Directed by Creator/SteveShill

Written by Creator/LynnMamet

A teenage girl called Julie Cade is found dead in her apartment building. It's discovered that a classmate, John Lucero, had threatened Julie because he was suspended from school after she complained to the faculty about a messsage board he created. Subsequently they attended the same party where Lucero and another boy, Denny Cannon, attempted to rape Julie. She wanted to press charges, which gives Denny a motive, so he is arrested. He admits he and Lucero assaulted Julie, but stopped when she told them she was gay.

Suspicion falls on Julie's friend Alicia Mitford when she is found to have hidden information from the prosecutors; [=McCoy=] and Southerlyn work out that she was in a secret relationship with the victim. But without proof of a motive, they need Alicia to admit she was afraid of being outed. Confronted with the threat of a highly public trial where everyone would find out about her relationship with Julie, she agrees to a plea deal. [=McCoy=] and the others decide to pursue assault charges against Cannon and Lucero.

!!!This episode contains examples of:

* TheAce: Alicia - beautiful, popular, cheerleading captain and honors student with offers from several prestigious colleges. Southerlyn and [=McCoy=] think this is a likely reason why she wanted to keep her sexuality secret.
* ArmoredClosetGay: Alicia is one.
* DeathOfAChild: The episode starts with the finding of a dead teenager.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: The first real suspect the police have is a photographer who's darkroom is filled with ''very'' flattering photos of her. It quickly transpires to be this sort of relationship though, as the guy knew Julie was having trouble at the Academy and he wanted to help her. He also has a happy, stable marriage and an iron-clad alibi; so Briscoe and Green move their attentions towards the school like the photographer suggested. Briscoe still has some doubts however...
* IHaveThisFriend: When Lewin questions how likely it is that none of Julie's classmates knew she was gay, Southerlyn says that she had a high school friend who kept her sexuality secret until college. Given that Southerlyn comes out in a later episode, it's possible she was actually talking about herself.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Julie's parents are alive throughout the episode.
* PsychoLesbian: Alicia Milford.
* SoapboxSadie: How Julie was seen by her classmates.
* StepfordSmiler: Alicia became one because of the pressure to be perfect from her family and classmates.