Karen Pirie season 2 ending explained: Who kidnapped Cat and Adam?

She's back and more mysterious than ever! Yes, after three years away ITV's Scottish detective drama Karen Pirie has returned for its second season.

Lauren Lyle returns as the titular detective as she and her team go about cracking a 40 year old case of the kidnapping of oil heiress Catriona (Cat) Grant and her young son Adam. The investigation is blown open after they discover the body of a man involved in her kidnapping.

But as the rest of the series goes on, it becomes clear there's far more than a simple kidnapping to this case. With blackmail, shootings and double-crossing a lot goes down in the three two hour long episodes.

And if you're still scratching your head over some of the details and have questions about how the show ended, then this is the full ending of the series explained.

The big mastermind behind the terrifying kidnapping of Cat and Adam? That would be Cat herself, with the help of Mick, Andy and Kevin.

After discovering her father and Fergus had covered up a number of deaths the oil company was responsible for, Cat had had enough of her family and everything they stood for. She wanted to give her son Adam a new life and punish her father for his actions, which included keeping on the father of her son Fergus who she had a secret affair with.

After meeting and falling in love with Mick, a local miner, the pair plotted for Cat and Adam to be 'kidnapped' and the three of them could start a new life together abroad. It appears the two got the idea when Cat revealed she had previously had a kidnap threat made against her.

However, Mick then brought in his friend Andy into the plan and Andy then brought Kevin, a local gangster into the plan too, which is where things went wrong.

Kevin was responsible for doing the physical kidnapping and he didn't know Cat was in on the plan. The kidnapping moment saw a genuinely terrified Cat and Adam, as Kevin had brought a gun along with him which was never the plan.

Cat was furious about the gun and argued with Mick about it. Kevin walked in on them and discovered Cat actually knew about the plan. He confronts Mick about it and the pair get into a physical altercation, at this point Cat gets the gun and shoots Kevin dead.

During the kidnapping the group sent ransom letters to Cat's family, demanding money for Cat and Adam's safe delivery home. They sent the third one to Fergus talking about his son, which set off alarm bells to Fergus and Cat's dad Brodie as no one outside the family knew Fergus was Adam's father.

The pair figured out Cat was part of the operation and was doing it to punish Brodie. They then arrange to meet Mick and Cat and deliver them the money in exchange for Cat and Adam to return.

The handover takes place at a cave, but unbeknownst to everyone Cat's mother Mary also follows the group and goes into the back entrance of the cave. After getting the money Mick and Cat retreat back into the cave and discover Mary there.

Mary, unaware that Cat is involved, tries to shoot Mick to safe her daughter, but she ends up shooting Cat. Rocks fall down and cause Cat's death, but Mary is unaware of the fatality, some part of her believing Cat got away.

Neither Brodie nor Mary knew what really happened to the pair and so they never told anyone. Brodie told Fergus the handover happened and Adam and Cat got away.

Mick, heartbroken, has to leave Cat in the cave. He and Andy escape overseas in the car with Adam and the money.

In episode three, Karen and the team discover Mick and Andy had taken on new identities and lived the rest of their lives out in rural Italy, with Mick raising Adam as his own son, giving him a new name of Gabriel.

Adam grew up to be an activist and helped with saving migrants crossing oceans, because of this he's often in trouble with the law. And so when Karen and her team turn up her he starts to run as he believes he's getting in trouble for those crimes.

However, when Karen and Mick eventually catchup with him they're able to tell him the truth about everything that happened.

Adam returns to Scotland to see where he was born. He visits the Grant family home and meets his biological father Fergus who tells him he's proud of him. Given his upbringing Gabriel wants nothing to do with the family business and goes back to Malta.

Back in Malta Mick says he is going to go back to the UK to face justice, however, while in Malta he is not able to be extradited back. Gabriel/Adam asks him to stay in Malta with him instead.

After Mick telling Karen Mary was the shooter, Karen and the team do a dramatic car chase back in Scotland to stop Brodie and Mary escaping. Mary confesses to shooting Cat and the pair are arrested.

The series ends with Karen going back onto Bel's podcast and saying she would carry on working to uncover the truth. Sounds like a potential season three to us.

Karen Pirie season 2 is available on ITV1 and ITVX