Chase Episode 1.04 Paranoia

Conroe, Texas. It's the middle of the night as Jason stumbles into his house. Faith's been expecting him; she sits in the living room with an eerie sense of calm. Jason apologizes but says he means the things he told her. Faith kisses him and shoots him twice in the chest. She tells her daughter Dakota Marie that it's time to go. At H.E.A.T., everyone notices the tension between Annie and Jimmy. He's still upset that she charged a gun-toting fugitive. Noticing everyone's eyes on them, Annie asks Jimmy if he's told the gang about her father. She cut her dad out of her life a long time ago and doesn't want people gossiping about it. That said, she's curious if Jimmy's heard anything about her father's whereabouts. Jimmy says he hasn't, but if he knew where Annie's dad was hiding, he'd arrest him.

Annie briefs the gang about wanted fugitive Faith Maples. She shot her boyfriend Jason Randolph and fled with her daughter Dakota Marie. The police are tracking down the little girl's birth certificate, but in the meantime officers found a picture of her. She looks to be around 5 or 6. Faith had recently moved into Jason's house and there aren't any records of her ever having a job. She has no siblings and her source of income is a mystery. Jimmy suggests they question Faith's divorced parents, but Annie strongly disagrees. Annie thinks it's best to check out Jason's house and learn everything there is to know about Dakota Marie. "The road's no place for a kid. Bringing her in safe is my top priority." Jimmy concedes.

Annie and Daisy investigate Dakota Marie's bedroom. It's clear Faith doted on her little girl; Dakota Marie's closet is full of expensive clothes. By her bedside, photos document each month of her life: Halloween and Christmas parties, ballet and horseback riding Dakota Marie was spared no expense. But where's Faith getting her money? Annie gets a call that Jason's car has been spotted. It's heading north, a clear sign that Faith is going to either her father or mother. Looks like Jimmy's guess was correct. Luke teases Jimmy about his sexual tension with Annie; the gentle ribbing isn't appreciated.

Annie and Daisy interview Faith's mother Penny while Jimmy and Luke talk to Faith's father Shep. Penny last spoke to her daughter five years ago when Faith was planning to introduce her fiancé. Inexplicably, Faith canceled at the last minute. Since then, all Penny's received is a mailed photo of Dakota Marie. Meanwhile, Shep reveals Faith's childhood secret: she shot and killed her brother Ned. Shep forgot to lock up his gun and the next thing he knew, Ned was dead. Faith said it was an accident, but Penny couldn't ever look at Faith the same way again. After the shooting, Shep took his daughter on the road with him. Luke discovers that Shep wired his daughter $300 the night before. Jimmy pressures Shep to reveal where Faith's hiding, arguing that his granddaughter Dakota Marie could be in terrible danger.

At a convenience store, Faith picks up the money Shep wired. Faith asks the clerk if Dakota Marie can use the restroom, but the clerk curtly remarks that it's not for public use. A creepy man offers Faith the bathroom in his nearby motel room. Annie, Daisy and Marco are still reeling from the news that Faith shot and killed her little brother. Annie wonders aloud if maybe it wasn't an accident. Is a child capable of murder? Annie arrives at the convenience store and learns that someone matching Faith's description left only hours ago. The clerk admits to turning Faith away and suggests Annie check out the motel. Annie scolds the clerk for turning Faith and her daughter away and potentially putting them in harm's way.

Annie, Daisy and Marco break into the motel room and find the tenant shot dead. There's no sign of Faith or Dakota Marie. Annie posits that perhaps Faith shot the man when he tried to make a pass on Dakota Marie. In the trashcan, Annie finds some discarded coupons. Faith drives along the highway when she notices police cars up ahead. She tells Dakota Marie to hide as they drive past the scene. Fortunately for Faith, the cops are there due to a car accident. She and Dakota Marie drive off, unrecognized. Back at the motel, Marco tells Annie and Daisy that there's no birth certificate for Dakota Marie. Annie guesses that Faith may be keeping Dakota Marie hidden because she's not her real daughter. Maybe Dakota Marie isn't her real name.

Luke tells Annie that the coupons in the motel room were for Big World, a Halloween store. Annie tells her crew they should proceed with caution in order to make sure Dakota Marie isn't hurt. At Big World, Faith considers costumes with Dakota Marie. When a concerned employee asks if Faith needs help, Faith subtly reaches for her gun. Later that day, the team arrives at Big World. Luke accidentally apprehends the wrong girl, thereby terrifying her innocent mother. Meanwhile, Annie checks out surveillance footage. She sees that Faith used a payphone before she left. Shockingly, additional footage shows Faith talking to herself. There's no Dakota Marie.

Annie and Jimmy realize that Faith might be severely mentally disturbed. Questions overwhelm them: Does Faith shoot people when they question Dakota Marie's existence? Was there ever a real Dakota Marie at all? Marco shares a new clue: at Big World, Faith phoned a man named George after purchasing a "World's Best Dad" T-shirt. Perhaps George is Faith's former fiancé! Luke chimes in with supporting proof: DMV records show that five years ago George got into a car accident on Christmas day. That was the day Faith told her mother she was coming to visit! In any case, George was convicted of involuntary manslaughter because at the time of the accident, Faith was eight months pregnant. She lost the baby.

Faith arrives at George's house in good spirits. She can't stop talking about Dakota Marie and her new princess costume. Seeing Faith in such a delusional state upsets George. He confesses that he's felt guilty ever since the accident. Faith looks confused; she has no recollection of any accident. When George pushes the issue and says that Dakota Marie is dead, Faith snaps and kills George. Shortly after the shooting, Faith wanders into Dakota Marie's room. Seeing it so cold and empty unsettles Faith; she looks down at the gun in her hand and finally seems to snap back into reality. The H.E.A.T. team arrives at George's house and finds his dead body. Faith has left behind Dakota Marie's backpack. Luke opens it and discovers Dakota Marie is actually Bella Thomason, a student at a local elementary school.

Faith arrives at Bella's school, Riverdale Elementary. It's clear they've met before, so Faith doesn't have much trouble luring Bella away. Moments later, Bella's mom Mrs. Thomason arrives at school. Before she gets out of her car, Annie calls to ask Mrs. Thomason if she's heard of Faith Maples. Mrs. Thomason says she got in a fender bender with Faith a couple of months ago. At the time, Bella was in the car. Oddly, soon after the accident, someone broke into Mrs. Thomason's home and stole pictures of Bella. A look of concern flashes across Annie's face as she realizes that Bella's in danger. Mrs. Thomason panics and rushes into Riverdale Elementary but her daughter's gone.

The H.E.A.T. crew questions Mrs. Thomason at Riverdale Elementary. She recalls getting into the accident with Faith and letting her watch Bella while she phoned the police. Annie theorizes that the accident triggered Faith's sad memory of losing her baby. It's no coincidence that Bella is the same age Dakota Marie would have been if she survived. At a diner, Faith offers Bella breakfast, saying, "you love peanut butter pancakes." Confused, Bella says she's allergic to peanuts and asks when she's going to see her mother. Clearly, Faith's unsettled, so she goes to the bathroom to cool off. Bella takes the opportunity to tell a truck driver she's been kidnapped. When Faith finds the truck driver trying to report the kidnapping, she kills him, then runs off with Bella, whom she refers to as Dakota Marie.

Annie and the gang arrive at the diner and see the truck driver's dead body. Faith escaped in his truck; the GPS shows she's headed to her mother Penny's house. Annie guesses that Faith is trying to prove to Penny that she didn't kill her little brother on purpose. Faith is going to use Bella to demonstrate that she's a good, caring person. At Penny's house, Penny recognizes that Faith seems like a good mother to Bella. But Faith seems preoccupied, saying she never meant to kill her brother Ned. It was an accident. Penny believes Faith and apologizes for blaming her for Ned's death. A police helicopter interrupts the touching moment. Faith grabs Bella and speeds off in the trucker's semi.

Faith crashes through a police blockade and speeds down the highway. From the police helicopter, Annie tells Faith to stop the truck and surrender. Up ahead the bridge is blocked off; if Faith keeps going she'll kill herself and Bella. When Faith accelerates, Annie jumps out of the police helicopter and lands on top of the truck! Annie hangs outside the passenger door, desperately trying to convince Faith to stop. In order to avoid a crash, Faith brakes and swerves! The truck's cab dangles off the edge of the bridge. The police chopper drops Annie a wire. They pull Annie and Bella to safety just as the truck falls into the river below. After seeing Bella's tearful reunion with her parents, Annie looks at a childhood photo of herself standing between her parents. She pulls up an empty link chart and types: William Frost.