Pembleton and Bayliss drive out to Hector's Restaurant, a fast-food joint with two
people (names are Douglas Wrobel and Mary Rose Tabori) dead from gunshot wounds to the chest;
another victim, named Ian McKenzie, had his right knee blown out but was otherwise
uninjured. Frank notes that all the cash registers are empty, while Tim makes an offhand remark that
his niece celebrated her 6th birthday at this very restaurant.
Meldrick comes back from his honeymoon and instantly gets a call; he and Kellerman
go out to Route 40, where a bowling ball crashed through the windshield of a car, killing
someone named Len Steiner. Mike, bored with the case already, notices something wrong with Meldrick's
demeanor; Lewis confirms that his marriage has not been consummated yet, which surprises
Kellerman. Later in the squadroom, Kellerman pesters Lewis about the nuances of what he meant
by "not consummated"; his badgering forces Meldrick to tell him that he and Barbara are
already separated.
Frank and Tim get back to the squadroom, where they tell Giardello that they have a
suspect by the name of Alois (pronounced El-wah) Pfeiffer, who was Mary Rose Tabori's
boyfriend for a while but had recently broken up with her; Gee tells Frank to go to Harbor
Hospital and talk to Ian McKenzie while Tim goes to the Pfeiffer household. Tim
is given the cold shoulder by Alois' sister, who tells him that Alois hasn't been home since
yesterday morning. Frank questions McKenzie, who readily gives up the name of the shooter-
Alois Pfeiffer, who was his high school classmate.
Back at the squadroom, Gee tells Frank that there is nothing more to be done on the
double shooting for now and that he should go home and see his daughter; Frank agrees. Tim
suddenly pops up and invites himself over to the Pembleton house in order to see baby Olivia
himself, which Frank grudgingly allows; on the way out, Tim pulls a gift bag from his
desk drawer and hides it in his coat. Meanwhile, Kellerman informs Lewis that the bowling
ball murder weapon was stolen from the Towson Fair Lanes; the two go there and decide to
bowl for a few hours. Mike invites Meldrick to crash at his boat for the night and asks if
the marriage is really over; Meldrick replies that he doesn't know.
Tim and Frank bond while standing over Olivia's crib, thinking about what the future holds
between the Pembletons and their new daughter; Tim also shows Frank the gift, a teddy bear
dressed up in an old-style police uniform. The next day arrives and both of them are
called back to Hector's, where Sobel finally tells them that Alois Pfeiffer is a former
employee of Hector's and had been fired for being a slacker, and that Ian McKenzie had originally
intended to rob Hector's with his friend Alois. McKenzie is brought into the box, where
Frank and Tim lay low for a while until Pembleton tells McKenzie what Sobel had told him, and
prepares to nail McKenzie to the wall for being Pfeiffer's accomplice, when suddenly his
head feels like it wants to burst; Frank screams, grabbing his head, then shakes, finally
falling unconscious to the floor. A horrified Tim yells for help while Frank sees his life
passing before his eyes. When Frank wakes up, the whole squad is vastly relieved, but only for a
little while, as Frank has another seizure; the paramedics confirm that Frank has had a
stroke.
The whole squad rushes down to the hospital to see Frank, but Giardello tells them that
the work must go on; he asks Tim to take over the Wrobel-Tabori murders, but Tim refuses to
leave his partner, and Gee allows him to stay. The case is given to Russert and Munch, who strike a deal
with McKenzie; he gives Pfeiffer's current whereabouts and the reason why Pfeiffer had
gone to Hector's- to scare Sobel because he had called him a slacker, the one word he
hated being called. Russert, Munch and Howard try to round up Pfeiffer, but find that he
has hung himself, with a note pinned to his jacket reading "I'm not a slacker."
Lewis and Kellerman sit alone in the squadroom; Meldrick stares at the bowling ball used
to flatten Steiner's head and admits that with everything going on- Steiner's death by
bowling ball, their total lack of suspects, Frank's stroke- only a chump would try to
figure it out. He throws the ball into the river (to the chagrin of Kellerman, who knows that
the ball was evidence) and goes home to talk to his wife. Back in the hospital, Gee, Tim
and Mary stand over Frank and ask his doctor if he will ever recover, who replies that he
honestly does not know. |
Starring
Richard Belzer Det. John Munch
Andre Braugher Det. Frank Pembleton
Reed Diamond Det. Mike Kellerman
Isabella Hofmann Lt. Megan Russert
Clark Johnson Det. Meldrick Lewis
Yaphet Kotto Lt. Al Giardello
Melissa Leo Sgt. Kay Howard
Kyle Secor Det. Tim Bayliss
Guest Starring
Max Perlich J.H. Brodie
Ami Brabson Mary Whelan-Pembleton
Sean Whitesell Dr. Eli Devilbiss
Jeffrey Perry Czerbinski Ian McKenzie
Michael Willis Darin Russom
With
Stephen Angus Paramedic #1
Anna Belknap Julia Pfeiffer
Herb Levinson Dr. Lausanne
Kristin Rohde Sgt. Sally Rogers
Erica Van Wagener Paramedic #2
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