As the second episode of "Down Cemetery Road" unfolds, we are greeted with the devastating news that Zoe has been secretly conducting an affair with Joe for quite some time. The sudden revelation of Joe's death hits Zoe like a thunderbolt, shaking her to her core. Despite the crumbling state of their marriage and the mounting debts, Zoe remains unwavering in her belief that Joe did not take his own life. Her insistence is fueled by the fact that Joe was squeamish around blood, making the idea of him slitting his wrists seem far-fetched.
As the next of kin, Zoe is forced to identify her husband's body, a task that weighs heavily on her already burdened soul. During this process, she learns that Sarah was the first to discover Joe's body. Zoe is consumed by a relentless determination to uncover the truth behind his death and make those responsible pay for their crime.
Meanwhile, Mark realizes that Paula's scarf left at their place is a compelling reason to drive up to the Cotswolds and confront Gerard in person. Sarah, however, is not pleased with Mark's approach, which she sees as exploiting her grief and shock for personal gain. Mark's lack of emotional support only adds to Sarah's discontentment.
As Sarah heads out to get the scarf dry-cleaned, she stops by Oxford Investigations, where she encounters Amos, a crony of Hamza and the same individual we saw snooping around the hospital in the previous episode. Amos warns Sarah off from pursuing this investigation further, fearing that it may be too late.
Zoe, too, has taken an interest in the case and shows up at the crime scene, sniffing around for clues. According to a local resident, the council shut off the main gas supply years ago for many of the residents, casting doubt on the gas leak theory. Meanwhile, C, the government official overseeing this whole catastrophe, rebukes Hamza Malik yet again, urging him to descend upon Oxford and keep Amos under tight control.
In the corner of Sarah's mind, a dark spiral begins to take hold as she delves into her theories with Wigwam, only to discover with a chill in her heart that the child she's been chasing is not the same one she saw in the tunnel that fateful day. This mysterious girl, whose name is Gracie, becomes a tangled thread in her already complex web of thoughts.
Despite her own doubts, Sarah is on the right track, as Hamza's unexpected visit to Dinah at a safehouse overseen by Amos bears witness. Amos is shocked when the agent suggests using Dinah as bait for their target, a plan that seems both bold and dangerous.
Meanwhile, Zoe pays Sarah a visit, finding her on the rooftop of Oxford University, staring precariously over the edge and contemplating life. Zoe rebukes Sarah for losing her zest for life and her desire to fly. But Zoe is now convinced that the building was no accident and wants to work with Sarah to uncover the truth behind it all. And Zoe has more than just words on her mind; she's here to drop off an invoice that will prove crucial later on.
Unbeknownst to them all, Amos is watching Sarah's house from afar. The next morning, Sarah delves into Mark's phone, specifically looking for the video from the night of the explosion. To her surprise, Mark captured footage of Amos watching from a distance. But a message from "Emma Assistant" interrupts her train of thought.
Mark, frustrated at Sarah's silence and lack of follow-up on the dry cleaning, decides to stay in London. Sarah, meanwhile, examines the scarf and discovers a bloodstain – Joe's blood. The last time she used the scarf was to open Joe's office, making it a significant clue that he was killed rather than committing suicide.
Sarah drops off the scarf at the station, where the officers take it seriously and involve forensics. This also brings Dinah's file to light. Hamza gives Amos the green light to escalate their plan, involving "him" in their fold. This puts Sarah in grave danger, and she immediately feels like she's being watched.
As Rufus kept her companionable, Zoe arrived at Joe's wake, where his mother gently encouraged her to mourn for both herself and for Joe's memory. Meanwhile, Sarah returned to her own thoughts, her eyes falling upon the letter Zoe had left the night before. As she read it, she realized that it wasn't just an invoice. Joe had been about to drop the case but had wanted to invite her to a monthly board game night.
Yet, he had also mentioned looking into the death in the explosion that night, having submitted a Freedom of Information request about the Singletons, which might lead her in the right direction. Unfortunately, there was a twist. It turned out that Rufus was actually involved in this and that he was the one who had killed Joe. Rufus' true identity was Axel, an assassin. He had also planted the bomb, though it seemed the operation had gone awry.
As Rufus tried to strangle Sarah, it looked like she was about to meet her end. But just when all hope seemed lost, Downey burst through the front door and pulled the trigger, saving Sarah from an early grave.
