Dr. Hazlitt and Jessica arrive to visit his estranged brother Richard shortly before the specter of a curse falls over the estate. Richard insists that his bride Alice wear a ruby necklace at a party — a ruby stolen from an Indian temple. Before the evening ends, she nearly falls victim to what Jessica considers an attempt on her life, and her husband dies hours later. Can Jessica see through the smoke-screen of the curse to find the real killer?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Abusive Parents:
- Even if he intended for Alice to live, Mr. Davies still locked her inside a garage with a running car and almost killed her by carbon monoxide poisoning. Oh, and he also murdered Richard, thinking Alice was better off without him, and was responsible for almost getting her arrested.
- Richard himself is a bit of a Jerkass to his son, blasting him for his poor performance in a polo game.
- Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: When Jessica explains that Vikram Singh is unlikely to be the killer:Seth: Well, if Singh didn't murder Richard, who did?
Cop: Caroline Hazlitt.
Ames: Hmm?
Cop: She's here. You told me to tell you when she arrived, lieutenant. - Brick Joke: In the beginning, Dr. Hazlitt tries to put off seeing his brother because Jessica still has to meet a real estate agent before he leaves for a family get-together in Moscow, Idaho. When Jessica shows her ID cards to Lt. Ames to convince him she's not an agent, the doctor reminds her of the appointment.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Mr. Davies, Alice's father, murdered Richard to free her of him and leave her with the inheritance. Throughout most of the episode, the viewer would suspect almost anyone else.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Lt. Ames, meeting Jessica and hearing her deductions, assumes she must be a federal agent of some kind. Despite her efforts, Jessica can never dissuade him from the belief. In fact, he often takes her efforts to explain as brushing him off because he doesn't "need to know", or some other spy thing.
- Fond Memories That Could Have Been: Seth initially doesn't want to accept the invitation and only goes because of Jessica's pushing. He finally reconciles with his brother the evening that Richard is murdered. Afterwards, Seth feels awful that they didn't have more time or that he didn't make a move sooner.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Seth's nephew is a more dutiful, generally pleasant guy who seems to work hard for his father's business, while his sister doesn't appear to work, seems less happy to see Seth and sometimes pushes her father's buttons.
- The Gadfly: Just when Lt. Ames finally looks like he might listen to Jessica's statement that she has nothing to do with any secret agency, Seth breaks in and reminds her she needs to see an agent before he leaves for Moscow.
- Gold Digger: Invoked and averted. Alice is accused of being one by Richard's children, especially his daughter, but it's made repeatedly clear she married Richard because they both loved each other.
- Good Stepmother: Though her age would put her closer to an Adoptive Peer Parent, Alice is nothing but pleasant to her stepchildren. At one point, she compliments her stepson's polo skills and is upset when Richard degrades him instead.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Two statements trip up the killer. When Alice tells Jessica that her father told her the ruby had been found in Mr. Singh's glove, Jessica realizes the killer's identity, because that information hadn't been released. During the summation, Jessica allows the lieutenant to proceed as though Alice were under suspicion for some time. Then her father blurts that Alice smokes English cigarettes, not Turkish. As Jessica points out, few people would have known the cigarette found at the crime scene had Turkish tobacco.
- Locked Room Mystery: Richard is found in a study that can only be locked from the inside. Jessica finds tar on the latch, leading her to realise that a cigarette was used to hold it open while the murderer escaped, then burned down until the bolt fell into place.
- May–December Romance: Richard is at least 20-30 years older than Alice, but its clear that they love each other dearly despite the age difference.
- Mistaken for Spies: Ames is convinced Jessica has to be an agent of some sort, even refusing to believe Cabot Cove is a real place. At the end, it looks like she's finally won him over...then Seth mentions how "we have to meet that agent from Moscow" and Jessica leaves Ames more sure than ever.
- Not with Them for the Money: Alice is actually rather uncomfortable when Richard bestows yet another expensive present on her at the beginning of the episode—the titular ruby—and insists on her wearing it to the party they're having that night, knowing that it will reinforce the untrue assumption that she's a Gold Digger."I married you for you, not for jewels."
- Papa Wolf: A dark version. Mr. Davies believes Richard only married Alice to have her as an accent piece, so he murdered Richard in order for Alice to get all his money.
- The One That Got Away: The episode reveals that as young men, Seth and his brother had been in love with the same woman, Molly, who favored Richard. Not sure how to break the news to Seth, the couple eloped. Seth left town and later got Happily Married to a woman called Ruth. The whole matter still strained things between the brothers, but they finally make peace — just in time for Richard to be murdered.
- Red Herring: Alice is NOT a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who was only after Richard for his money along with being his killer; she's in fact one of the nicest characters in the episode, genuinely loved him, is equally genuinely devastated by his murder, and further devastated at learning that her father is responsible. Similarly, his children, despite their dislike of Alice, are just as innocent regarding their father's death.
- Second Love: Alice to Richard after the death of his first wife Molly.
- Serial Killings, Specific Target: Downplayed; the killer put Alice in a dangerous position first to cast suspicion upon the embassy man who had brought up the ruby's curse when her husband was murdered later. Upon finding out, Alice expresses horror that her father nearly killed her just to deflect suspicion.
- So Happy Together: All of Alice and Richard's scenes make it clear that they're very much in love, just in time for him to be killed later that night.
- Too Happy to Live: Richard is Happily Married to his Second Love Alice, despite their significant age difference, and he's finally reconciled with his estranged brother Seth, so of course, he ends up dead.
