Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4 recap: Is Katie Bailey still alive?

Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4 recap: Colin takes charge of the case.

When Colin arrives at work with Mare’s coffee in hand, he finds out that Mare is “stepping back” from the case. Instead, Colin will be working with Detective Hauser (Ned Eisenberg). The Chief also fills him on the DNA test results, Frank isn’t DJ’s father, but neither is Dylan.

Colin’s first order of duty is to track down Deacon Mark to ask about the strange circumstances surrounding his transfer to St. Michaels, specifically the sexual misconduct complaint filed against him at his previous parish by the parents of a 14-year-old girl.

Within moments, the conversation turns ugly for Mark, who is adamant he did nothing wrong and that he’s in the clear because the archdiocese investigated and found nothing. Colin warns him that if he managed to find out, it wouldn’t be long before everyone else does, too.

Even though Mare and Colin hadn’t worked together long, it’s long enough that Colin is loyal to her. He defends Mare when his mom makes a few disparaging comments about her ability as a detective. Speak of the Devil; Mare turns up on Colin’s doorstep immediately after seeing the Missy news.

They start discussing the case. Colin reveals that Hauser doesn’t think the cases are related, Katie and Missy maybe, but not Erin. Colin sort of thinks along those lines because Katie and Missy were drug users who turned to prostitution to support the habit, and both had active SideDoor accounts. Still, there is no evidence to suggest Erin was involved with prostitution.

Mare remarks that just because they haven’t found evidence doesn’t mean Erin wasn’t involved. She was desperate for money to get DJ’s ear surgery. But her circumstances were different with a dad like Kenny, so she would have been much sneakier.

The next thing Mare and Colin investigate is Jess, who broke the news about Dylan not being DJ’s father. Why did Erin lie? Jess says it’s because Erin always liked Dylan’s parents. She liked the idea of DJ having nice grandparents like that. They press Jess. Did Erin tell her how she was planning to get the money without help from Kenny or Dylan? And then we get the crack in the case.

Yes, Erin had a SideDoor account. She had Jess set it up for her. Jess shows the detectives Erin’s profile, but according to Jess, Erin never went through with it despite setting up the page. Not even once. Before leaving, Mare doubles back under the guise of forgetting her phone (i.e., she doesn’t want Colin to follow) and asks Jess where Erin kept her journals.

Outside the apartment complex, Mare gives Colin instructions on what to do next. Get a search warrant for the SideDoor account. When they leave, Colin asks Mare on a date to check out his friend’s new restaurant. “Are you asking me on a date, Zabel?” “I’m only asking if the answer’s yes.”

Mare later tells Helen she has a date. “With the writer?” “I don’t know yet!” Mare answers coyly. It looks like she’s keeping her options open between Colin and Richard.