Ep 2. The War at Home

The War at Home is the second episode of the fourth season of the American police procedural television series, Cold Case. The episode originally aired on October 1, 2006.

The episode starts with a man named Todd Whitley, who is a former soldier, being murdered in his home in Philadelphia. Whitley served in Iraq for a year and returned to his hometown to start a new life. The investigation by Philadelphia's homicide division did not yield any result, and the case was left unsolved for six years until one of the veteran associations gave his case to Lilly Rush's team to investigate and solve.

The team begins their investigation by interviewing Whitley's family and friends and learning about his time in Iraq. They discovered that Whitley was traumatized by his experience in the war and struggled to adjust to civilian life. They found out that Whitley was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was seeing a therapist, Dr. Diane Carlisle, to cope with his condition.

The team also discovered that Whitley was in a relationship with a woman named Amber from his support group, but they had a falling out when he discovered she was stealing money from the group's funds. Amber was now married to another veteran who she met at the same support group.

During their investigation, the team discovered that Whitley had a confrontation with a neighbor, Mr. Lafferty, who constantly played loud music at night. They began to suspect Lafferty since he had a history of violence and had been in a physical altercation with another neighbor. But as they delved deeper into the case, they found out that Lafferty was not the culprit.

They later found out that Dr. Carlisle was having an affair with Whitley and that her husband had discovered their relationship. They suspected Carlisle's husband as the culprit and brought him in for interrogation. After some time, he confessed to killing Whitley because he believed that his wife was having an affair with him.

The team is then faced with the challenge of bringing the case to court since the statute of limitations had expired. Still, with the help of the veteran associations, they were able to bring justice to Whitley's family by getting the perpetrator arrested for his crime.

The War at Home is an emotional and suspenseful episode that highlights the struggles that veterans face when returning to civilian life and how support groups play a vital role in their rehabilitation. It also brings to light the various challenges that law enforcement officers face when solving cold cases and the importance of keeping the memory of the victims alive. The episode is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by veterans and the impact of war on their lives, making it a must-watch for fans of the Cold Case series and others who enjoy crime dramas.