The Penthouse Basin

The cold open

High above the rain-slicked city streets on the forty-second floor of the Aurelia Tower, the scent of crushed eucalyptus hangs heavy in the steam. In the private copper hydrotherapy chamber, Darius Kohler floats face down in ninety gallons of pressurized thermal water, his silk robe soaked and his lungs filled with mineral brine. The emergency air intake valve was shut from the console, turning the therapeutic plunge into a glass-walled tomb.

The victim

Darius Kohler, 52, celebrity restorative hydrotherapist and penthouse spa owner

The lineup

• Jeremy St. Claire
• Tamsin Rhodes
• Roman Belov
• Delphine Chau