| “ | You know, hon, someday when you look back on your life, almost everything you see will be marked off with crime-scene tape because you didn't make time for anything else. | ” |
— Fritz Howard | ||
When a suspected double murderer is found dead in Elysian Fields, Brenda suspects the families of his alleged victims and butts heads with a retired detective who handled the victim's suspected murders.
The Victim[]
Brenda's Case[]
- Howard Greeson
- A suspect in two murders in the 1990s.
- Tortured by road-hauling to lead Joey Olin to the body.
- Shot twice in the head with his own gun.
- Confessed to both murders before his own.
- Was murdered by Olin to solve the case before he died of cancer.
Unsolved Cold Case[]
- Dana Clarkson
- Howard Greeson's first victim.
- Lived with Greeson for three years before postponing the wedding.
- Reported missing two weeks later in January 1997.
- Body recovered in Elysian Park and positively identified.
- Katie West
- Howard Greeson's second victim.
- Met Greeson in 1998 and moved in with her six-year old daughter.
- Disappeared before she had the chance to move out.
- Body recovered in Elysian Park and positively identified.
The Suspects[]
- The family of Dana Clarkson and Katie West.
- Joey Olin
- Lead detective on Dana and Katie's case.
- Tortured Greeson to find the bodies and murdered him after getting diagnosed with terminal cancer.
- Only has 3 to 6 months left to live.
Evidence[]
Closing the Case[]
Brenda goes into the interview room and talks to Olin. She noticed Todd said he wanted to see his sister again, but the person who dug up the bodies was looking more for the scene of a double murder than his sister.
Flynn goes on alert as Brenda notes that he knew Howard and Howard might have gone with him willingly. "So tell me, detective, how much more time do you have?" she asks him.
She couldn't understand why someone would do something like this now, but if you factor in the weight loss and the prostate he told Tao he had removed and the queasy stomach due to what she assumes is the morphine he's taking, she figures he's dying of cancer.
He has three to six months he says. Brenda asks Flynn to read him his rights. He doesn't. Olin waives his rights.
Brenda asks him how, as a decorated member of the law enforcement community, how could he do something like this? "The Make-A-Wish Foundation refused to do it for me," he says. Then he says he didn't want to die without getting those girls justice. He tells her she might understand some day. And anyway, now that her case is closed, they can close his, right?
Just as long as he has proof Greeson lead him to the girls. Olin recorded the whole thing, he admits it all. But it's not for the faint of heart. He says he drove to the desert, hooked him to his truck and drove all night. Olin puts his head in his hands, sick.
Flynn visits Brenda in her office. He's wondering, Olin doesn't have much time left, and some might say what he did was justified... could she talk to the DA? But she asks what if he has a list with a few more scores to settle. She asks him to book the audio into evidence, she doesn't want to listen to it. Neither does he.
Brenda's Story[]
Brenda continues to investigate the Phillip Stroh case, having a nightmare about Stroh breaking into her house to kill her at the beginning of the episode and carrying her case file on Stroh with her through parts of the episode. David Gabriel mentions that Brenda had him pull the files on everyone Stroh represented in the past three years and Brenda has him go back five years since they didn't find anything. Brenda makes it clear she is determined to catch Stroh.
Guest Cast[]
| Tom Skerritt | ... | Det. Joey 'O' Olin | |
| Stephen Martines | ... | Ricardo Ramos | |
| Myk Watford | ... | Todd West | |
| Georgina Cates | ... | Kim Sherman |
Locations[]
- Elysian Park is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California, with a mostly low-income community of 2,600+ people. A city park, Elysian Park, and Dodger Stadium are within the neighborhood, as are a Catholic high school and an elementary school.
Episode Notes[]
- Detective Olin's obsessive hunt for justice for Howard Greeson's crimes closely mirrors Brenda's obsessive hunt for justice in the Phillip Stroh case. During the episode, Brenda experiences flashbacks to her encounter with Stroh when Olin suggests that she's never had a similar case, highlighting the parallels.
- Cadaver dogs, also known as human remains detection dogs, have been trained to smell death Specifically, the dogs are trained to smell decomposition, which means they can locate body parts, tissue, blood and bone. They can also detect residue scents, meaning they can tell if a body has been in a place, even if it’s not there any more. They can smell remains that are buried up to 15 feet underground and have a 95% accuracy.