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Josh
accompanies LT on a photo assignment for the Denver Post on slum
housing. Josh nearly falls down an elevator shaft, but is warned in
the nick of time by Jason, one of the kids who lives there. Back at
the Ridley Center, LT develops the photos and Josh points out some
suspicious activity in the background. They enlarge the photos to
discover what looks like a woman selling her baby. On Josh's
suggestion, LT runs it past his supervisor at the Denver Post, Nina
Charles. She encourages LT to go back and find the woman while she
runs the license plates and does some research on black market
adoptions. LT returns to the housing project and meets with Lily,
the woman in the photographs. While there, LT meets Lou (Lily's
pimp) a mangy looking character who tells him to get lost. LT tells
Josh his suspicions were correct. Josh feels LT should bail out,
that he's getting in way over his head. But LT says it's too late
for that now. LT checks back in with Nina who seems to be getting a
real charge out of this story. But the more involved they get, the
more conflicted LT becomes that they're ignoring the plight of those
kids forced to live there. Nina finds out that the car in the
photographs belongs to Manfred Dedrick, a petty
hood.
They track Manfred down and Nina urges him to implicate the higher
ups in exchange for immunity. LT and Nina next pay a visit to Lily,
and Nina offers to help Lily with the authorities in exchange for
her story. Lily is uncooperative, but Nina persists, curious to know
why she didn't put her child up with a legitimate adoption agency.
Lily lashes out in anger that if she was thinking rationally, she
wouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place. She sold her child
to feed her crack habit. At this point, Lou comes in (looking for
Lily) and holds them at gunpoint. Nina tells Lou that harming them
would be pretty foolish since the newspaper knows where they are. LT
riles
Lou and gets in his face, snapping photos. Lou goes after LT, when
the police enter and bust Lou. Detective Norton talks with LT and
Nina back at the police station. Norton presses Nina for details but
she isn't forthcoming. LT spills the beans that Manfred Dedrick is
involved. Norton threatens to take them in for obstruction of
justice unless she ponies up the information they're looking for.
Nina agrees to put him on the trail in exchange for advance notice
when the story breaks. LT finds Russell at the police station and
realizes that he's the one who asked Norton to keep an eye on LT.
Russell explains that he and Josh were concerned, that Josh felt
responsible. Nina and LT later return to the police station to meet
with the Reynolds, the couple that adopted Lily's child (which has
now been taken from them) in order to get their side of the story.
But Mr. Reynolds is hostile, feeling that Nina's interference
undermined the future of their adopted child who will now be at the
mercy of the system. LT vents at Nina for her cutthroat attitude
which has forsaken the youth living in the slum housing project. But
Nina is unapologetic, those are the realities of the marketplace.
She tries to put things in perspective, that they've brought down a
nefarious child adoption ring. But somehow, that doesn't carry the
same weight for LT as it does for her. LT returns to the slum
housing project and confronts the manager about the elevator. The
manager tries to weasel out of it, saying the permits are in order.
But LT knows better. He gives Jason his business card in case
there's any trouble and puts the manager on notice. Hattie returns
home with her fiance, Jim Staley, in a trailer home, with the news
that they are to be married. Russell has known Mr. Staley most of
his life and trusts that Hattie will be in good hands. Hattie reads
a bedtime story to Nathaniel, and is reminded of the times her
grandmother read to her and the many times she read to Nathaniel's
father and Uncle Russell. Hattie assures Nathaniel that although she
and Jim will be traveling, they'll make a point to come back to
Denver as often as possible. Hattie remarks on how the family has
changed in the few months that she's been away with Josh going off
to college and Russell becoming a reserve police officer. Claire is
saddened at the thought of her oldest son leaving the nest, though
Russell does his best to comfort her, reminding her that he'll be
only 30 miles away. Russell has a heart-to-heart with Jim, who
explains that he was inspired to get his own trailer home by the
Greenes travels. He's thankful that Hattie went to see her sister,
which allowed them to meet again after all these years. A widower 12
years, Jim didn't think he'd ever be so lucky to find love again. He
assures Russell that he loves Hattie and is totally devoted to her.
Russell gives his blessing, saying (jokingly) his only concern is
whether Jim will able to keep up with her. Hattie speaks with
Russell (separately) to make sure she's got his blessing. Hattie
says she's known Jim 55 years and feels she couldn't have made a
better choice. Russell agrees, adding that he thinks his father
would be happy too. The episode ends with Hattie and Jim's wedding
in the presence of the Greenes, LT, Margot and Mouse. LT is the
unofficial wedding photographer. And Russell makes a heartfelt
speech, thanking Hattie for teaching him how to raise a family with
love and respect. Hattie tosses her bouquet before she and Jim head
to their trailer home for the open road. Mouse gets the mistaken
impression that he and Dinah are a couple (since she kissed him in
the previous episode). Dinah has to break the news to Mouse that
when she kissed him, it was out of gratitude -- as a friend. She
invites him to her grandma's wedding as a consolation. Margot
commends Dinah for doing the right thing by not stringing Mouse
along. Claire asks Margot whether she intends to follow Ross to New
York in September. But she has decided to stay in Denver rather than
endure living in close quarters with her father and "airhead
stepmother."
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