Episode 12 of "Will Trent" kicks off with a haunting flashback to 1986, where a youthful Amanda and Evelyn are patrolling the streets. They stumble upon the grim sight of a woman, her lips cruelly cross-stitched, abandoned in a dark alley. Jumping back to the present, Ormewood grapples with a case bearing an eerie resemblance, and it transpires that Faith has also encountered a similar crime two weeks prior, yet to apprehend the perpetrator. The Atlanta Police Department (APD) urges them to collaborate, suspecting a serial killer at play.
Meanwhile, Trent visits Angie at the hospital, engaging in a tense conversation about her upcoming internal review board the following day. Angie vows to speak the truth, though Trent harbors doubts about her narrative.
Later, at the precinct, Ormewood, Faith, and Trent brief Amanda on the unfolding serial murder mystery. The evidence suggests the killer keeps his victims alive for a harrowing 48 hours before ending their lives and discarding their bodies. Amanda is startled to learn that a distinctive mark of the killer's modus operandi involves adorning his victims with red nail polish. Following the briefing, she urgently contacts Evelyn, relaying the chilling news: the killer has returned.
The narrative shifts once more to 1986, as Amanda and Evelyn, still partners, canvas the streets' sex workers, offering them resources and a grim warning about a lurking predator. Their suspicion grows when they notice Lucy, one of the women, is missing. Just as they discuss this, Juice, a local pimp, arrives, questioning their interference. One of Juice's comments leaves an unsettling chill in the air for Amanda and Evelyn.
In the modern timeline, Evelyn scrutinizes the current case files alongside Amanda, arguing that the patterns diverge. Amanda, however, remains convinced of similarities and wishes to investigate Juice's recent activities. She posits that Juice might have boasted about his crimes during his prison stint, inspiring a copycat. Evelyn inquires why Amanda hasn't confided in Trent yet, to which Amanda replies she needs to be certain first. Evelyn agrees to assist her in uncovering the truth.
Together, they delve into the old files and resolve to contact James, Juice's former attorney, to uncover more clues.
In the meantime, Ormewood, Trent, and Faith plunged deeper into their investigation, uncovering a startling revelation: the victims were once orphans. A crucial piece of evidence caught Trent's attention, leading him to suspect that the killer might be singling out children from the very home where they had once shared foster care. This hypothesis gained credibility when an attempt was made on Paul's life. Following the harrowing incident, Paul reached out to Trent and Angie, offering his statement. Trent solemnly informed him of the predator lurking in their midst, prompting Paul to suggest they delve into the past of a peculiar child they had once lived alongside.
Trent and Angie, recognizing the urgency, contacted Ormewood and Faith, deciding to keep Amanda in the dark about the unfolding drama. They tasked Faith and Ormewood with tracking down every child who had grown up in that foster home and speaking with them. However, acquiring comprehensive information proved to be an uphill battle. In response, Angie and Trent embarked on a journey to the dilapidated foster home, hoping to uncover the original records pertaining to the children.
As they embarked on their quest to uncover the elusive files, Trent attempted to coerce the truth from Angie, but she firmly requested him to stay out of her affairs. Despite their diligent search, the files remained hidden, and they soon realized they were not the only occupants of the eerie house. The killer's sinister presence was underscored by a small box left for them, containing a nostalgic photograph of the children from the past. Just before they departed the haunted premises, Trent received a chilling call informing him of another grim discovery—another lifeless body. Upon identifying the deceased, it dawned on them that the killer had been masterfully manipulating his victims through deceptive online personas.
Amanda and Evelyn, meanwhile, were also entangled in their own clandestine investigation, hampered by the loss of Juice, who had passed away. They sought solace and insight from Juice's former lawyer, who remained steadfast in his conviction of Juice's innocence. Reluctantly, he agreed to share his old case notes, vowing to assist them in unraveling the mystery. As the conversation deepened, Amanda was transported back in time, her mind flashing to the moment they had rescued Lucy, the sex worker they believed had fallen prey to the killer.
Lucy, now pregnant, found herself in desperate need of assistance. Amanda and Evelyn, driven by compassion, arranged for her to be whisked away to a sanctuary where she could nurture her unborn child in safety. They set a plan to meet the following morning to facilitate Lucy's resettlement in a new, protective environment. However, fate had other plans, and Lucy's journey was abruptly terminated; she never arrived at her intended destination.
Following the discovery of the latest victim, the medical examiner imparted grim details to Amanda, prompting her to relieve Angie of her duties on the case and send her home. Still on mandatory leave, Angie headed back to her residence. Before departing, Ormewood cautiously suggested protective custody, but Angie declined, preferring instead to seek refuge at Trent's place, vowing to fortify the security system.
Amanda and Evelyn resumed their exploration of the old Juice case, delving into James' meticulously kept notes. As they worked, memories of the oppressive and toxic workplace culture of the 1980s crept back, casting a pall over their current endeavors. Their reflective mood was abruptly interrupted by Faith, who sought a private word with Amanda.
Unbeknownst to them, Faith was plotting to betray their trust, while Ormewood and Trent doggedly tracked the individual who assisted the killer in dispatching ominous catfish messages to the unsuspecting victims. This accomplice, too, hailed from the foster home, yet his knowledge of the mastermind behind the hire was scant. He could only recall being approached after the widely circulated tale of Trent's heroism in rescuing Paul's daughter (episode 1).
Faith's betrayal soon came to light, prompting Amanda to summon Trent. She relieved him of his duties on the case and issued a stern warning: continued involvement would lead to his arrest. Incensed, Trent stormed out, leaving Faith in his wake. Meanwhile, Evelyn harbored doubts about Amanda's actions, believing she ought to reveal the truth of 1986 to Trent. Amanda's intentions, though shrouded in mystery, seemed aimed at shielding Trent from something sinister.
A haunting flashback to 1986 unveiled Lucy's plight; she reached the designated meeting spot but was不幸 abducted before Amanda and Evelyn's arrival. The following day, Angie's inexplicable absence from her internal review board stirred concerns, particularly given her meticulous nature. Amanda, after a night of introspection, broke the devastating news to Trent: Lucy was his mother. The revelation struck Trent like a thunderbolt, and he accused Amanda of years of deceitful concealment.
In a fit of rage, Trent deserted the office for the solace of his home. There, shock awaited him in the form of his disheveled house and the harrowing realization that Angie had been abducted from his own abode. As he scoured the premises, his eyes fell upon a chilling photograph of Angie, left as a macabre message by the perpetrator. In the image, her eyes had been brutally scratched out, evoking an eerie sense of dread.
