We've all encountered less-than-stellar colleagues, but there must be a peculiarly odious tier reserved for the brazen arrogance of a nepotism-spawned "nepo baby" who also happens to be an armed law enforcement officer. In a chain of highly unwelcome events, Captain Wagner finds himself saddled with such an individual in the guise of Detective Rivers (Braeden de la Garza), whom Captain Kershaw (Jenn Colella) has deemed the perfect protégé for Wagner to mentor. Kershaw had earlier bailed Wagner out by reopening the Andy Merton baseball bat murder case, and now she seeks repayment in kind by asking Wagner to keep Rivers at bay while another detective takes over the investigation.
Had it not been for Rivers' incessant and immediate assumption of authority wherever he goes, this arrangement might have been tolerable. In fact, assumption is his chief investigative tool. He doesn't ponder the circumstances surrounding Nathan Jordan's (Larry Pine) demise; instead, he presumes that the fabulously wealthy real estate tycoon was slain by his legal spouse, Helen (Victoria Clark), and her lover, Dr. Jason Yamamoto (Phil Nee). They obviously plotted his murder for his fortune!
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's rewind just a bit to Nathan's final evening. He lived it up, indulging in a feast of rich delicacies — lobster slathered in extra butter, foie gras, caviar, and three martinis — many of which were hand-fed to him by a stunning woman in a sparkling silver dress. This woman, later revealed to be Chloe (Jordana Brewster), surreptitiously spiked Nathan's last martini with medication before escorting him back to his grand apartment overlooking Midtown. She helped him into smart navy pajamas with white piping and tenderly tucked him in. Whatever their financial arrangement for her care might have been, Nathan genuinely adored Chloe for granting him such a perfect day, and she seemed equally sincere in her affection for him.
As she departed the apartment, she placed a bottle of medication beside his other meds in the kitchen, left the balcony door ajar, and tossed a luxurious doggy bag (a Tomahawk steak!) down the building's garbage chute. She had done the same earlier when they left the restaurant, which happened to be located on the top floor of Nathan's towering apartment building. We've witnessed peculiar murders on "Elsbeth" before, but chucking perfectly good steak down a trash chute ranks among the most bizarre. However, there was a strategic rationale behind this madness. The open balcony door flapped wildly in the high winds, creating a racket that awoke Nathan's wife, Deborah, and her lover, Jason. When she came to scold Nathan for thoughtlessly leaving the door open — again — she instead discovered his lifeless body.
The following morning, at the crime scene, Rivers barely acknowledged Kaya and Elsbeth before brazenly pronouncing it as his domain. Pal, crime scenes aren't like staking a claim in a car ride with your buddies. A modicum of professional decorum, if you please! Deborah stepped in to fill in the blanks: she and Nathan had long separated as a couple, yet she took on the mantle of a caregiver, meticulously managing his daily medications. Declared medically incompetent, Nathan's arthritis had rendered simple tasks like unscrewing childproof pill bottles, buttoning his pajamas, or even feeding himself delicate morsels like butter-dipped steamed lobster nearly impossible.
Despite Deborah firmly refuting Rivers' baseless accusation that she married Nathan solely for his wealth – a laughable notion considering she had financed his business school education decades prior and already had access to his finances – Rivers remained skeptical, particularly of the pill bottle Chloe had placed on the tray. It contained pentobarbital, a substance potentially lethal in excessive doses, leading Rivers to hastily conclude that Deborah had administered a fatal dose to Nathan.
At this juncture, Elsbeth's patience snapped, her composure shattered. She lambasted Rivers for jumping to conclusions without sufficient evidence, accusing him of arrogant and sexist behavior. With a flourish of his hands, Rivers, this swaggering baby of the detective world, declared he was summoning Captain Wagner because, quite seriously, "he couldn't work under these conditions!" Kaya, rightfully indignant, wondered aloud why Rivers was the lead detective on this case when her promotion papers were already in the pipeline and she was right there, more than capable.
Mercifully, Rivers refrained from interfering in Kaya and Elsbeth's meticulous work of gathering context and clues back at the station. They delved into Nathan's transaction history on an app suspiciously similar to Venmo™, yet distinctively its own. A clear pattern emerged in his public transactions with a mysterious figure, accompanied by explanatory emojis that were all too easy to decipher. Above The Sky, the swanky restaurant nestled within Manhattan Towers, Nathan's residential edifice.
An obliging bartender named Paul Deo, Jr., imparts that Nathan and Chloe were the sole patrons in the restaurant that evening, an exclusive haven for the building's residents and their esteemed guests. However, a 30 percent decline in occupancy plagues this opulent skyscraper, a casualty of soaring rents and amenities that fall short of grandeur. The tower sways gently, its upper-floor balconies rendered unusable by fierce winds howling at heights exceeding 1500 feet. Items dispatched down the garbage chute attain terminal velocity, their descent resonating with a cacophony akin to a neutron bomb's detonation. These circumstances suggest a dire scenario, corroborated by a civil lawsuit filed by a consortium of residents against Nathan, a legal battle still winding its way through the judicial labyrinth.
The insightful bartender further elucidates the sumptuous menu Nathan and Chloe indulged in, yet regarding Chloe herself, his knowledge is confined to frequent sightings of her in the company of numerous other affluent gentlemen of the city. When Kaya and Elsbeth summon these men, their effusive testimonials paint a portrait of Chloe as elegant, brilliant, beautiful, and erudite, yet they remain tight-lipped about the specifics of her profession, vaguely labeling her endeavors as consulting. How delightful a euphemism can be!
Armed with insights gleaned from Not Venmo™, detailing the six-figure sums Nathan has remitted to Chloe in the past year alone, coupled with observations of her attire requiring assistance to fasten, Elsbeth is firmly convinced that Nathan was not a solitary occupant of his apartment that fateful night. The most prudent course of action is to pay a visit to Chloe herself, an embodiment of elegance and brilliance, perhaps even brilliantly elegant. The ambiance at her abode is welcoming and intimate, with a subtle undertone of seduction lurking beneath the surface.
Chloe charges an exorbitant $5,000 per hour for her consulting services, which encompass culinary arts, interior decoration, and fashion styling. Yet, she also possesses an assortment of risqué costumes and, most perplexing of all, a colossal painting encased in a well-insulated, bespoke wooden crate. She describes her work as imbuing her clients with a sense of authenticity, achieved through genuine concern and inquiries into their daily lives. Though Elsbeth refrains from voicing her conclusions in Chloe's presence, it is evident that Chloe is a highly successful sex worker, a multifaceted individual containing myriad facets. She lacked a personal motive to eliminate Nathan; their professional relationship had terminated, and she could have continued to amass considerable wealth through continued collaboration.
What we now grasp, and what drives Elsbeth and Kaya's investigation, is the mystery behind Chloe's procurement of two steak takeout orders, ostensibly meant for Nathan's non-existent dog. These orders explain why security footage from that night fails to capture Chloe entering or exiting Nathan's apartment. The garbage chute's thunderous clamor as items plummet draws the AI-powered security cameras towards the refuse room, diverting their gaze from corridors where an individual desiring obscurity might stealthily traverse.
Back at the precinct, Rivers' interrogation of Deborah is progressing about as smoothly as a rocky sailboat journey during a storm. He's relentless in his pursuit, leaving Deborah scarcely able to squeeze in a coherent word between his barrage of questions. Her body language, a trembling mosaic of fear and anxiety, speaks volumes about her distress. Seeing this, Elsbeth steps in, escorting Rivers and Wagner to the observation room.
Through her conversation with Deborah, Elsbeth learns that despite their mutual dislike, Deborah and Nathan shared a common goal: securing the financial future of their grown children and, as Deborah puts it with a touch of irony, their supposedly talentless grandchildren. Indeed, it was part of the reason she had Nathan declared medically incompetent. Nathan had been squandering money left and right on contemporary art, rare books, and even a $9 million Cézanne painting. Deborah was determined to safeguard Nathan's fortune for those grandchildren, while also ensuring he adhered to his medication schedule for gout and arthritis.
As Deborah opens up, she reveals more about her late husband's vanity. The thought of losing his looks and mental sharpness as he aged filled him with terror. This reminds Elsbeth of Nathan's heartfelt words to Chloe as she tucked him in for the night, about having had a perfect day together. Could his last day have been meticulously planned, a final act of defiance against the encroaching shadows of age?
Armed with fresh insights about the trash chute and security camera connection, as well as lingering questions about Chloe, her relationship with Nathan, and that elusive painting, Elsbeth pays another visit to Chloe's home. Sure enough, the Cézanne painting Deborah mentioned is the very same one Chloe had been admiring earlier. Keeping such a masterpiece hidden from the public feels wrong to Elsbeth, who believes art should be a shared experience, open for everyone's interpretation and enjoyment.
Chloe, who holds a master's degree in art history, often engaged in in-depth discussions with Nathan about acquiring blue-chip art investments. These conversations helped him develop an eye for contemporary art, though Chloe herself couldn't sustain a living as a gallerist. Instead, she put her expertise to work in an unorthodox consulting career.
While Elsbeth isn't ready to fully exonerate Chloe, the lack of a clear motive for her, Deborah, or Jason, coupled with their watertight alibis, complicates the case. However, a ray of hope emerges when Rivers arrests Jason for possessing a large quantity of phenobarbital in his office—the same dosage and format found in Nathan's apartment. These pills are illegal in the United States, suggesting Jason sourced them from the black market. Adding insult to injury, his staff nickname for him is "Dr. Sandman."
Under Rivers' grilling, Jason claims Chloe had an affair with him and used her proximity to steal pentobarbital from his office. Chloe vehemently denies the affair, insisting she sought Jason's medical expertise, not his services as a potential client.
The breakthrough finally comes thanks to Deborah's failed attempt to return a rare John Keats volume that was delivered to Nathan on the day of his death. The dealer noted water damage that wasn't present at the time of sale, but what if it wasn't water? A DNA test of the damaged page reveals a match with Chloe, solving the puzzle. Nathan, unwilling to accept his slow decline, enlisted Chloe's help for one last, perfect day together. It culminated in Chloe's daring trash chute and security camera maneuver, and her reading aloud from the Keats anthology as Nathan settled into his favorite pajamas. Using pentobarbital framed Deborah and Jason, whom Nathan deeply resented for having him declared incompetent. His death spared him the ignominy of the lawsuit's consequences.
Chloe doesn't seem perturbed by her impending confrontation with Elsbeth and Kaya. After all, she knows plenty of top-notch defense attorneys. It seems likely she'll strike a lenient plea bargain in the near future.
