A lot of the better bowlers really...
Got another one, Dad.
Leave it outside.
Can I get paid?
You know where the register is.
Mountain Vista Motel. Why are you calling?
One room will cost you $22.
Yes, that does include towels.
And, um, yeah. Towels and free heat.
Mr. Parker, we had a lean couple of months.
Well, summer's here. High season.
Um, you know, a few good months and, um,
and we'll be back on our feet by September, I promise.
And I'll have a payment to you by October at the very latest.
Mr. Parker, please. If you could ju...
Nice of you to call.
Thank you for your understanding.
Mm? Yeah.
Good boy.
I got another one!
You... You gonna have to take an IOU, Ted.
You're the only one makin' any money here.
Why don't you, um... Why don't you clean up Rooms 1 through 5 today?
There's nobody in there!
Don't forget to feed the chickens.
And don't leave the feed bag out this time.
Deer keep getting in.
This is our honeymoon suite.
Perfect for a lovely couple like yourselves.
This is our honeymoon suite. Perfect for a lovely couple like yourselves.
Hey, Ted! Dinner.
Hey, Ted?
Oh, there you are. Grab a seat.
Noodles and hot dogs. Your favorite.
You know what today is?
- My birthday. - Yeah. Yeah.
You know how old you are? I'm nine.
Yeah. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Okay. Hold on. Just stay right there.
I was hopin' to surprise you.
Here we go.
There.
There you are. Turn it off!
Oh, you loved this song.
We used to sing it to you every night before you...
Ted. Oh, come on.
Ted.
Te...
Shut up!
Come on. Come on.
Ted! Ted!
Get those lights.
Okay. Here you go.
This is our honeymoon suite.
Listen. We got a... We got a hospital just 20 minutes from here.
It'd be wise if I tried to get you there. No. I'm okay.
I just... I need to lie down.
Well, look, um... I'll get you some more towels.
You're gonna need those. Come on, Ted. Now.
Checkout's at 11:00 tomorrow.
Did you see what happened? No.
All right.
Oh, that poor thing. Why don't you stand back?
Do you see what I'm about to do?
Do you understand why?
All right?
Um...
Kind of a shame to waste all this meat. What do you think?
I'm a little rusty at this.
Ted, why don't you drag that over here?
Okay. Why don't you just put it right under here?
Would you hold your light up?
Okay. Now look.
Here's what you do. You just... just slide it in.
And then you cut down. You don't want to... rupture the stomach.
Then I gotta take all the organs out.
Get into that stomach.
Oh, you see that?
You gotta get all of that out.
Will you hand me that saw?
Here. A souvenir.
Leave the man alone, Ted!
I see you.
Haven't seen him this morning. Should still be in there.
- Should still be? - He should.
Mr. Colby.
Mr. Colby, this is, uh... This is Deacon Whit.
Oh, sorry to bother you. But, uh,
I'd like to ask you a few questions, if I might.
A little out of it. I can understand that.
Um, so what brings you to town?
Just passing through.
You traveling alone? Mm, yeah.
I'm gonna need to see your license and registration, if you don't mind.
It's in the car, wherever you guys towed it.
Mind if I have a look in the car?
I'd prefer you didn't. Hmm.
Anything else?
Looks like you got banged up pretty bad.
You might want to have someone take a look at it.
It's been nice chatting with you. Yup.
Thank you for comin' by. You got it.
Room service!
Close the door.
Need any fresh towels?
No, thanks.
Want those clothes cleaned?
I can try and get the stains out.
You want it, kid?
You want it?
How did you do that?
That's a secret, little man.
You have any secrets?
Maybe. Probably not.
You wouldn't happen to know where they towed my car, would you?
There's a junkyard down the road.
What ya doing, Whit?
Oh, just poking around.
Looking for anything in particular? I don't know really.
I could look the other way, if it'd make you feel better.
No. Don't bother.
Perfect.
We've been driving forever.
All right. I could use somethin' to eat myself.
Okay. Why don't you guys hang here, and I'll go check us in?
Okay, hon.
We got you... We got you in Room 5.
Right down here.
We'll have a fresh pot of coffee brewing for you in the lobby,
first thing in the morning. Okay.
So if you need anything else, don't hesitate to call on us.
All right. Uh, a place to eat? Do you know if there's anywhere nearby?
It's a bit of a drive to the closest diner.
I'll tell you what. My son and I were just about to have ourselves some dinner.
- Why don't you join us? - I don't know.
And-And tomorrow morning, you're not gonna believe this view.
And over there, we've got ourselves a pool.
Your son's gonna love that.
How y'all like it cooked?
Medium would be great. Thank you.
How long you guys owned this place?
Well, Ted's granddad, he built this with his own hands.
Back when this was a destination spot.
People used to drive here from all over, just to...
Just to see the view.
This... This is all gonna be Ted's one of these days.
Isn't that right, Son?
Mornin'.
Honey, not too close to the highway.
Honey!
Oh!
Oh, Jesus.
Hey, you comin' in or what?
I don't have a bathing suit. Go in in your shorts.
Okay.
Ready.
And away we go.
Fuck.
Come on. I'll be right back.
Well, best I can do is call a mechanic.
How long you think that will take?
Mmm. Long as it takes, I guess.
- Yeah. - Are you kidding me?
Appreciate it. Sure.
Okay, you can come out now.
Shit. Get in.
Okay.
Got it.
You want it?
Guests always leave their junk behind.
- Yeah, like what? - Old magazines and things.
Weird adult stuff.
Occupational hazard, I suppose.
Where do you live?
Nowhere now.
I guess you're staying with us for a while.
If I didn't know better, I'd say you stranded me here on purpose.
What's in the box?
When people die, they either bury 'em in the ground...
or they're burned down into a box like this.
There's a person in there?
How do they do it? In an oven?
Yeah.
Do you watch them?
Can I see? No.
- Why not? - You know what? We better get goin'.
Come on.
It's just you and your dad here, huh? Yeah.
Mom's in Florida.
Oranges grow there all year, and there are 27 types of palm tress.
Hmm. Sounds nice.
I don't really remember her much.
Left with a trucker that was staying in Room 5.
Florida, huh?
Never been.
Wanna go?
Can't say I know where I'm going exactly, but... you never know.
If we drive straight through, we can make it in two days.
Or we can stop at a motel for a night.
What kind of car do you have? What kind of car do I have?
Yeah. I have a totaled car. That's what kind of car I have.
Smashed to bits.
Thanks again. Drive safe now.
We got a customer?
Inside, Ted. We need to talk.
How's it goin'?
Get your hands out of that drawer.
Listen. We got ourselves a little business coming our way this weekend.
What kind of business?
It's called a prom. You remember that from a couple years ago?
Isn't that the dance? That's right.
We're gonna have a dance here?
We're gonna have the after-party at least.
An after-party? Just a little harmless fun.
Let boys be boys. Let girls be girls.
You understand what I'm saying, Ted?
Just for one night. All right?
Keep your hands out of there.
Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to scare you.
It's okay.
Wanna see somethin'?
I promised my mom I'd stay close to the hotel.
It's a motel not a hotel.
All righty.
Well, it's an electrical issue is all.
Wire'd come loose and your fuse box shorted out.
So, replaced the fasteners for good measure.
Oh, thank you.
Don't mention it. Good thing y'all were here,
'cause, car conkin' out on you on the highway, you could be in trouble.
Yeah. Is it fixed?
All fixed, ma'am.
Whoo-hoo. All right. Yeah.
Benny... Let's get goin', baby. Grab that stuff.
Yeah.
In you go. Thanks again. No problem.
Come visit us again!
Room 5 just checked out. And look what they left behind.
Oh.
Can I keep it? They might come back for it.
Nobody ever comes back.
Ted, the only one who's lived here longer than you is me.
I know how lonely it gets.
And I know you wish you had friends your own age.
Right? I have friends.
No, customers don't count.
Look, when I was, um...
When I was your age, the only memories I have are of my dad... workin' here.
I would follow him around, eyes and ears wide open, lookin' up at him.
It just seemed like he was carryin' this whole place on his shoulders.
You know, your eyes, they're gonna see more than I've seen in my entire life.
I know we talked about you runnin' this place some day. But...
Some things... You know...
Some things just don't...
Oh, hell. You can keep it. 'Course you can.
Why don't you, uh, go ahead and break down the bedding in Room 5?
Do I have to? Those linens aren't gonna change themselves.
Here, boy.
- Here, boy. - Here, boy.
Hey! Shut the fuck up, Sid!
Can I have one?
You guys got bats.
Yeah. I know where they live. Wanna see?
Oh, hey.
I wanted to pay for tonight.
Cash? Yeah.
Any word on my car?
Not yet.
I'll, um...
I'll give 'em a call.
'Preciate it. Yeah.
Hey. Look at that.
If this damn screen lets in one more mosquito...
You wouldn't happen to have an extra, would you?
I, uh, try not to smoke in front of Ted.
Don't want him picking up any bad habits.
I swear, the kid's got eyes growing out the back of his head.
Yeah.
Can't do anything around here without him watching.
Must be hard growing up out here.
Uh-huh.
People here, they come and go.
Hard not to get attached to the guests.
That so?
Yeah. We had this one time a while back.
We had a family stayin' here,
and Ted, he got a puppy-dog crush on one of their girls.
He was following her around everywhere.
Yeah, that poor kid, he had his heart broken when they finally checked out.
He climbed in the back of their station wagon when no one was looking.
And that family, they drove for about an hour before, uh...
before they realized they had themselves a little stowaway.
Dad turned his car around. Had to drive all the way back, drop Ted off.
Sobbed the whole way home.
I'll make sure to double-check my trunk before I leave.
Boy can't help it.
What would make my life a lot easier...
is if you kept some distance.
Lot of responsibility running a motel.
Must be hard to find the time to be a dad.
Boy's growing like a weed.
Won't be long before he's bigger than me.
I'll call the garage for you.
Won't be much longer I bet, and then I, uh...
I guess you'll be on your way.
You stole my money!
It's called freezing your assets.
- You stole it! - Tough titty.
I'm keeping it for you. You're a flight risk.
Hey!
Go put fresh towels in Room 2.
No! You go clean up Room 2 right now.
What did you just... Say it again, Ted.
Say it again. Say it again.
No!
You...
Whit, you there?
Yeah.
Did some more digging into those plates you ran.
The owner's wife has been deceased as of two weeks now.
Circumstances of her death are pretty suspicious.
Go on.
Firefighters picked up a 10-80.
Figured it was an electrical fire. Nobody home.
They found a body in the kitchen. Now they're suspecting arson.
Still there, Whit?
'Preciate that there, Jim.
There's an open investigation.
William Colby is a person of interest,
but there's no solid evidence yet.
Seems like this couple has a history of insurance claims.
They've been on a watch list for the past...
Mind if I join you?
Everything all right?
Can't wait to get outta this place.
I don't know.
You got everything a kid could ever want right here.
My wife grew up in a place like this.
You have a wife? Had.
Where is she now?
She's the one in the box.
How'd she die?
There was... a fire in our house.
I couldn't get to her in time.
When you leave,
can you take me with you?
Maybe next time.
You said you'd take me to Florida.
My wife and I wanted a son like you.
Your wife is nothing but a pile of dirt now.
What did you do with her? Huh?
Dad! What did you do with her?
Dad! Where is the bag?
Where's the bag? Ow! I don't have it!
Ow!
Listen up. I am not fucking around! Where is she?
In the junkyard! I hid her in the junkyard.
Show me!
Okay.
Where is she? It's back there.
Where in the fucking back?
Give me the fucking bag.
Ted.
Do you have any fucking idea what I've been through?
Don't do this, Ted.
Ted.
Where'd you put the bag?
Give me the fucking bag!
To all you couples out there on the dance floor.
Let's give all you seniors a night to remember.
But don't forget. When prom's over, let's all try to be responsible...
and get home safe and sound.
To the graduating class of 1989, this one's for you.
Take it away, seniors.
Whoo-hoo!
There you go.
- Enjoy yourselves. - Thanks.
What about Room 2? Oh. Occupied.
Thought you said we'd have the whole place to ourselves.
No, I said that we have a customer...
might need to stay another night or a little longer, and...
Sorry about that.
The fuck you're sorry. We had a deal.
Well, you got the rest of the place to yourself.
Listen, old man,
I can take my party elsewhere.
So... you either cut me a deal, or I'm gonna get outta here.
I've already given you a discount.
Okay. I've given you a discount. Sir...
Okay, listen. Hey. Come back here. Come back here.
All right.
I'll knock off 10%.
Ted, show him his rooms.
Pretty sure I can find it.
Oh, yeah!
We're running a dead motel, Son.
These rooms just don't know it yet.
What could we do?
You're the one with the business sense. Maybe you could figure it out.
We could leave.
You take after your mother.
- Is that a freshman? - Hey.
Hold up. You're that kid who lives here, aren't you?
Do you have any extra soap?
Come on. Just a little sip.
It'll put hair on your chest.
Oh.
It burns.
- Holy shit. - "It burns. It burns."
You put fire in my throat.
Come on. We were just playing.
Come back!
Marcus. Shots.
Fuck you doin'?
Let's go.
Forgot my beer.
Fuck.
What the fuck?
Holy shit.
- What the fuck were you doing?
Let me go! Let me go!
The fuck was that?
Get up!
He was groping Sarah!
Ow! Ow!
What the fuck were you gonna do? Let me go!
Hey. Stop it.
Whoa, man, check it out.
Ow!
What the fuck?
- No! No! - Stop it!
Stop it.
What the fuck is your problem, asshole?
Marcus! Marcus, stop!
Please! No!
Marcus! Marcus!
Fuck off! Get the fuck out!
Are you okay?
Dad!
Dad! Dad!
Dad?
Ted?
What...
What did they do to you?
Dad... Oh, my God.
What did they do to you?
Ted...
Oh, goddamn it.
Why? Huh?
Why couldn't you listen to me?
Ted, what did I tell you? What did I say, huh?
You just leave 'em alone, right? You leave 'em alone!
Huh? You gotta do everything your own way!
Right? Oh, Ted...
All right, you... You wanna do things your own way?
You wanna run this place? Is that it?
Huh? All right, well, here's the first rule.
All right. Here's the first... rule.
You leave the customers alone!
Ted?
You leave the goddamn customers alone!
Goddamn it, Ted.
Ted?
Ted!
A sophomore, right? A rising sophomore.
Turn that music louder. Come on.
Fuck, yeah!
Chug, chug, chug, chug!
Chug! Go! Go! Chug!
Come on!
Sarah.
Wake up. Wake up.
Welcome to the Mountain Vista Motel.
Hope you had a lovely stay.
This is gonna sting a little bit, buddy.
All right. Hold still.
It's okay.
Yeah, that's okay, buddy.
When was the last time you saw the man in Room 2?
A few hours ago. He was looking in some windows.
Didn't he say his wife died in a fire?
We gonna need to do a whole sweep of this area.
Put out an APB on a William Colby. C-O-L-B-Y.
Sorry to hear about your dad.
You have any other family?
I have a mom in Florida.