- Previously on "Shades of Blue"...
- I heard shots. They sounded real.
- A video game?
- I got to make this right.
Neighborhood's raising money to bury the man I killed.
This a friend of yours? - My cousin.
- You donated a lot of money.
- Want you all to know that I'm sorry, all right?
- Let's go.
- Crooked-ass police. - Yeah.
Murderers.
- There's a rat on my team.
I told you, I'm gonna start looking at everyone.
- Portuguese, right?
But when I realized the escort was Brazilian,
I asked her to teach me how to say a few things.
- Far as Wozniak knows, we were together all morning.
- Saperstein said he was with Tufo when he spotted your guy.
- Why are you hiding the mail?
- The man you're framing, Miguel Zepeda,
the paper trail leads right back to you.
- He threatened to kill me, and I knew he would.
- Let's go.
- It's been a long time.
- Guess I just had to ask nicely.
Then again, you always took convincing.
- Why did you call me here, Miguel?
- I need you to find somebody.
Frank Kovach.
He did seven years for assault and battery.
He made parole a few months ago.
The word is, he was bragging about killing some runaway girl.
I think it's the same one I got locked up for.
- A lot of runaways meet a bad end.
- This guy Frank knew details,
things I only know 'cause I heard the testimonies.
I'm tired of serving his time.
- You're putting a lot of faith in coincidence.
- For a long time, I thought you had a hand in this,
in putting me away.
- I did everything I could back then.
Look, we went a few rounds,
but I know you're not a murderer.
I never thought you were guilty.
- Have you told our daughter that?
She should also know that I'm innocent of this,
that I've changed.
I'd like to tell her that myself.
- Look, I'll think about it.
What's good for you could be really hard for her.
Why didn't you have your defense team contact the police?
- I don't trust lawyers, and I don't trust the police.
I only trust you.
Or at least I did once.
I'm hoping I can still do that.
- So the abusive ex-boyfriend we framed for murder
calls you for a visit
and you decide that is a good idea?
- Look, his hearing's coming up,
and Nava doesn't even know his defense yet.
Now I do.
This was a gift.
- A gift? How is it a gift?
- A parolee named Frank Kovach
bragged about a killing
that sounds a lot like the one we put Miguel away for.
- And he hasn't mentioned this to anyone else?
- Why would he?
He got railroaded last time, and he knows it.
But this isn't just about trying to keep Miguel behind bars.
I need to know.
- Why? To assuage your conscience?
- There were no leads on that case.
That's why I used it.
If this guy Kovach killed this woman and got away with it,
that's on me.
- Harlee, stay away from this.
That's an order.
Wait two days. Then send a message to Miguel.
Tell him that you reached a dead end.
You're chasing ghosts, Harlee.
We got flesh-and-blood problems right here.
- What?
You got a lead on our rat?
I found it.
Saperstein wasn't with Tufo when he caught the tail.
He lied to me.
He was at some house in Flatbush.
Last night, he met a Fed after hours,
and he made a handoff.
- How do you know it was Feds? - I followed him.
I watched him betray us.
He was smiling. It was nothing for him.
- A few days ago, it was me that you suspected.
- Loman killed an unarmed man.
Tess is screwing up her family life with Espada's help.
Tufo thinks with his balls.
It's just the process of elimination.
It's Saperstein.
- Hey, look, why don't you just let me talk to him?
- No! No. - And I'll find out...
- I'm gonna handle him.
- Hey. Got your message.
Found the address. Frank Kovach?
- Feel like keeping me company?
- Sure.
Is this a coincidence or an ambush?
- I'm telling Joe what we did. I thought you should know.
- Why would you do that?
- Because that was the point.
He needs to know what it feels like.
Besides, if I don't come clean, I'm just as bad as he is.
And I'm not.
- This high road you walk
is gonna end up with me in traction.
- Oh, come on. You carry a gun, Carlos.
I'm trying to save my marriage.
- What do you think's gonna happen, Tess, hmm?
You're gonna come clean.
You're gonna cry it out.
And then what?
You're gonna go back to your spectacular relationship?
Hmm?
- Sap, I'm gonna ask you something,
and I need you to be straight with me.
- For the last time, Harlee, I'm saving myself for marriage.
- Have you been skipping out on the job lately?
- Is that a joke?
I have a perfect attendance certificate.
Gold star and everything.
- Sap, if you tell me what you've been doing,
I can cover for you.
- Or you could stop busting my balls.
- I'm not kidding.
Where were you yesterday when Tufo thought he caught a tail?
- Right next to him, like he said.
- And last night?
- This line of questioning end with a waterboard?
- Just trying to help you out, Sap.
Rumor has it you've been ducking shifts.
- Rumor has it wrong.
We gonna do this or not?
- Just cover me from out here. I got it.
- What'd this guy Kovach do?
- He lost a bet to Wozniak.
I'm supposed to bat my eyes and suggest he make good.
- Hey, Woz.
- Saperstein, desk sergeant said
you're running an errand with Harlee?
- Frank Kovach. I don't know.
Some parolee. She said you have some beef?
- What address?
- 5722 Troutman.
- All right, I'm gonna be there in 25 minutes.
Don't go anywhere, you hear me?
- I'm really hoping this is a strip-o-gram.
- Frank Kovach?
Harlee Santos, NYPD.
Got time for a few questions?
- Now that my hopes are dashed, sure.
- This is a little awkward.
There's an inmate at Rikers
looking for a second chance at life.
He was put away for the murder
of a 19-year-old runaway named Rita Martin.
- Never heard of her.
- Yeah, I'm not surprised.
I talked to your parole officer,
and he said you're really looking to turn over a new leaf.
I would hate for anything to jeopardize...
- What's his name?
- Miguel Zepeda. - No, my parole officer.
You said you talked to him. What's his name?
Yeah.
No, I... I'm sorry. I can't help you.
- You don't want to do this, Frank.
- Easy. You're okay.
Doorframe kept him from winding up too much.
- Feels like he wound up plenty.
- Guy took off out the back.
We'll get after him once Woz gets here.
- How does Woz know where we are?
- He just called. He sounded pissed.
He said he'd be here in 25.
- Yeah? - How far are you from Red Hook?
- Around the corner.
- Look, Wozniak's convinced that Saperstein's the mole.
He's on his way to interrogate him.
I got a pretty good idea how that ends.
- Harlee, then you convince him he's wrong.
- It's too late for that.
He's already ruled out everybody else.
If I don't get him out of here now,
I might not get another chance.
You have to arrest him.
- What's Wozniak's ETA?
- 20 minutes. - All right.
Well, I'm closer than that, so you text me the address
and you get out of there, all right?
- I'm not leaving him.
- Well, you can't look connected to this, Harlee.
Trust me. I will be there, I promise.
Just go.
- Tell Wozniak I went back to the precinct
to chew on some pain meds.
- Maybe somebody should come get you.
- No, I'm fine.
Look, I'm sorry that I was riding you in the car.
You're one of the good ones, Sap.
- You're funny.
- Hi. - Where's Mikey?
- Jimmy's.
You know, the little snag-toothed redhead,
just moved in down the street?
You know where the opener went?
- Dishwasher.
Who was the woman?
With the yoga pants.
- Angie,
Jimmy's mom.
Why? What'd I do wrong this time?
- This time, you cheated on me.
- We were talking about our kids.
- Not her, the bartender.
Don't make me drag it out of you.
We've been together too long.
- Look, this girl was texting me...
- No, no, no, no, no. She told me everything.
You know, I bend over backwards
trying to be everything you want,
but the one thing I can't be is young again, Joe.
- I don't need you to be.
Listen...
it wa... It was stupid.
I was feeling old...
midlife crisis.
I don't know. Call it what you want.
It's done.
- No, no, no. - No, no, come on. Baby.
- Get your hands off of me. - Hey, hey.
- Joe, no! No! - No, no. Hey, hey.
- Get off me, Joe. - Hey, hey, baby.
- No. - I'm sorry.
- Okay. Okay.
What's this about, hmm? Some kind of hazing?
- Internal Affairs wrapped up
their investigation of your shooting.
- No more anonymity.
Your name was just released as the shooter of Jamarr Malcolm.
"Times" ran it.
I mean, it's pretty deep, but, you know, word gets around.
Bullets are a tradition.
It's a show of solidarity.
- You ain't gonna be the most popular cop
on the street for a minute.
- Then again, no one's gonna resist an arrest
from Detective Loman.
- Guys, come on.
This is not exactly the reputation I was going for.
- Anybody bothers you, you let us know.
- Your friends and loved ones know who you are.
That's all that matters.
- Harlee, Saperstein called, told us about this Kovach guy.
- Forget about Kovach.
This was a personal favor for Wozniak.
Guy owed him some cash. - Guy also drew blood.
Somebody cracks you on the head,
it's all of our business, Harlee.
- I'm fine.
- This Kovach guy did seven years
for domestic assault and battery,
left an ex-wife and a son on the outside.
Soon as he got released,
he starts making unscheduled visits.
Ex-wife took out a restraining order
to protect her kid.
- Thank you, really.
I'll go talk to the ex-wife.
But please, keep this to yourselves.
- She didn't stick around to hear about Kovach's girlfriend.
- Oops. Guess she's our problem.
- Hey, it's me.
Listen, I know you're at work, but...
I need to talk to you.
- Saddle up, tenderfoot. We're going for a drive.
- Come on, just help me find the permission slip.
- You sure she signed it? We got to get back before fifth.
- Yeah, no, she knew the trip was Friday.
It's got to be around here somewhere.
You see it up there?
- No, but there's a letter addressed to you from a prison.
- Listen to me,
this is the third time that I've called now.
I can't wait anymore.
- That's Wozniak.
- My potential threat just became a reality,
so you either pull Baker out of that meeting,
or you get me Sweeney.
- Easier to ask forgiveness. We'll get him out the back.
- All right, never mind.
Tell her I'm making a command decision.
- Don't move. FBI.
- Harlee?
Saperstein?
- Don't.
Trust me.
- Hello?
Sap?
Harlee?
Are we playing hide-and-seek, Saperstein?
- "Trust me" doesn't usually end in handcuffs.
I want a lawyer.
- Lieutenant Wozniak thinks you're working with us.
He was on his way to question you.
- And by question you, we mean shoot you in the head.
- Look, what are you arresting me for?
- Fraud, extortion, misconduct.
- We're taking you to a safe house.
Once we've completed our investigation,
you'll be given the opportunity to testify
in exchange for immunity.
- That's not gonna happen.
- Good choice, Detective.
Your mother looks able-bodied enough to visit you in prison.
- I need to talk to her. - No.
- If I disappear to a safe house, it'll kill her.
You want me to even consider testifying against my friends,
I talk to my mother.
That's the deal.
- Well, let's go see Mom.
- Heard they pulled this dude's permits.
- Here's hoping the port-a-john still works.
- Are we sure this parolee's girlfriend is even here?
- Works security. Harlee's checking his ex-wife.
- If you hit a cop, who would you run to,
your ex-wife or your girlfriend?
- Y'all need me, holler.
- Tiffany Harris? Detective Espada.
- This is private property.
You got a problem, you can call the owner.
- Ma'am, have you heard from Frank Kovach today?
- Wouldn't tell you if I did.
- You mind if we take a look around?
- Not if you've got a warrant.
- That wouldn't be a crack rock in there, would it?
If he's not here, then where is he?
- I don't know, okay?
- Ma'am if that's true, you mind if I look in your phone?
- Don't scroll through the pictures.
- I didn't know you two were engaged.
That must be a whole 1/10 of a carat.
- Five outgoing calls to Frank Kovach
that weren't returned.
No incoming calls, no texts.
- Maybe he used the desk phone.
- Then why didn't he pick up when she called back?
- You're gonna stay put until you hear from us again.
And if you behave, we'll let you keep your phone.
And if you leave,
you're gonna get arrested for having a real crack rock,
which I'm gonna come back with.
Comprendes?
Come on.
- What'd you get? - Nothing.
But I'm about to get a lecture from our resident Boy Scout.
- Yo, yo, yo, you can't do that.
- This guy hurt Harlee, all right?
We don't need admissible.
We need right now.
- I got to make a stop.
- Mrs. Kovach. NYPD.
We're looking for your ex-husband, Frank.
- Where's Saperstein? - I left him at Kovach's house.
- He's not there,
and you should have never been there in the first place.
I told you not to go.
- I had to know.
- Tufo and Espada are chasing leads, Harlee.
- They just think it's some guy who owes you money.
Look, Miguel might be right.
This guy Kovach, he killed Rita Martin.
- Great, you and I can trade places with Miguel in prison.
You like that?
- Did your ex do this?
- He made me call the school,
give permission to pick Brian up.
He's taking him away from me.
- What school? - PS 257.
He has a gun!
- It's okay. Look at me.
We're gonna get your son.
Sweetie, this is a really bad time.
- What, for you to talk
or for you to tell me who my father is?
Look, I found the letter on your dresser,
the one addressed to me?
- Cristina, I'm sorry.
- You told me he didn't care about me,
that he was just some random jerk
who didn't want to be a dad.
- He is. - Then why is he writing me?
The man that's writing you is not your father.
Look, just please let me explain.
- You know, just don't... Don't bother.
I'm gonna give him a crack at it.
- You all right?
- Cristina's going to see Miguel.
She found a letter he wrote her.
- Go. Come on, I'll handle this.
Go on.
- Mom?
Mom? - Hey.
Just... just stay where we can see you.
- She's got book club today. She should be back.
- If she's not here in 15 minutes,
you call her from the road, okay?
Go pack what you need.
Stahl.
- 15 minutes?
What would you take?
- A few changes of clothes.
- No, I'm not asking what you would suggest.
I'm asking, what you would take
if somebody walked into your life
and said they were gonna strip you out of it?
- We're the good guys, Detective.
- How's it feel
being the good guys?
- Hey, I got your message.
I was gonna call you as soon as I got off work.
- Is there somewhere we can talk?
- I can't. I just got off my break.
- Erica, it's very important.
- Okay, what is it? What's going on?
- I, uh...
- Look, I'm so sorry.
I really only have a second.
- It's not easy for me. - Okay.
- I don't expect you to understand.
Maybe... maybe later is better.
- Yeah, meet me at Jay-Jay's practice.
We can talk then, okay?
- Okay. - Okay.
Sorry, Mr. Nieves.
- What part of honk don't you understand?
- You couldn't give me a minute? - No, Loman.
Frank Kovach might be kidnapping his son.
- Did the school get notified?
- Wozniak wants this handled quietly.
- Kovach is a white dude. 5'11", dark hair.
Son's name is Brian.
- Whoa, he drive a truck? - How'd you know?
- He just slammed Brian into it.
- Hey! - Police! Stop!
Stop the car!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Stop! Police! Kovach! Kovach, just stop!
- Kovach, freeze!
- Police! Stop!
- Ow, what is that, battery acid?
- You want me to fetch your dolly?
- I just got hit by a car, bro.
- Excuse me, I need to talk to these guys for a minute.
Kovach's rent-a-cop girlfriend, is she decent leverage?
- This guy's got to be broke.
But he sprung for an engagement ring.
I'd say he's smitten. - All right, good.
Kidnapped kid, maimed cop...
Every agency in the city's gonna be put on notice.
I want to handle this discreetly.
Is she at the construction site now?
- I made sure of it. Her phone is in the glove box.
What's the play?
- A little black op.
- Yeah, my favorite kind.
- Does this hurt? - Ah!
Ah, what the...
- I'm gonna get a beer. You want anything?
- I cheated on you too.
- What's that?
- Nothing.
- David, who are these people?
- They're... friends, Ma.
- I know your friends.
- I got some new ones.
Sit down, Mom.
- Who is that man,
telling you to hurry with your own mother?
- Listen to me.
I'm gonna have to go away for a while.
- What are you saying?
David, are you in trouble?
- No, it's work. It's a... it's a big case.
I... I'm the guy they want on it.
- You don't do big cases.
You're a neighborhood policeman.
You come home after your shift.
- Listen. Look at me, Mom.
You'll be fine.
I need you to know that, okay?
- I don't like this, David.
You're acting strange.
You're lying to me. - I'm sorry.
I love you. I'm so sorry.
Hey, Ma,
how's your blood sugar been?
- Christina.
- They won't let me in without parental consent.
Think you can handle that?
- Look, just hear me out first.
- You've had 16 years.
You couldn't find a time before now to tell me the truth?
- I have told you the truth, always.
- Your truth doesn't make any sense.
- Miguel Zepeda was my boyfriend when I got pregnant.
But he's not your father.
You're old enough now to understand
that that was a hard thing for me to tell you.
Look, I'm not here to try to stop you from seeing him.
I'm just asking that you let me explain.
- You'll tell me everything?
- Everything.
Just come home.
All I want to do is prepare you
for what's on the other side of those doors.
- Okay.
Go wash away those tears, okay?
- Okay.
- I'll be right out.
- How can I help you, Detective?
- I'm her mother.
I need you to make a note in the system.
Under no circumstances does Cristina Santos
have permission to visit with Miguel Zepeda.
- Yes, ma'am.
- You good? - No, and neither is she.
I need to get her heart medication.
- Hey. Easy.
- She's having heart palpitations down there.
- All right, go check it out.
What's she got?
- Coronary heart disease
caused by diabetes.
Don't. Trust me.
- Who the hell are you?
- I'm the best chance your boyfriend's got
at staying out of jail.
If I were you,
I'd be on my best behavior.
Frankenstein,
my man.
Yeah, I'm here with your fiancée, Tiffany.
- Listen to him, Frank, please.
- Yeah, stealing a kid, running over a cop...
those are things that get you sent back to prison, Frank.
A cop? Hell no, I hate cops.
I'm a friend of your ex-wife's.
And I'ma give you some money
and a fresh car to disappear in.
But first things first, Frank.
You're gonna need to bring me that kid.
- Hey.
- You shouldn't be here.
- I decided I couldn't miss it.
- You made my mother cry.
- Jay-Jay, look, I'm sorry about that, okay?
I just...
- You also said you were my friend.
- Look, I know this is hard to understand.
If you just calm down...
- You killed my cousin!
It was in the newspaper.
- It's a mistake. It was... If you give me a chance to...
Get out of here!
Get out!
- Come on. Easy.
- Hey. Tufo called.
Kovach is on his way to the construction site.
He's willing to trade his kid for the girlfriend,
a car, and some cash.
Woz, why don't we just call SWAT on this loser?
- Sins of the past.
- He always wanted a dog.
Maybe he went to the pet store.
- Mrs. Saperstein, this is important.
Does he have any friends outside of work,
other relatives here in the city?
- He has me.
- Mrs. Saperstein, are you familiar
with the concept of aiding and abetting?
- This is pointless. We need to find him.
- He's gonna lay low. - Best-case scenario.
Worst-case scenario, he contacts Wozniak.
He won't risk using his phone,
which means he'll do it in person.
- If we surveil Wozniak and Saperstein shows up,
we're not gonna have any choice but to intervene.
Operation over.
- So, what, we go back to questioning Mom?
- No. We put out a federal warrant.
- His crew sees a Fed warrant,
he might as well have a target on his back.
- He already does.
At least this way, his crew's
not the only ones looking for him.
Blow him up.
- Man, could he make me laugh.
He was, like, charismatic, you know,
and handsome.
And I don't know; he made me feel special.
And that wasn't something a lot of people
made me feel back then.
- Those are all the letters he wrote me?
- Yeah.
There's a lot of them.
- I don't know; shouldn't I at least write him back?
- I guess that's gonna be up to you.
You know, these letters are yours now, if you want them.
But there's something that I need you to see first.
- He did this to you?
When?
- That time?
Couple years before you were born.
- Why didn't you leave him?
- I think I didn't want to be alone.
Then I met someone,
and I saw a chance at a better life
with a better man than Miguel.
- My dad.
- I wanted him to be.
But when he found out I was pregnant, he took off.
And I tried to tell Miguel the truth,
but he didn't want to believe that you weren't his.
And things got scary again.
- Baby, don't... Don't cry, okay?
This doesn't... This doesn't hurt me anymore,
all right?
It just...
It just reminds me of how strong I've become.
- I don't think I need these anymore.
- Hey, traffic cop is looking for Woz,
said that there was a CI waiting for him.
This some kind of prank?
- I can't use my cell phone. None of us should.
They could be listening. - Sap, what is this car, man?
- This is my mother's. I'm in a lot of trouble, Tess.
I need to talk to Wozniak. - In what kind of trouble?
- Please. I don't have time.
- Okay, he's on his way to that construction site on Iverson.
He's baiting the hook for that dick who ran over Espada.
Where have you been? - Step away from the car, Tess.
- Sap, what's going on here? You're shaking.
- Step away now.
- Was that Detective Saperstein?
- Not the one I know. Why?
- FBI put a warrant out for his arrest.
- He's here.
I told him he had to meet you up on the fourth floor.
Get him isolated. Where are you?
- Five minutes. Did he bring the kid?
- Yeah, and a piece tucked into his belt.
Are you sure you want to do it like this?
- We've got to.
- For Detective David Saperstein
of the 64th precinct.
Repeat, a federal warrant is issued for David Saperstein.
- Woz, you still there?
- Armed and should be considered dangerous.
- Hey, Saperstein just showed up at the precinct
looking for Wozniak.
And he was jumpy as hell. - Hey, slow down, Tess.
- There is a federal arrest warrant out for him.
We could all be in big trouble.
- Where's Sap now? - He's on his way to Wozniak.
I had no idea there was an APB on him until after.
I told him right where to go.
- Okay, uh, did you call Woz?
- No, Sap said we shouldn't use our phones.
- Why not?
- Oh, department isn't allowing
personal calls on company minutes.
- Next thing you know,
we're gonna have to pay for our own gas.
- Look, Aunt Tess has a flat tire.
So do you mind if I go help her change it?
- Okay. - I'm gonna wait outside.
Bye.
- You sure this is okay?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm just gonna practice a little bit,
maybe take a nap.
- This is David. Make it snappy.
- Sap, this is Harlee.
Look, I know you got picked up by the Feds.
I told them to.
I know you're scared,
but I need you to sit tight and call me.
And whatever you do, do not go to Wozniak.
- Harlee, I can't go to jail. I can't. My kids need me.
- Don't jump to conclusions about Saperstein.
If there's a warrant,
maybe the Feds tried to pick him up and he ran.
- Or maybe he tried to save his own ass and sold us all out.
- Frank!
You made it.
Tiffany's gonna be relieved.
- Where is she?
- She's out front. Take a look.
Hey, Brian, hi. I'm Matt.
It's okay.
I'm here to help you, okay?
It's gonna be okay.
Got you everything that we promised,
but you're gonna have to put your gun down.
- Yeah, right. Like you're not packing?
- We'll both put our guns down.
But just remember,
anything bad happens up here,
leads to something bad down there.
Give a distance.
Ready?
Throw.
Car I drove is clean.
Nobody's gonna be looking for it.
Tiffany's downstairs.
$5,000 in cash.
Everything we promised.
All right?
On three, you let him go. I throw the money.
One, two, three.
Come on, son. Brian.
Hey, what are you doing?
That's not part of the deal. No surprises.
That counts as a surprise.
- New deal.
I'm taking my son,
I'm taking my girlfriend, and we're leaving.
Turn around, and put your hands behind your head.
- My man downstairs is not gonna let this happen.
- You were gonna trade.
I'm guessing he will too.
- Drop the gun.
- No surprises, huh?
- You can't shoot both of us, Frank.
- Drop it.
- There is no way he's going back to his mother.
That bitch dimed me out.
- Okay.
Easy. I'm putting it down.
- You said no cops!
- Run downstairs.
Run downstairs, Brian. Go! Go!
- Have you seen Saperstein?
- Pulled up and asked for Wozniak.
When I told him he was up top, he just lit out.
I couldn't leave the fiancée.
- Take her inside.
Keep her away from the windows.
- Little help here, Woz?
- Hey, it's okay. Are you Brian?
- They have guns. - This is Tess.
She's gonna take you to call your mom.
- All right. - Be careful, Harlee.
- Yeah.
- You been talking to the Feds.
- It's not like that.
They picked me up.
The said they were gonna put me away.
I had no choice, Woz.
- Neither do I.
- Whoa!
- No. Please!
- They fell.
Sap shot him, and they fell.
No. No.
- Sap! Sap!
- Oh, no. No.
Harlee.
There was nothing I could have done.
There's nothing I could have done.
- Hey, he's still breathing!
He's still breathing!