Motive Episode 1.10 Fallen Angel

Father Noel Barnett is a caring priest at the financially troubled St. Rock's Church. For many years, he has singlehandedly been keeping the church afloat, but how? Felix Hausman is a down and out chef who never seems to get a break in life. He is also the one that kills Father Barnett. The question is...Why?

Poor Felix gets fired from his job in the kitchen of an upscale restaurant. Soon after, we see Flynn and Vega at St. Rock's Church to examine the victim, Father Barnett, who is dead on the floor in a pool of blood. They determine that he died of a blunt force trauma to the head and a slashed throat. They also have a garbled 911 call with the victim mumbling something that sounds like "husband."

When Flynn and Vega examine Father Barnett's sparsely furnished home and see the simple life he led, they begin to understand how much he sacrificed for the good of the parish. They find a day planner with "RS/DV" written inside it. What does it mean?

Felix goes to prison to visit Woz, a friend of his father's who is dying of lung cancer in prison. Woz admits to being responsible for Felix's hard life and pledges to make things right. Felix presses Woz for the location of his father, but Woz says he doesn't know.

Upset and desperate for cash, Felix makes a risky bet with his bookie, Clive, a shady butcher. Felix has been fending off Clive's demands to settle his gambling debt by claiming that he has a large inheritance coming. When Felix's bet doesn't come through, he has to find a way to pay back Clive, and fast.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Vega interview a teen at a youth center who tells them that Father Barnett left with a woman on the night of the murder. That woman is Rita Sopresa (the "RS" in the day planner note). It turns out that Father Barnett was actually saving Rita, a victim of domestic violence, (the "DV" in the same note).

When they interview Rita, they discover that Father Barnett gave her some diamonds to help her get back on her feet, away from her abusive husband. Flynn and Vega realize that this is the true motivation behind the murder.

In flashback, Father Barnett tells Felix there is no Marker 923, but Felix doesn't believe him. We find out that Father Barnett actually raised Felix after Felix was sent to an orphanage next door to the church.

Flynn and Vega interview a cemetery worker who mentions an unusual gravestone replacement. Why would someone want to change the headstone of a 10 yr old girl that died 80 years ago? They also find some grass that had been recently dug up.

We soon discover that Woz and Felix's father pilfered $2 million in diamonds years go, which were never found. When they visit the prison to see Woz, they learn that he died two weeks earlier, but he had a visitor, Felix Hausman before he died.

Flynn and Vega bring in Felix. He's not in great shape, having had his finger broken by Clive when his lie about the non-existent inheritance was discovered. Vega shows Felix a box that Woz left for him, which contains a note indicating that Marker 923 would take care of Felix.

When it's Flynn's turn to question Felix, she asks him about the gambling debts and why he covered up the grave instead of digging up the diamonds.

In flashback, we see why. Felix found his father's body at Marker 923, but no diamonds. Father Barnett confronts Felix in the cemetery and tells him that he found the diamonds years ago. Although he raised Felix, he admitted to giving Felix hope that his father was still alive by sending him fake postcards for 20 years.

In a rage, Felix slams Father Barnett in the head with his shovel. Barnett struggles back to the church to place his 911 call, but Felix follows him and finishes the job with a shovel to the throat just after Father Barnett utters his last words..."Hausman."