Jar of Hearts

The newly discovered bodies were buried in almost the exact same place as Angela Wong, in the woods behind Geo’s childhood home. The child is a boy who appears to be about two years old. He was apparently strangled. A heart is drawn on the boy’s chest with lipstick, alongside the words “SEE ME.” The woman’s eyes were gouged out, which—like killing children—isn’t part of the Sweetbay Strangler’s modus operandi. Otherwise, these crimes seem very similar to Calvin’s, in Kaiser’s opinion. A man named Cliff Heller, who lives nearby, found the bodies while walking his dog in the woods. His wife, Roberta Heller, tells Kaiser that Geo’s father, Walter (“Walt”), still lives in the neighborhood and that Geo will be staying with him when she’s released from prison in a few days. Kaiser knocks on Walt’s door and sees him for the first time since Kaiser was a teenager and in love with the man’s daughter. When Kaiser asks if Geo knows where Calvin is, Walt shuts the door in his face.

The murdered boy is identified as 22-month-old Henry Bowen. His parents, Amelia and Tyson Bowen, reported him missing that morning after finding his crib empty and his bedroom window open. The medical examiner tells Kaiser that Henry was healthy and well cared for, with no signs of abuse or neglect. His killer strangled him with bare hands. The as-yet-unidentified woman, on the other hand, was strangled with an object like a belt and dismembered after she was killed. She was likely in her early twenties and had Rohypnol, alcohol, and THC in her system. The examiner found signs of rough sex but couldn’t confirm if it was rape or consensual. He also found traces of condom lube and spermicide. Kaiser and the medical examiner remark on the similarities to Calvin’s modus operandi, but Kaiser reminds himself not to assume it’s Calvin or else he could miss something important.

At the police station, Kaiser breaks the news to Henry’s parents about his death. They reveal that they adopted Henry, suggesting that the woman found with him could be his biological mother. When Kaiser shows them a picture of the woman, they confirm that it’s Henry’s birth mother, Claire Toliver. Kim has a hunch about the lipstick used to draw on Henry’s chest and is able to verify that it was a lipstick made by Shipp Pharmaceuticals. It’s part of a new cosmetic line that isn’t widely available yet. Kim tells Kaiser that someone is clearly trying to get Geo’s attention, and she thinks it must be Calvin.

Kaiser goes over Geo’s correspondence from prison over the last five years and realizes that he missed something before. Ten of the letters she received have different names on them, but they all came from the same address. Moreover, the names all belong to fictional superheroes, like Clark Kent and Tony Stark. The return address leads Kaiser to a woman named Ursula Archer. When he calls her, she tells him about a boy she fostered several years ago named Dominic, who began writing letters to incarcerated individuals as part of a social studies project about life behind bars. Kaiser is disappointed that the letters turn out to have no significance. 

Meanwhile, Kim’s husband either found out about her affair with Kaiser or is at least suspicious. He’s planning to take her away for the weekend to the resort where they got married. To Kaiser, this signals that the affair is over. He’s sad but also relieved.

Kaiser meets with Claire Toliver’s best friend and roommate, Julia Chan. Julia says that she’s been covering for Claire since Thursday at the law firm where they’re both interning. Claire has disappeared in the past after meeting a guy, according to Julia. She assumes that the same thing happened this time and is shocked to learn that Claire was murdered. Julia knows that Claire gave birth to Henry and gave him up for adoption. Kaiser admits to her that Henry was found dead too. Julia last saw Claire on Wednesday night, working her second job in a coffee shop. Kaiser shows her a picture of Calvin, whom she knows by name: He’s the reason Claire disappeared the last time, Julia explains, and he’s Henry’s biological father. He had already ghosted Claire by the time she realized she was pregnant. Since Julia didn’t watch much news five years ago, Kaiser has the unpleasant task of explaining to her that Calvin is the Sweetbay Strangler.