Boomtown

Not quite the Ganges, is it?

Not really a river any more.

Used to flood like a son of a bitch back when I was a boy.

They paved it all over in the 50's.

London got the Thames,...

Paris got the Seine,...

Vienna's got the Blue Danube,...

L.A.'s got a... concrete drainage ditch.

That's all we got,

it'll have to do.

Well, that's the only way I wanna have it done.

How about Vista Heights?

No, tell him I want to talk about LA's need for a new crime lab.

They don't want...

Well, of course, they don't want another one.

That's what I want to talk to them about I want to make them realize that we need one.

They'll fight it.

Absolutely. See...that's the whole point...

- David, I've got Marian on the line. - Who?

- Marian... your wife. - Oh... yeah.. put her through.

Marian, you've got David.

Is this the beautiful and charming Mrs. McNorris?

- David... David, I was in the playground! - What's wrong?

- David, two girls have been shot! - Oh, my God!

- They were six and sixteen. - How old?

- Six and sixteen. - Are you OK?

- I... it was... I... - Honey, are you all right?

I have blood all over my hands.

- OK. Well, go back inside and wash it off. - Please, David, can you just get here?

- I'm almost there. I'm five minutes away. My car's right over... - One of them is dead!

- Is the ambulance there? - Yes.

OK, then, honey, you've done everything you can do. Just go back inside. Please.

David, please, will you just get here?!

Yes. OK. I love you.

- Peter, did you get that? - Yes, David.

Sick...!

What would you like me to do?

Cancel my lunch and call the chief.

Now, Peter, I want someone from my office on this investigation like a lamprey eel.

And when I'm talking to the Chief, I want you to make some calls.

- Call the local news - the Times, The Trib... - The TV channels?

- Yes. Every... - Even Davis?

No, not that jerk! After the way he pissed all over my gang initiative. No!

Yes, well, my wife's been working here well, volunteering here, since last February?

- Last year. - Since last year. Terri?

Do you have a name on the girl who was wounded?

The police haven't been able to reach her mother yet.

The girl who was killed - was she a gang member?

Terri, she was 15 or 16 years old.

Whether or not she was a member of a gang, she didn't deserve to be shot to death in the street.

Last question.

David, anything new on the Vista Heights investigation?

No, there's nothing new on Vista Heights and we're not here to talk about that. Thank you.

- Uh, excuse me, why are we here? - I'm sorry?

Why are we here?

Well...Andrea...I assume you're here because one little girl was wounded and another was killed.

Given that, that happens every day in this city, why are we all here for this one?

Well. Isn't it true...

that someone from your office called all the news outlets and...

told them of your personal relationship with this shooting and that you'd be here to answer questions?

Or did you not know someone made those calls?

Of course, I knew. Andrea. I had my assistant make those calls.

And you know why? Because this happens every day in this city.

I didn't see a crowd of reporters at 163rd and Florence two days ago...

when Conchita Escovito was killed by a stray bullet while sitting at her kitchen table feeding her baby girl.

You're damn right I had my assistant call your editors and news directors.

Because I knew that me being here could get you here.

Now, look, I don't blame you because you don't go to the scene of every shooting.

When something happens every day, it stops being news.

I'm no saint about this myself.

The only reason I knew those two names I just mentioned is because they're ongoing cases.

You ask me who was murdered on this day six months ago, I wouldn't know.

Not the names, any way. I tend not to forget the faces.

Thanks for the question.

Mrs. McNorris?

- Yes. - I'm Andrea Little. I'm a reporter for the Tribune.

I just... I wanted to ask you a few questions.

I'm... I'm going to wait for my husband.

OK, in that case, I'll just go pee.

- Are you all moved into your new house? - Sorry?

I met you last year when your husband won the Barkley case. I did a piece on him for the Sunday magazine.

- What did you say your name was, again? - Andrea Little.

Yes, that was a good article.

Uh...we have moved in; we just haven't finished unpacking. There are still boxes.

My advice - after a year, if there are any you haven't opened, throw them out.

- Don't even look inside, just throw them out. - I'll remember that.

Rough day here today.

Yeah.

- This is an after-school program - Yeah.

How long have you been working here?

- I've been working - uh, volunteering here - since last year.

Rough neighborhood.

Not really. They're good people.

You like the work?

Yes, I do. Very much.

- The little girl who was shot here today. Had she been coming here long? - No, Grace was new.

- Grace Smith. - No, Grace Adams. Who's Grace Smith?

I must have heard it wrong.

The only reason I knew those two names I just mentioned is because they're ongoing cases.

You ask me who was murdered on this day six months ago, I wouldn't know.

Not the names, any way. I tend not to forget the faces.

Thanks for the question.

OK, listen up! I've got 14 bullets.

How about you?

I'm empty.

Why did you ask that question today?

It had to be asked.

By you?

Apparently, no one else was gonna ask it.

They were all basking in the warm glow of honesty and forthrightness that is David McNorris.

Besides, it gave you the best quote of the day. I tend not to forget the faces.

That was exceptional, David.

I don't. Forget the faces.

- Good for you! - You spoke with Marian.

She was part of the story.

You think I got some sort of cheap thrill out of talking to your wife?

- Walking the edge? Flirting with danger? - Um-huh.

Oh, and, uh, FYI, in case she hasn't mentioned it, she's scared.

I'm sure you think it's good for your image to have your wife doing volunteer work but...

I don't think she's having fun any more.

I saw you talking to some cops today. You talk to Hechler?

No. He took off before I got there.

I don't know if you came over here looking to get lucky, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to run a bath.

If you'd like a shot at jumping my bones, you should be... naked... by the time the bath tub is full.

That's not why I came.

- What? - Suit yourself.

They found the suspect in today's drive-by shooting.

Help! She's bleeding! She's been shot!

Are you sure it was a Mercedes? Not a Lexus?

There's no exit wound. It's a chest wound. She's bleeding out. What's he got?

Mercedes. Definitely Mercedes.

These two kids come up, one white, one black, late teens, early 20's.

The only reason he remembers them, at all, is they took the ice cream back to a black Mercedes right up there by the fire pump.

You know, a car like that in this neighborhood, a Mercedes, it kinda sticks out.

- Yeah, I bet. - He doesn't remember what they looked like.

Doesn't remember what kind of ice cream they had. I used to like that Eskimo Pie thing. Then, my brother told me it was made from real Eskimos...

- Hey, Ray. Where was the other girl hit? - Oh, I was digressing, wasn't I?

- Yeah, you were digressing. - I tend to do that. Cherie - she thinks I got that ADD thing. I...

Ray, Ray, Ray, come on, let's roll here.

All right, I'll digress right back. The Mercedes was rolling down the street here. Right up to about here.

And at that point, he's looking through the windshield. Can't really see them.

A hand comes out, the passenger side window, the side the black kid's on.

A gun in the hand. Bang, bang, bang.

There's one down here and one down in the sand.

All he got was a partial plate...

- 4DOQ - DOQ? - David, Ocean, Queen

Good day, gentlemen.

- What's McNorris doing here? - His wife works here. She found the kid who was wounded.

Thought maybe he was here for me. That he was going to get a flashlight and crawl up my ass to look for the Vista Heights money.

Is that where the Vista Heights money is, Ray?

Only the spare change.

Well, you boys have a nice southern California day.

- See! You know, when people walk away from me like that, it hurts my feelings. - Bye-bye.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. In the middle of the country.

In the middle of the country, nobody knows any gays. Why?

Because all the gays they had, they ran off when they got the snot kicked out of them in high school.

So, I say, Go back, Sisters! Go on back. Not cause I don't like them. Don't get me wrong.

Have you ever seen a house decorated by a straight guy? It's all plaid and wood.

What was the description that ice cream guy gave us this morning?

Black Mercedes, 4-door, late model, partial license 4DOQ.

- White driver, black passenger? - Yeah.

Dammit, they clocked us!

5Baker7, this is 8149. We are in pursuit of suspects in playground drive-by.

They are north-bound on Palmetto. We need backup and an airship.

I got him.

- No, wait. Wait! - He's got a gun!

Control 5Baker7, suspect's car is TC'd at Fourth and Mateo. Officer Turcotte in pursuit, footbound.

- Yeah. He's moving. - Copy that 5Baker7.

5Baker7, resuming pursuit eastward on Mateo.

Pull over!

Pull over now!

Uh-oh. Wrong way down a one-way road!

Oh, no!

Ohhhh... Son of a bitch!

5Baker7. Control, I'm in the Westside Mall parking structure.

- Are you involved in the rescue of Officer Turcotte? - Rescue? What rescue?!

Oh, my...!

- Are you OK? - Well...I guess, I'm OK.

Can you back up your car? I'm chasing a very bad man.

- It won't start. - I'm just gonna squeeze past you.

- Oh, my goodness! My car! My car! - We're insured, fully insured! I hope we're insured.

Did you see a kid come through here? A kid! Did you see a kid?!

Stop! Get up! Get up!

Get your hands out at your side! Don't even think about it!

Get your hands out slow where I can see them. Out at your side, palms up.

I never stole anything before in my life, Officer. I swear!

- What kind of car are you driving? - I don't drive a car. I don't have a car. I took the bus.

Took the bus?

All right... What is it you're so willing to get shot over?

Michael Bolton?

It's for my lady.

For your lady!

I got him.

- No, wait. Wait! - He's got a gun!

Control, this is Airship 2. We've got a patrolman in the river, south of the Fourth Street bridge.

Copy that, Airship 2. We'll contact River Rescue.

Oh God!

Hey, Aquaman! Joel and Fearless want to have a little chat with you about your trip down the Amazon.

You should really have another shower because there was a sewer spill in the Valley this morning.

Really! 1.2 million gallons about 7 o'clock.