Narrator Nancy (Kennedy McMann) starts off The CW’s Nancy Drew season one episode four talking about Bess. She has concluded Bess is an outsider, a liar, and a thief. And speak of the devil, Bess (Maddison Jaizani) suddenly awakens and asks Nancy if she heard something. They head downstairs to check out the noise and discover the microwave is on. Suddenly, it semi-explodes and the glass cracks. The lights in the living room begin to flicker and then the TV turns on showing the video of the night Tiffany died. The TV then cracks as well.
Nancy’s dad (Scott Wolf) comes running downstairs to see what’s going on and he spots Bess. Nancy introduces Carson to Bess and explains she needed a place to stay. He asks about the TV and she thinks maybe it blew a fuse.
Back in Nancy’s room, Bess spots a picture of Nancy’s mom and wonders why she never talks about her. Nancy states, “Because there is nothing to talk about.” Bess changes the subject, asking what happened to the TV. She thinks it’s Dead Lucy. Just like at the morgue, Nancy chooses to believe it’s a weird glitch.
Nancy has a flashback/dream of getting ready to go to the Winter Formal. She doesn’t want to go; she wants to stay with her dying mother but her mom insists she takes some time off to have fun. After kissing her mom goodbye, she sees her mother’s headstone instead of her mom. She suddenly wakes up.
The next morning her dad asks about Bess and how she knows her. Bess walks into the kitchen just then and Carson asks about how her aunt’s doing. Bess says she’s good and he then asks how she’s doing after her surgery. She says good, again. (This may be a ploy to catch her in a lie.)
Nancy’s dad informs them he won’t be home for dinner. Instead, he’ll be with his client, Ryan Hudson, because today is his wife’s funeral. Carson reveals Tiffany wasn’t murdered after all. The autopsy came back and the coroner determined she died of natural causes. Nancy, of course, doesn’t believe that. Her dad warns her to leave it alone.
Nancy visits the marina to speak with someone who knows Bess’ aunt. She asks the man about Bess and he explains he’s known the Marvin family for almost 20 years and has never heard of anyone named Bess.
Meanwhile, Nick (Tunji Kasim) is at the shop setting up a hidden camera when Nancy calls. They discuss the autopsy report and Nancy explains she’s not giving up just because of the coroner’s findings. Nancy reaches for a newspaper and someone rips it out of her hand and keeps walking. That ‘someone’ is Tiffany’s sister, Laura Tandy (Stevie Lynn Jones).
Laura shows up at the police station demanding to know how they’re going to solve her sister’s murder. Chief McGinnis (Adam Beach) tries to explain it wasn’t a murder, but Laura knows her sister was perfectly healthy. Tiffany had money and her husband was broke. Plus, he was cheating on her. Chief McGinnis and Detective Karen Hart (Alvina August) exchange looks. It appears they might not have known some of that information.
Chief McGinnis calls Ace (Alex Saxon) who’s been working with him. He informs Ace that Laura Tandy is in town and he wants Ace to follow her. Ace wonders if he can get an informant to do it instead, and McGinnis reminds him he’s aware Ace and Laura used to have a thing. Plus, Ace still owes him.
Over at The Claw, Ace suddenly starts to cough and tells George (Leah Lewis) he thinks he’s coming down with something. She tells him to go home because she isn’t taking any more chances.
Bess is also at work at The Claw and hears a strange voice just as Ace scares her.
George attempts to convince Nancy that Tiffany died of natural causes, but Nancy wants to wait until she gets her own toxicology report back. George and Bess want her to drop it since that would mean they’re no longer suspects.
Bess goes into the walk-in freezer and is secretly trying on the stolen ring when she hears a voice in the vent. As she creeps closer to the vent, the cover shoots out at her and she screams. Nancy and George come running and find Bess on the ground. She cries out, “Help me! It came out of the vent!”
They all notice she has fresh scratches on her calves.
Bess is explaining she heard voices when George realizes Bess is wearing Tiffany’s engagement ring. George asks if she killed her and Bess claims she found the ring on the ground. She didn’t know it was Tiffany’s when she found it and then they became suspects and she didn’t know what to do. George thinks ghosts don’t normally go around attacking people so maybe it isn’t Dead Lucy. George believes Bess made a spirit mad…maybe Tiffany?
Ace spies on Laura and is following her around town when she catches him. She’s aware he’s been following her for the past couple of hours and wants to know what his deal is. They hung out all last summer and then he never called her. He says he’s sorry about her sister and Laura confesses the last time they spoke they got into an argument. She asks if he knows anything about her death and Ace informs her his co-workers were brought in for questioning. He also reveals Tiffany called 9-1-1 right before she died.
Ace says there’s a recording of the call and Laura asks him to hack the system and retrieve it.
Carson and Ryan (Riley Smith) meet and Ryan hands Carson a statement his family would like him to read after the funeral. He then asks Carson when he’ll be getting the money from Tiffany’s estate. Carson explains he needs the autopsy report and Tiffany’s death certificate first.
Suspicions aroused, Nancy goes through Bess’ locker at work and finds a British passport under the name Bess Turani. Bess catches her and demands to know what she’s doing. Nancy replies, “You tell me, Bess Turani.” They’re interrupted when George comes in and informs them they’re having a team meeting. She introduces them to her mom, Victoria (Liza Lapira), who’s going to be the one who helps with the spirit.
Bess shows her what happened to her legs and George’s mom believes it’s the work of a new ghost who doesn’t know what to do yet. The attack seems like a cry for help. Victoria explains there are two sides and the ones in the middle are stuck in the between and think they’re still alive. Tiffany’s there now because of her funeral.
Victoria reveals that in order to get rid of the ghost, they need to place the ring back on Tiffany’s finger. Not only that, but they also need to place a mirror over Tiffany’s heart so she sees her own reflection.
Back at home, Nancy finds papers on her dad’s desk, and then as soon as he walks in, she confronts him about the autopsy being wrong. There isn’t any mention of a puncture wound behind her ear. Carson questions how she knows about a puncture wound and Nancy confesses she put it there. She assures him she wants the truth and Carson admits he has medical bills as well as her bail to pay. Nancy becomes upset and thinks he’s shifting blame to his dead wife and daughter to cover the fact he’s selling out.
Nancy attends Tiffany’s funeral and observes the guests. Nick’s there staring at a picture of Tiffany and he confesses he wishes Nancy knew her. Laura joins them and says Tiffany spoke highly of him.
Ace is also there and Chief McGinnis asks if he talked to Laura. He confirms he did, but she doesn’t know any more than anyone else.
Carson speaks with Ryan’s dad, Everett Hudson (Martin Donovan), at the funeral while Bess’ aunt asks about Bess. Bess walks away suddenly when she’s supposed to be on door duty for George.
And speaking of George, she’s in the room with Tiffany and places the ring on her finger while apologizing for sleeping with her husband. Ryan and Everett come in to pay their respects and George is forced to take the ring back and hide. She hears Everett tells his son, “Well, glad that’s over.” Ryan reminds him he’s talking about his deceased wife.
After they leave, she places the ring back on Tiffany’s finger and runs out. However, she forgot to place the mirror in the casket.
As everyone’s leaving Nancy begins speaking in a loud voice about Bess and her family. This upsets Bess and she demands to know what Nancy wants from her. Nancy simply replies, “Answers.”
Nancy wants to know the truth behind Bess’ visit to Horseshoe Bay. Bess reveals she thinks she’s a Marvin but isn’t sure. As she talks, Bess does so in her British accent. She says she needs a DNA sample to see if they’re related.
While everyone is gathered at the gravesite, Tiffany’s 9-1-1 call plays out for everyone to hear. Laura’s responsible and informs those gathered there’s no way her sister died of natural causes. She believes Tiffany was murdered and she will prove it.
Ace and Chief McGinnis walk back to his truck and McGinnis reminds Ace he’s taking it easy on him and that they have a deal. He says if Ace breaks that deal, he can revoke their arrangement and prosecute him to the fullest extent.
Karen finds Nancy and lets her know that if she needs to talk, she’s there for her. Nancy stops in front of Lucy Sable’s grave and asks Karen if she knew her. Karen reveals they were in the same graduating class in high school, and Nancy asks if they know what killed Lucy. Karen says all they have is a bloody knife and tire tracks at the scene. Karen changes the subject and asks if she’s visited her mom’s grave.
George stands in front of the grave and talks to Tiffany. She’s apologizing again when some sort of fog rises out of the grave. She continues anyway, telling Tiffany she hopes she’s at peace.
Nancy walks to her mother’s grave and finds her dad standing there. He believes this tension between them needs to stop. She blames him for the fact she wasn’t there when her mom died. He could have called her but instead she was at a dance.
After her dad leaves, she admits to her mom she doesn’t believe in ghosts. If they were real, her mom would have visited her.
Carson reads the statement from the Hudson family to the press. The Hudsons are going to create a nonprofit organization in Tiffany’s name. The press asks about the autopsy and Carson says his client is confident in the results. Ryan attempts to cut Carson off, but Carson continues and expresses his opinion that the autopsy is inconclusive.
Laura tracks Ace down and apologizes for betraying him about the 9-1-1 call. She confesses she really did miss him and he reminds her she’s the one who left. He says, “You threw me. When I was with you, it was intense.” She kisses him.
Nick goes back to his shop and discovers someone was in it.
Detective Nancy watches the video of the night Tiffany died and thinks maybe she’s been looking at the wrong thing. She sees Tiffany dropping her ring which verifies Bess didn’t kill her for her ring. While watching the video, a figure appears and then Nancy’s laptop screen breaks. Bess comes in and they apologize to each other for earlier.
After Bess leaves, Nancy opens her laptop and studies the cracks in her screen. She realizes it’s the same pattern as the ones on her microwave and TV. And, she thinks she’s seen this pattern before. It’s in the shape of a map of Horseshoe Bay and the epicenter of the crack is her high school!
As the episode ends, we see Bess looking at an invitation to a Marvin gala. Nick watches footage from his hidden camera and he sees Laura taking a flash drive. Ace and Laura get hot and bothered while Nancy Drew sneaks around her old high school in her trusty beanie and spots an old photo peeking out of the display case. The photo is of Lucy and Karen which means Karen lied about not really knowing her. She snaps a photo of it with her phone.
George is leaving The Claw when the fog returns and knocks her down. She begins to talk but it’s Tiffany’s voice coming out of her. She’s repeating the 9-1-1 call and the fog seems to be coming from the mirror she was supposed to place in Tiffany’s casket. George suddenly passes out.
- Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
- Season 1 Episode 2 “The Secret of the Old Morgue” Recap
- Season 1 Episode 3 “The Curse of the Dark Storm” Recap
- Season 1 Episode 5 “The Case of the Wayward Spirit” Recap
- Season 1 Episode 6 “The Mystery of Blackwood Lodge” Recap
