Previously on Shades of Blue...
Loman?
Loman!
A video game?
I heard shots. They sounded real.
You heard them, too, right? It was... I'll protect you.
It wasn't a clean shoot.
You don't say.
There's a new bookie.
You collect, and then you give him the rundown.
Get on the ground!
Lower the weapon, Detective Santos. Police!
It's you who's under arrest.
Provided your cooperation leads to convictions,
we'll grant you full immunity.
Look, if you planned this whole thing
thinking I was gonna rat out my crew...
You have a daughter, don't you?
Look, the crew's gonna be hitting the streets.
I can't.
Cristina's car got hit.
Her friend borrowed it and smashed in the front end.
You never said anything about wearing a wire.
There's a camera in the stone.
What's the matter?
Every betrayal begins with trust.
There's a rat.
There's a rat!
An FBI informant on my team.
I need to kill it.
And you're gonna help me.
Because you're the only one I trust.
How do you know this?
Just tell me everything that you've heard.
How many years have we been working together?
Since Cristina was six.
That's 10 years.
Is that how long it takes before you really know someone?
Ten years? Eight?
Espada's been with me for eight years.
And Tess, 15 years.
That's a long time.
Stood up at weddings and funerals.
How about six?
Tufo and Saperstein.
Almost six years, six years apiece.
That's six years of roll call, of tough arrests, stakeouts.
Six years of seeing crime scenes
that you're never, ever gonna un-see.
If it's too hard to believe, it's probably not true.
Forty-five years.
That's 45 years.
Of friendship.
Of loyalty.
Woz.
What is it, really? What is it that has you suddenly so convinced
that someone would do this to us?
Yo, Red Simons keeps calling.
A black sedan with white fenders
has slow-rolled past his liquor store
three times in the last hour.
All right, so have dispatch send a car. They did.
But Red says since he pays protection,
he wants one of us to go and hold his hand.
Now? Fifteen minutes max.
I mean, I'd go, but I already had a few. You know.
What you want me to do?
I'll take you.
Harlee, no.
You and I will go.
You notice any of the team acting different? Agitated?
We're cops. Agitation comes with the job.
Ducking shifts, private calls. You know what I'm asking.
I can't believe this is a real question.
I have it on good authority, Harlee.
And this authority definitely puts an informant in our crew?
Yes.
The feds deal in fear.
When people are scared, they make mistakes.
I handpicked this crew. I know them. I can read them.
We pay attention and the decent part of this person,
the part that deep down wants to be discovered,
is gonna reveal itself.
Are you hearing this?
Come on.
Liquor salesman needs some coddling.
Can't two patrolmen coddle him?
You know, 20 years ago, a car goes rolling by twice...
Didn't Tufo say black import, white fenders?
Get down! Get down!
You all right?
You're hit. No, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Call it in. It's heading west on 68th Street.
Just one shooter? Yeah, the driver.
Single-grip shotgun.
Was he shooting at you or the store?
I don't know, does it matter?
Two officer-involved shootings in three days?
Might want to start wearing Kevlar in the shower.
Too soon?
Copy that. Guys, guess what?
Two more liquor stores shot up 10 minutes before this one.
One's a drive-by, black import with replacement fenders.
This sounds like our menace.
Intentional or not,
nobody's gonna take a shot at me, my crew, or anybody else. All right?
Nobody goes home until we put this son of a bitch in cuffs.
All right? I'll take the heat, but we gotta get this shooter.
Speaking of shooters.
Harlee, you're gonna be with me.
Okay? We'll run command at the precinct.
Heard our team numbers on the scanner. Where did you want me?
Look, when we all leave I want you
to go over to the donut shop, all right?
Just stay there. What am I looking for?
Well, just... You'll know it when you see it.
Okay? Yes, sir.
I'll be back in a minute.
You like donuts?
No, sir.
You don't like donuts? What kind of cop is he gonna be?
Restroom? Employees only.
Keep it that way.
You messed up.
Can you hear me?
You have no idea what you're doing.
He knows there's a mole.
There's a leak on your end.
You're gonna get me killed!
Yo, I don't care, man, just keep walking.
Come on, man!
So you're saying you were at your girlfriend...
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. What're you doing?
That's just gonna hurt you.
Listen, can Linda drive you to practice,
because you know I hate you dragging that cello on the subway.
Did you get any sleep?
Not really. A little.
How about you?
Finishing breakfast. Man, just shut up! Come on!
I'm sorry, what'd you say?
Coward-ass police! Who's that yelling?
Uh, nobody, baby, a concerned citizen.
We're making juices.
I'm sorry, baby, I can't hear you.
Never mind.
I'll talk to you later. Be safe.
Okay.
You gonna answer that?
Somebody needs help. Probably shot by a cop.
Santos.
One block north on Garfield.
Black SUV. We need to debrief now.
Just tell him that you're gonna get a cup of...
Coffee.
Special Agent Stahl?
SA Molly Chen. I've been assigned to your detail.
They're all working, snatching collars,
looking for the liquor store shooter.
Well, there's nothing like sleep deprivation to make an informant crack.
You rule anyone out yet?
It can't be the rookie.
He killed a guy on his second shift. The FBI would have pulled him.
So that's five left.
No, four.
Tess, Espada, Tufo, Saperstein.
And Harlee.
You're looking at everyone, right?
No, Donnie, I forgot how to work a case.
Look, I'm just saying you have a blind spot for her.
Detective starts with the most probable.
The FBI profiles potential informants long before they pick 'em up.
They're looking for the most resourceful, with the most to lose
and the biggest secrets.
Who is that in your unit?
Lieutenant Wozniak?
James Nava, your new assistant district attorney.
Hey, will you hold on a minute? Tufo!
I'm on it. I'm on it.
Loman's at the donut shop.
He thinks this theater across the street
might have some security footage.
Go help him extricate it.
Yeah, you got it. And don't sleep!
Yes, sir.
Got a few calls into you.
Look, I'm swamped, man. Me, too.
A public defender just published
a tell-all about his drug addiction.
Ninety-two of his guilty clients
immediately filed habeas corpus petitions for new trials.
All right, so what are you hounding me about it for?
You supervised four of the cases, going back as far as 12 years.
Hey, so my frequent flyer over here
just mentioned a kid named Stroke,
flossing a dark sedan, custom rims.
Is "Stroke" the name on his birth certificate?
You should meet his brother, Heart Attack.
His real name is, uh, Clarence Morris.
He has a registered sedan that matches our partial plate.
There's no one at the address.
Put Tess and Espada on it. Okay.
"Heart Attack," why would I say that?
Well, she has that effect on everyone. Don't worry about it.
I need archived files and your notes.
Dibble, Foster, Girard, and Zepeda.
Miguel Zepeda?
Yeah, he has a decent chance of getting out of prison.
You remember him?
He's one of the douchebags I have a special place for in my heart.
I'll swing by tomorrow.
Evidence techs recovered 12-gage slugs from all three liquor stores.
A miracle there weren't bodies to scrape up.
Hey, what is it?
Uh, just some old business.
Are you afraid?
Should I be?
How well do you know Miguel Zepeda?
More than I'd like to. Why do you ask?
He claims that you framed him for murder.
Look I, I haven't seen Miguel since he went to prison.
And when was that?
Um, six years ago. Grand theft auto.
You have a daughter, right?
She's six years old, right?
That's interesting math.
Were you the responding officer last week
on a homicide at Prospect Park?
Uh, yeah. A homeless girl got stabbed.
Four times.
But there was no murder weapon found on the scene.
Yeah. Looks like.
Define "epic sex."
I don't know, over an hour?
Damn, Joe, good for you.
No, no, no. Joe slept through it.
Son of a bitch's phone lit up at 2:00 a.m.
"Amber Blue Dock Bar" wanted to know
if my husband wanted to have some late night fun,
so I obliged on his behalf.
No, you didn't!
Eight ways from Sunday.
Oh, that's messed up.
I mean, it's hot, but it's messed up. You gotta talk to him.
And say what? "Yo, Joe, I boned your girlfriend.
"Best sex I had in months. High-five."
I'm serious.
Serious enough to break his legs for me?
Yeah, if he actually did something. But you need confirmation.
"Confirmation"? You want to read "the sick stuff this bitch said?
Absolutely. But that's not the point.
Sexting is one thing, but actual physical,
fleshy contact, that's another.
Oh, no, no. Still cheating.
Technically, you're the one that did the typing.
Police! NYPD!
Stroke! Stroke, you in here?
Lift up your hands! Now!
Police! Get off the girl! Get down!
Get off the girl Hands up!
Wozniak received $50,000 laundered through a casino.
Have you linked that to a specific illegal activity?
Not yet. But his whole crew is dirty.
At some point, Wozniak's gonna have to
share whatever his greater ambition is
with somebody he trusts.
And I'm betting it's her.
She looks angry.
Yeah. So am I.
Are you completely incompetent or just straight-up crazy?
You are my asset.
That means, when I call you, you pick up the phone.
You blew it on your end. You have a leak.
Now, what, you want me to slap a sign on my back?
There is no leak on my end.
There's only a few people in the Bureau
that even know there's an investigation going on.
And stop calling me!
You're not giving me a choice!
You destroyed your surveillance necklace, you haven't checked in!
I wore it as long as I could! Yeah?
And what have you told him since?
Who?
You know who.
Harlee, if you think there's some play here where you tell Wozniak
that we've approached you, and you beg for his forgiveness,
that's not going to happen. Trust me.
If I knew you were gonna blow it like this, I would have.
No one has outed you.
If you're worried about the strike team
that arrested you, I cleared them.
They're solid.
Someone's talking.
Wozniak's intel is limited at best.
Otherwise he would have acted already.
Let me find out what he knows.
But we need to develop some kind of protocol here
while I requisition another wire.
"Requisition"?
What kind of operation are you running here?
My life is at risk because of you.
My daughter's future is at risk because of you.
Now leave me alone!
Give me a chance to survive your incompetence!
Agent Chen, draw your service weapon.
Excuse me?
Detective Santos feels her life is at risk.
We're shutting down, we're making the arrest.
Draw your weapon now, Agent Chen.
You got about 85 yards to decide how
you're gonna spend the next 10 years.
A bluff this size is above your pay grade.
Seventy-five yards.
What do you want me to say?
You're really gonna blow your whole operation?
Oh, look, friends across the street.
Okay, fine. Fine. You win.
I win what?
I'll follow your protocol.
And do what you're told when you're told.
Whatever I'm told.
Two days operational and your informant is compromised?
Nervous, not compromised.
Wozniak doesn't know anything definitive.
Only that we accessed his inner circle.
If I didn't think you had a strong lead
on what could be a significant public corruption case,
I wouldn't have authorized the operation.
But if your informant is in danger...
Detective Santos was having second thoughts.
And that's to be expected. We worked through them.
By ordering an agent to pull a gun on her.
I did what I had to do to keep the operation alive.
Just give me 24 hours to find the leak and get her in line.
In another life, I was NYPD.
Knew Harlee Santos as a rookie.
If Wozniak didn't get his hooks in her, you could be working for her.
Well, I'll try to remember that.
Twenty-four hours.
If only I had an informant with your enthusiasm for backstabbing.
She was at risk. I followed protocol.
Four months putting this operation together,
you almost blow it up in four hours.
Seems like it was already blown up.
Look, at Quantico, protocols may be hard lines.
Out in the field, protocols are margins.
We push them because the other side will.
I understand.
I've already asked to be reassigned.
Well, that's a really bad idea.
Why? Because this case is gonna make you.
I'm not talking till somebody gives me some pants.
Listen, you want pants?
Pants are what we call an accommodation, all right?
Gangsters who shoot at cops, you guys don't get those.
You wanna help yourself?
I wanna get out of here and I need some pants!
That our guy?
I didn't shoot at no one.
Listen, the only reason you're still breathing, Romeo,
is 'cause you didn't hit anyone.
I was with my girl all night. I swear.
Strap me to a lie detector.
Hey, Tess, there goes an idea.
Why don't we strap your husband to a poly,
and if he passes, then you let him keep his phone.
I wouldn't put it past the bastard to stick a tack in his shoe.
You know, I once had this wheelman,
he tried to beat the lie detector
by slathering BENGAY all over his junk.
That's an interesting strategy.
Well, pain spikes the heart rate on the control questions,
confuses the machine and throws off the results.
Did it work?
I never hooked him up.
He said that he would confess if I let him wash it off.
Creative police work.
Yeah, I've been known to improvise.
James Nava. Your new ADA.
Yeah. I caught that.
Do you believe in coincidence?
Depends on the coincidence, I guess.
Well, for example, say, two days ago,
a police officer responds to a homicide,
an anonymous call comes in,
and places the murder weapon in the car of her ex-boyfriend.
Did you lift the knife from the crime scene?
Absolutely not.
Did you plant the knife in Miguel That's car
to keep him away from your daughter? No.
Do you remember this domestic disturbance call.
What's up? Our rookie came through.
Boys upstairs pulled a still frame from the theater camera.
Loman's still there?
Yeah, eyes still peeled at the donut shop.
Didn't even ask if he could go home.
He knows we're messing with him. It's a battle of will now.
Yeah, well, Loman's will just got us a partial view of the shooting.
There's a woman out there looking to post bond for you.
Only she ain't your girl That's and she's too young to be your mama.
So let her post it. I'm not stupid enough to shoot at the police.
But you're stupid enough to cheat?
Look, it's not like that.
I'm loyal. Been with the missus 10 years.
Oh, ain't she lucky.
I didn't shoot at no cop.
Let me see your arm.
Our shooter has a tattoo on his wrist.
Well, I'll take my apology in cash. Small bills.
I'll make this brief.
The still frame tells me that you're not our shooter.
But what it doesn't tell me is why the shooter was in your car.
You clear that up, maybe you go home.
I, um... I sold the car. All right? Off the books.
Well, why don't you give me an off-the-books name?
Reggie.
Hothead gunslinger, holes up on 61st and 5th.
Cristina. Mom.
Someone shot at a police officer?
No one was hurt.
What are you doing here?
I thought you could use a change of clothes.
Really?
Yeah, I figured you had caffeine covered.
Hey, hey!
Backup has arrived.
Hey.
The motor pool fix your car already?
No. They said it's gonna be a few days still.
Want me to lean on 'em?
I can manage the subway for a week.
You know what, why don't you meet me at my desk,
and I'll grab my things and we'll go.
You know, good lesson.
Never loan your wheels to your friends.
Oh, I don't loan it out. I'm not allowed.
Well, I would hope so, not after they smashed it.
Who? Your friends.
No, someone backed into it when it was parked on the street.
You know what, the activity log is done.
So I'm gonna take her home. Okay?
Oh, I can't. I was heading to Amy's to work on a science project.
Speaking of which, I need supplies.
Okay. Supplies it is.
I'll grab my bag and we'll go to the hobby store.
Mrs. Lowrey was gonna take us.
But, uh, some cash would be great.
Here.
Science is on me.
That's a 50.
It's all right. It's only money.
Thanks, Uncle Woz.
So, uh, I should be home by 11:00,
but I'll text you if we go late.
Okay. 10:30. Okay.
Bye. Bye. gorgeous.
We need to take a drive.
I thought we found our shooter.
Nah, there's a new development.
Looks like Reggie should've used
some of that car money on a decorator.
Well, we all have our priorities.
It's clear. if we?
Do you think this guy did the shooting to make a statement?
Maybe he needs a hug.
Maybe he couldn't help himself.
Mood stabilizers. Lithium.
And the shotgun.
The American way.
Is she starting to lie to you?
Cristina.
I hope she doesn't ever feel the need to.
Wait a second, am I going nuts?
You told me that her friends smashed the car.
Look, I just let her story slide.
I figured it was better than interrogating her.
Yeah, you might learn things you don't want to know.
Kids never listen anyway.
You got to model the important things.
Yeah. Like how to get a sucker to spot you a 50.
Like not to rat on your friends.
We should polygraph the crew.
We can act like it's about a missing payment.
Then when they're hooked up, straight-out ask them about the feds.
Quickest way to know what's real.
Get down!
Police! Down!
Nice shootin', Tex.
Didn't the Marines teach you to aim for the big circle?
If he wasn't mentally ill, he'd be meeting the coroner.
As it is, he'll be seeing the physical therapist.
You okay?
Go home and rest up.
I'll round up the crew and tell 'em to come over for dinner.
I'm kind of exhausted, Woz.
It's your polygraph idea.
My house at 8:30.
Tonight?
You'll be able to sleep otherwise?
Oh. Joe's gonna be working late tonight, doesn't need me to wait up.
What a guy.
At least that shouldn't be too hard to verify.
Well, I shouldn't have to.
Why don't you just talk to Joe?
If I have that conversation,
I don't know where it ends.
So you just grin and bear it?
No, we make a detour.
For what?
Housekeeping.
What are we doing here? Just take a leak, all right?
Amber? Yeah.
What are you drinking?
Uh, PBR and a tequila shot.
If we. Tequila shot.
Little rude not to text on the day after, don't you think?
I'm sorry, day after what?
Oh, come on, don't play coy.
Do I know you?
Seriously? We had sex last night.
I mean, you thought it was my husband, Joe.
But trust me, honey, he would never dine at the Y that long.
Did I pull your hair too hard when I was behind you?
Look, bitch, I don't know what you're talking about.
No? Let me jog your memory, huh?
Remember now?
You remember now?
Remember me? Remember my face! Remember my face!
Tess! Tess!
Tess, stop!
Two kids! Two beautiful kids!
Hey, hey. Police business, all right? This never happened.
It's better for both of us. Trust me.
Let's go.
What, you and your girlfriend broke up?
Way to show some restraint. That was restraint.
Hello, Harlee.
I told you to stay out of my apartment.
It's a very nice apartment. Especially for your pay grade.
Did anyone see you come in here?
My associate followed Wozniak to his house.
He's probably in his barcalounger scratching his crotch.
Well, she missed the polygraph equipment that he snuck in.
We're testing the whole crew.
Tonight.
You couldn't talk him out of that?
I suggested it.
Big move.
I thought he was looking at me.
I wanted to appear like I was just as concerned as he was, on his side.
Paranoia leads to over-thinking.
Over-thinking can get you in this kind of trouble.
Wozniak confided in you as soon as he knew.
And you have to own that, Harlee.
You have to own that trust.
I didn't think he'd agree to it.
I thought he'd want to be more careful.
Is he testing you?
No. Just everyone else.
And they'll pass.
This actually could work in our favor.
Give him reason to doubt his intel, and
then you can nudge him into another reality.
Suddenly, there is no informant.
Or someone has a bad day, gets nervous,
indigestion. God knows.
If he gets a false read...
Just hope no one else in your crooked little family is hiding any secrets.
Hey, killer! Almost forgot about you.
You here to relieve me?
I think the one place we know is secure is the donut shop, Loman.
So what is this, my penance?
Initiation. Stand down. We booked the shooter.
Hey, donut boy, an apple fritter for my friend here.
No, I'm good. I'm good, thanks. Hey, and an orange juice.
He logged some genuine detective work today.
And all without shooting anybody.
There's hope for you yet, bro.
So, what's the story? The liquor store shooter.
I don't track the whys and what-fors, Loman.
Oh, my bad, I thought you were a detective.
Oh, it's like that, huh? Yeah.
Yeah? Well, listen up. Yeah.
Intentions aren't the point.
The street is an us-versus-them situation.
It's best you understand that.
Yeah? Yeah.
Where'd you grow up? Don't even, man.
We're not social workers, Loman.
I mean, if I'm chasing some thug through my old hood,
the only color he sees is blue.
Shouldn't we want to change that?
You want change, huh? Yeah? Yeah.
Yeah, become a kindergarten teacher, Loman.
Funny.
They give us a gun and a badge and dropkick us into calamity.
By the time I pull my cuffs out, the die is cast.
And that's funny to you, huh?
Look, I'm just saying we're meeting these people at their worst.
No, do not put your guilt on me.
Or yourself, for that matter.
You killed a man, and he was black.
There it is.
Yeah, he also was slinging dope and had a gun pointed at you.
You had to put the brother down.
That was his call, not yours.
You don't know what I did.
I know you're still breathing, Loman.
I know the politicians and the crybabies
that want to stand around on the sidelines
and criticize how we do our job
never had to do our damn job.
Or had the sack to try.
Listen, man, you, you ain't hearing me.
The public don't give a damn about your
vulnerability in the street.
That's not interesting.
What it feels like to bust through that door,
you think they care?
All that matters is that you get home the same way you showed up.
The same way I showed up?
Yes, the same way you showed up.
The same way I showed up. The same way I showed up.
I don't think that's possible.
Hello?
Woz?
Have a seat. I'll be right there.
What, do you have everybody tied up in the basement?
I changed my mind.
Even with a decent cover story,
we'd still be tipping them.
I'll just clear you tonight, Harlee.
Linda has me on green tea. Made enough for two.
I'll get it. No rush.
Um, I have to hit the bathroom.
The sooner we start, the sooner we're done.
You can poly me if you want, Woz,
but I'm not gonna do it on a full bladder.
Where is Linda anyway?
She's talking her sister through this week's crisis.
Can't let her know I have a polygraph or she'd wanna use it on me.
Nothing to hide, nothing to fear.
Ah.
No one else has gone in?
Not since he's gotten home.
Hello? Who's this?
I said, "Don't answer it. "
Put Cristina on the phone now.
It's not funny!
Pick up. Pick up, Cristina.
Mom, I'm fine. Where are you?
We finished our work early and went out to meet some friends. That's all.
I'm not mad. Just... Just tell me where you are.
Uh...
Bushwick, I think?
Baby, you're not old enough to be in some... - Hello?
Ma?
Hold on, I can't hear you.
When did you get to be 16?
I'm gonna go find somewhere quieter.
Baby, listen to me.
Don't get in a car where someone's been drinking.
Mom? You hear me?
Can you hear me?
Make your own decisions.
Think big, don't... Don't sell yourself short.
You're the most talented girl in any room.
Mom, are you there?
Never settle.
And never hold back.
Look, I can't hear you. I'm gonna hang up, okay?
And someday, have a daughter.
She'll be the best part of your life.
Mom, I'm headed home.
Don't ever forget.
Hey, Harlee. You okay?
Yeah. I'll be... I'll be right out.
Don't take it personally, Harlee.
I need a good night's sleep.
No, I get it.
Basic police work.
Start from the inside and work your way out.
Doesn't mean I won't give you crap for it later.
Oh, I hope so.
We should call this in. He could know it's her.
Or maybe they're having dinner.
You willing to bet her life on that?
She's a good liar.
What's your full name?
Harlee Grace Santos.
What's your badge number?
You think I'd frame my ex-boyfriend for a fight we had seven years ago?
Just one? No.
Miguel could run hot, things could get loud.
We had thin walls and nosy neighbors.
He ever get physical with you?
You see any charges?
Here. Here.
Here.
Have you ever received an unsanctioned gratuity
while working as a police officer?
Yes.
Who pinned your detective badge on you?
You did.
I used to like when he got jealous.
Can you believe that?
But I knew I had to get away from him
and I was searching for a way out
when I found out I was pregnant.
I almost lost the baby.
I tried to get away,
but he threatened to kill me.
And I knew he would.
And then a miracle.
Miguel got sent down for grand theft auto.
And my whole life changed.
You know, I wasn't scared anymore.
Six years later, he got out.
I was already a cop,
so I knew I could handle him.
But he didn't come after me.
He started hanging around Cristina's school.
Watching, taunting.
Just, like, letting me know that he could control me at any time.
You know what I see?
I see a woman pushed past her limit.
You did what you had to do
to protect your daughter, to keep Miguel away from her.
I would do anything to protect Cristina.
Are you now or have your ever been
an informant for the FBI?
No.
I don't need you to confess.
I already got you.
You're the responding officer to the murder
that you're framing Miguel Zepeda for.
Miguel Zepeda.
The paper trail leads right back to you.
It was a big mistake.
You can explain the theory to my lawyer.
A lawyer can't help you, Harlee.
But you could help yourself.
Erase the trail.
How would I do that?
Trust the right person.
Something I should know?
I never doubted you.
Yeah, you did.
You gotta trust the right people.
Right now, that's just you.
You hungry?
Famished.
But I gotta go.
Cristina ran off to some club without telling me.
Why didn't you tell me?
Would have seemed like an excuse. Now it's done.
See you tomorrow.
Are you now or have you ever been an informant for the FBI?
No.
Did you plant the knife in Miguel got jealous car
to keep him away from your daughter?
No.