CBS’s Tracker season two episode one reveals brand new information about Colter Shaw’s past. The episode touches on an unsolved case that’s haunted Colter for a decade. The new season also introduces Camille Pickett (Floriana Lima), a character with a personal connection to Colter, and confirms we’ve seen the last of Teddi for a while.
And now on to the recap – spoilers ahead!
Colter (Justin Hartley) shows up in the dead of night, tosses meat to a guard dog, and enters a house. He makes his way through the house and finds a laptop. He snaps a photo of the note next to it and methodically searches the home, even inspecting the contents of the fridge.
Colter removes a baggie of dirt from the freezer as a car pulls up outside. The owner walks inside and it’s obvious he and Colter know each other. Frank (Ryan Dorsey) threatens to call the cops, but Colter doesn’t back off. He brings up the case of Gina Pickett who went missing 10 years ago to the day. Frank claims not to have had anything to do with her disappearance. He thinks Colter’s just sore because he didn’t solve the case; that’s why he’s been harassing him for a decade.
They get into a physical altercation, and Colter warns Frank that he will prove he did something to Gina.
Colter’s nursing a beer in his trailer when Velma (Abby McEnany) calls to check in. She’s concerned since this is the anniversary of Gina’s disappearance, but Colter tries to assure her he’s fine. Season two of Tracker quickly explains Teddi’s absence when Velma says she’s gone to help her mom. Now that Teddi’s gone, Velma’s pitching in to help Reenie (Fiona Rene) set up her new office.
Getting down to business, Velma’s got a weird job for Colter with a $35,000 reward. A couple and their two young kids went missing near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The missing man’s brother, Craig, is offering the reward, and the sheriffs are already investigating the case.
By the time Colter arrives in Pine Bluff, the family has been gone for 15 hours. Craig says that two days ago, his brother told him they were going on vacation but didn’t say where they were headed. Colter’s spidey senses are tingling, and Craig admits he thinks there are people after his brother. Craig recalls seeing two guys casing the house just last week.
His brother, Ted, had gambling problems and owed money. However, he got lucky with a scratch-off lottery ticket and won $50,000. Even the local news covered Ted’s windfall. That should have been enough to pay off his debts.
Colter checks out the family’s van that was left on the side of the road. As he’s taking in every little detail, U.S. Marshal Jenny Martinez (Workin’ Moms’ Enuka Okuma) asks what he’s up to. Colter’s shocked the marshals are working on a missing persons case less than 48 hours after the family went missing. Colter observes it appears someone pulled up, forced the van off the road, and abducted the family. Additionally, the family left their cell phones behind. Martinez says a Florida man was abducted six months ago after winning the lottery. She’s hoping that’s not what happened to Ted and his family.
Colter points out a nearby path into the woods and learns Martinez’s partner is already investigating it. Martinez warns Colter to stay out of their way, and of course, Colter doesn’t listen. He calls Bobby (Eric Graise) with the lottery news and asks him to find out who was after Ted’s money.
Colter walks through the woods and ends up on a dirt road just as Martinez’s partner, Jeremy Boyd (Matt Long, Manifest), emerges from the woods. Jeremy’s happy to have Colter’s help, and Colter reveals his belief that the van was left in that condition as a setup. The clues don’t add up. There’s no sign of a struggle or tire tracks from another car. Colter believes the family knew they were being followed and took actions to disguise their movements. All of this means the search area has expanded, and he and Jeremy need to split up. They also need to be cautious because someone else is also still looking for the family.
Bobby calls with an update on Ted’s gambling. He was active in online betting, but his DMs show he paid off everything right after winning $50,000. But what’s really strange is that Ted’s wife, Connie, didn’t seem to exist before 2015. She seems to have popped up out of nowhere, and Colter thinks maybe she was actually the target.
Colter discovers an old rusty car nearby and finds Ted’s two children. The oldest child, Brett, admits he didn’t listen to his dad and brought his tablet with him when they left their car. His parents got mad, and Ted took off to get rid of the tablet. When he didn’t return, their mom went to search for him.
Colter’s still questioning the kids when Marshal Martinez shows up, gun drawn. This is a federal investigation and she doesn’t need him butting in. Colter knows there’s much more to this case than meets the eye, but Martinez refuses to provide any details.
Colter’s call to Reenie reveals he’s landed on the mom being in witness protection. Reenie knows that if the marshals lost someone in witness protection, they absolutely wouldn’t want to talk about it. Bobby tracked the tablet to a gas station and Colter’s heading there now. Colter, Velma, and Reenie realize this case just got more complicated … and dangerous.
Colter finds the tablet in a trash can outside the convenience store. Inside, it’s obvious there was a struggle. A man’s dead in a pool of blood and a few feet away, Colter spots Ted, cowering in a corner. He realizes there’s someone behind a door, and after a brief struggle, Colter chokes out his attacker.
Marshal Jeremy Boyd shows up as Colter is assuring Ted he’s there to help. Ted’s in shock and bleeding from head wounds, but manages to ask Colter to save his wife. After Colter says the kids are safe, Ted confirms their attackers are after his wife.
Reenie discovered Connie’s been in witness protection for nine years after testifying against Tommy Gardner, the kingpin of a Mississippi criminal organization. The court found Gardner and his thugs guilty of money laundering, contract killing, and drug trafficking. And it turns out Connie was married to Tommy’s son, Kirk, before she testified against them. Reenie calls her a badass.
Our first look at Connie shows her at what looks like an industrial park trying to start a Jeep. It refuses to turn over, and a man pulls up outside. She grabs a Taser from the glove compartment and uses it on the man, knocking him out. Connie steals his car and returns to the woods only to discover her children are gone. She’s frantic, and Colter makes his presence known, telling her Ted’s brother hired him and that the kids are fine.
Connie thought this part of her life was over, but when she posed for the photo after Ted won the lottery, the Gardners tracked them down. She knew the Gardners’ criminal ways before marrying Kirk but ignored it until she couldn’t. Kirk was just as ruthless as his dad. He turned on her after she went to the FBI and helped get his dad convicted.
Unfortunately, the past has caught up with her now. Colter, however, believes the past doesn’t have to define her future. But Connie knows Kirk will do whatever he can to make her pay.
Reenie calls with the shocking news that U.S. Marshal Jeremy Boyd was found dead in the woods. And, more importantly, he’s been dead eight hours, which means the man Colter believes is Jeremy is really Kirk Gardner! A photo on Connie’s phone confirms it.
Kirk, wearing Jeremy Boyd’s jacket, shows up at Ted’s brother’s house asking about the kids. Craig lets him in, and Kirk stabs him in the stomach.
Connie’s panicking in Colter’s car, aware Kirk won’t stop until he kills everyone she loves. Colter convinces her to remain calm as they head to Craig’s place.
Kirk finds the two kids playing with a tablet, and Brett instantly recognizes Kirk. Kirk’s just leaving Craig’s house with the kids when Colter and Connie pull up. The girl gets free, but Kirk holds onto Brett and orders Colter to drop his gun. Kirk refuses to let go of Brett, who is actually his son. He offers to let Connie live in peace and won’t tell his family her whereabouts if she lets him leave with their son.
Connie refuses, and Kirk’s about to shoot her when Colter steps in front of her. Colter tells her she needs to let them go and asks her to trust him. Colter pleads with Kirk to let Brett say goodbye to his mom before they leave, and Kirk finally agrees. After Brett leaves his side, the marshals fire a kill shot.
Later, Marshal Martinez compliments Colter’s work on the case and promises she’ll ensure Connie, Ted, and the kids are safe. Back at his trailer, Colter looks at the old missing posters for Gina Pickett, the case from 10 years ago that he could not solve. Velma calls and gives him a video tour of Reenie’s new office. And Reenie has an update on the Gardners: they’re under investigation for conspiracy to kidnap a child. Plus, there’s a bounty on the Gardner family which Marshal Martinez will wire to Colter. Ted and Connie offered to pay the $35,000 that Craig had put up, and Reenie knew Colter wouldn’t accept it. Instead, she told them to open a foundation in Craig’s name.
Reenie also announces she’s upped her fee from 8% to 10% because she’s worth it. Bobby joins the conference call just as Velma and Reenie receive a pizza he ordered. Reenie says her new firm will be Green and Associates, with the associates to be determined.
After Colter hangs up, he visits Camille, Gina’s sister. She asks if he visited Frank and is sad that nothing has changed. Frank continues to insist he doesn’t know what happened to Gina. They’re both feeling depressed and wind up in bed, which helps to take their minds off Gina.
Lying in bed, Colter describes going to Frank’s and finding a sample of his handwriting. He thinks they can compare it to letters they’ve received since Gina’s disappearance. Colter also found it strange that Frank had a bag of dirt in his freezer. He thinks there’s some clue he’s missing, but that someday he’ll be able to prove Frank was there when Gina went missing. Colter promises he won’t stop looking until he finds Camille’s sister.
- Tracker Season 1 Finale Recap
- Interview with Tracker Star Justin Hartley and Showrunner Elwood Reid