A Touch Of Panic – The episode opens at the Bluffs with Holly Alberg (Dakota Guppy) snapping Devon Travis’ (Alisha Newton) picture on the beach. Devon points up at an eagle soaring above them. Holly snaps a photo of it as well. They are being watched. She receives a call from Gibsons Chief of Police Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland). Devon looks back to see a car following them. Holly tells him that Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk) doesn’t like her. He assures her that it isn’t true. Devon voices concern about the car being the same one at school earlier. As he tries to convince her that Cassandra likes her, Holly abruptly ends the call. Brushing off her concern, Holly says it is Benjy Turcotte who has been hitting on her all week. Devon claims he is at volleyball practice and takes off running. Holly races to catch up with her when they spot a police cruiser up ahead. She snaps a photo of the vehicle as it veers right onto another road. Police Officer Andy Kendrick (Fritzy-Lenvans Destine) pulls Genevieve Truscott (Amy King) over for running a stop sign. She explains how she is late for work. He recognizes her as working at Mulligans and lets her go on a warning.

Karl gives Cassandra a bracelet. She attributes her not being around to an art center project. He suggests she doesn’t like Molly. She denies the allegation and questions if Holly likes her. Gordon Murphy (Devon Sawa) watches them from the pier. A short time later, Karl arrives home to find Holly and Devon there. Holly introduces him to Devon. He asks to speak with her alone. Devon tells him about the beige vehicle following them and the “white” driver getting spooked when he saw the police. Holly assures him that it was nothing. He warns them to be cautious and insists on taking Devon home. At the library, Cassandra explains to her mother that she can’t drop the art project to spend time with her. Upset, her mother ends the call. Gordon approaches and broaches the subject of her art project which he read about in the paper. At the police station, Karl informs Kendrick that Genevieve filed a complaint against him, alleging inappropriate behavior. He denies any wrongdoing but admits to joking around. Seeing the location where Kendrick had Genevieve pulled over, Karl tells him about the vehicle following Holly. Defending Kendrick, Sid Sokolowski (Aaron Douglas) says complaints result in lawsuits, payouts, and budget cuts.

Upon leaving the library, Cassandra encounters Holly who wants to check out “Coastal Moments.” She promises to look for it later. Holly insists on waiting. Cassandra tells her that she has an important meeting. Upset, Holly walks away. A short time later, Cassandra and Gordon discuss the importance of libraries. She is taken aback when he mentions her working in Sacramento, California. He offers to help with her project. She asks him about the Fairfax Community Center. He denies any knowledge of it. She points out that it is on his Tymar Construction website. He says it was not long ago but it was only 2022. He claims to have done a project at the Melita Civic Center. She suggests he worked with Mayor Tim Dorn but refuses to speak further. Changing her mind about him, she hurriedly walks to her car, tosses her bag in, and turns to see something startling. Karl tries Cassandra’s phone to no avail. He asks Corporal Edwina Yen (Mya Lowe) to investigate Genevieve’s complaint against Kendrick. A short time later, he stops in at the library to learn Bree (Paloma Kwiatkowski) hasn’t seen Cassandra. She tells him that Cassandra never returned from her meeting.

At Mulligan’s, Yen questions Genevieve about her experience with Kendrick. Genevieve says he was smug and over-friendly and asked where she worked. She assures Yen that guys like Andy are easy to read and denies it has anything to do with his race. Karl visits the outdoor café where Cassandra’s meeting was scheduled to take place. Earl “Early” Groulx Jr. (Denzel Brooks) believes Karl’s visit is about the broken kitchen vents. Karl assures him that is not why he is there before showing him a photo of Cassandra. Early recalls she was with a white guy but never saw her leave. Karl finds her bracelet in a lost-and-found basket on the counter, Early shows him where he found the bracelet near Cassandra’s car with its front door ajar. Karl imagines seeing her intentionally drop the bracelet on the ground while being abducted. At the police station, Yen informs Isabella Harbud (Savonna Spracklin) and Karl that Phyllis Diaz (Fiona Vroom) said Cassandra isn’t home. Karl receives a photo of her with duct tape on her mouth. At an unknown location, Gordon sees the news report. He jerks the duct tape off of her mouth and gives her a bottled water. She offers to get him some money. At the police station, Yen tells Karl that a man matching the abductor’s description was seen at the library. A short time later, Karl asks Phyllis for a list of Cassandra’s lovers because most victims know their abductors. She reluctantly agrees. At an unknown location, Gordon gives Cassandra a can of food. She asks if he is going to kill her. He says it would make things easier if she dies of starvation.

Karl learns that Cassandra’s abductor may have visited a grocery store in Jefferson five days ago. He suggests if the abduction is sexually motivated, the suspect will keep her alive. Back at the remote location, Cassandra detects a chemotherapy scene and realizes Gordon has cancer. She tells him about her mother’s breast cancer. He attributes his stage four cancer to the doctors at the Northcott Penitentiary. He assures her that she will die before him. At the police station, Sid informs Karl that six adductions were reported in Jefferson over the past 10 years. Karl receives a call from Gordon demanding $5m in three hours. Before ending the call, Gordon says, “What’s done is done.” Karl believes Gordon has no interest in the money because it’s a game to him. He claims it was his arrest catchphrase when he worked in Minneapolis. At the remote location, Cassandra suggests Gordon knows Karl. He says his plan was to spend the rest of his days in the Bahamas until he saw Karl. She urges him to rest. When he gets upset, he gets ill. He asks if she loves Karl. She claims to have been getting there. He blames Karl for everything, lays the TV remote on the coffee table, and walks away. At the police station, Karl scans his arrests in Minneapolis. Upset, Holly tells him that she saw Cassandra at the library this morning. He shows her a photo of the beige vehicle taken at a bank two weeks ago in Jefferson. He later identifies Cassandra’s assailant as Paul Stewart Wheeler who Karl charged with assault. Wheeler killed an inmate at the Northcott Penitentiary. A terminal cancer diagnosis earned him his release three weeks ago.

Karl offers to help Marty Stanz (Benjamin Rogers), Gordon’s former cellmate, with his upcoming parole hearing if he tells him about Gordon Marty claims Gordon blamed the arresting cop for his girlfriend, Renee, dumping him. He laughs when he figures out Karl arrested Gordon. Karl receives a call from Gordon. He instantly calls him by his real name and recalls how he begged to not be arrested. Karl offers himself in exchange for Cassandra. Wheeler sets up a meeting place on Davis Road and warns him to not bring backup. With only 20 minutes to reach the location, Karl races out of the police station. Later, Wheeler calls Karl from the remote location. Karl and his backup have already been waiting for 30 minutes. Wheeler says what he is experiencing is what it’s like to ruin someone’s life. Cassandra knocks over her chair. She pretends to be weak from not eating. He helps her to the sofa. While he goes to heat up her food, she utilizes the TV remote to access the Internet. Seeing a painting autographed by Moira Fletcher, she types out a message. Back at Davis Road, Karl says Wheeler was never going to let Cassandra go, he wanted to see the desperation on his face. Isabella forwards the message to them. Karl recalls Moira Fletcher, a local artist, and suggests “Conifers at Dawn” is one of her prints. Isabella says Evie and Stefan Rota acquired the print from Chapman’s Gallery in Half Moon Bay at Ruby Road.

Wheeler catches Cassandra sending another message. Karl, Yen, and Sid close in on their location. Utilizing a battering ram, Sid knocks down the door. The house is empty. Karl sees the half-written message on the TV screen. A short time later, they try to trap Wheeler but he veers around their cruisers. Cassandra attacks him from behind. He loses control of the vehicle, causing it to sideswipe a tree. Wheeler puts up a fight but Karl manages to detain him. Cassandra watches as Sid handcuffs him. Later, an EMT treats Cassandra’s wounds. Kendrick tells Yen that Genevieve dropped the complaint against him. She admits to following up on the complaint because her story didn’t add up. He assures her that he did nothing wrong. She urges him to keep it on a professional level. Sid thanks her for intervening to help Kendrick. She says the complaint should have never been filed. Cassandra puts on a brave face. He offers to get her favorite rigatoni from Angelos. She asks him to not visit her at the hospital. He tells her that she is amazing and kisses her. Once alone, she breaks down sobbing.

 

Murder In A Small Town Review

The story takes a different approach which is a pleasant surprise. Cassandra finds herself in a precarious situation because of her connection to Karl. While the abduction case breaks up the monotony, the rescue is a bit too easy. Considering the episode is less than an hour, the writers do a great job keeping the case as real as possible. It deserves a 5.8 out of 10.

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