In a breezy jazz club, a man down on his luck threatens to reveal the truth about a successful man named Al Rainey, only to end up dead in his car moments later, strangled by a length of wire.
While Detective Martinez arrives to investigate the scene of a burnt car and body, Henry and Abe begin a lengthy argument over whether jazz or classical is the truer art form. This spat becomes more confounding as the episode progress, when a younger Abe is shown learning to play jazz on the piano by a neighbor friend who Henry helped on occasion.
Thankfully, these illogicalities are kept to a minimum and Henry quickly arrives on scene to declare the burnt body within has indeed been murdered. When the vehicle’s VIN number turns up a name, the victim’s sister is brought in for questioning. She tells them of how Izzy was always trying to find proof that a famous jazz song was actually written by their father, Pepper Adams, instead of Lionel Hubbard, the man who has taken credit for the track for years.
Henry and Jo question Pepper and discover little other than that he gave his son a instrument case full of old recording session tapes on the night Izzy was murdered. This trail, coupled with Abe’s knowledge of the jazz scene, leads Henry and Detective Martinez to a local club manager who just so happens to have Pepper Adams’ case behind his bar.
The suspect provides nothing in the way of information, however, and time of death reveals he couldn’t have killed Izzy. Out of options and clues, Henry decides to take a second look at the victim’s car and turns up a cufflink with the initials ‘D.B.’ This happens to be the same as the record company owned by the same man who owns the club Izzy was last seen alive at, and also where ‘6 A.M.’ was recorded.
A look through the company’s records turns up empty, but the police decide to hold the owner for 72 hours, despite the lack of evidence. Feeling the mounting pressure, Henry helps in pooling over the mountain of data and uncovers a hidden recording in Pepper’s case.
After a groan inducing scene of utter failure, Henry takes the tape to Abe and is able to restore the recording to its former glory. Despite the new evidence that Pepper did indeed record ‘6 A.M’, Henry holds onto a hunch that the producer and owner didn’t have Izzy killed.
A new string of evidence supports Henry’s theory and leads them to the true killer: the son of Lionel ‘Dough Boy’ Hubbard and owner of the ‘D.B.’ cuff link. It turns out Pepper has figured this out as well, and while he was willing to let the theft of his track slide, he won’t let the murder of his son stand. Henry and the police arrive on the scene moments after Pepper pulls a gun on his son’s killer, but Henry intervenes and prevents bloodshed. Justice is served; however late it may be.
So ends another case that wraps itself up in time to provide a scene of bonding between Henry and Abe, despite the fact that said events should have happened years before.
While the sweet father/son moments are charming and a wonderful contrast to the creepy tone of last week, ‘Forever’ has yet to settle on a consistent melody. One it desperately needs to find before it becomes completely tone deaf of its own issues.
