Law & Order: Los Angeles Episode 1.10 Silver Lake

Regular dad Dan Alvin returns home early from a fishing trip with his son Bobby, because the little boy got sick. Dan and his wife Kathy send Bobby upstairs. Dan hears a noise and peers out the window of his Silver Lake home, but doesn't think twice about it. The next time we see Dan, he's tied up on the floor of his bathroom, desperately trying to get free as he hears the anguished cries of his wife from elsewhere in the house. The next day, Dan finally frees himself and crawls over to a neighbor's house. Interrupting a pool party, he begs his neighbor to call 911. Later, Medical Examiner Nishizawa fills TJ and Morales in on the details. The boy died of a broken neck, his bruised knuckles indicating that he fought back. Kathy was brutally raped, then beaten to death.

Dan tells TJ and Morales about hearing the noise. Later that night, when he came downstairs to get some water, he felt that somebody was there - then he got hit. Without his glasses, Dan didn't get a good look at the guy, but he does believe the suspect was white, and he's pretty sure the guy was naked. Dan noticed a mark on the assailant's left leg, like a smudge. When Dan was locked in the bathroom, he saw flashes of light under the door, like a camera flash. In the bedroom, Morales observes that a lamp has been moved, perhaps to throw more light on the bed for the photographs. TJ examines a pile of bras and panties on the floor. Some are bloody and torn; the suspect probably had Kathy try them on while he was assaulting her. There are footprints in the laundry room, as well as more lingerie set aside from the laundry basket.

TJ and Morales run down the evidence they've gathered with Gonzales. Morales explains that Dan heard a noise from the laundry room when he returned home with his son, so the suspect was probably already in the house. TJ suspects the perp expected Dan's wife Kathy to be by herself. Morales thinks all the details - the suspect stripping naked, the underwear, the photographs - make it seem like a plan the perp rehearsed before the crime. TJ agrees, saying he'll check break-ins in the area for a similar M.O. Gonzales asks Morales how he's doing, saying being back on the job is like riding a bike. He thanks her for pulling strings to get him there. Afterwards, Gonzales checks in with TJ, who says Casey's the one she should be checking in on. Gonzales promises to do so.

TJ and Gonzales interview an upscale couple, the Rivlins, who were the victims of a robbery six months before. They discovered a photograph of their daughter's underwear, which was all that was missing. Morales notices a newish-looking sound system. Mr. Rivlin says they had it installed seven months ago. Realizing the Alvins have a system just like it, Morales asks for the name of the installation technician. TJ and Morales speak with Jim, the sound system installer, who's not Caucasian. Jim remembers both jobs. Morales wonders if he has a helper, but he does all the work himself to keep his prices low. Jim beat out six other estimates to get the two jobs. When TJ asks Jim if he looks around the house when preparing an estimate, he admits to checking everything from the crawlspace to the rafters.

TJ tells Gonzales that there are nine burglarized homes with similar M.O.s, all of them with either newly installed A/V systems or estimates for the same. Morales says that some techs have been to all of the houses, but one name pops out, Nolen Sound. He bid on every job, but priced himself out of the running every time by at least 20%. Gonzales thinks it's just a pretext to case the house. TJ holds up his phone, saying they're going to smoke him out. Gonzales reaches for it, offering that their suspect might respond better to a woman's voice.

Gonzales shows a tech, Steven Inman, around a house as she folds underwear. She tells Inman that her husband's going to be away in two weeks, and she wants to surprise him, which throws Inman off. When Gonzales tries to confirm that Inman works for Nolen Sound, he tries to leave, so Morales, TJ and some uniformed cops surround him. Inman insists he doesn't work for Nolen Sound, and claims he's been "punked." He says some guy called him and said his wife was going to show him a job. Inman's alibi for the night the Alvins were attacked checks out. Morales finds a contractor's license and a legit Social Security number for Greg Nolen, but he's been dead for five years. The number for Nolen Sound is for a no-name cell and the email address is untraceable. Bottom line: an expert created a false identity. TJ remarks that they're the ones who've been punked.

TJ, Morales and Gonzales show Dan Alvin a sketch of "Greg Nolen," but Dan isn't sure he's the culprit. Nolen was so polite Dan thought he might've been in the service. Then Dan recalls telling Nolen any weekend would work for installation except for his fishing weekend with Bobby. Dan's angry with himself for revealing his wife would be home alone. After Dan leaves, TJ reports that so far 11 people have had the same story about a bland-looking, polite guy. Gonzales comments that up until last week, the suspect was just breaking into empty houses and stealing underwear - it's a big jump to rape and murder. Something's missing. Gonzales instructs TJ to check with the other jurisdictions where they found phone calls to and from the Nolen cell phone to see if they have anything that fits the suspect's M.O.

TJ and Morales speak with Annette Kay at her home, where a man who matches the suspect's M.O. raped her. The man made her put on different underwear and posed her, taking photos the whole time. Annette remembers her attacker had a long scar on his left leg. She also remembers that when the suspect started getting rough with her, she blurted out, "You don't seem like the type." That's when he stopped and apologized, then left. Annette has had no contact with Nolen Sound, and claims she's very careful to not give out personal information on the phone. But, she works for a hospital billing department, which was breached by a hacker a few months earlier. Annette was surprised when the Secret Service performed the investigation, because she didn't know they were experts in identity theft.

TJ and Morales visit the Secret Service's office in downtown Los Angeles to speak with Agent Tom Hsu. He's familiar with Annette because his team did the identity theft investigation at her hospital. There are two other members of the team, a woman who's out with the flu and their supervisor, Raymond Garson. Morales bluffs, claiming they've worked with Garson in the past. Hsu points to Garson in some photos on the wall, and Morales notices a scar on his leg. They ask to speak with Garson, but he's in D.C. until the following day. Morales tells Gonzales he's confirmed that Garson was in Long Beach, where Annette Kay lives, the week she was raped, and that he was in Los Angeles when the Alvins were attacked. But it's hard to check more specifically into his whereabouts over the last six months without asking for his schedule.

Morales adds that Garson was on assignment in Ventura six weeks ago. Gonzales asks if they checked with the Ventura PD for crimes with similar M.O.s, just as TJ gets a message on his phone. It's the Ventura PD. TJ pulls up a police report on Joanne Dickson, who went missing during the same time period Garson was there. TJ and Morales proceed to the Ventura PD, where a detective explains that Joanne finished her shift on a Thursday night, went home alone, and didn't show up for work the next day. Joanne called a friend at 9:15 that night, but otherwise, no one's heard from her and there were no prints or DNA at her house. The only thing they did get were tire tracks on Joanne's driveway. They're from heavy-duty SUV tires, and they don't match vehicles belonging to anyone Joanne knows. Morales notices a photo of the restaurant where Joanne worked, which shows there's a motel across the street.

TJ and Morales show Gonzales photos of Garson getting into his SUV in the motel parking lot on 9:07 p.m. on the night Joanne Dickson disappeared, then returning to the motel lobby at 4:00 a.m. Gonzales comments that the minute they grab Garson's SUV, he'll know, and he'll get rid of any other evidence he has. Morales says that the best thing is to get him in a room. He thinks they should just ask Garson to talk about Annette Kay and the identity theft case. As a 20-year veteran of the Secret Service, Garson will respect the chain of command and follow orders. Garson knows he'll be tipping his hand if he turns them down. Gonzales tells them to give it a shot.

Later, TJ tells Morales that the lab got a match between the tracks in Joanne's driveway and the SUV that Garson was driving. They're still waiting for Garson to show, but Morales doesn't doubt he will. TJ seems distracted. Morales asks TJ to tell him if he's doing anything wrong, then offers that it's tough losing a partner. He knows, he's lost two partners himself, one in the line of duty and one to cancer. The moment's interrupted by Garson's arrival. After watching him check in with the officer at the front desk, TJ and Morales exchange a look. Garson's serious and stiff, everything you'd expect a Secret Service officer to be.

Fresh off the boat from New York, Rubirosa makes her way into the building, asking for directions to the robbery/homicide division. Morales arranges documents and files in the interrogation room, as TJ shows Garson in. After introductions and pleasantries, Morales lays out the evidence connecting Annette Kay's rape to 14 recent burglaries. Morales explains the identity theft connection with Greg Nolen, noting that Nolen was a witness in a counterfeiting case investigated by Garson's office in 2002. Next, Gonzales shows Garson Annette and Dan's statements describing their attacker as having a scar on the left leg - which matches Garson's scar.

Morales points out that Garson came in voluntarily; as a law enforcement officer, Garson knows he's free to leave anytime. In the observation gallery, Dekker notes that the suspect has acknowledged the proceedings as non-custodial questioning, therefore Miranda doesn't attach. Morales asks Garson about the disappearance of Joanne Dickson, showing him the two security camera photos, then tells him about the tire print match. When Morales presses for an explanation, Garson says he doesn't know. Based on the tire prints, search warrants are being issued for Garson's home and computer. Morales encourages Garson to give an explanation before it's too late in order to maintain his credibility. Because when the telephone rings or there's a knock on the door, it's over.

Morales tells Garson things are getting out of control fast, and he wants to know what they're going to do. Morales tries to play on Garson's 20 years with the Secret Service, then moves to leave. Garson tells Morales to call him Raymond, not Ray, then admits to having sex with Annette, insisting it was consensual. He also admits to visiting Joanna. When Morales asks her whereabouts, Garson first admits she's near her house, then changes his tune - she's outside, but she can't see the sky. Morales shows Garson a map of Ventura, asking him to locate Joanna, and Garson asks for a lawyer. Morales presses, but the questioning is over. Garson wants a lawyer.

Morales, Gonzales, Dekker and Rubirosa discuss the case. Morales is sure Garson buried Joanne Dickson near her house, but Dekker knows that's not enough for a case. He figures Garson already set up his defense for his assault on Annette Kay - that it was consensual sex - so they really need Garson to take them to a corpse. TJ walks in with a report on Garson's SUV. Mud and onion skins were found in the undercarriage. Morales knows there are onion fields all over Ventura. He looks on the map to spy an onion field by Joanne Dickson's house. The next morning, TJ and Morales drive Garson by the onion field near Joanne Dickson's house where Ventura police are searching for her body. TJ comments that eventually they'll find Joanne's body. It's not too long before TJ, Morales and Garson stand by where Joanne's body is being dug up.

TJ, Morales, Dekker and Rubirosa examine photographs found on Garson's computer depicting him in various sets of women's lingerie, as well as photos of tied-up women in lingerie. Dekker reports that both Ventura and Long Beach have signed off on an offer of life without parole, which makes Morales wonder - why offer anything? Dekker points out that Dan Alvin and Annette Kay are both traumatized. If he can avoid putting them through a trial, that's a good thing.

Garson and his lawyer Ken Eldridge meet with Dekker and Rubirosa. Eldridge isn't afraid of a trial, nor of the photos, which he claims are of consensual sexual encounters. Then Eldridge plays his trump card. He serves a motion to exclude the body of Joanne Dickson. Later in the judge's chambers, Eldridge argues for exclusion because the police violated Garson's rights by questioning him without his lawyer. Dekker insists there was no questioning; Garson voluntarily showed them where he buried Joanne. He argues that the police would've found her body as a matter of inevitable discovery. When the judge hears that Morales, a former prosecutor, was involved, she refuses to allow the good faith exception and excludes the body from evidence. After winning his argument, Eldridge hands Dekker an envelope, saying, "That's one down. Here's two."

Rubirosa shows Annette Kay the photos from Eldridge's envelope. They're of her tied up in lingerie. She explains her ex-husband took them when they were newlyweds and experimenting. Eldridge is going to use them if Annette takes the stand, in an attempt to attack her credibility and bolster Garson's claim that the sex with Annette was consensual. Annette says she won't testify if it means that the photos will be used. Dekker meets with Dan Alvin to tell him that the murder charges for his wife and son, along with the burglary charges, are all that remain of the case. Dan sees a photo of Dekker and his daughter, which prompts him to wonder how Dekker can call himself a good man if he doesn't protect his family. Dekker says he tried, but Dan claims to know what people are really thinking.

At the trial, Dan testifies about his ordeal. But he embellishes, claiming he fought back against Garson. This leaves a window for Eldridge to attack his credibility, weakening his story in the jury's eyes. Eldridge goes after Dan, accusing him of discovering his wife had sex with Garson, becoming enraged, and committing the rape and murders himself. Later, Dekker asks Dan why he made up the story about fighting back. Dan shows Dekker and Rubirosa emails he's been receiving emails that call him a coward. One email sticks out, as it mentions Dan's son threw up three times on the drive back from the fishing trip. Those details were not revealed to the media, so they could only be known by someone who overheard Dan tell his wife, as Garson did when he was hiding in the laundry room.

Deputies search Garson's jail cell to find a smart phone. Dekker tells them not to confiscate it - he'll put a tap on it. At trial the next day, Eldridge testifies. He explains away his use of the Nolen identity and describes his sexual encounters as consensual. Dekker cross-examines Garson, nailing him with details from the email about Dan's son vomiting three times on the way back from the fishing trip. After Eldridge objects, Dekker argues for and wins entry of the emails into evidence. Later, Dan watches as Garson is led away by police to serve two life sentences without parole, the plea deal that Dekker and Rubirosa were able to reach after the revelation of the damning email evidence. When Morales offers to buy Dan a drink, he asks Morales if he has a family. Morales nods, and Dan urges him to go home and spend the time with his family while he still can.