Cold Case

When the science lab confirms Andy Rierdan's blood traces on a piano at his former high school, Lt. Stillman reopens the case of the 17-year-old deaf boy, who had disappeared in December 2006 from his high school campus. While the police search the campus for Andy's body, the team questions Andy's family and friends. The inquiries reveal that Andy was a popular boy at school: a party boy and a straight-A's student. His parents tell the police that he was a cheerful and outgoing guy and was proud of his people, the deaf community.

One day, Andy met Emma Walker, a young hearing girl who was to teach piano in the school, as part of a court order for driving under the influence of alcohol. After a first rough meeting, the two became friends and had a liking for each other. However, Leah O'Rafferty, a schoolmate of Andy's, became jealous because she considered him her boyfriend. When Andy said that she was misunderstanding things, that the two of them couldn't be more than friends, she took it badly.

Leah admits she was hurt by Andy's refusal but also Carlos, Andy's best friend, did not approve of Andy and Emma's friendship. According to Carlos, Emma convinced Andy to get an artificial ear implant, a cochlear. He once saw them together at the piano since Andy was very good in playing piano. They were interrupted by Emma's father who was furious that Andy was close friends with his daughter. Despite his fiery temperament, Mr. Walker denies ever having hurt the boy, also providing a strong alibi for himself.

Mr. Walker directs the police to the headmistress of Andy's school for deaf children, Dean Vivien Harden, who from the very beginning had shown full cooperation with the police offering to be their interpreter. The detectives ask for an explanation of a secret email she had sent Andy. She reveals that she had mediated a meeting between Andy and his parents who had come to know that he wished for a cochlear in order to hear again. His parents did not approve of the ear operation as, for them, this was like betraying his people. As a consequence, Andy had promised to break up with Emma and to never mention a cochlear operation again.

Meanwhile, the cops find Andy's body buried in the campus' playgrounds. Next to his remains, they also find a cochlear and understand that Andy had gone ahead anyway. When questioning Emma, the team discovers that she had spoken again to Andy and convinced him to go for it, leaving him the key to the piano room.

From the clinical reports, the detectives discover that the operation had been authorized by his father so they get back to his parents. Andy's father wanted his son to be happy even if that meant losing him, so he signed the papers. While about to leave the Rierdans, detective Vera, who had been studying sign language, sees that the two were talking about Carlos. To his questions, Mr. Rierdan answers that Carlos actually talked Andy in to it.

The detectives call Carlos to their police station to question him. Rush pushes him to the breaking point and he confesses in tears that he had killed his best friend with a sudden blow from behind while he was playing piano, because he was scared to be left alone.

The cops arrest Carlos while the rest of the people remember Andy as they go on with their lives. Solving this case helped Det. Kat Miller understand that she must let her daughter get in touch with that repentant-thug of her father, even though this means letting her child know about her not-so-brilliant past.