7. The Key — Episode — Cold Case

7. The Key

The 1979 murder of a schoolteacher who was stabbed to death in a wooded area is reopened when the victim's bloodstained jacket is found stuffed in a tree trunk with a happy-face key chain in a pocket. The case was originally investigated by Jeffries when he was a rookie detective. The probe reveals the victim died two months after attending a key party she left with a neighbor, a man with whom she had an affair.

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

The team reopens the 1979 murder of Libby Bradley, an upper-class schoolteacher, wife, and mother, when her bloodstained jacket is found in a tree in the woods where she was stabbed to death. The team soon discovers that the victim was having marital problems with her husband Carl that affected even their daughter Helen, whom Jefferies had promised that he would catch her mother's killer. Song featured in the intro: " Best of My Love ", by The Emotions. Song featured in the finale: " Broken Hearted Me ", by Anne Murray.

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Cold Case season 4. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license