Episode 1 of Death and Other Details ended with the big revelation that the loud businessman was indeed Rufus’ assistant. In episode two, we find out more about Danny, the man who pretended to be Keith Trubitsky. After failing to solve Kira Scott’s case, Rufus had somewhat given up on his pursuit of truth, and it was Danny who showed him hope about solving the case. Along with the past, we also find information about the present. Rufus decided to interrogate all his possible suspects, and it helped him build a timeframe and also understand the dynamics between the influential people on board. Along with finding out the person responsible for Danny’s death, Rufus also had to dig deep to find out the reason why Kira Scott was murdered.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Rufus decide to reinvestigate the old case?
Danny was visibly excited when he came to visit Rufus one morning. The celebrated detective had retired, but Danny knew that the possibility of solving a past case would get his mentor back to work. Danny mentioned that Lawrence Collier was about to hand over his business to his daughter, Anna, and a huge investment was also on the way. Rufus immediately knew that foreign investment implied that the Colliers had to reveal all their trade secrets to the investors. The corporate secrets could also reveal their connection to Viktor Sams. Danny revealed to Imogene during their conversation about the case that Viktor Sams was a fictitious name for an international syndicate that profited from corporate extortion. Imogene’s mother was possibly murdered because the Colliers owed money to him or his party. Viktor Sams might have killed the secretary to send a message to the Colliers, but Rufus could not prove his theory. It is also possible that Imogene’s mother had found secrets she should have stayed away from, and she was silenced forever as a result.
Imogene realized that she had misjudged the old detective. He did not give up on the case and boarded the cruise to bring justice to her and her mother. It was Danny who convinced Rufus to reconsider his decision, and Imogene had reasons to be forever grateful to him. The loss was personal for Rufus this time, and finding out the killer became all the more important. Imogene agreed to help Rufus solve the mystery, and they turned their focus on their suspects.
What clues did Rufus gather?
The Colliers’ general counselor, who had been working for the family for two decades, refused to cooperate with Rufus. While he did not answer any of Rufus’ questions, the marks on his hands intrigued the detective. Rufus also realized that Lawrence’s wife, Katherine, had a soft spot for their son and preferred to overlook all of his failures. On the other hand, Anna was frustrated with her father not declaring her the heir of Collier Mills. Upon asking his suspects about their interaction with Keith Trubitsky, Rufus found out intricate details that helped him build the case. He learned that Katherine never liked the Chun family, and they were quite aware of it. She was only making grand gestures to impress them before the investment. We also find out that Anna and Eleanor had a brief affair, and even after Anna married Leila, Eleanor never stopped fancying her. Eleanor and Tripp believed that Leila’s reaction to Keith taking a picture on the cruise was extreme.
During the interrogation, Rufus was accused by the Chuns of not doing the work he was paid for and instead taking up a murder case. Rufus did not care, and he made it clear that the Chuns were his suspects as well. Eleanor revealed a crucial detail during the questioning: she stated that the Colliers were desperately looking forward to foreign investment because they had gone bankrupt. Anna and Katherine denied the allegation, adding that the investment was a strategic partnership. Considering that the Colliers had secrets to hide, it was unlikely that they would be open to investment if not because they were bankrupt and desperately needed the help of the Chun family.
Who were the possible suspects in the murder case?
Imogene was assigned the task of looking into the Collier’s books, and the only person who could give her access to them was Anna. She tried to win Anna’s trust by discussing the conversation she had with Rufus. Meanwhile, Rufus carried on with the interrogation. He accused the priest of lying to him about not speaking to Kieth, whereas Eleanor had seen the two enter the church. As it turned out, the priest had introduced Trubitsky to the Governor of Washington, Alexandra, and he expressed his intention of donating to her funds. His only condition was that he wanted to know the names of the others who contributed because Trubitsky believed she had taken money from someone she should not have engaged with, and he wanted to find out the truth behind it. Of course, Alexandra did not entertain him, and he was asked to leave.
While speaking to Leila, Rufus showed immense trust in her. Leila lived through a traumatic incident that changed her; she never considered it to be an accident, and she must have seen or learned about some truth that left her scared and paranoid. Leila had been suspicious of Keith because she was confident that he had been following her for a long time. She was the only one who had figured out that Keith was lying about his identity. But was that reason enough for Leila to kill him?
Rufus also suspected Tripp. While he was the one who had invited Trubitsky on the cruise, he was left disappointed on day two. Trubitsky had pulled out of his venture, and it led to an argument between the two. Rufus had witnesses confirming that Tripp was extremely angry after their argument, and he had stated aloud that he would kill Keith. Not only did he display a lack of anger management, but he also had the perfect motive. Tripp’s only argument was that it was not he who was humiliated publicly, but Trubitsky. Apart from multiple witnesses and the perfect motive, Rufus also had evidence that proved that a bar cart was ordered from his room to Trubitsky’s room. The order was not made by Tripp but by a woman with an American accent, implying that the governor had spent the night with Tripp, and maybe the two planned on seeking revenge on Trubitsky. Towards the end of Death and Other Details episode 2, we find out that Tripp was one of the major donors to Alexandra’s funds, and the fact that she was having an affair with him made everything too complicated.
At the end of episode 2 of Death and Other Details, Sunil Bhandari, the cruise owner, revealed that Trubitsky had attempted to enter his office the night he was murdered. He pretended to be drunk and walked away after Sunil told him it was not his room. The fact that Danny attempted to enter the office suggested that he might have found something worth investigating. Rufus had found out what Sunil had kept hidden behind a painting—a secret safe. Sunil was not as innocent as he seemed, but what secret was he hiding? It was not just Sunil who was deceptive; the surveillance footage revealed that a monetary exchange had taken place between Collier’s lawyer and Teddy. Was she paid to carry out the murder, and if so, what secret had Danny found that forced the Colliers to kill him? Or was there a secret relationship between Teddy and the Colliers?
Rufus believed that Keith (Danny) was murdered to keep the deal in place, but the details of it were yet to be discovered. The interrogation affected Alexandra and Tripp’s relationship, as Alexandra decided to cut all ties with him, fearing repercussions. Eleanor had a word with Anna, stating that the Chuns would no longer invest in Collier Mills. The ending also proved that the Chuns were right; the Colliers had gone bankrupt. On Lawrence’s behalf, Kathrine signed a document indicating that the bankruptcy would result in a private company purchasing the business. The lawyer was held captive while she went ahead and signed the documents. Clearly, Katherine played an influential role in the family business, and she always got things done her way by hook or crook. The head of security, Jules, had a secret stash of cash and multiple passports, implying that he, too, was not innocent. Leila was right to doubt everything around her because someone was watching over her every second. The Interpol arrived on the cruise the next morning. Agent Hilde Eriksen introduced herself to Sunil, and from what it looks like, she does not trust Rufus’ investigation, and we can expect to see conflict between the two.
