- A relentless Homeland Security auditor is found dead, but it wasn't the car crash that killed her. Fresh from surgery, Brenda is on the case but soon contracts a case of poison oak.
- Having just undergone surgery, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson leads the investigation into the death of a female DHS agent. The woman was well-known to the LAPD and was frequently in Los Angeles auditing the installation of police telecommunications equipment funded by Homeland Security. Her car is found off the road in a ravine but the autopsy suggests that she probably survived the crash, with a fatal blow to the head with a wooden stick being the murder weapon. She also had pepper spray residue on her face. Brenda and her team are soon in conflict with DHS investigators who are trying to recover the dead woman's cellphone and laptop computer. The biggest shock however is that she was also having an affair with someone - who turns out to be Chief Pope.—garykmcd
- Fire trucks are parking near an embankment, rescue teams are rappelling down the cliff-side to a vehicle turned on its side, the officers are on the scene as Chief Johnson rolls up with Sergeant Gabriel; she is lowered in tandem with a fireman. Brenda learns the victim from the car accident was a Homeland Security employee, her body bruised and partly mangled from coyotes where she was found. Lieutenant Tao informs the Chief the victim's vehicle was a rental, speculating she could have been lost, being from Washington D.C.
Inspecting the crash, the officers cannot locate the victim's laptop and cell phone, the body is badly damaged from the whole resulting incident. Brenda is giving her officers directives to help the case while Buzz informs the Chief is standing in poison oak. Pope fills Brenda in with details about the woman killed, an accountant auditing LAPD, her name was Maggie Scott. Pope assures Brenda overtime is not an issue solving this case, and he would like to be kept informed about his friend Maggie.
Commander Taylor is speaking in the murder room explaining the nature of the audit, which involved communication equipment purchased through a grant by Homeland Security by the department in order to sync with fire and rescue. Mrs. Scott was auditing how the LAPD spent the money. Reports are provided to Brenda on the absence of a cell and laptop, and the found GPS unit being badly damaged in the accident; a laptop charger was also recovered. Her hotel room revealed no information, the cell is encrypted because of her security clearance, her husband is flying in and Jim Hanson, LAPD fiscal operations, is the liaison for LAPD and Mrs. Scott. Taylor speculates Maggie was in the building previously to see Jim, otherwise, the GPS record shows she was at a downtown Italian restaurant. GPS information yields two locations, the place where the equipment was purchased called Civil Audio, and the other location is only five blocks from LAPD Academy Road, exactly where her vehicle was found. The spot is known as a parking area for couples, as it is away from any residence or business. Brenda mentions whoever was meeting her wanted her cell and laptop, because they are missing.
Brenda is heading to the morgue, calling Agent Howard for assistance, and giving Fritz a hard time over why he should help with the missing electronic equipment's release of information; he decides to contact the agents suited for the job, despite Brenda's impertinence. She does give Fritz time to explain in detail why it likely is not the thing to do bringing the FBI into the case.
Medical Examiner Morales provides information helpful for Brenda, the victim survived the crash and crawled back up the hill, evidenced by the seat belt abrasions from being strapped in the SUV, dirt under the nails and marks on her elbows and knees. Someone hit her with a piece of wood, smashed her skull with a rock and doused her with pepper spray. The coyotes go for the soft skin first, but refrained from the woman's face due to the spray. Dr. Morales adds, the spray might explain why she drove off the cliff.
Brenda tells LAPD's Jim Hanson, Maggie Scott is dead; he is shaken in a non-respectful manner, describing her nature as a timewaster, where eighty-percent of his time was spent with her, two-percent of the budget comes from the Fed. Jim did not know anything about Maggie's personal life, and nothing about Civil Audio, he exits frustrated promising to get the records Brenda requested.
Brenda and Sergeant Gabriel visit Joe White, CFO of Civil Audio, at his home on a Saturday, walking around the home on planks while construction is taking place. Joe explains he was with the LAPD's technology unit for fifteen years, left for the private sector, better pay and nobody ever shoots at him. Joe informs Brenda auditors are like police officers, they won't tell you what they are looking for until they find it. Brenda wants to know why Maggie Scott was in his office. She wanted all his company billing records for the LAPD, so he obliged. Brenda says her car went over a cliff last night, we found her dead, so we are investigating the case. Joe's wife Susan is heard in the background and is heading out the door, going for takeout. Joe tells Susan the crazy woman from Homeland Security died last night; order me whatever you are having, as Susan expresses her nonchalant regrets, she exits wearing a long sleeve top in the house without air-conditioning. Gabriel notes the lack of sympathy expressed regarding the deceased. Joe says he is sorry to hear about Maggie, but he mentions how brutal the audits have been, another coming Monday. Brenda says Jim Hanson did not mention a second audit was coming; Joe mentions Jim's recent divorce, too. Joe thinks the next audit will be coming soon despite Maggie's death and Brenda said Jim Hanson there would not be another. The two officers leave and Joe attends to the construction crew in his back yard.
Brenda is complaining about the poison oak pain, Civil Audio cartons are being wheeled around HQ from Jim Hanson, Tao says Ken Scott is in her office, just arriving from the East Coast. Maggie's car rental company wants their car, Brenda is holding it until she learns what happened to Maggie, she tells Lt. Tao to hold the car. Maggie's husband Ken is saddened by the news, and he is cautioned by Chief Johnson not viewing the body until a funeral home has taken care of her. Ken was under the belief Maggie was in L.A. more often than her employer told Brenda. Pope comes in with two FBI agents wanting all Maggie's records and her husband, declaring it is a matter of national security with the death, the missing cell phone and laptop. Brenda reluctantly complies with their request, but has Detective Sanchez hide the car and Lieutenant Tao hide the car's computer.
Pope confides in Brenda he was the person Maggie was seeing. Brenda is upset with Pope sleeping with the murder victim and not telling her until now. Pope explains things just happened, beginning a year ago, ending six months ago, no conflict of interest with her audits, her husband never knew and it was after Estelle filed for divorce and was also seeing someone. Pope vouches for Maggie's professionalism and tenacity; Pope was flying her in frequently which is why her husband thought she was regularly visiting L.A. Brenda does not want to hear anymore about the affair, but does want help solving the woman's murder.
Chief Johnson encounters the two FBI agents in the hallway with Sergeant Gabriel. They want the car Maggie rented, and they are insistent. Brenda says well it has got to be around here somewhere; it didn't venture off on its own. Gabriel suggests they meet with the homicide taskforce and be assured of a joint operation; a piece of tape reads counter terror squad pasted over the Priority Homicide sign door. The agent's balk at Brenda's efforts, when Detective Sanchez offers to take the men to Central Garage to search for the car.
Lieutenant Tao explains there is a way to find information through the encrypted device via the vehicle's Bluetooth; phone calls can be made through the car; thus, a record will be available what calls were made and received. Tao shows the officers the screen of Maggie's phone records, one such number is Joe White. Lieutenant Flynn says White was a good policeman, he would never take out anyone with a can of pepper spray. Brenda has her epiphany look hearing about the spray, with her eyes widening while calculating her next move.
At home, Fritz responds to Brenda's complaining about the FBI taking charge stating if she would have heard him finishing talking she would have known about them wanting everything from the case for security reasons; she didn't let him finish, she hung up. Brenda now tells Fritz we shall cooperate if we can help the FBI by making matters worse. Fritz appears perplexed by Brenda's comment.
At the murder board, Detective Daniels reveals facts from her research: Joe White made a half-million dollars per year as CFO of Civil Audio, his new house is three times what he got for his condo two blocks away above the accident scene; Jim Hanson has been cleared of any shady doings, even though his divorce wiped him out. Jim White is currently spending money beyond his income, like he was pulling money from somewhere unknown. Provenza chronologizes Maggie Scott's visit to White's business: White halts the home construction, she flies off a cliff that evening, the next day the construction resumes on his new home. Brenda asks Detective Sanchez where the FBI agents were; his response, checking out the lot for the car; Sanchez assures Brenda the FBI will never find the rental car. Brenda orders Flynn to alert the FBI of what LAPD knows about Joe White. Flynn says that will make things more difficult for LAPD; Brenda answers that is the established pattern lieutenant, let's hope it holds on for another day. Provenza and Flynn appear bewildered at the Chief's actions.
Brenda and Gabriel arrive at the White residence as the FBI is escorting Joe from his home, cuffed; mock-protests are made by the two officers. The agent tells Brenda Mr. White cheated on the billings to LAPD, keeping a surcharge and the victim knew about it.
Brenda goes to enter the home, advising Gabriel she hopes to locate the phone and computer. Immediately, Susan White says Joe didn't kill anybody. Brenda responds, why didn't you tell the FBI about your husband never killing anybody, since you were there, witness to the accident. Susan denies being there. Brenda snaps leaving the scene of an accident is against the law, but before we talk about it, I should inform you of your rights. Gabriel reads Susan her rights while Brenda records the Sergeant.
I know you were there when Maggie Scott drove herself off that cliff, because the last call she received was from this house, and after the call she punched in the coordinates for the spot of the accident. Brenda explains she knows where the call came from via the GPS record. Brenda enlightens Susan with the fact it is doubtful Maggie went to a location isolated from homes and businesses to meet with someone she was about to accuse of embezzlement; therefore, it had to be you. Susan expounds it was her who met Maggie that night to explain they exceeded their budget with the remodel, but it was not embezzlement, Joe borrowed the money to meet the additional expenses. Susan said she called Maggie to meet her in order to explain their temporary money problem and the proposed workout.
Susan said when Maggie pulled up, rolled down the window, she never shut off the engine. Susan tried to reason with Maggie, stating things would be fixed in a short time, that they would flip the house, and pay the company back. Maggie said no deal, she would report Joe for what he did, she was just following orders; Joe would go to jail for taking the money that was not his; she would not listen to Susan's pleas. She drove off, missed the turn and went off the cliff. I should have called police, I was upset, I drove off, I am sorry. The construction crew was ordered back to make up for a bad situation. That woman refused to listen to me. Brenda says she drove over the embankment because she was sprayed with pepper spray. Gabriel shows Susan the evidence documented concerning the pepper spray on the victim's face and it was on the steering wheel of her car. Brenda says she knew it was you attacking Maggie because the confrontation was so amateurish.
Gabriel raises the sleeve on Susan's top to show her red-rash-arm. Brenda grills Mrs. White; Maggie didn't die in that crash, did she? Susan begins to cry, saying no. She climbed up from that vehicle, pleading for help, wanting to see her husband and daughter again. Brenda screams at Susan is that what you heard, the words from Maggie, please stop, please stop. Brenda continues saying the rash on your arm proves you got poison oak while you struck Maggie with a tree branch and hit her with a rock after climbing down to her car. Susan is crying saying she just wanted to help her husband. Brenda stands, she has had enough of Susan's justification for murder, asking finally for the laptop and the cell phone before Gabriel puts her in cuffs.
At home, Brenda hands Fritz an evidence bag full of pieces from a laptop and cell phone. She tells Fritz they were tossed in a dumpster with a can of pepper spray after Susan smashed them to bits. Fritz can hand the remnants over to the agents working the case. Fritz questions whether the car will turn up. Brenda says I am sure it will appear, as Gabriel walks with Pope to his parking spot, only to find the wrecked rental car in its place.
Pope says, Sergeant, where is my car? Go find my car.
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