Summary

Detective Renée Ballard and her senior partner John Jenkins were out on their first call of the late show, the unenviable midnight shift that is traditionally assigned to Los Angeles Police Department outcasts. An elderly woman had reported a burglary. Ballard, who had better rapport with female witnesses, conducted an interview. The woman had been alerted that there was a fraudulent charge on her credit card, and then realized her wallet was missing. Ballard, unsure whether there was a break-in or if the woman could have left her wallet out while shopping, called the credit card company to find the delivery address of the thief’s online purchase. The employees at the Indian call center were unhelpful, and Ballard gradually became more and more frustrated by their indifference.

On their way back to the station, Ballard and Jenkins were waylaid by a...