On Day 8, Linden and Holder find themselves amidst a terrorism investigation regarding the very same Mohammed who has access to the Ahmeds' apartment. A renegade looky-loo through the Feds' evidence turns up a shirt of Rosie's, but then another leak in the investigation -- coupled with Holder's random rendezvous with The Bald Guy -- leads Linden to wonder whether he might be compromising her investigation. Ratcheting up the pressure, Linden's boss tells her it might be time to call it a day and head to Sonoma, which would be a hell of a lot easier if Rick would actually answer her calls. Linden follows up on both leads, learning more about Holder and discovering the identity of the leak in the process. And Holder proves useful for the second time in eight days(!), getting a wire on Ahmed's phone that leads to a potential confirmation of his guilt.
Mitch gets a case of the absent-mindeds when she sees a newscast featuring pictures of Rosie's gruesome death and ends up leaving the boys in a closed garage with the car running. Terry arrives at the house in time to save them, but it throws Mitch's ability to parent into doubt -- especially in light of Stan's suspicious about Mitch's recent comings-and-goings. The tension reaches a peak when Stan cleans Rosie's room while Mitch is out. They lob accusations back at each other. It's all pretty disheartening and futile, particularly when Mitch insists on reconstructing Rosie's room exactly as it was.
Richmond, fueled by rage after attending the parole hearing of his wife's killer, gets back into the mayoral race by turning Adams' smear tactics back on him and leaks a story about Adams funding an apartment for his mistress. With that, Richmond is officially just as sleazy as the rest of them.
Previously: Holder came into some shady money. Richmond found his funds for the Seattle All-Stars frozen and had to schmooze with a tycoon with a grudge against Adams. Mitch continued to struggle through her mourning period. Ahmed's wife gave Linden and Holder a lead on a friend with access to the Ahmeds' apartment and possible ties to terrorism.
We rejoin Linden and Holder on the floor of the butcher shop. Linden scans the room, spotting a copy of Teen World magazine, stuffed animals and a Bratz-style purse with the word "Princess" written on it. Her eyes land on a pink T-shirt -- Rosie's favorite color. It's quickly determined that they're not involved with the terrorists, though the Feds are in a snit that the detectives may have compromised their investigation. The detectives head out, where their boss takes them to task for breaking into a padlocked room without a warrant. Linden says the room could be their crime scene as it was clearly designed to hold young girls. They beg for a chance to get in there with CSU, but the boss vetoes this idea. He tells them they'll be briefed the morning at 7:30 AM and warns them not to go near the butcher shop before then.
Linden heads back to Reggie's houseboat and opens up her laptop. She shakes her head at a violent computer game Jack was playing on it. She calls a tech at work and asks him to e-mail her all the files from the Larsen investigation. She lies that her boss approved the work. While she waits for the files, she calls Rick's office and gets his secretary. She tells Linden she came into the office on a Sunday because "We've really gotten behind, with him doing all the wedding planning alone." She says Rick is on a call but promises to tell him Linden called. Linden hangs up, and Jack appears, bratting, "Let me guess: He kind of knows you don't really want to go." Linden looks miserably at the water then returns to her work. The pictures have arrived, and she looks over them, oblivious to Jack.
The morning, things are in chaos as usual at the Larsen house. Stan is clearly in over his head, handling several phone calls, feeding the boys, and inadvertently spreading horseradish on their sandwiches instead of mayo. He heads into Rosie's room, where Mitch is staring at the walls as usual. He wonders where she was the night before. She lies and says she was grocery shopping, even though she was really staking out the Ahmeds' apartment. Stan says Terry got hung up, so he'll be taking the boys to school. Mitch volunteers to do it instead. Stan looks skeptical but decides to give her this chance.
Richmond HQ. Gwen and Jamie are watching a news report about the mosque's ties to terrorism and Ahmed as Richmond enters, quizzing them: "Why was Cicero overthrown?" Gwen ventures it was because he failed to foresee an alliance between Mark Antony and Caesar's heir Octavian. Richmond puts it down to arrogance, which he thinks will also be the undoing of Mayor Adams. Richmond is convinced they can stay in the race if they play their cards right. He proposes a two-pronged approach: First, fight for the Seattle All-Stars using legal means. Gwen says the press will eat up this sort of head-to-head fight. Richmond is well aware, and that brings up his second plan of action -- attack Adams with a new set of ads that dredge up old scandals. Richmond says he's prepared to borrow money from his parents if necessary. He says with no small amount of swagger (a refreshing change), "If Adams wants to play dirty, he best like the taste of mud." Jamie thinks it won't be enough in light of the campaign's new perceived connection to Islamic terrorists. He thinks they're going to have to get really aggressive and suggests they use a private investigator to dig up some new dirt. Richmond okays it but forbids Jamie from mounting any personal attacks.
Meanwhile, Linden walks into the SPD and sees Holder rendezvousing with the same guy who handed him a thick wad of cash some days back. This time, Holder is slipping the guy a slip of paper.
She heads inside, where droves of Feds are liquidating her office of all the files associated with Rosie's case. Her boss calls her aside and asks, "What the hell is this?" He hands her the newspaper with the top headline that reads "Crime Scene Photos Reveal Teen Girl's Gruesome Murder." There's a shot of Richmond's Town Car being pulled out of the water. The boss is irate that yet another leak in the investigation has sprung, putting him under even more pressure from the feds, campaigns, and media. Linden says weakly, "Maybe the Feds released it." As her boss is reminding her how many leaks there have been, she looks warily over at Holder. Sarah says the techs, Holder, and she were the only ones with access to the files. She promises to find the leak and plug it up. She shoots another wary glance at Holder before asking how he was transferred to the department in the first place. The boss says a higher-up called in a favor and wonders why she's asking. Linden says casually, "You'd want to know if you were stuck with him, right?" They head into a board room to be briefed by the Feds. Holder tries to slide in, but the boss practically slams the door in his face.
Elsewhere, Bennet Ahmed is on his way to the car and to work when he gets a call from the principal suggesting he take a few days off until things blow over. He protests, but she's unwilling to hear it. She promises to let him know when he can return to the school.
Back at the SPD, a Fed explains that "suspect Mohammed H." has made several border crossings in the last few months, as well as a trip to Somalia. They suspect him of providing material support to "certain radical elements connected to the Green Lake Mosque." Linden tells them about the anonymous tip that led her to the butcher shop. She wonders what the room she and Holder found has to do with terrorism, so another agent tells her that they found border maps, falsified IDs, the whole nine yards, in there. Though the girls traveling with the suspected terrorists weren't generally white, the feds still wonder if perhaps Rosie might have been pulled into their activities. Linden says absolutely not. She insists the connection is purely coincidental in hopes they'll give her files back, but they remain vague, refusing even to give her Mohammed's last name because they can't have any more elements of their investigation compromised. Linden throws up her hands eats it, apologizing for causing any problems.
Back at the Larsen house, Mitch and the boys head down to the garage to drive to school. The boys load into the back, and Mitch turns on the car. She realizes she forgot something, so she heads upstairs. Once there, she catches the first news report of Rosie's crime scene photos and is transfixed by the horrifying images. Meanwhile downstairs, the boys are still squabbling and playing games in the closed garage with the car running. Terry arrives as the carbon monoxide fills the room and immediately knows something is wrong. She hops into the car and opens up the garage door, saving the oblivious boys from Mitch's carelessness.
Across town, Jamie is paying a visit to wealthy donor-slash-Adams hater Tom Drexler to update him on the status of Richmond's latest campaign strategies and ask for more money to fund the private investigation. Drexler thinks Richmond is being weak and has nothing on Adams, which is pretty much the case. Instead of offering mere money, Drexler does Jamie one better, claiming he has "something that'll bury that old prick once and for all." Jamie wonders why he hasn't used this secret weapon before. Drexler laughs, "Even I have scruples."
SPD. Linden exits the meeting with the Feds and is met by Holder, who wants a full update. Linden remains cagey in light of her recent suspicions. He asks angrily what the hell her problem is. She tells him to make himself useful -- stay at the station and do nothing. She heads outside, where Mitch confronts her about letting the media get hold the pictures. She adds, "And he's still out there. You still haven't arrested him. You've done nothing!"
Richmond HQ. Prong One of Richmond's latest plan has fallen apart since the presiding judge is one of Adams' old frat buddies. Gwen is working on Prong Two. She wonders if he's still confident to go forward with negative tactics. He says things have changed. As they go over the files, Jamie struts in with a folder of information from Drexler. Richmond and Gwen look over the file, though don't directly discuss what's in it. Gwen argues that they can't use it because it's irrelevant to policy. Richmond wearily says he'll think about it. As Gwen leaves, he turns his attention to the envelope he received inviting him to the parole hearing of his wife's killer.
Linden drives up to the FBI staging area, where they're cataloging the evidence they took from the butcher shop. She gives a fake name and a bogus story to justify why she needs to look at the evidence. The agent skeptically tells her he needs to consult his commanding officer and walks off, giving Linden just enough time to pull out the pink T-shirt with "GRAND CANYON" written across the chest and take a picture of it.
Ahmed abode. Amber notes that Bennet returned home earlier than usual, so he tells her about his call with the principal. He says he spent the morning thinking and clearing his mind. Amber tries to see the positive side of things, but Ahmed is too incensed for silver linings. Amber moves on, telling him the police called again about Mohammed. She urges Bennet to talk to the police, or at least let them talk to Mohammed. He accuses her of believing he's guilty, then storms out.
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Meanwhile, Linden visits the Larsen home. Mitch begs her to go away, but Linden presents the picture of the pink T-shirt from the mosque. Mitch confirms that it was Rosie's and remembers exactly how she got it. Linden starts to leave, and Mitch asks, "It was that teacher, wasn't it?" Linden promises the Larsens will be the first to know. Mitch says, "He's still living his life. He's happy. It's not right."
Back at the SPD, Linden asks her boss to at least get the shirt from the Feds so her team can process it for trace evidence. Sensing her reinvigoration, the boss tells her to sit down. He tells her the case is dead in the water and suggests she let it go. He says she compromised the FBI's case as well as her own by going renegade at the staging area, not to mention that Mitch's ID on the shirt would be useless in court. Linden insists that Rosie's case has nothing to do with terrorism, but the boss isn't so sure. He's also not sure how useful her training of Holder has been. She says she has doubts about his ability to be an effective investigator. The boss can't gloss over the truth any more. He tells her to think about wrapping up and heading to California for real.
Linden heads out to her car and bangs on the steering wheel angrily. She calls Rick, who sends her straight to voice mail. Just as she's considering a cigarette, she sees Holder and That Bald Guy get into a car together. She decides to tail them.
Larsen home. Stan is wallowing in his own thoughts as Terry keeps things light for the boys. She sends them out to play before dinner, giving Terry a chance to reluctantly bring up Mitch's strange behavior that morning. Stan is horrified.
Meanwhile, Linden eases back as Holder and That Bald Guy get out of their car and head down some stairs and inside a building. Once they're far enough away, Linden creeps in behind them. It turns out to be a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Holder is celebrating six months of sobriety, and That Bald Guy is indeed his sponsor, Gil, not a reporter, as Linden suspected. Which explains the envelopes full of cash -- Gil has been doling out only what Holder needs from his paycheck and putting the rest into savings. Holder relates a story about how he alienated his sister Liz. He knew he hit rock bottom when he got high, snuck into her seven-year-old son's room, and stole the kid's gold coin right in front of him. Holder continues that he doesn't expect forgiveness, but he expects to do what it takes to earn it. Linden is touched to see this new side of him. The moment is almost maudlin, but then Linden's phone rings. She scampers away quickly, but Holder gets a glimpse of her red hair on the way out.
Linden answers the phone and finds an angry mother berating her for giving her son access to the crime scene photos. Jack e-mailed them to all his friends. Linden is humbled that she is, in fact, the leak.
Parole hearing. Richmond watches as his wife's killer also riffs on forgiveness. She thinks it's against human nature and a conscious choice. She wonders if it's impossible to ask forgiveness but does so anyway. Fueled by rage, Richmond heads into the men's bathroom and punches the bejesus out of the mirror.
Back at his HQ, Gwen and Jamie are watching a news report about incidents of vandalism and race-related troublemaking that have arisen as a result of the FBI raid on the mosque. All Jamie can think about is how Richmond just lost the Somali vote. He thinks they need to go ahead with the Adams smear campaign now before it's too late. Gwen argues that Richmond won't choose the low road. She insists she knows him better than Jamie. "Then you know he's weak, Gwen," says Jamie, "and you know he's going to lose this thing because of it." Jamie casually mentions that there are lots of other ways a story can hit the media. Gwen takes his meaning and threatens to expose him if he goes forward, effectively ending his political career. Gwen's phone rings. It's Richmond telling her to go ahead with the Adams story.
Elsewhere, Linden is laying into Jack for going through her files and putting the Larsens through such pain. "Figures," he brats. "You only care about other people's families." Linden says she's had enough of Jack's smart ass remarks. He throws it in her face to send him to his father's. She says it's unlikely to happen since Jack's father left them 10 years ago. She tells him, "I'm all you got."
Mitch returns home to tell Stan about Rosie's shirt. Stan isn't interested and asks her gruffly, "Where have you been." She claims she's been at the park. Mitch gets distracted by Rosie's room, which Stan has systematically emptied. "We gotta focus on the future, Mitch..." She says it's only been a week. He brings up her slip-up that morning and says they have responsibilities. She digs deep, saying he was the irresponsible one who let Rosie stay home alone the weekend before. Stan dishes as good as he takes, saying Rosie wouldn't have rebelled if Mitch hadn't been so strict. Mitch walks away in a huff.
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That night, Jamie, Gwen, and Richmond watch as the story runs. Turns out Adams was supporting a mistress he'd picked up from among his intern pool. As the media heads accost the crying young woman, Jamie relishes it with a smug grin across his face, Gwen sits back uncomfortably, and Richmond's steely determination faces the ultimate test as he has now hurt another person willfully.
Holder greets Linden as she returns Jack to the marina. He persuaded a judge friend of his to allow a wire tap on Ahmed's phone. "Had to do something while you were shutting me out," he says. Linden looks something akin to proud and adds that they probably shouldn't tell the boss. They dance around the fact that they have a new understanding of each other, never explicitly mentioning what went down that afternoon but mutually letting the tension drop between them. He invites her to come with him to listen to the wire that night. She agrees.
Larsen household: Mitch reassembles Rosie's butterfly mural and reconstructs her room exactly as it was. Richmond HQ: Gwen watches as Richmond sits with the choices he's made. Ahmed apartment: Amber walks by a cracked door as Bennet yells at Mohammed in Arabic. Luckily for us, he says in English, "The passports will be arriving tomorrow, and this will all be over. Don't worry about the police. They don't know anything." Oh, but they do. Holder gets the call that his wire has borne fruit. He flicks on the flashing lights, and they head toward the Ahmeds' house.
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