Environmental scientist Oscar Silva collapses at a conference in New York after being poisoned. At first, Lupo and Bernard think it was a jealous scientist (Silva was a climate change denier), but the investigation eventually leads them to his wife Dana, who was trying to have him transported to a hospital in São Paulo. Suspicion then turns to her ex, Phillip Shoemaker (Tony Hale) who took somebody else's ID to attend the conference.
Tropes present in this episode
- Blatant Lies: When Shoemaker is questioned about his feelings for his daughter, he states that she is dead to him. Cutter's response ("I can tell you from experience Mr. Shoemaker, kids don't forget and they don't forgive!") makes him reconsider.
- Halfway Plot Switch: Right after Shoemaker's arraignment, it becomes about the custody fight with his ex over their daughter Nicole and the hoax staged by the Lehmans.
- Parental Betrayal: The Lehmans are granted temporary custody of their granddaughter and their daughter is conditionally released to their custody. Then Nicole goes missing while Dana is doing yoga. When she turns up, they file for sole custody and to have their daughter declared an unfit mother. It comes out that they colluded with Dana's ex to poison her second husband and staged the disappearance.
- Parental Neglect: Invoked by Nicole's grandparents, who stage her disappearance to make it look like her mom (Dana, their daughter) was too busy doing yoga to pay attention to her daughter.
