25 Alive

Lindsay recounts discovering Jacobi’s body and shows Walsh the matchbook with the killer’s message. Walsh recognizes the block lettering, revealing that he worked the Sadie Witt murder case in Nevada, in which an almost identical note was found. He tells Lindsay he has a lead but requires her complete confidentiality.

To build trust, Walsh mentions that he knows and has worked with Lindsay’s husband, Joe. He reveals that his theory implicates a fellow FBI agent, whom he saw in Verne, Nevada, during the Witt investigation. He also connects the case to two earlier murders: a man in North Carolina and the agent’s own ex-wife.

Walsh details the suspect’s history. His first wife died in a suspicious drowning and his second ex-wife was found hanged with the signature phrase (“I said. You dead.”) on her shoes. However, in both instances, the agent had an alibi.

Unsure if the agent is the killer or being framed, Walsh proposes an unofficial partnership. Lindsay agrees, and he names the suspect: FBI Agent Brett Palmer, who is transferring to the San Francisco office.

District Attorney Len Parisi, Yuki’s boss, meets with Yuki and the defense team for the Dario Garza case. Citing Judge Orlofsky’s murder, Parisi announces that the trial will be relocated with a new judge, a new jury, and mandatory sequestration for all participants.

Parisi privately tells Yuki the new judge is Robin Walden, a former military judge, and the trial will be held near Sacramento. Yuki deduces that the location is a new high-security building, which they are calling the Judicial Building, at Folsom State Prison.

FBI Agent Joe Molinari has lunch with his partner, Bao Wong, and senses she is distracted by a personal crisis. Their superior, Section Chief Craig Steinmetz, summons them for an urgent meeting.

Steinmetz briefs Joe and Bao on the Orlofsky murders, linking them to the Garza case. He assigns them to an undercover mission in Mexico to identify who ordered the killings, confirming that they will have local support and depart the next morning.

Cindy calls her Nevada source, Detective Wilson, and records their conversation. He tells her that Palmer’s second ex-wife’s death is now being investigated as a homicide. She schedules an urgent dinner with Lindsay, promising a major break in the case.

At Susie’s Café, Cindy tells Lindsay, Claire, and Yuki about the death by hanging in Portland, where the message “I said. You dead” was written on the victim’s shoes. Sworn to secrecy by Agent Walsh, Lindsay cannot reveal that she already knows. Both Lindsay and Yuki caution Cindy against publishing an unconfirmed story.

After Lindsay leaves, Yuki receives a call from her husband, Lieutenant Brady. He is sending a police escort to take her home safely because of increased threats.

Lindsay arrives home to find that Martha has returned from the vet, and her tumors were benign. Preoccupied with anxiety over Joe’s dangerous mission to Mexico, she forgets to tell him about the lead involving FBI Agent Brett Palmer before he leaves.

Yuki is awakened by a shootout on the street below her apartment. She hides until her husband, Brady, arrives with other officers to secure the scene.

Working late, Cindy finds an obituary identifying the Portland victim as Angela Kinney Palmer. She texts Claire, asking for a contact in the Portland Medical Examiner’s office.

In the car on the way home, Cindy tells her husband, Rich, her theory that FBI Agent Brett Palmer murdered both ex-wives. Rich is skeptical and refuses to help investigate officially, but Cindy remains convinced.

Joe and Bao’s flight lands in Monterrey, Mexico. Joe assumes that the local Diablo cartel already knows of their arrival.

Outside the airport, Joe and Bao meet agents Dougherty and Ruiz, who brief them on meeting an informant named Gustavo. Bao and Joe head to the meeting in their own vehicle, followed by Dougherty and Ruiz. As Bao drives toward the meeting point, she briefly loses control of their SUV.

The informant, Gustavo Sandoval, is actually a Diablo cartel leader. He, his driver, and three other men follow the two-car FBI convoy, planning to ambush them.

Yuki and Nick present DA Parisi with blueprints for the Judicial Building at Folsom Prison, outlining the extensive security features. Yuki confirms the facility is ready for the trial.

On a remote road, Joe and Bao are ambushed by Gustavo and his gunmen. They return fire from their disabled vehicle, and Bao shoots three of the men. She stuns the fourth by opening her car door on him. Their backup arrives as police sirens approach, and Bao handcuffs the fourth attacker.

After the ambush, Bao is hospitalized. The captured attacker claims the attack was a random robbery. For his safety, Joe is placed in a jail cell overnight, cutting off all his outside communication.

Cindy reviews her recorded call with Detective Wilson, in which he details the suspicious deaths of Brett Palmer’s two wives. He gives Cindy permission to take the information to the SFPD.

Cappy McNeil calls Lindsay about another “I said. You dead” murder. A woman’s unidentified body has been found by a dumpster with the phrase written on her forearm. As Lindsay hangs up, Cindy calls her.

Cindy calls with her lead on Brett Palmer, but Lindsay is frantic about Joe. A call to Joe’s boss confirms that he and Bao were ambushed, and Joe is being held in protective custody in a Monterrey jail.

As Lindsay drives to work, Cindy calls again, revealing that she is about to meet Brett Palmer for breakfast and pleading for backup. Lindsay confesses her terror about Joe’s situation in Mexico.

The retrial of Dario Garza begins inside Folsom Prison. The new jury is sworn in, and Judge Robin Walden takes the bench.

As the trial begins, Judge Walden places her handgun on the bench. Dario Garza is escorted in. A juror suddenly lunges from the jury box and attacks Garza with a knife before being tackled by guards.

Cindy waits in the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton for her meeting with Brett Palmer, who is late.

Palmer finally arrives, claiming a business call made him late. He preemptively denies murdering his ex-wives and asserts his innocence.

Lindsay receives an urgent text from Cindy and races to the Ritz-Carlton. She joins the breakfast, where Cindy introduces her as a homicide inspector. After Palmer repeats his denials and leaves, Lindsay secretly takes his used fork as potential DNA evidence.