Colter Shaw’s on the case of a student who goes missing on CBS’s Tracker season one episode four. After Noah, a student at Shelter Stone Academy for troubled teens, missed his weekly call with his mom Erika (Marley Shelton), she became worried. Fortunately, she’s friends with Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene) and Reenie knows just the right guy to help find her missing son.
The school won’t give Erika any info, but Colter (Justin Hartley) promises to find out what’s going on. He’s already learned it’s a gated campus with lots of security and a policy of not being open about activities within its boundaries. Erika believes her son is doing great right now but confesses this place was his last chance. He has a problem with drugs.
Colter listens but doesn’t judge.
The head of the school, Mr. Gilroy (Peter Bryant) meets with Reenie, Erika, and Colter and confirms Noah’s whereabouts are unknown. However, he stops short of saying Noah’s missing. Gilroy has activated the 12-member security team, led by Tom Ritter, and they’re combing the campus in case Noah is hiding out somewhere.
Colter’s not buying it and asks why Gilroy seems nervous. Gilroy expresses concern that Noah left to score drugs after revealing that he relapsed four months ago. He attempts to throw Colter out, but you can’t easily get rid of the tracker once he’s on the case. Gilroy gives in and allows Colter to look around for 30 minutes.
Erika and Reenie head to Noah’s dorm room as Gilroy gives Colter a tour. There are numerous security cameras, and Gilroy points out where Noah was last seen in the footage. Colter notes there’s a blind spot in the coverage nearby. Some students also knew about the blind spot.
Tom Ritter (Chris William Martin) and a student named Johnny join them and Johnny says the last he saw of Noah, he was leaving the library. Colter picks up that Johnny’s not being allowed to provide real details.
Colter calls Velma (Abby McEnany) and Teddi (Robin Weigert) as he heads to Noah’s dorm room. He wants the 4-1-1 on the Shelter Stone Academy, and Teddi promises to get right on it.
Erika and Reenie look around Noah’s room and don’t find any clues. Erika points out her bracelet and says that Noah has a matching one just as Colter arrives to do his own inspection of the room. Colter finds a bag with a girl’s things in it, and Erika admits she was unaware that Colter has a girlfriend.
“Teenagers only talk to teenagers,” says Colter.
Next, Colter speaks with Johnny alone and gets him to reveal that the last time he saw Noah was by the blind spot near the maintenance sheds. Noah was with Zeke, a handyman at the facility, and Noah looked scared.
Colter joins Reenie, Erika, and Tim in Gilroy’s office and informs them of Zeke’s possible involvement. Tim admits they just learned that Zeke didn’t show up for work today, and they’re pulling security footage right now. The footage shows Zeke leaving, and it’s obvious Noah’s hiding in his backseat. It’s possible Noah’s been kidnapped and didn’t run away.
A short while later, Tim reveals the police checked Zeke’s apartment and he hasn’t been there since yesterday morning. Reenie asks for Zeke’s employee file, and Colter promises to do everything within legal means to locate Noah. Gilroy doesn’t believe that’s necessary since the police are on the case, but Tim agrees that Colter’s involvement would be helpful.
Colter calls Bobby (Eric Graise) to search for Zeke’s phone. Bobby does, and doesn’t get anything useful because it might be out of cell range. However, his call log shows eight calls to Lisa Jefferson last night before it went silent.
Bobby gives Colter Lisa’s address, and Colter pays her a visit. A movement inside the house gets his spidey senses tingling, and he grabs his gun before approaching the house. He’s proved right when it’s obvious someone broke the front door.
Lisa answers, sporting a black eye. She delays inviting Colter in, but finally opens the door and reveals multiple bruises. Noah is her boyfriend, but he’s not responsible for her injuries. She describes him as sweet and says they keep in touch when they can, but it’s tough with him still at the Academy.
She also reveals that Zeke’s a good guy and had nothing to do with her injuries. He helped Noah sneak off campus to see her after Ray – her jealous, crazy ex – beat her up. Ray’s a dealer who supplies drugs to the students at Shelter Stone. Noah was helping her stay clean and break away from Ray, and that made him angry.
Noah was going to talk to Ray at a dive bar outside of town and warn him to leave Lisa alone or he’ll call the cops. She doesn’t know if they ever met up. Colter assures her that none of this is her fault and asks if Reenie can stay with her until they find Noah. Lisa agrees and tells Colter everything she knows about Ray.
Ray has quite a criminal history, and Reenie’s making note of everything he just did to Lisa. Tim arrives and Colter fills him in on what he’s learned, and Tim’s happy to know that Zeke is the decent man they believed him to be.
Tim takes off to check out Zeke’s place while Colter heads to the biker bar where Ray works. The bouncer grudgingly answers Colter’s questions and confirms Noah and Zeke stopped by last night. He calls Ray a “whack job” and says he lost it when confronted by Noah. He may have pulled his gun, and Noah and Zeke got scared and returned to their car. Ray took off after them.
Teddi and Velma’s research on Ray turns up the deed to a remote cabin he owns. He inherited it and it’s close to where Colter is right now. Colter’s on the road as they talk and Velma’s concerned when Colter abruptly says, “What the hell?!”
A man emerges from the bushes and falls in the middle of the road in front of Colter’s truck. Colter tells Velma to send an ambulance to his location and then springs into action. It turns out the man is Zeke, and that he’s been shot. Unfortunately, he dies after collapsing on the road.
Colter searches the nearby woods, gun drawn, and finds Zeke’s vehicle. It rolled over and there are bullet holes and blood. Ray must have run Zeke off the road. Colter calls Reenie while looking at Zeke’s car and fills her in on the fresh developments. Colter concludes that Noah is injured based on the blood splatters inside the vehicle. Footprints show Noah crawled from the car and ran, with Ray chasing him.
A flashlight pierces the dark, but it’s Tim there to help. (He’s ex-Navy and promises not to slow Colter down.) They decide not to wait for the police and follow the footprints for half a mile until Colter spots more blood drops. Based on their current state, Colter believes there’s a 70% chance the wounds aren’t life-threatening. But it has been 24 hours since Ray shot up Zeke’s car, so they need to find Noah ASAP.
They discover a flashlight and assume Ray dropped it, but the tracks aren’t obvious anymore. Colter and Tim split up to continue their search, with Colter tackling the rougher terrain. He spots a footprint and then suddenly Noah appears nearby and orders Colter not to move. Noah’s got a gun and refuses to believe Colter when he says his mom hired him.
Colter holds up Noah’s bracelet that he found on the ground and says he noticed Erika had a matching bracelet when Reenie introduced them. Noah realizes Colter’s telling the truth and is there to help when he describes Reenie as smart, pretty, and certain she’s never been wrong in her life.
Noah confirms the gun is Zeke’s and hands it over. Colter takes care of Noah’s leg as Noah describes Ray going ballistic and shooting Zeke while they were driving. Noah was able to run and hide after the car rolled. And now blames himself for Zeke’s death. Colter corrects him and places all the blame solely on Ray’s shoulders.
A gunshot sets them in motion toward the road, but they don’t get far before Colter deposits Noah behind a tree to face whatever’s making noise. Colter discovers Tim has been shot and Noah joins them while Colter tends to Tim’s wound.
Tim swears he’ll be okay and wants Colter to get Noah out of there before Ray finds them. Colter hops on the phone and calls Bobby, telling him he’s got a man down. Bobby traces Colter’s location and sends it to the police, along with the warning the suspect is on the loose and armed and dangerous.
Colter and Noah continue toward the road, but Noah’s in pain and needs a brief break. They take a short water break and Ray finds them. Colter places his body in front of Noah as Ray holds them at gunpoint. Ray refuses to talk it through and suddenly Noah takes off running. Ray gives chase and starts shooting at Noah, which forces Colter to shoot him.
It’s not a fatal shot, and Colter follows up by knocking Ray out. Colter turns his attention back to Noah and heads toward the approaching sirens. Lisa, Erika, and Reenie are with the cops and ambulance. Erika hugs her son tightly, vowing never to let him go.
The following day, Reenie and Colter say goodbye to Mr. Gilroy and learn that Tim Ritter’s going to be okay. Colter confesses he misjudged the school and has realized Noah only survived in the wild because of the outdoor skills he learned at Shelter Stone Academy.
Reenie gives Colter a hard time as they walk away, teasing him about admitting he misjudged something. She also thanks him for helping her friend, and hands over the reward money – family discount applied, of course.
The episode ends with Colter talking to Noah in his dorm room, and Noah seems happy to be back at school. Colter explains his dad used to give him and his brother something every time they learned a new skill. He hands Noah a rock he found while tracking him, suggesting that it can serve as a reminder of his survival and accomplishments.
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