Breathe

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Featured cast[]

Plot[]

"I'd lay down my life for you. So, if you succeed in adopting a child, I'll lay down my life for him or her."

— Holmes to Watson

At the Brownstone, Holmes cleans up to make a good impression on a caseworker who is visiting as part of Watson's child adoption process. Discussing several danger spots for a child, including a bear trap on the floor, they're called to a crime scene. Detective Bell shows them Leland Frisk, head of a relocation firm who was poisoned by Sciacchetra wine laced with cyanide. Partial prints were found on a wine glass and Bell shows them a file room that was broken into. From the contents of the files, Bell believes Frisk was a blackmailer but when Holmes finds a hidden closet full of weapons, he concludes that Frisk was a prolific contract killer. At the 11th Precinct, Holmes and Watson show Captain Gregson a number of Frisk's files that link him to suspicious deaths. Holmes also explains an unusual weapon called the "Incubus" used to suffocate victims. One of Frick's files is missing and Bell and Holmes plan to question Frick's office assistant, Sherry Lennox.

So Frisk probably knew the killer.

An FBI agent, Kerner, who was working on two of the murders seen in Frick's files, reviews the files with Watson and Gregson. She confirms that a man fitting Frisk's description was seen at both murder scenes and now has information to use against those suspected of hiring Frick. Believing that someone Kerner came into contact with may have tipped off one of her suspects, who then arranged Frisk's murder, she says she'll a list of names. Sherry Lennox is shocked to learn of Frisk's death and that he is a contract killer. She provides an alibi and checking her laptop, they find the missing file concerned a Cal Medina, a hated drug company CEO known for buying the rights to drugs and raising the prices. At the Brownstone, Watson calls the caseworker who didn't show for their appointment and learns she won't reschedule. Medina is confronted by Bell, Holmes and Watson that the prints on the wine glass match his and Holmes finds Medina owns a bottle of Sciacchetra matching that at Frisk's. However, Medina has an alibi from a prominent female politician that clears him.

He's gotten a lot of death threats.

Bell finds a second fingerprint on the wineglass at Frisk's which, with Medina's alibi, prevents Medina from being arrested. Holmes sets an new investigative course by searching for who Frisk killed for Medina. Watson meets with her adoption lawyer Gary and accuses him of not informing her of appointments with the adoption agency. He denies culpability and tries to convince her to start the adoption process over again with a new agency. Later at the Brownstone, using Frisk's travel records and matching them to the file on Medina from Lennox's laptop, he's found a time frame in Pittsburgh that he believes Frisk murdered for Medina. Explaining that Medina purchases drugs used to treat a small amount of people and then raising the price, he did so with a drug to treat cystic fibrosis in 2014. Bell is looking into deaths that occurred in Pittsburgh in 2014 that may have benefited Medina.

They don't have a choice. They need the drug.

Holmes asks why Watson's caseworker never visited so she explains the situation with her lawyer. Not wanting to involve Holmes as he might take drastic action, she makes him promise to abide by whatever she decides. Meeting Bell at the precinct, Holmes looks at the file of Peter Romano, a medical researcher who died in Pittsburgh in 2014 just before announcing an alternative drug for cystic fibrosis. Seeing Romano's autopsy photos, Holmes notices facial bruising made by the Incubus and concludes they've found Medina's murder contract. Confronting Medina publicly at a restaurant, he threatens legal action. Holmes notices a change of wine glasses happening at Medina's table and asks for a list of all restaurants he frequents. Later in Gregson's office, Gregson is shown a restaurant security video in which a waitress buses Medina's wine glass which is then taken by Frisk. Bell has confirmed it is the same glass found in Frisk's office leading them to believe that Frisk poisoned himself and framed Medina.

This is the man that you hired Leland Frisk to kill.

Bell and Holmes re-visit Lennox's home and show her a security video of her buying the Sciacchetra wine from the same batch as Medina. She admits to recently learning that Frisk was a contract killer and she was helping him frame Medina. Holmes sees Lennox has a child, Hayden, and deduces that Frisk is the father and that Hayden has cystic fibrosis. Frisk resented the huge markup on the drug Hayden needed and recognizing that Peter Romano's death was a hit that he didn't commit, decided to get rid of Medina after an executive at Medina's company told him the company would change their pricing policies if Medina was removed as CEO. Failing at getting Medina arrested for Romano's murder, with FBI Agent Kerner close to identifying him as a hit man and not being able to kill Medina himself, he decided to sacrifice himself and frame Medina. This would make the cystic fibrosis drug affordable for all those affected which leads Holmes to wish the frame-up had worked.

You helped Frisk set up the frame.

At the Brownstone, Watson reports that Lennox isn't going to be charged while Holmes looks over a secret, detailed file that Frisk had on Romano's murder. Frisk wasn't able to prove Medina was behind the hit on Romano but Holmes hopes he can find something. A visitor arrives, King Wilhelm of Bohemia who Holmes explains has the same problem as Watson. Unhappy with his meddling, Holmes explains to the King that his son has been adopting heirs in exchange for money and that Gary is the lawyer who facilitated the adoptions. Having relied on Sherlock's father Morland for years, the King is willing to follow their advice how to handle the situation which Holmes leaves to Watson to decide. At the precinct, Holmes meets Bell and Agent Kerner and mentioning the files Frisk kept on his hits, asks them to help him incite a hit on Medina to trap him. Later, Medina meets Gregson and Bell at the precinct where Gregson apologizes for accusing him of hiring Frisk.

I have always relied on the counsel of the Holmeses.

Gregson also says they almost got Medina killed and takes him to the viewing window of "the box." Explaining that they used informants and the Dark Web to leak that Medina was cutting a deal with law enforcement, the man in the box, Tad Linsky, started to surveil Medina. Linsky was arrested and a weapon linked to five murders found on him. He admitted that Medina hired him to kill the researcher Romano. Medina is turned over to FBI custody. At Gary's office, Watson shows him a letter from the King that he intends to disown his son and nullify the heirs his son has adopted. Watson gives Gary a choice, admit to the adoption agency that he erred and the letter will be sent which will leave Gary blameless or; the King will nullify the new heirs which will result in lawsuits against him from the heirs. At the Brownstone, Watson reports that after Gary made things right with the agency she fired him and, that she heard that Medina was removed as CEO. (♫ With Lions - Plans ♫) Looking over a thank you feast sent by the King, they discuss Frisk's good deed and what Watson's child will call Holmes.