Original subtitles

♪ ♪

Downloaded from YTS.MX

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♪ ♪

[electric screwdriver noises]

[thumping]

♪ ♪

[clicking]

♪ ♪ [siren blaring]

Come on, pick it up!

[vehicles honking]

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

You ruined my Sunday again. [both laughing]

Hey, Tess. What about an answer for 24 down?

I wish I could.

OK, Tess. Six letters for "Play with matches"?

Hmmmm... That would have to be...

tennis of course. [both laughing]

What brings you down here, Pierre?

Killing two birds with one stone.

I wanted to show you the program for the crosswords tournament.

- Fresh from the printer's. - This looks great. I love it!

The other bird? I'm dropping off our press release

- to the events' editor. - Then follow me.

♪ ♪

[sighing]

Detective O'Connor, what have we got?

Um, our victim is Alan Nightingale.

He's the owner of the gallery. The cleaning crew discovered

the body at 6 a.m. this morning. The security system is down

for repairs, which is why we didn't have video

- and no alarm that went off. - That's convenient. Inside job?

It's possible. Now, the security system

was handled by an assistant named Carmichael

but he's on vacation in Florida. And if you look above you,

you can see that our skylight was pried open by our intruder

and he rappelled down this rope. Must be a pretty good climber.

Careless to have left a rope behind, huh?

He must have been in a hurry. I think our victim

was shot as he walked in on a robbery.

- What did they take? - They told me they took this:

an oil painting, Third Duke

of Dorset's Hunter with Groom and Dog.

- Haha! That's quite a mouthful. - Yeah,

tell me about it. But extremely valuable.

Victim suffered three gunshot wounds, but we only found

one shell casing over there on the other side of the room.

Oh! This was found in his back pocket.

Was the victim into horoscopes or what?

No, it's a crossword puzzle. Unfortunately, couldn't

finish it. Found it in his back pocket.

Order DNA on the frame, on the victim's clothing

- and on the skylight. - And the rope. I'm on it.

Also gonna need a warrant for his phone records

to see who he was talking to before he was killed.

Anything else, Chief?

I'm just looking out for you, Logan, that's all.

Well, you know what?

Looking out for you too, Chief. [Chief chuckling]

Listen, I think we're done here. I'm just gonna get lab results

back from Forensics. So I'm gonna head down to The Sentinel.

I'm gonna talk to Harris, he's always good for some leads.

- Very good, carry on. - Alright.

Oh, Detective, and one more thing.

- Yes, sir. - Your sister's

expecting you for dinner this Sunday, and she says,

"This time, no talking shop, and your brother

is bringing the kids."

[photo click] I'll see you later, Pop.

Later, son.

[siren blaring]

My last official duty as head of the tournament.

After that, it's up to you.

I hope I'm up for the challenge.

Oh, you will be. You have

people skills and puzzle skills. And in five years,

I don't think I've ever been able to stump you with a clue.

Besides, I'll still help you handle the press.

- You deserve to relax. - Relax? Please.

I'll be competing in the tournament too.

- Join me for lunch later? - Oh, I'd love to,

but I'm actually meeting my aunt.

We still on for the volunteer meeting this afternoon?

Wouldn't miss it for the world.

I'll see you then. [indistinct chatter]

Good morning, Harris.

How's the crime beat treating you this morning?

- Need another word for bribery. - "Bribery," hmm...

- try graft. - Who needs a thesaurus

when I have you at the next desk?

So, the tournament starts this Sunday, right?

Oh yeah. Cutthroat competitors,

wicked wordplay, sinister sarcasm;

it's really a crime scene all its own.

Good morning, Tess.

I just finished a letter that needs your signature.

Oh, thank you, Josephine.

Oh, there's actually a little typo.

No worries, I'll take care of it.

- OK. - OK.

So is Josephine your assistant or the other way around?

You're too nice.

She's new, she'll get better.

What's wrong with looking at the bright side of things?

Don't ask me, I work at the crime beat.

So, your new crossword ready to go to press?

Almost. I just have one 8-letter word.

Second letter o, sixth letter r.

♪ ♪

Huh...

Done.

Heads up. Boss is approaching.

Cutting it close as usual, Tess?

I just got our monthly report.

Digital subscriptions are up 8%.

And our research says it's largely thanks to

the crosswords. A bright spot in an age of fading print.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

- Second only to crime beat. - Well, yeah.

Crime is the gift that keeps giving. There was a murder

- last night, a downtown gallery. - Oh no, what happened?

Painting was stolen from the Nightingale

collection, and the gallery owner was murdered.

Nightingale?

Oh, my gosh! My... my aunt is a friend of the owner.

Alan Nightingale? ♪ ♪

I'm sorry, Tess.

[honking] [piano music playing]

Aunt Candace, I heard about your friend. I'm so sorry.

Alan sold me a painting just last week.

He was such a kind man.

Always ready with a joke or story.

Hard nose when it came to business,

but... lovely nonetheless.

We shared a passion for opera and the arts.

I used to go to the Met with Alan and his wife.

- Or ex-wife now. - Ex-wife?

Mhm. Veronica. They split last year

in a very nasty divorce.

I tried to maintain friendship with both of them,

but it was like walking a tightrope.

Why don't we order some food and then we can

- talk more about him. - Excellent idea.

And thank you for being here.

♪ ♪

Hey. Wow, what a day! I will have a mocha, please.

OK, let me sweeten my offer from before.

- 34 across for a Bear Paw. - You know I can't do that.

Come on, who's gonna know?

Listen, I would love to help you, but I never

- give away answers. - OK, alright.

[clearing his throat] ♪ ♪

Some of us have appointments to keep, so...

- Patience is a virtue. - So is punctuality.

Have a nice day.

Hi. Coffee black.

Who's that Harris is talking to over there?

Uh, a detective, I think.

And I guess the painting

was appraised upwards of a million dollars.

An intruder broke through the skylight,

came down a rope, stole the painting around midnight.

Think this crime is connected to that string of art thefts

- the past few years? - I don't know, Harris. Maybe.

But those weren't violent, know what I mean? Speaking art heist,

whatever happened to the series you were doing last year?

I got pulled off it to work on the city hall scandal.

Really? Wow.

Did Alan Nightingale's name ever come out?

I'll have to look through my notes.

- OK. May I help you? - Me?

- No, the person behind you. - Oh. No, I was actually just

gonna borrow the stapler.

Hmm. 'Cause the one

next to you on this desk here is not good enough, huh?

No.

We meet again, Ms. Patience.

Yes. Mr. Punctuality, hi.

- You already know each other? - Not exactly, no.

Detective Logan O'Connor, Homicide.

- Tess Harper. - Tess here

- is our crossword puzzle editor. - A what?!

Are you handling the Nightingale case?

Yeah. Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?

My aunt knew him. They were actually very close,

and, well, she's really shaken up.

I hope you can find out who did it.

I intend to.

So, what does a crossword editor

do anyway? Are you the one that actually writes all the puzzles?

I write about half of them, and the rest I edit.

I would never sleep if I wrote them all.

Our puzzles come in from contributors

all over the world who crave crosswords' glory.

Wow. It takes all kinds, huh?

I find it interesting 'cause it's obvious

that Nightingale was a fan of your work.

We found a Sentinel Sunday puzzle on him.

Nightingale did the Sunday puzzle?

Mm-hmm. Well, not all. He just filled in

- the across clues in cursive. - Just the across clues

in cursive? That's... that's really strange.

What's so strange about it?

You don't do crosswords, do you?

No, I'm a little too busy to play games.

Well, it's

too bad 'cause crosswords can, you know, broaden

your intellectual horizons.

And I don't know, maybe you like yours narrow.

Anyway, uh...

that's just not how anyone fills out a crossword.

Well, Nightingale did.

In cursive? With no mistakes? I'm sorry for all the questions.

No, no, this is fun. I mean, usually,

I'm the one interrogating, but this is a refreshing change.

Good. Great. OK, I just had a couple more things...

And as much as I'd like to, you know, say more,

I'm not at liberty to reveal any answers.

Right. Yeah, I know just how you feel.

- Yeah. - Harris.

See you.

So, what's his deal? [Tess sighing]

He's a Monday puzzle, simplest one of the week.

♪ ♪ [honking]

I'd like to thank the folks at the Cena Note

for sponsoring our tournament this year.

This is a bittersweet moment.

I've loved

heading the tournament the past five years,

but it is time for me to...

pass the torch.

[Pierre laughing] Thank you, Pierre.

And I'd like to say hello to our new volunteers,

Alexander and Elizabeth. They're new in town, so let's give them

a warm welcome.

The pleasure's all ours.

I'm always excited to meet new puzzle heads.

With the competition only

six days away, we definitely have our work cut out for us.

So I will see you at the hotel

this afternoon, and we'll begin setting up.

[indistinct chatter] Thank you.

Josephine,

- is that last Sunday's paper? - Uh, yes, why?

I just want to take a peek at it for a second.

Thanks. ♪ ♪

[honking] [siren blaring]

This has gotta be the work of at least a two-person crew.

You've got the thief, someone to handle

the security system, the planner and the fence.

Not one person can handle all of that.

I agree. And the only prints we found on the frame matched

Nightingale. We got no prints, no DNA on the roof

- or the skylight. - Mm-hmm.

Anyway, we do have a few leads. CSI said this rope here

found at the crime scene is a specialized 70m climbing rope.

OK. We might be able to source that rope

to a local vendor. And...

What do we know about the murder weapon?

The distinct markings on the casing point

to the style of 9mm built in the fifties.

A lot of collectors have them.

Leaves very distinct markings on the shell casings here

and ejects them further than most handguns.

That might explain why the shell casing was found

halfway across the room. OK, suspects,

what do we know about the victim's family?

He had a brother, he's deceased. And his next of kin

is his ex-wife, Veronica, so I'll pay her a visit.

What about that, uh... that assistant

at the gallery who was in charge of the cameras?

- Carmichael. - Yeah.

Interesting. He left a day before the murder

to go on a vacation to Florida.

This guy here.

Checked flight records, and they confirmed he was in Florida.

But what's interesting is here's a guy who's a head of security

and he buys himself a ticket

to go on vacation the day before the murder.

Hmm... OK, well, since the gallery security system

was down, I want you to check to see if there are any

- neighbourhood cameras... - Don't worry about it, Pop.

- I know, you're already on it. - Already on it.

♪ ♪

- Hi. - May I help you?

Yes, actually you can. I'm Detective O'Connor, NYPD.

I'm actually investigating a break-in down the street,

and I saw that your restaurant has a security camera

out back in the alley. I'd like to take a look at the footage.

Uh, sure. My manager will be back

in a few minutes. She can help you with that.

OK. Alright, that's fine. Why don't you set me up

with one of these Danishes and a black coffee.

- Pre-med, huh? - How did you know?

Got a physiology textbook and MCAT brochure on the counter.

Looks like you're juggling job and school, huh?

- Trying to anyway. - Haha! Thank you very much.

Listen, I don't know if you ever met

or got to know that gallery owner down the street.

He used to come in here all the time.

Really? And what was he like?

Always friendly, big tipper until recently.

Meaning?

He started barely tipping at all.

He said he'd make it up to me soon.

He seemed stressed lately.

Hmm.

♪ ♪

This room is amazing!

How did you ever get us into the grand ballroom?

Usually, we're crammed into the other one.

My aunt pulled a few strings. She knows the hotel manager.

Ah.

Pierre, can I ask you something? Have you ever heard

of someone filling out a crossword

with just the across clues and in cursive?

I don't think so. Why?

It's just The Sentinel's crossword puzzle

was actually found at the scene of a crime.

A friend of my aunt's was murdered.

- He was a gallery owner downtown. - That's shocking.

Yeah, I know.

- I am sorry, Tess. - Right. Ahem.

[phone ringing] Hey. How's it going?

So, uh, well, interesting.

I went down to the dinner, have a little chat

with that waitress. You know, the dinner Nightingale

used to go to. And she said, that he seemed stressed lately,

like he was having money problems. That was interesting.

- I also got this footage here. - Great, let's see it.

Now, this is a shot from the alley down the street.

Whoa, whoa, where does that fire escape go to?

That is the apartment building next to the gallery, Dad.

It's a perfect access to the roof.

- There. Look at that. - That could be our thief.

Mm-hmm. Now look at this. I'm fast-forwarding

9 minutes and 2 seconds and...

- You see that? - Mm-hmm.

That's a squad car, sirens blaring, drives past.

That siren obviously spooks our intruder.

Intruder makes a hasty exit and the reason why he left the rope.

Could be, yeah. It's hard to say, but I think

that the thief might have put

that painting inside that plastic tube on their back.

This is what's strange though. The coroner's reading

of the body temperature of the victim at 7 a.m. the crime scene

said 92.6 degrees, right? Every hour after death,

the body temperature dips 1.5 degrees which would put

the time of death at 2 a.m., but this footage is telling us

the break-in at midnight.

OK, so what do we have? We've got a timeframe.

We've just got to narrow it down, right?

Yeah.

- Can I ask you something? - Mm-hmm.

The detective said the murder happened at midnight,

- right? - Yes.

And the painting that was stolen was of a horse

- from Nightingale's gallery? - Yes. Why?

- Wait a minute. - What? What is it?

OK, I know this is gonna sound completely crazy, but...

I think there are clues to the crime in his puzzle.

[man]: So any luck finding out where that rope was purchased?

We're making a list of local vendors in the area,

seeing who could be the supplier, yeah.

- Someone's looking for you. - What?

- Right over there. - Thank you.

Thank you so much for seeing me, Detective.

Um, yeah. Did I have a choice?

Uh, nope. So I was looking at the crossword

that was found at the scene of the crime,

and I noticed something.

There are clues in this crossword puzzle.

What are you talking about?

Let me show you.

♪ ♪ Here we go.

1 across, the clue was Charlie Parker's

- nickname. The answer is Bird. - Mm-hmm.

The crime occurred at the Nightingale gallery.

44 across, "royalty with a curfew."

The answer is Cinderella. Cinderella's curfew was

midnight, same time as the murder. 53 across,

"animal aged one". The answer is

yearling. The stolen painting was of a horse.

[phone ringing] So?

So you... you honestly think

this is a coincidence? [Logan chuckling]

When we're trying to solve a murder case, we have hundreds

if not thousands of clues with evidence.

I think I'm gonna focus on that for now.

But all of these clues are in a puzzle that's released

a week before the break-in. I mean, that's pretty peculiar,

- you have to admit that. - Ms. Harper, let me tell you

a story. When I was a kid,

my parents would take me to the shore all the time.

I'd lie down on the beach and look up.

I'd see nine shapes in the clouds.

Just because one of those shapes was an elephant

didn't mean it was one.

You're obviously not taking this seriously.

Sorry. Not here to play games, I'm trying to solve a murder.

Right. And I'm trying to help. And I'm telling you

these crosswords are evidence.

OK, let me guess. This was not one of your puzzles,

- was it? - No, this was a submission.

Great. So why don't you take this and go talk to the person

- who submitted it. - Well, it was submitted

by Abigail Krebbs. All of her puzzles come

through e-mail. I reached out to the contact number;

it turns out it's a bar called The Silver Cat.

They've never heard of her. I e-mailed her, no response.

I have her address, but since you, you know,

you seem like you're going to be zero help,

I'll check it out myself. Thank you for your time.

OK. That's good.

It was a good chat.

[honking] You know,

I know Logan's your buddy, but he is so stubborn.

He solved more cases in the force than any detective.

Fine. Hey, thanks for tagging along. You need

to get out of the office, you practically live there.

Oh, I've still been getting my steps in,

going up and down the stairs at the archives

digging for more info on Nightingale.

He was a colourful guy. Was born in England actually.

Alright, keep working the Nightingale side,

I'll keep trying to find clues in the puzzles.

Uh, OK, "486."

This should be Abigail's address here.

Wait, this is a funeral home.

So what do you think? [Tess sighing]

I don't know what to think.

I do have to get down to the tournament though.

Are you OK?

Yeah. I just had an odd morning.

But I'm fine. Hey!

- [woman]: Hi, Tess. - I wanted to ask you guys,

where did you call home before New York?

Well, we're yachters,

so home is usually on the ocean, but our home base

was Newport, Rhode Island. A lovely Victorian cottage.

On a hill overlooking Bradley's Beach.

Don't you mean Bailey's Beach?

Right. Of course.

[both laughing] Yeah.

Oh, Tess! Darling!

Hey, Candace, what are you doing here?

Just dropping by to see my niece

setting up her big event. [Tess chuckling]

So good to see you. I wanted to introduce you to Pierre.

- Oh! Enchantée. - Pleasure.

So we have you to thank for this amazing room?

What's the point of having friends in high places

if one doesn't ask a favour every now and then?

- Well, thank you. - Mm-hmm. Now come on,

I want to introduce you to the hotel manager.

- And then we'll have some tea. - Great.

Um, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.

Hmm... Au revoir.

[gentle music playing]

Clues hidden in the crosswords? How odd.

I know. And what's so frustrating is that detective

is ignoring a clue to who killed Alan.

[Tess sighing] You know what?

You said you were friends with Alan's ex-wife, right?

Yes. Veronica. She owns a bakery downtown. Why?

I don't know. I just thought maybe if I could

speak to some people who knew him and just

- find out what they know. - And I prefer that my niece

- not take unnecessary risks. - Please. I wrestle

unruly adjectives every day.

Why is that not reassuring? [both laughing]

♪ ♪ [honking]

Hi. Here's what you asked for. The red folder

has all the puzzles written by Abigail Krebbs.

The blue folder has all the articles

- on recent art heists. - Great.

Uh, or was it the other way around?

I'll figure it out, it's OK. Would you mind also

making a few extra copies of the puzzle for the tournament?

- I feel like we always run short. - I'm on it.

[chuckling] What's that for?

I just want to check

if any other crosswords might be linked to other art heists

over the last couple of years.

Oh, I gotta get home and change.

I'm headed to Nightingale's memorial service to see

if I could find anything out. Do you want to join me?

I'm heads down digging for info on Nightingale,

but if I can, I'll try to make it.

Sometimes, a memorial service is better than a line-up.

- See you later. - Bye.

♪ ♪ [honking]

[indistinct conversations]

[soft piano music playing]

- Thank you. - No thank you.

Feels like poor Alan got quite a turnout.

I'm just grateful they're holding this here.

Alan always felt at home around art.

I think someone's trying to say hi.

- Is that a friend of yours? - Oh! Yes, Elaine Wilcox.

Elaine's an art dealer and close friend.

Elaine, have you met my niece, Tess.

I'm sorry for your loss. My aunt told me

- you were very close with Alan. - We used to be close,

but I hadn't spoken to him in over a year.

♪ ♪

Judging from the turnout, it seems he had a lot of friends.

Any tears here are of a crocodile variety.

Alan got his just deserts. Excuse me.

[indistinct chattering]

Wow.

So, are you here interfering with my case?

No, I am here with my aunt.

Nightingale was a friend of hers,

remember? But I did just speak

with Elaine Wilcox over there. She's an art dealer who worked

with Alan. She said he got "his just deserts."

- Interesting, huh? - Oh yeah.

No, it's very interesting, Tess, but it's hardly a confession.

Tess, introduce me to your extremely handsome friend.

Candace Wentworth,

- Detective O'Connor, NYPD. - How do you do, Ma'am?

Detective. You wouldn't be related to Chauncey O'Connor,

- would you? - Yeah, that's my dad.

Don't be surprised. My aunt knows everyone in town.

Well, goes with the territory, I suppose, right?

Park Avenue therapist

with a bestselling self-help book.

Detective, you wouldn't have a police file

on me, would you? [Logan chuckling]

No, I'm just good at my job.

I do hope that you can solve this case.

Alan was a dear friend

- of mine. - You know, Ms. Wentworth,

if you don't mind me asking, when was last time you saw him?

Last week.

Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about him?

Alan did seem in a hurry to sell the painting.

Not his usual tough negotiator self.

Do you think anybody would have a grudge against him?

He did have a nasty split with his wife Veronica

last year. Perhaps that's

why she didn't show tonight, but Veronica would never

- go so far as murder. - Mm-hmm.

- Detective. - Pleasure to meet you.

Wow, she's interesting.

[Logan sighing]

Gotta give him some credit for his unique... use of colour.

What?

You don't have time for crosswords,

- but you have time for art? - No, I don't,

but I can always appreciate the form and colour

of one our great abstract expressionists.

- Did two years art theft detail. - Seriously?

Who's making assumptions now, huh?

- Why did you leave? - Can you tell me what that is?

- It's a canapé. - Right.

They should get some sliders in here or some fries.

I'm beginning to understand why it wasn't a good fit.

Oh, I'm starving. [piano music playing]

Um, excuse me.

- Hey. - Oh, hey, you made it!

- Yeah. - You sign this, right?

No, just go ahead. Here, I'll help you out, just grab that.

Hey, who's Logan talking to?

Come on, you owe me.

- For what? - For what? How many adjectives

have I given you in the last month?

- Come on. - Fine. That's Carmichael.

He was in charge of the security system at the gallery,

the one that was networking the night of the crime.

- And how do you know this? - Logan showed me his photo

- to see if it'd ring any bells. - I'm sorry, Logan is giving you

- information and not me. - Yeah, that's the way it works

with Logan. You share something with him; he'll share something

with you. Trust me, I've been trying.

[sighing] That's odd.

Why are Elizabeth and Alexander here?

- Who? - They're

the two new volunteers down at the crossword's event.

I just didn't really think this was their crowd.

[indistinct chattering] [piano music playing]

Hmm.

Did you know Mr. Nightingale?

He was my boss. Worked for him down at the gallery.

What kind of work did you do for him?

Everything really. The website,

- new installations, the works. - What was he like to work for?

He seemed perfect, until payday rolled around.

Then he'd come up with a million excuses to forget to pay me.

- No way. - Yeah.

Oh, man, I know that too well. I've had so many bosses

just hold that wallet too tight, you know?

No one liked Nightingale. He even skimped

on the security system. It was always down.

[Logan exclaiming] Yeah.

How do you know Nightingale?

Oh, I don't. No, I'm Detective O'Connor, NYPD.

Yeah, I'm actually investigating the Nightingale case.

How was your trip to Florida?

It was great. You know, I did a lot of...

- a lot of sailing. - Really?

- Yeah. - Hmm, sailing?

- Yeah. - Expensive hobby.

- It's a passion. - Yeah.

Um, you know, I just save up during the year.

Mm-hmm.

It's a coincidence though, isn't it? Come on.

You leaving for Florida to sail the day before the heist.

You know, the day

before the security system went down...

Look, alright, I feel terrible for what happened, OK?

You got any idea who killed him?

Nightingale got into an argument with someone

over the phone the day before the murder.

- Mm-hmm. - Yeah, a real shouting match.

It wasn't like him at all. [piano music playing]

- Who with? - Wish I knew,

but whoever it was,

Nightingale sounded really upset.

So what did Carmichael have to say about the security system?

Tess...

- Sorry. - My cue to leave.

- Yeah, maybe. - See you, buddy.

- Yeah, yeah, buddy. - You know, I checked out

the address of the person who submitted the puzzles.

Turns out to be a funeral home.

And the phone number was to a bar called the Silver Cat.

So?

So don't you see? It's a puzzle!

The puzzle writer is probably trying to send a message

to whoever comes looking. Curiosity killed the cat.

Tess, the world is not a puzzle,

and everything in it isn't a clue.

OK, maybe to you it isn't. I'm just trying to say

Abigail Krebbs is clearly just an alias for whoever

- is writing these puzzles. - And the last time I checked,

impersonating a puzzle writer wasn't a crime. OK?

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Elaine. Hi, I'm Detective O'Connor, NYPD.

I was wondering if I could ask you questions about the murder.

Sure. You have any questions, you can call my lawyer first.

She's easy to find.

The same lawyer the mayor uses.

Excuse me, Detective O'Connor.

That detective seems nice.

Nice? That's one way of putting it.

You know, I have upgraded him to a Thursday puzzle though.

Yeah, it's difficult, but full of surprises.

- Ha. - You know,

you were saying Alan's ex-wife had a bakery uptown, right?

Yes, the Upper Crust.

Fitting name for an uptown pie shop, don't you think?

Yeah.

And why do you ask?

- Oh no, I'm just curious. - Aaah...

why don't I believe you?

I will be fine.

I am gonna go though, I have a lot of work to do.

♪ ♪

Wait a minute.

Detective, it's Tess Harper.

Call me as soon as you can.

I found something.

Interesting, huh?

Pretty convincing. Have you showed all of this to Logan?

No, because he hasn't returned any of my five messages.

- Anything new on your end? - Following up on something

I found in the archives. [cell phone ringing]

- Oh, anything good? - I'll let you know.

Hi, Pierre. Yes, I'll be down there in just a minute.

I'm just gonna stop on the way and get some treats

for the volunteers. OK.

♪ ♪ [honking]

Hi. I was hoping to get

- a couple dozen apple tarts. - Absolutely.

Are you Veronica?

I think you know my aunt, Candace Wentworth.

She's always telling me to stop by.

Well, any niece of Candace is a friend of mine.

- It's a beautiful bakery. - Thank you.

Your aunt is one of my best customers.

Yeah, she said that you two had been friends a long time.

For at least ten opera seasons.

Candace is a delight. Please thank her for the flowers

- she sent. - Oh, she told me

about Alan. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thank you, but I lost Alan years ago.

- Oh? - There was something else

in his life I couldn't compete with... his work.

That gallery was his obsession.

He'd do anything to keep it afloat.

I can't imagine though.

That must have just been so shocking.

Well, over the years,

Alan got into some shady dealings

that I wanted no part in.

Listen, I'm only telling you this because I'm a friend

of Candace, but Alan's only half the story.

What do you mean?

Well, well.

Tess! What are you doing here?

I'll just wait for my order over here.

Hi, Veronica.

I'm Detective O'Connor, NYPD.

I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions

about the murder of Alan Nightingale.

Oh, I'd love to,

but I have a bakery to run.

After the divorce, Alan and I weren't close,

- so I probably can't help you. - You can help me by telling me

- your whereabouts Sunday night. - I was working here.

I may be the owner, but I'm also the overnight baker.

I was here baking pies that night.

If you'll excuse me, I have a customer.

[sighing]

Tess...

- Hi. - What are you doing here?

What? Is it a crime to like apple pies?

You actually expect me to believe that you and I

bumping into each other here is coincidence?

Yeah, coincidence.

Same as all those crime clues you keep ignoring in crosswords.

You're actually interfering with a police investigation.

- I'm trying to help. - Really?

Do you want to know why Veronica's alibi is phony?

Sure. Yeah, I do actually. Lay it on me.

Do you see those boxes over there?

They say "tartes surgelées,"

frozen pies.

OK, but Veronica just told me she was up

- all night baking pies. - Exactement.

Oh! Oh, right.

Convicted by pie crust.

Yeah, Tess, that's... that evidence is really gonna

- hold up in court. - OK, fine.

She also said something about Alan being involved

in shady dealings, and that he was only

half the story.

Really? I wonder what she meant by that.

I don't know. I discovered something else though

- I wanted to tell you. - OK.

You have my attention.

♪ ♪ Will you put down the pastry?

- Ms. Harper, we're all ears. - OK.

So I went through and dug up all the puzzles

we ever published from our mysterious crossword writer...

Let's just call them the Phantom.

- OK. - Also found articles connected

to a string of art heists over the last couple of years.

Every time, a puzzle appears in the newspaper,

exactly one week later, there's an art heist

somewhere in the city. And there's a pattern.

♪ ♪

OK.

The location...

is always 1 across.

The point of entry

is always 22 across.

The time of the heist

is always 44 across. And the item to be stolen

is always 53 across.

It's everything a thief

would need to know in advance.

Look at this one from august.

[Logan sighing and coughing]

Take 1 across. "A matter of degrees"?

The answer is thermometer. Exactly one week later,

there's a theft at the Mercury Gallery. And I'm just starting

- to go through these. - [Logan]: I have to admit

- it's interesting. - Yes.

- Apology accepted. - I wasn't really apologizing.

You saying something interesting is basically

- the equivalent of a mea culpa. - OK. What I don't get

is why someone would be using a crossword puzzle

to put out the word on a heist. Just seems like a lot of trouble

- to go through, don't you think? - True, but if you're

speaking to a group of people through a puzzle

and one person gets caught...

Then you can't implicate anybody else.

- Exactly. - Well, it certainly is

a unique way for crooks to communicate,

but I've seen more efficient ways for crimes to be

organized anonymously. You got the Dark Web, burner phones...

Given enough time, you can trace those. You know that.

But whoever wrote these puzzles, this Phantom,

they're not taking any chances.

- Mm-hmm. - This is all the evidence

you have on the murder, right?

- Some of it, why? - Hmm...

You know, I was just thinking,

puzzles are like a window into the constructor's mind.

I can look at a puzzle

and, I mean, I can determine the gender, the age,

the background of the person just by the clues

in their puzzle. So if we use these puzzles as profiles,

we can get inside the constructor's mind

- and figure out who this is. - You know, Ms. Harper,

you're actually talking about a little field we like to call

- linguistics for... - Forensics.

- Yeah. - I know. It was used to find

the Unabomber. A person's words

can be as unique as their fingerprint.

You know, this reminds me of a case I once had

with a serial killer who used to leave cryptic notes behind.

But these types even trip themselves up,

they get careless, even telling on themselves, you know?

- Why would they do that? - Well, deep down inside,

they want credit, validation for their "cleverness."

Right. Oh, excuse me. [cell phone ringing]

Hi, Pierre.

- [Tess, where are you?] - I'm just grabbing

- some treats for the volunteers. - Tess, we need you

down at the hotel ASAP. Channel 4 just showed up

to do a news story on the tournament,

[and the reporter is insisting on interviewing you.]

Alright. Um... OK, yes, I'll be there as soon as I can.

I'm sorry. I have to go. That's my friend,

and, well, I have to get down to the crossword championship.

- A crossword championship?! - Every year.

Puzzlers from all over the nation come down

to battle to be the Wiz of Wordplay.

Think of it

as the heavyweight championship of crosswords.

You know, we accept all levels, even beginners.

I appreciate that, but I think I'll stick

to Madison Square Garden. I'll walk you out.

[phone ringing] How about you skip lunch today?

OK. [door opening]

- Nice meeting you. - [Tess]: You too.

[indistinct chatter]

Is this... is this the murder weapon?

- Are you always this nosy? - I asked you first.

We believe it's the same type of gun based

on the shell casing we found at the crime scene.

Murderer probably pocketed the other two shells.

- Why? - To get rid of evidence.

Some like to keep them as souvenirs.

Why am I telling you this?

Because maybe deep down, you sense I can help.

I think you forgot something.

- Oh, uh... - I think you ate some, Chief.

Hahaha! Detective O'Connor has a great sense of observation.

Do you always monitor what the chief eats?

Well, when the chief is your dad

and he's suffering from high cholesterol, yeah.

Aww... OK, that's adorable.

You guys have this whole tough guy thing going on.

Hey, you know what? You might want to stop

because you're gonna give me a reason to arrest you.

Listen, about this whole puzzle theory,

I'm not saying I'm fully convinced,

but keep looking out for patterns in those puzzles, OK?

Yes, of course. Last Thursday's puzzle

was written by the Phantom, so if I'm correct,

there's gonna be another heist tomorrow

- at the Picasso Gallery. - Hmm.

Do you want to be wrong about that?

♪ ♪

- Good news. - Hey.

I found the rope fender for that climbing rope.

Traced to a military surplus store in Newark.

- Oh, nice job, man. - Thank you.

Alright. Check 'em out in the morning.

Hey, can I interest you in an apple tart? Thanks.

[honking] ♪ ♪

- Thank you, Tess Harper. - Haha!

With the crossword championships coming up,

word on the street is, don't miss it.

Back to our studio.

And we're out. Thanks a lot.

[Tess]: Of course. Thank you. [cell phone ringing]

[beep] Harris, hi.

Tess, I gotta talk to you. I found something!

- OK, what is it? - I don't want to talk

on the phone. Just get down to the office. Tess, be careful.

OK, I have a few things to finish here,

but I'll be there as soon as I can.

[beep]

Alright. The news crew wants to get

some B-roll footage of all of us together. Come on.

- Come on, everybody in. - No thanks, we're fine.

We want the whole team, sir. If you could just

- scoot in... - We're fine!

Honey. Looks like we have a case

of low blood sugar. I better go check on him.

- That was odd. - Haha! It begins.

Three days from the competition, tension is clearly in the air.

What do you know about Elizabeth and Alexander?

Well, they showed up on the crossword scene

a few months ago. Had me over for dinner last month.

We share a passion for antiques.

They had quite an impressive collection.

- What kind of antiques? - Art, music boxes,

even an antique armaments collection.

I'd better go check on them, make sure everything's OK.

♪ ♪ [siren blaring]

Harris?

[sighing]

Harris?

AAAH!

Alright.

Oh, my God!

I need an ambulance. A man has been shot.

[sobbing]

Tess called the paramedics, but it was too late.

Harris was a relentless reporter.

Maybe after all those years on the crime beat,

someone wanted revenge.

He told me he was meeting someone this afternoon,

but he didn't say who.

Hey. You OK?

Yeah.

I just can't believe he's gone.

I know. Listen, is there a place

- we can get some fresh air? - OK.

[siren blaring] [boat horn honking]

Harris was always there for me.

I know, he was a good guy.

Listen, I'm sorry, um...

Sorry about not holding it together back there.

You have nothing to be sorry about.

I just wish I could have done something.

He called me earlier,

and he said he needed to show me something.

He sounded worried.

But Pierre, he needed me at the tournament.

I was... there, I was busy, and I...

It's too late. [distant siren blaring]

I wonder what he found.

He had been digging around the archives

to find information on Nightingale.

- Mm-hmm. - He told me to be careful.

Maybe his murder has

some sort of connection to the gallery case.

Listen, we'll wait and see what Forensics found out.

Alright? In the meantime, I want to check out his desk

and his computer and see what he stumbled on.

I don't know if it's gonna do any good.

Archives are all pre-digital.

Do you have a safe place to stay tonight?

I'll stay at my aunt's.

OK.

Perfect. Come on.

- I'll drop you off, OK? - OK.

♪ ♪

You told me the Phantom was a puzzle expert, right

I was thinking

of tagging along with you to the tournament.

- Is that a question? - No.

Tess, it's time you start taking this seriously and start

- taking some precautions. - He's right, Tess. I don't want

- to hear another word about it. - All I need

is for you to tell me where you are and where you're gonna be.

- Just until we find this killer. - Fine, fine. Of course, yes.

And, Candace, could you help me with something?

For Alan? Yes, whatever you need.

Could you invite your friend Elaine out for lunch?

Yes, but why?

She told me she wanted me to talk to her lawyer,

but I... I have something else in mind.

I'll see you in the morning, OK?

- You stay safe. - Thank you.

Do you notice a pattern around here?

People are smiling because they're doing

- something they love. - Hmm.

You see anybody that might seem odd to you?

It's a crossword competition, everyone's a little odd.

Fair enough. How about suspicious?

Hi. Actually, speaking of suspicious,

the volunteers Elizabeth and Alexander to my right...

...they clearly don't like having their picture taken.

Tess, I'd prefer something notable.

Oh. They were at Nightingale's memorial.

OK. It's better, it's interesting.

Oh, and Pierre said they actually collect

antique armaments, like the pistol

that may have been used in the murder.

Really. Alright, look, I need a list of all the contestants.

I also need a list of every single volunteer,

so I can do background checks on everybody, OK?

OK. Oh, and I heard back from my aunt. She's having

- tea with Elaine at noon. - Perfect.

- Here for the list. Pierre? - Yeah.

- Yeah? - I want to introduce you

to Detective O'Connor. Please help him out

with whatever he needs. I can vouch for him.

Yes, certainly. What was it you needed?

I'd love a list of all the people

that will be in the contest, as well as all the volunteers.

Well, so long as Tess says it's OK.

Thank you.

So, how is your investigation going?

Oh, I'm really not at liberty to discuss the case.

I respect a man who values discretion.

[chuckling] Here you go.

Thank you very much.

Tess, don't forget. Tomorrow night's...

The mixer to honour last year's champions.

Yes, I already made the reservation.

♪ ♪ Elaine.

- Have a good lunch, alright? - Thank you.

Come on. [man clicking his tongue]

Come here.

So, what is it you wanted to find out from Elaine?

Phone records came back. Turns out that the afternoon

before the murder, Nightingale made

one significant phone call,

25-minute one to Elaine.

But she said she hadn't talked to him in years,

- so she lied. - Yeah. Not only that. I guess

it was not a very friendly conversation.

Carmichael said that Nightingale was shouting.

Wait, thought we were crashing their tea party. Don't you want

- to talk to Elaine? - No, no. One thing I've learned

about being around criminals for years:

the front door is locked, check the side door.

- How are you doing, pal? - How are you doing?

Detective O'Connor, NYPD. I'd like to ask you

a few questions about your boss. We're investigating

a murder case. ♪ ♪

- Let's take a walk, Detective. - Yeah, I can walk.

I got all day.

I don't want to put my job at risk, Detective. It'd be

- hard for me to find another one. - No, I get it,

- you got a tough boss. I get it. - It's a little more than that.

You gotta have a TLC license to drive a limo in our state.

I see. So with your reckless driving conviction,

you don't have a license. It's not my priority, OK?

Homicide I'm dealing with. Need you to tell me if you noticed

any bad blood between your boss and a guy named Nightingale.

Detective, I get paid not to listen.

I will treat whatever you tell me in confidence.

- Trust me. - Elaine brokered a sale

of one of Nightingale's paintings to some wealthy buyer.

Only problem was painting turned out to be stolen.

When Elaine found out, she was furious.

So why didn't she just go to the cops?

And have her name plastered all over the papers

as a dupe? That's the last thing an art broker needs. Right?

What else? What else?

She bragged recently that she evened the score

- with Nightingale. - Really? How?

It's all I heard.

You know her whereabouts this Sunday?

Look at me. Hey, I'm talking to you.

It's a homicide, you gotta tell me everything.

Elaine has dinner every Sunday night

at the same restaurant. This past Sunday,

she sent me home early, asked me to babysit Gwendolyn.

- She said she was busy. - I take it that's Gwendolyn.

She's better than I do. Don't you, girl?

Yes, you do! Yes, you do! [Gwendolyn moaning]

I gotta go, Detective. Her majesty awaits,

and she's a stickler for punctuality.

Listen, that's my card, alright? Do me a favour,

if anything comes up, if you can think of anything, you call me.

- Alright? - OK, I will.

- Good luck, huh? - Thanks.

Thank you.

- Ah, come on. - Ha!

So Nightingale was selling stolen art.

Maybe that's the shady business his ex-wife was talking about.

Yeah. I subpoenaed Nightingale's financial records.

It'll be interesting to see what they turn up.

Are you gonna be there this evening?

- Be where? - It's Thursday, remember?

If I'm right, there's gonna be another heist tonight.

Right. Haha! Another heist.

Um, how can you be so sure?

The clues are in last week's puzzle.

- It's all right here. - OK.

The clue to the location: "modern art master."

Seven letters, double "s". It's gotta be Picasso Gallery.

The clue to the time of the heist: "a perfect bowl."

A perfect score in bowling is a strike,

i.e. 10 pins. 10 p.m.

- Yeah, OK. - And the clue to the loot:

"nighttime drama." Picasso has a painting called The Dream.

Tess, I don't know, it just...

I am giving you tomorrow's headline today.

Or do you want the headline to be

just another stolen painting? Or, Detective,

making an arrest and possibly catching a murderer?

OK. I hear you. I'll be there.

- Alright. - Good. Good.

So, are you finally admitting I'm right about the puzzles?

- No, not exactly, but... - You don't want to be wrong.

That's exactly right.

♪ ♪ [honking]

Would you just relax? [piano music playing]

Sorry.

We're just a couple having dinner.

- I am... I am very relaxed. - Mm-hmm.

It's just this is... this is my first stakeout.

Tess, we're not on a stakeout.

We're safely sitting here having dinner across the street

watching a small surveillance team.

They are the ones that are on a stakeout.

- Why just a small team? - Because I don't want to be

the guy with egg on my face if this doesn't work out.

Right. Ahem.

Hi. No thank you.

Oh, cheap date.

Oh, OK. Put a guy on the spot,

he doesn't buy you any roses, he's cheap?

That's a simple case of extortion.

Is everything a criminal case with you?

Alright, why don't you tell me if you found any patterns

- in those crosswords. - I'm thinking of a word,

and it's six letters

and some people call it the magic word.

Hmm... OK, please.

Yes.

I've noticed there is a theme

in some of our Phantom's puzzles,

a nautical theme. Words like admiralty, spinnaker, keelhaul.

Maybe our Phantom has a passion for sailing.

Come to think of it, Carmichael was sailing in Florida.

Right. Elizabeth and Alexander, we know they're

big on yachting. They went to Nightingale's memorial service.

They know him well enough to have been there.

When background checks come in, we'll see what turns up.

Harris said Nightingale was from Britain,

and I did notice a lot of British slang

in some of the puzzles. Words like gobsmacked and snooker.

You know a lot about a lot, don't you?

Haha! Well, it's my job to know a little bit

- about a lot of things. - You know what they say,

"A little knowledge can be dangerous."

[chuckling]

So how did you get into this whole puzzle thing anyway?

- My dad got me started. - Hmmm...

Yeah, every weekend, we'd do the Sunday crossword together.

Yeah, when I was a kid. Just one of my greatest memories.

And we'd be sitting at breakfast

and it would be, you know,

"Hey, can you pass the marmalade?" and

"What's an eight-letter word for marsupial?"

He must be proud

of his daughter being the crossword editor

at the world famous New York Sentinel.

He... he passed away a couple of years ago.

Look, I'm sorry.

No. He was so happy that I was doing

something that we both loved.

And whenever I'm having a hard time with a puzzle

and I feel, you know, stumped,

I feel like he's still there helping me solve it.

[piano music playing]

Well, I'm afraid, Tess,

to be the bearer of bad news, but I think this...

this is a bust. Clue said Picasso Gallery 10 o'clock,

and it's pushing 10:30. Unless you made a mistake.

Do you ever arrest the wrong suspect?

- Yeah, occasionally. - Hey, we don't have

that leeway with crosswords. Crosswords are precise.

And I think that's what I love about them.

You're telling me that there's always only one answer?

Well, almost always.

There was one notorious puzzle. It was right before

the 1996 election. It was ingenious.

There were actually two equally correct answers

- for the same clue. - And how is that?

The clue was, "The lead story in tomorrow's newspaper."

And both "Bob Dole" and "Clinton" were correct answers.

Oh, that's interesting.

Wait a second.

No, wait a second. Oh no, no, no, no.

Tess, what... what's wrong?

I can't believe it.

Just like that famous puzzle,

there are two correct answers. The clue was

"modern art master," seven letters, a double "s"

and the submission said the right answer was Picasso,

- but that could also be Matisse. - OK, are you sure?

No, you don't understand. I've never made

a mistake like this. I just...

I'm not myself this week with everything going on and...

Hey, hey, hey, don't worry about it.

I knew it. Ah, I knew it.

Picasso and Matisse had a painting called The Dream.

Reynolds, hey, hey. Listen, I need a car

to the Matisse Gallery on 12th ASAP. OK, thanks.

- We gotta go. - OK.

[Two suspects fleeing on foot down the alley.]

[siren blaring] Hang on.

[suspenseful music]

[siren blaring]

Stay here.

I hate running.

Hey, I just want to talk!

Really?

OK! OK! I give up!

I give up, OK? I don't want to get caught up in anything.

I disabled the alarm system. The other guy stole the painting.

You want to cooperate with me? Tell me who

- your accomplice is who ran away. - I don't know his name!

He's some guy that hired me. We only met twice before.

He paid me to disable the alarm system

and to turn off the security down at the gallery last week,

- make it look like it was broken. - And he sent you off to Florida

- to keep it broken, I get it. - Nightingale paid peanuts;

- I'm not gonna say no to 5 grand! - What does he look like?

I don't... I don't know.

Brown hair, about 5'10", athletic.

Looks kind of grungy

and, oh yeah, he had chalk on his hands.

- Chalk? - Yeah.

[sirens blaring]

[Hello? Tess?]

Drop whatever you're doing. I need you down here.

You're missing the mixer.

Right. Of course.

- Everything alright? - Yeah, I just have to get down

- to the tournament. - Alright, let me

get one of my officers to drop you off.

- We sell a lot of gear here. - I know, you're a busy place.

Only supplier of this brand of rope in the tristate area.

I got a list on my computer of at least 80 people

who purchased that rope this year.

Fine. Let's start with the military purchases then.

We don't categorize things that way.

Really? What's that sign say?

Why don't you give me all the customers that paid

full price. Can you do that? [seller sighing]

Thank you.

Turns out he was the only guy on the list

with a criminal record. Traced him through his parole officer

to a place called the Elbras Climbing Gym.

That explains the chalk on his hands.

Got a warrant, checked out his place and guess what we found?

I found a compartment

behind his Murphy bed. And in that compartment

was a stolen Matisse.

So, what's the news?

Oh, he's waived his Miranda rights. He wants to talk.

He confessed to the theft,

but he's insisting he didn't murder anyone.

See what he has to say, kid, OK?

Alright, it's go time. [door opening and closing]

Why don't you start by telling me why you killed Nightingale.

I told you, I don't know anything about a murder.

See, I think you walked in on Nightingale and you panicked.

I stole the painting, OK? Killing somebody? Not a chance.

- Why don't I believe you? - The gallery was empty

when I broke in. I heard the siren, I grabbed the picture,

- and I bailed. - I know what happened.

You walked in there, you saw him, you panicked,

- and you shot him! - I didn't shoot anybody!

I was just doing what I was told.

Who does the telling?

- Come on! - I don't know. I don't know.

What do you mean, you don't know?

It's in the newspaper, OK?

- What? - The Sentinel crosswords.

- All the puzzles? - No, not all the puzzles.

Just one by a specific author. It'll tell me the when,

- the where, how of my next job. - Let me guess.

That author wouldn't be Abigail Krebbs, would it?

- So you know. - Well, I know that's an alias.

I was hoping you would tell me the name behind the alias.

Look, I don't know. Whoever puts these puzzles

together, they've thought through every angle.

It's beautiful, works like a charm.

I mean, they used to, until now.

What happens to the stolen art?

I use a drop-off point.

It's a storage unit in midtown. Next day, it's gone.

And that is all I know.

OK. Let's say I believe

everything you're saying, why are two men dead?

I just don't know.

Well...

...my gut says that Morton's not our murderer.

It's not his MO. His previous thefts weren't violent.

True. And the break-in and the murder might have

- occurred at different times. - Yeah.

And look, obviously we know he stole the painting, right?

There's no doubt about that, but I think somebody came back

later and murdered Nightingale. Explains the two-hour difference

between break-in and the time of death.

Two different crimes, two different people?

- Could be. - And Harris?

He suffered two gunshot wounds. Ballistics confirmed that the

casings found at the Sentinel match the ammo at the gallery.

Why would anyone murder Harris?

Maybe something he found in the archives.

The question is: what did he find?

Oh, it's Tess. She wants me to meet her downtown.

She found another clue in the puzzle. I gotta go,

- I'll be in touch, OK? - Please do.

♪ ♪

- Ping-pong, huh? - Be with you in just a moment.

Why exactly do you do this?

[laughing]

Ah, I guess it just helps me forget the world.

I don't know. When I'm done, I feel

focused and relaxed.

And I could definitely use that this week.

Honestly, I just think it's reassuring

to see a friendly face across the table.

I still can't believe Harris is gone.

I know. I get it, OK?

I understand, but look, we're making progress here.

Morton confessed to me. He told me he's getting

all of his instructions hidden inside the crossword puzzles.

- Just like you said. - OK, finally! Do you know

how frustrating it is to know you have the right answer

- and not be able to prove it? - I want you to show me

- what you found. - Let me get changed,

I'll meet you outside. Alright, let's do it.

[honking]

So in last month's puzzle, look at the first two answers.

- "Corgi, Gwendolyn." - OK.

Elaine has a corgi named Gwendolyn.

Don't tell me that's a coincidence.

Look, I've learned not to use that word around you, Tess,

but come on. Think Elaine's this foolish to put in

her own corgi's name into the crossword puzzle she created?

I don't know, but didn't your dad say

criminals like this eventually start telling on themselves?

Yeah. OK, what do we got here?

We got Elaine, who obviously lied about the phone call.

- Right. - She has motive: revenge.

She said she evened the score with Nightingale, and she still

- doesn't have an alibi. - Alibi. You know what?

I'm gonna have my aunt just ask her where she was

- on Sunday night. - Fine. That's a great idea.

Do you mind retrieving our ball? Or reclaiming also works.

- Recovery could work. - You know what also works?

Giving him his ping-pong ball. It's actually table tennis.

- Table tennis, ping-pong. - Thank you.

Any updates on the background checks of the contestants?

- No, still coming. - Really? Nothing on Elizabeth

- or Alexander? - No, no, nothing,

but in the meantime, I have an idea.

Your competition starts tomorrow afternoon, right?

Yeah. Why? [vehicles honking]

Do you think you could create a trap?

Like a trap puzzle that had all the topics

that only, obviously, the Phantom would know best -

all things Britain, sailing -

and we send out the puzzle to the contestants

- and see who does best, right? - Sure.

I don't want to tamper with the tournament though.

You know, I could create a practice round puzzle

- for everyone to do. - That's perfect.

- Are you OK? Are you sure? - Yeah, yeah. I'm fine.

Hey, it's Detective O'Connor. Listen, I got a 10-10 black SUV

heading east on Houston towards FDR Drive.

License plate: "E6R."

Alright, thanks. You OK? Are you sure?

Yeah, thank you. I'm fine. [siren blaring]

Thanks again for the ride.

You're sure you're OK?

I'm just a little shaken up.

Well, I'll make sure I post a squad car downstairs

to watch you all night. That way, you'll feel safe

- and you can get some sleep. - Easier said than done.

[sighing] I don't know, threats and...

heist, murder;

it's just routine for you?

Are you kidding me? Come on. Not routine for me.

- Not at all. - What do you mean?

I wouldn't be doing this job if it was routine.

But wouldn't that make the job easier?

I'll tell you this, any detective that says

his job's easy isn't doing it right.

What makes you so driven?

Oh, I have my reasons.

Like what?

Like I didn't always want to be a cop.

Heh. I actually applied to go to law school.

- Really? - Yeah.

I was what you'd call the black sheep of the family.

[chuckling] And I remember one night,

my brother Peter got a call - it was a robbery -

and during the arrest...

...he got killed.

Logan, I'm so sorry.

No, it's OK. It's what we do. It's homicide, right?

Every homicide case has a new name, a new face.

Sometimes, it's your brother.

Sometimes, it's your mom,

your dad, even a friend.

Like Harris.

Every homicide case to me is personal.

So what do you say we get out there and find out whoever

- did this and put him away? - Absolutely.

[exhaling] You scared me.

Oh, I'm sorry.

What are you doing still up?

Can't stop thinking about Harris.

You know, every morning, he was there to greet me

with a joke or...

a smile, and...

now it's just an empty desk.

[sighing] I know what you mean, honey.

All these paintings around me

remind me that Alan's gone,

but they also remind me

of all the times that he was here.

It is bittersweet.

I just hope we can figure out who's responsible for all this.

I think what you need

is a little midnight peaches and ice cream.

Works like a charm when I can't sleep.

[chuckling]

You know, usually when I can't solve a puzzle,

it's just frustrating, but...

not solving this puzzle could mean life or death.

When you were little, and you'd come visit me

in the summers,

you used to wake me up at 5 a.m.

to see who could race down to get the Sunday paper and try

and figure out the answers to the word scramble.

Oh, I wish I had the answers now.

You'll figure them out.

You always do, honey.

[honking] [siren blaring]

Tell me you didn't stay out here all night.

Hey, come on, I can sleep in a car. Come on, hop in.

- It's very sweet. - All I need is

a feathered pillow and talk radio, and I'm good.

[Tess laughing] So listen, I've got some news.

Harris' fitness tracker was GPS enabled

which means our techs will probably be able to find out

who he visited the day he was murdered.

The background checks came in on Alexander and Elizabeth.

- And? - And nothing.

Can't find anything on these two.

Not even a library card.

I mean, no last known address, no social footprints, nothing.

It's like these two people are like a ghost.

- This is so strange. - Tell me about it.

But anyway, I was talking to my dad. He's gonna talk

to a contact at the FBI. We'll try to get more information.

In the meantime, you and I

have a puzzle competition to go to. You ready?

- Ready. - Alright. Let's roll.

♪ ♪

You've done well, Tess. I can't believe we've actually

- made it to the big day. - Thank you for believing in me.

And I am so sorry I had to keep ducking out.

All's well that ends well. [indistinct conversations]

Here's the extra copies of the puzzles if you need them.

Great. Thank you so much, Jos.

May I talk to you for a second?

Yeah.

Did you do that practice round puzzle for me?

Yeah, I wrote it up last night.

Excellent. Let's get it out to these contestants

- and see who does best, shall we? - Mm-hmm.

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the 17th Annual

National Crossword Puzzling Championship.

Now, before we kick off our main competition, we have

a special practice-round puzzle just to wake up those neurones.

So, without further ado,

you may now turn over your puzzles.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[alarm ringing]

Alright, we've reached our time limit.

And the answer for 52 down,

"Queen's truck," is lorry.

Alright, that completes our practice round.

Enjoy your break and we'll start round one.

[indistinct chatter]

So how did Alexander

and Elizabeth do on our test puzzle?

Not well, judging from the looks on their faces.

Listen, I've got news.

I just got a phone call from Elaine's driver.

Told me he showed up to work this morning

and Elaine's black SUV's front fender was damaged.

Now, he obviously doesn't want to get

blamed for a hit and run, so he calls me.

I have my guys go over there.

Her license plate matches first three numbers.

So it was Elaine who tried to run us down last night?

Well, we'll see. I've got some uniforms over there

right now checking the damage on the SUV.

I just hope we're able to breathe easy soon.

I know, I know. Trust me. Listen, I've got one more lead

I've got to follow. Harris' tracker puts him

at Veronica's bakery the afternoon of the murder.

So I gotta go talk to her, she's hiding something.

I gotta go, I'll be right back. You be safe, OK?

Pretty tough for a practice round puzzle.

A lot of sailing clues, thank goodness,

but that clue about some obscure British tea?

Lapsang souchong tea?

Pierre, you got an almost perfect score.

Oh, I did use to run this tournament.

Tess, we're starting now.

It looks like there's stragglers who still need puzzles.

Oh, I'll take care of it.

Thanks.

- OK, there you go. - Good luck.

Jos, how did this page get in with the puzzles?

Oh, it must have got mixed into my copies.

Maybe someone left their pages on the copier.

- Sorry. - Do you remember

- who used the copier before you? - It was actually Harris.

Who does that man look like to you on the right?

Uh, it's hard to tell on the photocopy.

- Why? - Tess, we're starting.

Time for your speech.

You know, crosswords appeal to that human instinct

to figure things out,

to make sense of the world,

to create order from chaos.

I'm trying to close up here.

I can assure you I never met with any reporter.

I know for a fact that Harris was down here the afternoon

of his murder because his fitness tracker had him

right here talking to you at 4:10 p.m. And you weren't

back there baking pies now, were you?

Uh...

I wasn't. I was staying in a hotel.

That's better. Why?

Because my home's not safe.

Crosswords challenge us to see the answers...

even when the puzzle makers

place distractions in our path.

You don't know who you're dealing with here.

I don't understand you. I don't know why you don't want

to help me. You know we have two people out there that are dead?

And I don't want there to be a third.

You're worried about someone harming you? We can protect you.

Like you protected that reporter?

You may now turn over your puzzles.

- He wanted me to keep quiet. - Who?

Come on! Help me out here, Veronica. Tell me something!

Now, you could be the whole reason why someone stays alive.

[tense music]

[sighing]

Harris did come in here to see me.

Why?

He wanted me to confirm something.

A secret from the past.

[phone ringing]

You have reached Detective O'Connor. Leave a message.

[beep]

[beep]

[ding] And time's up.

Take a 15-minute break, and we'll start the next round.

[indistinct chatter]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[suspenseful music]

[clinking]

Ahem.

Sorry, your, um...

Someone had tipped over your bag, so just wanted

- to get it off the floor. - Oh, thank you.

Tess, are you alright? You seem

- out of sorts. - No, no, I'm good.

I'm fine, I'm fine. I just, um... Feel excited. You know,

all the excitement of running my first tournament.

Ah. Well...

[cell phone ringing] I should get that. Um...

- Hi. - Jos, can you look over

everything? I'll be back in just two minutes.

Uh, but I am...

[Tess. Hey, listen, I just realized Pierre left]

one important name off that background list: himself.

Logan, listen.

I found two bullet shells in Pierre's bag.

- Shell casings, are you sure? - Yes, and they look just like

the ones you showed me in the evidence photo in your office.

[And you said two were missing]

[from the murder scene. And that's not all.]

I also came across the article

that Harris stumbled on.

- Pierre is Nightingale's brother. - Yeah, he was presumed dead.

[I spoke to Veronica, she told me everything.]

- And what did she say? - She said that Pierre is not

his real name. His real name is Chesley Nightingale. He was born

in Britain, and he's got a felony conviction for theft.

So, Pierre is the silent partner?

Exactly. Now, listen. I've called for backup.

I need you to stay safe, I'll be AÀthere in a few minutes, OK?

OK.

Pierre...

I'm sorry, Tess,

but you'll have to stay back here

- where no one can see us. - Listen, this is... this is...

- this is some sort of mistake. - I tried to protect you.

- What do you mean? - Calling you down

for the press interviews, trying to distract you.

And the... the near miss with Elaine's SUV?

I stole her car then put it back a few hours later

to scare you off.

"Curiosity killed the chat"?

If only you'd taken the hint.

So you were the one

who planted the clues about Elaine in the puzzle?

Small insurance policy in case anyone figured out

the hidden clues in the crosswords.

And you got pretty close.

Go.

♪ ♪

[door closing]

Why steal from your own galleries?

We could collect the insurance money and sell

- the paintings overseas. - But Alan sold

that stolen piece to Elaine and got caught, so you killed him.

Alan was deep in debt from his divorce,

willing to do anything for money. His incompetence

was threatening to drag me down too.

And you killed Harris because he stumbled

on that article that revealed your real identity.

Right again.

[suspenseful music]

- Josephine, where's Tess? - Last time, she was talking

- to Pierre near the stairwell. - Show me the stairwell, go.

- You don't have to do this. - But I can't go back to prison.

Killing me accomplishes nothing.

The police are on the way.

♪ ♪

Think about what you're doing, Pierre.

Wait.

I have to know one thing.

How did you decide to use the crosswords?

In prison, it was the perfect way

to get out coded messages.

I'm truly sorry, Tess.

Wait!

Ah! Ugh! Ah!

Are you OK?

Yeah.

Come on. Here. Read him his rights, OK?

[cuffs clicking] Ugh!

Tess, I am truly sorry.

I didn't want you involved in all this.

Hey, are you alright?

Yeah. Yeah, what took you so long?

I was running out of questions.

Really? You?

[both laughing]

OK, come here. Let's get out of here.

Do you know what I can't still figure out?

Alexander and Elizabeth.

There's no record of them.

I just got a call back from my buddy at the FBI.

- Witness protection? - That's right.

Oh, Dad, I should have known that, come on.

But that'll explain their mysterious past

and the fact they're camera shy. They just wanted a low profile.

So why did they come to the memorial?

They were unloading a lot of their antique collection

to Nightingale when he was murdered.

They went to the memorial seeking potential buyers.

[soft music]

What?

♪ ♪

30 years ago, a few years after they'd moved to New York,

Pierre and Alan, silent partners.

You know Harris recognized Pierre in this photo?

That's why he went to Veronica, to get more info.

And what about Elaine?

Uh, we actually just got Nightingale's financial records.

Turns out he wrote a cheque to Elaine last week

for 200k to make up for selling her that stolen painting.

So that's what Elaine must've meant about "evening the score."

Mm-hmm, exactly. Yeah, and her lawyer confirmed.

He said it was private arbitration.

And what about her alibi the night of the murder?

Hey. How are you?

It turns out she was at a surprise birthday party

for her sister, which is information

courtesy of your aunt.

So who was the murderer?

Uh...

he was a friend

or, uh... someone who I thought was a friend.

Oh, honey, I'm sorry.

Hey.

I'm fine.

Well, I'll give you two a minute.

[indistinct conversations]

Sorry. Listen, thank you so much for giving

my aunt, you know, some peace of mind, and...

...thank you so much for finding some justice for Harris.

I couldn't have done it without you.

I think I was wrong about you.

Really?

Yeah,

you're a Saturday puzzle.

Really? How is that?

Oh, you are sometimes so exasperating,

- but you... - True.

...you're the smartest one of the week.

Well, that is some high praise coming from you.

Well, I'm pretty sure you have

some cases to solve, so...

I'm sure you have

puzzles to write.

Listen, um...

thanks for interfering.

Always happy to help.

- OK. - Alright.

- Yeah. - I'll see you.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪