Episode 7 of the first season of "Elsbeth" begins with the Hayes household, comprising Ashton, his wife Poppy, their daughter Nora, and Nora's fiancé, Derek, sampling the cuisine for the upcoming nuptials. Ashton, a domineering patriarch, is obsessed with ensuring the wedding reflects his impeccable reputation.
After the meal, Nora and Derek escort their parents to Rob's studio to witness their dance routine. As the choreographer captivates the mother and daughter with her instructions, Derek seizes the opportunity to whisper to Ashton about a wedding gift they had received from a known criminal acquaintance. Ashton summons Derek later that evening, revealing the shady dealings of his company, which involves laundering money for criminal clients and reaping a hefty profit.
He implores Derek to safeguard the family's illegal affairs, bestowing upon him a watch, a cherished heirloom, as a token of acceptance into the family fold. But Derek cannot keep his mouth shut. He boasts about his impending wealth and untouchable status after the wedding, spilling the beans to his friends and even a strip dancer named Capri. Ashton and his wife view Derek as a liability, and his wife urges Ashton to deal with him.
On the fateful wedding night, Ashton invites Derek out for a nightcap, but he secretly administers a drug and stages a grisly accident, resulting in Derek's drowning in one of the pools at the country club's golf course. Detective Donelly leads the investigation into Derek's mysterious death, and Elsbeth and Kaya accompany him to interrogate the Hayes family.
During the interrogation, Ashton offers them a freshly baked cake from the kitchen, a gesture that seems both conciliatory and eerily out of place. Nora, grief-stricken over Derek's demise, mentions that he never drove at night and abhorred beer, only indulging when offered by Nora's father out of respect. Before ushering his family away, Ashton makes a curious remark, expressing his hope that people will forget the groom's untimely death and remember only the splendor of the wedding, a statement that rings hollow in the wake of such tragedy.
At the police station, Captain Wagner extends a friendly invitation to Lieutenant Dave for a coffee break in his office. The mood turns serious as Wagner mentions the escalating issue with the Department of Justice and his urgent need to review any information regarding Freral. Lieutenant Dave responds firmly, asserting that he has the case firmly under his control. He challenges Wagner, suggesting that if he doubts Dave's work, they should swap roles, with Dave taking the helm as Captain.
The tense conversation is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Elsbeth, who enters the room with invitations for a housewarming party. Her timely interruption diffuses the rising tension between the two officers.
Elsewhere, Elsbeth, Kaya, and Donelly collaborate on the investigation. Kaya harbors doubts about the official conclusion that Derek's death was accidental. The forensic report reveals that he died of suffocation, not drowning, and there are no signs of struggle. The perplexing conclusion is that Derek consciously held his breath until he perished.
The trio returns to visit the Hayes family to inform them that they cannot conclusively rule Derek's death as accidental. They seek access to the wedding videos and photos but learn that Ashton Hayes did not hire a videographer or cameraman, fearing it would make his guests feel uncomfortable. They are also uncertain about the value of any footage captured on camera phones and the guest list.
Nora reveals that the guest list primarily consisted of her father's friends and business associates. Angered by the line of questioning, she storms out of the room, followed closely by her mother. Meanwhile, Elsbeth takes the opportunity to establish a personal connection with Ashton, mentioning her need for a financial advisor. Initially, Ashton assumes she cannot afford his services, but his attitude changes when he learns she is a lawyer.
Later, Nora confides in her parents, and the next scene finds Ashton at the police station, disclosing to the detectives that his daughter had an affair with Rob, the choreographer. Kaya finds it highly suspicious that Ashton would follow them to the station to report something his daughter had urgently confided in them.
Captain Wagner ordered Donelly to delve deeper into the wedding videos Elsbeth had unearthed online, searching for any clues that might lead them to Rob's whereabouts. Donelly harbored suspicions that Rob might be implicated in the mystery, and his jealousy ultimately led him to eliminate Ron. Despite Donelly's lead role in the investigation, Elsbeth refused to be sidelined, signing up for Rob's exclusive dance lessons to further her own inquiries.
Elsbeth's probe revealed that jealousy was an unlikely motive for Rob's involvement in Derek's demise. A notorious lothario, Rob was currently entangled in romantic dalliances with numerous students, including several brides and bridesmaids. Nora's silence in response to his texts was explained by the revelation that Rob had left the wedding early with one of Nora's friends, a bridesmaid.
Rob confessed to Elsbeth that Derek had been a close friend, and he had almost confessed his secrets to him during the bachelor's party. However, his subsequent intimate encounters with the seductive stripper Capri had swayed his resolve. Another puzzling detail emerged: Derek had been wearing a watch given to him by Ashton during the wedding, but it was missing when the police found his lifeless body at the pool.
Eager to uncover Capri's role in the mystery, Elsbeth invited Kaya to join her for a ladies' night out at Capri's bar. Posing as a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, they were able to skirt the police's formal questioning restrictions and glean crucial information. Capri revealed that Ashton and his wife had hired her to discreetly inquire about Derek's knowledge of Ashton's business dealings.
Armed with this new information, Elsbeth and Kaya decided to focus their investigation squarely on Ashton. They were determined to unravel the mystery of how Derek had suffocated. Elsbeth's bold investigation even involved using Ashton as a guinea pig to test her theories, leaving him thoroughly unnerved. Later, over a tense sit-down, Elsbeth and Ashton discussed her investment needs, while she surreptitiously observed his every move. The evening took an unexpected turn when a waiter abruptly removed her unfinished drink from the table, revealing a club policy banning bottles at the tables. This minor detail only added to the intrigue surrounding the investigation.
Ashton firmly stated his authority as the head of the entertainment committee at the club, enforcing strict rules. However, his confidence faltered when Kaya probed him about the origin of the beer bottles. After wrapping up her conversation with the manager, Kaya obtained the guest list and guided them through a captivating kitchen tour. Elsbeth's keen eye caught a worker submerging labelled tins into the dishwater, only to witness them emerge on the other side, label-free. The manager clarified the mystery, revealing the use of a water-soluble, food-safe tape that dissolved within 30 seconds.
Back at the police station, they briefed Captain Wagner on their findings. According to the family, they had anticipated over 300 guests for the wedding. Nevertheless, the guest list tallied only 221 names. Elsbeth recognized many influential figures among the missing names, individuals with numerous secrets from her past as a lawyer. This revelation also explained their reluctance to allow video recording or cameras at the wedding.
Furthermore, the killer had utilized the dissolving tape as a gag for Derek, expecting it to dissolve when he hit the water, thus disguising the cause of death as drowning. However, an overabundance of tape was used, resulting in Derek suffocating before he could drown. The watch remained as the sole piece of evidence that could lead them to the culprit. Captain Wagner strategically informed Ashton of their search for the watch, hinting that whoever was found with it would be their prime suspect.
The following day, police officers patrolled the pool area with cameras. Ashton overheard a club member complaining about the intrusive surveillance, realizing the sincerity of Captain Wagner's earlier phone call. He hurriedly made his way to Rob's studio to devise a plan for planting the watch. Kaya and Elsbeth, having witnessed Ashton conceal the watch in his jacket pocket, hatched a plan to retrieve it before he could execute his scheme.
They arrived at the studio before Ashton, finding him unsuspecting. Elsbeth cleverly engaged him in conversation, ultimately convincing him to dance with her. In the midst of their dance, Ashton inadvertently dropped the watch. Kaya, poised and ready, made her move to apprehend him.
At the conclusion of the episode, the atmosphere at the housewarming party was lively and festive. Celetano's call interrupted the festivities, prompting Elsbeth to step away from the crowd to take the call. Captain Wagner, noticing the exchange, decided to approach Elsbeth and seek the truth. Elsbeth, torn between answering and ignoring the call, ultimately chose to confide in Wagner. She revealed her suspicions that Lieutenant Dave was acting behind Wagner's back, using his name. Wagner felt betrayed, having trusted Dave for 25 years. He demanded to know where Elsbeth's loyalty truly lay.
