Jessica pays a visit to see an old friend, Claire, who is now Mother Superior of a convent. However, even in this peaceful setting, Jessica's tendency to discover the nasty side of humanity persists. When one of the young acolytes discovers Sister Emily, one of the older nuns, dead, Claire refuses to believe her friend committed suicide.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Absence of Evidence: Jessica points out during the summation that the pitcher in Sister Emily's room was still full when her body was discovered. Had she taken the fatal dose orally, she would have drunk the water.
- Bad Habits: Mrs. Simpson steals Sister Emily's extra habit to disguise herself when escaping the convent.
- False Widow: Linda Stone, the young woman the private eye comes looking for, has a son, who she claimed came from a previous marriage to a soldier killed in Vietnam. However, no records exist of the young man. It turns out Linda became pregnant from a liason with Mayor Simpson, and his wife killed Sister Emily to cover it up.
- Like a Daughter to Me: Amy tells Jessica Sister Emily said she was like her daughter (and Amy seemingly viewed her as the good mother she didn't have outside the convent). Understandably, it upsets her greatly when Sister Emily dies, especially (to initial appearances) by her own hand.
- Locked Room Mystery: The convent was locked from 6:00 to the time the police arrived, making it seem unlikely that anyone could have gotten in to kill Sister Emily. However, when Jessica sees Sarah's suitor wearing her crucifix, she deduces there must be a way into the convent of which the nuns aren't aware.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- Sarah, the young acolyte who discovers Sister Emily's body, seems as though she's having second thoughts about taking the veil. However, we never find out what decision she reaches.
- Amy, a troubled girl who adored Sister Emily, gets a very emotional scene with Jessica after her death, but it's never revealed how the results of the investigation impacted her or whether she was able to heal.
- The Woman Behind the Man: Mrs. Simpson seems to be just as invested in her husband's career as he is, if not more so. It turns dark when it turns out she murdered Sister Emily to make sure a skeleton stayed buried.
