Fantasy Date - Recap

Brenda and Sgt. Gabriel enter a very formal gathering where Congresswoman Simmons is about to speak. As the Congresswoman finishes her speech, Brenda takes her out to the hallway, where she is shown photos to identify. Simmons gasps and reacts badly---the photos are of her daughter, Carla, and she is very. very dead. It appears she's been raped and strangled to death. Simmons wants to be let in on the investigation and offers to help wherever she can. She also asks that Brenda keep the investigation as discreet as possible.

Brenda goes to the scene, where she is able to gather Carla's dresser and computer, and runs into an unexpected visitor---Carla's ex boyfriend. She has him brought down to the Parker Center for an interrogation.

In one of Brenda's better ploys, she pulls off the "first day on the job" act as she pretends to follow the list of protocols for the first time. In doing so, she manages to get information from him, like the fact that she was holding some of his things, that he had no marks on his body from a struggle (Carla put one up before she died) and that when he finally learns about her death he breaks down into heavy sobs.

Getting nothing from that angle, she is incensed to find that Pope is releasing the crime scene at the request of the Congresswoman, who wants her daughter's things. Brenda goes down to gather a few more things dismissing the officer guarding the house, and is searching the bedroom when she is surprised by a masked man. Within secconds Brenda is gagged with duct tape, bound, and the man is seemingly preparing to rape her. Brenda puts up a struggle, finally managing to free her hands to pull her service pistol. The man is arrested, screaming entrapment, but Brenda is just in shock.

Brenda is back at the Parker Center, a complete mess and trying to convince Fritz, whom she woke up, not to come down and that things are okay. She exhales loudly and goes to watch the interview of her attacker, Andrew Gage, who explains through Sgt.Gabriel's Mirandization that he was just answering a personal ad on an online site--the Jones List--and it was one that Carla placed.

The congresswoman is in Pope's office, awaiting a progress report, when Brenda breaks the news: Carla was a drug user, had boyfriends she didn't know about, and placed a very explicit ad that led to her death. The Congresswoman leaves the room in abject disgust.

Fritz is in the parking lot as Brenda leaves the Parker Center; he takes Brenda home, cleans her up, and agrees to stay the night. Brenda gives him the dime tour of the kitchen, but when he heads toward the bedroom, she stops him, explaining that it's been quite the experience tonight and she just can't handle seeing one more half-naked man tonight. Fritz is very understanding and heads out to the sofa bed.

En route to the offices of the webhosts of the Jones List, Brenda is shocked to find out from her team that not only are personal ads like Carla's not unique, they're rather popular: over 1 million people a week view them and post replies.

At the offices, the team is greeted by a hostile First-Amendment type and his partner, who seems to be a little more understanding. She gives the PHD files related to Carla's ad, pulls the post, and after her outspoken partner gives Brenda some lip, watches as Brenda "accidentally" pushes a button for a device that wipes the rooms numerous servers.

Going through the files, Brenda compares the DNA evidence to the DMV and credit card information---the team is looking for a suspect with red hair. After several dead ends, they get a catch: a fraternity pledge who answered Carla's ad. He shows the scars form Carla's attack, and says that Carla left him a key, and he began fulfilling her request in the ad once he arrived, but she fought back--violently. He pushed her away from him to stop her but she accidentally hit her head on the dresser, killing her instantly. Brenda tells Pope they have nothing, because everything the kid says can be explained away. However, Brenda still has a nagging thought---Carla fought back.

Late that night, Lt. Tao explains to Brenda how the ad was placed---rather simple really, just let auto-fill on the browser do the work, fill in a photo with one on the computer, and presto!---a personal ad goes up. Brenda asks Lt. Tao if she had placed any ads on the Jones List before. He replied she hadn't; not there or on any other dating service. Brenda tells him to dump every listing on the list and on every list in Los Angeles County.

Oddly enough, they find Carla's ex in the interview room. Seems he had placed an ad recently---and they want to ask him about what happened with Carla. He at first tells Brenda he doesn't know anything about her death; Brenda proves otherwise by showing him his mistakes, notably the key that he couldn't come up with when Brenda gives him back his stuff---that was the deal, she points out. The key for the stuff, right? The ex can't produce the key. Brenda can---proving that he gave the frat kid access to Carla's house, and taht he placed the ad. He confesses to his crime, after he's charged with felony murder. He wanted her to know what real violence was like, and that it wasn't just a sock in the arm.

Brenda is closing up the file when she gets a visitor---it's the Congresswoman, and she wants to thank her for her work on the case. Brenda then places a phone call to Fritz, and asks him if he would join her for breakfast. As the show ends, she's getting some very specific directions in order to join Fritz.

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