The case of a missing mother takes Colter (Justin Hartley) to Beachwood Heights, Ohio, in the twelfth episode of season two of CBS's Tracker. Alice, the mother in question, assures her young son that there are no such things as monsters as she puts him to bed. However, she is proven wrong when Miles wakes up in the night after hearing a strange noise. Alice is nowhere to be found, and the front door is wide open.
Alice's mother, Judith, apologizes for only being able to offer a $10,000 reward. Her daughter has been missing for 12 hours, her car is gone, and she's not answering her phone. Judith lives in the guest house, and Alice would typically tell her if she was planning on leaving. Alice has recently started dating after separating from Miles' father, Greg. Judith doesn't want to involve the police because Alice and her ex are fighting over custody. However, she doesn't believe Greg is involved.
Colter looks around and spots a cigarette lighter on a wooden box. Inside are Vicodin (prescribed) and some cigarettes. Judith thought Alice was clean, but she used to have a drug problem. However, three months ago, she had knee surgery. The Vicodin must be for that.
Miles joins them and says he thinks the monster took his mom. Something woke him up, but he doesn't know what it was. Velma (Abby McEnany) confirms that Greg was with his girlfriend, so he has a solid alibi. She wonders if Alice fell off the wagon, but Colter doesn't think that's it. Only half the pills were gone after three months. Reenie (Fiona Rene) joins the call to say she's heading to Indianapolis if he needs her. She's got a new client who's constantly being sued, and Reenie admits she enjoys the challenge.
Colter gets a ping on Alice's phone's last location and heads to a remote spot to check it out. He finds a brick with blood on it and a broken watch. Alice's car is parked nearby with the driver's door wide open and her purse and phone in the front seat. The car is still running, and there are signs of a struggle.
Colter calls Bobby's replacement, Randy (Chris Lee), and they agree that Alice probably knew her abductor. Randy found out she's dating a married man, psychiatrist Sal Markowitz, and texts indicate he was trying to break it off with her. Police were called to Sal's twice for domestic disputes.
Sal's house is Colter's next stop. The gate is open, and when he knocks on the door, it swings open too easily. Colter quietly enters, gun drawn, and finds drawers have been gone through. Water is dripping in the bathroom, and Colter spots blood by the shower. He throws open the curtain and finds Sal inside, bloody and decapitated—his head is missing.
The cops arrive, and Colter learns that Sal's wife is out of town. Detective Alden (Hamza Fouad) wonders if Alice could have done this, but Colter doesn't think so. Colter points out that a notebook is open to a page on a patient. He believes the patient is the killer because Sal wrote that he has sadistic urges and cognitive distortions.
Colter also notices that Alice referred this patient, who goes by PJ, to Sal for treatment. Maybe Sal's texts about breaking things off were about breaking off treatment—not a romantic relationship. They need to find the patient's identity, but Detective Alden asks Colter to step away and let them handle it. Of course, that won't happen, but Alden doesn't need to know that yet.
Colter texts Reenie the photographs of Alice's notebook pages, and her investigation uncovers that Alice was pursuing a career in therapy but never obtained her license. She had reached the point of treating patients during her graduate studies, with Sal serving as her training supervisor. Colter speculates that PJ sought help from Alice, who in turn referred him to Sal. However, Reenie is unable to access Alice's files due to the fact that her patients were minors.
Colter's investigation leads him to Crockett Park, where PJ had been watching a convenience store clerk from. He asks the clerk, Beth (Brenna Llewellyn), if he can view the security footage, but she declines out of fear of getting in trouble with her boss. However, when Colter shows her Alice's photo and explains the gravity of the situation, Beth is creeped out and agrees to show him the footage.
The footage reveals a car circling the store, followed by a man getting out and holding a knife behind his back. A cop pulls up, and the man chickens out and leaves. Colter manages to grab a screenshot of the man's face, which reveals a fly tattoo on his neck. Randy identifies the man as Paul James Hamilton, who was released from prison six months ago after killing his stepfather when he was a minor. Paul is currently staying with his mother.
Paul has Alice tied to a chair and is reciting the advice she gave him during therapy. Alice apologizes for what has happened to him and reminds him that it was the court's decision, not hers. Paul is upset that Alice left him, but she explains that it was beyond her control. He asks her to finish his therapy because she's the only one who understands him.
Alice begs to get back to her son, and Paul confirms that he killed Sal. He admits that he did it after realizing Sal was going to turn him in because of his urges. He was enraged that a man who didn't really know him was judging him. Alice swears that she can get him a better therapist than Sal, but Paul only wants her help.
Reenie learns that Paul has a storage unit and asks the clerk for access. She explains that there may be evidence of an active criminal investigation there and threatens him with obstruction if he doesn't comply. He agrees after she threatens him. Reenie looks around the unit, which is full of boxes and furniture. She spots a box of Paul's things from the juvenile detention center and discovers it's locked from the outside when she tries to leave the unit.
Without cell service, Reenie improvises and uses a dolly to pry open the door. The clerk is standing right outside and warns her that she shouldn't threaten people. Reenie isn't scared, but she reminds the clerk that if he has outstanding warrants, he should be more concerned about her than she is about him.
Colter burst into Paul's mother's abode, narrowly avoiding a bullet as he caught sight of a tripwire in the nick of time. He cautiously scanned the room for any other booby traps before proceeding, only to discover Paul's deceased mother and Sal's missing cranium. There was no sign of Paul or Alice anywhere.
Reenie recounted the peculiar drawings she had found in Paul's storage unit, all of which she believed resembled Alice and were set against the backdrop of carnivals. Colter recalled the bowl of tokens he had seen, likely from an amusement park. Reenie inspected the box and uncovered Paul's employee ID from the Happy Hollow Amusement Park. Colter searched online and discovered that it was a seasonal park currently closed, making it the perfect spot for a kidnapping.
Alice attempted to resume therapy, with Paul sharing his memories of his mother. She was a promiscuous woman, and Paul would often catch her with various men. One time, she had dropped him off at the amusement park to get rid of him. However, she had caught him studying blowflies feeding on a dead rat. She was with a man at that moment, so she laughed at Paul and pretended not to recognize him. "I gave her what she always wanted. A man who would never leave her," Paul said, chuckling.
Alice was offended by his laughter and insisted that he deserved her respect. He should not treat her like his mother had treated him.
Colter made his way into the amusement park in the pitch-black night, finding the utility room and searching for any active breakers. The one marked "arcade building" was the only one with power, and a map indicated its location.
Alice explained why she hadn't pursued her license. She had internalized the words of her patients, which had driven her to alcohol and drugs. But Alice had sought help, and she believed Paul could do the same. The darkness may not dissipate completely, but one could learn to ignore it.
As Colter tried a door that was locked, Paul heard the rattling sound and went to investigate. Colter untied Alice as she warned him that Paul had a gun. Paul fired two shots but missed his mark. Colter gave chase while handing Alice his phone and instructing her to call the police.
As Paul leads Colter on a thrilling chase through the park, bullets fly and the adrenaline surges. Paul takes a hit but continues to run, darting into the maze of mirrors within the funhouse. The distorted reflections confuse Colter, making it difficult to pinpoint Paul's location. But Colter implores Paul, his voice filled with both urgency and compassion, that there's no need for violence if he chooses to surrender. Paul, convinced of his righteousness in taking his mother's life, clings to his belief.
Alice joins the fray, her presence a welcome relief. She urges Paul to prove his intent to change, offering herself as a testament to his intentions. In a heart-stopping moment, she holds Paul's knife and is poised to strike when Colter swiftly intervenes, saving Alice and sealing Paul's fate as a monster no more.
As Judith and Miles arrive at the park, the cops' investigation looms in the background. Judith, overwhelmed with emotion, struggles to find the words to thank Colter for his heroic act in finding her daughter. She offers a check as a token of gratitude, then pulls her family into a tight embrace.
The episode ends with Colter and Reenie sharing a meal at a cozy diner, their conversation filled with warmth and humor. Colter declares that breakfast is indeed the best meal of the day, a statement that surprises Reenie who didn't know him as a "breakfast man." He shares that his mother always made them breakfast during his father's episodes, believing it was like starting the day anew. Reenie suggests that Colter should see a therapist, but he points out that he already confides in her. Her therapist had once been helpful and had even encouraged her to start her own practice. Reenie chuckles, pleased that she's become more than just a therapist to him—she's someone he can trust with his heart.
