Ep 10. Frank's Best

In this episode of Cold Case titled "Frank's Best," the team finds themselves investigating a case that has been cold for 30 years. The episode opens with a group of young boys playing in the woods when they stumble across a shallow grave. The victim is a 17-year-old boy named Frank, whose body was left there in 1973. The case was originally investigated by Detective Rivera, but the killer was never found.

As the team reopens the case, they learn that Frank was a popular high school student and star football player. He was also dating the most beautiful girl in school, who was in a troubled marriage to a Vietnam War veteran. The veteran, known for his erratic and violent behavior, was the prime suspect in Frank's murder. The team begins to uncover evidence that points towards the veteran's guilt, including a strange and cryptic note found in Frank's pocket.

However, things take a turn when they interview Frank's best friend, who reveals that there was another person involved in Frank's murder. He explains that Frank was planning on running away with his girlfriend, which angered her husband. The friend also reveals that Frank had a secret job at a local diner, where he was secretly saving up money to run away with his girlfriend. The team begins to suspect that the real killer may be someone else entirely, someone who had a motive to keep Frank from leaving town.

As the investigation continues, the team begins to unravel a web of lies and deceit that has been buried for 30 years. They discover that Frank's girlfriend had been cheating on him with another popular football player, who was also married. They also learn that Frank's secret job at the diner was actually a cover for a drug smuggling operation, which involved several of the town's most prominent citizens.

The team eventually realizes that Frank's murder was not a crime of passion, but rather a carefully planned execution to keep him from exposing the drug smuggling operation. They discover that the person responsible for the murder was Frank's best friend's father, who was the ringleader of the operation. The father had killed Frank in cold blood, fearing that he would expose the operation and ruin him.

In the end, the team is able to bring the killer to justice, finally providing closure to Frank's family and friends after 30 years. The episode ends with the team reflecting on the sacrifices that Frank made and the evil that exists in the world, but also the hope that justice can prevail in the end.