The investigation into the death of a bike messenger takes a personal turn for Beckett and her colleagues when they discover that the victim was carrying evidence that could exonerate a man jailed years before by Captain Montgomery. Things get even more interesting when they discover that a wealthy candidate for the U.S. Senate from a prominent New York family may have been involved as well.
- All for Nothing: Blake's mother and brother kept him from finding out that Olivia was his illegitimate daughter and accepting her (which ultimately leads to three deaths) out of concern that the scandal would prevent him from being elected senator. He lost the election anyway.
- The Atoner: Capt. Montgomery feels absolutely horrible that he failed to push on Olivia's murder ten years ago and let an innocent man rot in prison for a decade.
- Berserk Button: Montgomery isn't too happy to encounter a Dirty Cop.
- Chekhov's Gun: The rich matriarch's missing ring. Turns out the family fixer sold it to arrange for the death of the patsy.
- Crazy Cat Lady: One of the victim's aunts isn't crazy but has a lot of cats.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The first hint at Montgomery’s past career, as he is shown deeply troubled at the notion that he didn’t give a case the necessary attention and arrested the wrong person.
- Evil Matriarch: Lenanne ordered the family fixer to "take care of" Olivia when she started getting too close to the Wellesleys in her efforts to find her father.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Senate candidate Blake Wellesley and his brother Winston initially come across as Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!/Screw the Rules, I Have Money! types as they attempt to at best block the investigation to avoid bad press (and look like they're covering up a murder by one of them). As it turns out, Winston was covering for his brother but only to avoid him being caught in a scandal by a former affair producing a child and was willing to sacrifice his own reputation to do so. Blake was unaware he even had a daughter and gives the impression he would have given up his political ambitions to take care of her if he had known. Neither were remotely aware of the murder and Blake decides to pay for the medical care the scapegoat's son required.
- Papa Wolf: The candidate calls out his family for hiding the truth of the daughter he never knew about and the scapegoat accepted life in prison for a crime he didn't commit in order to pay for his son's medical care.
- The Voice: The detectives listen to recordings of two phone calls Brady Thompson made, but never meet him in person before he's murdered.
