Brass Hits The Big Time In Hollywood

See Also: 'Committed' Episode Guide

When Ellie Brass's best friend disappears mysteriously, Brass travels to Hollywood, where he not only finds himself caught in a web of Ellie's lies, but also in the middle of a potential political scandal in the single character-centered episode, "Hollywood Brass".

According to CSI Files sources, the episode takes us to the glamorous Hollywood, California, where two young girls, Dakota and Jersey, are out in the night life, scanning the most popular clubs, not for fun but for business. One quick glance at them and every guy knows a night out with these girls comes with a high price, and possibly a couple of nights in jail. It's going to be a slow night – nobody is catching their bait – and as the girls decide to leave, a red convertible stops in front of them. Dakota approaches it without trepidation; there is no room for shyness in prostitution. The man in the red convertible has no qualms either, and Dakota waves goodbye to her friend as she gets inside the convertible and it speeds into the night. The last we see of it is the license plate – 5DD8473.

The next morning, we find Jersey at the police station, filling out the required paperwork to report her missing friend. She tries to remember the license plate, but all she can come up with is 5DD. It's only been a few hours, one of the officers tells her, but Jersey knows there's something wrong. She can feel it. But cops don't take instincts, or prostitutes, very seriously, and the odds of these officers helping her are slim to none. Jersey is frustrated. Something has happened to her friend and nobody seems to care. With a great amount of trepidation, she reaches into her purse and retrieves her cell phone. There is one cop out there who will listen: her father, and he works at the Las Vegas Police Department.

Jim Brass drives all the way to Hollywood to get his daughter out of her latest hassle. If one thing hasn't changed is the animosity between father and daughter, as Ellie tells her father over the phone that she's doing great – living in a house by the beach, temping and waiting tables. Even over the phone, a father can recognize his daughter's lies, but Brass assures her he'll do whatever he can to find her friend. A quick visit to the LAPD and he meets with an old friend, Annie Hutchins, who immediately disapproves of his involvement in this case. But blood is thick and nearly impossible to ignore, and Brass knows this firsthand. Hutchins is one step ahead – they've already found a red convertible, license plate beginning with 5DD, and there's blood in the trunk of the car.

That night, Brass sits at the Pig and Whistle, a famous bar on Hollywood Boulevard, entertaining a glass of scotch. It's a quiet and lonely night in California, and as he looks out the window he watches a young girl get out of a car stand in a strategic corner. Jersey, otherwise known as Ellie Brass, has started her night shift. Brass walks out and confronts his daughter, but if there's one thing Ellie knows how to do is push her father's buttons. He escorts her inside the bar, where she tries to convince him, and herself, that Dakota is alive. She can feel it. As he tries to ignore the big elephant in the room, Brass wonders if there's a way to get a sample of Dakota's DNA. Ellie tells him she and Dakota visited the Free Hollywood Clinic just the week before to get their blood tested. Tested for what, Brass briefly wonders, but Ellie doesn't have to answer. The big elephant in the room just got bigger.

When the blood found in the trunk of the car and Dakota's sample come up a positive match, it's time to round up some suspects. Hutchins informs Brass the mysterious red convertible belongs to Mark Piccone, a city attorney with a fabulous house on the Hollywood hills. The two officers visit Piccone, who is quick to admit he was out the night of Dakota's disappearance, looking for a little fun, when the prostitute he picked up, along with her male friend, stole his car at gun point. Brass wonders why he did not report the robbery to the police, but Piccone knows that the news could destroy his career, which is more important than a car. Brass is not at all convinced Piccone is scot-free, and his suspicions intensify when Piccone graciously refuses to let them look around his house. Brass and Hutchins leave to get a warrant, and as they notice an interesting sign in Piccone's yard it becomes evident the search for Ellie's friend may very well become a political scandal - Mark Piccone is not only a city attorney, he's also running for Mayor.

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details and the airing order of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Hollywood Brass" will air in May, 2005.

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