Rosalyn Simpson returns exhausted to her room at Queens’ College after spending 32 hours in Oxford coming out to her parents. Her girlfriend, Melinda Powell, greets her and their discussion leads to an argument about Melinda pressuring Rosalyn to tell her family about their relationship before Rosalyn was ready. Melinda shows Rosalyn the handout about Elena’s murder near Crusoe’s Island. Shocked, Rosalyn realizes she knows Elena who was a member of a campus running club with Rosalyn, who frequently runs the same route herself. A sudden memory surfaces, and despite Melinda’s frantic protests about her safety, Rosalyn decides she must contact the police to discuss what she knows.

Meanwhile, Lynley drives to Thorsson’s suburban house and finds it dark. Though evidence points increasingly toward Thorsson, Lynley remains troubled by the unlikely coincidence that Sarah, who discovered Elena’s body on the island, also knew Anthony. He decides to visit Penelope, a former art restoration specialist, to learn more about Sarah as an artist. At the Rodger home, he finds Helen tending to her sister. In a tense emotional exchange, Lynley and Helen both acknowledge their feelings for each other, but Helen continues to insist they are better off as friends. When Lynley speaks with Penelope about Sarah, she explains that Sarah is a major artist who arrived in Grantchester six years ago, known for her distinct style. She suggests that creative blocks—like the one Sarah claimed to be experiencing—stem from fear of failure and rejection. Before leaving, Lynley invites Helen to a jazz concert the following night, and she accepts.

Sergeant Havers stands in her dark bedroom, exhausted. After being summoned home from Cambridge to handle a crisis with her mother, she found the caregiver, Mrs. Gustafson, sitting at the base of the stairs, armed with the vacuum cleaner hose, which she wielded like a snake to coerce Mrs. Havers into compliance. Though appalled, Barbara swallows her anger and placates Mrs. Gustafson, recognizing that she has no time to search for someone else.

Mrs. Havers appears at Barbara’s bedroom door, her mind slipping between past and present. She speaks of playing with her long-dead sister Doris and worries about Christmas preparations. As Barbara helps her mother to bed, Mrs. Havers chatters about holiday plans involving her deceased husband and family. The evening ends with Mrs. Havers unable to remember who Mrs. Gustafson is, leaving Barbara feeling crushed by guilt, exhaustion, and depression.

At 7:40 on Wednesday morning, Sergeant Havers picks up Lynley in Cambridge. She appears tense and offers to step down from the case, but Lynley refuses. They drive to Thorsson’s house, where they find his TR-6 with a still-warm engine and a damp blanket on the garden chaise. Thorsson, fresh from a shower, lets them in. When Lynley questions him about Elena’s pregnancy and his whereabouts on Monday morning, Thorsson becomes evasive and insulting, calling Elena a “little deaf tart” and mocking Havers’s weight.

After Havers cautions him, Lynley demands to see Thorsson’s black clothing to compare with the fibers found on Elena’s body. In the bedroom, Thorsson tears off his dressing gown and stands naked before them, declaring he has nothing to hide. Lynley later tells Havers that the display effectively corroborates Elena’s harassment complaint, which had centered on his sexual boasting.

At police headquarters, they find Superintendent Sheehan arguing on the phone about a dispute between forensic head Drake and pathologist Pleasance over the murder weapon. Lynley suggests bringing in forensic expert Simon St. James discreetly to resolve the conflict. Sheehan takes a phone call and announces they have another body.At 7:40 on Wednesday morning, Sergeant Havers picks up Lynley in Cambridge. She appears tense and offers to step down from the case, but Lynley refuses. They drive to Thorsson’s house, where they find his TR-6 with a still-warm engine and a damp blanket on the garden chaise. Thorsson, fresh from a shower, lets them in. When Lynley questions him about Elena’s pregnancy and his whereabouts on Monday morning, Thorsson becomes evasive and insulting, calling Elena a “little deaf tart” and mocking Havers’s weight.

After Havers cautions him, Lynley demands to see Thorsson’s black clothing to compare with the fibers found on Elena’s body. In the bedroom, Thorsson tears off his dressing gown and stands naked before them, declaring he has nothing to hide. Lynley later tells Havers that the display effectively corroborates Elena’s harassment complaint, which had centered on his sexual boasting.

At police headquarters, they find Superintendent Sheehan arguing on the phone about a dispute between forensic head Drake and pathologist Pleasance over the murder weapon. Lynley suggests bringing in forensic expert Simon St. James discreetly to resolve the conflict. Sheehan takes a phone call and announces they have another body.

Police vehicles race to a farm lane near Madingley, where farmer Bob Jenkins and his dog Shasta have found a body in the hedgerow. The victim is a tall, fair-haired young woman from Queens’ College, killed by a close-range shotgun blast to the chest. Jenkins reports his dog barked around 6:30, though he heard no shot over the noise of his tractor. While Sheehan dismisses a serial killer theory due to the different methods of murder, Lynley finds an impression by a gate suggesting the killer knelt in wait. They conclude the killer knew this victim’s running route, just as with Elena.

At the Weaver home, Justine seethes over Glyn’s demand that she not attend Elena’s funeral and Anthony’s refusal to support her. During a tense breakfast, pushed beyond endurance by Glyn’s verbal attacks, Justine reveals that Elena was eight weeks pregnant. Glyn accuses Justine of encouraging Elena’s behavior and wanting her dead. When Anthony demands to know who the father was, Justine tells him to go to Trinity Lane for answers. Anthony storms out without a coat.

In his study at Ivy Court on Trinity Lane, Adam reflects on his politically motivated relationship with Elena and his conflicting feelings of desire and disgust toward her. Anthony arrives and declares his belief that Adam fathered Elena’s baby. Adam denies it and, to convince Weaver, reminds him that Elena also went out with Gareth. Anthony becomes angry, accusing Adam of rejecting Elena because she was deaf. His tirade inadvertently reveals his own deep guilt and shame about his daughter’s deafness. Realizing what he has exposed, Anthony breaks down weeping.