Stilwell goes to The Buffalo Nickel to notify Gwen Bassett of Middleton’s death. Angry, Bassett refuses to believe that Middleton committed any crimes and accuses the police of lying about him, slamming a door in Stilwell’s face. Back at the substation, after reviewing routine weekend reports, Stilwell investigates Lieutenant Lambert. By accessing the county intranet, he finds Lambert’s old departmental résumé. It reveals that Lambert is a decorated US Marine who served in Iraq and fought in Fallujah. Stilwell discovers that among Lambert’s commendations is a “Hog’s Tooth,” which his research reveals is a 7.62mm bullet awarded to graduates of the elite Marine Corps Scout Sniper school. Stilwell now knows that Lambert is a trained sniper.

Stilwell’s research reveals that Lambert joined the private security firm Blackwater in Iraq, where his duties could have included sniper overwatch. This solidifies Stilwell’s suspicion that Lambert was the shooter at the airstrip. Stilwell calls his friend Monty West at the medical examiner’s office, who confirms that the projectile from Deputy Quigley’s autopsy was sent for metallurgical analysis. Then, Captain Corum calls Stilwell because he’s angry about being left out of the loop on the Middleton case. West calls back with the results that the bullet was a frangible, metal-impregnated polymer (MIP) round matching those made by a company called MIPCO Ammo, which is located near where Lambert grew up. Stilwell calls MIPCO and, using Lambert’s name, is immediately put through to the company president, Walter Bessemer, who greets the caller as “Chopper.” Stilwell hangs up, having confirmed a close relationship between Bessemer and Lambert. Bessemer’s online biography shows that he was also a Marine who fought in Fallujah.

Stilwell acknowledges that his case against Lambert is circumstantial but trusts his instincts. On Saturday, Tash sets him up at the harbormaster’s office to review security footage from the ferry docks from the day of the airstrip shooting. He spends hours searching for anyone matching Lambert’s description or carrying a case that could conceal a sniper rifle but finds nothing. After a lunch break with Tash, he reviews the next day’s footage with the same result, concluding that Lambert must have used a private boat to get to and from the island. That evening, Stilwell investigates the Avalon boatyard, a private facility where a boat could be launched without entering the main harbor, but he finds no security cameras.

On Monday morning, Stilwell is summoned to the mainland for an emergency hearing in the case against Douglas Allen. The prosecutor, Carol Najera, informs him that Allen has filed a motion to have him disqualified as a witness, alleging that he harassed Allen’s son, Matthew. At the district attorney’s office, Stilwell calls the homicide bureau and learns from an assistant that Detective Simon abruptly retired the previous Friday and that his partner, Detective Trestle, has left for a two-week cruise. All inquiries on the Quigley case are now being routed directly to Captain Corum. Stilwell realizes that the investigation is being shut down. In the judge’s chambers, Stilwell testifies about the graffiti investigation involving Matthew and plays a recording of their conversation, which proves his conduct was professional. The judge dismisses the defense’s motion.

Stilwell returns to Catalina and concludes that Corum is covering up something far more serious than an affair to protect Lambert. He shifts his investigation to finding the boat that Lambert used. Using Department of Motor Vehicle records, Stilwell finds no boats capable of crossing to Catalina registered to Lambert or his narcotics unit deputies. On a hunch, he searches for Walter Bessemer and discovers that he owns a 36-foot powerboat named the Bullet, registered in Venice. Suspecting that it’s docked in nearby Marina del Rey, Stilwell calls his counterpart there, Sergeant Dave Akins. Akins confirms that he knows the boat and says it’s docked at the Pacific Mariners Yacht Club, which has extensive security cameras. He agrees to check the footage for the boat’s recent activity.

Stilwell finds out that Bessemer and Lambert grew up in the same area. Prosecutor Najera calls to report that Douglas Allen has accepted a plea deal, ending the corruption case without a trial, though he will only serve four years. Akins then calls from the marina with urgent news: The Bullet is gone. Security footage shows that it left just hours earlier with Bessemer and another man on board. Akins texts Stilwell a photo from the video, and Stilwell recognizes the second man as Lieutenant Lambert. Realizing that the boat’s departure time means they’re already at the island, Stilwell understands that they’re coming to kill him. He calls Tash and instructs her to lock herself in the harbormaster’s tower for safety. He retrieves extra ammunition and his pistol, walks through the substation to appear on the cameras, enters his office, and sneaks out through the window.

Hiding behind a hedge, Stilwell monitors the substation’s exterior camera on his phone, anticipating that Lambert will wait for Corum to confirm the building is clear before making his move. Akins calls back and tells Stilwell that security footage from the night of the airstrip shooting shows the same two men taking the Bullet out and returning in the early morning. One of them carried a long case resembling a rifle bag. As they speak, Stilwell sees Lambert appear on the camera feed, entering the substation courtyard. Stilwell ends the call and quietly enters the adjacent courtroom. He moves through a connecting hallway into the substation’s jail area, where he uses the interior cameras to watch Lambert approach his office door, gun drawn.

Lambert kicks in Stilwell’s office door but finds the room empty. Stilwell emerges from the jail and ambushes Lambert from behind, forcing him to drop his weapon. After cuffing him, Stilwell discovers a second pistol in a plastic bag in Lambert’s sock. Stilwell concludes that Lambert planned to kill him and stage it as a death by suicide. Stilwell locks Lambert in a cell and then calls Tash to get the GPS coordinates of the Bullet, which is anchored nearby. He forwards the location to Akins, ordering him to seize the boat and arrest Walter Bessemer for conspiracy to commit murder. Lambert insists that he didn’t plan to kill Stilwell and threatens to ruin his career. Even if Stilwell succeeds, Lambert says that he will hunt him down. Captain Corum, watching via the live camera feed, calls and orders Stilwell to release Lambert, threatening to ruin his career if he refuses. Stilwell shuts off the substation’s power, cutting the camera feed. After hanging up on Corum, he tells Lambert that he will do “the right thing” (323). He calls Lionel McKey and says he has another story.