Motive Episode 1.04 Against All Odds

Shawn Mitchell is a high-priced lawyer who makes lots of enemies when he brokers deals. Sarah Muller owns a convenience store. She's a divorced mom who is struggling to make ends meet. She's also the person who killed Shawn Mitchell. The question is... Why?

Shawn Mitchell was stabbed to death in his home. Angie notices an empty spot in the knife rack. The missing murder weapon is tossed over a bridge by Sarah, who had earlier jimmied her way into the Mitchell home. The only thing stolen was a purse belonging to Shawn's wife, Deana. The missing purse ended up in the hands of a homeless woman, who shows Angie where she found it. All indications are that the tires on the car that drove away from the scene were bald. Deana said there was only one working brake light on the vehicle that fled from her house. She also heard a noisy muffler indicating is was an older, beat-up car.

Angie isn't buying into the theory that Mitchell's wife killed him for life insurance money. She learns that the victim hired a slimy P.I. because he thought someone might try to hurt Deana. This leads Angie to Jack Carlin, the owner of a construction firm who got the short end of a merger deal that Shawn Mitchell brokered. The guy made threats, but he's no killer.

Sarah is doing her best to get by without help from her ex-husband, who is suing for access to their daughter. She's a little flustered when questioned about the murder that took place a few blocks away from her store. Later, Sarah delivers groceries to one of her steady customers. She rifles through his wallet when he isn't looking. Back at the convenience store, another regular customer, Derek Crane, is arrested for the murder of Shawn Mitchell. He claims his car was broken into a few days earlier, but the only thing missing were gloves, one of which has been linked to the murder. But Derek alibis out.

Angie believes whoever broke into the Mitchell house and Derek Crane's car got exactly what they were looking for. She lets Sarah know that the murder victim's wife was a customer at her store. She also mentions that the crowbar that was used to break in to the house can be traced. This has Sarah nervous. She heads down to the river to ditch the crowbar, but Angie catches her in the act. As it turns out, a $7 million lottery ticket had been purchased at the convenience store. Sarah attempted to retrieve it from one of three possible customers. When Shawn Mitchell caught her trying to swipe his wife's purse, things got out of control and she killed him. Case closed.