Anatomy of a Town

Synopsis

Sherrie Harris had a reputation of being a drinker who slept around. Her body is discovered on the city/county line after an early Spring blizzard. She's been bludgeoned to death. She's rumored to have been having an affair with the town's most successful businessman, a local car dealership owner named Harvey Boyle, famous for his regional television ads that she "stars" in. Harvey’s wife Josephine is of "old" timber wealth. She has her own agenda, protecting the family fortune. Leonard Shepherd sets out to solve the case. He must live down the last murder in town which went unsolved, partially due to the Chief's drinking problem. A young girl was raped and murdered, He is haunted by his failure. Leonard's soon-to-be ex-wife is selling their house. Harvey Boyle has fled, unavailable for questioning. Leonard questions Harvey's wife who pretends to know nothing. The Boyles' are remodeling their foyer. Leonard notices that a statue he remembers from his childhood is missing from the house. His mother was their maid and cook. The investigation leads him to Sherrie's husband, Jack who seems to be the logical culprit since Sherrie was cheating on him, recently asked him for a divorce, and Leonard finds evidence in his ice-fishing house which leads to his pursuit of Jack in a car-chase on the frozen lake. Both vehicles break through the ice. The medical examiner finds dust in Sherrie's hair, indicating a murder location under construction. The Sheriff's office seems to have decided Jack is the killer. Leonard discovers that his soon-to-be ex-wife had an argument with Sherrie the day she was murdered. The Mayor pulls Leonard from the case after his wife reveals that Leonard had an affair with Sherrie but Sherrie had discovered that Sherrie and Leonard have the same father. Leonard discovers Sherrie's birth certificate as he searches her safety deposit box. The name on the birth certificate is Sheriff Davis. Leonard finds his own birth certificate but there is no name recorded. When questioned again, Jack admits that Sherrie somehow came into a lot of money. Leonard starts investigating the Sheriff, finding that he paid Sherrie as a "campaign consultant." Leonard asks the Medical examiner to compare his DNA to Sherrie's. It's a match. Leonard starts calling antique dealers, looking for the marble statue. He finds it and discovers a partial, bloody fingerprint on it. Harvey Boyle returns to town and he comes to see Leonard, admitting that he came home after Sherrie neglected to show up at a hotel, he was going to leave Josephine for her. Harvey discovers the Sheriff and Josephine together, Sherrie is already dead. Fingerprint analysis confirms Harvey's story, it’s Josephine's. She is also the Sheriff’s daughter and trying to kept it secret because she would be disinherited. The Chief resigns to try and put his marriage back together.