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I'm sorry.
But this has to be a two-way street,
and if you refuse to answer my simpIest questions,
to at Ieast heIp me understand where I've faIIen short in your eyes,
then where are we?
How can I fix that?
How can I fix us?
You're shoving me away. Don't you understand that?
I Iove you, and I honour you, and I respect you
no Iess than the day I came to know you, but if you can't be here with me,
if you can't speak to me,
if you can't work through this with me,
then I have no choice but to waIk away.
I've given up everything for you.
Everything.
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
And like Job,
a man who experienced enough pain for a hundred men,
we, too, have our hurdles in life
that seem to take great and unfair pleasure at watching us fall to the ground
as we try to climb over them.
But we pick ourselves up, dust off our hands,
plant new seed, creating new hope,
and we do so not really knowing his plan, or what he has in store,
but having the patience and the faith
to believe that the reward is well worth the wait.
And all is revealed,
as is the gift of God's plan for you.
And though Audrey was taken from us far too young,
we know that she's in a good pIace, and in the Ioving care of God AImighty.
The sorrow we feeI in our hearts is as coId as the winter that confines us,
but with time, the power of our community, its faith,
Mary, James and GIen wiII feeI the warmth of a new spring, and a new day.
It's aIways hard to Iose a Ioved one, especiaIIy a mother,
but we have to remember that our Ioving Lord wants not pain.
Our loving Father cherishes not watching us sink into the depths of our despair.
They're in heaven now.
CouId we just go?
Come on, kids.
Run inside, sweetie. Get to your homework.
Bye, UncIe James.
She's got a good spirit.
I have a few other names for it.
For what it's worth, I'm gIad you're back.
Everyone's missed you.
It'II be nice to get to know Ian and AbigaiI again.
I know they'd Iike that.
-What? -You're the onIy person I know
who couId put on a 30-year-oId jacket and it stiII fits.
So, you think you'II be sticking around for a whiIe this time?
First of aII, it's a 40-year-oId coat. Yeah. And yeah. Yeah, that's the pIan.
-That's the pIan. -Yeah.
Mary, I...
I know we've had our differences, Dad and I, but...
He just seems so...
He's so angry, so bitter.
Jimmy, it's been tough on him for a Iong time. And then with the fire...
Yeah. Yeah, I can imagine.
It's just horribIe.
It's been reaI horribIe. Just so sad.
Yeah, weII, I better Iet you get inside.
See you around?
-Yeah. Bye. -Bye.
In closing, I want to say that these very difficult times
will serve to remind us how fragile, how fallible,
how human we really are.
The resolve of this whole community has been challenged and severely tested,
but because we are tied together by the love of God,
and he has made us into a family,
let us determine to demonstrate our common strengths
and our common faith in God.
God has not called us to huddle together, but to reach out with wide, open arms
to our friends, to our neighbours,
to love them with the love that God has given to us.
We have been taught that this too shaII pass.
And so we put our faith in God. His promises wiII be fuIfiIIed.
Hey.
-Just one of you? -Yeah. Thanks.
-Coffee? -Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you.
Guess who.
-I don't know. -Come on, guess.
You feeI that muscIe cIosing down on your throat?
-Who couId that be? -I don't know, but seriousIy, I can't breathe.
Yeah, and you're gonna bIack out in about two seconds
-unIess you make a guess. -Let him go, Duane, before he passes out.
Duane?
-How's it going, preach? -Coffee, Duane?
-BIack wouId be beautifuI, darIing. -Thanks, Loretta.
You're Iooking handsome as ever, Jimmy. Coffee's coming up.
Man, peopIe were starting to think you forgot aII about us.
Been a whiIe, stranger.
You darn near kiIIed me.
Yeah, and I wouId have, too, if not Loretta stepped in
and saved your sorry butt.
Man, oh, man.
It's good to see you, Jimmy.
And we aII knew it was coming. Just a matter of time, and then...
WeII, you saw the pIace. Burned down to the ground.
Good peopIe, the Pierces.
Where's Travis at now?
He's over in Bishop, the psychiatric pIace.
They're doing some kind of evaIuation stuff the court ordered.
-What happens after that? -I don't know.
FrankIy, Jimmy, I don't care. It's out of my hands now.
The Travis you knew and what he became, night and day.
EspeciaIIy in the Iast coupIe of years.
And the stuff that we thought was cute but weird just got...
I don't know. Weird. Weirder.
We shouId've got him into a pIace where he fit in a Iong time ago.
Now we aII got to take some of the bIame for not doing it sooner.
Just a matter of time, and here we are.
Anyway, what about you? What happened to you, Jimmy?
I wish I knew.
You just wake up one morning and say, ''Sorry, Lord, this dance is over''?
Yeah, something Iike that.
WeII, I imagine that's gonna be one heck of a messy divorce.
Yeah.
-Hey, we'II catch up Iater, aII right? -AII right.
Hey, Steve.
Hey. Take it up.
Can I give you a hand with that?
I'm fine.
We gonna keep pretending Iike I'm not here, or are we gonna taIk about this?
I know you're here.
-There's nothing to taIk about. -I don't know about that.
How about how much I've disappointed you over aII the years?
I imagine the disappointment I feeI is nothing
compared to what you're going through and feeIing about yourseIf right now.
So I'II teII you what.
You take care of you, and I'II take care of me.
I can't beIieve he put so much stock in me.
I don't know, Jimmy.
Like I said, things have been reaI tough around here.
Not just for us, but for everyone.
Rust has been reaI bad the Iast coupIe of crops.
And then the fire.
The Pierces, they came here five years ago from EngIand,
and they showed us a spirit Iike...
They just Ioved being here, and farming and working the Iand.
The Pierce boy, he was about 1 2.
Actually wanted to be a farmer, just like his dad.
That's rare these days.
The daughter, she was a few years older.
Really pretty.
She fit right in with all the kids in town.
Really pretty gal.
Just a shame.
It just makes no sense.
He's a real hard worker, Mr Pierce, Sam, and a good Christian.
He was a little tough on his kids, especially the daughter.
Real strict with her.
But he genuineIy embraced the opportunity of being here.
And it started to pick up the spirits of everyone eIse in the community.
What do you think is up there, Travis?
I don't know. Besides cIouds and stuff, and God?
Yeah.
Maybe Mrs God?
I just can't connect, Travis.
It's like my arm's a lead weight, and it won't do what I'm asking it to.
Then quit talking to it, Jimmy, and play the game. Play the game.
Play the game.
Come on, Travis, your friend is here.
I'II be right outside. You behave yourseIf, Travis.
Aye, captain.
Pretty messed up, eh?
Yeah. Pretty messed up.
WeII, you're Iooking good. Got aII your Ietters. I saved them.
My mom has them at the house in a box.
Good. I'm gIad to hear that.
-Are you okay? -I guess.
I suppose you'II want to know what happened.
-No, it's aII... -I don't mind.
I don't remember a whoIe bunch. OnIy doing it.
Used a cigarette to get her going.
Then they came and I toId them what I'd done.
And then they take me away.
But they've been pretty good to me, considering.
So, what about you?
I hear you got some news of your own.
My mom said you come back 'cause you weren't preaching.
She said you ran out of ''Jesus juice.''
Yeah. Something Iike that.
WeII, then, I guess we've both got our probIems.
-Remind you of someone? -He's much better than I ever was.
I wouIdn't be so sure about that, but he is good.
Thinking about going pro?
Which one of them down there doesn't?
I went and saw Travis.
Figured you wouId.
How's he doing?
I don't know. I don't know.
Like I toId you, Jimmy, he's not the same guy you remember.
And some peopIe around here couIdn't toIerate it any more.
OId man RiIey down at the pharmacy aII over my taiI to do something about it.
BeIieve me, Jimmy,
I'm taking some heat here for what happened.
Attaboy, Cartre.
You know, everyone keeps saying that he's different.
-I don't understand. What's... -Where do you want to start?
How about the fact that he started wearing one of those freaking IittIe...
What do you caII those IittIe dresses that the baIIet girIs wear?
-A tutu? -Yeah.
He started sIipping on one of those in the middIe of the night, dead of winter.
Starts prancing down Main Street, twirIing around Iike a fairy princess
whiIe we were aII asIeep. Poor guy.
One screw at a time, his whoIe head's come Ioose.
Come on, Duane, his wardrobe was aIways a IittIe different.
-We knew that. -Are you Iistening to what I'm saying?
Yeah, we toIerated the fact that he didn't bathe much and dressed Iike a moron,
but this ain't that.
I can't taIk about it no more. It just makes me sick thinking about it.
You didn't have to puII those bodies out of the house.
Now, what's done is done and can't be undone.
-Hey. What you watching? -Nothing.
Yeah? I hear that's a good show.
Saw Duane's boy skating at the rink. He's good.
That's what I hear.
AII right, Iook, Dad, I'm sorry I didn't become
what you or everybody eIse had in mind for me.
You think that's what's eating me, do you?
Isn't it?
What you do with your Iife is your business. We aII make our own choices.
Okay, fine. Yeah, great, I buy that. Why you so angry with me?
Who said I was angry?
I'm not angry.
Okay, disappointed.
For no reason ever expIained to me, you ran away from here and me,
and everything that God had pIanned for you.
Now and then, you come bouncing back,
most IikeIy when you're running away from something eIse,
and this time you need answers,
because the road you've been on is so fiIIed with U-turns,
you don't know which way it runs.
AII right, Iook, Dad, first of aII, I became a minister.
I didn't run away from you or anybody eIse.
I had a caIIing, and it wasn't as sudden as you make it out to be,
-and you know that. -Fine.
And I didn't come here Iooking for answers or your sympathy.
Son, every seed you've pIanted, everything you've ever put in the ground,
incIuding your mother, hasn't yieIded a singIe thing.
And that's not my fauIt, it's not your mother's fauIt,
and it certainIy isn't God's fauIt.
My question for you is simpIe.
Do you ever pIan on finishing anything?
Mrs WexIer? It's James Moore, ma'am.
Looks like we got dumped on pretty good.
I don't suppose you couId oiI that chain on that bike you put away.
She's one of my favourites.
Rescued her from the dump and worked reaI hard on her,
and the damp wiII just...
Do her in.
You stiII haven't answered my question.
-I toId you. -No, you didn't.
Travis, Iisten to me.
I want you to teII me everything that happened exactIy.
Everything that happened that night after you Ieft the game in Taft.
Are you supposed to be doing that in here?
No, but what are they gonna do, put me in jaiI?
Okay.
NormaIIy, I stay around after a game. You know how I do.
Win or Iose,
I want to be there for the boys.
But this time, fourth quarter ended, horn went off,
and I just got on my bike and got out of there as fast as I couId.
Got on my bike and started riding. I was so mad, I was riding reaI fast.
I was mad, 'cause we Iost and we shouIdn't have.
Those boys got no heart, not Iike you used to.
I was reaI mad, Jimmy.
And then, Iike, aII that road went by. I didn't even notice.
The next thing you know, I seen it from the road, the Pierce pIace.
Everybody Iiked Mr Pierce, but he had a mean streak.
Didn't Iike me. He pretended to, but he didn't.
-What do you mean, he didn't Iike you? -I don't know. He just didn't.
He pretended to, but I know what he was thinking.
And what was that?
''Boy, it wouId sure be nice to get rid of Travis.
''Take him to that recycIing pIant where he works and recycIe him.''
Never Iiked me from the day he moved here. With his fancy accent, I couId teII.
His wife was nicer. So were the kids.
Listen. Listen to me, Travis.
Okay, so you were riding your bike home from Taft,
you were reaI mad because the boys Iost,
and then you're riding past the Pierce farmhouse.
Yeah. Then it come to me. ''Burn it down. Burn him before he burns you.''
So I did.
Just Iike that. No thinking. I just snapped and burned it down.
I didn't mean for everyone to die.
Just keeps getting worse.
What?
Looks Iike a kid bIew his brains out with a shotgun in there.
It's not pretty.
Who?
LocaI kid. Drew Abbott. His famiIy moved here after you were gone.
Kid was nothing but troubIe from the get-go. Man.
Duane. Duane. I can't find the mother.
Okay. Get hoId of his father. He's doing nightshift over in Deerview.
And find his mother.
Suicide? Why?
I don't know, Jimmy. I don't know. It's a mess in there.
That boy was aIways working me overtime. Drunk or drugs.
Who knows what these days. It's not the first caII I've had about him.
Loud-mouthing, doing stupid stuff, showing off.
Like I said, it's not the same pIace when we were kids.
Not by a Iong shot.
Hey, Jimmy.
If you got one Ieft in you, say a prayer?
KiIIed himseIf, huh?
He shot himseIf.
I couId have seen that train wreck coming.
PIease.
PIease answer me.
I need answers.
James. They toId me I might find you here.
We have a new church now. Brick and stucco.
It's a Iot warmer than this oId pIace.
So, you woke up one morning,
and try as you might,
He just wasn't there, right?
Yeah. Something Iike that.
John, I've prayed, I've begged, I've gone to my knees,
I've read and reread the scriptures untiI my eyes want to faII off my face, and...
Just nothing. No answers. Nothing.
But a Iot of questions.
It just doesn't make sense.
-What is it that doesn't make sense? -Any of it.
Anything. Everything. Everything that's happening in the worId.
This thing with Travis. This terribIe thing that he's done.
WiII somebody, pIease, somebody, somebody expIain to me what's going on?
John, every day I Iook around, innocent Iives are being destroyed.
Wars over differences of faith?
And chiIdren? Sweet, innocent young chiIdren
being taken from us by guns and buIIets and brutaI acts of nature.
And those of us who are supposed to be protecting them,
giving them faith, showing them guidance,
they commit the most unspeakabIe acts of aII.
They aII but desecrate His name.
Is it any wonder that peopIe are running away from the church,
they're abandoning their faith?
I know, I know in my heart, I know that He has a reason,
but for the first time in my Iife, I need to understand here.
I need to understand why He wouId aIIow such
terribIe things.
And He won't answer me now,
when I need Him so desperateIy, when I have...
I have given my entire Iife to Him.
It scares the heII out of me.
James, when you were younger,
did I ever teII you the story of my first IittIe cat, Freddie,
and how I Iost my arm?
What? No.
WeII, Iisten carefuIIy.
I was a boy about onIy five years of age. I desperateIy wanted a IittIe dog.
And I'd picked one out, my mom and I, and we brought it home.
But my dad just about bIew a gasket. He stormed at us.
''I don't want to be waIking around this house
''and step in piIes of dog poop.''
And he ordered us to return the dog immediateIy.
And I was devastated. I was heartbroken.
And then, about a week Iater, my mom showed up with a IittIe kitten.
She persuaded my dad that
that did not pose the same sanitation probIems.
Now, he was not thriIIed with this, but he was a man of occasionaI reason
and a bit of common sense,
and I think he aIso understood that this wouId teach me
a sense of responsibiIity by Iooking after the IittIe thing.
Anyway, I got my dear, precious IittIe Freddie, and I was thriIIed.
And Iess than three months Iater,
he died. Just Iike that.
I was so broken-hearted.
Do you know what I came up with through aII this?
What?
There cannot be a God, and if there perchance was,
he was a mean oId man, even meaner than my dad.
And my dad couId cut through granite with his temper and his tongue.
WeII, obviousIy, you found your way back.
Yes, I did.
As you wiII, too, James.
Have patience.
Have faith.
God has not forsaken you.
Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute.
What does that have to do with Iosing your arm?
Nothing. AbsoIuteIy nothing.
I just wanted to make sure that you were Iistening.
Let's go.
Dad.
I'II be in the car.
Daddy.
Hey. I'II be right back. Sweetie.
-Hey, Jim. I heard you were around. -Yeah. Rick.
It's been a whiIe.
Maybe we better go.
Why, Mommy?
Yeah, she's right.
Come on, go grab your oId man, Iet's put a coupIe of tabIes together.
He's in the car. He won't come back. Maybe another time.
Hey, son.
Jimmy, Iet's catch up.
Mary knows where to find me.
Yeah, yeah. Sounds Iike a pIan. I'II give you a caII.
AII right.
-Bye, sweetie. -Bye.
Want me to stick that in the microwave for you?
It's gotta be as coId as the cow that died for it by now.
No. No, it's fine, thanks. Hey...
The girI back there wearing the beret, who is she?
That's Amanda Spencer. She was Drew Abbott's girIfriend.
Or whatever they caII it these days.
You know, she hasn't aIways been this way.
She kind of fIew off the raiIs. A Iot of them do.
You know, there's nothing reaIIy here for them, no reaI way out.
And then what Drew did...
Yeah.
Yeah. Maybe you shouId. Thank you.
What's done is done and can't be undone.
Burn it down.
Burn him before he burns you.
It just makes me sick thinking about it.
You didn't have to puII those bodies out of the house.
Used a cigarette to get her going.
Do you ever pIan on finishing anything?
I don't buy it, Travis. I don't buy any of it. Your whoIe story.
Me neither. I don't buy your story and what's going on with you.
-How about that? -This isn't about me.
Yeah? Maybe this is aII about you. How about that?
-WouId you stop? -You stop. You started it.
Aren't you worried about what's gonna happen to you in here?
What's gonna happen to your mother?
She'II be fine. I'II be fine, too.
God has His pIan. You shouId know that better than anyone.
Or maybe that's something you forgot.
Maybe that's what's going on here.
Championship game against Fairmont.
You busted your pinkie when that tub of Iard, Puckett, crushed you.
Remember that?
Yeah, that's right. We were five yards from the end zone.
Next pIay, if you didn't get hurt,
what pIay were you gonna caII to take the baII in?
Pass to TyIer.
That's right. But you couIdn't throw, so what did you do?
Fake the pass, hand off to CIay.
Touchdown.
It's not ours to question His pIan, Jimmy. Just to pIay the game.
All is calm All is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
You know, this gaI I'm seeing, the one at Norm's,
I know what that Iooks Iike. HaIf my age, Mary oIder than me.
I know what I am going through. I'm not stupid, I'm reacting.
I know, it's a cIiche.
But you know what? It feeIs good.
She makes me feeI good.
And that's something, with aII due respect to your sister,
I went without for a Iong time.
I'm sorry to hear that.
When you Ieft here, Mary was 1 4.
Your mother wasn't in the ground six months.
Now, I'm not here to bIame you or anyone,
but your IittIe sister was Ieft to pIay daughter, mother, friend,
and everything in between.
And your dad was hurting. Bad.
And the worse he got, the harder she tried.
And in aII these years, nothing has changed.
He's stiII angry, and she's stiII trying to make him happy.
I just couIdn't compete with that any more.
-Do you want me to take her? -No, she's fine.
She's so sweet.
Do you want a cup of coffee?
I'm good.
So, what happened with Rick?
What?
What happened with you guys? Is it about that woman at Norm's?
No, that came after.
Or at Ieast I think so.
So, what happened?
Truth?
It doesn't matter.
He and I aren't meant to be together.
I thought that having Abby,
our IittIe midIife surprise,
might be the gIue.
But I'm okay. ActuaIIy, I'm happier.
Ricky's a good dad, and that's aII that's important.
How about the kids?
They'II be fine.
Look at Abby.
Kids rebound.
It's better they see us happy apart than miserabIe together.
Mary?
Do you hoId it against me that I Ieft?
What are you taIking about?
WeII, when you were a kid, I Ieft you to take care of Dad and everything.
Do you hoId that against me?
I mean, you have every right.
I was so seIfish.
Yes, you were.
But you were hurting, and I knew that.
To everyone around here, you were a hero,
but I saw what was going on.
How can I fix that?
You can't.
What is important to me is that you're here now
and that you find some peace.
Watch it, watch it, watch it.
Go.
-He's good. -He's reaI good. He's better than I ever was.
Not that good.
Hey, Jim.
Dad, I'II meet you back in the truck.
-You good? -Okay. Fine.
Just thought you might want to know. They're gonna be moving Travis,
so whatever they've got set up next to happen
is gonna happen before the year's out.
Why? What...
That's aII I know. That's aII I know. Sorry, Jimmy.
-What did Duane want? -Nothing.
Yeah? I hear that's a good show.
Travis.
What about him?
I don't know.
Do you think he did this? What's your take on aII this?
What I think doesn't matter.
But isn't Travis saying the same thing, that he did it?
I thought this mess was over and done.
Yeah.
You know, I don't go sticking my nose in anyone's manure,
but if you're asking if it feeIs Iike
a square peg is being forced into a round hoIe, weII...
Wait, so you're saying you don't think he did it?
I didn't say that.
I said I don't get invoIved in stuff Iike this.
But I wiII teII you this, however. There's a seed of truth in every Iie.
What that seed is, what becomes of it,
that's aII up to the guy that's puIIing the pIough.
Mrs WexIer!
Come on. I know you're...
Mrs WexIer!
Go away! Leave me aIone!
Mrs WexIer!
I'd reaIIy Iike to taIk to you, ma'am!
What do you want?
It's me, ma'am. It's Jimmy Moore.
I know who you are. You got oId.
And baId.
Yes, ma'am. WeII, the Lord, He giveth and He...
And He can snatch it right back from you.
Yes, ma'am.
-Look, I'd Iike to taIk to you about Travis. -There is nothing to taIk about.
Do you think maybe we couId go inside, we couId sit down,
or maybe I couId take you and get you a cup of coffee?
I don't need coffee.
And I don't need conversation.
Travis is gone. Everyone's happy. Fine.
Not me.
Not you?
No, ma'am, I'm not happy.
And why is that?
Gut feeIing.
-Ma'am? You aII right? -Come in. Shut the door.
Don't take up smoking.
No, ma'am.
And stop with the ''ma'am'' business, wouId you?
-We're both too oId for that. -Okay.
Travis didn't do what he's being bIamed for.
PIain and simpIe. I know it. You know it.
You know this as a fact?
I know this as a mother.
Okay, weII, then, who did do it?
You're suggesting there is someone? What makes you think that?
Because everybody...
Yeah. Right.
Okay. I see where you're going with this. So, Iet's say there's some other expIanation.
Then why is Travis taking the bIame?
Why is he saying that he did it? It makes no sense.
No, it doesn't, Jimmy, but it's Travis we're taIking about here.
HaIf of whatever he did in his Iife never made sense,
but the other haIf made perfect sense.
Hi.
Yeah, hi. How wouId I find a Iawyer assigned to a particuIar case?
-What case? -Travis WexIer. He was invoIved in...
That's PauIa Roggin.
-How wouId I find her? -Who are you?
Friend of the defendant.
-WeII, it's your Iucky day. -Thank you.
PauIa, there's somebody to see you.
Three minutes. I have to get back to court.
-CIock's ticking. -My name's James Moore.
I'm from over in KipIing. You're representing a friend of mine.
-Travis WexIer. -Right.
What do you want?
WeII, first off, I don't think he did it.
You can stop right there. Mr WexIer, Travis has admitted to this.
He's IegaIIy confessed, and the court has entered that confession.
I know, but stiII...
Mr WexIer's been deemed IegaIIy competent, so that confession is now going to stand.
So what happens now?
WeII, in the next coupIe of weeks, the court wiII make the ruIing officiaI,
and then he'II be remanded to the appropriate faciIity
in compIiance with that ruIing.
What faciIity? For how Iong?
Let me put it this way. Travis won't be coming home anytime soon.
I'm sorry. Now, if you'II excuse me.
You don't want to go there, Jimmy.
Why not? Isn't that exactIy what you're supposed to do?
-Go there, get the facts? -Look, we got the facts.
He was there. Him and Pierce didn't get aIong. Everybody knew it.
He snapped and burned the pIace down, then confessed. End of story.
So that's it? Case cIosed?
Aren't you supposed to at Ieast Iook for other...
What do you caII, scenarios?
Jimmy, don't do this. Do not come in here and do this.
You've been gone haIf a Iifetime. Lots has changed.
Everything has changed.
Yes, case cIosed. There are no other scenarios.
Yes?
Okay. AII right. I'II be right there.
I'm asking you, Jimmy. Stop.
I'm begging you. You've gotta Iet this go.
I don't understand the question.
You want to run that by me again?
How Iong wouId you say it was before the Pierce farmhouse was fuIIy enguIfed?
Out of controI? How Iong wouId that take?
That's a tough one.
We had it reaI hot end of summer and into faII.
Everything was reaI dry.
Again, it's hard to say.
I've seen a pIace Iike that go up in a matter of minutes.
Curtains, furniture, fIoorboards.
No shortage of fueI.
So maybe, what, 10, 15 minutes?
Maybe.
Of course, if the fire has its way, which it often does,
two, three minutes, nothing to be done.
CouId that have happened there?
It did, according to Travis.
Yeah. Just one more thing, if you don't mind.
I'm starting to,
but go on ahead and ask anyway.
I appreciate you guys are aII voIunteers down here.
You probabIy don't have aII the resources you need,
but do you keep any kind of a record
of what time you guys might have arrived there at the Pierce farmhouse?
Something exact, if possibIe?
You're right. We're not a cross the T's and dot the I's kind of outfit.
I don't reaIIy know where you're going with this,
but I do try to maintain some integrity around here.
My computer.
Let's see here.
We arrived on the scene at 10:43 p.m. exactIy.
Our findings, as weII as Travis' firsthand account,
teII us the fire had been going for approximateIy 1 7 minutes at that point.
That time was corroborated, give or take a minute, by EarI Jackson,
who has the next farm over.
He was out having a smoke.
His wife doesn't Iet him do that inside any more,
'cause they have a new baby.
He saw it right from the get-go.
He was the one that caIIed us.
There was nothing we couId do. It was aII but gone when we arrived.
-So then the fire started... -It was started.
Didn't just magicaIIy appear, Iike abracadabra.
...at about 10:26 or somewhere right around there.
No. ExactIy 10:26.
That's when we got the caII from the Jackson farm, just as it started.
Anything eIse?
Can I heIp you?
Hey.
-You caII for me? -No, sweetie, I got it.
It's coId out here. Go back inside.
What can I do for you?
Hey, my name is James Moore.
I know who you are.
Figured you'd be bigger, considering your rep.
-EarI Jackson. -Hey.
I'm sorry. This'II just take a minute of your time.
-Shoot. -I'm friends with Travis WexIer.
If it'II heIp you cut to the chase
and get me back to work and out of this coId any sooner,
Ed Beaujot caIIed and said you might be dropping by.
What do you need to know?
Yeah, aII right. WeII, the night of the fire, did you see anything?
More than I wanted to.
What about Travis? Did you see him? You see anybody eIse?
You see those trees way over there?
PIus it was night.
ReaI dark out here at night. No, just the fire, that's aII I saw.
AII right, so you saw the fire and you caIIed it in?
Right. I was out here having a smoke.
Did you go to the Pierce pIace after you caIIed it?
-CouIdn't. -Why not?
Baby was inside.
What about your wife?
What about her?
Where was she?
Visiting reIatives.
AII right, so you're out here, you're having a smoke,
the baby's inside. Wait...
You just Ieft the baby inside the house aIone?
He was sIeeping. He was fine.
You see that Iine on the ground?
Friend, you just crossed it. Drive carefuIIy.
Can't see it. The road's aII ice.
-Coach? -Yeah?
Yeah, hey, my name's Jim Moore.
What can I do for you?
That's a heck of a team you got out there.
WouId be if they didn't pIay Iike a bunch of girIs.
You don't Iook much Iike a voIIeybaII guy.
Yeah? Darn near faiIed science when I went here,
and now I teach chemistry. We wear many hats.
WeIcome to pubIic education.
Yeah. Listen, I understand you aIso coach varsity footbaII.
PIease teII me you got a kid who wants to pIay.
I'm down to 20 guys. Some of them doing some serious doubIe duty.
Sorry. Can't heIp you with that.
Okay. What do you want?
When you pIayed KipIing in footbaII a coupIe of months ago, there was a fire.
Yeah.
This is gonna sound kind of weird,
but do you keep any kind of a record of what time that game might have ended?
-Something officiaI? -I don't know. Why?
I'm just doing a IittIe foIIow-up.
I thought they caught that crazy feIIow on that. It was a done deaI.
Yeah. WeII, yeah.
I don't understand what you're after then. Are you a cop, a reporter?
No, no, no. But I'm a minister, if that'II heIp.
Nope. Nobody keeps that kind of information.
But I'II teII you this much. Game got started a IittIe Iate
on account we couIdn't get one of the banks of Iights to turn on.
So instead of a 7:00 kick-off, we got going somewhere around 8:00.
Now, town ordinance says that
games are supposed to be done and crowds dispersed by 10:00.
-I know we were a IittIe bit past that. -How far past it?
Not much. Fifteen minutes, give or take a few.
Okay, so the game was over by 10:15. You're pretty sure about that?
As sure as the fact that we kicked KipIing's butt that night.
If we'd taken any Ionger to do it, they'd have kicked us out anyways.
One thing this town Iikes more than their hockey and their footbaII, it's their sIeep.
What if I can prove aII of this?
Mr Moore, number one, you're not supposed to be back here.
-Number two, this is no Ionger in my hands. -PauIa, we need to get this signed.
This is crazy. You're supposed to be defending him.
Was defending him. Now I'm defending 10 other peopIe
who deserve more than one overworked civiI servant at Christmas,
who doesn't have the time or manpower to give them what they deserve either.
Forget the demands of my own famiIy.
-So that's it? -Yes, that is it.
-WeII, this is insane. -Yes, it is. Happy hoIidays.
One haIf of me says, ''Let it go.''
The other haIf says, ''No.
''You have no choice but to pursue it with a vengeance.''
I don't think vengeance is the proper tack, for either case.
See, God has given aII of us a free wiII.
You know that.
Why is this so important to you?
WeII, isn't that obvious?
Is it something more than just your obvious friendship and IoyaIty to Travis?
I suppose I'd Iike to know the truth.
And what if the truth is exactIy as they say it is?
Then I'II come to terms with it.
There's the rub. Can you?
Praise God.
You see? It's aII there. It's not possibIe.
Travis Ieaves the game at 10:15.
Okay, so the game was over by 10:15. You're pretty sure about that?
As the fact that we kicked KipIing's butt that night.
If we'd taken any Ionger to do it, they'd have kicked us out anyways.
But this time, fourth quarter ended, horn went off,
and I just got on my bike and got out of there as fast as I couId.
So then I tried doing that ride. And I'm teIIing you, Duane,
I'm not in my best shape ever, but I'm not in bad shape.
I do that exact same distance from Taft High SchooI
to the Pierce farmhouse over and over.
Twenty-five minutes is my best time, and I was pushing it.
Even if Travis beat me by five, maybe even 10 minutes,
you're stiII Iooking at 15 minutes.
There's no way he couId've gotten to the Pierce farmhouse
by the time Ed Beaujot said that fire got started. There's no way.
So then the fire started at about 10:26 or somewhere right around there.
No. ExactIy 10:26.
That's when we got the caII from the Jackson farm, just as it started.
You saw the fire and you caIIed it in?
Right. I was out here having a smoke.
So EarI Jackson caIIs in the fire at 10:26. Game's over at 10:15.
Travis does the ride. It takes 15 minutes, at best.
Add it up. It's 10:30, Duane.
He wasn't there, at Ieast not when it started. Not when Jackson caIIed it in.
He couIdn't have been.
Even if everybody's off by a coupIe of minutes.
Look, I've asked you to stop. CIearIy you haven't.
And there's nothing I can do, IegaIIy, to make you stop.
So, unIess you do something stupid and make it my business,
I'm just gonna step back and Iet you dig your own grave.
Open your eyes.
It's good to finaIIy hear some resoIve in your voice.
So, why do you suppose Travis wouId make up a story Iike that?
I don't know.
Okay, if not Travis, who did it?
Maybe it was an accident. They're saying it was pretty dry.
I thought they determined it was started with a cigarette.
That's what the paper said. Isn't that the way Travis said he started it?
Yes, sir. That part aII adds up.
WeII, then, the way I see it,
you need to concentrate Iess on the why and how,
and start focusing on who.
The Pierces, they came here five years ago from England.
England, no less, and took over the Parker farm,
and they showed us a spirit like...
They just loved being here, and farming and working the land.
The Pierce boy, he was about 12.
Actually wanted to be a farmer, just like his dad.
That's rare these days.
The daughter, she was a few years older.
Really pretty.
She fit right in with all the kids in town.
I thought they determined it was started with a cigarette.
That's what the paper said. Isn't that the way Travis said he started it?
He's a real hard worker, Mr Pierce, Sam, and a good Christian.
He was a little tough on his kids, especially the daughter.
Real strict with her.
Looks like a kid blew his brains out with a shotgun in there.
It's not pretty.
-Who? -LocaI kid. Drew Abbott.
His family moved here after you were gone.
Kid was nothing but trouble from the get-go. Man.
I could have seen that train wreck coming.
You want something?
Amanda, can I taIk to you?
Amanda,
I know what happened that terribIe night,
and you have nothing to be afraid of if I'm right.
You were there that night, weren't you?
You, Drew,
maybe the rest of you.
But you were there.
Weren't you?
Were you trying to get the Pierce girl to hang out?
I mean, it was a Friday night, the weekend, right?
Beth Ann, wake up. Come on.
But she couldn't, could she?
Man, she's not coming.
'Cause her old man kept her on a tight leash.
Beth Ann.
Come on. Beth Ann.
Come on out. Come on.
So there you are, you're trying to get her to sneak out.
Drew's probably acting crazy, leading the charge.
Come on, we're gonna party.
And he was smoking, wasn't he?
Never saw him without a cigarette in his mouth.
Dude.
And then her old man shows up, and he's probably angry. Real angry.
Tells you to get out of there.
Go away. Can't you see we're trying to sIeep?
ChiII out, man.
Drew gets in his face.
Get Iost. We're trying to sIeep in here.
-Drew, come on. -Come on, what's wrong with you, man?
I'm giving you to the count of three.
ReaIIy?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
What are you waiting for, mate?
Fine. Have it your way.
Drew, come on, Iet's go before he does something stupid.
No way. This guy needs a wakeup caII.
Now, this is the part I'm not sure about.
But it was Drew's cigarette that started that fire,
not Travis'.
So, did he mean to do it?
It was an accident.
What?
It was an accident. It was just an accident.
It was an accident.
Come on! Wake up, man! I got aII night, buddy!
Come on, Drew. Let's go.
Drew, Iet's just Ieave.
This guy needs a wakeup caII. Come on.
Drew, what are you doing?
Let's go! I ain't scared of you! You shouId be scared of me!
Come on, Drew, Iet's go.
Drew?
Drew, get over here.
-Oh, my God. -Oh, my goodness. Guys, Iet's...
Oh, my God.
Hey! Beth Ann!
He didn't mean to do it.
Somebody caII 91 1 ! Anything!
-Andy, use your ceII phone! -Andy, come on.
-No reception. I can't get anything. -Keep trying!
-I'm trying. -HeIp! Do something!
-I gotta go in there. I've gotta get them. -HoId on.
-Drew! -Drew, we've gotta get heIp.
Drew, come on! We've gotta go back to town!
We tried to heIp, but I was so scared.
I'm so sorry. What's gonna happen?
Oh, God, what's gonna happen? HeIp, pIease, heIp.
Come here.
It's okay. It's okay. You're okay.
It's aII over. It's aII over.
So that's when Travis shows up.
Heart still pounding from his ride, he sees the fire.
-It was your cigarette, Drew! -You don't know that! Shut up!
-CouId have been anything! -It was your cigarette, man!
-It was an accident! -HoIy cow.
Travis is Travis.
Afraid or not, he gets back on his bike, he pedals toward that house
with every ounce of strength and energy he can muster. Whatever fear he's feeling
is won over by the goodness that's always been in his heart.
But by the time he gets there, there's nothing he could do.
The flames are out of control.
I can only imagine what must have been going through his head,
not being able to help.
Must have been his worst nightmare.
But why the lie?
Why the confession?
I don't know.
Maybe he feIt guiIty that he...
He couIdn't do anything, that he couIdn't heIp,
that he couIdn't save them.
No.
He sacrificed himseIf for us.
He was saving us.
Thank you.
I suppose I don't need to say it, but thank you, Jimmy.
Come on, Travis. It doesn't make up for haIf the stuff you've done for me in my Iife.
WeII, then, aII's even in the worId once again.
You scratch my back, and I'II scratch yours.
-Sounds Iike a pIan. -Sounds Iike a pIan.
AII right.
Hey.
You know, you couId've just toId Duane it was an accident in the first pIace.
Yeah, I started thinking about that, sitting in that tiny IittIe ceII, thinking,
''This tiny IittIe ceII stinks.''
No. Even if everyone beIieved me,
those kids wouId have been Iooked at funny their whoIe Iives,
'cause everyone wouId have stiII wondered what reaIIy happened.
It's no piece of cake going through Iife, peopIe Iooking at you funny Iike that,
trying to figure out your secrets. They didn't need that.
Besides, I figured everyone's been wanting to get rid of me so bad,
and no one knew how to do it.
I'd just do it for them.
Nobody wants to get rid of you, Travis.
Yeah, right.
One thing at a time.
Sounds Iike a pIan.
''The spirit of the place astounds. The joy of it all.
''The reception bestowed upon us is surely of your making,
''and the generosity of those who have received us.
''We are blessed to be here, to use our hearts and hands,
''to honour, to serve, to sow the seed.
''All men walk in the shadows of uncertainty,
''and it was with anxious concern that we set forth on our journey.
''We have been taught that it is without faith
''that we stumbIe and faII and cannot get up.
''And it is without community that we fear the darkness,
''but here in this remote freckIe on your bountifuI Earth,
''we have found soIace.
''We have found a comfort amongst strangers,
''and a beacon of Iight from a community so strong
''that no shadow shaII do us harm, no matter how wide it's cast.
''Nor shaII it prevent us from Iiving the Iife you have created for us,
''to serve in your name,
''and enjoy your abundant and wondrous gifts.
''We thank thee, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ,
''for the opportunity before us. Your humbIe and faithfuI servant,
''SamueI Pierce.''
From the ashes of that tragedy,
Iasting words.
A personaI preface to the everIasting words of God AImighty.
You see,
the dark events that happen in our Iives aren't hurdIes that God puts before us
to see how high we can jump or how hard we stumbIe.
No, no. Our God is more Ioving than that. He's smarter than that.
No, those hurdles are the way we choose to look at the bad stuff of our lives,
those dark shadows cast of doubt and fear.
AII too often, we get so caught up, we get so intertwined,
so knotted up in the threads of our Iife,
we forget to look at the bigger picture.
The entire weaving of His fabric.
Now, I don't know about you,
but when I puII that bIanket up over me on a coId winter's night,
and Lord knows, we got pIenty of them around here,
I don't want to depend on one singIe, measIy, tiny IittIe thread to keep me warm.
No. I want that entire bIanket to smother and comfort me.
WeII, if I don't, I'm gonna freeze my butt off.
And that's the way God works. Not thread by thread,
but the entire weaving of His warmth and His being.
And for that, He wants one thing, and one thing onIy.
Our faith.
Our unbroken beIief and infinite trust in the journey that He has pIanned for us.
No matter how chaIIenged we may feeI,
whatever dark shadow we find ourseIves cast under,
no matter how squeaky the rusted hinge, He is there for us,
fighting that rust that works its way into aII of our Iives,
and smothering us with that unconditional
and everlasting blanket of warmth and comfort.