Motive (US Series)

The killer is a photographer named Ian Weaver, who just got engaged to his girlfriend of three years. Their relationship began after the suicide death of her former boyfriend and the biological father of her now six-year-old son. The victim is former art school student Kevin Carpenter, who had just returned to Vancouver following three years of traveling in India, Nepal and Thailand. His dead body is found in his motel room bathtub, his wrists slashed. Despite a suicide note being found, which is later identified as being in his handwriting, it is determined that he was not the one to inflict the fatal wounds. Items found also indicate that he was a Buddhist. He made three calls from his motel room — to his sister Shelly Carpenter, to a convenience store, and to directory assistance, in which he was looking for a Robin Keaton. Shelly states that neither Kevin nor Robin came in contact. The reason for Kevin wanting to find Robin, and what happened in the timeline of Kevin's expulsion from art school to his departure on his trip two days later provide the biggest clues to finding the killer. This case is the first in the department for new team leader, Sergeant Mark Cross, who replaces the promoted Bloom. Angie has problems with Cross's appointment. Someone else should have gotten the job, and she and Cross have a ten-year undisclosed history. She refuses to let his presence push her out from the department.

A seemingly straightforward case of self-defense during a home invasion turns out to be more complicated than originally thought when a mother (Jennifer Beals) goes to extreme lengths to protect her drug-addicted son. Meanwhile, tensions flare when Cross asserts his authority and Angie pushes back.

Damian Cutter (Niall Matter), a former special ops soldier in Afghanistan, steals the identity of a buddy still stationed there. He flies to Vancouver and avenges the death of his sister, whom he believed had been drowned by her husband, Kurt Taylor (Carlos Bernard), in St. Lucia some years prior. Taylor remarried, but was in love with another woman. Instead of killing Taylor, Cutter murders the other woman, the person Taylor most loved. Meanwhile, more of Angie's past relationship with Cross is revealed. He was married at the time of their affair.

Coroner Dr. Matthews (Corbin Bernsen) is murdered by a construction worker named Diane (Erica Cerra). Her husband, Brad Hitchens, was in jail and Matthews was testifying in his case. Dr. Rogers takes his place in Hitchens' trial, only to learn Matthews actually lied about the evidence and was testifying to send the innocent Hitchens to jail for a crime he did not commit. Matthews had been taking the law into his own hands, after his granddaughter drowned and nothing had been done to those responsible for her. Meanwhile, Hitchens gets killed in prison.

Eighteen-year-old Emily Williams (AJ Michalka), a senior at Queen's Cross Academy, is killed by fellow student Janine Boxton (Alexia Fast), younger sister of Emily's ex-boyfriend, Aidan Boxton. The Boxtons were like a second family to Emily, with Janine trying to emulate her as much as possible. Rumors had circulated that Emily was having a sexual relationship with a married teacher, which led to her recent attitude change. She broke up with Aidan and decided not to attend college with him the following year. Her attitude change is shown to be from getting pregnant, ultimately leading to her murder. Meanwhile, two potential office relationships arise, one between Cross and prosecutor Samantha Turner, and the other between Officer Sung and Lucas, who is married.

Bartender Jake Daley is killed by web design owner Heather Williamson. Jake and Heather had grown close after he stopped a guy from groping her. Heather's friend Gordon (Jason Dohring) did not like Jake. Gordon's wife, Kim, stated he did not like any of Heather's boyfriends. After Heather kills Jake, she calls Gordon with his cell phone to show a connection. This, combined with Gordon purchasing items to help her dispose of Jake's body, makes him the prime suspect. However, Heather killed Jake after thinking he cheated on her and he then broke up with her. Gordon had caused her to think that way, not realizing she would kill Jake.

Angie and Vega are called away from his father's wedding to what appears to be a skydiving accident. However, as the investigation proceeds, they realize it was a homicide. The victim was drugged with high levels of opioids immediately before his death. Clues indicate a compassionate killer in this challenging case. Meanwhile, Angie tries to regain Vega's trust by sharing a sensitive file about a case she worked on with Sergeant Cross ten years ago.

Peter Ward (Paul Campbell) is the home-care nurse for Olivia Dent, a woman with an auto-immune kidney disease. Her son James was found nearly dead after he made a 9-1-1 call of being assaulted. He is declared brain dead, but is kept on life support at the hospital. Olivia and James have been estranged for some months, even though she provided him with a business, a rehearsal space, on which he could earn a living. Voice recognition proves that the 9-1-1 call was not made by James himself. A situation at the hospital points to Peter as the perpetrator. Angie and Oscar must figure out why Peter did not initially kill James before he made the call, if the motive was purely to inherit Olivia's estate instead of James. Meanwhile, Brian, separated from his wife Mary, turns to Officer Sung for support. Also, the professional divide between Angie and Mark that occurred ten years ago begins to reveal itself.

When the owner (Jennifer Irwin) of a popular diner is killed in a kitchen explosion, Angie and Oscar discover her controlling personality put her at odds with many people, including her son. The team learns that a former employee had something the victim was determined to fight for, even at the cost of her life. Meanwhile, Angie is asked to be a character witness for Sergeant Cross. Unsure of what to do, she shares the real truth about their past with Oscar.

John Rivera, an immigrant chair-holder at an equestrian center, is killed after marrying into a rich lifestyle. Although his father-in-law is pretentious and his wife Jennifer has an alibi, neither of them killed John. His other wife, Isabelle, an immigrant nanny, kills him when she learns of his second marriage. It is also revealed that John had planned to kill Isabelle to cover up that part of his life. Meanwhile, prosecutor Samantha Turner confronts Angie about testifying, and Vega sets a staff sergeant straight regarding Angie.

Bryce Kovack owns and operates a garage with his brothers Brent and Donnie. The Kovacks live in the family home, with their younger sister Erin, who just returned home from dental hygiene school. Joey Dunkamp, a real estate agent for high-end properties, is found shot dead in his car. It is determined that he was not shot in the car, when the detectives later find the primary crime scene to be his trendy new office. Dunkamp was killed when fired upon at close range, but Betty also finds two bruises from shots from blanks also fired at close range. Joey was the type of person who gave and enjoyed favors to get what he wanted, personally and professionally, often coming close to scamming people. Evidence eventually leads to Donnie Kovack, but the entire family must be investigated. Meanwhile, Samantha asks Cross to convince Angie to testify on his behalf, which he is unwilling to do. However, Angie reluctantly gets involved in the case through other means.

A best-selling murder mystery author (Enuka Okuma) dies from a rare but extremely potent toxin. Angie and Vega must sort out fans from enemies. The investigation takes a turn when a prime suspect ends up the second victim. Meanwhile, Samantha pushes Angie for the truth about her past with Cross, and Angie receives a pleasant surprise. Elsewhere, Lucas struggles with his marriage.

Prosecutor Samantha Turner is the murder victim. All the evidence points to Cross, who was also in a relationship with her. Refusing to believe he could be a murderer, Angie supports him but not everyone, including Vega, agrees with her. Bloom considers suspending Cross. An old case from Angie and Cross's past also resurfaces, which may force them to reveal the secret they have hidden all this time.