Plot

The team investigates the hit-and-run death of one of Flynn's old cases, and Brenda works on her political skills when it turns out the case may lead to a Hollywood director and his wife.

The team must determine if a death was revenge or mere coincidence when a recently released murderer (whom Flynn helped collar) turns up dead, the victim of a hit-and-run. Meanwhile, Brenda must also deal with a recently incapacitated Fritz.—Anonymous

Brenda and Fritz cuddle in bed. The cuddle turns into a kiss. The kiss turns into a full-fledged roll in the silk sheets. One tasteful fade to black later, Brenda and Fritz are ready to go again. Fritz sweeps Brenda into his arms ... and then crumbles to the floor. The poor guy has thrown his back out. At that precise moment, Brenda gets a call: a hit-and-run. The love birds promise to continue their tryst later. Brenda heads to work, leaving Fritz grimacing on the floor.

Brenda -- all aglow -- arrives on the scene. She greets Commander Taylor and Sergeant Gabriel. The two wonder why Brenda is so chipper at the scene of an accident.

"She OK?" whispers Taylor.

A dead man lies under a white sheet. He was found with a parole I.D. identifying him as a Roy Wilkinson. The man is covered in regurgitated Margaritas. Gabriel theorizes that the man got drunk, passed out in the alley and got run over.

"Why is this a priority?" asks Brenda, perhaps wondering why she was so rudely ripped from her lover's arms.

Provenza explains that Wilkinson was convicted of manslaughter after killing a woman he met in a bar. "Manslaughter my ass," barks Flynn, who worked the case once upon a time.

"I think it's safe to say that he took issue with the jury's verdict," Provenza deadpans.

A news truck arrives. Taylor is only too happy to go talk to the press.

Brenda, Gabriel and Flynn arrive at Wilkinson's halfway house. Ms. Silva, the woman in charge, is sad but not surprised to hear the man fell off the wagon and then died. Her sympathy for the dead man clearly annoys Flynn, who is only too happy to let everyone know it. Brenda snaps at Flynn, telling him to cool down while she and Gabriel head upstairs to check out Wilkinson's room.

"I did hear that someone on the outside was hassling him," Ms. Silva says.

Brenda gets a call. Provenza and Tao are in the alley running over dummies. Tao explains that the injuries to Wilkinson's chest and femur are too close together to have been caused by one pass of the car. PLUS: a few spots of oil in the alley indicate that the driver stopped to see what had happened and then took off again. Tao and Brenda then follow the trail of oil like breadcrumbs. It leads around the building ... and back to the body.

"The sonofabitch drove around the block and came back to finish the job," Provenza explains.

Back from commercial break, Provenza says they should be looking for a car with a damaged oil pan. Sanchez says Wilkinson's parole officer is out of town, but should return the next day. Brenda suggests that the team interview the Mayhans, the family of the woman that Wilkinson killed some nine years ago.

Brenda then excuses herself and leaves an apologetic message for Fritz.

"I was hoping we could reschedule our nooner to an eighter," she says in a sultry voice ... only to be interrupted by Chief Pope. The story is all over the news and Pope doesn't like the idea of Brenda stirring the pot by interviewing the family of a long-dead victim.

"The Mayhans have a motive," she argues.

"Listen to me, if you speak to the Mayhans, you will do so in my office," Pope says.

Brenda, however, isn't allowed to make the call -- that honor goes to Flynn. He feels terrible doing it as the family likes and trusts him.

"That asshole strangled a 22-year-old girl while having sex with her and the court only gave him eight years," Flynn yells. "And now you want to drag these nice people through the mud over his death?!"

"Sometimes good people are capable of bad things," Brenda says.

Some time later, the Mayhans arrive. Brenda explains that they believe Wilkinson was murdered. It quickly dawns on the couple that they're "persons of interest." Naturally, they're infuriated -- especially after Brenda requests to examine their cars.

"You can't look at our cars," an indignant Mr. Mayhan says. "Was it a long painful death? Was he brutally tortured before he died? Then it wasn't me."

They storm out of the office.

One commercial break later, Brenda returns home to find Fritz still lying on the floor. She drags him into the living room and then heads to the bathroom, returning with a handful of Vicodin.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but giving Vicodin to an alcoholic is not help," he explains.

Daniels calls. The beneficiary of Wilkinson's insurance policy is a Patricia Simmons, a volunteer at the halfway house. Daniels and Brenda arrive to interview Simmons. She describes Wilkinson as "kind." Simmons appears surprised to learn that she is the beneficiary.

"I don't feel right taking this," Simmons says of the $80,000 sum.

She then says that Wilkinson received a beautiful arrangement of flowers a few weeks before his death, but the gift only made the man angry. Wilkinson threw the flowers out. Back at the office -- after much discussion about the mysterious flowers -- Flynn admits that he sent the bouquet. Brenda is shocked and furious.

"Because it was the anniversary of Carly's death and I wanted Roy to never ever forget what he had done," Flynn says.

Flynn says the card said: "Happy death day."

Brenda threatens to throw Flynn off the case when Wilkinsons' parole officer arrives. The officer says Wilkinson had been sober for a long time. Brenda wonders what would make the man start drinking again. The parole officer also says that Mrs. Mayhan would show up every time Wilkinson got a new job and pass out newspaper clippings of the killing. The result: Wilkinson was inevitably fired.

After a few words from our sponsors, Brenda, Taylor and Gabriel arrive at the Mayhan home. The camped-out press goes crazy. Inside, the Mayhans are furious. Mrs. Mayhan admits to following Wilkinson and says that she saw the convicted killer driving a blue Oldsmobile with the license plate 5GBK92. Flynn arrives. The lab has checked the Mayhans cars ... and completely cleared them.

Back at the office, the gang matches the plate number to a convict who died three years ago. And yet, the registration on the car is up to date. Also: the last known address for the man is at the halfway house. FURTHERMORE, the con died in a hit-and-run ... and had a life insurance policy. Ah ha!

Brenda interviews Jim Francis, a resident of the halfway house. The man has a life insurance policy ... but he doesn't know it. Brenda thanks the man and leaves.

Ms. Silva and Ms. Simmons, meanwhile, wait in the interrogation room next door.

"You both are so incredible, all the good things you do for these men," Brenda says. "It's such a coincidence that Jerry and Roy died the same way."

There is a knock at the door. It opens and the two ladies see Jim Francis. Brenda returns to the room, claiming she has just interviewed the halfway house resident. She then lays out the evidence to the seemingly sweet women.

"Four men in the past five years, all living at your facility, all with life insurance policies naming one or both of you as beneficiaries," she says.

Now Brenda has a question. Why does Jim Francis have only one beneficiary -- a Ms. Silva -- when some of the men had primary and secondary policies benefiting both?

"You greedy bitch!" Ms. Simmons yells at her co-worker.

The two commence cat fighting. The men watch -- greatly amused -- from behind the glass while Brenda reads the women their rights. The fight is broken up. Ms. Simmons confesses that the two got Wilkinson drunk and led him to the alley.

"After we hit him I just wanted to go home," says Ms. Simmons.

But Wilkinson wasnt dead. According to Ms. Simmons, Ms. Silva drove around the block and ran over the man again. Ms. Silva, sweating bullets, denies the story. Brenda says a jury will decide. Case closed.

Outside, Brenda suggests to Pope that Flynn handle the press conference that will clear the Mayhans. "Thanks," says a grateful Flynn.

Brenda returns home to find Fritz asleep on the floor. She quietly gets out a glass and a bottle of wine ... and then looks at her sleeping lover. Brenda puts the wine back, covers Fritz with a blanket and lies down next to him.