Plot

A man who claims that he was falsely accused of killing his wife holds Patrick and several other people hostage.

Angelino documentary maker Amber Sutherland is shot at home while turning a movie to promote Crane Creek mayor Kenyon Bagshaw's national political ambition. The local police suspects Ron Crosswhite, whom she interviewed the previous evening and probably got away with shooting his wife, city clerk Ginger (31), because officer Tom Rowley clumsily ruined the crucial video recording. While grudgingly reporting to pay a traffic fine, Jane is taken hostage by Crosswhite with other people in city hall to demand immunity and his wife's real killer being found. After the CBI director, politically influenced by Bagshaw, first gives the case to police chief Arnold Nail and then returns it go Lisbon, Rowley tries to shoot Crosswhite but only wounds another hostage. Jane gets Crosswhite to see sense and sets a trap for the double murderer.—KGF Vissers

When the documentarist Amber Sutherland is found shot at home, Chief Arnold Nail and Officer Tom Rowley suspect Ron Crosswhite, who was accused of killing his wife a couple of years ago and interviewed by Amber.Tom had ruined the evidence of a video recording and the judge did not accepted the evidence in his court. Lisbon and Patrick assume the case and interview Crosswhite. When Patrick goes to the City Hall to pay a traffic ticket, he and other people are taken hostage by Crosswhite that demands the General Atorney and Mayor Kenyon Bagshaw to find the killer of his wife. While the Mayor and Chief Arnold Nail decides to invade the City Hall, Lisbon finds a way to avoid the action. Meanwhile, Patrick plots a scheme with Crosswhite to find the real killer.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Crane Creek, Cali.

The team is set up on a suburban street. The director wants to be briefed personally.

The victim is Amber Sutherland, a documentarian. She was making a campaign video for Kenyon Bagshaw, the town mayor who's running for the legislature.

The police chief introduces himself. They found a .38 in a trash can down the street. Amber's video equipment is gone.

Lisbon wants to know why Jane isn't there yet.

Cut to Jane getting pulled over. The cop doesn't care he's on his way to a crime scene. He also doesn't like Jane's Justice League argument. "Do you think Aquaman would give Batman a ticket?" he asks.

The officer tells Jane to get out of the car.

Back at the scene, the chief reports one of his officers is in pursuit of someone following a traffic stop. He was acting crazy.

Lisbon waits for it. Jane pulls up, with the cop on his tail. He gets out of the car and the cop pulls his gun. Lisbon says Jane will pay the ticket today.

The officer who pulled him over says it's obvious who killed the victim, the "local scumbag" Ronald Crosswhite. He was indicted two years ago, but he got off because evidence paperwork was filed late.

By his reaction, Jane can tell Officer Rowley is the one who screwed up.

Rowley says he saw the victim with Crosswhite two days ago.

Back at CBI, we learn that Ginger Crosswhite was killed in her home two years ago. The excluded security camera footage blew Crosswhite's alibi that he wasn't at home at the time of her murder.

Lisbon and Jane go talk to Ronald Crosswhite. He assumes Rowley told them about him.

Inside, he says Amber was filming him for a documentary about his wife's death. He says Amber needed to raise money to finish it.

He talks about the pain of everyone thinking he did it.

Jane asks what Crosswhite did to her. He calls him the guiltiest looking man he's ever seen, living in squalor and forcing himself to live under the gaze of his disapproving neighbors.

In response, Crosswhite tells him to leave.

At the office, Van Pelt interviews the mayor's wife Jessica Bagshaw. She says Amber went on a few dates with Zach Gladden at city hall. When Van Pelts asks if there was anyone else, she defends her husband against the unasked question.

"We have no interest in having a pretty dead woman attached to the campaign," she tells Van Pelt.

Director Gale Bertram comes to get Jessica for coffee.

Van Pelt and Cho talk to Zach Gladden. He says Amber had an interview with Crosswhite a few days ago and he freaked out.

Back at the office, Cho and Lisbon watch the video of Amber interviewing Crosswhite.

When Amber asks about the security camera footage, he insists it's wrong. He says he was home when he said he was. He asks if she's one of them.

He gets enraged and tells her to turn the camera off.

Lisbon wants a warrant for Crosswhite. She reminds Jane to pay his ticket, saying they can get a warrant for him if he doesn't.

The next day at Crosswhite's, he's not there, so they break in. They find Amber's video equipment in the garage.

At city hall, Jane walks in behind Jessica Bagshaw. He goes to pay Zach Gladden. Crosswhite comes in behind him -- and fires into the ceiling.

He tells everyone to gather on the side of the room. When a guard takes too long, he throws him. He makes another guard lock the door. Cop cars pull up out front.

Lisbon's outside, but the police chief says he's in charge.

Inside, Crosswhite whacks a hostage across the face.

The chief wants to surround the place and Lisbon worries that they're going to start a shooting gallery. Finally she pulls rank, saying she's in charge.

Inside, Crosswhite says he heard they were coming to arrest him and no one believes he's innocent. Jane wonders how waving a gun around is going to prove his innocence.

Lisbon calls Jane. Crosswhite wants to talk to her.

He wants a guarantee from the governor and attorney general that he won't be prosecuted for his wife's murder. He wants the killer found. He breaks Jane's phone.

Rigsby announces they can tap into the phones to listen through the speakers. The chief is set up to stage an assault. Lisbon is still trying to talk him out of it.

The Mayor comes in and tells them to go for it, then says the local police are in charge on Bertram's say so.

Lisbon calls her boss. Bertram says they have to consider the local's feelings. He tells her to try to avoid shooting, which she explains is hard without authority. He says it's about politics.

Back at the makeshift command center, the PR woman comes for Lisbon. Lisbon asks to talk to one reporter, whichever has the best access to Bertram.

Outside, the police pull back up and suit up.

Inside, Jane reminds Crosswhite that the cops are going to come bursting in. Crosswhite rails that they never investigated break-ins that were happening around the time of his wife's death.

A paralegal named Donna pipes up to say they did investigate, and it was a bunch of kids. He points the gun at her and she bursts into tears.

Crosswhite tells her to calm down, which Jane suggests could be achieved by not pointing a gun in her face.

She starts to hyperventilate, so with Crosswhite's permission, Jane calms her down.

Bertram calls for Lisbon, saying he heard from a reporter with an "unnamed" source who knew a lot about the situation. He told the reporter that Lisbon was in charge. The police chief confirms this to Rowley

Lisbon and the police listen in as Jane hypnotizes the paralegal.

Up on a roof, Rowley sets up with a sniper rifle aimed at Crosswhite.

Jane finishes with the paralegal with Crosswhite being lulled to sleep behind her.

Rowley fires through the window. He misses Crosswhite but hits the paralegal in the arm.

Crosswhite freaks out that they tried to kill him. Rowley packs up his sniper rifle and runs. Lisbon tells her people not to fire. They see Rowley running away and Rigsby and Cho grab him.

Back inside, Crosswhite looks to Jane for direction when the phone rings. Crosswhite smashes them instead. He wants Jane to talk to the police for him.

Lisbon tells Rowley he's going to be arrested for attempted murder.

Jane walks out. The chief says Rowley screwed up and if he hadn't years ago, none of them would be there.

Back inside, Jane looks Crosswhite in the eyes and ask him to say he didn't kill his wife. He says he didn't. Jane asks if he cheated and he says no. Jane thinks he kept some secret from her.

Crosswhite says he was a smoker and kept it from her. He would go for long drives to sneak a smoke. That's what happened the night she died. He came home and she was dead.

He's upset that the last thing he told her was a lie.

Jane asks him if he ever wondered if the killer was waiting for him to leave.

Jane questions the paralegal. The electric company owned the security camera footage and the paperwork Rowley forgot to file was the worst to forget.

Jane tells Crosswhite he'll tell him who killed his wife in 20 minutes but he wants three things. He wants him to let Donna to go, everyone wants to go to the bathroom and Jane needs a pen.

Crosswhite agrees.

At the mayor's desk, Jane writes a note and leaves it. They escort Donna out. Jane hugs her as she's leaving.

Outside, Lisbon finds the hug odd and searches the paralegal. She finds a note that says he solved the case by finding a letter on the mayor's desk, which must have been what the killer was looking for.

The mayor hears it and says if Crosswhite hurts his wife, it's on her.

Inside, Jane suggests he and Crosswhite walk outside.

He tempts him by saying he might get to see his wife's killer in chains out there.

Cut to Jane walking out in front of Crosswhite. He puts his gun down. They handcuff him and the hostages come running out.

The mayor runs to his wife.

The chief comes back from inside and announces there's no note on the mayor's desk. Then Jane says there's no note because the chief put it in his vest. He accuses the chief of killing Ginger Crosswhite and Amber Sutherland.

Jane says Amber figured the chief out. If Crosswhite was telling the truth about the security footage, it means he changed it.

The chief says again there was no envelope. Jane says confidently that there was, because he put it there.

The chief reveals the note. It says "arrest me." He starts to go for his gun, but Rigsby grabs him.

Back at CBI, Lisbon tells the chief they have people reviewing the security footage. The chief says he and Ginger had a connection, but we see in flashback that there wasn't. He made a move that night and she rebuffed him. She was going to tell everyone, but he shot her.

Crosswhite watches him confess from the viewing room.

The chief hacked into the security footage and changed the time stamp. Then Rowley forgot to file the warrant. Not exactly a super cop.

Amber figured out the footage had been altered and told him first. He met her at her house then took her cameras and planted one at Crosswhite's.

They come to get Crosswhite for jail. He tells Jane he'll be fine. The weight of his wife's murder has lifted.

Bertram comes to see Lisbon and asks if she knows the rules about leaking to the press. She does. Then he says both the Bagshaws are happy, everyone's alive and they caught the killer. He's impressed by her smart play. "I hope you stay smart," he tells her ominously.

Jane brings his speeding ticket in to Lisbon, still refusing to pay it. She says she'll get Bertram to pay it. "I have my ways," she says.