wanna know what I think?

I think you need a lawyer.

I think I need one too.

That's enough to
hold him overnight.

Lieutenant Flynn, would you please
extend an invitation to the professor?

Mm-hm.

I told you. Didn't I tell you?
I told you, do not trust Pope.

- Look, Will is in a difficult position now.
- Difficult position? He's chief.

Now that he's on top, he's gonna
fight to stay, throwing you under the bus.

You know, Will is on this
lawsuit too. It's Raydor.

- Now she wants to interview my division.
- Aha!

- What "aha"?
- Pope sicced Raydor on you...

so you could take the blame
and he gets to keep his fourth star.

Your friend Chief Delk
sicced Raydor on me.

She's still following you, isn't
she? Because Pope wants her to.

He is a survivor, that
guy, like a cockroach.

Look, when it comes to
Will, you are just irrational.

Yeah, well, you're
just too trusting.

If you don't look out for yourself,
no one else in the L.A.P.D...

and I mean no one, is gonna
end up having your back.

Lieutenant Tao,
you're still at work?

I'm sorry to call
so late, chief.

You know that computer
we found in the Dumpster?

I couldn't get past the password.
The company was no help.

- I'm sorry.
- Oh, that's okay.

I just think it's so great you stayed
so late to help me with my case.

- I knew you had my back.
- Hey, Tao doesn't count.

Okay. Uh, but, chief,
here's some news.

I just got around to entering the laptop
in the SPS, the Stolen Property System.

- I know what that means.
- It turns out it was stolen.

- Well, obviously it was stolen.
- No, chief.

The laptop was put into
the system four months ago.

Four months ago?

Then who owned
it before last week?

Well, I don't remember
needing a password to access it...

- but this is my old laptop.
- And what makes you so sure?

The, uh, Q is sticky
and it's about to fall out.

And this scratch
on the top here.

I had the computer
on the sofa...

and my dog jumped up on
it and did that with her nails.

Oh, and I brought my receipt.

- See there? Gerald Wein.
- Uh-huh.

That's me.

Do you know how the burglars
gained entry into your home?

Don't really know.

They disabled the alarm. There
wasn't any sign of a break-in.

And where were you, Mr. Wein,
during the time of the burglary?

I took the family skiing
up in Dodge Ridge.

We were gone for a week.

We came home to find the front door
open and the house completely trashed.

It wasn't as bad as it looked.
They didn't touch the artwork.

And aside from the computer
and some of my wife's jewelry...

not much was stolen.

The detective who came to the house,
he said the whole thing looked amateur.

Did he, now?

And who knew y'all
were going out of town?

It wasn't a secret.
My assistant, I guess.

My wife's sister had
our complete itinerary.

And my son posted it
on his Facebook page.

So basically, the world.

Teenagers.

Yeah. Gosh, they
grow up so fast.

It may have been our last
vacation together as a family.

Dennis is off to college in the
fall. Just graduated high school.

Just graduated high
school? Really? Which one?

Right this way, please.

- Thank y'all so much for coming down.
- Anything we can do to help.

We're all just so
devastated about Ashley.

Have you spoken
to her mother yet?

She won't talk to me.

- Did you find who did this yet?
- Uh, we've made an arrest, yes.

- Oh, thank God.
- Well, that's good news.

- Who was it?
- Someone with a history of bad behavior.

But we're happy to say we
recovered most of the items stolen.

- It all seems so trivial at this point.
- It's been helpful in closing our case.

- Oh, there's my watch.
- If you don't mind...

uh, we have a system
here we have to manage.

In order to ensure that all property
is returned to its rightful owner...

we need a signed declaration
for each individual item.

So if you could just fill out
these forms here in triplicate...

and date and sign at
the X, that would be great.

You can sit down over here.

Then I have to input
everything into the computer.

- We can start with the watch, sir.
- Okay. Thank you.

Put these on. You don't wanna get
fingerprint dust all over your hands.

And, Jesse, we have
your things over here.

- My things?
- The thief took a special interest...

in your room. Right this way.

Come on in, Jesse. Have a seat.

You're off to college next
year, huh? That's exciting.

Yeah, I guess. BRENDA: Hmm.

This is one fancy pen.

- Let me guess, graduation present?
- Yeah. I got a few of those.

Uh-huh. Don't people know y'all
only use computers these days?

Speaking of which...

- Found your laptop.
- Thanks.

If you could boot it up for
us so we can list it as yours...

we can wrap this up.

Yeah, sure. Okay.

All good, then? It's yours?

Yeah. GABRIEL: Great.

It's funny. While
investigating Ashley's murder...

I found a series of other
burglaries in your neighborhood.

Really?

In fact, I was just visiting with
Mr. Wein. Name ring a bell?

His son, Dennis, was
in high school with you.

Their house was burglarized when they
were on a family vacation just like yours.

We spoke to a Mr. Simmons
and a Mrs. Preston...

and they also had burglaries that
occurred while they were out of town.

Would you believe they also have kids
who just graduated from your school?

I don't really recognize
those names, so, um...

Really? That's odd. Their
parents knew you really well.

Said you and their kids
were thick as thieves.

So tell me, if you really
don't know these people...

how is it that this computer,
which you said was yours...

which you somehow
failed to report as stolen...

which has your password,
ended up in your room...

when we know for a fact that
it was stolen from Mr. Wein?

- Um, well...
- Come on, Jesse.

It's clear you and your friends were
robbing each other's houses. Why?

Before you tell me...
Detective Gabriel?

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can and
will be used against you.

You have the
right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford an
attorney, one will be appointed.

Or we could bring
your parents in on this.

- Want me to go get your mom and dad?
- No. No, wait.

It started on a
dare. Like, um...

could we pull off breaking into each
other's houses without getting caught?

Taking stuff our parents
wouldn't care about so much...

or that the insurance
companies would replace.

There was no sign of
forced entry in these houses.

We put everything into a pile.
House keys, alarm codes...

passwords you use if the
rent-a-cops come around.

And, look, our parents are rich.

Half the stuff, they didn't
even notice was gone.

It was just something we
did during our senior year.

- It was a joke.
- A joke?

Because I don't think
that murder is funny.

Who all was in
this little gang, huh?

I've got fingerprints
from all these robberies.

All I need is the
names to go with them.

All right, uh, Detective Gabriel, would
you please manage the suspect here...

while I inform the parents?

You're under arrest for
the murder of Ashley Reed.

No, you can't arrest
me. I wasn't there.

- I wasn't there!
- It doesn't matter.

Your little senior prank was
actually a criminal conspiracy.

When someone gets murdered
during commission of that crime...

- it's felony murder.
- Please, there was no conspiracy.

- You admitted you were part of a gang.
- But I quit.

- Come on.
- We're supposed to believe that?

You quit, but not before telling
them you were out of town.

Now Ashley is dead.

I had no idea they were
gonna hit my house.

I would've warned
them Ashley was there.

I loved Ashley.

Okay, so who are they? The
rest of your merry pranksters.

I know about
Dennis, but who else?

Please, you're asking me
to ruin the lives of my friends.

You just said you loved Ashley.

And her life looks pretty
ruined to me, don't you think?

They didn't just steal from your
parents. They took your stuff.

Don't you think they were
sending you a message?

Have you spoken to your co-conspirators
since Ashley's murder? What'd they say?

That they stole your
stuff and raped Ashley?

No, no, no. They
did not rape Ashley.

They didn't even know
she was there, all right?

They said Ashley surprised
them. She ran off to call the police.

They were just trying to
stop her. There was no rape.

I need to hear that from
them. I want names now.

Think your friends
are going to trust you...

to keep quiet the rest
of your life? They're not.

You're a loose end, my friend.

And in my business, loose
ends don't fare so well.

What do you think, Jesse?

Okay, so, what do you want, the
SKU number or the serial number?

- Give me both.
- Okay.

I've got Bravo-Alfa-six.

Bravo-Alfa-six.

Four-Foxtrot-Charlie-Echo.

Four-Foxtrot-Charlie-Echo.

How much longer
is this gonna take?

Oh, um...

not long.

Thank you, Jesse.

We'll round up these
little friends of yours.

I guess, um... I guess I won't be
going to Berkeley this fall, will I?

No. But we'll find some
other state institution...

with a library in it for you.

Will you let me tell my parents?

- I'd rather they hear it from me.
- Sure.

Captain.

Chief Johnson.

Once again, you've managed...

to send your entire squad of
elite detectives into the field...

this time to
apprehend suspects...

that could have easily
been picked up by patrol.

Murder suspects.
Seven of them in all.

Teenagers, so lots
of parents to deal with.

Look, whether
or not you like it...

whether or not I like it, frankly,
I have to finish this audit...

which means I need
to speak to your people.

No, you don't.

You're questioning my
investigation and my orders.

That audit should
begin and end with me.

But it won't.

Excuse me.

Professor Banks, uh, we have just
finished arresting all those responsible...

for the murder of Ashley Reed.

Yeah, I heard about that.

A burglary ring gone awry.

Good for you.

Of course, the
real irony here is...

if I had actually been
having an affair with Ashley...

if I had walked her to
the door and gone inside...

she might still be alive. Heh.

Well, that's the best justification
for adultery I've heard in a long time.

Anyway, um, we are officially
sorry about any misunderstanding...

and you're free to go home.

Thanks.

But it's been made quite clear to me
that I don't have a home to go to anymore.

I'm sorry about that.

I know this all happened during
a difficult time in your marriage.

I certainly know how hard it is to be
accused of things you haven't done.

Yeah.

I'm not exactly
innocent, though, am I?

That's the trouble.

I cheated on my
wife and my family.

More than once, honestly.

Because I thought I
could get away with it.

But not every mistake can
be fixed with an apology...

no matter how sorry you are.

You're owning up to what
you've done. That's a start.

At what?