The Closer

Previously on "The Closer"...

Oscar! I need you to send units to 1st and Indiana. My brother's been shot.

We will find who did this.

Ricardo Ramos from the Times.

He's gonna be trailing priority homicide's investigation.

Nice to meet you, chief Johnson.

I take orders from assistant chief Will Pope.

And 9 times out of 10, decisions he makes anticipate

what's going to be splashed across the front page of your paper.

Have you read the Times today? "90% of the time,

priority homicide division is deployed to anticipate media coverage."

Did you actually say this?

PHD handles more white murder victims than robbery/homicide,

and that has nothing to do with me. That's how you assign cases.

Priority homicide has run its course. It's over. I'm shutting it down.

Synchro: ShalimarFox, Kiry

Deputy chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, priority homicide...

Major crimes division.

Shoot. Can we start over?

I can't. I'm not allowed to edit any of this, and once...

Just cut it, then. Just stop the tape.

I can't. Once I start recording, I can't stop.

All right, then, just get the body please.

No, no, no. Let's start over here.

Thank you.

Watch out for the glass.

And you need to stay there for a second.

Okay, lieutenant Tao

- what happened here? - I can't look underneath him, but

judging from the damage to the mirror and the size of the spatter

and the way the blood has collected on the bed linen,

I'm thinking, perhaps, a shotgun blast to the belly.

Must have been in a lot of pain before he died.

Look at the way he was grabbing at the sheets.

Why are we always waiting for the coroner's investigator these days?

All right, since I can't touch the body,

maybe someone could tell me about this gentleman?

Like, his name, for example?

Yeah, the neighbor who called in the shots-fired knew him as Darren.

Last name on the mailbox is Melman.

Well, my vast experience as a detective tells me that his name is

Darren Melman.

I found these unpaid bills with Melman's name on it.

That doesn't mean he's our victim.

A neighbor said that Melman was some kind of building contractor.

Isn't he a little young to be a contractor?

Only have to be 18 in this state.

All right, sergeant Gabriel, I'd like a photograph.

Please run his name through the DMV.

Also check through the state contractors licensing board.

And let's find out if he has a police record of any kind. Also,

- next of kin. I'm on it, chief. - Thank you.

Did Mr. Melman have a roommate?

- Not according to his landlord. - And what about a girlfriend?

Well, would you go out with anybody who kept a place like this?

I mean, I would say it was a robbery, but how would you know what was missing?

Well, no one stole the computer.

We'll take that with us. And dump the phones.

I'm assuming that his cellphone's still on his body, lieutenant Tao?

Maybe. Chief, there's velcro on his sleeve.

Odd.

What is keeping that slow poke coroner's investigator?

My son's sick. Waiting for my mom to sit with him.

Hate to leave you hanging.

I'm so sorry.

Poor thing.

Chief, this was taped to the wall.

And the victim's got a whole notebook with the same drawing.

Double "E." Is that some kind of gang symbol?

No.

Well, maybe it's a business logo.

Or an old girlfriend's initials.

Chief.

Chief.

Not much in the way of personal belongings,

but we do have some roofing nails and some plumbing pipe.

That makes sense if he's a contractor.

Also three kinds of ammunition, including rifle bullets.

What would he be hunting in the hollywood hills?

Not much without rifles, but maybe someone stole his guns.

Sir,

I really need you to get the wallet and the cellphone off the victim, please.

Chief, I think I see his cellphone.

Wait, wait!

- What? - Okay.

The nonconcentric abrasions concern me. But...

Look at this.

- What? - This is not a bullet fragment.

See this oblong piece here?

This is shrapnel.

That says "bomb". Everybody out!

- No, no, hang on! - Sergeant Gabriel, call the bomb squad.

No, delay that order. I want the computer, and

I need the cellphone and the wallet. Then we call the bomb squad.

No way, chief. Everybody out now.

- Gabriel, you grab her! - No!

- Sorry, chief! - No!

No! Detective, I am issuing a direct order!

Detective! Detective! And my purse!

Put me down this instant!

I mean it! You had better put me down!

My purse!

My purse!

This is ridiculous.

I'm conducting a murder investigation.

Y'all had no right to haul me out like a sack of potatoes!

Chief, you get upset with us when we break the rules,

you get upset with us when we follow the rules.

If you want to beef us for pulling you out of a bomb scene, be my guest.

Commander, I want good news.

We've evacuated the building, and we're clearing the block

so the bomb squad can set up their forward post.

Okay, how soon do I get my crime scene back?

Tao?

12 hours, give or take.

- You're joking. - That's standard protocol, chief.

But the bomb already went off. It killed our victim.

There may be more bombs up in that building.

Anyways, it's not really up to us,

so I recommend that we let them do their jobs as safely as they can,

all right?

Bomb squad already notified FBI and homeland security.

This goes from bad to worse.

I need to see that body. It is vitally important

that I get that computer and that cellphone as soon as possible.

Good morning, lieutenant.

How can I help you?

- Here she comes. - Here who comes?

Babs!

Saint Barbara.

Patron saint of all bomb techs. She's named after her.

State-of-the-art in UGVS.

Unmanned ground vehicles.

Ain't she cool?

Does she have a second gear, or is she the slowest robot on Earth?

When you're handling bombs, it's not good to rush Babs.

Hey, provenza, that robot looks like you running.

Oh, you're so full of it, Flynn.

You know that I don't run.

Babs is almost at the front door.

Oh, for Heaven's sakes!

Hey, chief, I have the victim's rap sheet.

Darren Melman, age 19, one juvenile arrest two years ago.

Great, great. Where and when, please?

It doesn't say, I'll have to pull the report when we get back

to Parker Center.

Okay, people, Babs has entered the building.

I'm climbing the stairs.

Okay, Babs, watch those stairs.

I know how you are.

Okay, here we go.

We want to move left into the apartment.

Turning. Turning.

- Turning. - Right. Good. Yeah, left.

Very good. Okay, now pan right.

Panning.

Yeah, there you go.

Oh, no!

Oh, my...

What the hell is she doing in there?!

Y'all can stop worrying now.

I have the wallet. Now I just need to get the cellphone.

And don't hurry on my account, Babs.

Pipe bomb.

Help...

Me.

- Get her out of there. - Now, now!

Get chief Johnson out of there now!

Remove the chief now!

Go! Go! Go! Go!

She could totally blow up.

I could walk this, you know.

Do you have any idea

how many, how many rules you broke?

I had to get my purse.

And look, I got the wallet.

That'll give us something to do while we wait for the computer and cellphone.

You know, it's just, it's just,

I would really hate to see you get blown up by a pipe bomb

just as I've gotten used to you.

Well, I so appreciate the sentiment. Oh, good, driver's license.

Darren Melman. That looks like our victim, so we're on the right guy.

Detective daniels,

here is a receipt from home supply central for $358.

It's organized by UPC codes, so I can find out exactly what he bought.

- Wonderful. - What's that?

You're kidding me.

Fire in the hole!

Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!

Lieutenant, what just happened?

The explosives on Melman were unstable, so they had to be bip'ed.

- What? - B.I.P.

Blown in place.

So, where's my victim?

My guess is he's probably all over the ceiling.

You blew him up?!

What about the computer?

What about the cellphone?

What about Babs?

Three boxes of 8-inch galvanized metal pipe, 10 to a box.