‘Bellevue’: Annie Makes Contact With the Riddler, Leans Into One Suspect

There are many secrets behind the facade of Bellevue, and the latest murder might lead to a reckoning.

From the first episode, the narrative of Sandy Driver’s 20-year-old murder and recent disappearance of transgender teen Jesse Sweetland seemed connected. Det. Annie Ryder (Anna Paquin) believed it from the start, but police chief Peter Welland (Shawn Doyle) disagreed. However, his intentions for leading Annie in a different direction might not be honorable.

After finding Jesse’s body in the lake by the ruins of the old mental hospital, Annie is convinced the cases are connected after finding an old shack where Sandy was supposedly kept before she was found dead.

Annie confesses to Welland how she found the shack, and Jesse’s body. She followed a clue from the man from her past who sent her riddles as a child and has started doing it again. She says Sandy Driver disappeared before she was supposed to play the Virgin Mary in a Christmas pageant, could she have been kept in the old shack?

Welland is not happy about Annie keeping the contact a secret, especially after he gave her Sandy’s missing fingernails. Welland tells Annie that she must be careful as he could be responsible for the killings. Annie decides to contact the man anyway by leaving the doll he gave her in the old mailbox in the forest.

Back in the police station, the chief reveals Jesse was killed by blunt force trauma to the head the night he disappeared. Since the body was lying on the lake, any DNA evidence was washed away.

Annie stops by the high school hockey practice where coach Tom (Vincent Leclerc) is a mess. Viewers find out Tom used to be a huge star headed for the NHL until he permanently injured his leg in an accident. Annie finds out that Tom was like a father figure for Jesse. Still, she questions his alibi on the night of Jesse’s disappearance. He deflects, saying he was home and his wife can corroborate.

Annie looks more into Tom. She finds out that despite Tom and Jesse being really close, everything changed about a month previously. She notices a truck parked outside her house blaring loud music and investigates. The truck has no license plates. She ventures into the woods and finds a message from the riddler telling her to not be scared.

Annie then finds Welland on the road, Annie tells him she is convinced Tom is a suspect, starting a disagreement that ends with Welland screaming at her and saying she’s becoming obsessed like her late father.

Annie seeks comfort with strangers at the local watering hole, but ends up hooking with her ex Eddie (Allen Leech). Before they can figure out what it means, Annie notices a payphone outside of the bar, with a sign that proves Jesse used it the night he disappeared. At the same time, Welland is at the old shack. At first viewers are led to believe he is there checking it out, but then we see him tearing it apart, throwing Sandy’s fingernails on top of the debris and then setting the whole thing on fire.

The next morning, Annie meets Jesse’s boyfriend Danny (Cameron Roberts), who tells her that Tom and Jesse went to a motel once supposedly to meet a college scout. After that, Danny says, Jesse started hating Tom.

Annie learns that Tom actually took Jesse to the motel to set him up with a prostitute to “man up” and forget the gender confusion. After that reveal Annie is more convinced of Tom’s involvement.

At the police station, they find out that Jesse used the pay phone near the bar to call Tom the night he disappeared. They question Tom but he says he never picked up Jesse, a decision he now regrets. He also denies trying to set Jesse up with a prostitute.

Annie returns to the motel and asks the prostitute to testify. She refuses but reveals that Tom would talk about trying to kill himself 20 years earlier by walking into traffic, and that he remembers his golden days by keeping an old sign with his name on it in the school basement.

Annie determines Tom’s career-ending injury was actually self-inflicted. He walked into traffic days after Sandy was murdered. Annie then checks out the basement while on the phone with Welland and finds a photo of teen Tom. It reveals he was set to play Joseph in the Christmas pageant alongside Sandy.

Annie tells Welland they have to test the shack for Tom’s DNA, but Welland tells her the shack burned down. The phone signal dies and the door to the basement slams shut. Annie sees a shadowy figure outside and who’s throwing oil under the door and lighting a match, but she apologizes for telling anyone that she was talking to him and promises that he can trust her.

The man tells her to not “trust the man with the fire in his eyes,” and then disappears. She escapes from a window and finds Welland, who is standing in front of a fire at his house, and Annie sees the reflection of the fire in his eyes.

Does Welland have a role in Sandy Driver’s death? What did he and the mayor talked about outside of town? How was Tom involved? Who is the riddler and why is he helping Annie? Who else can’t wait til next Tuesday’s episode?

Bellevue airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on WGN America.