Munch is startled to see Bolander puttering over a Christmas tree that he brought
into the squadroom. Stan explains that he wants to make the most out of a Christmas
Eve night shift; Munch is less than enthused with the whole idea. Munch suddenly
receives a call for him and his partner to go out to Eaton Place to investigate the
murder of a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit. It is discovered that the victim's name
is Nicholas McGibney and that he was a Salvation Army worker who lived six blocks from
the crime scene.
Lewis heads out to an alley where a body of an unidentified girl was burned to death; a
kerosene can is found near her. A closer examination by Dr. Scheiner reveals that the
deceased's name is Whitney Louise Freeman. Meldrick reports back to the squadroom and
is promptly surprised when Russert says that she wants to work the case with him. Russert informs Lewis that Freeman was a material witness in the upcoming murder trial
of a crack dealer named Boots Chiggins; the case belongs to Tambelli, a detective on
her shift.
Munch and Bolander visit the McGibney household and run into Nicholas' son Fidel, a
cranky and cynical boy who lets them in only after seeing their badges and credit cards. The detectives try to break the bad news, but then Bolander runs off without warning. Munch is forced to wait with Fidel for hours, but cannot bring himself to tell the boy that his father's dead. Just when Munch decides
he's gathered up the strength to explain his presence, in walks Bolander with Nicholas
McGibney- alive and well. Stan is beside himself with glee; he tells Munch that the dead
guy's real name is Lanny Krantz. Bolander explains that Krantz was a deadbeat who stole McGibney's Santa suit
(and ID) in order to milk people for more "donations" and got killed for his trouble.
Meldrick and Megan head over to the Freeman mansion and drop the news on Whitney's
mother, who seems unwilling to accept it. Megan asks Lorraine Freeman about
Whitney being a material witness to a murder; she answers that she and her daughter were not
close. Lewis and Russert then visit the Chiggins household, where they are given a
rude welcome. Danielle, Boots' girlfriend, tells them that even though Boots is a
murderer, he's still the father of her children. Then it's off to Ed Danvers' apartment,
who tells Lewis and Russert that even though Freeman's story kept changing, it was
nevertheless important because it was the only piece of hard evidence against Chiggins. The kerosene can found near Freeman's burnt corpse is traced by a fingerprint match to
Desmond Styles, another dealer and Chiggins' former compatriot. Lewis and Russert round
him up at his crackhouse and tell him that he's going to jail for trying to protect Chiggins;
Styles replies that he hates Chiggins and only sold the kerosene to Danielle. The two
officers return to the Chiggins house for the last time and arrest Danielle in front of
her screaming children.
A bored Bayliss tries to engage a few of his colleagues in a game of Hearts, but is denied by each. Bayliss finally finds
a second player in Gee, who seems to be unfamiliar with the game. A few rounds are played
behind the closed doors of Gee's office before other detectives join in; pizza is ordered and everyone has a good
time, especially Giardello, who wins impressively to the chagrin of Bayliss. Munch, fresh from his murder
investigation, tells Bayliss that Gee is a Hearts master and put one of his kids through
college with his winnings; yet another rookie mistake for the new guy, Munch points out. |
Starring
Daniel Baldwin Det. Beau Felton
Ned Beatty Det. Stanley Bolander
Richard Belzer Det. John Munch
Andre Braugher Det. Frank Pembleton
Isabella Hofmann Lt. Megan Russert
Clark Johnson Det. Meldrick Lewis
Yaphet Kotto Lt. Al Giardello
Melissa Leo Det. Kay Howard
Kyle Secor Det. Tim Bayliss
Guest Starring
Nancy Marchand Lorraine Freeman
Ryan Todd Fidel McGibney
Zeljko Ivanek ASA Ed Danvers
With
Kevin Cameron Desmond Styles
Vernon DeVinney Sam
Beau James Det. Willard Higby
Harlee McBride Dr. Alyssa Dyer
Ralph Tabakin Dr. Scheiner
Music heard in All Through the House
Nat King Cole Joy to the World
The Pretenders Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Steve Almaas Lonely Boy
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