Brenda is cooking. Things are slow at work, so as a substitute she decides to murder the meatloaf.
Fritz walks in with a package from the vet — Kitty’s ashes. Brenda cries. She is disturbed the vet put her in an old plastic bag and cardboard box. Brenda doesn’t want to be one of those women who put their cats in an urn. So as any self-respecting Southerner who has attended a Dixie Longate instructional Tupperware party would do, Brenda sealed away her valuables in the better plastic crap, and tucked him/her away in her purse.
Fritz sizes up Brenda. If things are really slow, she could do him a favor. No, they have decided to keep their professional lives separate. Brenda’s interest is piqued. The FBI just needs to find a routine missing person. But Brenda doesn’t have to. It has to be under the radar so to speak. Brenda says she guesses she can help out since thing are slow. Fritz puts down the bow. He plays such fine music.
The FBI’s missing person is a 26-year-old male reported missing by his boyfriend a month ago. Flynn wants to know why they are looking. Gay boy doesn’t come back from a party — it’s a familiar pattern. Brenda says start investigating. See if this convenient stereotype they are spouting to avoid real police work holds up.
The search doesn’t take them far as they find their missing person, Austin Blaine, in the morgue. The decedent had been to a circuit party, a gay rave, and died with symptoms of an overdose, GHB and alcohol. Will we discover more of why the medical examiner knows so much about the gay party circuit? Perhaps the lovely Latina Det. Mikki Mendoza told him.
Agent Howard arrives at the morgue. Someone from LAPD called about Austin. So much for under the radar. Look on the bright side, he’s not missing any more. Fritz and his FBI cohort are evasive at best.which really stretches the limits of Brenda’s Southern hospitality.
The FBI deputizes Brenda’s squad as agents with a 48 hour expiration date to bring them in on their case. Dr. Blaire, the victim’s father and next of kin, is questioned by acting agent Johnson. He is upset when he hears Austin is dead and walks out.
Brenda searches Austin’s house and finds the boyfriend, Travis, a stash of drugs, and the business card of Special Agent Fritz Howard, FBI. Could Austin have been a federal Fritzy informant?
The T-mobile product placement rings, and Brenda has to move Tupperware Kitty around to dig for the phone. On the off chance she pulls Catherine Zeta Jones out of that purse, I want the name of the store wardrobe shops.
Austin’s death looks more like a murder. Brenda questions Travis. Drugs and $80K were found in the house. Travis is not a user, but was helping Austin out to earn money for college. Brenda is not quite sure about college, but does see a California state facility in his future. Travis confesses Austin was dealing drugs all over the country wherever his boss Peter Benjamin had a party.
The FBI will allow Brenda to merely sit in on the interview of Peter Benjamin, but as a hammer that sees the whole world as a nail, this doesn’t last long. Benjamin is lying as he said he fired Austin for drug use. Brenda might as well lie, too, so she says she has three witnesses that saw his guys drag Austin out of the club. His attorney stops the interview.
The FBI can’t lie to suspects and go into federal court. Brenda has no intention of going into federal court. The LAPD is taking over this murder case. If they all stop lying to each other how will they will never get to the truth. Makes that hand on the Bible thing sound mute.
Brenda resigns her 48 hour job with the FBI and goes back to work as the LAPD. The amount of drugs in Austin’s system meant he was too bombed to drive. Where is his car? Travis said there was no other set of keys, no one is allowed to drive Austin’s dad’s car: The Brenda moment.
With a search warrant Brenda finds the car in Dr. Blaire’s garage. The squad found supplies of a professional grade drug lab in the doctor’s office. Why? The doctor says those are chemicals to clean the wheels on his car. Brenda says they can analyze those chemicals to his wheels to determine exact chemical composition for a match. Lie. Wrong program — only CSI can do that.
The doctor looks sick. He admits he is the GHB supplier and gave up his son as an FBI informant. Benjamin killed Austin and told the doctor the same would happen to him. Brenda tells him, “Thank you,” and he is free to go. He gets up to leave just as the FBI arrest him for drug trafficking and racketeering — turning out just the way Fritz thought it would. He does play a fine Brenda fiddle.
Former FBI Agent Johnson trades the doctor for the murderer and the cash. She gives the money to Travis and tells him to go to college. Something good has to come of this.
At home, Kitty sits in an urn on the mantle.
