In Letchworth, retired detective Steve Wheeler reads about Andrew Fairbanks's death because the murder happened in South Carolina, where Amy Wheeler is working. Although the case is outside his jurisdiction and he tells himself it is someone else's problem, the details unsettle him and make him curious. Steve also reflects on his mutual concern with Amy: Steve worries about her safety and loneliness in her life, while Amy worries about his health and isolation.

Steve then finishes a local investigation for shop owner Jenny Bright. He confronts Jenny's daughter, Mollie Bright, with hidden-camera footage showing that Mollie has been taking money from the till. When Steve questions Mollie further, he realizes Mollie has not been stealing for herself; after some hesitation, Mollie admits that a girl from school has been forcing her to get the money through online bullying. Mollie finally names the bully as Lauren Gough, and Steve immediately connects that surname with a known local criminal family.

While talking with Mollie, Steve mentions that he has been reading more about Fairbanks online. He learns that Fairbanks was a minor fitness influencer in South Carolina to film an advert for an energy drink, and Steve is struck by the oddity that the job was arranged by Vivid Viral Media Agency, a company based in Letchworth Garden City. The coincidence makes Steve suspicious, though he still treats the murder as officially someone else's case.

When Jenny returns, Steve protects Mollie by claiming the security footage shows nothing and by handing over his own money to replace the missing cash, saying an anonymous envelope came through his letter box. After Jenny leaves, Mollie thanks Steve, and Steve makes clear that his real motive is that he cannot stand bullies. He sends Mollie off to walk the temporarily borrowed dog so he can go to the pub, while privately continuing to think about Fairbanks's killing and the unconvincing public statements of Sheriff Justin Scroggie.