House of Detail. In the sad, sad basement, Det. Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) toils away on a piece of dollhouse furniture as Det. Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker-Robinson) looks on curiously. Aw, Sydnor. So cute. He asks what Freamon's working on, but Freamon doesn't have any time to spare from his work on his "Louis Quatorze" armoire.

Daniels holds a meeting for his Hole In The Wall Gang, but has to take frequent breaks to allow for the noise of work going on in the hall (banging pipes, etc.). He repeats Burrell's instructions against "cowboy shit": "No side trips, no sprawl." He names Kima and McNulty as the lead investigators on the case, and, for when they're on the street, pairs up Herc and Carver, Kima and Sydnor, McNulty and Santangelo, Polk and Mahone, and Prez and Freamon. Kima takes over to brief everyone about files on the ten open homicides, which they can work back on for leads. Kima herself, along with Sydnor, Herc, and Carver, will work on street dealers, trying to roll them up the Barksdale chain of command. "Polk and Mahone are available to run down specific leads," Daniels lies. Unless by "specific leads," he means "Cutty Sark." Freamon and Prez are going to be on clerical duty in the office. Ronnie is assigned as the detail prosecutor. Kima says that they don't have enough desks yet, so they'll have to share...whereupon a workman appears in the doorway to ask, "Y'all from Purchasing?" "No," glares Daniels. The guy sidles out, and everyone snickers. Kima adds that they've been promised computers and surveillance equipment, though no one seems to be holding his or her breath waiting. She invites questions, and Waldorf asks who signs the overtime slips. Daniels says that there won't be any OT without prior authorization. "A case goes from red to black by way of green, Lieutenant," Statler burbles. Daniels says that if they bring him something that needs overtime, they'll get it; otherwise: "Live on your fucking salaries." Statler and Waldorf are quietly disgusted. And quietly disgusting, probably, too -- smell-wise, at least.

Later, Daniels reads D'Angelo's letter. Who knew a shadily acquitted murderer would have such tidy penmanship! "'I'm very sorry for your father. If I could've stopped it, I would have.' What can you do with this?" "Nothing legally," McNulty admits. He says that the letter doesn't incriminate D'Angelo or anyone else. But he says there's no way to read the letter and not think that Gant was killed because he was a witness. Kima backs McNulty up: "Why apologize at all if you got nothing to do with it?" Daniels sort of shrugs as he puts the sheet on top of a pile of papers, but McNulty puts it back in front of him: "We lost a state's witness. Even in Baltimore, that's supposed to mean something, right?" He tells Daniels to take the letter to Burrell, in order to juice up the detail: "This case needs informants. It needs long-term surveillance. And eventually, it's going to need a Title III wiretap. Most of all, it needs police who know how to work those things." Daniels asks if McNulty thinks it's a good idea to "put it out on the street" that their witnesses get killed. "You think it's not on the street already?" McNulty replies. Daniels can't really deny that, but reverts to his "we get in and out" position. Even Kima looks kind of disgusted as she and McNulty leave.