and blames it on his recovery, Lt. Al Giardello bluntly tells him he had never been good enough for Homicide, even before he was shot, citing Felton's drinking and personal problems. Due to unsuccessful contract negotiations with actors Daniel Baldwin and Ned Beatty, Felton and Bolander were written out of the series after Season 3. The narrative reason for the characters' absence is given in the Season 4 premiere, in which Giardello reveals that Felton and Bolander got drunk and engaged in embarrassing and grossly inappropriate behavior while attending a police/firefighter convention in New York City. Both are suspended for 22 weeks without pay, a reference to the then-standard length of a network drama's TV season. Bolander chooses to retire when his suspension is up, while Felton drops out of sight. During Season 5, Giardello often complains about Felton's unknown whereabouts, and rumors began to spread that he had resigned in disgrace following his suspension. In the two-part season finale of Season 5 ("Partners and Other Strangers" and "Strangers and Other Partners"), Felton is found dead in his house, a shotgun blast having destroyed most of his skull. The evidence first points to suicide, but M.E. Julianna Cox soon determines that he had been murdered with a pistol shot to the back of the head; the killer then used the shotgun to stage the suicide. He was murdered on May 9, 1997. Giardello soon learns that Felton had actually returned from his long suspension to an offer to work undercover for Internal Investigations Division (IID), under the direction of Detective Stuart Gharty. Felton had been undercover for six months helping IID and the FBI build a case against a massive auto theft ring, but an information leak led to his cover being blown. He was personally murdered by the auto kingpin, who managed to evade capture. Beth wants nothing to do with Beau's funeral, so Kay Howard and Megan Russert handle the arrangements. A memorial for Felton is established in the police headquarters, and attended (on screen) by then-Maryland Governor Parris Glendening and then-Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. The investigation of Felton's murder leads the detectives to remember moments with Felton, although most of these memories prove unpleasant. The episode illustrates these memories with flashbacks consisting of brief clips from the first three seasons; these clips are Felton's only appearance on the series after Season 3. The last appearance of Felton