When one of two bridesmaids is found murdered in their hotel bed, Detectives Goren and Eames initially suspect two men that the women met in a bar. But when the survivor, Alice's story keeps changing, evidence suggests an actor -- Tim, posing as a taxi driver might have played a role. The detectives peel back the layers of the suspect's life and discover disturbing evidence, family history -- and his penchant for researching twisted subjects for future acting assignments.

When the body of a former school chancellor is fished out of the Hudson River, Detectives Goren and Eames find out that he was a high roller on a casino boat off the New York coast. They soon zero in on Joey, a talented but arrogant young gambler who was owed $500,000 by the victim. But the police also cannot ignore the dead man's resentful brother-in-law Phil, when they discover that he not only raised Joey, but taught him poker and intentionally placed him on the ship on the fateful night.