The Book of Cold Cases

Beth is being interviewed by the police again, but this time she has her lawyer Ransom Wells with her. He has instructed her to say nothing. They ask for a handwriting sample, and Wells says they will give it when the police get a warrant. While Detective Washington is arguing with Wells, Joshua silently communicates his sympathy to Beth. Then he asks her to tell him about her father's death, and she realizes that he is still interrogating her, just in a different way. Beth once again loses her temper with Washington's questions, and Wells closes the interview. In the car, Wells tells her that they want to arrest her, that everyone wants her to be guilty, and if the ballistics from her father's murder match, they might do so.

Shea makes an appointment with Sylvia Bledsoe, now Sylvia Simpson, Julian Greer's past secretary. They meet at the park during a short break in the workday. Sylvia tells Shea that Mariana Greer had a psychiatric disability, and that Mariana's own mother had left her estate to Julian, as she did not feel that Mariana could be trusted. She also tells Shea that Julian had possessed papers proving that Mariana was sent to an institution when she was 18. She does not know the name of the institution, but she remembers it was on Linwood Street in Claire Lake.

Shea and Michael look through the property records along the entire length of Linwood Street. While Shea is taking a break, she watches a television dramatization of the Lady Killer case, which portrays Beth as melodramatic and guilty. She then flips through the only true crime book written about the Lady Killer murders. It is full of speculation but has good photos, some she has never seen before. She is listening to the recording of her interview with Beth when her cat gets upsets and bolts out of the room. When Shea listens to it again, she can hear a woman's voice behind their voices, saying I'm still here. The phone then goes dead, and when it comes back on all trace of the interview has been erased.

Beth comes to Shea's work and invites her to lunch. Shea realizes that Beth wants information about her interview with Joshua Black, but Shea instead redirects their conversation to what Sylvia has said about Mariana. Beth says that her mother did not have a mental health condition but had been taken advantage of and lived in shame. When Shea asks for more information, Beth will not elaborate. She asks Shea about her life, and Shea, surprising herself again, tells her about Michael. Later that afternoon, she realizes that Beth had directed their conversation toward Michael, diverting Shea away from the topic of Beth’s childhood.

Shea is at her sister Esther's house for dinner. They have always gotten along well, even though they are very different. Esther comments that Shea should visit their parents, and Shea reflects on the damage that The Incident did to all of their family relationships. Esther tells Shea that she and her husband, Will, are going to start IVF treatments and that they have been trying to get pregnant for two years. In fact, Esther has had two miscarriages, which she did not tell Shea. Shea is hurt by this admission. After dinner, Will walks her to the bus stop, and they talk about Esther. Will tells Shea that if Esther does get pregnant she will need Shea. Shea feels badly that her lifestyle has led to such a gap between her and her sister. While she is on the bus, she calls Michael and asks him to meet her for a drink, and he agrees.

Beth is in a bar outside Claire Lake. She knows that she will be arrested soon, and the town has already found her guilty. Local people who hardly know her are on the news with their opinions, and popular opinion has already convicted her. When she leaves the bar, Detective Black is waiting by her car. He drives her home because she is too drunk to do so herself. He says she can tell him anything in the car, and it will be off the record. Beth realizes that the police had been following her and had called Black when she left the bar so he could meet her. He says they are going to arrest her soon, but he believes she did not commit the murders and is covering for someone else.

Shea is in a bar, waiting for Michael to meet her. She asks why he is not a cop anymore, and he tells her it is because he likes the research part of the job. He tells her that his father was a cop as well and had worked at the Claire Lake PD at the time of the Lady Killer case. His father had always thought Beth was guilty and was very disparaging about her. Michael tells her he still has not been able to find out anything about the Linwood Street property. Shea offers to pay Michael for his work on the Lady Killer case, but he refuses. He also tells Shea she is a writer. She considers telling him about The Incident but decides it is not a good time yet.

Shea returns to Beth's house to continue the interview but is nervous in light of what happened last time. Shea asks about her arrest, and they talk about the famous photo of her in handcuffs. Beth says it was not what it seemed. Then she invites Shea to go upstairs and explore her childhood bedroom and the rest of the house. She looks into Beth's childhood room, which is unchanged. Then she goes into Julian's study and finds a stack of bills. On the back of every single one, it says I'm still here. Shea takes pictures and texts them to Michael. Then the study door slams shut, and something paces the hallway outside. Her phone rings, and a voice whispers again I'm still here.

When Shea gets downstairs, she cannot find Beth. She looks out the window and sees a blond girl at the edge of the lawn. The girl jumps off the cliff, and her phone starts playing what seems like an old recording talking about someone being sometimes sweet and sometimes not and that “she” is coming down the stairs now. Shea hears footsteps behind her and runs out of the house in a panic. Beth finds her outside, and when Shea asks her about what happened in the house, Beth says Shea needs to figure it out herself, but she is close to the mystery’s solution.