Colter’s still trying to figure out who the phone number hidden in his dad’s journal belongs to as CBS’s Tracker season two episode 20, the season finale, opens. Randy (Chris Lee) discovers the number was registered to David Pearson, who committed suicide in 2003. Which, coincidentally, is the same year Colter’s dad died.
David was a research scientist, but there’s not much available on his work. Randy did find that he lived in Hampton, VA before he moved to California. Randy’s spidey senses are in overdrive since that’s near Langley. David could have worked for (or with) the government. Randy promises to continue researching David’s history.
The season finale’s case finds Colter (Justin Hartley) heading back home to Echo Ridge. His mom, Mary (Wendy Crewson), points out that the only way he’ll visit is if there’s a job in the area, which is 100% true. She misses Dory and wishes she’d come for a visit, too. Colter confirms he recently saw Dory but has no idea what Russell’s currently up to.
Mary gave Angela from the Little Fork Restaurant Colter’s info because her brother Bill is missing. Mary’s worried that Bill started drinking again. That’s the rumor going around town. Plus, the town itself is changing. There was even a meth cookhouse busted recently.
Colter kisses his mom on the forehead before heading out to see Angela.
It turns out Angela’s known Colter since he was a kid, and after reminiscing about old times, Angela assures Colter that Bill wasn’t drinking. However, he was obsessing about a man and a kid who came through the restaurant six months ago. The kid, Chris (Kingston Goodjohn), was about 11 or 12, and the guy with him was really creepy. Chris didn’t try to run away, but he looked like he was afraid of the guy. When the man used the restroom, Bill asked Chris if he was okay. The kid was polite but close-mouthed. And when Bill asked the man about their relationship, the man told Bill to mind his own business.
Unfortunately, the creep paid with cash and Bill never saw his car. After that, Bill kept searching the internet for info on the boy’s real name. He discovered Chris was kidnapped outside of San Francisco. Bill’s blamed himself since then for not helping the kid more. About a week ago he thought he saw the man in town and wanted to hire a private investigator, but they couldn’t afford it. And then two days ago he went missing after leaving the restaurant.
Colter calls Bobby to check Bill’s phone records, but there’s nothing suspicious. Bobby (Eric Graise) tracks Bill’s phone and Colter heads to the final location where it pinged. He walks around the woods until a chainsaw draws his attention. The two men with chainsaws stop and whip out guns when Colter walks up. They’re poaching timber on federal land, but Colter doesn’t care. He just wants to know if they’ve seen Bill Weaver. Another man walks up and orders his friends to walk away. He holds Colter at rifle point but then breaks into a huge smile after his crew leaves. His name’s Joe (Drew Powell) and he’s happy to see Colter back in town. Colter’s equally happy to see him again after all these years.
Colter explains what he’s up to over coffee in Joe’s tent. Joe also confirms Colter’s mom was right; a darkness has seeped into this town. It’s no longer neighbor helping neighbor.
Joe says Bill was there two days ago and got into it with one of his crew, Pedro. Pedro confirms Bill wanted to talk about what happened in the restaurant with the kid six months ago. Pedro didn’t want anything to do with it because the man Bill’s looking for was hanging out with Ronnie Yates. Ronnie’s a bad dude who runs muscle and distribution for a meth operation. And he has ties to the Aryan Brotherhood. Pedro didn’t want to get involved with anything to do with Ronnie and warned Bill not to either. Bill wouldn’t drop the matter.
Colter asks how to find Yates and promises to leave Joe’s name out of it. Joe suggests that Colter might find him at Timberline, the pizza place. He’s dating a girl who works there.
Colter stakes out the place, and talk about your good timing; Ronnie’s there picking up a pizza. Colter sneaks into his truck and holds him at gunpoint, demanding to know if he knows anything about Bill’s whereabouts. Ronnie claims he doesn’t, and Colter shows him a photo of Chris. Ronnie insists he’s not into kidnapping kids and reluctantly gives up the name Carl Murphy. Carl isn’t one of Ronnie’s guys, but occasionally they use him to drive a load. (Carl’s a trucker.) Ronnie confesses he warned Carl that Bill was looking for him. Ronnie adds that he’ll find Carl himself if he’s dealing with kids. Colter warns him to stay out of it.
Meanwhile, Velma (Abby McEnany) is worried about Reenie (Fiona Rene) after how close she came to dying. Reenie is apparently avoiding her client, Leo Sharf, and doesn’t want to talk about what happened. Instead, she wants to help Colter with the case. She discovered Carl Murphy is a registered sex offender and is a licensed independent driver, so he doesn’t work for a big trucking company. It’s the perfect setup for kidnapping kids. Velma found an address to property his dad owned outside of Echo Ridge and Colter wants to check that out.
Colter’s mom puts away his clean laundry and finds the box with her husband’s possessions. (Colter didn’t mention it when he came for breakfast.)
Carl’s dad’s been dead for years, but there’s still smoke coming from a barrel on the property. Colter breaks a lock and discovers someone’s been staying in the trailer. Clothes and food scattered all over. Colter continues looking around and finds polaroids of children.
He sends their photos to Bobby and Randy, and their search turns up missing persons reports on the children from all over the country. Colter’s certain that Carl’s part of a child trafficking network and wasn’t working alone. Colter believes this place is a stash house. He discovered pills in the trailer and thinks Carl drugged the kids before moving them.
Colter sends Bobby a receipt with a cell phone number and Bobby promises to get back to him. Before Colter leaves, he spots a carved wolf with his dad’s name on the bottom. He heads to a covered vehicle in the nearby woods and finds Bill’s dead body inside.
Sheriff Pickens meets Colter at the crime scene and agrees that Carl’s part of a child trafficking ring. Carl must have killed Bill because he got too close to the truth. Pickens calls in the feds to help him locate Carl.
Colter kept the wolf carving and calls his mom with news of Bill’s murder. He asks if she recognizes the name Carl Murphy, and she doesn’t. Colter’s sure his dad wouldn’t have been mixed up with these sorts of people. His mom reminds him that she didn’t know a lot of his father’s secrets. However, she’s sure what happened to Bill has nothing to do with their family.
His mom asks about the box and why Colter didn’t tell her about it. She’s frustrated that he won’t let this go. They need to talk when he’s done with this case.
Bobby locates the burner phone and sends Colter its location. It’s pinging on a remote farm, and Bobby warns Colter he really should bring backup. Colter says he’ll figure it out.
Night falls, and Joe joins Colter, happy to help take down a pedophile. Colter’s not sure if Carl’s alone, and thankfully Joe knows a back way in. They sneak up and spot two men outside. Colter chokes one out and has Joe tie him up. He finds one boy inside and learns the other boy, Paul, was taken to the barn. Joe stays with the boy and calls the cops while Colter runs to the barn. Colter checks out the barn, gun drawn, and sees two men with Paul as a van pulls up outside.
Inside the farmhouse, Joe saves the boy from one of the abductors, but a gunshot rings out, which should alert those in the barn. However, it doesn’t. Colter makes his way slowly to the men holding Paul. He knocks out one man as Carl runs off, telling the van driver to shoot Colter. Instead, Colter shoots the driver while Carl tries to escape in the van. Colter rushes outside and shoots the front of the van, forcing it to stop. He shoots Carl twice in the legs as he tries to run off.
Colter pins Carl to the ground and asks where he took Chris and the other boys. Carl doesn’t answer, so Colter instructs Joe to cut off one of his fingers every time he doesn’t reply. Carl says the kids were sent to Texas. He promises to tell Colter everything, preferring to keep his fingers.
Later, Colter tells Angela that Bill was right. The FBI found Chris and six other kids in Texas, thanks to Bill’s persistence. Colter can’t stay for a meal; he needs to take care of something.
Colter learned from Carl that he got his father’s wolf carving from his uncle. Colter gets the uncle’s name and pays him a visit. The uncle swears he has nothing to do with Carl and immediately recognizes Colter Shaw’s name. He knew Ashton and sees a resemblance.
The uncle says he knew Ashton back in the day. He describes Colter’s dad as a smart man who didn’t like anyone poking around in his business. They respected each other, and the uncle helped him install a wind turbine for power off the grid. Ashton gave him the carving and also delivered a lecture on wolves.
The uncle knows that’s not what Colter really wants to talk about. He confirms Ashton had a lot of enemies and that he was on the cliff the night Ashton died. Colter holds the uncle at gunpoint, and the uncle confesses he threw Ashton off the cliff. Colter’s taken completely off guard when Carl’s uncle says he did it because Colter’s mom asked for his help!
And that’s it. Season two, a much darker season than the first, comes to an end with Colter finally learning what happened the night his father died.
