...and we cut to the deputy in question, whom Keith calls into his office. Keith asks about Leo's sister, and Leo looks for a second like he knows the jig is up, but gamely offers that "Tina" is great, and that she challenges him to Crazy Eights every night. Keith smiles, probably because the revelation that Leo still lives at home with a ten-year-old makes it a lot more likely that Leo and Veronica kept their activities last year, um, suitable for young audiences. Leo gets more serious as he says that Tina has Down's Syndrome. Keith asks if that's why Leo stole the tapes, and Leo flinches, but eventually apologizes, saying that Tina's getting picked on in public school and is falling way behind, so Leo wants to send her to private school. Keith is reasonably sympathetic, but still concerned that Leo damaged the case against Haaron, and Leo repeats the whole "other people can testify" idea. Leo, I'm not buying that argument now any more than I did before just because it's coming from someone in uniform. Although I do appreciate it. Leo goes on to say that he didn't do it to get rich, and Keith concedes that he could have made a lot more money.

You know, I think I don't have too big a problem with Leo stealing the tapes, even though no matter how you spin it, it's a betrayal of Veronica and Keith, people Leo cares about. The sister with Down's Syndrome is a pretty compelling reason, although it would have been more effective if we knew about her earlier. But I'm not sure I then buy him taking a tenth of the asking price just because he feels sorry for Logan. Maybe he felt like this was a compromise he couldn't turn down, because it seemed like he was turning a profit while doing more good than harm, and I will note that it's nice that Leo was the one that sympathetically arrested Logan in the season premiere, which might have strengthened Leo's sensitivity here. But fifty grand is going to buy a special-needs child probably about a year in private school, and if her need is so great that Leo was willing to break the law and betray his ex in the process, the ethical math just isn't adding up for me. Also, why the hell would he arouse suspicion that it was an inside job by stealing the originals when just the copies would have done as well? Makes no sense.