Fool Me Once episode 2 recap: Why are the Burketts paying DS Sami Kierce?

Fool Me Once on Netflix stars Michelle Keegan - Fool Me Once episode 2
Maya's determined to find out who killed her sister, Claire. (Image credit: Netflix)

Fool Me Once on Netflix has got fans gripped as the twisty-turny story unfolds, and Fool Me Once episode 2 sees Maya Stern (played by Michelle Keegan) determined to track down her sister's killer after discovering she was murdered with the same gun that was used to shoot her husband, Joe.

Here is everything you need to know about what happened in Fool Me Once episode 2... 

The second episode opens with a flashback to Maya at work while she was still in the army and deployed overseas. She gets a call from Joe and he breaks the terrible news to her that her sister, Claire, has died. Maya is then seen coming home and Joe greeting her at the front door and giving her a huge hug. 

The episode then moves to the present day, and it picks up right where episode one ended, when Sami and Marty are breaking the news to Maya that a ballistics report has shown that Joe and Claire were both killed with the same weapon. 

The police confirm that she is out of the frame for her sister's murder as she was out of the country, and that Claire's husband, Eddie also has a solid alibi. They ask Maya if her sister and husband could have been having an affair, which she denies, and says the only link between them was that they worked together for Burkett Global Enterprises, Joe's family business where Claire worked as a pharmaceutical scientist. 

Adeel Akhtar as DS Sami Kierce

DS Sami Kierce is trying to work out the link between Claire and Joe's murders.  (Image credit: Netflix)

Maya goes to see her and Claire's friend, Eva, and after telling her about Joe and Claire's murders being connected, she asks her about the last time she saw Claire alive. Eva tells her that they went for lunch, and that Claire got a phone call that she took outside and started arguing with whoever was on the other end of the phone. But not only would Claire not tell Eva about who she was talking to, she also answered the call on an old burner phone, not her usual modern mobile. 

Maya is fuming that Eva didn't tell the police about this, but Eva says she thought that perhaps Claire was having an affair and so hid the truth. But while we see Maya going to Eddie's house while he is out and finding the burner phone hidden in a secret box, we also see that Eva is being watched by a mystery man on a nanny cam photo frame, just like the one she gave Maya in episode one.

While Sami is trying to work out the connection between Claire and Joe at work with Marty, he is hiding the fact he blacked out from everyone, including his pregnant fiancée, Molly. We see him confiding in his sponsor, as we know he is a recovering alcoholic, but when she tells him he needs to see a doctor, he refuses because he's scared he'll lose his job. However, when he blacks out again while eating his breakfast, it looks like he might change his mind about getting help. 

Emmett J Scanlan who's playing Shane Tessier.

Maya has been trying to work out who has been following her, with the help of her friend, Shane.  (Image credit: Netflix)

Maya charges the burner phone at home and finds 16 calls all from the same number, which when she googles it she finds out it's for Player One Arcade Club. But when she goes to visit the hidden gaming club, she meets the manager who doesn't give away anything at all and claims he doesn't know who Claire or Joe are. 

Sami realises that the nanny probably knows more about Joe and Claire's relationship and so he and Marty go to see Isabella. However, she lies to them about the SD card, telling them that Maya is going mad, Joe wasn't on the video and that she didn't steal the card. 

She denies that there is anything going on between Claire and Joe, but also leaves the police concerned when she says 'Joe was a good man, too good for Maya'. 

Joanna Lumley as Maya's mother in law Judith Burkett .

Maya's mother in law Judith Burkett isn't happy when her son's will reading is postponed.  (Image credit: Netflix)

Maya sees the red car that has been following her as she collects Lily from nursery, and concerned that whoever it is knows where her daughter's childcare is, she asks her friend and colleague Shane whether he has managed to track down the number plate. He has, but it is registered to a company called WTCX Limited, which doesn't help them at all. 

Shane tells Maya that they have bigger problems, however, as Corey the whistle-blower is back, the same man who has an incriminating video of Maya taken while she was in combat years before and that eventually lead to her leaving the Army. With Joe's will reading taking place that day, Shane implies Maya might want to ask for more money than she agreed in the prenup because she might need to pay off Corey if he is to release the audio part of the video. Maya is adamant she doesn't care about Corey, however it is clear she is hiding something as keeps having flashbacks to when she was in combat. 

The family gathers at Farnwood for the will reading, but the lawyer, Heather, tells them they can't do the reading because they don't have an official death certificate. Judith is cross and points out they have had a funeral, but Heather tells them she doesn't know what is going on and they need to postpone. 

Caroline, Joe's sister, corners Maya and tells her that she has a theory Joe isn't really dead. Maya reminds her that she was there when Joe was shot, but Caroline says that no one but Judith saw Joe's body and the same thing happened when their little brother, Andrew, died when they were younger. The pair talk about Andrew and Maya says that Joe always said Andrew took his own life while they were out at sea, but Caroline looks unconvinced. 

Richard Armitage as Joe Burkett.

How is Joe's death connected to Claire's?  (Image credit: Netflix)

But that's not all Caroline has to tell Maya, she also says she has spotted something odd in the family bank account and shows Maya on her computer that there has been a standing order going out of the Burkett account on the 10th of the month —  and it is being paid to DS Sami Kierce, the same detective working on Joe's homicide case. 

The episode ends with Claire's teenage children, Abby and Daniel, looking at photos they have developed from a film that they found in an old camera of their mum's. But as they see photos of Claire with a boyfriend before she met Eddie, they are shocked to find a picture of Claire pregnant back in 2003 - many years before either of them were born. 

All 8 episodes of Fool Me Once are now available to stream as a box set on Netflix. 

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.