Danny is disappointed and annoyed when he discovers J.B. left his apartment during the night. Later a junkie named Leslie comes into the squad to report to Sorenson that J.B.'s might be in trouble. A woman reports to Medavoy and Jones that she thinks she's bought some old dresses that are actually stolen property. Kirkendall brings in a woman named Lucy, who Laughlin from Anti-Crime recognizes as a repeat offender. According to Laughlin, Lucy's husband sends her out to do the crimes. The husband claims she is a "friggin' kleptomaniac". Sorenson arrives at the scene of a fire, only to discover a body that is J.B.'s. He returns to the squad and hopes to seek some comfort from Mary, but she gives him the realities of the situation, but he isn't prepared to listen. Meanwhile, Sipowicz is annoyed because he was taken out of rotation. Sorenson breaks down in the squad and Russell seems to be the only one who will comfort him. A woman comes to the squad to claim the stolen property that Jones and Medavoy are dealing with. They arrange to get the property back to the woman, but she seems utterly distraught by the whole situation and just pays a reward without examining the merchandise. It appears as though she is really disappointed with herself for letting the dresses disappear while in her care. In wrapping up the shoplifting case, Kirkendall tells Laughlin that she is trying to improve the odds of Lucy's survival, perhaps give her a chance to better her chance to get out of the situation she is in. Laughlin thinks he knows how to take care of the situation, when he runs into the husband later that night. Later at the bar, Laughlin tells Sorenson (who's drinking his own problems away) about what he did, when Kirkendall comes into the bar and reads him off as it seems his lesson for the husband didn't work, it only got Lucy killed. In the early hours of the morning, Sorenson knocks on Russell's door and crashes there for the night.