Sam and the detectives of the 125th Precinct investigate the murder of well-known -- and much-disliked --- newspaper columnist Joey Conway, found stabbed to death on the subway.

Lt. Hunt has a less than ideal history with the victim, and now the eyes of the press are on the precinct as they hunt for Conway's murderer.  Chief of Detectives Harry Wolf (guest star Fred Thompson) wants the case handled correctly and above board.

Sam recognizes similarities to a case from 2008, and he can link the suspect in that future case, Tony Crane, with the murdered columnist. Crane owns the art gallery where the columnist had attended a preview the night, and he has a relationship with the beautiful young artist, Eve Flannery.

Sam is compelled to stop Crane before he can kill again, but he can't prove he did it. His attempts to do so earn him a restraining order, and later lands him in the lockup cell of the 125th.

Meanwhile, Ray follows the paper trail of hate mail Conway had received from Demitri Pantos, the owner of a restaurant that Conway had declared to be the worst in town. Pantos admits to trialing Conway on the day he died, but initially denies killing him.After Hunt earns the man's trust with a tale of a Conway column that almost ruined his own career, Pantos confesses.

In recounting where he had followed Conway on the day he died, Pantos mentions Conway visited a hotel. While Ray and the boys continue to seek evidence to link Pantos to the columnist, Sam finds out that Eve met Conway at the hotel, and sets out to prove Crane killed Conway. He goal: put Crane away before he can inflict any future violence on Eve, and the other young artists he will kill in the future.

In this episode we come to understand the complex interconnections between the past present and future, between what we experience and its influence on what we become, and the person we were yesterday isn't always the person we become tomorrow.

We also come to realize that freedom of the press is not a license to slander the innocent for personal gain, and the ravings of a psychopath sound like truth when they come from a person you trust.

(Original air date: 2/25/2009)