The Color of Death

Colm meets Travis at The Outer Limits, warning him that the owner, Beau Landry, is a powerful and corrupt figure with deep connections to local politicians, including their bosses. Colm insists on taking the lead, and he and Travis are escorted by an employee named Rain to see Beau. Colm explains that they need to review surveillance tapes from the last month in connection with Rachel Simone’s murder. Beau is polite but evasive, claiming not to recognize Rachel. However, he promises to have his team search for any footage deemed “of use.” He signals his political influence by casually name-dropping their bosses, Sheriff Lloyd Fuller and Cindy Porter. When Beau asks how they knew Rachel visited his club, Colm deflects the question. 

As they leave, Colm tells Travis that Beau will likely control what, if any, evidence they receive. Colm then notices a man with a ponytail watching him from an upstairs window.

After leaving a liquor store, Martin feels relieved that whatever recording Rachel may or may not have made was destroyed in the fire, though he’s unsure if this was a result of Beau’s intervention. His relief is cut short when Beau’s imposing associate, Boucher, gets into the passenger seat. 

Boucher informs Martin that Colm and Travis were at The Outer Limits asking for surveillance footage of Rachel. He pressures Martin, who again denies any involvement in Rachel’s death. Boucher explains that they will provide the police with altered footage that omits any trace of Martin or Rachel. He warns Martin to cancel his vacation and maintain a normal routine to avoid suspicion. 

Before leaving, Boucher reminds Martin of his outstanding promise to Beau and makes it clear that he’s now deeply indebted to his employer.

Colm visits the Sheriff’s Department to support Travis, who expects to be disciplined after a complaint from Martin. Colm finds Travis reviewing bodycam footage from the crime scene. 

On the monitor, Colm spots a major inconsistency: Rachel’s appointment book is open to a page with a gold star, but he remembers seeing it open to the page with Shauna Phillips’s name on it, which had no gold star. Without telling Travis what he saw, Colm asks for a copy of the video. He then goes to the evidence room and confirms that the page with the gold star, along with several others, is now missing from the book. He realizes that this means the evidence was either lost through gross negligence or deliberately tampered with by someone in law enforcement.

At his home office, Colm learns from forensic examiner Jen Cramer that the bodycam image of the appointment book is too blurry to read. Frustrated, he calls Bones and explains his suspicion that someone, possibly Sheriff Lloyd, tampered with the evidence. While on the phone, Colm re-watches the video and notices a clear reflection of the appointment book in a mirror on the salon wall. He sends a screenshot of the reflection to Jen, who is able to enhance it. She emails back with the results: The missing page reads, “MARTIN WEBER. 1:00-4:00. LIGHT TRIM. $0” (143). 

Colm is shocked upon realizing that Martin had a personal connection to the victim, which explains his hostility during their meeting. Moreover, Martin’s rejection of their request poses a deep conflict of interest.

Martin frantically tears apart his home office, searching for the burner phone he used to contact Rachel. His wife, Tiffany, finds him in the messy room and asks what he’s doing. He angrily tells her that he’s looking for his phone. She calmly suggests that it’s in the car and reminds him that dinner is ready. Martin abruptly claims that there’s a work emergency and that he must go to his courthouse office immediately, leaving a disappointed Tiffany behind. He rushes out, determined to find the phone before anyone else does.

Colm meets Bones for breakfast at The Junction, where they discuss the new evidence against Martin. Bones warns him of the risks of investigating a sitting judge. Colm reveals his suspicion that Lloyd stole the appointment book page to protect Martin.

Bones provides Colm with a vehicle report confirming that Martin owns a silver Audi with a license plate that matches the partial tag seen by a witness at the crime scene. They now have enough to move forward, and Colm decides to have Travis photograph the car’s tires to match prints from the scene. 

Colm asks Bones to clarify a statement he made earlier, calling Travis a “nepo baby.” Bones reveals a rumor that Sheriff Lloyd is having an affair with Travis’s mother. Despite this, Colm decides that he trusts Travis with the task. After breakfast, Colm helps Belle with confusing disability forms for her father. Then, he calls Travis to tell him about their new suspect.

A nervous Travis tails Martin’s silver Audi to the courthouse parking lot, worried that investigating a powerful judge allied with Sheriff Lloyd will ruin his career. Travis covertly photographs the car’s driver-side tires. He’s startled when a woman asks for directions, and as he recovers, he sees a figure move inside the car. The door opens, and an angry Martin confronts him. Flustered, Travis claims that he was there to apologize for a previous warrant issue. Martin dismisses the lie and says that Colm “isn’t wrapped too tightly” (154). He advises Travis to run everything by Lloyd before acting. 

As Martin grabs his briefcase, a paper floor mat falls to the ground, which Travis retrieves for him. Deeply shaken, Travis returns to his car and ignores an incoming call from Colm.

At The Outer Limits, Beau is relaxing with a woman named Benita when his enforcer, Boucher, interrupts with urgent news. Boucher reports that Detective Travis Hendrick was seen photographing Judge Martin Weber’s car tires, indicating that the police have tire prints from the crime scene. 

Beau calls a detailer named Eric, who confirms that Martin recently brought his Audi into the shop, claiming that a friend’s son got hurt playing pickleball and took a paddle to the face, giving him a bloody nose. Realizing that Martin may be a liability, Beau decides they need to control the investigation. Boucher suggests abandoning the judge, but Beau refuses, stating that he has invested too much in him. Instead, Beau orders Boucher to intimidate Colm Truesdale into dropping the case, adding that if a warning doesn’t work, they can escalate.

Colm and a visibly nervous Travis meet privately with Judge Aaron Harrison, a stern and respected jurist, to request a search warrant for Martin’s cell-phone records. Harrison is initially irritated by their circumvention of protocol, but Colm explains the request’s sensitive nature. 

With Travis too anxious to speak, Colm presents the evidence: an eyewitness description and partial plate matching Martin’s silver Audi, and a forensic report matching tire prints from the crime scene to Martin’s vehicle. Harrison notes that the report places the car at the scene but not Martin himself. Colm successfully argues that the lack of other prints and the trail of bloody footprints make a strong case. Holding back the photo of the tampered appointment book, Colm persuades the judge. Harrison grants the warrant but gives them a stark warning: If they’re wrong about a fellow judge, it will be a career-ending mistake.

Bones continues to investigate the death of Frank Hastings. He interviews the receptionist of Frank’s former law firm, Charlotte Abbot, who mentions that Frank had financial issues. After asking Charlotte whether Frank had any appointments on October 21, Bones later wonders how she knew that was the day Frank died since that detail hadn’t been publicly released. 

Later, Bones reviews the autopsy report with medical examiner Dr. Sharp. Dr. Sharp has ruled the death a suicide, citing evidence of a failed hanging attempt, gunshot residue on the victim’s hand, a close-range wound, and a verified suicide note. Despite the strong evidence, Bones remains skeptical, feeling that the scene was too clean for it to have been authentic and that no one in Frank’s life saw it coming. Dr. Sharp dismisses his concerns.

Colm goes for a run at his old high-school track, a place that holds powerful memories of his past love, Ally. He often imagines seeing her there again. As he sprints around a familiar turn, a shot is fired from a black sedan in a nearby parking lot, kicking up dust just a yard away. Four more shots follow, all deliberately missing him. Realizing that he’s completely exposed, Colm doesn’t run. Instead, he stands still, caught in a moment of despair and longing to see Ally again, accepting that his life might end where it truly began. The sniper’s precision makes it clear that this was only a calculated warning. The car then speeds away.

Sheriff Lloyd arrives at the high school where Colm was shot at. Deputies find no shell casings, but Lloyd issues a search order for a black sedan. He questions Colm about potential enemies, but Colm states that the shooting was a clear warning, as the sniper was too skilled to have missed. He declines Lloyd’s offer of a protective detail. Their conversation is cut short by a radio call reporting a carjacking at a local florist. The victim is Judge Martin Weber.

Colm follows Sheriff Lloyd to the chaotic scene of Martin’s carjacking. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) load a protesting Martin into an ambulance; he claims that he was knocked unconscious and robbed of his phone, wallet, and watch. 

An EMT treats a cut on Martin’s elbow and then throws the bloody gauze into a trash can. Colm discreetly retrieves the gauze, securing a DNA sample. Travis arrives and learns about the shooting at the track. As they talk, dispatch calls Travis to report that Martin’s car has been found at a nearby park, completely destroyed by fire. Travis is dismayed, believing all evidence is lost. However, Colm asks to see Travis’s photos of the tires and points out that the rims are perfectly clean, indicating that the car was recently detailed. He realizes that they can still obtain evidence from inside the car through the detailing service.