Sam meets with Emily at the police station to update her on Helen. It was all a misunderstanding. Albert’s wife had arranged for Helen to feed their fish while they were away, but Albert decided to stay home at the last minute. Sam released Helen while they continue to investigate Richard’s death. Another officer interrupts and asks Sam to come outside immediately.
Outside the station, Wes is telling the local news that Helen is guilty. Sam steps in front of the cameras and clarifies that the case is ongoing and Helen was at the station for an unrelated matter.
At Under the Mistletoe, Emily holds a gift drive and kicks off her campaign for Christmas Cheerman. She thanks Violet for pushing her to run but warns her not to get her hopes up about Emily moving back full-time. June rushes in to say there’s a problem outside.
June leads Emily to Brooke’s crowded campaign event, where Brooke is handing out freebies, including “Ginger-Brooke” cookies. Brooke mocks Emily for running against her. June warns Brooke not to underestimate Emily, but Brooke laughs it off.
Emily stops at Sue’s for coffee and runs into Ruth. Ruth says she’s glad Wes went on the news and did what she couldn’t: be brave and put her foot down. She reveals that when she first had doubts about Helen and begged her dad to protect himself financially in the marriage, he threatened to cut her off.
Emily goes straight to the station to tell Sam. He’s intrigued but says it isn’t enough to prove Helen is the killer. Mayor Ray walks in claiming to have new evidence: a fine Richard issued to Albert two years ago for excessive electricity use. Ray suggests Albert has been bitter ever since and could be the killer. Sam keeps the evidence but sets it aside for now.
Emily and Sam pay Helen a visit. Helen says she originally asked Richard to leave her out of his estate, but Richard worried Ruth wouldn’t take care of her, which is what started the argument. Helen insists she didn’t receive a penny from Richard’s death. She adds that Richard and Albert’s relationship was never the same after the fine. Richard believed Albert was trying to sabotage his Christmas displays and even considered setting up hidden cameras, but Helen talked him out of escalating things.
On their way out, Emily spots unusual wiring on a reindeer decoration. She and Sam take a closer look and find a hidden camera tucked behind the reindeer’s red nose.
Emily flashes back to the night Aaron snuck into the intelligence building to convince her to join him. She tells him she still wants to change the world, but the right way. Aaron says he loves her. She doesn’t say it back and sets off the lockdown alarm, hoping to catch him before he escapes.
At Emily’s, she and Sam review the hidden camera footage and catch Albert red-handed moving the ladder away from the house.
Sam brings Albert in for questioning. Albert claims he was only pranking Richard and had nothing to do with his fall. Sam shows him a photo of the second footprint found on the roof. Albert insists it isn’t his and says he didn’t see anyone else there. He was already nervous about getting caught because he’d spotted Ruth’s car parked down the street. Sam and Emily begin to wonder whether Ruth could be the killer.
As Emily is about to leave the station, Sam pulls her close and tells her how much he’s missed her. Emily says she’s missed him too, but they agree not to get involved again until she settles her past and can move back full-time.
At Sue’s, Emily runs into Wes. She opens up about losing her parents at a young age and gently nudges him toward forgiveness. Despite her efforts, Wes is still convinced Helen is a killer.
Sam learns from Richard’s lawyer that Richard had planned to meet with him just before he died to add Helen to his will. Emily and Sam suspect Ruth found out.
At Under the Mistletoe, Sam tells Violet that pushing Emily to run for Cheerman could make it harder on her when she leaves again. Violet agrees to ease up, but June is still focused on Emily winning, especially with the campaign debate that day. Emily thanks them for caring but says she wants to see it through.
June and Emily catch up while getting ready for the debate. June mentions she’s dating again but has had no luck. She also tells Emily to go for it with Sam because they’re perfect for each other. Ray interrupts with a phone call: there’s a FOR SALE sign at Richard and Helen’s house. Emily tells June she has to go but promises to be back in time for the debate.
Emily rushes to Helen’s, where Helen explains that Ruth decided to sell the house immediately. Emily asks why Helen left Wes as a kid without an explanation. Helen says she didn’t want Wes to know how much his father had been struggling before his death, so she left him with his aunt and uncle to raise him. Richard encouraged Helen to send Wes a Christmas card as an olive branch, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
At Sue’s, the Cheerman debate begins. Emily arrives just as Brooke is wrapping up her speech, in which she promises to bring back the town’s Christmas Market.
Sam brings Ruth in for questioning. Ruth says she pulled over down the street to compose herself before going to the house because she was upset that her father had chosen Helen over her. She denies going up on the roof and reminds Sam that Helen’s red oven mitt was in Richard’s hand when they found his body.
Emily takes the stage in front of the townspeople. She ditches the speech June and Violet wrote for her and speaks from the heart. She announces she’s dropping out of the race because she can’t fully commit to the town, and she suggests Helen run in her place. Emily urges the town to give Helen a chance instead of listening to rumors. The crowd applauds, and Ray officially opens the voting.
Sam congratulates Emily on her speech and fills her in on his conversation with Ruth. He’s frustrated that he still can’t be sure Ruth is the killer. Emily says she might have another way to crack the case but warns him it won’t be his usual method.
Sam calls Albert and Ruth into the station together and tells them he’s bringing in state-of-the-art forensic technology to examine the roof. He asks them both to stay away from the house so the forensic team doesn’t falsely place them at the crime scene. After they leave, Sam tells Emily he “set the bait.”
The next day, Ray and Helen stop by Under the Mistletoe with good news. Ray tells Emily her speech resonated with the town and she won the election for Christmas Cheerman. Emily is touched but declines. Helen explains that she’s too busy now that her wreath business is booming again with her name cleared. She’s even recruited Ruth to help after the two made up and Ruth took the house off the market. Ray hesitantly concludes that Brooke is next in line for Cheerman, and Emily says Brooke will do a great job.
Sam stops by Emily’s to tell her the case is closed and Wes is the killer. He moves closer and tells her they make a great team and that he’s willing to be wherever she is. He leaves her to think it over.
Emily receives a text from an unknown number asking to meet, and she leaves.
Emily pulls up to an unmarked black SUV, and the door opens. Inside is her former intelligence boss. Emily reminds her that they agreed she could have the holidays before getting back to work. Her boss reminds Emily of their deal: in exchange for protecting her old colleagues and giving them new identities, Emily must return to active duty until Aaron and Chimera are caught. Emily replies that whatever they do, it won’t bring Thomas back. She is ordered to keep her word and keep her work secret from everyone, including Sam.