The Shield

Previously, on The Shield.

- I'm unarmed. - He called.

Gave himself up!

Means he's gonna explain the grill marks on his face.

Talk about how we were protecting his drug competition.

- He's got me. - No.

No way. That can't end like this.

Jesus Christ!

- Who searched that guy? - I did.

How could you miss a knife that size?

It wasn't on him when I searched after the arrest.

I'll never forget what you guys did for me.

You've been manipulating police resources...

...to crash land value in this neighborhood?

What are you doing at my house?

You should've gone out of there.

He threatened my family.

You think I'd take you on without insurance?

Trust me, I got something on you.

Do it, man.

It's time you do it.

Let me do it. Let me do this.

The facts will show that Assistant Chief Gilroy...

...chose a path that led to tragic circumstances fro this city.

My report to the city council is due next month.

And I'm sure you'll be fair and accurate.

Yeah, hold on!

Hey, Vic, it's me! Open up!

- What's up? - You see this?

I thought Lanie's report wasn't coming out for weeks.

It's not.

What's it doing there in black and white?

- Are we named? - Yeah, Strike Team's mentioned.

You...

Well, at least we're not alone.

Aceveda's name is mentioned more than three times.

Will you get me a towel, please?

- See you downstairs in a few minutes. - All right, man.

Yeah?

Just reading the newspaper. Have you?

Lakers cut it pretty close last night.

They're not the only ones.

That about the Armadillo thing?

I just don't like not liking my job.

Well, lucky for you we might not have jobs in a couple of weeks.

We better talk, get our stories straight.

I don't have time to talk.

I have to manage perhaps the most dysfunctional,...

...inefficient precinct in the city.

- Yeah? - Vic, Gilroy called.

- What? - Gilroy. He called here at the house.

You spoke to him?

He left a message on the machine.

He said he was coming over. I thought he was in jail.

Well, he's out on bail, but he's supposed to be under house arrest.

All right, I'm on the way. Is the alarm on?

Yes! What if he gets here first?

Keep the doors locked and the alarm on.

I just got married. Now is not a good time for me to be losing my job.

That's not how it works.

They start by offering older officers early retirement.

Then they cut the discipline problems.

They're not gonna take a young black officer off the street.

Not in this district.

The only one that's in trouble is me.

No way.

Do you know they practically blamed me for Armadillo's murder?

Just a sec.

I need to clear my name on this Armadillo thing.

- How can I help? - You were the lead on the case.

If there's anything you know or discover, would you fill me in?

I'll keep an eye out.

I patted that guy down.

There's no way I missed a knife that big.

Maybe you didn't.

The only thing I can think of is...

...another inmate must have given it to him.

Or another cop.

- Why would a... - I probably shouldn't have said that.

Wait. What are you talking about? What do you mean?

Sarge wants us on the street. Now.

I'll talk to you later.

- I want to apologise! - Go away!

- I want to say I'm sorry! - You said it! Now go!

Please, I'm not here to hurt you! I need to speak to Vic!

Hey! Are you kidding me?

I need to talk to you. You wouldn't pick up the phone!

- Vic, get rid of him! - Corrine.

Shut up. Go back inside. I've got this under control.

- Vic! - Go inside!

You were supposed to be under house arrest.

I cut off my ankle transmitter.

You've gone fugitive?

- Let me explain this. - Save it!

I'm hauling your ass in.

Sure, and you can start sizing up the cell next to mine.

The D.A. wants me to give you up.

There's nothin' to give up.

There's places you don't want them lookin'.

I can't go to prison, Vic.

The best my lawyer can do is eight years.

My liver can't do seven.

I'm not gonna rat you out, but I'm not gonna go back to jail.

- You're running out of options. - Help me get out of the country.

No!

Once I'm gone, you're in the clear too.

They wanted me to wear a wire. I told them to go to hell.

We haven't got a lot of time, Vic. We gotta do this now.

I'm not gonna do this.

Then you better put a gun to my head,...

...because if you send me back to prison,...

...I'm not gonna hold out much longer.

Just help me get across the border.

Get in the car.

What a stupid man you are.

Fresh clothes. You owe me $200.

- How you doin', Shane? - Great.

All right, your picture's gonna be plastered at every border crossing.

You're gonna need paper to survive on the other side.

I'll need American and Mexican passports and I.D. and money.

you lookin' for a loan from us, you can tickle my zipper.

This key here opens up a safe-deposit box.

The money's in there.

- How much? - 75,000.

That's all you got left from your land schemes?

Sedona disappeared with most of it.

Seventy-five grand isn't gonna last very long.

I don't need much.

A hut on the beach and rice and beans.

I'll make it last.

They'll look for you in Mexico.

I know a guy in Brazil.

I just need a ticket from Mexico City to Rio.

What do we look like, we're wearing little headsets?

Where's the money?

Tellmare Savings on Vermont.

- I owe you, Vic. - Shut up.

Your report wasn't due for two weeks.

That isn't my report.

I was supposed to have advanced copy. This is completely one-sided.

Someone stole my notes, then leaked the damaging portions to...

- Who has access to your notes? - That's what I'm trying to find out!

The chief's office just called me!

Do you have any idea how much this screws me?

Look!

Look, the fact is nothing was embellished.

All the incidents in the paper happened, David.

I am sorry that they don't show you in a good light,...

...but they all happened.

Aceveda and I picked out a new Strike Team guy. He starts today.

Talk about crappy timing.

Lem, you keep him occupied. Test him out. See how he runs.

Why do I have to baby-sit the new guy?

Somebody's gotta handle our car-ring sting...

...while Vic and I clean up a little problem.

- What problem? - Gilroy skipped bail.

Shane and I are gonna slip him out of the country.

I thought that we were keep our noses clean till we hit the money train.

If Gilroy goes back inside, starts cooperating with the D.A.,...

...there won't be any money train or anything else.

Gilroy said the D.A. came to him,...

...so the question is who's going to the D.A. about us?

- Lanie? - Or Claudette.

I'm thinkin' Aceveda.

Whoever it is, timing on this and the morning headline...

- ...is no coincidence. - And you think they're related?

I think we gotta be extra careful.

Look in every dark corner.

Yeah?

- Tavon. - Hey.

Tavon here has been in Special Crimes the last few years.

It's a job. This one sounds better.

- Lemonhead, Shane. - What's up, man?

Hell of a first day. We still have jobs?

All the assholes in this city we'll always have jobs.

- So what's on the agenda? - We have a one-day window...

...to sting the head of one of L.A.'s biggest car theft rings.

We've been targeting this guy for a while, but he knows our faces.

We've never been able to get close.

You, however, he doesn't know.

- Here's his file. - It's a one-day trial period.

Lem here'll fill you in.

- Let's go. - I guess it's on.

What's the deal with Mr. Special Crimes?

Seems a little too cool for school, don't you think?

Let's give him a chance.

I remember the last guy we gave a chance to.

This time I did my homework. I spoke to him a couple of times.

- He seems straight up. - Yeah, we'll see.

Toni Jahnes, 71, widow.

Looks like the intruder entered here.

What's missing?

Nothing that couldn't travel. No appliances.

Someone did go through the jewelry though.

Robbery-homicide.

Looks like he hit her head on the mantle.

Being so old, probably couldn't put up a fight.

You know I closed three robbery cases last week, one homicide?

Way above departmental average.

Think that gets mentioned in the report?