By Lady Lola
Day 6. Rosie's funeral comes and goes as Stan steps up his personal inquest of the murder. With Belko's connection at the school, he becomes aware of Bennet Ahmed's potential involvement with the murder just as Holder and Linden's probe turns up some honest-to-goodness evidence. Not only does it becomes clear that Ahmed had forgotten critical pieces of information (read: lied) more than once to the detectives, his wife's sister tells Holder the couple has had problems recently. Then, just as it seems that Ahmed's alibi has checked out, a kooky neighbor crawls out of the woodwork to place Ahmed and a short, blonde-ish woman at the Ahmed residence at midnight on Friday, lugging a girl's body into a black town car. As Holder and Linden race to pick up Ahmed, a grief-crazed Stan offers the naughty teacher a ride... to nowhere!
As for the political arc, you can't fault it for being inconsistent. The only problem is that it's consistently boring. Jamie officially rejoins Team Richmond as tensions flare up yet again in advance of a debate with Mayor Adams. Even after an utterly unsubtle lecture on the messiness of politics from Gwen's senator father, Richmond continues to think that his boyish good lucks and steadfast morals will keep him in the race. Once Adams points out that anti-crime stumper Richmond's own Seattle All-Star is an all-star suspect in an ongoing murder investigation involving Richmond's own campaign car, it looks like our boy might as well be flailing around in quicksand.
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Previously: Linden and Holder's investigation zeroed in on Rosie's teacher Bennet Ahmed just as Belko offered Stan to mount his own investigation into the murder. Richmond dabbled a little in the game of politics, but it still seems like everyone else is better prepared for the cutthroat scheming than he is.
Day 6 dawns on Seattle as a mortician prepares Rosie for her funeral. Among the finishing touches are press-on nails to cover up the horrifying scratching that Rosie did in an attempt to escape Richmond's campaign car. At the Larsen home, the preparation is more mental, as Mitch goes through the motions of laying out Stan's clothes, stopping when she finds a cufflink in his jacket pocket. The mortician wheels Rosie's casket down the hall and into an elevator, closing the gate of the service elevator to take her upstairs. It's a simple gesture, but the shot lingers on it, showing the finality of this moment, especially as a bright white light washes over the gates as they ascend. Over at the SPD, Linden sifts through a thick stack of Missing posters, landing on a single picture of Rosie and staring at it thoughtfully. Credits.
Reggie brings Linden, who is gripping a stress ball ferociously, some breakfast. She notes that Linden didn't return home the night before. Linden in her usual defensively calm parlance says she's trying to finish up. She asks where Jack is, and Reggie says he's looking for Holder. Oh, the lessons that man could teach a tween malcontent like Jack! Reggie asks if Linden is leaving that night as planned. Linden promises they will be on the red eye and out of Reggie's hair as soon as possible. Reggie says that's good because "certain states of transiency" are worse for children than for adults. Linden insists Jack is strong. Reggie notices a glint in Linden's eye, a look that says "I can live alone." It's a look she's has since she was 15 years old. Reggie says as gently as possible that "strength like that... can prohibit other things" like friendship and joy. Linden tells her she was a lousy social worker and begs her not start with her again.
Jack comes in, and Linden asks if he found his "new BFF." Jack grouses for her not to say things like that because it's "retarded." Linden tells him to make sure he's packed so they can leave tonight, but he drags his feet. He wants to go to one of his friends' party the day. Jack bets they'll miss the 11:30 PM flight. Linden takes the bet to the tune of $50 million. She tells him he'll be working the rest of his life to pay it off, but something -- perhaps the fact that there are seven episodes left in the season -- tells me Linden's going to be the one working off this particular debt. Reggie invites Jack to take one last spin on her boat, and Linden says she'll catch up with them later. Before she leaves, Reggie warns, "You almost lost him, Sarah. Don't let it happen again." She kisses Linden on the forehead and walks out.
Outside the station, Holder takes a suit out of a garbage bag in his car. Back inside, Linden is narrowing down whether Rosie was the victim of a serial killer. She does fit the profile (read: airport prostitute) but thinks it's worth taking a look. She mentions finding the ammonium hydroxide in Bennet Ahmed's apartment -- the very same chemical that was found all over Rosie's body. Since Ahmed lied about the cleaning service and was home alone all weekend, he has just jumped to the top of their list.
As they go over more specifics, Holder struts in in his attempt at professional attire. The boss harshly tells him this rumpled outfit doesn't inspire confidence, adding, "You look like you donate plasma for a living." Holder says sheepishly that he's had the suit since he was 19, then changes the subject to whether the judge is giving them a search warrant for Ahmed's place. The boss says it's too circumstantial, which flusters Holder. Linden matter-of-factly adds that it could be a crime scene and Ahmed could be destroying evidence as they speak. Gruffs the boss, "Well, then you better get to work."
Larsen home. Mitch shows the cufflinks to Stan. Rosie picked them out for Father's Day, despite Mitch's insistence that Stan didn't need anything like that. Stan remembers cutting the buttons off his shirt so he could use the present, though he remembers receiving them for Christmas. Stan corrects him glumly, dejectedly, "No. You wore them to Christmas mass, but she gave them to you for Father's Day." Stan insists Rosie put them under the tree, and Mitch finally gets angry. She stands up and raises her voice. They squabble because it keeps their daughter's memory alive. The cufflinks are just one more reminder that the child they loved will never live to see another Father's Day, another Christmas. These well-intended presents will never come from her again, and they'll never make any more memories (even if their memories fail them) that they can look back on. They fight to keep Rosie a part of their daily dialog. Mitch's sister Terry interrupts to ask if they need anything from her. Mitch tells her to check on the boys, then trudges back to the bed and sits down to Stan. He apologizes. They realize that even if fighting keeps Rosie in their lives, it also tears them apart, and right now they need to stick together.
Downtown, Richmond heads into his office intent on apologizing to Gwen for considering her as a potential leak. She shuts him down, focusing on work. He has a debate against Mayor Adams that night, and she suggests they start prepping. Richmond bulldozes on, telling her that Jamie -- who is now officially back with the campaign -- was obviously not the leak, so he used him as a chance to do some recon on Adams. Gwen begrudgingly compliments the smart play, saying bitterly, "Jamie must be proud." Richmond says he trusts Jamie after 10 years of working together. "But not me?" asks Gwen. She wonders when she'll finally be let in and wonders what they're doing. Jamie barges into the contentious conversation before he can answer and quickly senses the stress. In his typical, no-nonsense way, he snarks, "Are we going to strategize for tonight's debate, or do we need to indulge in a little family therapy first?" It sort of snaps the quarreling lovers back to reality, and Gwen asks if Richmond has memorized his talking points. He grumbles that they've been discussing his stance on crime and infrastructure for weeks. Gwen coldly walks out of the room to take the call, so Jamie takes the moment to tell Richmond the debate is his big chance to switch momentum, a la John F. Kennedy in his 1960 debate against Richard Nixon.
Gwen returns to tell Richmond the Principal Meyers from Fort Washington is here. Gwen and Jamie step out, and the principal gives Richmond the heads-up that the police are looking into Ahmed for the murder. He thanks her for the information. As he escorts her out, she mentions that school board elections are coming up in the spring and asks for his endorsement, proposing they work together for the city. He vaguely tells her he'll be in touch, then sees her out the door. He heads back into the meeting room where Jamie and Gwen are watching his "Action, not talk" TV spot. It's been running all morning, and unfortunately the closing shot shows Richmond embracing Bennet Ahmed. He grabs the remote control, turns off the TV, and throws it down on the table in annoyance, walking out to quizzical looks from his advisers.
Elsewhere, Holder returns from the coffee shop with one cup, so Linden calls him out. He says drily that he got her a going-away present but is saving it for when she actually goes away. Linden gets to business, telling him to canvass Ahmed's block in hopes that they find someone who has information. He wants to delay things by smoking, so she bristles, "After I leave, and they give the case to someone else, and you're working traffic, you can smoke all day." She walks off to talk to Ahmed's downstairs neighbor, who can only say that Ahmed "got that white wife real pregnant" before Holder calls out that he found something.
Across the street, a store owner tells them he had to close early (10 PM) on Friday to tend to some family business, so he knows that he saw a young white girl with dark hair knocking on Ahmed's door. He saw her go in, but he never saw her leave. He says excellent eyes run in his family and IDs Rosie for the detectives.
Meanwhile, Stan and Belko wrap up some work before Rosie's funeral. Stan takes off his jacket, tie, and cufflinks to lift some heavy boxes. Belko offers to help carry the load, but Stan is fueled by rage, regret, sadness, you name it. As they move the boxes, Belko says he's been in touch with his contact at Fort Washington and that the cops have a strong lead on who did it. The buddy will call back later that day to tell them.
Back at home, Terry helps Mitch pick out an outfit for the funeral. Terry dresses her and laughs about how she used to fight when Mitch tried to dress her. Terry exhales a slight chuckle through her tears, calling Terry a brat. Terry looks up to her big sister and assures her, "You look pretty." Mitch heads downstairs and meets Stan, who takes her in with infinite, silent sadness before grabbing her hand. The boys come down, they all head out.
Ahmed abode. Bennet and Amber put together the crib and mobile for their baby. Bennet wonders if the baby, which he calls a "he" is going to pull the mobile down. Amber reminds him that the baby is a girl and wonders if Bennet is disappointed to be having a daughter instead of a son. He apologizes and assures her he's happy about the baby. She kids that now Bennet is outnumbered by girls, and they share a loving kiss. Just as she asks if they're going to be okay, Holder and Linden come a-knocking. Holder asks if Rosie stopped by on Friday night. Bennet backpedals, stumbling over his words as he vaguely claims he forgot that she had stopped by to drop off a book. Linden notes that it's the second time he's failed to mention a critical piece of evidence. He says the whole situation has been a shock but insists Rosie was only over for a few minutes. When asked which book she returned, he freezes up and can't give a specific name. Linden asks if they can come in and check on the book, but Bennet stops them forcefully, insisting they produce a search warrant, then tells them he has a funeral to attend. Linden and Holder both give him the once-over as they leave.
Outside, Linden tells someone back at the station to find the latest time stamp of the video footage when Ahmed was at the dance. Holder becomes angry that they can't arrest Ahmed already, but Linden reminds him they have a protocol to follow and circumstantial evidence won't cut it. She tells him to talk to the neighbors some more and find someone who can place Ahmed back at his house at 10 PM on Friday. If not, it will prove that he lied about letting Rosie in. Linden drives off as Holder lights up a cigarette. he looks down the street, sees a drug deal going down, and pauses before walking the other way to canvass more houses.
Richmond HQ. Gwen says they've pulled the latest commercial, and Jamie advises him to act as if Richmond already knows about Ahmed. He thinks Richmond should distance himself immediately, but Richmond wants to treat Ahmed as innocent until proven guilty. He developed hard and fast morals while working as a public interest attorney for 15 years, and he refuses to effectively declare Ahmed guilty in public. Says Gwen, "Well then there's a question you need to answer: What kind of candidate do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to be?" He could distance himself and hurt Ahmed, or he could stick by his principles and be the man he really is. Jamie shoots back, "Who you are is five words: Dead girl in a trunk." Richmond grabs his coat and says he'll see them at the TV studio.
As Linden watches funeral from the back of the church, Holder meets up with his anonymous friend in the black sedan -- presumably his sponsor. He says there are two versions of himself -- one who knows exactly what to do but always ends up in the same place, and one that he's supposed to but who's weak. The man tells Holder it's his choice which one to follow, then turns back to the case. Holder says they might be close to making an arrest. They part ways, but only after Holder's friend informs him that Stan used to be in cahoots with the Polish mafia in town. He adds that Stan had a serious gambling problem. Holder says Stan doesn't have a record. Says his friend, "Dead men don't press charges."
Back at the funeral, Linden gets the call confirming how long Ahmed was at the dance, though we don't find out yet because the hearse arrives. As they take the casket out of the car, Tommy asks if he can help, so Stan tells one of his friends to step aside, and Tommy clinches on to the casket. They carry it inside, and the funeral begins with its grim procession. As she walks down the aisle, Mitch takes a glance back at Linden, who closes the door to the church in front of her.
She calls Holder to tell him that Ahmed was on tape at the dance at 11:20 PM. That only leaves his wife, so Linden tells Holder to call in Amber's sister to the station to confirm Amber's alibi. After she hangs up, Richmond approaches her. She advises him against going into the funeral since they only want friends and family there. He asks her, off the record, if she thinks Ahmed did it. She tells him to have a good day and walks away. Richmond's phone rings, but he ignores it.
SPD. Amber's sister tells Holder that Amber arrived at her house at nearly one o'clock in the morning and was really upset. Holder asks about her relationship with Ahmed, and the sister says she doesn't think Bennet is right for Amber, then leaves it at that. Holder notices a crucifix around her neck and ingratiates himself by showing her the tattoo at the base of his neck. She loosens up a little, telling Holder that Amber had been crying, perhaps because thought Bennet was keeping secrets. The sister says Amber isn't happy and suggests that Bennet is telling her to shun her family. And in case you weren't already picking up her white supremacist vibe, the sister says, "With the world what it is... I mean, there's a war on, and I don't mean to sound prejudiced, but it seems pretty clear which side is which." Holder says uncomfortably, "Amen to that."
Richmond arrives at the Public Broadcasting Channel to meet Gwen's father the senator. He says to Richmond, "There's a saying that successful politicians have come to understand: First you win, then you do good." He tells Richmond that people with a means to build a future for Richmond are watching this race. They have concerns that Richmond isn't a winner. Richmond asks if it's a threat, but the senator insists it's a warning. He tells Richmond to cut Ahmed loose. "Anything else would be suicide." Richmond insists on handling it his own way, and the senator says, "Then we'll see how the chips fall."
The Larsens, Terry, and Belko stand over Rosie's grave. Denny throws a map on top of the coffin, telling Belko that it's so Rosie can find them when she flies over. Belko holds back tears and tells Denny to head back to the car with him. Mitch, Stan, and Terry start walking back, too, leaving Tommy staring at this sister's final resting place. He sees a centipede crawling towards her and stomps on it, as if to forbid this animal from prolonging its life by leeching off of Rosie.
Richmond walks into the television station, angry that Gwen sent her father to talk to him. Jamie interjects that it was his idea and it was necessary. Jamie tells them they're at war and that Richmond needs to show up at a gunfight with more than good looks. At that point, Adams walks in, smug as ever. He exchanges barbs with Richmond, topping it off by telling him, "Love the new commercial."
Larsen home. Belko feeds the boys while mourners mingle. Jasper's father and mother stop by to express their condolences and excuse Jasper for now showing. Terry smiles and says hello to Jasper's father like there is some definite history there. He brushes her off, and Jasper's mother shoots daggers at Terry with her eyes. Terry backs away uncomfortably and immediately pours herself a glass of wine. She asks if the boys need food, and Belko says he got them sandwiches. She hisses, "You're not part of this family, you know," and takes a glug of wine. Belko steps away when his phone rings. He learns that Ahmed, who happens to be there, is the prime suspect and tells Stan. Stan's demeanor immediately changes. The gentle giant is gone as he hulks over to Ahmed and hovers over him.
Back near Ahmed's house, one of his neighbors bitches that one of her other neighbors is a creepy peeper. She says she's made complaints to the city about it, but no one's done anything. She points Linden in his direction. Linden invites herself in and immediately commandeers his telescope, noting that he has a great view of his neighbors' back yards. The creeper says he normally keeps to himself, but, as it happens, he was at his telescope at 12:03 AM on Saturday. He insists he was tracking star formations and just happened to see Ahmed and a woman kind of like Linden carrying a motionless girl wrapped up in a blanket out to a black car.
Holder joins Linden down the street, where they speculate that Rosie showed up at the Ahmeds', Amber went crazy on her, then Bennet had to help Amber clean up. They walk up to the Ahmeds door and pound on it. Inside, Amber huddles in a dark corner, terrified.
Linden and Holder make their way to the Larsens' house to pick up Ahmed. Holder thinks now might be a good time to mention that Stan used to be in the mafia, and Linden is pissed that he didn't think it was worth mentioning earlier that day. Holder asks, "That girl look like a mob hit to you?" Linden tells Holder to call Ahmed.
His call goes unanswered because Ahmed has conveniently left his phone on a table as Stan offers him a ride home. Dun dun dun.
Mayoral debate. Adams blusters about his commitment to jobs and infrastructure, and Richmond goes in for the kill about the 12% increase in crime under Adams' watch. Adams says Richmond has offered very few specific ideas for solving the problem. It's a total set-up and Richmond falls for it hook, line, and sinker. He says some poignant things about defining your own dreams, particularly through the communal process of voting in an election. Eventually, however, he hesitantly mentions his Seattle All-Stars program only for Adams to come back that Bennet Ahmed, prime suspect in the Rosie Larsen case, is an alum and mentor of the All-Stars. The moderator asks for confirmation, and Richmond tries to stick to his "innocent until proven guilty" mantra, but Adams uses it to demonstrate that he's tough on crime while Richmond is practically cultivating it. Nailed it!
Meanwhile, the same suspect Richmond supposedly is riding in a car to nowhere with a very scary Stan Larsen. And Stan's sister-in-law is drinking away her pain in Rosie's room. Linden and Holder run into the Larsens' house, only to find that Ahmed is gone. As might be Jamie, who blatantly gives Richmond the cold shoulder after the debate ends. The episode closes with a flash of light on Stan's crazed face as he looks over at an increasingly nervous Bennet Ahmed in the passenger's seat.
week: Stan looms over Ahmed some more as Linden and Holder try to track them down before something bad happens.