After the premiere of Harlan Coben's "Run Away," which introduced a plethora of seemingly unrelated characters and subplots, it's only fitting that Episode 2, titled "Tattoos While U Wait," continues to weave them into an increasingly demented narrative tapestry. Here, we're presented with additional clues, a couple of red herrings, and plenty of lingering mysteries to piece together. Let's dive right in and stop beating around the bush.
As before, everything is grouped together for convenience, which means some of the reveals are out of chronological order. So, make sure you're paying attention! "Run Away" has a habit of dumping tons of twists into the final cliffhanger montage of each episode, but I've slipped most of them into their relevant sections instead of bunching them all up at the end. Convenient!
You'll recall that Ingrid was just shot. The other gunshot we heard didn't hit Simon, as the editing suggested, but instead Luther, the gunman. Who shot him remains mysterious for now, as Ingrid is rushed to the hospital, closely followed by Simon. She's successfully operated on and put into an induced coma, to be carefully tended to by her colleague and "friend," Jay Stanfield.
Meanwhile, Isaac and Ruby investigate the crime scene. The former is so convinced that Simon is guilty that it borders on suspicion, but it's hard to deny that he keeps finding himself in increasingly troublesome places for a humble financier. He's the prime suspect in a murder, and now his wife has just been shot by a drug dealer's assistant. There are no such things as coincidences in Harlan Coben's shows.
The titular "Tattoos While U Wait" is the venue for Ash and Dee Dee's next murder, this one disguised as a simple robbery. The victim's name is Damien. Ash shoots him while he's getting into his car and steals a few personal effects, creating the right impression. However, Dee Dee arrives on the scene and argues that this shooting is too similar to the previous one. While they're bickering, a witness steps out of the tattoo parlor and sees Dee Dee's face.
Ash gives chase and eventually corners the bystander, executing him. The body count is already rising at an alarming clip, even by the usual standards, and these two still have plenty more targets to get to. However, what might be more important is the targets they have already visited. Someone we know, perhaps?
Towards the very end of "Run Away" Episode 2, we see that a picture of Aaron and Paige is among Ash and Dee Dee's hit list, implying that they were the ones who killed Aaron. But what did they do with Paige? A question for another time.
Thanks to Lou's meticulous groundwork, Elena has a fresh lead to follow in Henry's disappearance. She heads over to Sebastian and inquires about Paige Greene, whom he recalls as a girl Henry was conversing with, though he also displayed suspicious defensiveness when questioned. Sebastian also hands Elena something intriguing he found in Henry's room - a flyer for "Tattoos While You Wait," containing a mobile number. With her next destination in mind, Elena also receives word from Lou, who she's been keeping secretive about her "new case" involving a vegan woman, that Paige's father, Simon, recently gained viral fame for beating up a drug addict. Moreover, it's revealed that Paige recently sent Henry an email. If nothing else, the two were definitely in semi-regular contact. But why was Henry so defensive about that? Rest assured, we'll get to the bottom of it.
At the end of the episode, Simon and his new companion Cornelius rush back to Aaron's flat, as there's apparently a woman inside. And that woman turns out to be Elena. Roads are about to converge.
Before this, though, Simon is approached by Ruby and Isaac in the hospital, as they're understandably keen to learn what happened in the basement. Through flashbacks, we know it was Cornelius who shot Luther, but Simon doesn't mention this. Fortunately, Luther is alive anyway, since the bullet only grazed him in the shoulder - in fact, he's down the hall. Isaac wants Simon to make a formal identification. I'm pretty sure it isn't standard procedure for a police officer to walk a suspect right into his potential victim's hospital room - Isaac still thinks Simon might have shot Luther - but let's not quibble over details.
Isaac remains oddly obsessed with Simon being guilty - he thinks that Luther's fear of Simon further incriminates him. He also clearly recognizes Cornelius when he's brought up, but he doesn't say anything about that relationship (for now). He has other avenues to pursue, such as Jay. Ruby notices that he seems unwilling to leave Ingrid's side, in a way that probably constitutes more than just a doctor's reassuring bedside manner. Could it be a "friends with benefits" situation? This becomes more important as we progress, since witnesses suggest Jay was arguing with Ingrid on the night of Aaron's murder.
That evening - Isaac and Ruby are in a relationship, by the way - CCTV footage reveals that Ingrid left the hospital on the night of Aaron's murder, despite Jay having said that she was working the same shift with him all night. He's covering for her. But why?
Money becomes a pressing concern in two subplots in the second episode of "Run Away". The first involves Rocco. Cornelius agrees to help Simon track him down, which isn't particularly complicated since he's staying with his mother, Maisie, whom Cornelius knows personally. However, Rocco isn't the altruistic type. He doesn't know where Paige is; the last time he saw her, he denied her a fix because she had no money to pay for it, and sent her on her way. But he could probably find her – Simon incentivizes him with the offer of fifty grand in cash if he finds out where she is.
And this brings us to Sam. "Tattoos While U Wait" doesn't reveal why he's in possession of Paige's guitar, but it does reveal what he intends to do with it – sell it. He does so to an awful guy named Paul, who immediately smashes the instrument up for no reason at all after buying it. Sam tenderly scoops up the pieces and carries them out, implying that he wasn't exactly relishing the sale of the guitar; he just needed the cash. This is confirmed later, after Sam is summoned to his mother's bedside by Yvonne. He makes a bank transfer for £8K, and Yvonne reassures him that "it's done." But what's done? We'll have to wait and see.
