The Night Shift

Chris and Julie question whether they have a legal obligation to share Jesse’s cell phone with the prosecution. Chris’s girlfriend, Clare, tells him that it is a conflict of interest for him to work on this case, given the possibility that Vince could be implicated. She tells him that she must report it to the court as an ethics violation. Chris reflects on the day he graduated law school. On that day, he finally gave up hope of reuniting with his mother, who abandoned him and Vince when she left Rusty.

Keller and Atticus help with the raid on Rusty’s storage facility. In a Trojan horse operation, they stop the delivery trucks before they arrive, then offer leniency if the drivers allow them to hide inside the trucks as they enter the storage facility.

The raid is successful, and Rusty is arrested. He does not seem too worried until Keller and Atticus get suspicious about a storage unit that is not listed on the register. Inside, they find a bag of stolen mail from 1996 and a toxic waste drum. They open the drum to find a decomposing body with long hair and the remains of a sun dress.

Chris and Julia decide to hand the phone over to the prosecution after they take time to analyze its contents. The prosecution believes that Jesse killed the Creamery employees and merely pretended to be one of the victims, then stole the victims’ phones to hide her dispute with Madison.

A YouTube excerpt portrays Mr. Nirvana at a “ship graveyard” known as Arthur Kill between New Jersey and Staten Island. He claims to have played there as a child and says he might camp out there that night.

Ella remembers a day that she spent with Vince at Coney Island in 1999. Vince showed an interest in Ella and told her that he and Katie were just friends. Although there was a group of boys harassing other people around them, Vince made Ella feel safe.

Chris goes to Arthur Kill but does not find Vince. Suddenly, a teenage boy with a bandaged nose tries to rob him at knifepoint. The girl with him looks traumatized and mouths that she needs help. Chris fights the boy so that the girl can run away. He subdues the boy and calls 911, feeling a sense of pride. Then, someone attacks him from behind, and Chris loses consciousness.

It is now the third day after the Creamery killings. Keller is confident that the body in Rusty’s storage unit belongs to Mary Whitaker, Vince and Chris’s mother. The lead prosecutor was never made aware of the facts omitted from the Blockbuster case file, such as Katie’s pregnancy and what the killer said to Ella. Now, he encourages Keller to find out who worked the case that may have been close with Katie’s family.

Jesse explains to Ella that she had been writing a piece on the Blockbuster killings for the school paper. Mr. Parke invited her over to talk about it. Having pizza and soda was the last thing she remembered. Mr. Parke’s fiancée found the nude photos of Jesse on his phone, and Madison spread rumors that Jesse seduced her teacher and made a porn video with him. Jesse went to the Creamery to confront her but chickened out at the last minute and went to the bathroom, after which she was attacked by the killer. Jesse says that she left her phone in Ella’s car on purpose because it has evidence that Vince might be innocent.

Chris has not shown up for work, but Jesse shows the rest of her defense team the evidence that Chris is Vince’s brother. She also admits to learning that Katie gave her baby up for adoption the year before she was killed. Ella realizes that Vince could not be the father because he didn’t meet Katie until her junior year. Finally, Jesse reveals that she is Katie’s daughter.

Keller learns that Atticus’s father died when Atticus was in high school; he was working security in a bank during a robbery. Atticus wants to join the FBI but has to stay close to home for now because his mother’s health is poor. Keller says that she is planning a stakeout to tie up loose ends on the Blockbuster case, and she invites Atticus to join her.

Chris wakes up in the hospital and learns that the girl he helped is now safe; the boy who was abusing her has been arrested. Chris’s boss visits and reveals his knowledge of Chris’s past identity. He also reveals that Rusty was arrested for killing someone whom he thinks is Chris’s mother. Chris is devastated, but he is also relieved to learn that she never abandoned him. He wants to stay on Jesse’s case but knows that it is not an option.

Ella remembers talking to Vince outside work on the night of the Blockbuster murders. Vince reassured her that he and Katie were just friends, but he suspected that Katie’s ex had keyed his car. Ella and Vince planned to attend a party together that night after work.

Keller and Atticus follow Katie’s mother as she leaves home so that they can talk to her alone. Mrs. McKenzie appears to buy drugs from a dealer on a corner, then delivers a cake to her church, where they approach her. She says that Katie wouldn’t tell her who the father of her baby was, but she assumed that it was Vince. She admits that Joe Arpeggio was the family friend who kept all mention of Katie’s pregnancy out of the case file.

Keller learns who Chris is in relation to the Blockbuster case. She visits him in the hospital and asks about his mother and Vince. Chris tells her about Vince’s character and says that he doesn’t know where Vince is. Arpeggio calls Keller and tells her that Rusty wants to make a deal. He claims to have information that they will want.