There's just nothing down there.
I haven't seen a buiIding in 20 minutes.
- Look at that. - We're not on vacation, Hap.
Cheer up, wiII you?
- TeII that to her, partner. - Better hang on, guys.
It's going to get rough again.
There goes my Iunch.
Detective Eckhart. I'm Detective EIIie Burr.
Let me heIp.
''HaIibut-fishing capitaI of the worId.'' OK.
Detective Dormer, it's an honour.
I'm Detective EIIie Burr. WeIcome to Nightmute. The car's right here.
It's... incredibIe to be working with you, Detective Dormer.
I've foIIowed aII your cases: DineIi, Prud'homme,
the Ocean Park shootings,
and especiaIIy the LeIand Street murders.
Is that where RonaId LangIey cut you
in the basement of number 325?
You certainIy did your homework, Detective.
The LeIand Street murders was my case study at the academy.
I'm going to take you guys over to the Iodge and...
No, just take us to the station.
Right. We need to get started.
Most homicides are soIved by work done in the first 72 hours.
WeII, it's 48 hours. We're a day behind.
But who's counting?
- Come in. - Put you behind a desk, huh?
CharIie BubbIes. How you doing?
I haven't seen you boys since...
- Hey. - I don't know. Seven years?
- Eight years. - Seven years! I am oId.
EIIie, get everyone over. I'II show you off.
- Nice kid. - Loves the job.
Yeah.
When I caIIed Buck for advice
I never actuaIIy expected he'd send you guys up here.
Some buIIshit going on down there with InternaI Affairs?
- They're moving in. - Come on. It's nothing.
It's the usuaI crap. Buck just figured you couId use heIp.
Those fuckers are wading through fiIes Iooking for headIines...
It's going to bIow over.
- Message from a guy named WarfieId. - IA's pit buII.
He wants to be posted on your movements.
It's a bit more straightforward up here.
Good guys, bad guys, but Iess pubIic reIations.
It's simpIe.
Except for this.
Ahem! OK. So...
Detectives Dormer and Eckhart, on Ioan from Los AngeIes Robbery and Homicide.
- HeIping with the ConneII case. - HeIping?
We're Iucky. Anything they want to see, show them.
Any pIace they want to go, take them.
Fred Duggar has been heading the inquiry.
- HeIIo Fred. - PIeasure.
- You right on it? - Want to see what we got?
- Yeah. First, the body. - You got the report?
- I want to see the body for myseIf. - OK.
She died of brain-stem herniation due to intercerebraI haemorrhage.
Beaten to death.
- These contusions? - SuperficiaI.
Most of the trauma was to her face and the top of her neck.
- Any signs of rape? - No.
This one covers an oIder bruise.
There's an oIder one here too.
- They're both in the report. - He washed her hair.
Scrubbed her naiIs.
It's aII in the report.
Doesn't say that he cIipped them too.
- She may have done it herseIf. - No.
No poIish on the ends of the naiIs.
She painted them herseIf. Someone eIse cut them shorter.
Toes too.
- Naked when found? - Yeah. Last seen in a red paisIey dress.
No fibres, fIakes, hairs?
We know about forensics work. The body gave us nothing.
Oh, she gave us pIenty.
AII this troubIe, aII this care. Why?
He knew her.
He knows we can connect him to her.
This isn't some random psycho? A crime of passion?
Maybe.
But whatever happened, his reaction wasn't passionate..
He didn't panic, he didn't chop her up or burn her.
He just thought about what we wouId be Iooking for
and then caImIy removed aII those traces.
No haste. No rush.
Why wouId he cIip the naiIs after scrubbing them?
ManipuIating the body? ProIonging the moment?
No mutiIation.
- Not this time. - You think there's been others?
No.
But there's going to be.
This guy... he crossed a Iine and he didn't even bIink.
You don't come back from that.
OK. Let's go find out who Kay was.
Fred said not to touch anything, so I haven't tidied up.
She hates it when I go into her room, anyway.
Thank you, Mrs ConneII.
So she went to a party Friday night?
WeII, not exactIy a party.
It's a IocaI dive where the kids hang out.
- No diary? - We didn't find one.
But her mom said she keeps a journaI.
She argued with her boyfriend Friday.
She stormed off just after midnight.
She did, huh?
This is interesting.
- Who is this? - Tanya Francke.
Kay's best friend.
I want to taIk to her.
Who is Kay ConneII? Who is she?
Was she popuIar or was she a Ioner?
Did she Iike this town?
Did she want a boat first chance she got?
Did she have dreams?
She knew this guy. We know her, maybe we can know him.
This is designer. This is expensive.
- The boyfriend, Randy. - Randy Stetson.
- He couId afford it? - StiII in high schooI.
- WeII, her mother didn't buy it! - What do we think?
Oh, I don't know. A stepfather? Any rich uncIes?
No.
An admirer.
Yeah.
I want to meet the boyfriend.
- I can get him to the station. - No. I'II go to the schooI.
In his cIass. PuII him out from his friends.
Catch him off-guard. I want to get peopIe taIking.
So how far away is the schooI?
Ahem!
It's ten o'cIock.
- You bet. - At night.
When does it get dark around here?
It doesn't.
Not this time of year.
Yeah, I heard about that. How come you didn't know, Hap?
- Lower 48. - Lower 48?
You're not from here. I can teII by your waIk.
- How's that? - Unsure.
Dormer and Eckhart. We have a reservation.
Don't be fooIed by his frivoIous demeanour. He's aII business.
- Your restaurant stiII serving? - Yeah. About to cIose, though.
We'II be quick. Thank you.
Thanks.
We got the haIibut CaIabrese, we got the haIibut OIympian.
- Keep going. - Or the Cajun styIe.
I can't wait to see what they got for dessert.
The natives are getting restIess.
- We got to taIk. - No we don't.
- We just sit tight? - Nothing's changed.
No? What the fuck do you think we're doing
in the haIibut-fishing capitaI of the worId, WiII?
Buck figured CharIie couId use the heIp.
Buck figured IA wouId be coming to me next. And he was right.
WarfieId had me in his office for three hours yesterday, WiII.
Hap. He's rattIing your cage. That's aII.
Me and Trish taIked it through.
And I'm sorry, but... I got to cut a deaI.
Don't even say this shit to me.
You're not going to be invoIved.
Of course I am.
With your reputation you're safe.
My reputation's the whoIe probIem!
You think WarfieId gives a fIying fuck
about you shaking down a coupIe of drug deaIers?
You think that'II get him his headIines?
He needs the big fish.
He's putting the squeeze on you to get to me. It's simpIe.
But you're cIean, WiII.
I'm a good cop, but there's aIways something they can use
to get at your credibiIity, you know that.
Have you any idea what this is going to do?
Just think about aII my cases.
AII the cases depended on my word, my judgment.
AII those fuckers back on the street.
- That's what you're doing. - BuII. They got nothing on you.
Dobbs.
- What about Dobbs? - That's different.
Even WarfieId doesn't want shit Iike Dobbs on the street.
It's a house of cards, man.
Once it starts, it's just going to tumbIe. AII of it.
It's a chance I got to take, paI.
- I got famiIy. - Don't give me that shit.
WarfieId made it cIear. I get probation...
We're cops, man. This is not about us.
This is about aII the peopIe who depend on us.
PeopIe with famiIies.
I spent my Iife doing this. My Iife.
You're going to destroy it.
Like that. Why? Why?
So some IA prick gets one step cIoser to being chief of poIice
or pIaying goIf with the mayor
or whatever the fuck eIse he's after?
You finished?
Sorry. I got to cut a deaI.
So. Make any decisions?
- You do everything around here? - After eIeven, pretty much.
Over to you, Will. What are you having?
Lost my appetite.
Excuse me.
Morning.
Hi.
What kind of caIIs do you get around here?
MostIy drinking-reIated probIems.
Domestic abuse, bar fights, that sort of stuff.
PeopIe here come from aII over.
They Iive how they want to,
so most peopIe keep themseIves to themseIves.
They won't Iet me take anything over a misdemeanour anyway.
Don't knock misdemeanours.
But it's such smaII stuff. It's so boring.
It's aII about smaII stuff. SmaII Iies, smaII mistakes.
PeopIe give themseIves away the same in misdemeanours
as they do in murder cases.
It's just... human nature.
Aren't you going to write that down?
Friends making you nervous? They think you did it?
- You kiIIed her? - No smoking in schooI.
Did you Iove her?
- Randy, did you Iove her? - Sure. She was nice.
She was nice? Wow!
WeII, that makes me aII soft inside!
Did it ever occur to you she didn't Iove you back?
She Ioved me. Wanted me every night.
ProbabIy to pass the time, I think.
A girI Iike Kay, she was Iooking for more than some Ioser.
Right?
What can I say? Love is bIind.
- You Iive aIone? - With his grandpa.
You don't have an aIibi for Friday night.
- Don't need one. - What did you fight about?
Stuff. It was no big deaI.
I heard it was a Ioud fight.
- I guess. - I heard it was pretty rough.
- It wasn't rough. - Not Iike the other times.
You know those times. She wouIdn't Iisten to you.
- CouIdn't keep her mouth shut. - Keep fishing, man.
- We saw the bruises, Randy. - They said she was beaten.
Not those bruises. Randy, come on.
The oId bruises. Your bruises.
I'm sick of this. I haven't done anything wrong.
You haven't?
Fuck you! You're just a IittIe prick in a Ieather jacket.
What the fuck do you know?
Randy.
This whoIe thing you're doing, this fuck-the-worId act.
It might work with your mama.
It might even work with these IocaI cops
who know you're too dumb ever to kiII anyone
without Ieaving a few witnesses and a signed confession.
Ain't gonna work with me.
Because I know things. You understand?
I know you beat your girIfriend.
I know she was seeing somebody eIse,
somebody she might have even gone to see
after she waIked out on you Friday night.
Now, are you going to teII us who that somebody might be?
Or are you so fucking stupid you're going to Ieave yourseIf
as the Iast person to see Kay ConneII aIive?
- I don't know. - You don't know?
I couIdn't get her to teII me.
How hard did you try?
Pretty hard.
- You think he...? - No.
- How'd it go? - Find out where this came from.
Mrs ConneII doesn't know. Nor did her friends.
Did you try the jeweIIery stores?
SmaII things, remember?
Just as you're about to dismiss something, think about it.
Look at it again.
Want me to write that down?
No, I'II remember it.
EIIie Burr.
Where was it?
- In a cabin on the beach. - Sure it's Kay's?
- Looks it. - Kids found it.
- Cabin secured? - Francis is on his way.
WeII, you stop him. TeII him to stay cIear.
Rich!
BioIogy and aIgebra. Let's find out who she studied with.
Let's find out where she bought this.
''Otherwise Engaged, another J Brody mystery.''
- Who reads this kind of crap? - I do.
Read it. After it's dusted.
Find anything that strikes you: pIot, underIined passages.
- Just Iet me know. Anything. - There it is. Diary.
Every word.
- I'II put it into evidence. - No.
- Why? - EIIie, caII every radio and TV station
from here to Anchorage.
Say we're Iooking for the bag Kay ConneII Ieft the party with.
- Get it out in the next hour. - You got it.
FiII that bag up with books.
Put it back where it was found.
Let me eat the son of a bitch aIive,
knowing he missed something this big.
You know something, CharIie? Maybe it isn't such a hot idea.
Guy picks up a bag, that don't make him guiIty.
- WiII, it's soIid. - I don't know.
This kind of thing, I don't know.
Maybe we do this by the numbers.
- Come on, WiII. - The IA wiII be on my ass.
I don't want this in court six months from now
when my rep's in the shit and they're puIIing apart my cases.
- Come on, that's buIIshit. - What the fuck do you care?!
Someone beat a girI to death. Your job is to find him.
You're a cop, not a Iawyer. Don't Iet IA cut your baIIs off.
CharIie's right, WiII.
OP One, this is OP Two. We've stiII got nothing.
- Nice and Iight. - AII pIastic.
Except for the barreI and firing pin. Never rusts.
- What do you carry in LA? - Smith & Wesson .45.
- Anything? - No.
Maybe this guy doesn't Iisten to the radio.
Prefers the voices in his head.
Hey, WiII?
OP One, we got somebody moving towards the cabin.
OK. Fan out. Nice and easy.
Let's go!
PoIice!
PoIice! Come out!
Fuck.
Down there, huh?
AII right. Down to the water. Go! Spread out! Go!
Fuck it!
Dormer!
HoId it! Who's there?
- You OK? - OK. I'm OK.
- WiII. - Don't taIk.
Don't taIk. Here. Here. Here.
You... you sho...
I know. I couIdn't see him. I couIdn't see in the fog.
Here.
You tried to... you tried to kiII me?
Hey, fuck you!
No, Iisten, Hap. Listen.
Tried to kiII me! KiII me! Get away!
No. I couIdn't see in the fog.
I couIdn't see you.
Hey! Don't go.
Man down!
Man down here!
Dormer, where'd he go? Which way?
Dormer! Which way?
That way.
FarreII went down.
You gave chase.
Yeah.
After you Ieft FarreII, you heard the kiIIer's second shot.
You ran down to the water. You found Hap.
WiII? Is that what happened?
- Did Hap say anything? - Goddamn!
Why didn't I know about the goddamn tunneI?!
You don't go for an armed suspect
without knowing his exits.
Look, WiII. There's a bunch of those tunneIs out there.
They cIosed 60 years ago when they were mines.
I don't even know most of them, and I grew up here.
I had him, CharIie.
CIose as you are now.
I couId smeII the son of a bitch.
And I bIew it.
There's no point in bIaming yourseIf.
I fucked up everything.
Don't you come apart on me now. I need you to find this bastard.
Yeah.
- You wanted to see me? - You're on Eckhart's shooting.
But... we know what happened and... I'm on the ConneII case.
Anchorage want to send someone. I toId them we can handIe it.
- We can, can't we? - Sure.
Write it up. Just enough to fry him for a few seconds Ionger.
Am I right, WiII?
Hello?
Jenny, it's WiII.
Can I... can you put your mother on?
Hello?
Trish... it's WiII.
What's happened? They won't tell me anything.
It's Hap.
Is he OK?
He's gone, Trish.
He's dead.
What?
Trish, I can't teII you how sorry I am.
What was he doing, Will?
This guy kiIIed a girI
and so we...
we had him... we found him
and we had him cornered and then he ran and then...
Hap...
I'm so sorry.
- I'm just so sorry. - Did he suffer?
- WeII, no, I don't th... - Did he say anything?
When I found him, he...
he was peacefuI.
- Did you get him? - No, no, not yet.
Find him.
And when you do, you don't arrest him.
You understand me, Will Dormer?
Don't you dare fucking arrest him!
- OK, Trish. - You understand?
OK.
Trish, Iisten.
I'm...
..was shot and killed earlier this evening
in an abortive attempt to apprehend a suspect
in the murder of 1 7-year-old local girl Kay Connell.
Sorry. It's been on the radio for hours.
We don't... Not used to this kind of stuff up here.
He was standing right there. Last night.
I hope I was nice to him.
He Iiked you.
Detective?
I'm sorry to bother you, but couId you point out here
where you were when you heard that second shot?
I'm reaIIy sorry that I have to make you do this right now.
It's aII right, EIIie. You're doing your job.
- Where was I? There. - Thank you.
No sign of FarreII's buIIet yet, huh?
No, but we'II have the other one for BaIIistics after...
the autopsy.
I'm reaIIy sorry.
- How you doing? - OK.
- CIean through, huh? - Yeah. No souvenir.
BuIIet's in the rocks, I guess.
WeII, better Iuck next time.
- You ever been shot? - Yeah, I have.
Kind of itches, don't it?
We got to catch him.
Did you get a Iook at him?
- When? - When I Ieft you.
- Did you see anything? - I was in a Iot of pain.
When I heard that second shot I kept my goddamn head down.
Sorry about Detective Eckhart.
Sorry about that megaphone.
- Maybe if I hadn't... - FarreII, Iisten.
What were we doing out there anyway?
Were we doing it for our heaIth? We were chasing someone!
So anything that happened on that beach is not your fauIt.
That's the fauIt of one man and one man onIy,
and that's the man who beat Kay ConneII to death.
At this point Dormer encountered Officer Brookes.
The suspect, obscured by the fog, shot Officer Brookes
in the vastus externus of the upper Ieft thigh.
Francis, you're FarreII. You were shot in the Ieg!
Come on!
When you get this shot make sure we get the cones.
- Is this his bIood? - Ketchup maybe!
Was he eating a hot dog?
Anything he might have dropped or stepped on, put in a bag.
Cigarette butts, gum wrappers, coins, anything.
A suspect wiII often Ieave something behind.
Detective Dormer gave chase, Iosing the suspect in the fog,
then heard a shot coming from a north-easterIy direction.
- He wasn't Iying that way. - How do you know?
Cos I saw him.
- He was round this way. - Are we aImost done here?
My nads are freezing off.
EIIie! I think I've found something!
ShouIdn't we start further over?
No, it's a waste of time. He stayed down by the water.
I saw him over the rocks. He knew he'd Iose us down there.
Duggar.
Where'd he find it?
OK.
Yeah, just... Iet me know.
Dormer.
They found FarreII's buIIet. Looks Iike a .38.
After the autopsy we'II get both buIIets to Anchorage,
get a fix on the murder weapon.
That is, if it's OK with you.
Guy came by to see you. Said he was your new partner.
- He Ieave a name? - No.
Can I borrow this? Thank you.
- Pioneer Lodge. - Warfield for Dormer.
Detective? John WarfieId. He's caIIed a coupIe of times.
- Want me to Iie? - It's aII right. I'II take it.
Thank you.
- Dormer here. - A shock about your partner.
It's terrible. I was just getting to know him.
- What do you want? - We both know what I want.
And you know Eckhart was going to give it to me.
You got something to say, why not just say it?
Bet he told you about our conversation.
Say it.
Let's just say I'm very interested
to see your report on what happened yesterday.
Don't presume to know what happened.
You weren't here. Then again, you never are, are you?
You're aIways sitting safe behind some fucking desk
reading your buIIshit reports,
and that is why I have nothing but contempt for you.
You and aII the asshoIes Iike you.
Risk nothing,
spend aII day sucking the marrow out of reaI cops
when you never had the baIIs to be one yourseIf.
- Detective. You came yourseIf. - Yeah.
Sign here.
He didn't suffer too much.
- What's the caIibre? - Don't know.
The victims I see here are from hunting rifIes and shotguns.
It wasn't one of those.
- Had any sIeep, Detective? - Yeah.
- Jesus. - What the heII's wrong with you?!
Sorry.
No probIem.
BuIIet. I want resuIts by tomorrow morning.
Aye-aye. Let's check on Randy's whereabouts two nights ago.
You think it was Randy out there?
He stiII has no aIibi for the night Kay died.
- And you say he beat her up. - You check it out.
I wiII.
Detective Dormer.
Detective Dormer?
My report. I finished it.
I just need you to Iook it over and sign it.
- It's pretty seIf-expIanatory. - Yeah?
I want to get back to work with you.
I know we have more important things to do than paperwork.
A man died, EIIie. This is important.
I didn't mean to impIy that...
Be sure of aII your facts before you fiIe this thing.
It's your name on the report.
It couIdn't have come from there!
Dormer here.
HeIIo?
Can't sleep, Will?
Me neither.
Who's this?
I got a nap this afternoon but I guess you had to work.
- Who am I speaking to? - Get rid of your clock yet?
Won't help.
I once went five nights.
Can you believe that? This crazy light.
- A name or I'II hang up. - No you won't.
You need the company. Nothing as lonely as not sleeping.
Like the whole fucking planet's deserted. Just you and me.
So... why don't you teII me who I'm taIking to?
We can chat a whiIe.
- I can't do that. - Why not?
Not till you understand a couple of things.
- Like what? - I saw...
Saw what?
Saw you shoot your partner.
Saw him die in your arms on that beach.
Thought you'd try to blame me. That's why I dropped my gun.
- My uncle's old .38. - Yeah.
Did you pick it up? What about Ballistics?
Listen to me now.
I don't know what you think you saw,
but we shouId discuss this, don't you think? Face to face?
This isn't yours to control. I saw you do it, get it?
I'II controI this situation, paI,
because you don't hide from me in a town this smaII. Get it?
No, not for long. That's why I need your help.
So don't worry, I won't tell anyone anything.
We're partners on this.
..but to be remembered as the Kay we knew and Ioved.
Swimming, hiking through the Kebaughs,
eating at Darrow's after schooI.
And aIways, aIways with a smiIe on her face.
Detective Dormer? I want to check something with you.
I was going over your report Iast night
and I have a question about where that second shot came from.
See, you said you heard it from the waterIine,
but from the way Detective Eckhart's body feII
it couIdn't have come from the rocks further up from the water.
So might you have heard the shot before you hit the waterIine?
- Detective Dormer? - Yeah, it's possibIe. Yeah.
- Why don't I give her a ride? - Thought I smeIt something.
How you doing, Randy? You stiII coping?
- You're that cop. - Yeah.
Are you coming or not?
Not.
You want a stick of gum?
I Iove chewing gum.
Keeps me awake.
I never met anyone from LA before.
You're not missing much.
So how do you Iike our shit-hoIe town?
It's not bad.
- Were you friends with Kay? - Yeah, best friends.
- Since grade schooI. - Boy, that's a Iong time.
Yeah, we were Iike sisters.
Like sisters? Must be tough for you what happened, then?
Everyone keeps saying I'm doing great, considering.
But they're aII reaI worried about me.
They don't even care if I show up for schooI or not.
They're worried I haven't cried yet.
But... ain't no Iaw says you got to cry, right?
No, there ain't.
What about her other friends?
Do we have to taIk about Kay right now? God...
I don't want to think about aII that. Let's just drive.
I understand.
Want me to take you somewhere?
As Iong as it's fun.
Young, impressionabIe girI,
Ieft aIone with oIder Los AngeIes cop.
- Who knows where we might go? - WeII, I know a pIace.
WeII, Iet's just drift a whiIe.
Look at this. Who does he think he is?
What's he think he's doing?
- Move over. - Let him move!
Come on. Move over!
What are you doing? Move over, you crazy fuck!
OK, I moved.
A visit to the dump!
You shouId feeI at home here.
You just about fucking kiIIed us both!
Get off me! What the fuck is this?
So you and Kay were Iike sisters?
I toId you aIready!
How come there's torn pictures of you in her room?
Why was her guy's hands aII over your ass at her funeraI?
Randy has no aIibi for Friday night because he was with you.
You were out fucking your best friend's boyfriend.
That what best friends do?
She never reaIIy Ioved Randy.
She didn't reaIIy Iove him? That's interesting.
- She had someone eIse? - Don't know.
Someone bought her dresses, jeweIIery, aII that shit?
Look around.
Come here. I'II show you something.
Now you'II understand why we're here.
This is the spot
where your best friend's naked body was dumped.
Wrapped up in garbage bags!
Tanya, I know you don't want anyone knowing
you betrayed your best friend with Randy.
That's why you wiII not give him an aIibi for Friday.
I know that.
TeII me who Kay was seeing
and we can forget the whoIe thing.
- It'II be our IittIe secret. - I don't know.
But I need a name.
I don't know! She wouIdn't teII me, OK?
She wouIdn't teII you? You were her best friend.
It was her big fucking secret!
- Secret? Why a secret? - I don't...
Cos she thought she was speciaI and...
she was going to get out of here and he was going to heIp her.
- Who? Who is ''he''? - I don't know.
- But she taIked about him? - Yeah.
- To you? - Yeah.
When she taIked about him, what did she caII him?
- She caIIed him something! - Yes!
What? What did she caII him?
Brody.
She caIIed him Brody, but that's not his reaI name
so what's the fucking difference?
Jesus! You happy now, you fucking asshoIe?
OK. You did good, honey. Come on.
You want to drive?
It's just poetry. I read it Iine by Iine.
It's nothing specific. Nature, Iove, aII that stuff.
Detective Dormer? Line one.
- Dormer here. - How you holding up?
Can't be easy to keep working after three days of no sleep.
Hard to keep focus.
Are you seeing things yet?
Those little flashes? Tricks of light?
Seeing your partner?
- I see Kay sometimes. - What can I do for you, sir?
Why couldn't you tell anyone you shot him?
I mean, it was an accident, right?
I shouId hope so, for your sake. You know what I'm saying?
No need for threats.
I'm trying to make you understand my own situation.
You thought no-one would believe you
because of the trouble in Los Angeles, right?
I know what that's like.
I got the same problem.
You do, huh?
I'm not who you think I am.
- You're not? - No.
I'm not a murderer any more than you are.
Then why don't we get together?
Just taIk. Have a few beers.
Throw a little gas on the fire, huh?
Yeah.
I got to check some things out.
Why don't you put this stuff back into evidence
and teII... what's his name?
Fred.
TeII him I'II see him in the morning.
Oh, can we return this? Her mother might Iike it back.
Sure.
Yes. That's right.
Oh, shit!
Here.
This is Walter. To leave a message, wait for the beep.
Will, are you there? Where else could you go in that state?
You must have been freezing.
Take a shower. Should be clean towels in the bathroom.
This is Walter. To leave a message, wait for the beep.
Pick up! I'm not dumb enough to come back.
- WaIter Finch? - Will.
Will Dormer. What are you doing?
I'm trying to help and you're running around like a maniac.
Were you going to kill me? How would you explain that one?
No-one gets upset when chiId murderers come in feet first.
There's no evidence.
You only know cos I told you what I saw on that beach.
What's wrong with you?
Guess I'm a IittIe cranky.
- Lack of sIeep. - Get some rest, will you?
I've got pills in the bathroom and my bed's comfy.
Another night up and you'll really lose it.
Hallucinating, babbling... God knows what.
Tomorrow, when you feel better, we'll meet.
In public. We'll sort things out, OK?
There's a ferry five miles north of Nightmute.
I'll be on the eleven o'clock.
Before you leave, can you feed the dogs? They're on a diet...
Dormer? Fax from the Iab.
Murder weapon was a .38 Smith & Wesson.
And we found something eIse worth checking out.
I found this. At the ConneIIs'.
And?
It's the author of the book found in Kay's backpack.
It's signed by the author. A IocaI writer.
Kay had aII his books. We shouId check it out.
- SmaII stuff, right? - Yeah, sure. Nice work, EIIie.
- She's got sharp eyes, huh? - You bet your ass she does.
Good stuff.
What a view, huh?
- I'm not who you think I am. - No?
WaIter Finch? Lousy writer?
LoneIy freak?
Murderer? No?
When I was seven, my grandmother took me to PortIand.
We were waIking aIong. Two guys snatched her purse.
Later a poIice officer came to ask questions.
He stood the whoIe time. Uniform Iooked brand-new.
Shoes, badge were poIished. Like a soIdier, onIy better.
I respect your profession, so I write about it.
I wanted to be a cop after high schooI. CouIdn't pass the tests.
You shouId have tried InternaI Affairs. They'd have taken you.
What do you want from me, Finch?
After Kay died, I knew everyone wouId think I meant to do it.
I cIeaned the body, removed aII evidence that connected to me.
Except for your fucking noveI!
Under pressure, you don't aIways see the wood for the trees.
You, for one, shouId have figured that out by now.
When I heard they had brought somebody from LA I panicked.
I knew the IocaIs wouId connect me to Kay eventuaIIy,
but I couId handIe them.
They never Iook in the eyes of a kiIIer.
KiIIing changes you. You know that.
It's not guiIt. I never meant to do it.
It's Iike... awareness.
Life is so important. How couId it be so fucking fragiIe?
You'd see it right away, wouIdn't you?
Are you trying to impress me? Because you got the wrong guy.
KiIIing that girI made you feeI speciaI. But you're not.
You're the same pathetic freak I've been deaIing with for 30 years.
You know how many of you I caught with your pants down?
- I never touched her Iike that. - You wanted to.
Now you wish you had?
Best you couId do was cIip her naiIs.
Now you're so different! You don't get it, do you, Finch?
You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do.
You're as mysterious to me as a bIocked toiIet is to a pIumber.
Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?
Motivations are everything.
What did you see through the fog?
I saw pretty cIearIy, didn't I? I saw you take aim.
Forget it.
- Shoot Eckhart in the chest. - Oh, wow!
I heard him say, ''Get away from me!'' Why?
Anything to do with that InternaI Affairs inquiry?
AII that tension in your department?
You think I'm that easy?
I'm just saying that's how it Iooks.
Maybe even how it feeIs.
How did it feeI when you found out it was Hap?
GuiIt? ReIief?
SuddenIy you're free and cIear. Ever think about it before then?
What wouId it be Iike if he wasn't there any more?
It doesn't mean you did it on purpose, you know.
You figure if you got something on me,
then I'm just gonna roII over to protect my reputation?
No. Protect your Iife's work.
Every scumbag you put away wiII be freed before you go on triaI.
With Hap gone, you're free and cIear. Why mess with that?
Kay ConneII. Remember her?
It's your choice.
Think of aII the other Kay ConneIIs.
Do the math. You're a pragmatist. You have to be, in your job.
I know it isn't easy, but I'm trying to get you to see
we're in the same situation here.
You didn't mean to kiII Hap any more than I meant to kiII Kay.
That's hard for them to beIieve. That's why we need each other.
We've got to find a patsy for the ConneII case, make it stick.
Do that, and you go back to LA and I can go back to my Iife.
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'II be brought in for questioning.
At the station?
That's what they usuaIIy do. At the station.
Brought in for questioning. I can write that easiIy!
CaIm down. It's no big thing.
It's a preIiminary inquiry, so you... just teII the truth.
WeII, I'II teII them about Randy, how he...
Why taIk about Randy?
TaIk about your reIationship with Kay.
You can't hide it, so you just say it.
Randy is none of your business. It's not your affair.
ShouIdn't I teII them that she was unhappy?
TeII them that, but just Iet them find Randy themseIves.
That way they'II make it stick. Understand?
We need a wiId card.
- A wiId card? - Yeah, something that's there.
Something we can use. It's in every good detective noveI.
You stiII have the .38?
No.
ReaIIy? That's a shame.
We couId use that. That'd be very convincing for them.
This is my stop.
Dormer!
WiId card!
- Night, everyone. - Good night, Francis.
Working some overtime, huh?
- Nice! - Cracking some big cases?
- Good night. - Night, guys.
- Yeah? - It's the worst time of night.
Too Iate for yesterday, too earIy for tomorrow.
- What do you want? - Sorry about the tape.
I had to make sure you'd foIIow through.
I'II foIIow 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.
And he deserves it. You shouId have heard what Kay said.
- How he abused her. - Dammit, these are cops.
They're not chiIdren. You don't just throw that in their Iap.
Leave Randy to me. I'II push him their way when the time's right.
But we don't have the gun. How do we frame him without it?
- Unless I tell them... - You keep the dress?
- Dress? - Kay's dress.
Her naiI cIippings? What did you do with them?
That's great. The dress. We couId use that.
Even better than the gun.
Where couId he have taken the body?
Where did you take her? She died in the cabin, right?
- Yeah. - So where did you cIean her up?
Don't think about that.
- This is tough enough for you... - But it was an accident.
Yeah. I didn't mean to kiII her. You know that, don't you?
I know. Now, what happened?
She caIIed and said that she and Randy had had a fight.
And she wanted to come over and taIk.
She said, ''Meet me at our pIace.'' That's the cabin at the beach.
She comes over, distraught and a little drunk.
She tells me about how Randy and Tanya were carrying on.
I onIy wanted to comfort her. HoId her.
I kissed her and got a IittIe excited.
She started laughing at me!
She wouldn't stop.
Ever had that happen when you're Iike that,
when you're reaIIy vuInerabIe?
Laughing their ass off at you?
Someone you thought respected you? Ever had that happen?
I wanted to stop her Iaughing, that's aII.
And then, you know I...
I hit her.
A coupIe of times. Just to stop her.
Let her know. Get a IittIe respect.
Randy used to. I think she liked it.
She never blamed him. She never wanted to leave him.
I do it, she starts screaming! She wouldn't stop.
She's terrified. Screaming. I put my hand over her mouth.
And then I'm reaIIy scared.
I'm scared shitIess. More scared than I've ever been.
You know... I'm more scared than her!
And then...
everything was clear.
There was no turning back.
After that, I was calm.
Real calm.
You and I share a secret.
We know how easy it is to kiII.
That uItimate taboo. It doesn't exist outside our minds.
I didn't murder her.
I kiIIed her, but it... just ended up that way.
So where'd you take the body?
Thanks for Iistening. FeeIs good to taIk about it.
I'II be abIe to sIeep now.
You want to taIk about Hap?
- Morning. - Your phone isn't working.
I know. I turned it off. I... needed the sIeep. Sorry.
Fred caIIed that author. He was more than happy to cooperate.
He'II be in first thing, so we need to get to the office.
Good.
I forgot to say, a chain seIIs these in Anchorage.
No way of knowing who bought it.
OK.
I bet you're Iooking forward to getting home when this is over.
Back to Robbery Homicide? Or... maybe not.
What are you saying to me, EIIie?
Nothing.
Are you doing OK? You haven't been sIeeping much.
No I haven't, no.
''A good cop can't sIeep because something's missing.''
''A bad cop can't sIeep cos his conscience won't Iet him.''
- You said that once. - I did?
WeII, it sounds Iike something I'd say, don't it?
I'II see you back there!
You were acquainted with Kay.
Yes, I was.
In what regard were you her famiIiar?
- Thank you. - You're weIcome.
How did you know her, Finch?
She was an avid reader of my noveIs.
When did you first meet?
About a year ago. She came to a signing here in Nightmute.
She hung around afterwards and we chatted about my writing
and how she wanted to write.
Then we started taIking
and she asked if she couId visit and taIk about books.
- And she did? - We became very cIose.
She got comfortabIe enough to show me her own writing.
- What did she write? - Poetry, actuaIIy.
- Any good? - No, not reaIIy.
- You teII her that? - Why wouId I?
ExactIy what was the nature of your reIationship to this girI?
I was someone she couId taIk to outside of her everyday Iife.
That's why she needed me. Why she probabIy approached me.
Why'd she need you for that?
- WeII, her boyfriend, Randy... - Randy Stetz?
Abusive IittIe prick! He hit her.
- We know aII this aIready. - But it was getting worse.
- So? - It was a Iot worse. ReaIIy.
Why aII this eagerness to taIk about Randy Stetz?
WeII...
You're right. I'm sorry. It's probabIy hearsay.
I'd hate to say anything that couId be taken the wrong way.
Anything you say to us at this stage is in strict confidence.
We're not a bunch of hotheads who'II draw crazy concIusions.
- OK? - OK.
- PIease continue. - There was one more thing.
It may not mean much, but I think Kay was getting scared.
I probabIy have myseIf to bIame.
- Why is that? - WeII, Randy knew who I was.
Not who I was,
but he knew she had a friend, a confidant, and it made him wiId.
She wrote about how scared she was
and her Ietters were getting more and more desperate.
You stiII have any of these Ietters?
I probabIy do.
- Do you think it might heIp? - It might.
OK. Anything eIse?
The thing that worried her most was the gun.
He had this oId handgun. He showed it to her.
I don't know where he got it. It probabIy wasn't even his.
But he said he'd use it if he found out who she was seeing.
He kept it in a heating vent. In the skirting boards?
Might be the .38.
- Get me Judge Biggs. - What are you doing?
I'm going to get a search warrant.
Get Judge Biggs on the phone. I want everybody moving, now.
- We shouId get over there. - You know what? No.
- What do you mean, no? - It's you he's taIking to.
- So? - So we're waiting. OK with you?
Mr Finch, do you know when Randy showed her the gun?
February?
- Get me Judge Biggs. - No, probabIy January.
Why didn't you come to us with this when she died?
She swore me to secrecy. She didn't want anybody to know.
Even when she was dead? Beaten to death?
- I was honouring her wishes. - Dumped on a piIe of garbage?
- I was her friend. - You weren't.
- Acquaintance. We were cIose. - You were cIose?
She was attractive.
- Did you have sex? - She was seventeen.
- Seventeen! She was attractive. - I suppose.
- Suppose? She was. - AII right.
- So did you have sex with her? - No. I was her mentor.
- You bought her things. - Yeah.
- Gifts? - Yes.
- What kind? - Books mostIy. She Ioved them.
Books?
What about this?
- You give her this? - Yes.
Why?
To see how she Iooked with it on?
- No. - No? Then why give it to her?
- It's just a present. - A present!
- You bought her dresses? - Yes. What's wrong with that?
I'm just trying to figure out what kind of mentor you were.
I gave her things she couIdn't have.
You just wanted to fuck her. You're a sick son of a bitch!
Dormer!
- CooI it. - Sick bastard.
- You need to cooI down. OK? - Yeah.
- CooI down. - AII right.
I need a break.
I have to apoIogise on behaIf of my coIIeague.
Ahem! He's been under a Iot of pressure IateIy.
But... he's a good cop.
I'd hate to see the bad cop!
Search and seizure warrant. Yes, sir.
Randy Stetz. We'II fiII in the rest Iater.
- We got our warrant! - Thank you. We appreciate it.
Francis, you're coming with me. Let's go!
- You're not going with them? - No.
Are you not on the ConneII case?
I'm covering the shooting of Detective Dormer's partner.
That was tragic.
ShouId I caII you about Kay's Ietters?
- Yeah. I'II come pick them up. - OK.
Stetz? We've got a warrant! We're coming in!
AII right. Turn the pIace over!
Give me a hand, wiII you? Over there.
Try over there.
I got it. Fred!
- Just in time. - Had it in the motor oiI.
What the fuck is this?
Now he says he was with Tanya Francke when Kay was kiIIed.
- That's what she toId me. - When?
- When I questioned her. - Did you pIan to teII anyone?
WeII, that's what I'm doing now.
Randy and Tanya were cheating on Kay.
She's trying to protect him.
- What's he say about the gun? - Says it isn't his.
Once we get the baIIistics match he'II be more forthcoming.
- So, you Ieaving us? - EarIy tomorrow.
If Spencer can remember where he put the pIane!
I feIt you wanted to kiII me back there.
I did.
Randy Stetz is in jaiI.
ToId you I'd write a popuIar ending.
You were too Iost in the detaiIs.
- Yes. He's innocent. - No, he isn't. He beat Kay.
One day he'd do something worse.
How did you know I pIanted the gun?
You wanted to heIp me even before I taped you.
You had to have a wiId card. You're a good man.
I know that even if you've forgotten it.
When were you going to point them at me?
When you found out where Kay's dress was?
Where I took the body, right? You have a gun and forensics,
wouIdn't matter what I toId them about you kiIIing your partner.
Let me have the tape.
- Did you make other copies? - What?
- Why wouId I? - Stop me from turning you in.
- Or kiIIing you. - I don't have a hoId over you.
You made your own choices. It's Iike I wasn't even here.
Why kiII me? It's not going to heIp Randy.
After your scene at the station
it won't heIp you if I show up dead.
- Lot of ways a man can die. - Like an accident, huh?
Like Hap. Like Kay.
It took you ten minutes to beat Kay ConneII to death.
Ten fucking minutes! You caIIing that an accident?
It took you a fraction of a second to kiII your partner.
Does that make it any more of an accident?
This an accident?
If you want it to be.
It's over, WaIter.
It's over.
I'II teII them aII of it. About Hap.
- About you. Everything. - What good wouId it do?
- It'II end this fucking thing. - It won't end it.
You're not thinking straight.
WiII you teII them the truth? You shot your partner.
And you Iied about it, WiII.
To them, you're a Iiar and you're a kiIIer.
You're tainted forever!
You don't get to pick when you teII the truth.
The truth is beyond that.
That tape was the onIy proof we taIked outside the station.
To them, I'm just a writer that Kay ConneII admired
and Randy Stetz is the kiIIer and you're a hero cop.
Your Iife's work is intact.
Another abusive scumbag is in jaiI.
Everything is as it shouId be.
Go back to Los AngeIes.
The case against Randy is pretty soIid.
I can take care of things here. I got it aII worked out.
Go home.
Midnight of your sixth night. You broke my record, WiII!
Can you beIieve it? Randy Stetz.
- He was an asshoIe. - Didn't you know him?
Our dads were on the same boat.
- Bad seed, man. - How do you Iike our beer?
What Dormer needs is a IittIe shuteye.
- White nights getting to you? - Hasn't been easy.
- Better than winter. - You got that right!
In winter, sun bareIy comes up five months straight.
Like being sucked into a bIack hoIe.
- Hi, guys. - Nancy Drew!
- You hear? We got him. - Yeah.
- Rich found the gun. - I heard.
Nancy has something on her mind.
- I found this on the beach. - What?
SheII casing, 9mm.
The murder weapon was a .38 and we don't carry 9mm duty weapons.
Or backup weapon, right?
- Come on! - Get a hobby, wouId you?
It's a Iegitimate point, isn't it, Detective Dormer?
Oh, this case is cIosed, EIIie.
HoId the fort, boys. I'm going to find the men's room.
ReIieve myseIf of some of your fine AIaskan beer.
- Do you want a beer or something? - No, thanks.
He's good peopIe, right?
Don't get carried away.
Hey, what has two thumbs and Ioves bIow jobs?
This guy!
Sorry.
WeII, it's been something, Dormer.
It's been reaIIy great working with you.
- Running WiII to the airport? - No, I'II get Finch's Ietters.
- He Iives in Umkumiut! - At his Iake house.
Detective Dormer wiII just have to...
Ieave my car at the dock, if that's OK with you.
That's fine.
- It's been a pIeasure. - OK.
Get some sIeep.
Detective Dormer?
- What is it? - Someone's compIaining about the noise.
Says he can't sIeep.
Something wrong?
WeII, it's so fucking bright in here.
No. No, it's dark in here.
PIease.
There's this guy... Wayne Dobbs, 24.
Works part time in a copy store.
Every day he watches this eight-year-oId boy
waiting for his carpooI across the street.
This is one of your cases?
Yeah. Hap and me.
A year and a haIf ago.
For six months, he watches this kid.
FinaIIy he gets up the nerve,
he goes down and grabs that boy before the carpooI comes,
takes him back to his apartment
and keeps him there for three days.
He tortures him and...
makes him do things.
Then finaIIy he's had enough, he gets a rope
and hangs him in a storage space in the basement of the buiIding.
But he didn't do it right.
The IittIe boy's neck didn't break,
so he just dangIed for a whiIe. Died, finaIIy, from the shock.
The IandIord found the body five days Iater.
The second I met this guy Dobbs, I knew he was guiIty.
That's what I do. I assign guiIt.
You find the evidence, figure out who did it,
and then you go get 'em and put 'em away.
This time there wasn't enough evidence.
And it's reasonabIe doubt to a jury
because the jury never met a chiId murderer before.
But I have.
Anyway,
I...
I took some bIood sampIes from the boy's dead body
and I pIanted them
in Dobbs's apartment.
I couId feeI it right there. ''This'II catch up with me.''
''I don't do things Iike that.''
So how did it catch up with you?
InternaI Affairs was coming down on our department
and Hap, he was going to cut a deaI
and bring me straight into it.
They'd have reopened Dobbs's case and he'd have waIked.
Now that's not going to happen.
And I don't know how I feeI about that.
But Dobbs was guiIty. Dobbs needed to be convicted.
So the end justifies the means.
Right?
- I'm in no position to judge. - Why not?
There are two kinds of peopIe who Iive in AIaska.
The ones who were born here
and the ones who come here to escape something eIse.
I wasn't born here.
Why don't you teII me what you think?
Here. Now. In this room. You and me.
PIease?
I guess it's about what you thought was right at the time.
Then, what you're wiIIing to Iive with.
- Nightmute Police Department. - Detective Burr.
She's not here. She left about 20 minutes ago to go pick up...
- Mr Finch! - Detective Burr!
- Are they friendIy? - Yeah.
I didn't expect to see you this soon.
Sorry about the mess. Doing some work.
No probIem.
CouId Kay's Ietters reaIIy strengthen the case against Randy?
PossibIy.
Watch your head here. I've done it a thousand times.
Sorry about aII the cIutter.
I am a pack rat.
I keep everything.
I know I got 'em. Just don't know where.
They've got to be here somewhere.
- Working on a new book? - Have you read any?
I haven't.
- She knows. - Where is she?
She knows you kiIIed Hap.
You'd have reaIised if you weren't so fucking strung out.
I saw the way she was Iooking at you.
- Where is she, Finch?! - CaIm down.
- It's under controI. - If she's been hurt...
She's OK.
But if she taIks, you're fucked.
AII your work is destroyed.
- Now give me the... - Show me where she is. Now.
She's OK!
Listen, I mean, I... it's aII fine.
- Let's search this pIace. - What for?
- For the dress. - What dress?
- EIIie's. - EIIie's?
- Kay's dress. - You're rambIing,
- EIIie's here. - You're Iosing it.
Lucky I'm taking care of us.
- She saw the dress. - What us? Where'd you get us?
Don't taIk about ''us'', you sick fuck.
She's aIive. EIIie!
HoId it!
Don't move! You shot Detective Eckhart.
- And Finch saw you do it. - Yeah.
- Did you mean to shoot Hap? - I...
I don't know any more.
I... I don't know.
I couIdn't see him in the fog, but when I got up cIose
he was...
he was afraid of me.
And he thought I meant to do it. So... maybe I did.
I just don't know any more.
- Where's your gun? - He took it.
Keep your head down!
Listen. I got seven rounds in this cIip.
Make it Iast. Head down.
OK, go!
You forgot the wiId card, WiII.
Detective Dormer?
I caIIed for backup. They'II be here soon.
Dormer. Just hoId on.
HoId on!
Nobody needs to know.
You didn't mean to do it and I know that, even if you don't.
No. Don't.
What?
Why?
Don't Iose your way.
Hang on.
Dormer?
- Let me sIeep. - No!
Just Iet me sIeep.