In the third episode of High Potential Season 2, titled “Eleven Minutes,” Morgan Gillory and the LAPD team faced a emotionally charged case that was far more than a simple assault. The investigation into the attack on Nathan Gould revealed a tragic story of desperation, where the culprit was not a random criminal but a paramedic trying to save his dying mother.
The Attack at the Cafe
The episode opened with Nathan Gould excitedly waiting for a special someone at a cafe, carrying a gift box with a ladybug pin. He was seated at a specific table near an alley, and shortly after, an unseen attacker choked him from behind with a plastic bag. The cafe hostess found him unconscious in the alley about eleven minutes later, claiming she was drawn by the sound of ducks, though no ducks were present. This small detail would later become a crucial clue.
Morgan and Detective Karadec arrived on the scene and quickly determined that the other tables had been deliberately messed up to ensure Nathan would be seated in the perfect spot for the ambush. The gift was identified as a peace offering for his estranged daughter, Jessica, whom he was supposed to meet that morning. The team discovered that Nathan had received a fake email, supposedly from Jessica, changing the meeting location to the cafe where he was attacked.
A Web of Gambling Debts and a Change of Heart
Initial clues pointed toward Nathan’s significant gambling problem. At his apartment, Morgan and Karadec found stacks of overdue bills and sports books. A man named Marco broke in, sent by a loan shark named Ray, but he was there to kill Nathan with an air bubble injection, not to attack him with a bag. This meant the original attacker was still at large.
Morgan deduced that Nathan, drowning in debt, had made a deal with Ray. He planned to die by suicide, making it look natural so his life insurance policy would pay out to Ray, clearing his debt. He had recently reconnected with his daughter, Jessica, to make things right before his planned death. However, when Nathan learned Jessica was pregnant and he was to become a grandfather, he changed his mind about going through with his plan. Unfortunately, someone else was counting on his death.
The Eleven-Minute Clue
A major breakthrough came when Morgan realized the importance of the “duck sound” the hostess heard. It was the quack ringtone alarm on Nathan’s phone, set for exactly 8:00 AM. The attacker had timed the assault so Nathan would be found after precisely eleven minutes. Paramedics later confirmed that eleven minutes is the critical window for a person to become brain dead while their vital organs remain viable for transplant. Morgan concluded that Nathan was attacked for his heart.
Their investigation revealed that Nathan had been seeing a cardiologist despite having a healthy heart. Morgan theorized he was getting checked to be a heart donor. He had initially agreed to donate his heart to someone but backed out when he decided he wanted to live for his daughter and future grandchild. The killer then took matters into his own hands.
Unmasking the Killer and His Motive
The hunt for the heart recipient led the team to a powerful movie producer, Carson Wood, who was pressuring the hospital for a transplant. However, he was ruled out. The hospital’s transplant coordinator admitted that under pressure, she had removed the name of Nathan’s original designated recipient but never looked at who it was.
With the heart stolen from the hospital and only hours left before it became unusable, Morgan analyzed the transplant list. She used a process of elimination, considering blood type, body size, and geographic location. She narrowed it down to a woman named Rosemary Caferri, who was on a medication called albuterol. This was the same drug that paramedics had reported was frequently stolen from their ambulance.
Morgan then made the final connection: one of the first responders on Nathan’s scene, paramedic Christopher Bishop, was Rosemary’s son. Christopher had met Nathan frequently during Nathan’s many “suspicious injury” calls, and they had bonded over their struggles. Christopher confessed that Nathan had originally promised to donate his heart to Christopher’s sick mother. When Nathan changed his mind, Christopher carried out the elaborate cafe attack to ensure his mother would get the heart.
Christopher was arrested, and in a emotional moment, he was able to hug his mother and apologize. The stolen heart was not given to Rosemary but was instead given to another patient on the list, a 17-year-old girl with a congenital heart defect.
Christopher Bishop confessed to the attack, stating that Nathan had promised his heart to Christopher’s mother but changed his mind when he learned his daughter was pregnant.
A Personal Parallel for Morgan
The case resonated deeply with Morgan’s personal life. Her daughter, Ava, was struggling with the recent news that her father, Roman, was alive and had chosen to stay away. Ava’s frustration led her to vandalize one of Roman’s old murals, resulting in both her and Morgan being briefly jailed. This family turmoil mirrored the theme of fractured father-daughter relationships in the case.
Morgan was moved by how Jessica Gould was able to forgive her father after years apart. When Morgan asked Jessica how she could let him back into her life, Jessica simply replied, “I guess that’s how my mom raised me.” This moment gave Morgan hope that she could help Ava find similar peace.
Also Read: High Potential Season 2 Episode 2 Ending Explained: Did the Game Maker Survive His Final Game?
