Cross episode 2 ending explained: How Emir Goodspeed became [spoiler]'s victim

Spoilers ahead for Cross episode 2

Cross episode 2, "Ride the White Horsey," revolved around Tavio Lemmons' phone and the very important voice message on it. The mother of his child, Vanessa Morris, was the one who took his cell after Tavio was murdered. She told her sister, Melanie, that she needed to get it to someone who could get her son's father justice. That person wound up being Tania Hightower, a reporter working the Emir Goodspeed case but, unfortunately, Vanessa never got a chance to play the message for Hightower.

Vanessa was being tailed by Bobby Trey, Ed Ramsey's gun for hire who needed to tie up loose ends so his client wasn't implicated in Emir's murder. He'd taken care of Tavio, shooting him in the head to silence him, but he needed the phone to completely bury what happened. Bobby got the motel room right next to Vanessa and was causing all manner of disruption by blasting music, snorting cocaine, and bouncing around the room in his underwear.

Presumably, the point of it all was to drive Vanessa out of her room for awhile so he could sneak into it and wait for her. She'd already placed a call to Hightower, letting her know about the message, but it was never stated when the two planned to meet. All of that went out the window anyway when Vanessa walked back into her room with a grocery bag full of items and saw Bobby waiting for her.

Bobby told Vanessa that if she gave over the phone, this could be like nothing ever happened. But she knew that wasn't going to be the case. She hauled off and slapped him, digging her nails into his face and then charged for the door. She didn't make it out, and he spent his time trying to coerce the code to Tavio's phone out of her by hurting her.

Thanks to FBI agent Kayla Craig, who'd been tracing Tavio's phone, and Alex Cross' quick thinking, Alex and John Sampson were able to track Vanessa down at the motel. They, however, got to the room too late. While she'd managed to send the message to herself when Bobby handed the phone to her, it cost her life. He ate the sim cards from her phone and Tavio's, then slit her throat.

What Bobby hadn't anticipated was that Vanessa's phone was backed up to her tablet, but Alex did think of that once they learned she'd sent the message to herself. He and John paid a visit to her sister's house where Alex had helped Vanessa's son, Tavi Jr., with the game he was playing on the tablet. Alex got the message, gave Tavi a code to access a secret area of the game, and then gave him advice on dealing with bad things that happen.

Alex knew it would only be moments before the child was told the news that his mother had been killed. He wanted to fortify him as best he could by developing the mantra, "I'm a superhero," and that everything he needed to overcome bad things was inside of him because his parents put it there.

Back in the car with John, Alex played the message from Emir. It went as follows: "Tavio, it's me. I went to that dude's house for a date but something isn't right, man. I'm all f--cked up and I didn't touch anything. He did something. I need you to pull up. I'm at 41 Price Street."

It seems Ed's MO might be to lure his victim's into a false sense of comfort through pursuing them romantically. We saw that play out in "Ride the White Horsey" as he courted Shannon Witmer, a woman who bears a resemblance to Aileen Wuornos. Ed made her believe that he supported her dreams, even helped to set-up an interview with the Ritz, and every time she seemed cautious, he reassured her they could go at her speed.

She was hesitant to go to his house for breakfast but he said he just wanted to help her with prep for her interview. It turned out to be a trap. He'd put fentanyl in the hand sanitizer by the door because she's a germaphobe and he knew that would be the best way to drug her. Ed also intercepted her call for help to her mother, leaving Shannon defenseless and then unconscious as he greeted her as if she were Aileen.

Alex and John know about 41 Price Street now but will they be in time to save Shannon? We should get more answers in episode 3. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for more Cross coverage and follow us on X!