Original subtitles

Take one, promo for posting tomorrow, 10 a.m. Hello again, my true crime friends.

It's Logan Hayes, your podcast detective on all things The Botanist Serial

Killer. In my relentless pursuit of justice, eventually someone or something

always comes forward with the bombshell evidence I need to expose the truth.

A victim who claims she escaped a botanist attack and was too afraid to

report it has sent me a scarf she was wearing during her attack.

I have the scarf tested anonymously for the attacker's DNA and now have the

sealed results.

Tomorrow, I, Logan Hayes, will unseal and read the report live.

And I will hand those details and scarf over to the FBI for further testing and

criminal record matching.

Will it finally prove my theory that Terrence Elliott is our killer?

a cold case in bloom the botanist with me logan hayes

oh

Look at you being all neighborly.

It was two for one. There it is. I knew there was a catch.

Check your email.

We already starting?

Haven't had my second cup of coffee yet.

Meek splurged and bought me my second cup today.

East is full of surprises.

Hey, where are you at? I'm just getting into the park. We just got an email.

Someone's lost in the park. Do you think you could swing by and check it out? I

can send you the coordinates.

Of course.

Thanks. Keep us posted.

Will do.

Come on, Blue.

We've got work to do. Okay.

Come on, boy.

I'm on site. There's nothing to report yet.

NPS, is anyone there?

Good boy.

I think I found him.

And he's not lost.

He's dead.

All right.

Thanks.

Amy, you should be here soon. What have we got?

Found him lying here exactly like this with the spider lilies in his hands.

No phone, no ID, no hiking gear.

He almost looked peaceful.

And then I saw the bruising on the neck.

Wound on the back of the head.

Well, it looks like he was hit with something heavy.

But this entire area is practically clean.

Too clean.

This has the botanist written all over it. That's a leap.

Not really.

M.O. is exact.

The botanist?

Larson, I know you were overseas, but were you also under a rock?

He's a serial killer.

Killed a hiker in Zion National Forest.

In the Petrified Forest in Arizona, in Kings Canyon in California years before

that. It's been over five years since he last surfaced, mind you. Well, explain

the email we received, or the fact that this body, like the ones before, was

found in a national park.

Meeks, the flower behind the ear, the wound of the head, the bruising on the

neck indicating strangulation?

If this is the botanist, we should expect another email soon.

Big if.

That's his M.O.

That's so odd.

There are no footprints, no murder weapon, no sign of struggle.

But our victim's attacker would have had to at least get in within arm's length

if he was strangled and knocked out. Maybe this isn't where the victim was

killed. Let me check that email again.

Logan Hayes.

I knew I recognized him. Logan Hayes. He's a massive true crime podcaster, and

the topic of his current series is The Botanist. I listen to his podcast

sometimes on my way home. Anyway, it doesn't matter.

He was revisiting the original case, the victims, the suspects, trying to piece

together the mystery of it all.

Anybody home?

Sheriff's office.

Yeah, this is FBI agent David Whitaker. I'm currently in Stonehaven, 2509 Dyson

Drive. I arrived for a meeting, but it looks like the place has been broken

into.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say Logan didn't send that email. Another

trait of the botanist.

It was always suspected that the killer used the victim's phone to send the

messages. So we need to find that phone.

What is it, Blue? You got something?

Keep us posted.

What do you got, Boy? You found something?

I think Blue's lost the scent.

Whoever was here covered their tracks.

You think the tracks belong to the killer?

I'm not sure.

Maybe we divide and conquer?

Wildwood Grove isn't far from here. We can talk to campers in the area. Maybe

someone saw or heard something.

Blue and I will head to the Grove's parking lot. Look to see how Logan got

here in the first place.

Copy.

Found anything interesting on the victim?

Found a registration.

A silver Lexus registered to an address in Stonehaven. Can you see if you can

find anything in our victim's car? Make, model, anything.

Great timing. I've got Logan's vehicle coming into the park last night and

leaving 35 minutes later.

Can't tell who the driver is, but... The license plate's add up.

Can you do an incident log check for that address?

On it.

David Whitaker?

Thanks for coming, Sheriff.

Please, call me Ryan.

I was going to have a look myself, but didn't want to overstep, you know, my

jurisdiction.

I was here to see the podcaster, Logan Hayes.

Let's take a look together.

All right.

Hello?

Sheriff's Department!

Got something.

There was a break-in reported at the victim's home earlier this morning.

2509 Dyson Drive.

Ryan's on the scene. Okay. Let Ryan know about Logan.

Copy.

Forced entry without any immediate signs of robbery.

So what were they after?

You smell that?

Yeah. Smells like bleach or something.

Yeah I

think we're standing in

an active crime scene

So

Clive wants to put me up for a job in Big Bend

For a sergeant position.

I mean, I'd have to take the test and also pass it and also get the offer,

but... Big Bend is in Texas. It's 815 miles from here.

You gonna miss me if I leave?

No chance.

I'll be able to solve crimes faster.

You wish.

For sergeant, that's... That's awesome, though.

Pretty big move, though, you know?

That's kind of the point.

All my sisters are married with kids and live close to home, close to my dad, you

know? And I always expected myself to do the same because that's all I've ever

known.

And I love them, but... I just need to know I'm capable of carving

my own path.

Big bend is your answer?

That's what I need to find out.

Come on, buddy.

Good boy.

Hi. Thank you.

The bag is one for Prince. Yeah.

Hey.

This is FBI agent David Whitaker.

He reported the break-in.

David, this is Detective Jody Larson.

Hi. Good to meet you. Here to help if you need. Thank you.

We've caught the victim's vehicle entering and exiting the park. Forensics

are on it. The same car that's parked in the driveway.

Did you get an ID on the driver?

Tyson said the face was obscured.

Three of the exact same flowers were found on the body.

Wait. Wait, that sounds a lot like the botanist.

One of our detectives suspects the same thing.

I was the lead investigator on the first botanist case.

I was scheduled to meet with Logan for the podcast this morning to talk about

the case.

I showed up in the house I'd been broken into.

Well, it's a good thing you arrived when you did.

You could have met the same fate as Logan.

I'll get these over to forensics.

Let's catch this guy.

Any cell pings on Logan Hayes? The phone's offline, but the last active was

at Logan's house. Keeping an eye on it.

Okay.

Ten in a row.

In other news, Jody's at Logan's house with Ryan and David Whitaker. There was

a break-in. Hold on.

David Whitaker.

FBI agent.

He wrote this amazing book about his work on the botanist case.

He's here?

He's just kind of the reason I wanted to be a detective.

Well, get ready to fangirl out, Esposito. Because Jody just called.

They're on their way here.

This day?

So you're an expert on the botanist. What should I know?

Well, the botanist got his nickname from the flowers he left with each victim.

After each murder, the botanist would send investigators two messages from the

victim's phone.

The first revealed the victim's location.

The second message was cryptic. How do you mean?

It hinted at the location of the next victim and the next flower, like he was

planning ahead and wanted everyone to know.

It's strange.

Killers like the botanist tend to enjoy the spotlight.

If Logan's podcast was reigniting interest, you'd think that Logan would

be the last person he'd target.

Agent Whitaker, it's an honor. Detective Nora Esposito. David, please.

Detective Alex Meeks. Pleasure. Nice to meet you.

I just have to tell you, I've read about your work on The Botanist, and when the

time is right, I'd love to pick your brain.

I'm here, so anything you need.

Look what the cat dragged in.

Just can't shake this uniform, can you? Ah, never thought I'd be back, but

life's funny that way, ain't it? Oh, yeah, it is. It's good to see you.

You're looking good.

So is the botanist back?

If this is the botanist, we should receive another email soon.

Actually, there was a man during my investigation.

Terrence Elliott.

Terrence Elliott is the guy Logan was convinced was the botanist.

He was a suspect of ours back in the day.

I think that's what my interview with Logan was about, and whatever bombshell

evidence he had about him.

Tyson, get an address for Terrence Elliott, place of work, whatever you can

find. On it.

How confident were you that Terrence Elliott was the botanist?

Well, he couldn't secure the hard evidence we needed back then, but he

very well could have been our guy.

Up for paying him a visit?

We could use your expertise on this.

Yeah, happy to.

Don't worry, you're coming too.

Fantastic. Glad to have you aboard.

It's like old times.

Yeah.

Come on, Blue.

This is Sheriff Ryan Miller.

Yes, this is the National Criminal Records Center. We were able to complete

the criminal search you requested on Ernie Estevez.

Great. We'll be sending you the report later today.

All right, thank you.

Second message came in.

You will look where water cuts stone. That is where things surface.

You will mark the map in blue and call it progress.

But gardens do not follow rivers.

I work where roots drink slowly, where footsteps disappear, where it is buried

as safest from the sun.

You can restore balance or wait for a spider lily to bloom.

Signed, The Botanist.

He really is The Botanist.

Tyson, get me a location for the cell phone that sent this message.

On it.

Here's what I got.

I can't pinpoint the exact location, but we're looking at a five-mile radius.

Three pings puts us in the area surrounding Pinecrest Meadows.

That's better than nothing.

Meeks, ignore our search for that phone.

Blue, ahead.

Nice work, Blue.

On your knees, Terrance.

Put your hands behind your back.

Hey, Tyson, let me know if you can narrow this radius down. We're flying

pretty blind out here, looking for Logan's phone.

Based off the ping, I'd start in the easternmost area, near Willow's Bend.

The west is rougher terrain, way worse than Whispering Pines. All rock, no

trail. Copy. Thanks.

Hey, guys, we're gonna head this way.

You wanna tell us why you ran?

Because I've been here before.

Once an officer gets it in their skull that I'm guilty, that's all it seems to

take.

Guilty of what?

We only came to ask if you're familiar with the podcaster Logan Hayes.

I know him.

Had you crossed paths?

No.

Logan Hayes profits from people's pain.

He sensationalizes murder.

His accusations against me ruined my life.

Logan Hayes was killed last night.

It's looking an awful lot like a botanist killing.

I'm done talking about anything pertaining to the botanist.

Actually, we need to take you down to the station for further questioning.

Come on.

You guys check that way.

Meeks, I got it.

Not bad, Esposito.

Another botanist trait, leaving clues.

Made it easy on us.

This is Logan's phone. Hopefully it can lead to something.

Guys!

I'll do some more digging into Logan Hayes.

According to court records, Logan filed a restraining order against Terrence

Elliott.

Funny. Failed to mention that.

Another thing, Meeks and I found Logan's phone, Tyson accessed the data, and it

turns out the coded email was scheduled to be sent.

So the phone could be sitting in the park for God knows how long.

Exactly. Whoever it is, they know how to cover their tracks.

I have Terrence in interrogation. See what I can get out of him.

Tyson, I was just going to show you something.

Let's try this again, Terrence.

You want to explain the restraining order?

Or the fact that you lied and said that you never knew Logan?

I confronted him.

That's it.

Look, I came to Fallbrook to get away from all that.

You wouldn't give it a rest.

Let's talk about the flowers.

I don't know what you're talking about.

What do you think?

It's hard to say.

And there was a time I thought Terrence could be guilty.

Even now with the flowers and the restraining order.

The lies.

I'm not so sure.

Then again, for Terrence to move to a town where yet another bot and his

victim is found, just don't look right.

I'm stuck.

Even with David's book, I can't figure out anything.

I can't figure out this cryptic message.

Mind if I take a stab at it?

How about it?

I'll keep extracting data from Logan's phone.

Clive, it's Sheriff Ryan.

Ryan, what can I do for you?

Mind if I come by?

I need to chat about something.

I'm not far.

Yeah, swing by. I'm here.

Oh, and bring me a big gulp, will you?

Will do.

So, what do you think?

It's too early to tell.

We got the cause of death back from the coroner.

Logan wasn't actually strangled like the previous victims.

What about the bruising on the neck?

Post-mortem.

It was the blunt force to the back of the head that killed him.

I thought strangulation was the botanist's M.O.

It is.

But this time he may not have been in full control of the circumstances.

He was rushed.

Or maybe it is a copycat killer.

All I know is something isn't adding up.

Either way, copycat or botanist, our strategy is the same.

We have a murder, we solve it.

Would anyone else like to share?

Um, um, my husband and I, we own a horse ranch.

Well, it's my late husband. He passed away two years ago.

And we ran it together.

But now that my children, they're all grown up and they're out of state, it's,

um...

Just getting a lot harder.

But, you know, it's... It's where we built our family, and...

I just, I can't give up on it, you know?

Plus, I love it there.

You know, the horses.

It's a part of me.

That's all.

Thank you for sharing.

Running a ranch must be challenging when you're all alone.

But life can be lonely without community.

Yeah.

And I hope that this group helps you when the loneliness creeps in.

We're here to remind all of you that you're not alone.

Appreciate you taking the time. No problem.

What's up?

What do you know about the Steel Reapers?

The Reapers, huh?

This is Sheriff Al. It's a confidential informant inside the Reapers.

A guy named Aaron Story.

I knew Al, of course. Never saw what he did coming. It's a shame.

I've never seen this guy.

So I have this murder case.

Steel Reaper named Cam Bergdorf.

Bergdorf?

Didn't you play baseball together?

In high school.

Yeah, how did you... I saw all the local games.

You had an arm on you.

A lot of great talent in these parts.

Well, I went right and... Bergdorf wound up dead.

This is personal for you now, huh?

It is.

I think the Steel Reapers are running military weapons, and this Aaron Story

CI is my key to solving it.

I'll look into it for you on my end.

Still have friends in the FBI.

See what they're willing to share.

Thanks.

Word of warning, though.

The Reapers don't much care if you wear a badge.

Be careful.

Will do.

Keep bringing these, too.

I'm all ears.

I gotta head out.

You know, crime's to solve.

Thanks for sharing again today.

That took real courage.

Sorry for your loss.

It was a long time coming.

Was it hard for you the first time you shared?

I suppose it was.

But it helps.

It's sort of a catharsis and talking about it, as daunting as it feels at

first.

You know, you were good at this.

I'm just a volunteer.

It's more than that. I mean, what you're doing and helping people, it's

important.

That's kind of you.

Thank you.

Well, until next time.

Until next time.

I'm this close to pulling my hair out with this message.

You watched any episodes yet?

Have a nice time.

Wait.

Look.

It's not there.

What does that mean exactly?

Look at these crime scene photos.

Logan's hard drive.

It's missing.

Someone's taken it.

Do you think it's backed up to the cloud?

Uh, let me see.

Whoa, hey, look what I found.

Logan! You walked me out of the account.

What do you want?

You're a liar and a cheat.

You're gonna regret this.

Whatever you say, Wyatt. Yeah, I guess that makes you the fool, huh?

Who is this Wyatt guy?

Tyson. Already on it. A Wyatt Sharp.

He's the former podcast partner of Logan Hayes.

Looks like they separated.

Apparently they have a pending lawsuit.

Does he still live in the area?

Yeah, he sure does.

Send me the address.

On it.

Hey, Jody. What's up?

I'm headed into town to meet with a suspect, Wyatt Sharp.

He's Logan Hayes' former co-host.

Can you meet me there?

Sure thing.

I'll send you the address.

You got it.

I found text between Logan and Wyatt.

A slew of threats Logan never responded to.

We need to update Jodi.

Hey. Hey. Thanks for your help. Hey, buddy. No problem.

Hang on one second.

What's up, Meeks?

So, Tyson accessed Logan's cloud.

And? A lot of threatening messages, including a strange text from Wyatt to

Logan saying, Nothing goes unanswered. Balance will be restored.

Okay, thanks.

They found threatening messages on Logan's phone from Wyatt.

You okay?

Yeah, of course.

Is that him?

Yeah.

Let's go.

Come on, boy.

Wyatt Sharp.

We need to talk to you about Logan Hayes.

No, thanks.

Wyatt, we can do this here. We can show up to your front door in an hour with a

search warrant and see what's inside.

All right.

Relax.

What do you want to know?

According to court records, you were in the midst of a legal battle with Logan.

Must have been pretty bitter losing your podcast to Logan.

Angry, even. So much so that you took matters into your own hands. Logan and I

didn't always see eye to eye, but I didn't hurt him.

I just wanted what I was owed.

Logan!

You've heard him before.

You've walked me out of the account.

What do you want?

What's to say you didn't hurt him again? You're a liar and a cheat.

Logan Hayes was murdered last night, Wyatt.

Where were you?

Hey, I'm looking for you.

Hey, sorry. I just needed to clear my head. This botanist message has been

bugging me. What's up?

Well, I think I may have just found something.

You cracked it?

No. Because it's a fake.

This message is basically just a mashup of the original and second coded

messages. Check out the first stanza.

It's almost identical to ours.

It's like it's plagiarizing itself.

Logan was like a brother to me.

Brothers fight, but it was water under the bridge, honest to God.

Well, it doesn't explain the threatening text messages.

Wyatt, we're going to need you to stay in town unless you want the FBI coming

down on you.

FBI? Agent David Whitaker is here. He was doing a podcast episode with Logan.

You remember him?

We have no problem handing this back to him if you don't cooperate.

Just be honest with us, Wyatt, and we can help you.

David Whitaker, you said?

Is he still in town?

If I have to talk to someone, I'm happy to talk to him.

You know, murder doesn't get solved in a day, right?

Preaching to the choir, my friend.

I hate to break it to you, but I have to head back.

What?

What's the big rush?

I got called back on another case.

Well, you got time for a quick meal.

I'm not taking no for an answer.

All right.

Let me pack up at the hotel.

I'll meet you at Peaks and Valley.

Sounds good.

This is Clive.

Clive.

Is David still in town?

Wyatt's willing to talk with him.

He's on his way up, but I'm meeting him in half an hour.

Are you with Tyson?

I've got a question for him.

I am.

I'll put you on speaker.

Hi, Sink.

What else did you get from the cloud?

I discovered that Logan automatically uploads to the cloud when shooting his

podcasts. Haven't gone through them yet, though.

There's also a file on the bot in his case labeled deleted files.

So is the recent episode recorded? Is it there?

Yeah, I was just about to play it.

The first bit is corrupted, though.

A victim who claims she escaped a botnist attack and was too afraid to

report it.

has sent me a scarf she was wearing during her attack.

I have the scarf tested anonymously for the attacker's DNA and now have the

sealed results.

Tomorrow, I, Logan Hayes, will unseal and read the report live.

And I will hand those details and scarf over to the FBI for further testing and

criminal record matching.

Will it finally prove my theory that Terrence Elliott is our killer?

A cold case in bloom. The botanist with me, Logan Hayes.

Thanks.

Hey.

We should get our orders in.

I've got a flight to catch.

Can I talk something through with you?

Yes. Sure.

What's going on?

We thought the botanist was back.

But it was just a copycat.

That's what it's starting to look like.

That's true.

But it only looks that way because of the slight differences between Logan's

murder and the botanist's carefully planned M.O.

bludgeoning the victim before strangling, and the recycling of old

botanist messages.

And if it was a copycat, it would have to have been someone with enough

intimate knowledge of the botanist to replicate him almost to a T.

But what would be the motive?

Nora kept asking, what if the botanist is really back? What if he was rushed?

But why would he be rushed?

Maybe Logan really did have something to nail the real botanist.

But there was nothing concrete that we could piece together.

And then we saw the video.

What video?

Tyson accessed Logan's cloud.

The podcast promo for Logan's great botanist reveal was scheduled to be

posted the next morning, but uploaded to the cloud on the night of his death.

A victim sent me a scarf she was wearing during her attack.

We should finally have a DNA profile of the botanist killer.

I will hand those details and scarf over to the FBI for further testing and

criminal record matching.

And what FBI agent had Logan invited to the bombshell podcast reveal?

You.

Logan thought he finally had something to nail Terrence Elliott as the real

botanist. But what Logan didn't know is that the DNA evidence would point the

finger at you.

The real botanist.

Not Terrence Elliott.

Because you were the one that she escaped from.

When he called you for the podcast invite, he told you about the victim's

claim. And you knew that you would do whatever it takes to keep Logan from

revealing that report.

The FBI would have your DNA on record, and it would be a perfect match.

You had to kill Logan that night.

You had the textbook suspect to pin it on in Terrence Elliott, but you were

rushed. And when you're rushed, you make mistakes.

You took the DNA report and the hard drive and cleaned the crime scene with

bleach.

But you knew you might not be able to remove all your DNA.

That's why you came back the following morning and called the sheriff.

He would serve as your alibi.

And if anybody found your DNA at the scene, no one would think anything of

it.

But in a rush, one simple detail escaped even the botanist's meticulous eye.

When you fail to consider that Logan might automatically back up his work.

We know you killed Logan Hayes.

And that you're the botanist.

Don't make this any worse.

You're under arrest for the murder of Logan Hayes.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Good work today.

Glad to have some more military experience in the building.

Thank you.

I'm sorry about Agent Whitaker.

Yeah.

This line of work, we see the worst in people.

Can't let it harden us.

Hey, Larson.

Jody. Jody.

Case in point.

I know you've been through hell and back.

You stayed open, put your trust in Blue.

Now look at you.

I'm really lucky to have him.

Yeah.

We all are.

Spend some time in the park. I think moving the product through those passes

is our best bet Yeah, too much traffic through town, too many eyes

Park could work. Yeah, it's practically a straight shot on the interstate once

you hit the exit on the south end of the park, so I'll talk to the guys Okay

She's so good.

Oh guys

Tomorrow, Blue is starting his firearm detection training.

Oh, good job, Blue.

Another certification in the works. Very impressive.

Hi. Everyone, this is Lainey. Lainey, this is everyone.

Hi. You have a girlfriend?

He sure does.

It's great to finally put faces to names. I've heard so much about you

guys.

Wait, I didn't know you had a dog.

Oh, yeah, he's canine unit. I call him Blue. More like this.

Oh, he's your dog.

He's Jody's dog, technically.

It's so nice to meet you, Lainey.

This guy is a vault, so please forgive the surprise.

I've mentioned it.

No, you haven't. No, you haven't.

Well, hi, I'm Nora.

Lainey. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, yeah. Hey,

guys. Hey.

Do you have a sec?

Yeah.

Did you know Meeks has a girlfriend?

Uh, no.

Wow. Yeah.

That's a shock.

You know you can talk to me.

I want to be honest with you.

No secrets.

Okay.

What's up?

I went to visit Sheriff Al in county today.

Why?

I needed help with the case, but he wouldn't see me. And I know it brings up

old wounds, but... Help me understand.

You remember my friend Cam from high school?

Yeah. He fell in with the Steel Reapers after high school, and we grew apart.

I found out he got killed, and that's why I went to go visit Sheriff Al.

Ryan, I'm sorry.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm good.

I wanted to show you something.

I think Ernie might be involved with the Steel Reapers.

Just because he's hanging around at Nickel Tavern? You need to trust me on

this. I can't get into the details, but you need to be careful.

He was my partner. We served together. You know this.

Did you know that he has a criminal record?

He's been here less than a week, and you're already putting in background

checks? I'm not... You can't arrest the guy for making a couple of friends

regardless of who they are.

Jodi, Jodi, you're not hearing me right now. No, Ryan, you're not hearing me

right now.

Ernie is a good guy.

I wish you would trust me on this.

Blue, let's go.