CBS

Primetime

Daytime

Late Night

Contests|Promos

TV Classics

CBS.com Originals

Movies & Specials

News & Sports

Episode:

Season 3: Episode 13

Red Alert: When filmmaker Amber Sutherland is shot dead in the small town of Crane Creek, the CBI is called in by local police chief Nail. High on the suspect list is local man Rick Crosswhite whose wife was killed five years earlier. Even though Crosswhite was acquitted of the crime, most of the town believes that he was guilty. He only got off on a technicality after local cop Tom Rowley filed the evidentiary paperwork late - a small mistake that had huge conesquences. Crosswhite was working with Amber on her new film, about the Crosswhite murder and investication, so it looks like he might be good for it. Lisbon and Jane question him and he comes across as a very guilty man. Things look even worse for Crosswhite when they see a video Amber shot of him discussing the night of his wife's death. When confronted with the information that would have put him away had Rowley not missed the deadline, Crosswhite got agitated and hostile. Later, while Jane is in the town hall, Crosswhite shows up with a gun and takes everyone hostage. He’s done being the scapegoat: either the state properly investigates his murder case, or he’ll go out in a blaze of glory. When Lisbon arrives at the scene with backup, town mayor Kenyon Bagshaw demands quick action. Lisbon tells him they need to hold off and do it by the book. Jane almost manages to hypnotize Crosswhite, but the still-angry Rowley shoots at him with a sniper rifle, which wounds an innocent hostage and foils Jane's plan. Thinking quick, Jane develops a backup plan. He gets Crosswhite to let the wounded hostage go, placing a note in her pocket before she leaves. The note tells Lisbon that the information Amber was killed over is sitting in a packet on the Mayor’s desk. He then tells Crosswhite that he knows he’s innocent of both murders, and that if Crosswhite wants to find out who killed his wife he needs to let Jane go and surrender now. Crosswhite does, and afterward Jane points out the real killer: police chief Nail, who went inside and took the envelope off the Mayor’s desk when no one was looking. It turns out he killed Crosswhite’s wife in a fit of passion after she wouldn’t sleep with him, and faked video evidence linking Crosswhite to the murder five years ago. Amber uncovered the tampering while making her movie about the case, so Nail had to kill her in order to stay out of jail. The mystery finally solved, Crosswhite is haunted no longer. ...