Ballard and Gharty investigate the death of a man at a laundromat. The Waterfront Bar gets ready for the Christmas holiday. Munch's ex-wife, Gwen, shows up; her mother (a literary critic and author) has died. Tim goes Christmas shopping and runs into Julianna; he invites her to come to the Waterfront's Christmas celebration. Ballard and Gharty interview the victim's girlfriend (as listed in his address book). Cox informs Ballard and Gharty that the victim was HIV positive and she also convinces Kellerman to tell Lewis and Stivers about the Mahoney videotape. Munch gets his brother to give Gwen a deal on her mother's funeral arrangements. The victim's mother knew about his HIV status and about a girlfriend he didn't use protection with, whose name didn't appear in the address book. Ballard and Gharty find this woman and find that she has full-blown, terminal AIDS, and they bring her in for questioning. Ballard feels the woman has suffered enough so she is reluctant to a get her confessi