Twenty Years Later

Avery goes to the North Cove Marina, where her sailboat, the Claire-Voyance, used to be docked, remembering the traumatic voyage years prior with Christopher. She remembers going out on the boat despite warnings of a storm, jumping into the water, and staying afloat until the Coast Guard rescued her. She looks at Garth’s postcard, in which he writes that he is watching American Events and wants her to come see him. Avery is not sure if she wants to help Garth.

Avery meets Walt Jenkins at a bar. Walt looks younger than Avery expected, and she feels an attraction to him. Walt explains that he worked with the BCI in New York during Cameron’s murder investigation, then he worked in surveillance with the FBI before retiring and moving to Jamaica. Hearing that Walt worked at the FBI makes Avery nervous, and she reflects on how the trauma of her father’s arrest has impacted her dating life. Garth’s arrest invalidated her law degree, and she has not been in a serious relationship since that time. Both Walt and Avery express their traumatic memories of the city.

Walt tentatively agrees to help Avery, noting that he needs approval from the BCI. Avery asks if Victoria could be innocent, and he does not think so. Walt expresses concern that Avery will “twist” the evidence to make Victoria look like the victim, and he tells Avery that Emma does not want to accept Victoria’s guilt. Avery does not need to prove Victoria was innocent in court but in the public eye, and she decides not to tell Walt about the messages on Emma’s answering machine. Walt agrees to help Avery, and he asks her to give him a couple of days to organize his materials.

Walt knows that Avery will investigate his past, but he is confident that James did not leave any evidence of his current assignment. Walt scratches the scar on his chest where he was shot, and he wonders if the city is triggering the trauma of the scar. Doctors told Walt to avoid triggers that make his scar itch, and Walt realizes that it also itched when he was still in Jamaica getting ready to come back to New York.

Avery goes to an apartment in Brooklyn, where a man demands $500 before he will let her inside. Inside, the man introduces himself as André, referencing a “mutual friend” of his and Avery’s. Avery is here to purchase a fake passport, and André says it will cost $2,500 now and another $2,500 when the passport is complete. She produces the money and a picture for the passport, and André says it will be done in one week.

Avery picks out a bouquet of roses at a florist and goes to the Green-Wood Cemetery, finding the graves of her brother and mother. Avery curses at Christopher’s grave and places the bouquet on her mother’s grave.

Walt followed Avery from her hotel to André’s apartment, taking note of the address before following Avery to the cemetery. Once Avery leaves the cemetery, he checks the graves she visited, seeing that they belong to Garth’s wife and son. Walt calls James, telling him André’s address and reporting that Avery visited the graves. James notes that Avery visits the graves every year.

Kenny Arnett, the CEO of Hemingway Publishing, and Diane Goldstein, the editor for all of Natalie Ratcliff’s books, arrive at Natalie Ratcliff’s home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Natalie is a successful author, starting her writing career in 2005 with the first of her books starring Peg Perugo, Baggage. Since 2005, Natalie has published 15 novels starring Peg, a normal woman who happens to solve criminal investigations. Natalie was a physician until Baggage became a bestseller, at which point she shifted to writing full time. Natalie’s husband, Don Ratcliff, is the heir to Ratcliff International Cruise Lines, or RICL.

Kenny and Diane are visiting Natalie to make a new offer for Natalie’s next publishing contract with Hemingway Publishing. Natalie is meeting her schedule for the last manuscript of the previous contract. She is about to go to Manhattan to finish the manuscript, then she will go to Santorini, a Greek island where the Ratcliffs own a villa, to finalize the novel in time for an October deadline. Kenny mentions that Avery Mason wants to interview Natalie regarding an “old friend.” Avery has managed to reach Natalie because HAP Media, which runs American Events, also owns Hemingway Publishing.

Avery visits Roman Manchester, who is happy to discuss the case. He says it was particularly challenging because of the physical evidence. He also reveals that Victoria had an abortion that left her unable to have children in the future, while Cameron and Tessa were planning to have a child of their own. Jealousy was the main motive posited by the prosecution, which was led by Maggie Greenwald. Maggie later ran for public office, during which time a whistleblower revealed Maggie’s pattern of suppressing evidence in criminal trials. After a series of her convictions were overturned on new or suppressed evidence, Maggie was disbarred.

Roman explains that he quickly lost sight of Victoria on the morning of 9/11. After the initial blast of the plane hitting the North Tower, where his office was located, he gathered the few workers in his office and headed down a stairwell. The crowd moved slowly down, and Roman remembers the second plane hitting the South Tower. After an hour, he made it to the bottom floor and left with the other survivors.

Avery stops at a bookstore to buy a couple of Natalie Ratcliff’s novels. Natalie was Victoria’s roommate in college. Avery becomes absorbed in one of Natalie’s novels, in which Peg Perugo investigates a “shady” ER doctor, trying to get a better understanding of Natalie. The next day, Avery arrives at Natalie’s apartment, and they bond over Avery’s obsession with Baggage and Natalie’s amazement at Avery’s minivan stunt.

Natalie recounts how she and Victoria became friends in college. After college, the two remained friends, and Natalie says she and Don met with Jasper and Victoria occasionally. After Cameron’s murder, Victoria did not tell Natalie much about the case. Natalie knew that Victoria and Jasper had marital troubles, but she did not know specific details. Before 9/11, Victoria asked Natalie if she could borrow money if she needed it, and Natalie agreed. Natalie does not think Victoria was guilty, and Avery explains that she wants to develop a full picture of who Victoria was prior to the murder. Natalie agrees to draft a timeline of her friendship with Victoria, and Avery arranges to meet with Natalie again to go over the timeline.

Walt and Avery meet at a steakhouse, and Avery explains that her intention is to paint a full picture of Victoria’s life up until 9/11. Walt reflects on Avery’s double life, noting that he reviewed the FBI file on Claire Montgomery. Avery reveals that she has the recordings of Victoria’s calls to Emma. Walt wonders if the promotion he received after the Cameron Young case was tied to Maggie Greenwald. They discuss Victoria over dinner and continue to discuss it over wine afterward. Walt is impressed by Avery journalistic integrity, as she continues to assert that she will present the truth, regardless of whether it points to Victoria’s guilt or innocence.

Avery asks Walt about his life, wondering why he came back to New York for this interview after three years in Jamaica. Walt lies, telling Avery that he came back to resolve any lingering issues from his time in the FBI, but he worries that Avery might have uncovered his true intention of surveilling Avery and finding Garth. Avery reframes the question, asking why Walt went to Jamaica three years prior.

Avery reveals that she went to law school, and Walt notes that her demeanor changes as she discusses her past. Walt explains that his first marriage ended when his wife was unfaithful, while his second marriage ended when he wanted children and his second wife did not. When Walt was shot, he recovered quickly, but he felt guilty for surviving the shooting while his partner, Jason, did not. During his recovery, both of his ex-wives contacted him, but Meghan Cobb, his then-girlfriend, did not.

Walt tells Avery about meeting Jason’s parents on the day of Jason’s funeral. Walt is uncomfortable as he and James wait for Jason’s wife to come back from the restroom. When she arrives, it is revealed that Meghan Cobb is Jason’s widow, and James and Jason’s parents can tell that she and Walt have met before. Both Meghan and Walt are shocked, but Walt rushes out of the funeral, feeling his gunshot wounds reopening.

Avery is shocked, and Walt explains that the FBI found out about Walt and Meghan’s relationship. Most agents thought Walt was knowingly conducting an affair with his partner’s wife, which destroyed Walt’s reputation in the FBI, so they offered him early retirement. He fled to Jamaica, and he sees Meghan each year at the annual survivors’ meeting. Avery tells Walt that his unfinished business in New York is the task of forgiving Meghan, and Avery suspects that he comes back each year to try to forgive her again. Walt realizes he could kiss Avery, but he decides against it.

James comes to Walt’s hotel room and says he found the identity of André, whose last name is Schwarzkopf. He suspects that Avery is trying to acquire a passport for Garth so he can leave the country. James also reveals that the graves Walt saw Avery visit belong to her mother, Annette, and her brother, Christopher. When Annette died three years prior, the FBI began surveilling Avery, and Avery visits Annette and Christopher’s graves each year. However, Avery usually flies to New York, and she drove this year, which James thinks is a hint that she might be meeting Garth. When James tells Walt that Christopher died in a sailing accident that almost killed Avery, Walt feels guilty that he explained his own survivor’s guilt as though Avery could never understand it. James suggests that Walt try to get into Avery’s hotel room, implying that Walt might sleep with Avery, and he leaves Walt with a set of listening devices.