Enredo

The remains of a small girl are found under a bridge. The story goes back to the 60's and turns out the girl has a twin sister still alive. A sad family story begins to unravel.

The team reopens the 1965 disappearance of 4-year-old Vivian Mulvaney, in 2005 when her remains wash up on a New Jersey shore. The team discovers that her father Roger Mulvaney, a cop who died in action shortly after her, abused his wife Cindy and both daughters, Maura surviving with vague memories. Roger was untouchable as cop, except for colleagues; beat cop Art Balducci and a few other officers beat him up, Art having taken the females away on beach holiday with 'Mrs. Cindy Balducci', but Roger made a tragic reappearance.—KGF Vissers

Flashback-August 28, 1965 A woman plays with her young daughter, Vivian, at the beach. She's wearing a pretty big cast, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. A man picks her up and swings her around before she goes back to her mother, who tells her that it's a perfect day, but they need to go back. When Vivian protests, her mother tells her to close her eyes and picture the ocean. Fighting tears, she says it will always be there in her mind. The scene fades to Vivian's body lying on the rocks.

Present Day There's a line of police cars at the river's edge. Lilly and Scotty meet up with Stillman, who tells them that a fisherman picked up a hand. The medical examiner says that the body was a female, probably Caucasian, three to five years old. She adds that the body has probably been underwater for decades and has broken vertebrae, a crushed skull, and her forearm was broken in two places, but not from the river-they're old fractures; she was being abused. Lilly, Scotty, and Stillman discuss how much they'd like to catch the guy responsible.

Back at the station, Stillman sees Kat Miller outside smoking. He tells her he appreciates the help she gave them and asks if she's ever considered joining homicide. She seems skeptical and Stillman asks if it's because of Fishtown (apparently she was shot fairly recently). Kat says she's made peace with that but needs to work out her schedule. She says she'll get back to him.

Inside, the lab results have come back. Lilly tells Scotty and Jeffries that their Baby Jane Doe has been underwater for more than forty years, putting her death in the sixties. Jeffries has pulled missing persons; he says that there are no missing persons matching her description. Lilly suggests pulling child abuse records, saying that a doctor might have made note of the forearm injury, but Jeffries tells her that child abuse wasn't even a concept back then. Lilly then suggests using facial reconstruction imagery to show what the victim might have looked like and circulating it in the hopes that someone will recognize her. Vera comes in and says that he may have tracked their victim based on her injuries-the same injury was treated at St. Boniface's Emergency Room in 1965. The patient was Vivian Smith, a four-year-old white female and the doctor is still alive.

At the hospital, Vera and Jeffries talk to a Dr. Greggs, who remembers the case. He thinks it was her mother abusing her because she kept insisting she had "dropped" her child.

Flashback, 1965 A younger Dr. Greggs and the woman from the opening flashback, Vivian's mother, watch as a nurse puts Vivian's arm in a cast. Her mother claims that she was holding her one minute and had dropped her the next. She says that she needs glasses. The doctor is skeptical, saying that this type of injury occurs when you take a child's arm and snap it, using her arm to demonstrate. She is horrified and asks him to take Vivian away before it's too late. He says he can't just take her kid away and tells her to get her eyes looked at.

In the present day, Dr. Greggs says that child abuse wasn't a concept back then and mentions that the mother gave them a false address; the bill came back a few weeks later. He does remember that she was wearing a carhop's uniform, though. There's only one carhop place in town, and Lilly and Scotty go there to talk to the owner, Mattie, who was a waitress in 1965. Scotty asks if she remembers a waitress with a four-year-old who had a cast on her arm. She says that the woman's name was Cindy something, but the previous owner won't be able to help them; he died ten years ago. She says that Cindy was skittish with a great husband and kid, but wanted nothing to do with either of them. She remembers the night she met Cindy's husband (Roger) and Vivian.

Flashback, 1965 Mattie is running food when she hears a crash. Cindy is on the ground picking up food. She asks Mattie how much money it would take to run away. Mattie asks about her family; Cindy says she's a bad mother and thinks her only way out is when one of them dies. Just then her husband runs up to her, saying he left work to see his girls. Vivian calls out to her mother from the car, showing her the kitten Roger bought her. She says she has a white paw just like Snowflake. As Cindy fights back tears, Roger tells her that Vivian will be fine; they need to work this out as a family. He says that she is Vivian's mother and they both need her.

Back in the present, Scotty tells Lilly that Stillman called; a woman came in saying she recognized their victim from the facial reconstruction photos. Back at the station, a woman (Maura Stanton) says that she saw the photos on her way home from work. She says she thinks she knows the victim and pulls a photo of a little girl from her purse. It's a near perfect match to the face on the poster. She says that the little girl in the photo is her. Maura tells Lilly that she was adopted at age four. She doesn't remember much before that, but she always felt that a part of her was missing. She remembers another girl, but thought that this girl was her imaginary friend. Lilly says that they'll need a DNA sample to be sure, but Maura and Vivian could have been twins. She asks if Maura remembers her parents. Maura says the only memory she has is of the last time she saw her mother.

Flashback, 1965 Cindy is carrying Maura into a church. She sets her down in a pew. Maura wakes up and asks where Vivian is. Cindy tears up and says that Vivian was never real and that this way she'll always be there watching over Maura like an angel. A door slams somewhere and Cindy looks up, terrified. She takes a medallion from around her neck and puts it on Maura, saying that Maura is better off without her and that "He'll keep you safe." She adds that if Maura ever needs her, all she has to do is close her eyes and she'll be there. Then she kisses Maura and walks away.

In the present, Maura tells Lilly that she never saw her mother again. Lilly asks Maura if she still has the medallion. She hands it over and says she thinks her mother meant that St. Michael would protect her. Lilly notes that someone has carved "BN 3546" on the back. St. Michael is the patron saint of cops, so "BN" could mean badge number. She tells Maura that she'll keep her informed. Maura tells Lilly that she's had a good life but would still like to know why her mother left.

Scotty and Jeffries walk into a bar and ask a man if he's Art Balducci, badge number 3546. They show him Maura's picture; he says she looks familiar and asks who she is. The give him his St. Michael's medallion, saying it's from her. He says he remembers her now, her and her twin sister, but says he only met the family once, as a rookie cop when their neighbors called about the noise.

Flashback, 1965 Art and his partner knock at the front door of the house; there's no answer, so they go around back. Roger answers the door, and as Art's partner explains about the noise complaint, Art looks around. Cindy is at the sink with her back to the door while Maura and Vivian sit at the dinner table. Art notices food on the floor and asks Cindy if everything is all right while his partner tries to get him to leave. Cindy says that they're fine, but Art can see the bruise on her face. He accuses Roger of beating her, although she says that fell because she can't see straight. Art's partner finally takes Roger for a walk to "cool his engines." As soon as they leave, Maura tells Art that Roger is going to make her mother cry again. Roger shows her his St. Michael medallion and tells her that he looks out for mommies and keeps them safe. He gives it to her to put on her mother. Cindy tries to give it back as soon as the girls are gone, but Art tells her to keep it because they'll notice if it's gone. She introduces herself (her last name is Mulvaney) and he tells her that she needs to take the girls and leave because situations like hers never end well. She says she has nowhere to go, so he gives her a phone number to call for a place to stay.

In the present day, Scotty asks if he gave her the number for a shelter and Roger says there were no shelters back then, just "a few Good Samaritans who knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a fist." He says he has no idea if Cindy called the number or not since he never heard from her again. When Scotty comments that she wouldn't have turned to the police again, Art tells them that Roger was the police-he was a cop in Art's precinct.

Lilly and Scotty update Stillman on the case. They tell him that Roger was decorated twice for valor and killed in the line of duty in 1965-his picture is even on the wall in Jones' Tavern. Scotty tells him that Cindy disappeared a few months before that; they're not even sure if she's alive. They do, however, know who was running the shelter Art directed Cindy to. Her name is Nancy Walsh and she currently runs a battered women's shelter in Germantown. Scotty and Lilly interview her at the shelter. She remembers Cindy, telling them that she wouldn't talk to anyone but her girls since Roger had told her that he would take away everything she loved if she left.

Flashback, 1965 Nancy passes a woman showing the girls how to use a video camera on her way to Cindy, who is folding laundry and watching the girls. She says they were only a few months old when Roger first became violent. She told herself it was "just a shove," no big deal, so she stayed until it was too late to leave. Nancy tells her she had no money and nowhere to go and that she was the one who left. Just then Roger shows up with roses saying he misses her and he's sorry. He swears he won't hit her again and that he's nothing without his family. Cindy agrees to go back to him and tells the girls they're leaving. After Roger leaves, the other woman tells Cindy that she doesn't have to go back to him because she has another choice.

In the present, Nancy says that she doesn't know what Cindy's other choice was, but that the other woman, Tiffany, would know and she'll give them her number. Lilly asks if Cindy got out. Nancy says that Cindy went back to Roger that night and that she never saw her again. Back at the station, Jeffries interviews Tiffany. She explains that Cindy's other choice was the man who was in love with her. She doesn't remember his name but his eyes were "kind" and "sexy" like Jeffries'. She says that he took them to the beach shortly after Cindy came to the shelter. She shot a home movie of it and offers to give it to Jeffries.

Later on, Lilly and Jeffries tell Maura that Vivian was her twin sister. They also break the news to her about her parents. She agrees to watch the home movie to see if it jogs her memory about her mother's boyfriend.

Flashback, 1965 The girls run over to Cindy and her boyfriend and ask her to play them a song on the piano. They explain that she used to play all the time but stopped because of Roger. She "plays" them a song and her boyfriend comments that the song playing on someone's radio is a Top 40 hit. He asks if they can sing and dance, then says they should go on the road. He asks Cindy if she'll run away with him. Everybody laughs when Maura asks if he's going to kiss her mother. His face comes into view for the first time-it's Art Balducci.

Back in the present, Maura comments that he and her mother were in love. Later on, Vera and Jeffries question Art. He refuses to cooperate until they suggest Cindy was the one who killed Vivian. He says their relationship started with him going to the shelter to check up on them. He says that when Roger found them, he tried to save them, but it wasn't enough.

Flashback, 1965 Cindy and the girls are at Art's house. The girls watch a cartoon while Cindy tells him that Roger found them at the shelter. Art suggests that they run away. When Cindy says that he can't leave his job for someone else's family, he asks her to marry him. He says that what he has is hers and the girls' and he'll love them and keep them from harm. He gets down on one knee and when Maura asks if Cindy is Mrs. Balducci now, she says yes. Then she asks about Roger. Art leaves, saying he'll make sure Roger never bothers her again. He goes to the police station where Roger is getting off of work. Art and two other guys ambush Roger at his car and beat him up until he agrees to leave Cindy alone.

In the present, Roger says that that was how they dealt with abusers back then. He tells them that he thought they were free but when he went back home, Cindy and the girls were gone. They had left a note saying that they forgot Snowflake, Vivian's cat. Art says that he drove to their house; it was empty so he drove around town looking for them. When Cindy never called, he knew Roger had found them even though he never said anything. Vera remembers that Roger was killed a few months later and comments that Art would have known his beat. Art only says that she was Mrs. Cindy Balducci for the day and he takes comfort from that. Jeffries says that there's no need to write that down, to which Vera responds that he can't remember what was said anyway. Art, smiling, says that if they ever find Cindy they should tell her that Roger can't hurt her anymore because "Art took care of it."

Meanwhile, at a house on the beach, an older lady is giving a young boy piano lessons. Lilly and Scotty ask if she's Cindy Balducci before asking if she's ever gone by Cindy Mulvaney. She sends the boy home than asks them to leave. Lilly tells her that Maura wants to know why she left. Cindy denies knowing her, so Lilly pulls out Maura's picture. Cindy stares at it before telling them that she can't know anything because "he'll find her." Scotty tells her that Roger is dead; Cindy says that Roger swore he'd find them and that he would take everything she loved like he took Vivian. Lilly asks what happened; Cindy says that she still had Maura and she had to keep her safe. Lilly says that know she needs to know why. Cindy stares at the picture and starts talking.

Flashback, 1965 The girls call for Snowflake. Cindy tells them that she will get the cat but they have to stay in the car and be quiet. She runs in the house, grabs the cat, and runs back outside. She opens the car door and screams, dropping the cat. Roger is in the driver's seat, his face bruised and bloodied. He tells her to get in. He starts driving, talking about how they will work this out as a family. Then he asks if Cindy slept with Art; she says no. He starts crying, saying that they can start over and he is nothing without them. Vivian asks about Mrs. Balducci. Cindy tries to shush her. When Roger asks who Mrs. Balducci is, Vivian says that it's Cindy. Cindy starts crying and says that she's sorry; Roger says that he is, too. He pulls over on the side of a bridge, gets out of the car, and takes the girls with him. Cindy asks him what he's doing. He walks over to the railing as Cindy begs him to bring the girls back. She says that she'll do whatever he wants her to do. He ignores this and asks if she thought she could ride off and live happily ever after, then picks the girls up and dangles them over the railing. He says that there is no happily ever after for them; she runs forward and pulls Maura back over, but just as she reaches for Vivian, Roger drops her over the side.

Back in the present, a tear rolls down Cindy's cheek as she stares at the picture. Nancy and Tiffany welcome a woman and her two children into the shelter. Vera and Jeffries put everything pertaining to the case into a box and put it in storage. Stillman sits in Jones' Tavern and watches as the owner takes down Roger's picture. Lilly and Maura are at the beach, watching Cindy, who stands with her back to them. Lilly nods at Maura. She walks down towards Cindy, who turns to meet her. They embrace for a moment before Cindy turns and holds out her hand to Art who takes it before pulling her into an embrace. Maura walks over toward Vivian, who is standing at the water's edge. Lilly, watching, smiles as the twins embrace.