In the third episode of Lazarus, we find Joel in a state of shock as he discovers Sutton seated at his father's desk. Sutton's nonchalant demeanor towards Joel, her use of the wrong name ("Jonathan"), and her insistence on breaking up with Billy all serve as chilling preludes to the revelation that the yellow dress she showcases is the very one she'll be wearing on the night of her death. The dance she attends that evening becomes a harbinger of her tragic end. Joel's attempts to dissuade her fall on deaf ears, leaving him once again trapped in silence.
As Joel makes his way to Billy's workplace at Morbid Comics, he notices a defensive glint in Billy's eye when Olsen is mentioned. In a subtle attempt to test the waters, Joel brings up the possibility of their break-up, only to be met with a lie - that they've never been happier. Intriguingly, Billy sketches a dolmen in his office, as if sketching out a dark secret.
Meanwhile, Seth shares his theory with Detective Alison Brown about Neil's death, positing that Cassandra might have been the culprit. However, the notion of her moving Neil's body to the attic and concealing all this on her own seems too far-fetched. Seth later shares this gunshot residue report with Joel, which finds residue under Jonathan's fingernails, seemingly confirming his suicide. But even this evidence fails to sway Joel's lingering doubts.
Back at Jonathan's office, Joel employs a UV torch obtained from Bella's bar and discovers residue on the floor that matches dried blood. The scene is eerily consistent with the mounting evidence of a tragedy yet to be fully revealed.
With a jittery and disoriented demeanor, a young man named Harry Nash suddenly appears, chuckling and moving erratically. He admits that he followed Jonathan's advice and reported his abuser to the police. We soon learn that Harry was a victim of childhood abuse at the hands of a priest who coached his school's football team. However, Harry is concerned that he may be tracked down by his abuser. Given that Harry Nash was murdered (as evidenced in the files), Joel is concerned that his father did not take his security seriously, leading to his demise.
Jonathan then appears before Joel, and the two engage in a heated conversation. Jonathan seems to admit that he helped Cassandra cover up Neil's murder and conceal the body in the attic. Joel delves into the old newspapers and recognizes the priest who was arrested for Harry's abuse, Franklin Benway. During his final confession before committing suicide, Franklin admits on camera that he definitely did not abuse Harry. Frank was not on a watchlist for suicide, and Father Frank never requested parole, believing he deserved to be punished.
When Joel visits the prison, he is taken aback when he realizes that he actually attended sessions with Frank but doesn't remember. One thing is clear: Frank always admitted to his crimes...but was adamant that he didn't murder Harry. As Joel heads home, he finds Margot talking to Jenna. After some small talk, Joel gets down to business. Given that Billy was the last person to see Sutton alive, it makes sense that he may have some answers, but both Jenna and Margot are worried.
Joel is undaunted and continues, accusing Margot of taking the first page of the suicide note and hiding it. When he lashes out and connects Harry Nash's murder with Cassandra and the other deaths, Margot hears enough and leaves. After hearing Joel speak passionately about seeing Jenna at Jonathan's office, Jenna suggests they go there themselves. However, between Seth and Jenna, it seems these visions only really work for Joel. When the pair clash over the way this works, Joel snaps and says it's not about her, and Jenna leaves.
As she delves deeper into her research, a spectral presence takes form – Laura Mainard, a fellow psychiatrist, joins Joel's quest. With her usual therapist in retirement, she finds herself in the company of Joel, or as she affectionately refers to herself, "Dr. Lazarus." Joel, in his search for Laura's file, inadvertently uncovers the very book Sutton had been perusing earlier in the episode. This is Billy's sketchbook, and as Joel scans its pages, his gaze falls upon the same dolmen that had caught his attention before.
Joel returns to Billy with a fury, slamming the book down and demanding answers. Billy explains that this dolmen is part of a mythology that has captivated him for some time. The symbolism suggests that some believe these structures were portals to the next world, positioned to face the sunrise and hinting at a means to access a realm beyond this one. The reason for its appearance on the note, however, remains a mystery to Billy.
Billy comes clean, revealing that he and Sutton did speak that night, and he handed over the sketchbook to her in an attempt to change her mind and dissuade her from the impending break-up. Sutton was unmoved, and Billy sought a more direct form of retribution – to make her jealous by getting involved with another girl. And that girl, as the story unfolds, is Jenna. This explains the jittery and worried demeanor she displayed beforehand.
A flashback transports us to the night of Sutton's murder. We see a shocked Jenna raise her blood-stained hands to her face, seated over Sutton's lifeless body, her mind reeling with the gravity of what has transpired.
