Chase Episode 1.09 Crazy Love

Jackson Cooper drives his anxious girlfriend Carina home in the wee hours of the morning. Seeing the house lights on, Carina worries that her dad is going to punish her for sneaking out again. Jackson says he'll wait outside to make sure Carina's okay. Moments later, Carina's dad Allen berates his 16-year-old daughter for dating a 26-year-old. Allen says he's phoned the police; after all, this constitutes statutory rape. Jackson interrupts the argument and tells Carina to get into his car. Inside the house, Jackson pulls a gun on Allen and shoots him dead. Jackson then gets into the car and drives off with Carina, who has no idea that inside the house, her father is dead.

At H.E.A.T., Luke tells Annie that he can't stop thinking about Carson Puckett, the fugitive he killed. Annie can relate - she murdered the serial killer Curt Seaver - but explains that it's best not to overthink these things. Puckett and Seaver were bad people and they deserved what they got. Jimmy enters with news that Jackson Cooper shot his 16-year-old girlfriend Carina's dad. Since there weren't any records on Jackson until three years ago, his name's probably an alias. Jackson muffled the gunshot with a pillow, a clear sign that he didn't want Carina to know he killed her father. Carina's mother died of cancer, a sad fact that seems to resonate with Annie. Annie decides to interview Carina's friends in order to confirm that she's a hostage, not an accomplice.

On a Texas highway, Jackson convinces Carina that her father will be fine without her. Back at H.E.A.T., Annie and Luke talk to Carina's best friend Hazel Clemmons. Hazel says Jackson came onto Carina at the mall, claiming that she had sad eyes. Carina used to talk about running away to California, the place her beloved mother died. That was until Carina's boyfriend Jackson cheered her up. But Carina's dad wasn't a fan of Jackson, and took away his daughter's car and cell. Hazel bought Carina a cell phone and it proved very useful; Carina updates a blog called "Wouldn't It Be Nice" twice a day from that phone. The title is a reference to Carina's mother's favorite Beach Boys song. Annie decides to track down Carina's cell phone and interview Jackson's roommates.

The H.E.A.T. team busts into Jackson's old apartment. Jackson's roommates describe him as a loser who hits on teenagers at the local mall. Worse, he always left the apartment littered with sunflower seed shells. The only valuable information they have is that Jackson's driving a used BMW. At a gas station, Carina uses her cell phone to update her blog with some poetry. Inside the public restroom, Jackson attacks an innocent man and steals his wallet and car keys. Jackson tells Carina he "traded" his car in for a fancy new convertible. Naïve and wanting to believe Jackson, Carina jumps into the new ride. But her excitement subsides when Jackson confiscates her cell phone. He says now that she's a runaway, cops will be attempting to track her. The cell phone, then, has got to go.

Annie reads Carina's blog updates to Jimmy. The entries are poignant; one details the time Carina spread her mother's ashes in the Pacific Ocean near Point Dume. Posting as Annie5Star, Annie responds to Carina's blog post, stating that her mother died too, and that it gets easier to handle over time. Just then, Daisy enters with news that Jackson's (borrowed) car has been spotted at a gas station. At the gas station, the H.E.A.T. team discovers that Jackson killed a man and stole his car and wallet. Luke says that before heading off, Jackson bought a book on scenic back roads. He also managed to destroy Carina's cell phone by driving over it.

At a tattoo parlor, Jackson and Carina get matching sun and moon tattoos. When the tattoo artist flirts with Carina, Jackson gets jealous and asks Carina to wait in the car. In the passenger seat, Carina finds the cell phone belonging to the slain car owner. She posts a picture of her tattoo on her blog and hides the phone as Jackson nears the car. Annie checks Carina's blog. Carina has posted a picture of her tattoo and replied to Annie's post. In a way, they've become pen pals. Luke enters with news: Jackson's wanted in three other states for statutory rape. In one case, the victim was never found! But where's Jackson now? All they know is that he's driving a Mustang convertible, and Carina's using the victim's cell phone. Marco learns of the assaulted tattoo artist and connects the crime to Jackson.

In New Mexico, Jackson gives Carina a wild driving lesson. Carina accidentally crashes the car into a roadblock, but instead of getting angry, Jackson smiles. He picks up a rock and smashes it through the windshield, just for kicks. When Jackson realizes that Carina has been chatting with Annie online however, he finally becomes angry. Jackson smashes the phone into smithereens and flags down a good Samaritan for a ride. Hours later, the H.E.A.T. team finds the abandoned car and the destroyed cell phone. At a bar, Jackson apologizes to Carina for losing his temper. Sensing that Carina's upset and missing her father, Jackson proposes. Carina says yes and they kiss.

Jackson and Carina celebrate their engagement over drinks at a bar. But when the bartender refuses to serve the drunk and underage Carina another beer, Jackson gets irate. He pulls a gun on the bartender, then steals his car keys and his money. Shaken, Carina heads towards the car. Inside, Jackson and the bartender scuffle; Jackson runs off with a minor bullet wound. Jimmy and Annie get word that the bartender's bullet grazed Jackson. Now the couple's inexplicably heading north towards Flagstaff. Annie recalls that one of Jackson's statutory rape victims - Rachel Hendricks - was from a town near Flagstaff. Records show she was a paramedic; looks like Jackson's looking for some medical treatment from an old flame!

Jackson and a hungover Carina pull up to Rachel's house. Jackson asks Carina to wait in the car, but her curiosity gets the best of her. When Carina enters the house, she sees Rachel treating Jackson's wound. A little boy sits nearby. Most alarmingly, Rachel has a moon tattoo identical to Carina's! Later, Jimmy and Annie interview Rachel. Rachel says she treated Jackson because he threatened to hurt their son Adam if she didn't. Miles away, Jackson tells Carina that Rachel doesn't mean anything to him anymore. Still reeling from the realization that Jackson has a child, Carina says she just wants to go back to her dad. When Jackson laughs menacingly, Carina starts to realize that they're headed to Mexico - not California - and that Jackson may have hurt her father.

In a show of mercy and cruelty, Jackson allows Carina to phone her father from a payphone. Annie intercepts the call and talks directly to Carina. Annie identifies herself as "Annie5Star" and warns Carina that she's in danger. Carina reveals that Jackson's taking her to Mexico, but before she can elaborate further Jackson hangs up the phone. At the U.S./Mexico border, the H.E.A.T. team talks to a man who accepted money to drive Jackson and Carina across the border. The man says Carina wore a baseball cap. Annie rushes off immediately; if Jackson and Carina are already in Mexico, there's nothing Annie can do!

Annie sees Jackson shuttle Carina across the border. Annie wants to follow but Marco stops her. U.S. Marshals don't have the authority to make arrests in Mexico. Back at H.E.A.T., Annie's clearly upset about losing Carina. Marco offers to contact the Mexico City Field Office about issuing a warrant. Suddenly Annie receives a chilling text from Carina. It simply reads: "Help me." A determined Annie goes straight to a police station in Mexico headed by her pal Fernando "Fernie" Aguilar. Fernie tells Annie that Jackson and Carina are holed up in a nearby hotel. Annie can search for Jackson, but since she’s in Mexico as a liaison and not a U.S. Marshal, she has to depend on the Mexican authorities to actually make the arrest.

At an outdoor market, Jackson tries to sell Carina on the idea of settling down on a Mexican beach. Carina feigns excitement, then claims she left her purse in the hotel room. Moments after Carina walks off, Jackson sees her purse in the passenger seat and realizes he's been played. Jackson chases after Carina but encounters Annie instead. Annie can't make an arrest, but Fernie and his friends sure can! After a dramatic chase - and with a little help from Annie and her friends - the Mexican police arrest Jackson for bringing a minor into Mexico. In weeks he'll be extradited to the U.S. and convicted of murder. Annie has a poignant goodbye with her friend Carina, now an orphan. As Annie reads Carina's blog aloud, the sad words about the death of Carina's mother seem to resonate with Annie.