The Major Crimes squad investigates a drive-by that appears to be the result of gang violence, but is in fact much more.
Recap:
A midday drive-by leaves four dead at a gas station and the father of a young boy injured. The detectives presume that this is the result of gang violence.
Buzz is able to capture the license plate of the SUV. Taylor wants to release the video of the car, but Raydor thinks this will just lead to finding more bodies.
Jump with me to read more.
Two people survived the shooting: Speedy and Chopper. They’re the only witnesses to the crime, and one of the victims was Speedy’s brother.
The SUV is found close to the Locos territory. Now Raydor wants to release the video of the car to bring Speedy to them.
Speedy takes the bait and heads toward the SUV with two friends, along with some ammunition. Sanchez and company stop them before they get to the vehicle.
Rusty tries to get out of going to school so that he can avoid Kris and dinner with the folks. They’re not even dating, and she’s introducing him to the parents! But Sharon is wise to his game and sends him off to school.
Sharon takes a page out of Jack’s playbook and asks him for a favor. She wants him to be Speedy’s attorney, as the public defenders’ office is in a bind.
Sanchez’s obsession with Rios starts to wane when she argues with him over the case. Sanchez is sure that it’s not gang related.
Sharon foolishly thinks that Jack will help her once he’s assigned Speedy as a client. But he’s in full-attorney mode now.
The gun used to kill the civilians was left in the car and registered to a marine. The driver did all the shooting—not something normally associated with gang violence.
Speedy agrees to answer questions about the drive-by, provided his recent parole violations are excused.
Speedy goes by the name Javier now that he’s found religion. Pedro Flores was in the car with him at the time, but neither of them saw the driver’s face because a mask covered it.
According to Javier, he was in search of the car to prevent more violence. When he hears about Browning Security reporting the car stolen, Javier reacts, but is silenced by Jack. He won’t let Sharon ask any more questions, as they aren’t on the agreed-upon list. Hope he’s found an apartment or at least a hotel room for the night.
Rios isn’t too happy that Jack is married to Sharon. Sharon’s not too happy about it either.
Rusty tries to enlist Provenza and Buzz in his attempt to ditch Kris, but Provenza is quick to remind Rusty about the many times he’s been left and lied to by a loved one. Good one, Provenza!
Ron Browning, owner of Browning Security, was a suspect in the disappearance of his former fiancé, Melissa Orr. She disappeared after she called off their wedding. Javier used to work for Browning before he went to prison, and just recently Browning paid a visit to a marine in Morro Bay, the same marine that owns the missing gun.
They bring him in under the guise of filling out paperwork for his missing vehicle. Once Melissa Orr’s disappearance is brought up, Mr. Browning is no longer friendly. According to him, he’s been in contact with her; she mailed him the ring (she mailed a $65,000 ring to Afghanistan?! Come on!) and apologized. The ring is now on the hand of his new fiancé—at least, that’s his story.
Sharon brings their theory to Jack. They want Javier to admit to being hired by Browning to kill his fiancé in return for a charge of second-degree murder. Jack isn’t too keen on the deal since they don’t have a body. Just how does he know that? He wants them to reduce the charge to manslaughter.
Sharon takes the opportunity to inform Javier that they’re now holding him as a suspect in Melissa’s disappearance, and she recommends that he find a new lawyer, since the one he has is her husband. Javier, feeling betrayed, immediately fires Jack.
Javier doesn’t want another lawyer; he wants forgiveness. If he wants forgiveness, he can only get that from God, not a judge, so he must do the right thing and answer their questions without a lawyer. At least, that’s what Sharon tells him.
Javier admits to killing and burying Melissa in his grandmother’s backyard. He strangled her, cut off her ring finger, and then mailed the ring to Browning. He says Browning paid him $10,000 to kill Melissa and mail the ring back to him.
Kathy Thompson, Ron’s new fiancé, comes into the station with the ring. Except, it’s no longer valued at $65,000. Before Javier mailed back the ring, he had the diamonds replaced with cubic zirconium. And with that, Ron is arrested for five counts of murder.
Jack advises Rusty to tell Kris’s parents all about his police protection and the murder trial to put the kibosh on their relationship.
Sharon comes home to find a letter, presumably from Jack. He’s spending the night elsewhere.
Review:
Interesting episode. Is it just me, or did Raydor feel a bit Brenda Leigh Johnson-like in her tactics? The Raydor we came to know in the beginning was all about following rules, and while she isn’t breaking them, she sure seems to bend them in her favor. The whole premise behind her heading the squad is how different she is at handling the cases. Isn’t she doing the same things Brenda got in trouble for? It’s a little early in the show to claim she’s on the same downward spiral as Brenda Leigh, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about. Or maybe it’s just character development—watching someone start out as rigid and law-abiding and then morph into a different person.
I like Jack. He’s a nuisance, a pain in Sharon’s, side but he’s likable…unlike Rios, who is both unlikeable and hasn’t proved to be useful. Still waiting on that. I hope he’s not gone for good. Rios, on the other hand, I could do without.
– Lindsay
