Ep 21. Ending Happy

In CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 7 episode 21 titled "Ending Happy," the Las Vegas Crime Lab team investigates the murder of a man who was found dead inside a display home with a bullet in his head. The victim, Eric Delko, was a contractor and was in the process of building the model home. Catherine Willows and Gil Grissom lead the investigation, and they soon learn that the victim had a lot of enemies, including his ex-wife and a rival contractor who was competing with him for the contract to build the entire subdivision.

As the investigation progresses, the team discovers that there were a lot of things going on beneath the surface of Delko's seemingly perfect life. They find out that he had a gambling problem, and he owed a lot of money to a loan shark. Furthermore, they uncover evidence indicating that Delko's ex-wife had hired a hitman to kill him. However, the evidence is circumstantial, and they cannot get a conviction without forensic evidence.

Meanwhile, Sara Sidle takes over a separate case involving the murder of an elderly woman in her home. The victim, Edith Prescott, was found strangled, and there are no signs of forced entry. Sara meets Edith's neighbor, Mrs. Lawton, who witnessed a man in a yellow shirt leaving the victim's home on the day of the murder, and she sketches a composite of the suspect.

The team tracks down the yellow-shirted suspect and brings him in for questioning, but they soon learn that he is not the killer. However, he does provide them with a crucial piece of information. He tells them that he saw another man in a van parked outside of Edith's house on the day of the murder. The team is able to track down the van, and they find evidence linking it to the murder.

As the episode nears its end, the team is able to solve both cases. However, the resolution of the cases is bittersweet. Catherine and Grissom learn that Delko's ex-wife got away with murder because they could not obtain any conclusive forensic evidence. Sara discovers that the killer of Edith Prescott was actually a burglar who broke into her home looking for valuables. She had surprised him in the act, and he had panicked and killed her.

The episode ends with the team reflecting on the fact that justice is not always served, and sometimes, they have to accept that they won't be able to solve every case. However, they also remind themselves that they are doing important work, and even the cases that don't get solved help to bring closure to families and victims. Overall, "Ending Happy" is a typical CSI episode that highlights the complicated and often unsatisfying nature of police work.