Motive: Abandoned

SYNOPSIS

The victim: Barb Birk, the owner of her own diner. The killer: Sasha King, a resident and worker at a women's shelter, and one of Barb's many disgruntled ex-employees. Who is eventually identified as Barb is found burnt to death inside her diner kitchen in what was an early morning fire on a day the diner was closed. The initial primary suspect as the person who started the fire, and thus the killer, is Barb's son, Jason Birk, who used to be a short order cook in the diner, and whose lighter was used to start the fire. He admits the lighter is his, but states that anyone who worked in the diner knew where he left it. He has been out of jail for three weeks, his ten month sentence for assault for beating up Ross Simpson, another of Barb's disgruntled ex-employees who often parked his food truck outside the diner. Jason, who is surprised to learn that he is the insurance beneficiary, admits that he and his mother had a love/hate relationship. They were somewhat estranged based largely on Jason's initiative to get out from under Barb's control, but he also admits that he still loved her as she did everything for him as best as she knew how. Jason and Sasha were beginning a relationship just before he committed the assault. Beyond the physical evidence, Angie and Oscar will have to find out what happened during those ten months while Jason was in prison, which relates to Barb's Wednesday and Friday lunch hour mystery trips over the past month, to discover the motive. Meanwhile, Angie is in a quandary about whether to agree to Samantha's request to testify as a character witness for Mark at a trial. If she does, the truth behind her and Mark's professional life ten years ago may come to light, that information which has the potential to ruin both her and Mark's careers.