This is Walter. Leave a message, wait for the beep.
Will, you there? Where else can you go in that state?
You must've been freezing.
If you want, take a shower. There are clean towels in the bathroom.
This is Walter. Leave a message, wait for the beep.
Will, pick up. "I'm not dumb enough to come back"--
-Walter Finch. -"Will."
Will Dormer, what are you doing?
I try to help and you're running around like a maniac.
Were you gonna kill me? How would you explain that?
No one gets too upset when child murderers are brought in feet first.
There's no evidence I killed Kay. You know because I told you.
-"Come on. What's wrong with you?" -Guess I'm a little cranky.
-Lack of sleep. -"Get some rest, will you?"
Got some pills, and my bed's nice and comfy.
Another night up and you'll lose it. Hallucinating, babbling.
Tomorrow when you feel better, we'll meet in public. We'll sort it out.
There's a ferry north of Nightmute. I'll be on the 11:00.
And before you leave, could you feed the dogs? They're on a diet.
Dormer? Fax from the lab.
Weapon was a .38 Smith & Wesson.
-We found something that might-- -I found this. At the Connells' .
And?
It's the author of the book we found in Kay's bag.
It's signed by the author. He's a local.
Kay had all his books. We should check it out.
-Small stuff, right? -Yeah. Sure, sure.
Nice work, Ellie. She's got sharp eyes, huh?
You bet your ass she does.
Good stuff.
What a view.
-I'm not who you think I am. -No?
Walter Finch:
Lousy writer. Lonely freak.
Murderer. No?
When I was 7, my grandmother took me to Portland.
We were walking along and two guys snatched her purse.
A police officer came to ask questions.
He stood the whole time. Uniform looked brand-new.
Shoes, badge were polished. It was like a soldier, only better.
I respect your profession. I write about it.
I wanted to become a cop after school. I couldn't pass all the tests.
You should've tried Internal Affairs. They'd have taken you.
What do you want from me?
After Kay died, I knew everyone would think I meant to do it.
So I cleaned the body, removed all evidence connecting it to me.
Except for your fucking novel.
You don't always see the wood for the trees.
You, for one, should have figured that out by now.
When I heard they had brought somebody from L.A., I panicked.
I knew the locals would connect me to Kay eventually.
I could handle them. They never look in the eyes of a killer.
Killing changes you. You know that.
It's not guilt.
I never meant to do it.
It's like awareness.
Life is so important. How could it be so fucking fragile?
You'd see it right away, wouldn't you?
You trying to impress me? Because you got the wrong guy.
Killing that girl made you feel special.
But you're not.
You're the same pathetic freak I've been dealing with for 30 years.
Know how many of you I caught with your pants down?
-I never touched her like that. -You wanted to. Now you wish you had.
Best you could do is clip her nails.
Now you're so different. You don't get it, do you?
You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do.
You're about as mysterious to me as a toilet is to a plumber.
Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?
Motivations are everything, Will.
What did you see through the fog?
I saw pretty clearly, didn't I? I saw you take aim...
-Forget it. -...shoot your partner in the chest.
I heard him say, ''Get away from me!'' Why?
Anything to do with Internal Affairs investigation?
All that tension in your department?
-You think I'm that easy? -I'm saying that's how it looks.
Maybe even how it feels.
How did it feel when you found out it was Hap? Guilt? Relief?
Suddenly, you're free and clear. Did you think about it before that moment?
What would it be like if he wasn't there anymore?
Doesn't mean you did it on purpose.
You figure if you got something on me, then I'll just roll over?
-Protect my reputation? -No.
Protect your life's work.
The scumbags you put away will be back on the street before you go on trial.
With Hap gone, you're free and clear. Why mess with that?
Kay Connell. Remember her?
It's your choice.
Think of all the other Kay Connells.
Do the math. You're a pragmatist. You have to be because of your job.
This isn't easy, but I want you to understand...
...we're in the same situation here.
You didn't mean to kill Hap any more than I meant to kill Kay.
But that's hard for them to believe, so that's why we need each other.
We gotta find a patsy for the Connell case and make it stick.
Then you go back to Los Angeles and I can go back to living my life.
So, what do you need from me?
What do they know about me?
They found a signed copy of one of your books at Kay's house.
-So you'll be brought in for questioning. -At the station?
That's what they usually do.
Brought in for questioning. I can write that easily.
Calm down. It's no big thing. It's preliminary inquiry, so...
...just tell the truth.
-Tell them about Randy-- -Why are you talking about Randy?
Talk about your relationship with Kay. You can't hide it, so just say it.
Randy is none of your business. It's not your affair.
Shouldn't I tell them she was unhappy--
Tell them she was unhappy, but let them find Randy themselves.
That way, they'll make it stick.
Understand?
We need a wild card.
-A wild card? -Yeah. Something that's there.
Something we can use. It's in every good detective novel.
You still have the .38?
No.
Really? That's a shame.
We could use that. That'd be very convincing for them.
This is my stop.
Dormer!
Wild card!
-Night, everyone. -Night, Francis.
Working some overtime?
-Nice. -Cracking some big cases?
-Night. -Night, guys.
This is always the worst time of night for me.
Too late for yesterday, too early for tomorrow.
Sorry about the tape. I had to make sure you'd follow through.
I'll follow through.
I've been thinking it over. I should tell them about Randy.
-I think that's a bad idea. -"But he's the patsy. He deserves it."
You should have heard the shit Kay told me.
But these are cops. They're not children.
You don't throw things like that in their lap.
I'll push them toward Randy.
When the time is right.
We don't have the gun. How will we convince them he's guilty?
Did you keep the dress?
The dress?
Kay's dress, nail clippings. What did you do with those?
That's great. The dress. We could use that. Even better than the gun.
-Where could he have taken her? -"Where'd you take her?"
-She died in the cabin, right? -Yeah.
Where'd you take her to clean her up?
Don't think about that. This is tough enough for you.
-It was an accident. -Yeah.
-I didn't mean to kill her, you know. -I know, but what happened?
She called and said that she and Randy had had a fight.
She wanted to come over and talk, and I said, ''Meet me at our place.''
That's the cabin at the beach.
She comes over. She's distraught and a little drunk.
She starts telling me about how Randy and Tanya were carrying on.
I only wanted to comfort her. Hold her.
I kissed her, and got a little excited...
...and she started laughing at me.
She wouldn't stop laughing.
Ever had someone laugh at you when you're like that? Vulnerable.
Laughing their ass off? Someone you thought respected you?
You ever have that happen?
I just wanted to stop her laughing. And then, you know...
...I hit her.
Couple of times, to stop her. Get a little respect.
Randy did it all the time. She liked it when he did it.
She never blamed him. Never wanted to leave him.
I do it, she starts screaming. She wouldn't stop.
She's screaming. I put my hand over her mouth.
Then I'm really scared. I'm scared shitless.
More scared than I've ever been. I'm more scared than her.
And then...
...everything was clear.
There was no turning back.
And after that, I was calm.
Real calm.
You and I share a secret.
We know how easy it is to kill somebody.
That ultimate taboo. It doesn't exist outside our minds.
I didn't murder her.
I killed her, but it just ended up that way.
So where'd you take the body?
Thanks for listening to me.
Feels good to talk about that stuff. I'll be able to sleep now.
You wanna talk about Hap?
-Morning. -Your phone isn't working.
I turned it off. I needed to sleep. Sorry.
Fred called that author. He was happy to cooperate.
He'll be in first thing, so we need to get to the office.
I forgot to tell you they sell these in stores in Anchorage.
-No way of finding out who bought it. -Okay.
Bet you're looking forward to getting back to L.A.
Back to robbery homicide, or...
...maybe not.
-What are you saying to me, Ellie? -Nothing.
Are you doing okay? You haven't been sleeping much.
No, I haven't. No.
A good cop can't sleep because a piece of the puzzle's missing.
A bad cop, because his conscience won't let him.
-You said that once. -I did?
Sounds like something I'd say, don't it?
I'll see you back there.
In what regard were you and her familiar?
-How did you know her? -She was an avid reader of my novels.
When did you meet her first?
A year ago. She came to a signing in Nightmute.
She hung around afterwards. We chatted about my writing...
...and how she wanted to write...
...then she asked if she could visit me and talk about books, things like that.
-And she did? -Yeah, we became very close.
She got comfortable enough to show me her writing.
-What does she write? -Poetry, actually.
-Any good? -No, not really.
-You tell her that? -Why would I?
Exactly what was the nature of your relationship to this girl, Finch?
I was someone she could talk to. Someone outside of her everyday life.
That's why she needed me and approached me.
Why'd she need you for that?
-Well, her boyfriend, Randy-- -Randy Stetz?
-Abusive little prick. He hit her. -We know all this already.
-It was getting worse. -So?
A lot worse. Really.
Why all this eagerness to talk about Randy?
You're right. I'm sorry. That's probably all hearsay.
I don't want anything I say taken the wrong way.
Anything you say to us at this stage is in confidence.
Secondly, we're not a bunch of hotheads who'll draw crazy conclusions.
-Okay. -Please, continue.
One more thing. Probably doesn't mean much, but I think Kay was scared.
-I have myself to blame for that. -Why is that?
Randy knew who I was. He knew that she had a friend...
...someone she confided in. It made him furious.
She wrote about being scared. Her letters were getting desperate.
You still have these letters, by any chance?
I probably do. Do you think it might help?
They might.
Okay. Anything else?
The thing that worried her the most was the gun.
He had this old handgun. He showed it to her.
I don't know where he got it, probably wasn't even his...
...but he said he'd use it if he found out who she was seeing.
He kept it hidden in a heating vent. You know, in the skirting boards?
It might be the .38.
-Get me Judge Biggs. -What?
I'm getting a search warrant to Randy's.
-Get Judge Biggs on the phone. -I should get over there.
-No! -No?
You're the guy he's talking to. So we're waiting for the warrant. Okay?
Do you know when Randy showed her the gun?
February?
No, probably January.
Why didn't you come forward when she died?
-She didn't want anybody to know. -Even when she was dead?
Beaten to death. Her body dumped on a pile of garbage!
-I was her friend. -No!
-Acquaintance. We were close-- -Close?
She was attractive. Did you have sex with her?
-She was 17. -Seventeen? She was attractive.
I suppose.
Suppose? She was. So did you have sex with her?
-No, I was her mentor. -You bought her things. Gifts.
-Yes. -What kind of gifts?
-Books, mostly, that's what she loved. -Books? What about this?
-You give her this? -Yes.
Why?
-To see how she looked with it on? -No.
-No? Why jewelry? -It was just a present.
-Bought a lot of presents? Dresses? -What's wrong with that?
Nothing. I'm figuring out what kind of mentor you were.
I gave her things she couldn't have.
You wanted to fuck her, didn't you? Sick son of a bitch!
-Cool off. -Sick bastard.
You have to cool down. Okay? Cool down.
All right. I need a break.
I have to apologize on behalf of my colleague.
He's been under a lot of pressure lately. But he's a good cop.
I'd hate to see the bad cop.
Search and seizure warrant. Yes, sir.
Randy Stetz.
-We got our warrant! -Thank you. We appreciate it.
Francis, come with me. Let's go!
-You're not going? -No.
Are you not on the Connell case?
I'm covering the shooting of Detective Dormer's partner.
Heard about that.
-Should I call about Kay's letters? -Yeah. I'll pick them up.
Stetz! We're coming in!
Turn the place over.
Look there! Try over there!
Rich, look here now.
I got it! Hey, Fred!
-Just in time, Dormer. -Had it in the motor oil.
What the fuck is this?
He says he was with Tanya when Kay was killed.
-That's what she told me. -When?
-When I questioned her. -Were you planning on telling us?
That's what I'm doing now.
Randy and Tanya were screwing around. She's trying to protect him.
-And the gun? -Says it isn't his.
If we get the ballistics match, he'll be forthcoming.
-Leaving? -First thing tomorrow.
If Spencer can remember where he parked the plane.
I thought you wanted to kill me in the interview room.
-Randy is in jail. -Said I'd write an ending they'd like.
You were wrapped up in details.
-The details? He's innocent. -No, he isn't.
He beat Kay. One day he'd do something worse.
You knew I planted the gun?
You wanted to help me before the tape recorder.
You had to have a wild card.
You're a good man. I know that, even if you've forgotten it.
When were you gonna point them at me? When you found Kay's dress?
Where I took the body? If you have a gun and forensics...
...wouldn't matter what I said about you killing your partner.
May I have the tape?
-Did you make any other copies? -Why would I?
Stop me from turning you in.
Or killing you.
I don't have a hold over you. You made choices.
Like I wasn't here. Why kill me? It won't help Randy.
After your scene at the department, it won't do you good if I'm dead.
-A lot of ways a man can die. -Like an accident? Like Hap.
Like Kay.
It took you 10 minutes to beat Kay Connell to death.
Ten fucking minutes. You calling that an accident?
It took you a fraction of a second to kill your partner.
Is that more of an accident?
Is this an accident?
If you want it to be.
It's over, Walt.
It's over. I'm telling them everything. Tell them about Hap, you, everything.
-What good would that do? -It'll end this thing.
It won't end it. You're not thinking straight.
Will you tell the truth? You shot your partner and lied about it.
To them, you're a liar and a killer. You're tainted. Forever!
You don't get to pick when you tell the truth. The truth is beyond that.
That tape was the only proof we had a conversation outside of that room.
To them, I'm a writer that Kay admired.
Randy is the killer, and you're a hero cop. Your life's work is intact.
Another abusive scumbag is in jail. Everything is as it should be.
Go back to Los Angeles. The case against Randy is pretty solid.
I can take care of everything here. I got it worked out. Go home.
Midnight of your sixth night. You broke my record, Will.
-Randy Stetz. He was an asshole. -You knew him as a kid?
-Dads were on the same boat. -Bad seed.
How do you like our beer?
What Dormer needs is a little shuteye.
-White nights getting to you? -Hasn't been easy.
-Better than winter. -Got that right.
-Sun barely comes up for five months. -Like being sucked into a black hole.
-Hey, Nancy Drew. You hear? We got him. -Rich found the gun.
-Something's on her mind. -I found this on the beach.
-What is it? -Shell casing, 9mm.
The murder weapon was a .38. None of us carries a 9mm.
Or backup weapon, right?
Get a hobby, would you?
It's a legitimate point, isn't it, detective?
This case is closed, Ellie. Hold the fort, boys. I'll go find a men's room.
Relieve myself of your fine Alaskan beer.
Do you want a beer or something?
No, thanks.
-He's good people, right? -Don't get carried away.
What has two thumbs and loves blowjobs?
-I don't know. -This guy.
It's been something, Dormer.
It's been really great working with you.
-Run Will to the airport? -I gotta pick up the letters.
In Umkumiut--
At his lake house. Dormer will have to leave my car at the dock.
-If that's okay with you? -Yeah, it's fine.
It's been a pleasure.
Get some sleep.
Detective Dormer.
What is it?
Someone's complaining about the noise. Says he can't sleep.
Something wrong?
It's so fucking bright in here.
No, it's dark in here.
Will you please...?
There's this guy, Wayne Dobbs, 24. Works part time at a copy store.
Every day he watches this 8-year-old boy...
...waiting for his carpool across the street.
-This is one of your cases? -Yeah. Hap and me.
A year and a half ago.
For six months, he watches this kid.
Finally gets up the nerve.
He goes down, grabs that boy before the carpool comes...
...takes him back to his apartment...
...and keeps him there for three days.
He tortures him...
...and makes him do things.
And, finally, he's had enough. He gets a rope.
He hangs the boy in a storage space in the basement of the building.
But he didn't do it right.
Little boy's neck didn't break, so he dangled there for a while...
...and then died finally from the shock.
Landlord found the body five days later.
The second I met this guy, Dobbs, I knew he was guilty.
That's what I do. That's my job. I assign guilt.
You find the evidence...
...figure out who did it, and then you go get them and put them away.
This time there wasn't enough evidence. And it's reasonable doubt to a jury...
...because a jury never met a child murderer before.
But I have.
Anyway....
I went and took some blood samples from the boy's dead body...
...and I planted them...
...in Dobbs' apartment.
I could feel it there.
This is gonna catch up with me.
-I don't do things like that. -So how did it catch up with you?
Internal Affairs is coming down on our department.
Hap, he was gonna cut a deal...
...and bring me straight into it.
They would've reopened Dobbs' case, he would've walked.
Now that won't happen. And I don't know...
...how I feel about that.
But Dobbs was guilty. Dobbs needed to be convicted.
So the end justifies the means.
Right?
-I'm in no position to judge. -Why not?
Two kinds of people live in Alaska.
The ones who are born here, and the ones who come here to escape something.
I wasn't born here.
Why don't you tell me what you think?
Here. Now. In this room. You and me.
Please.
I guess it's about what you thought was right at the time.
Then, what you're willing to live with.
-"Nightmute Police Department." -Detective Burr.
She's not here. She left town "about 20 minutes ago to go pick up"--
-Mr. Finch. -Detective Burr.
-Are they friendly? -Yeah.
Didn't expect to see you this soon. Sorry about the mess, doing some work.
Could Kay's letters strengthen the case against Randy?
Possibly.
Watch your head. I've done it 1000 times.
Sorry about all the clutter. I am a pack-rat.
I keep everything.
I got them. Just don't know where.
-They've gotta be here somewhere. -Working on a new book?
-Have you read any of my books? -I haven't.
-She knows, Will. -Where is she?
She knows you killed Hap. You would've realized if you weren't strung out.
-The way she looks at you-- -Where is she?
-It's under control. -If anything happened to her--
She's okay.
If she talks, you're fucked. Everything you've worked for is destroyed.
-Now give me-- -Show me where she is. Now.
She's okay. Listen. I mean, it's all fine.
Let's search this place. For the dress.
-What dress? -Ellie's....
-Kay's! -You're rambling.
Ellie's here.
-I'm taking care of us. -Us?
-She saw the dress. -Us?
Where'd you get us? Don't talk about us.
She's alive, Will. Ellie!
Hold it!
Don't move!
You shot Detective Eckhart.
And Finch saw you do it.
Did you mean to shoot Hap?
I don't know anymore.
I don't know.
I couldn't see him through the fog, but when I got up close...
...he was afraid of me...
...and he thought I meant to do it, so maybe I did.
I just don't know anymore.
-Where's your gun? -He took it.
Keep your head down.
I got seven rounds in this clip. Make it last. Head down.
Okay, go! Go!
You forgot the wild card.
Detective Dormer!
I called for backup. They'll be here soon. Dormer, just hold on.
Hold on.
Nobody needs to know.
You didn't mean to do it. I know that even if you don't.
No, don't. Don't.
What?
Why?
Don't lose your way.
Hang on.
Dormer.
Let me sleep.
No.
Just let me sleep.