1x18: Homefront

***

Nolan walks through a door, walking behind Hunter and Tim both whom are holding their coffees. "Hey, heard your officially a cop now. Got hit with your first lawsuit." Hunter said glancing back at Nolan.

"Oh, it's ridiculous. This guy says I dislocated his shoulder pushing past him in a pursuit. I-I don't think I even touched him. And now he wants fifty thousand to settle." Nolan said.

"Don't take it personally. Being sued's part of the job." Tim said.

"It's why we're required to have liability insurance." Hunter added.

"Union assign a lawyer yet?" Tim asked.

"Yeah. Some guy named Simon Parks." Nolan said.

"You're lucky. Guy's a legend." Hunter said.

"Saved my ass a couple times. He's a cranky old S.O.B., but he gets the job done. You've got nothing to worry about." Tim said.

"He's saved my ass a lot as well." Hunter adds, they enter the briefing room, where everyone seems to be looking up at the landing.

"What's going on?" Nolan asked.

"IA arrested Jenkins." Talia said, a man is being escorted down the stairs by two officers.

"The Robbery Homicide detective?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah." Tim said.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

Grey enters the room, followed by Commander Percy West, and everyone moves to sit down. "All right. Grab a seat," Grey sighed. "See, look, it's never a good day when one of your own gets arrested. I'm sure you have questions. Commander West from IA is here to answer. Commander?" Grey moved to the side.

"Thank you, Sergeant. After an extensive investigation, we found clear evidence that, ten years ago, Detective Jenkins lied on the witness stand. Because of his lies, two innocent women were convicted of murder in the first." Percy said.

"They've been in jail this whole time?" Hunter and Lucy asked.

"Yes. Samantha Bennett and Juliette Maxwell. They were released two days ago. In addition to charging Jenkins with perjury, we've placed him on the Brady List." Percy states.

"Uh, what is the Brady List?" Nolan asked.

"Uh, it's a record of law enforcement officers who've withheld exculpatory evidence." Jackson said.

"It's a list of dirty cops." Grant said, so that way Nolan understood.

"IA has reviewed all of Jenkins' past convictions. Of them, three others were deemed suspect enough to warrant the release of those felons." Percy said.

"But you're not sure those three are innocent." Tim said.

"No, but their convictions were overturned." Percy states.

"When this gets out, every lawyer in town is gonna want to get a Jenkins conviction overturned." Angela comments.

"That's tomorrow's problem. Today, protocol dictates that we make voluntary contact with these released felons," Grey walked over to the TO table. "So, Lopez and West, you will talk to Samantha Bennett," Grey hands Angela a piece of paper before moving to Tim. "Bradford, Chen, you've got Max Kegel, who was doing 25 to life for drug trafficking," he hands Tim a piece of paper and then moves to Hunter. "Lopez, Lawrence you've got Juliette Maxwell, she was doing a life sentence to murder, she lived in the same building as Samantha Bennett, the two were good friends, so chances are they together right now, keep that in mind," Grey hands a piece of paper to Hunter and she reads it over, while Grey moves to Talia. "And, Bishop and Nolan, take Terry Wright, who was in for armed robbery and attempted murder," none of the other's notice Talia's demeanour change, Grey moves to the front with Percy. "If you observe anything actionable, send it up to Major Crimes." Grey said.

"And what if we don't see anything actionable?" Talia asked.

"Leave it alone. Observe, report. That's it. All right. Be safe out there." Grey said, everyone stood up and left the briefing room.

***

Lucy and Tim arrived at the hospital. "Why all the extra shifts?" Lucy asked.

"Why not? I've got hours to fill when I'm not studying." Tim said.

"Yeah, but don't you need time off to recharge? What do you do to unwind?" Lucy asked.

"Work out. And don't tell me, "If it has 'work' in the title, it can't be relaxing."" Tim said, he was lying, he did work out to relax but he also watched Top Chef with Lexi and Hunter.

"It's true. You need a hobby, something you do for fun." Lucy said.

"No, I don't." They enter an exam room where a man is lying on a gurney. A woman sits beside him. "Mr. Kegel, I hear you've had a bit of bad luck since you got out of prison." Tim comments.

"Tell me about it. Eight years of prison food without as much as the runs, and one bad bowl of clams lands me in the hospital." Kegel said.

"Mr. Kegel, I'm sure that your recent release has brought up some strong emotions." Lucy said.

"Only good ones. Hell, I thought I'd never get to consummate this marriage." Kegel chuckled. "Alicia and I were, uh, pen pals. She wrote to me in prison for a year before we got hitched." he said. He looks fondly at Alicia.

"Huh. I've always wondered about women marrying guys in prison. What's the appeal?" Tim asked.

"Oh, well, I read about his case, and I saw his photo, and I just fell in love." Alicia said.

"Look. Now that I'm out, I plan on keeping my nose clean and my wife between the sheets." Kegel said.

"Oh." Alicia chuckles bashfully.

"Officers, uh, may I speak with you, please?" Doctor Weitzman asked.

"Sure thing." Tim said, he and Lucy step out of the room with the Weitzman.

"I just got Mr. Kegel's test results, and, unfortunately, it's not food poisoning." Weitzman said.

"What is it?" Tim asked.

"Poison poisoning. Hydramethylnon, to be specific. It's a chemical used in roach traps." Weitzman explained.

The three people in the hallway glanced into the room that Kegel and his wife are in. "Mrs. Kegel, can you come out here, please?" Tim asked.

"No." Alicia said.

Tim, Lucy and Weitzman go back into the room. "What's going on?" Kegel asked.

"Who made the clams?" Lucy questioned.

"My honey bunny. Why?" Kegel asked.

"'Cause they were poisoned. Guess your wife wasn't psyched you came home." Tim comments, looking over at Alicia.

"What? Is that true?" Kegel asked.

"You were never supposed to get out of jail. That was the whole allure. Besides, it got my mother off my back about me being single. And then you came home, and you were all clammy and handsy, and I just snapped." Alicia said.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to stand up. Turn around. Hands behind your back." Lucy said.

Alicia stands up and Lucy cuffs her as she gives Kegel a guilty look. "Sorry."

***

Angela, Jackson, Hunter and Grant are walking into the courtyard. 

"Samantha Bennett really took it in the teeth. Ten years for a crime she didn't commit. Barely a traffic ticket before she went inside. And her file says she has a kid. Child was only a year old when her mom went to prison." Jackson said.

"Juliette Maxwell was the exact same, only her child was a teenager when she went to prison and because of that her daughter cut off all contact with her mother and told her father she wanted nothing to do with her." Grant adds.

"Yeah. There's no way they come out the same person. Prison hardens you." Hunter said.

A chair is hurled off the balcony, having been thrown by Juliette Maxwell and a man comes running down the stairs, with Samantha Bennett chasing him with a baseball bat. "Where the hell are they?!" Samantha yelled.

"Somebody help!" The super called out.

"Where's my family? Where's Julie's family?!" Samantha asked as Juliette came running downstairs with a baseball bat of her own.

"Don't hurt me." The building super said.

"Where are they?" Juliette asked.

"Both of you drop the bat!" Angela yelled at the women.

"No. It's not fair!" Samantha yelled.

"Arrest them. They're crazy!" The building super yelled.

"Look, Samantha, Juliette, please. Put down the bat. This isn't gonna help you." Jackson said.

"Is that what you want? You want to help us? Like you helped us the ten years in jail? Like you helped to convince my husband that I was a murderer? Like you helped Julie's daughter and husband that she was a murderer. You know what it feels like to have the person that you love turn against you, believe you're capable of the worst thing imaginable? Ten years, he never once brought my baby to visit me, said she was better off without me. And Julie's daughter disowned her own mother." Samantha said to the four cops.

"I know you're upset. I can only imagine what you've been through. But this man doesn't know where your family is," Hunter turned to the super. "Do you?" She asked.

"Of course not! They moved out years ago." The super said.

"I just - I just want to see my baby. I didn't know where else to go." Samantha said, sounding dejected.

"Samantha, Juliette, you two need to put the bat down." Grant said.

Juliette and Samantha sigh heavily, then they both drop the bats they're holding. Jackson and Grant move to handcuff them both. "Please don't send us back there. Please don't send us back there.

"Look, we're sorry." Jackson said.

He and Grant hooked Juliette and Samantha up. "Please." Samantha and Juliette said.

***

Hunter and Grant are processing Juliette who obviously knows the drill. Jackson and Angela have already processed Samantha Bennett. "Turn to -" Juliette already did so. "Okay," the camera shutter clicks. "Come on." Grant leads her to a holding cell.

"I'm never gonna find them." Juliette's voice broke.

"Look, I'm - I'm sure someone knows where they are." Grant told her.

"She hates me anyway." Juliette said.

"Your daughter?" Grant asked.

Juliette sighed. "She told me ten years ago that she wanted nothing to do with me after I was arrested for murder and not even my husband visited me in prison after that. I got one visit from my family in ten years."

Hunter and Grant shared a look before Hunter returned to her paperwork and Grant spoke to Juliette. "Yeah, but you're innocent, okay? And that will be all over the news now that Jenkins was arrested." Grant said, trying to reassured her.

"So is the fact that I'm back in jail. No, Grace is right. She's better off without me. I'm no good to anybody now." Juliette leans forlornly against the wall as Grant closes the door. 

Jackson and Angela walk over, having been waiting for the other two. "This isn't right." Jackson said.

"No, but our hands are tied." Angela states.

"We have to be able to do something to help them." Jackson said.

"This isn't just about her, is it?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah. ... All right, and maybe my dad, too. A dirty cop ruined their lives." Jackson states.

"Look, let me and Hunter think on Samantha and Juliette, see if I can figure something out. But you need to get your head straight about your dad. Either go talk to him or let it go. What you can't do is let the doubt eat away at you." Angela said.

"She's right, you can't let your personal life affect your professional one. Especially seeing as your father's head of IA." Grant said.

***

Wesley is passing by the break room when he sees Angela getting some coffee. He goes in to chat with her. "I was just about to call you." He said.

"Let me guess. You can't make dinner?" Angela asked.

"Sorry. One of my clients was put away by that Brady cop, Jenkins. I've got to go back through the case, see if anything shakes loose." Wesley explained.

"Today must be like Christmas morning for defense attorneys." Angela comments.

"Yeah, except instead of presents, we have boxes of discovery to open. Um -" Wesley leans in, flirting.

"Oh." Angela said softly.

"Listen. Hey." Wesley said.

"Yeah. Hi." Angela said, Wesley's really close. She doesn't mind.

"I, uh I have to go see -"

"Mm-hmm?" Angela hummed.

"- a client on Saturday, but I'll be back Sunday." Wesley said.

"I'm on duty Sunday." Angela said as another cop enters and heads for the coffee machine. 

Wesley backs off. "Right. Well, uh, nice to see you." Wesley exits hastily.

"Yeah," Angela speaks to the other cop. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"Mm." The cop said.

"Good? Yep." Angela said, walking out quickly.

***

Hunter and Grant have brought in a man (named Camel) with patterns marked on his face in black ink. Angela and Jackson walked in, standing in silence. "Go ahead. Have a seat on the bench." Hunter said.

"Don't I get a lawyer?" Camel asked.

"Did you want a lawyer?" Grant asked.

"Yeah. But you took all my money." Camel said.

"Yeah, it was stolen money. You know, it doesn't matter, because your lawyer would be pro bono,"  Grant said, Camel looks at Grant blankly. "Free." He said.

Angela glances through the window into the bullpen and sees Wesley, he glances over at her. "I've got just the guy for you," Angela turned to her sister. "You want me to go in or you?" She asked.

"You." Hunter said pointing at her sister.

***

Angela and Wesley are on opposite sides of the table. Camel is at one end of the table. "Mr. Camel." Angela started to say.

"It's just "Camel." You know, like Beyoncé or Post Malone." Camel said.

"All right. Let's start somewhere simple. Why is there marker on your face?" Angela asked.

"So Petey wouldn't know it was me." Camel answered.

"That's Peter DiAmato, the cashier at the convenience store you robbed." Angela said to Camel.

"Robbery? Wait a minute. My client was wielding a squirt gun hardly qualifies as a "threat of force."" Wesley said looking at the folder.

"It looked real." Angela and Wesley are smirking at each other throughout this exchange. Angela slides her foot over to Wesley's and rubs it a couple of times.

"It- It had Hawaiian Punch in it, which he drank repeatedly during the alleged incident." Wesley said.

"And the theft of $20 from the register?" Angela asked.

"Petey owed me that money." Camel said.

"Sounds like a harmless prank, misunderstanding between friends." Wesley said.

"Prank, huh?" Angela has pulled her foot back.

Wesley starts rubbing - the wrong foot. "Well, comedy is subjective." Wesley said.

"Who keeps rubbing my foot?" Camel asked. Wesley quickly removes his foot from Camel's.

"All right. Say I let him walk. What do I get?" Angela asked, smirking.

***

Angela and Wesley are making out in a storage room, Wesley pulls back. "I've got 15 minutes." Angela said.

"Don't worry. I'm good under pressure." Wesley replied.

"Oh, good." Angela said.

***

"7-Adam-19, 7-Adam-20, assault in progress. Rustic Ranch Paintball.

Tim, Lucy, Hunter and Grant are responding to an assault report. There are paintball guns firing in the distance.

"Hey, Officers, over here. Over here." A paintballer said, waving down the cops.

"He's totally lost his mind." The second paintballer said.

"Who?" Hunter asked.

"Jimmy. He lives for paintball, but he takes it way too seriously. Carl snuck up behind him and scored, and then Jimmy freaked out and started attacking -"

"Okay. Slow down. Who's Jimmy? Who's Carl?" Tim asked, interrupting the second paintballer.

"That's Carl." The second paintballer shows them a man seated on a tree stump. There's a short, thick branch protruding from the man's chest, upper right, and he's conscious but obviously in pain.

"Whoa. Um, did you call an ambulance?" Lucy asked.

"We called them, they're on the way." The second paintballer said.

"Okay. Keep pressure on it. Whatever you do, don't pull it out." Lucy said, Carl nods.

"Where's this other guy, Jimmy?" Hunter asked.

"Well, he's out there playing somewhere." the second paintballer said.

"How can we ID him?" Tim asked.

"Uh, he's about 6' tall, he's got a camo jacket, and a skeleton face guard." The second paintballer said.

"All right. You stay here and wait for the ambulance." Tim said. Tim, Lucy, Hunter and Grant walk through a building with a large empty room and out the other side. "It's scary what happens when a man focuses on one thing only. It's a cautionary tale, really." Lucy comments.

"Shut it, Boot." Tim snarked.

"Yes, sir." Lucy replied.

"What's this about?" Hunter asked.

"Never mind." Tim waved her off and walked past her and Grant. The raven haired woman shrugged and followed Tim.

Grant looked at Lucy. "I'll tell you later." She said. Grant nods and the two of them follow Hunter and Tim.

***

Tim, Lucy, Hunter and Grant are walking the hilly area where people are playing the game. "Man, this would be a whole lot easier if everyone wasn't wearing camo." Lucy said.

"This job isn't about easy, Boot." Tim remarked.

"Have you two ever done this?" Lucy asked Tim and Hunter.

"Played paintball?" Grant elaborated, he knew a lot about Tim and Hunter but neither really spoke about how the spend their time other than saying what they did the night before or on their days off without going into detail.

"No. It's amateur hour. " Tim said.

"We'd straight up murder these guys." Hunter added.

"Okay." Lucy said, sharing a look with Grant.

"That's him, that's him!" Someone yelled on the course.

Hunter nods at a woman trying to sneak up on a man. "Exhibit A. She thinks approaching from the rear gives her a tactical advantage. But in reality, had she taken the superior position of the high ground to the north –" Hunter started to say.

The woman gets paintballed in the back by another player. "Oh!"

"- that wouldn't have happened." Hunter said.

"Oh." Lucy and Grant said.

"But we know Jimmy's not your average player. This game is his life. So where would he go?" Tim asked.

"Hmm. Somewhere with a protected view of the course? (spotting another building on a hill) Huh. High ground." Hunter said, she, Lucy, Grant and Tim enter the building, where several combatants are lurking. One fires at Lucy, misses her but hits the door she just entered through.

'LAPD! Anyone else fires, they're going to jail." Hunter warned.

"Okay. Sorry." A paintball player said.

"Guys, guns down." Another paintball player said.

"Guy in the skeleton mask?" Tim asked walking in with Hunter, Lucy and Grant following.

"Behind you!" Another Paintball player points behind Tim and Hunter, who spins around in time to see the suspect turn to run.

"Jimmy!" Tim leaps to grab a paintball rifle and nails Jimmy in the back four times, Hunter doing it just after him, hitting Jimmy four times as well and Jimmy surrenders. "I couldn't help myself." Hunter said.

***

Talia is contemplating Grey's office from across the room when Hunter catches up with her. "Hey. I've been looking for you. You okay?" Hunter asked.

"I - yeah." Talia said.

"Why didn't you tell me you were into something? I would have been there for you. Why didn't you tell Nolan either?" Hunter asked.

"You had a city to serve and protect." Talia argued.

"Yeah, well, I hate to break it to you, but you're a pretty big part of that, you're a cop too." Hunter replied.

"Maybe not for long." Talia said grimly.

"Talia, I don't know what's going on with you, and I don't know who this Dylan guy you arrested is. All I know is there's got to be a reason you're playing it close to the vest. And I respect that. But take it from a woman who bottled things up for too many years. It helps to talk about it." Hunter said.

"You're right. I do need to talk," Talia sighed. "But not to you." Talia goes over to Grey's office and knocks on the door.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Hunter asked, Talia nodded and Hunter walked away to get changed.

***

Jackson runs into Hunter in the hallway after walking away from his father. "Hey. Are you okay?" She asked.

"Not really." Jackson said.

"I'm sorry, but maybe this will cheer you up. Come on. I spoke to the building super about Samantha and Juliette, told him everything they'd gone through. So he agreed to withdraw his complaint. They're free to go." Hunter said.

"That's great." Jackson said.

"There's more." Hunter states and she gestures for him to follow her.

***

Samantha and Juliette are signing a form to get their personal items back. "Mrs. Bennett? Mrs. Maxwell?" Hunter asked, before turning to the clerk. "Can we get a minute?" She asked.

"Yeah." The clerk said and walked off.

"Thanks," Hunter speaks to Samantha and Juliette. "I found your husbands. I explained to him what happened, that you were innocent. It was a lot to process. Before you get your hopes up, neither of them want you two to know where they or your daughters are just yet. But I gave them these numbers," Hunter shows to phones. "And I think they'll call once he wraps his head around the truth." Hunter said.

"Thank you." Juliette said to Hunter, taking the phone.

"Thank you." Samantha said to both officers, taking the phone that Hunter had set up for her as well.

"You're welcome." Hunter said.

***

Tim and Hunter are in camo, surveying the area, it was there day off and both agreed to try paintball, Lexi's somewhere else of the range, having gotten a day off school, it being a public holiday, she was on a different team of course. "You ready, Hunt? Remember. No mercy." Tim reminds Hunter. They're prepping to play.

"Yeah, I know," Tim's face twitches and a small crosses his face, Hunter noticed. "You're having fun, aren't you?" She asked.

"No." Tim said, his voice going an octave high, signaling to Hunter that her best friend's lying.

"Oof, liar." Hunter said.

"On me. Go!" Tim said. They slap on their face masks and spring into action.

"Incoming!" A man yelled. Paintball guns fire as everyone runs around shooting each other.

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Can't wait to do the next episode, not sure how to add Hunter and Grant into it, but I'll find away.