In the 9th episode of the series, “Poker Face,” we are introduced to a wealthy man named Trey Nelson, who had been charged with insider trading and sentenced to 14 months in prison. After getting out on parole at the end of the fifth month, he returned to his house, though he was under house arrest and strict supervision by the local police force. Life had become mundane for Trey, and because of his ankle monitor, he couldn’t even step outside his house. Every day he followed the same routine: he did some cardio early in the morning, made himself a healthy shake, played a few video games, ordered food from the same place, had a drink or two in the night, and then slept, knowing that there was nothing more he could do until he had served the entire period of his sentence. The loneliness and boredom became a cause for irritation, and Trey started losing his mind.
One day there was a power cut in the area, and Officer Buckley from the local police station gave him a call to inform him that his ankle monitor wouldn’t be working for the night. The officer told him to obey the laws and not do anything that he would regret later. Trey knew that the power cut was a godsend, and he went to the garage to take his beast, a Lamborghini Urus, for a ride and get some fresh air.
Major Spoilers Ahead
How Did Trey Know Jimmy?
Trey was drinking and driving when a deer came in his way, and he lost control of his car and rammed into a person standing on the side of the road. He then put the person inside his car trunk, presuming her to be dead, and drove to the Deerfield Motel, which was owned by a person named James Silva, a.k.a. Jimmy. Trey and James Silva were childhood friends, though their relationship had now become a bit bitter. That body was of Charlie Kale who was standing on the road and looking for her friend as her car had broken down in the middle of nowhere. Together with Jimmy, he put the body of Charlie in a nearby pit in the forest, but, to their horror, Charlie was still alive. Charlie managed to come out of the pit and knock on the door of the motel. Charlie didn’t remember anything, and knowing that, Trey took a sigh of relief. Charlie had been traveling with a kleptomaniac named Mortimer Bernstein. They were traveling together when a deer came in their way and they crashed the car into the snow, though neither of them was injured. Mortimer said that she would go back to get a tow truck, but before she could do so, Charlie was hit by Trey’s car.
Mortimer also came looking for Charlie, though she had thought about stealing her car and leaving for Denver. Trey was happy that Charlie didn’t remember anything, and to further make them believe that he wasn’t involved in any manner, he offered to call the police. Trey knew that the phone lines were dead, but still, he pretended to make a call, and that’s when Charlie asked him not to do so, as she knew that it could get her into more trouble. There were some unresolved issues between Trey and Jimmy, and what had happened 10 years ago had caused them to drift apart. Their common friend, Chloe Jones, had died, but the authorities never found her body, which made them believe that she was missing. Jimmy believed that Chloe had died because she met with an accident after having a bad reaction to the drug that he had sold Trey. Jimmy blamed himself for the death. It had been a decade since that incident, but still, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
Who Killed Chloe Jones? & Why? Is Mortimer Dead Or Alive?
Mortimer realized that the stick that Charlie was using for walking was actually the bone of a human being. They came to the conclusion that it could be Chloe Jones’ skeleton that was lying in the pit. Charlie knew that if Trey and Jimmy had killed her 10 years ago, they would escape from the motel as soon as possible. She also realized that she was dumped there on purpose because the person who had hit her, probably Jimmy or Trey, had thought that she had died.
Charlie was right in speculating that Trey and Jimmy were somewhat involved in Chloe’s murder. Chloe was a snowboarding sensation, and she was quite close to Trey back then. Trey had always been the impulsive kind who had little or no control over his anger. Trey got triggered by something that Chloe did and he killed her mercilessly without even thinking about the consequences of his act. After his temper might have cooled down he would have realized what blunder he had done. So, Trey came up with a narrative that put the blame indirectly on Jimmy. He told Jimmy that Chloe had met with an accident because she was under the influence of the drug that was given to Trey by Jimmy.
Mortimer didn’t take Charlie’s warning seriously, as she was more interested in claiming the $75,000 reward that was to be given to the person who found out about Chloe. Mortimer went to check the pit and see if she could find some evidence that would support her claim. She clicked the picture of the skeleton that was lying in the pit and was about to leave when Trey arrived at the scene. Mortimer pointed a gun at him, and Trey assured her that he just wanted to make a proposition so that everybody could benefit from it. He offered his Lamborghini Urus to Mortimer in return for not telling the police officer anything. Mortimer knew that she could never afford such a luxurious car in her life, so she was more than happy to accept the offer. But Trey was a shrewd conspirator, and as soon as he felt that she had stopped being apprehensive, he banged her head into the steering wheel. Trey killed Mortimer, and after deleting all the data from her phone, he pushed the car from the cliff, making it look like an accident. Mortimer met her fateful end just like Chloe had and Trey took it as an achievement as he had committed the perfect crime.
‘Poker Face’ Episode 9: Ending Explained: Why Did Trey Kill Jimmy? How Did Charlie Survive?
Jimmy confessed to Charlie that he had felt guilty all those years, and the face of Chloe Jones still haunted him. Charlie realized that Jimmy had not killed Chloe, and he was not faking it when he talked about how he felt. Jimmy tried to give Charlie some pills to make her unconscious, but she didn’t swallow them as she suspected some foul play. Trey came back after disposing of the body of Mortimer, and that’s when Charlie told Jimmy that it was Trey who had killed Chloe 10 years ago. Jimmy turned towards Trey and asked him whether he had killed her or not, and that is when he came to know what had actually happened. Trey saw anger and despair in Jimmy’s eyes and he knew that the damage had already been done. He tried convincing him by saying that Charlie didn’t know anything and that she was unnecessarily trying to create a rift between them. But Jimmy had realized that Trey was no less than a demon and that he was not loyal to anybody. There was a point of time in Jimmy’s life when he actually considered Trey as his younger brother but now, he saw through his intentions. Trey shot Jimmy and then stabbed Charlie. He placed their bodies in the same pit as Chloe Jones.
Trey went back home in time for Officer Buckley’s scheduled call, and he felt the adrenaline rush like he had accomplished something great. What he didn’t know was that he had left his ankle monitor in the same pit in which he had put the bodies. His happiness was short-lived, and he knew that it was the end of the road for him. Mortimer had a habit of stealing Charlie’s purse even after the latter had persistently told her not to do so. When the police found all the bodies, they identified the body in the Lamborghini Urus as that of Charlie Kale because Mortimer had Charlie’s purse on her. The 10-year-old mystery of the missing Chloe Jones was solved, and Trey Nelson was sent behind bars. Charlie was happy that she was presumed dead by the authorities. The police had probably found her lying in the pit, and because she didn’t have any identification document on her, they got her admitted to the hospital under the name Jane Doe.
Towards the end of the 9th episode of the series, “Poker Face,” we saw Cliff standing outside the hospital where Charlie was admitted, and though the authorities presumed her to be dead, he knew that she was alive. Cliff got a call from Sterling senior, and he told him that he had found Charlie at last. In the season finale of “Poker Face,” we will get to know whether Charlie is able to strike a deal with Cliff or if he hands her over to Sterling Senior, who is waiting to take revenge on her for the death of his son.
See More: ‘Poker Face’ Ending Explained: Did Beatrix Hasp Kill Sterling Sr.? What To Expect In Season 2?
