Yahoo Movies The Sinner recap: A secret relationship gives insight into Percy's disappearance
The Sinner's second episode opens on the bluff where Percy Muldoon was last seen. The water below is being dredged for her body, while Harry Ambrose and Chief Lou Raskin catch a break in the case on the cliff above.
The fingerprints found in Percy's abandoned vehicle match those of CJ Lam, son of Muldoon Fishing Co. rivals Mike and Stephanie Lam. CJ's got a bit of a history — anger issues and an aggravated assault charge. Harry and Lou head to CJ's parents' seafood restaurant, where they decline the chowder, but accept a reluctant invite upstairs to speak to the suspect. Upon suspiciously slapping his laptop shut, CJ claims he hasn't seen or heard from Percy. When cornered about the prints, he back peddles, saying he did receive a ride from Percy a couple months back.
Lam Sr. provides an alibi for his son, while CJ stresses he "barely knew her." On the way out, Harry spots a small, jade statue, like the one found among Percy's belongings at the bluff. Harry informs Lou that the location of the fingerprints inside the car suggest a struggle. Outside, he also discovers CJ's car is caked with red dirt, a type of clay specific to the area where Percy's ride was found. Things are looking real bad for CJ.
This clue brings Ambrose back to the home of the uncooperative-dude-with-the-neck-tattoo, a.k.a. Diez. He's still uncooperative and, apparently, runs a drug den. Harry offers to keep quiet on his illegal activities in exchange for the goods on CJ. Diez suddenly gets chatty, saying CJ was indeed there for a couple hours the night Percy disappeared.
Cut to the increasingly guilty-looking CJ in his dark apartment — snorting drugs, creepily looking at pics of Percy, and flashing back to a day the pair shared a brief, friendly encounter. He takes another hit, stares at more pics, then rubs his private parts.
Harry and Lou meet with Percy's ex-boyfriend Brandon, who sports a great beard and plenty of details about the day CJ punched Colin Muldoon, Percy's uncle. Colin had been teasing CJ, but the young Lam didn't appreciate the ribbing and reacted accordingly. Brandon also reveals that a drunken Percy broke off their relationship without explanation.
We next find Ambrose and Sonya attending a social gathering, where he recognizes the woman he'd previously seen perform the nude ritual beneath the stars — the woman who also looked a bit like grandma Meg. Harry awkwardly confronts her, but with a sip of red wine and a dismissive cackle, the woman denies "swimming" the other night.
Back at the Lam's restaurant, Ambrose and Raskin interrupt an argument between CJ and his mother before inviting the former down to the station for questioning. They call him out on the bogus alibi and inform him his phone's GPS placed him at the pub where Percy got the gash on her head. This cues a flashback to Percy knocking on CJ's door late one night. She's high and has something important to tell him. She warms up with, "You're going to hate me. I'm a horrible person," before CJ goes in for an awkward kiss. Percy's surprised, but quickly reciprocates.
More questioning — and flashbacks — reveal an intoxicated Percy would unexpectedly show up at CJ's place for the occasional booty call. Before Harry can get to the bottom of what happened the night Percy was injured behind the bar, however, Mr. Lam storms in and stops the interview.
Lou and Ambrose update the Muldoons at their home. Uncle Colin's not happy; he feels there's more than enough evidence to arrest CJ. Unsatisfied with the authorities' handling of the case, he and an accomplice, both in hoodies, head to the Lam's restaurant. They put a rock through its window and a fist in CJ's face.
Back at their "vacation" cottage, Sonya reads passages from Percy's copy of The Lunar Goddess, including lines highlighted by the missing girl, while Harry stares at the tiny praying figurine. Sonya then dives into a deep conversation about the contemplation of suicide, a subject that clearly makes Harry uncomfortable. The two head to the bluff. Sonya approaches the edge, while Harry hangs back to have a conversation with imaginary Percy, who reminds him she's not real and cannot offer the answers he seeks.
At the station, CJ, sporting an arm sling and some fresh facial injuries, finally agrees to talk about the night Percy got the gash on her head. "You have to understand," he begins, "she wanted me to hurt her." A flashback reveals Percy and CJ pulling up to Diez's drug den. CJ's scared and reluctant, but comes around after a quick coke-snorting lesson from his crush. Things escalate further, as Percy gets aggressively affectionate, kissing and smacking CJ in the face. "Hit me... hit me!" she demands.
We next get a peek at what went down between them that fateful night. After not seeing each other for months — Percy had apparently skipped town to the mainland for a bit — she and CJ meet behind the pub. She apologizes for how complicated things have gotten, but he feels used and taken advantage of. He suggests a trip to Diez's, thinking falling back on their old habits will fix things. But Percy doesn't do that anymore. CJ becomes enraged, feeling as though she selfishly messed him up then moved on. Things escalate, become physical, and Percy hits her head hard on a pole.
CJ apologizes profusely and tries to help. With a hand on her bleeding head, Percy goes back towards the bar. CJ feels terrible and expresses frustration over not understanding her behavior. "I would tell you and it would explain everything," she says. "But I can't. They won't let me," she cryptically concludes.
Having spilled the beans on his encounter with Percy that night, CJ's vulnerable, and Harry's ready to strike. He pressures his suspect for a confession, suggesting he later went to the bluff and followed Percy. But while CJ admits he wanted to hurt her initially, he insists he felt bad after their altercation and had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Harry pulls the jade statue from his pocket, prompting a flashback to the night CJ gave it to Percy. While talking in bed, she notices the knickknack in his room. He explains his dad brought them from Hong Kong, one for each member of the family. CJ gifts the souvenir to Percy, and the pair share a tender moment.
Harry believes CJ. He shares this with Meg, who's not buying it. But Harry's more concerned with why Meg didn't bother to tell him about Percy's jaunt to the mainland. As she defends her secrecy and continues to point the finger at CJ, she reveals she saw the cut on her granddaughter's head. After Meg leaves, Ambrose explains to the always-a-step-behind Lou that she'd previously claimed to last see Percy at 5 p.m. that evening, two hours before she was injured. With a taut expression and eyes glaring at Meg as she enters her vehicle outside, Harry closes the episode with a somber: "She's lying."
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