The eighth episode of Season Two of CBS's "Tracker," serving as the season's fall finale, unfolds amidst the bustling streets of San Francisco. As a bystander captures the scene on her cellphone, a car collides head-on with a propane truck, leading to a catastrophic accident. The propane starts leaking, and soon both vehicles are enveloped in a fiery inferno.
Nine months have passed since that fateful day, and Gina Picket's sister, Camille (played by Floriana Lima), finds herself sharing a drink with Colter (Justin Hartley) at a local bar. Camille had invited him out, reminiscing about the last time they were here together when her sister mysteriously disappeared. She wonders aloud if Colter wishes they could turn back the clock to a time before their lives were shattered by Gina's absence. Colter confirms that he has never stopped searching for Gina, but to his surprise, Camille urges him to give up. She realizes that what they once had is now a distant memory, and every time she sees Colter, her thoughts inevitably drift back to her missing sister.
Camille reassures Colter that he did everything he could to find Gina. In turn, Colter reveals that he has reached out to an ex-cop friend for assistance in the search. Their conversation is abruptly interrupted by a call from Velma (Abby McEnany), who informs them of a $15,000 reward being offered for solving a case in San Francisco. However, there's a twist: the woman offering the reward, Alicia, insists that her brother, Lucas, is not missing but deceased.
Colter meets with Alicia and learns that her brother, Lucas, passed away in a car crash nine months prior. Their mother, who is battling the final stages of pancreatic cancer, has become a frequent visitor to the hospital. Two days ago, Alicia left her mother's bedside for a couple of hours and returned to find her mother insisting that Lucas had visited her during her absence. Although Alicia admits that the story sounds suspicious, her mother claims that Lucas told her he loved her, bid her farewell, and left behind a peanut butter cup – a symbol that holds special significance within their family, unknown to outsiders.
A nurse also reported seeing a man with a cap pulled over his face, and the name "Lou Reed" was signed in the hospital's guest registry. Intriguingly, Lou Reed is Alicia's mother's favorite musician. Alicia shows Colter a sample of Lucas' handwriting, which matches the signature in the guest book. Colter inquiries about anyone who might have a motive to make them believe Lucas is still alive, but Alicia can't think of anyone. Lucas had been working at a computer shop and saving money for graduate school when he died. Who would care enough to perpetuate such a charade?
After the fiery car crash, there wasn't much of Lucas' body left to identify.Colter solemnly vowed to delve into the mystery and promptly dialed Bobby's number (portrayed by Eric Graise), seeking his expertise to uncover the identity of the hospital visitor. However, they hit a dead end as there was no surveillance footage available, prompting Bobby to speculate whether this absence stemmed from Lucas's presumed demise. Further investigation revealed that the computer repair shop where Lucas had been employed was burgled on the same day he was believed to have visited the hospital.
Colter hurried to the shop, where the clerk, seemingly unconvinced by Lucas's death, shared an intriguing revelation. A few months prior, a fellow World of Warcraft enthusiast had emerged online, and through their conversations, the clerk grew increasingly convinced it was Lucas himself. "I should know; the game was somewhat our shared passion," she remarked, adding that they had once been romantically involved until Lucas's alleged passing, albeit she never verified his identity with the gamer.
Oddly, the security cameras malfunctioned before the break-in, and nothing seemed to have been stolen. Given permission to explore Lucas's former workspace, Colter observed a handprint on a ceiling tile hovering above his desk. Upon lifting the tile, a strip of blue tape dangling suggested something had once been concealed there but was now absent.
An unexpected twist emerged when Colter noticed a dinosaur figurine functioning as a camera. It transpired that Gary, who now occupied Lucas's desk, had set it up out of suspicion that someone was raiding his snacks. Reviewing the camera footage, the clerk positively identified Lucas as the intruder. Lucas was alive!
Bobby's further digging unveiled that Lucas had repeatedly contacted Stephanie Hollis, a renowned YouTuber, in the week preceding his supposed death. Lucas and Stephanie had shared a school history, and notably, Stephanie was tragically murdered five days before Lucas was rumored to have passed. Following her demise, Lucas had erased all traces of her from his phone, leaving Colter to ponder the depths of their entanglement.Next, Colter convenes with Detective Goodwin of the SFPD (portrayed by Jolie Jenkins) and reveals to her that Lucas is still alive. In exchange for her showing him the footage captured by a bystander, he agrees to hand over the surveillance recordings from the computer shop. Goodwin, the detective assigned to Lucas' case, nods in accord, and Colter proceeds to witness the accident unfold on the video. Amidst the chaos, he notices a strangely composed individual walking away from the scene, which strikes him as odd. Colter suspects that this man was privy to the accident and possibly aided Lucas in staging it.
Bobby manages to trace the unknown man's movements on the night of the murder and secures his license plate. The man turns out to be the proprietor of a bodega in Chinatown. Upon investigating the man's shop, Colter detects signs of a scuffle. His calls go unanswered, and to his horror, he discovers a lifeless body sprawled on the floor.
Delving further into the store, Colter unearths a setup for manufacturing fake IDs, complete with an array of wigs and disguises. Suddenly, a noise catches his attention, and he turns to confront a woman wielding a gun. Colter lays down his weapon and introduces himself, reassuring her of his non-threatening intentions. She scrutinizes his ID and confirms that the deceased is indeed her husband. Colter conjectures that Lucas had requested a fake identity and that visiting his mother posed a risk to her business.
Colter and Barbie Lee (played by Freda Foh Shen) concur that the timing of her husband's murder and the shop break-in, coinciding with Lucas' reappearance, is too remarkable to be mere coincidence. Barbie whispers a vow of vengeance to her deceased spouse, vowing to eliminate those responsible. Without waiting for the police to arrive, she sets the shop ablaze.
Barbie and Colter share a coffee, and she confesses her upbringing in the clandestine world of fake IDs. Barbie elucidates that some seek to fake their deaths, while others merely wish to vanish. Though she refrains from naming names, she reveals she has a supplier who provides dead bodies to replace those seeking a new identity.
Never before has someone she assisted resurfaced, and she was taken aback by Lucas' return. Barbie clarifies that she did not aid Stephanie, affirming the authenticity of her demise. Lucas approached her in a state of panic, describing it as a matter of life and death. Colter postulates that Lucas stumbled upon something and shared it with Stephanie. Fearing for his life after Stephanie's death, he fled.
Lucas was well-aware of the perils associated with reappearing, and Barbie believes her husband's blood is on his hands. Colter vows to assist in uncovering her husband's killer. Barbie agrees, provided she gets to deal with them once found.
Revealing Lucas' new moniker, Barbie informs Colter that he is now known as Isaac Newton.Bobby reaches out to Colter with urgent news: Stephanie, moments before her tragic demise, had been teasing a monumental political scandal on her YouTube platform. She possessed a confidential source, and Colter conjectures that Lucas might have been that神秘线人. Perhaps Lucas was tinkering with a laptop that contained incriminating evidence when disaster struck. Bobby diligently scours Lucas' appointment logs, finding no politicians listed. Colter posits that the laptop could have been submitted by a politician's family member or assistant, prompting Bobby to swiftly conduct an inquiry. It turns out that the assistant to Tim Crosby, a prominent real estate tycoon cum mayoral candidate, had indeed entrusted his laptop to Lucas for repairs. Lucas stumbled upon sensitive information, which he promptly relayed to Stephanie. Fearing for his life after Stephanie's untimely death, Lucas vanished into thin air, realizing he might be next.
Colter suspects Crosby's hands might be clean of the bloodshed but posits that Lucas, potentially armed with a duplicate of the incriminating hard drive, could be angling for a way out through negotiation. Bobby delves into the alias "Isaac Newton" and discovers that this individual has recently checked into a hotel.
Colter convenes with Detective Goodman at the hotel, where the receptionist confirms that "Isaac Newton" is still upstairs. As they ascend to his room, gunshots ring out. Colterforcefully breaches the door, but the assailant has already slipped away. Lucas lies lifeless, shot and killed once more. Oddly enough, Lucas carried nothing on his person, not even a wallet. Detective Goodman reassuringly takes charge, pledging to secure justice for Lucas' family. As she steps aside to make a call, she informs Crosby of Lucas' demise, inquiring if it was one of his men. Crosby sounds uncertain.
Bobby and Colter eavesdrop on the conversation, Colter's suspicion of the detective's corruption already cemented. Crosby fits the bill of someone who might have a compromised cop in his employ. Earlier, Bobby and Colter had already previewed the disturbing contents of Lucas' flash drive, raising the question: How did they obtain it? Colter, with Barbie's assistance and the aid of drugs that simulated death, outmaneuvered the detective to Lucas and orchestrated a fake murder scene.
Detective Goodman and Crosby find themselves in a cozy bar, unaware that Colter lurks nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation about Lucas's untimely demise. Crosby dismissively remarks that the identity of the killer is irrelevant, for the issue has already been resolved. Colter, unable to contain his curiosity, interrupts them, revealing he's in possession of incriminating footage involving Crosby. He suggests that he understands their motive for murder – to keep the footage under wraps. As Colter rises to display the incriminating evidence on his hard drive, Goodman abruptly stands up, her voice rising in a defiant yell, as though her very life is at stake.
Colter mocks her, reminding her of the countless witnesses to their deeds, and brandishes the hard drive, accusing them of the murders of Stephanie, Philip Lee, and Lucas Jones. Crosby, though denying involvement in Lucas's death, remains eerily silent about the others. Just as tensions peak, FBI agents emerge from within the crowd of patrons, swiftly apprehending both the detective and Crosby.
Barbie, who has been watching silently, steps forward with a satisfied grin, expressing relief at finally seeing her husband's killers brought to justice. She offers Colter a job with her company, "The Night Movers," hinting at their expertise in making people disappear.
Later, at the hospital, Colter is greeted by Alicia, who hands him the reward money. Lucas, overjoyed to be back home and by his mother's side as she approaches her final days, shakes Colter's hand gratefully, acknowledging that he owes his life to the man.
Meanwhile, ex-detective Keaton calls Colter, hinting at new information in the Gina Picket case. He sends an address and urges Colter to come immediately.
Episode eight concludes with a dramatic scene: Colter meeting Keaton, who asks if he's prepared to delve into the depths of hell to uncover the truth. With a steely resolve, Colter agrees. Keaton leads him downstairs in a warehouse to a barely conscious Alex, who has been brutally beaten.
Weakly, Alex confirms his acquaintance with a man named Wales, whom he describes as trouble. Keaton roughs him up further to coax out more information. Alex admits they were forced into doing something they didn't want to, coerced by a mysterious figure they referred to as "Teacher." They knew nothing about his real identity; he simply held their secrets over their heads.
Alex reveals that Wales and he weren't the only ones under Teacher's thumb. A group of "pretty boys" were also compelled to obey his every whim. Teacher wanted Gina and ordered Wales to lure her to "The Farm," where he claimed to have planted something. However, Alex insists he's never been there himself.
Colter holds up a picture of Gina Picket, and Alex nods, confirming he saw her there. As Colter anxiously asks if she's still alive, the episode cuts to a cliffhanger, leaving us hanging until episode nine airs on February 16, 2025, for Alex's crucial response.
