A woman is on the phone when her buzzer rings. Food delivery is here. She tells the delivery man to leave it outside, hangs up and gets her food.

Later, she's eating and drinking wine when the intercom buzzes again. It's the delivery guy. He says that his phone died and he needs to call his boss. The woman rolls her eyes and says okay. She goes outside, leaving her door open.

Predictably, when she steps outside someone in a mask and hoodie grabs her around the neck and forces her back into the house.

The murder is brutal. She's been beaten and stabbed and cops report no witnesses or security (despite the intercom which made it seem like an apartment rather than a house). The deceased had a book called The Art of Forgiveness on a table.

The cops question Angela's boyfriend, Mark. He says that he came over at 11 or so because she wasn't answering his calls or texts and he was owrried. He had a key and let himself in, found the body, called 911. Before that he was in a bar watching the Yankees game. He doesn't know who killed Angela but a lot of people she worked with weren't nice.

Angela last night around 9 when her food was delivered.

The delivery guy says he never saw Angela. She asked him to drop the food at the door, he did, then left. He shows the cops a log of his deliveries. He went on to a delivery 3 blocks away immediately after dropping off her food. He saw a man standing across the street staring at him. The cops ask what he was wearing.

The cops stop Mark on the street. They say he was wearing the same clothes as the killer and they have a text from him at 8:17 PM saying he was so mad at Angela he could snap her neck. He needs to come with them for further questioning.

Mark loudly denies he hurt Angela. He was angry because he didn't get an acting job and was in a bad mood but he dind't mean it literally, and he's not the only guy in NYC with a hoodie and baseball cap.

Violet gives Dixon a list of Angela's clients. Dixon goes to talk to Mark and asks him if any of the names seem familiar. He says this guy Sean Payne was creepy and wanted to be friends with Angela post-release.

Payne's record shows he did  only five years for aggravated rape. Oddly, Nolan was the one to make a deal with him and interact with a traumatized victim , Chelsea. even though this sounds like a textbook SVU case. He made the deal because Chelsea was so affected by the assault that she wanted the case to disappear. Angela was Sean's counselor and vouched for him. Nolan therefore thought the deal was in everyone's best interest.

Nolan gets a call that Payne just dropped off a love letter at Chelsea's home.

The cops visit Chelsea's home. She is upset and crying. She asks if she should leave. The cops and Nolan tell her that she's safest staying put with the door locked and a cop guarding the entrance.

THe letter from Sean includes his phone number, which theoretically makes it easy to find him. They trace him to 24th and 7th and scare some similar looking guy at a flea market who wonders why they're following him. Violet reports Sean's phone has been turned off and the cops realize he went back to his halfway house on 22nd and 7th.

The manager wants to know what the cops want with Sean but tell them which room is his without getting an answer. Sean isn't in the room but a woman's necklace is.

Another resident tells the cops Sean went to the bathroom. The cops see him coming out of there, triggering this week's chase, which goes across a few rooftops before they finally corner him. Sean seems to be angling for a police brutality lawsuit, as he complains the cuffs are too tight and then during interrogation calls Angela a whore, which provokes Shaw to get in his face. When Riley stops Shaw from doing anything stupid, Sean asks for a lawyer. The cops inform him he's under arrest for rape and murder and he is dragged away in cuffs.

Baxter speaks with Price. He says since Price made the original deal, the optics are bad if he takes first chair on the new case. He will try it himself, with Price as second chair. Price is surprised but Baxter says justice is more important than anything else. In addition, he has an election coming up that he intends to win.

Maroun interrupts.  The defense attorney has moved to surpress the necklace.

Price argues parolees have no right to privacy. Ms. Carter says that would mean they're still prisoners. The judge sides with the defense.

Price thinks they still have a strong case. Baxter says the judge will err on the side of the defense to prevent an appeal after trial.

Mark testifies on the stand. He reads a letter from Sean saying Angela was an agenl he wants to be man and woman with. On cross, the defense attorney harps on Mark's violent texts and prior arrests for assault. Nolan objects to her prejudicial comments. The judge warns the defense attorney she's close to being held in contempt and adjourns so he can see counsel in chambers.

In chambers, the defense attorney claims that if she can't question Mark about his past, she can't put on a defense. She says she is trying to prove that there is reasonable doubt here and she has an ex-girlfriend who will testify that Mark abused her. Nolan thinks this is irrelevant but the judge sides with the defense.

On the stand, Mark denies that he ever abused Ella Hunter. Ella takes the stand and says that Mark was charming at first but then became violent and threatened to kill her. Baxter asks her only if she has any evidence Mark killed Angela. She doesn't.

Nolan tells Baxter that Mark called nad says he has proof Ella is lying. Baxter is of the opinion that they should ignore Mark and Ella as much as possible. Nolan disagrees. Baxter says that they need to get things out in the open because Nolan's perception of him is in the way of working together. No, he is not McCoy and doesn't want to be, but nor is he merely an opportunist looking to score political points. If Nolan can't accept that he can get the hell out. Nolan responds that Baxter is the one with the misperception. He's not the one comparing him to McCoy. But there is no point in debating this. They have a trial to win.

Sean testifies but the judge decides to adjourn for the day before Baxter can cross examine, saying they will pick this up tomorrow.

Nolan and Maroun review evidence while discussing Baxter. Nolan admits he's surprised how good Baxter is as a lawyer. He freezes as he sees something.

Nolan goes to Baxter with photos from the two crime scenes. Payne carved an S into Chelsea's leg. There is a mark that looks like the top half of an S in Angela's leg. He wants to use this to make a plea deal. He thinks Chelsea is too fragile to testify. Baxter says justice is more important than Nolan's concerns about Chelsea.

In chambers, the defense insists this evideince is irrelevant because the S wasn't completed so it could be anything. The judge seems to be siding with the defense. Baxter calls the judge out on not being professional about his hatred for him and threatens to file an interlocary appeal and go to the press about it if the judge doesn't do what he wants. Amazingly, the judge does not consider holding him in contempt and only says he needs time to think.

Nolan is surprised the judge rules their way Baxter says he was forced to. He wants to get on the appeals court and doesn't need this type of bad publicity.

Chelsea testifies. Sean blows her a kiss when Nolan asks if she sees her rapist in the courtroom. Chelsea freezes. Nolan blocks her view of Sean and says she's safe. She points him out.

Sean is found guilty. The family hugs Baxter. Nolan tells Baxter he doesn't think he's a carnival barker.

Their triumph is dampened when Nolan gets a text: Chelsea is in the ER. She just tried to kill herself.

A placard with the number for the National Suicide Hotline is displayed before the credits roll.