Under the Banner of Heaven (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
("LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY"
PLAYING OVER RADIO)
- ANNIE: Dad! Come on!
- JEB: Yeah?
- ANNIE: Lasso me!
- (JEB CHUCKLES)
Dad!
You said that an hour ago.
(EXHALES)
Oh, the sad face, huh?
Yeah, every time.
Works every time.
You're a smart girl,
I'll give you that.
Ah, let's see.
(SONG CONTINUES PLAYING)
- (SHRIEKS)
- (JEB CHUCKLES)
(SONG FADES)
JEB: All right.
Oh, she's wild.
All right, totem pole, Annie.
Yo! (CHUCKLES)
Got her. I got her.
I got me a calf.
I got me a little calf. (LAUGHS)
Totem pole, totem pole!
JEB: You guys
wanna braid grass?
CAROLINE: My friend knows how.
(ROARS)
(PHONE RINGING DISTANTLY)
Jeb?
- Huh?
- REBECCA: Phone.
- I gotta go in.
- REBECCA: It's the station.
- Okay.
Take care of my hat. (GRUNTS)
- It sounded urgent.
- JEB: All right.
ANNIE: What about the fireworks?
REBECCA: They do fireworks
every year on Pioneer Day,
so we'll just see 'em next year.
JEB: Slow down.
Slow down. Slow down.
Annie.
Annie, he's on the phone.
Why do you have
to go to work?
- Listen to your mom.
I said out
Give me the address there? Sorry.
Yeah, I'll be right there.
Where's Mom?
- I'll grab her.
- Okay.
Mom. Mom?
Hey.
evening prayer fast tonight, Mom.
- I've been called in to work.
- Oh.
- It's all right.
- Yes.
REBECCA: Remember the church?
- Okay, let's open the doors.
- JEB: Hey, Annie?
- REBECCA: There are all the people.
- JEB: It's time.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)
- Okay. Sit here.
- CAROLINE: Can I do it tonight?
Yeah. But we don't need
a wish list, Caroline.
- Dear Heavenly Father,
please bless the missionaries
serving around the world
and our prophet,
President Kimball.
And keep Grandpa in heaven
from being lonely until we get there.
Your grandfather's
not in heaven, dear.
He's in the bathroom.
And thank you
for helping Dad fix my bike.
And for our birthdays, may I please have
an Easy-Bake Oven
and the skates
I wanted for Christmas
- but didn't get?
- Caroline. Caroline, enough.
Close your eyes.
JEB: Heavenly Father,
may we be instruments in Thy hands
and to help fix
what we find broken.
And please take care
of my family while I'm away.
They are my love
and my life for all eternity.
In the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
ALL: Amen.
REBECCA: Good job, honey.
Okay, come on.
Are we doing bedtime stories?
- CAROLINE: Yeah.
- REBECCA: Have you brushed your teeth?
Yeah.
It's all right.
Promise.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(SIREN WAILING)
MALE VOICE: (ON TV) A stretch,
and a fastball misses high and away.
Ball four.
(MALE VOICE ON TV CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
No.
No.
(MUSIC ENDS)
(SNIFFLES)
All right, we need to stand up.
Come on.
And I need you to get Morris
to bring the print kit
I need you both to record every
single corner in that house.
- I don't think I can go back in.
- Gather yourself.
For their sake.
- Come on.
- Yeah.
Stay right there.
Stay right there! Hands up!
- (WOMAN SCREAMS)
- Hands in the air!
Don't move!
Stay right there, right now!
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
DENNEY: So he's covered in blood
and was hiding in a neighbor's house.
His own phone line
was cut, so he said
he was using his neighbor's
line to call 911.
Just find me next of kin
of the deceased, please.
- DENNEY: He's yours now.
- JEB: Thank you.
Hey, you going
back to the house?
- Yeah, right away.
- Great.
Did we interrupt your date
with Sister Moonshine, Detective?
- Denney.
(SIGHS)
- Evening.
- Evening, sir.
(JEB CLEARS THROAT)
Female's 24.
The child is 15 months.
Suspect's the husband
from a big LDS family,
highly regarded.
Identify a motive,
turn it into a confession, we wrap it up.
How about I take the lead with him,
Mormon to Mormon?
He's all yours.
Need a minute?
Right behind ya.
- (ALLEN GASPS)
- Allen,
it's Officer Pyre.
Gonna take the cuffs off,
if that's all right with you.
Thank you.
That one too.
- All right.
- (CRIES)
This is my partner,
Detective Taba.
You know, we just gotta ask you
just a couple more questions,
if that's all right.
Okay, great.
When's the last time you saw
your wife and daughter alive?
- You shared that.
Now, can you tell me
when you saw them last?
this morning
before the sun came up.
- Okay, great.
- Before I left for work.
- And what kind of work do you do?
tiling.
Can I give your boss a ring
just to get the time confirmed?
- Oh, okay, I see.
- You know what, son?
You could just make this
real simple.
It's all right, Allen.
You know, people work alone.
- People work alone.
- Sure.
this job of yours?
- Great. You got an address?
think straight right now.
(CRIES)
Can I change my clothes,
please?
Please?
No. Sorry, not quite yet.
Please find the rest of my family.
My brothers and their wives and kids.
Why would I have to find them all?
If there's someone out there
be in trouble too.
Give us addresses.
We'll do safety checks right now.
I don't know
their addresses.
JEB: You don't know
where your own brothers live?
(SNIFFLES) No, they moved.
Sam moved. Robin moved.
to you, sir, please.
And who'd want
to hunt them down?
Peculiar men were taken with my family.
They had beards, long beards.
- JEB: Like vagrants?
- (SIGHS)
You know how often the old "vagrants
killed my wife" story pans out, Allen?
Book of Mormon prophets.
Please help me find
the rest of my family.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
DENNEY: Detective?
The only number he knew by heart
was for his eldest brother, Ron,
- but no one's picking up.
- Well, it is well past Mormon bedtime.
No, no, we'd pick up,
especially after 10:00 p.m.
Oh, sorry.
Ron isn't the kind
to let his phone just ring,
to his house once you get an address,
and the same goes
for the rest of his family.
- Got it, sir.
- Thank you.
We are not falling for
the "bearded strangers" story, are we?
JEB: I don't doubt you saw plenty
of beards when you were in Vegas,
but here the church
vigorously discourages them,
so it could be meaningful.
and if so, from where?
What it means is that he's trying
to distract us with his clean shave.
When a wife shows up dead,
who's always suspect number one?
The husband.
And why?
Because it's always him.
We both goddamn know that.
Language, please.
Right.
Look, everything I see here
points to guilt.
And no offense to your
secret LDS handshakes,
but it looks to me
that he prefers my company
to Mormon-to-Mormon.
Give me ten minutes
alone with him.
I'll get a confession.
JEB: I was in their family's
ward for a time.
None of this makes sense.
BILL: No, I'll make it quick
and painless.
Fine.
BILL: Right.
Did you see
your brother Ron today?
for about a year. Why?
BILL: He's not answering his phone,
but I can send some officers to his home
if you can remember his address.
ALLEN: (OVER SPEAKER) I think he moved,
too, since I saw him last.
BILL: Mm. Listen.
I was married
to a beautiful woman once too.
She broke my heart wide open.
She cheated on me.
Some nights, I just wanted
to wring her neck
for all the pain she caused.
Was your wife seeing someone?
That had someone on the side?
Listen, my partner's not here.
Your bishop's not here.
It's just us guys.
Are you LDS, sir?
BILL: No, never was.
Is that a problem?
If you wanna find
who's responsible for this,
the Mormons, their saints.
Aren't you and your wife LDS?
We were.
Seven days a week.
JEB: "Thou shalt love thy wife
with all thy heart
and shall cleave unto her and none else."
Doctrine and Covenants 42:22.
Allen, did you love your wife
with all your heart?
- What are you doing?
- JEB: Shh. Shh.
- Yes.
- Did you kneel together
in the temple
and make covenants together?
Do you still have
a temple recommend?
Simple questions, Allen.
These are simple questions.
BILL: It's not admissible.
I don't care
that it's not admissible. Thank you.
Hands on the table.
If you've turned your back
on Heavenly Father,
I'm confident that forensics
will have proved your guilt
by tomorrow morning.
I knelt with her in the temple.
I brought her to church
with my family.
You look at these as signs
of innocence, but they aren't.
so she threatened to leave you?
Is that what happened?
I can imagine the fights.
That why you killed her?
- (SCOFFS) No.
- Or did she turn away from the Gospel too?
No, it's the opposite.
Her testimony was unbreakable.
The perfect Mormon girl.
(SINGING) Some say love
It is a river
She was perfect.
BRENDA: (SINGING)
That drowns
The tender reef
Some say love
It is a razor
That leaves
Your soul to bleed
Some say love
It is a hunger
An endless
Aching need
I say love
It is a flower
And you
Its only seed
(CROWD APPLAUDS)
I didn't win.
As runner-up, I still get $450.
That's only $50 less
than the winner.
And I don't have to stay in Twin Falls
for grocery store openings like she does.
I'm a free woman.
That's good.
And if I'm going to give myself
the best chance
- I need to be in a big city.
- JIM: Well, you know, Princess,
New York and Chicago aren't half as nice
as in the movies say.
Just be patient, okay?
The Lord has a divine plan
for all His daughters, right?
Well, of course His plan isn't for me
to move to Chicago or New York
with all the rats and,
like, Democrats and crazies.
- I'll go to a big city with values.
- That's good.
- Salt Lake City.
- JIM: Well, we're not gonna
want you to go anywhere
until you finish school.
I think our Savior would much prefer me
to finish school at BYU.
I mean, their broadcast journalism
department is respected all over.
Why don't we think on it?
Pray on it?
Make sure this isn't a real big reaction
to a tough little day, huh?
Every time I have an idea,
it's too much or too far.
- Yeah, that's right.
- (GIGGLES)
I'm going to Salt Lake City.
I'm going
to Brigham Young University.
And I'm going to be
on television.
Hey, kids, who wants
Brenda's room if she leaves?
- Me! Me!
- Oh, I do! I do!
(KIDS CLAMORING)
Who gets the big room?
- No, I do!
- Me!
Thanks, Dad.
ALLEN: She came here to Utah
to help build up Zion.
Now I think
I'm responsible for this.
Responsible for what?
Reeling her in.
Keeping her in it.
I bet you think your testimony
is bulletproof,
that you know our history,
the Gospel,
truth.
Let me tell you this.
If you feel certain,
You don't know a thing, sir.
My only regret
is that I didn't
drive her out of Zion
to save her from our people.
To get her as far away
from all of this as I could.
Poor prints, all partial.
Could be one person.
Could be more.
Salt Lake's labs
should know by morning.
JEB: I just wanna know
who opened that nursery door,
did what they did
to that baby girl.
If it's Allen, we charge him,
get him to Draper
and in front of a firing squad.
I've only found two numbers
for his five brothers.
One's out of service,
and the other just rings.
Ron's last known address
is empty.
The realtor says it's been
up for sale nearly a year.
The victim's father's here.
I'll go ahead and notify him.
No, we're not doing that yet.
- That's what we do.
- JEB: It's not what we do here.
First, we locate the rest
of Allen's family
so I got every question
at the ready.
Small town. Let's go.
- Shut the door, please.
- (BILL SIGHS)
REBECCA: (OVER PHONE)
Took me an hour
to get her to stop screaming.
Shoot. I'm sorry, honey.
- JEB: No, no.
I don't wanna put her
on medications.
You know
what they'll do to her.
Okay. Yeah.
JEB: I know this is hard,
but I think this is a test for us.
Hey, the girls' party tomorrow,
- JEB: Yeah, of course.
You know I'm gonna be there.
You can't flip an upside-down cake
to save your life Heavenly Father knows.
It's gonna end up
on the floor,
- and it's gonna end up on your feet.
- Thank you.
It's gonna end up on your shoes.
So I'm gonna be there.
Remember the Laffertys?
Dad was a chiropractor
and his son was Ron,
Lafferty Construction?
- REBECCA: Yeah, yeah. Ron and Dianna?
Oh, my gosh.
Are you at the ER?
JEB: No. It wasn't
an accident, sweetie.
Just wondering, do we have
any of the addresses
for any of the Laffertys,
maybe from an old church directory
or something?
Thanks. And I love you.
- I love you.
- Okay. Bye.
Okay.
JEB: No forced entry.
- There's no items of value taken.
- BILL: Except for the two lives.
Old Testament prophets.
If you're innocent,
just give us something.
Give us a name,
give us an affair,
a grudge, anyone who had
Everyone.
They all wanted
to find fault in her
Sometimes both at once.
(UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)
Whoo!
ALLEN: I just gotta
get this thing away.
- My dad can't stand it.
- BRENDA: No, no, no.
- Don't you dare leave me here.
- ALLEN: All right.
Just, less is more when
it comes to talking, all right?
- What do you mean?
- Huh?
- DOREEN: Hi!
- BRENDA: Hi there.
Mom, Dad, this is Brenda.
AMMON: Well, it's a pleasure
to meet you finally.
Took him long enough
to get up the nerve.
- Nerve?
- He's never brought a girl home before.
- Never.
- Really?
The one and only.
And this
is my one and only, Doreen.
- I'm Ammon.
- Hi.
I know. I know.
I've heard so much about you.
- All the way up in Idaho?
- And from Allen.
Gossip is the devil's playground.
you left college in Idaho
with no degree to speak of.
Oh, well, um, sir,
President Kimball said,
Yes, he did.
And there was nothing holy
about holding girls' hair back
while they threw up from all the booze
BYU is a far better fit
for those who wanna live Gospel standards.
It is, indeed.
How high can your standards be
if you're hanging around with the runt?
- This is my brother Sam. Brenda.
- DOREEN: Jacob, Robin, come say hello.
- This is Brenda.
- This is my wife, Sara.
- Hi.
Junior, Joseph, Jared, Jenny.
Great to meet you Jacob, Jared,
Joseph, Junior, and Jenny.
Wow.
Allen, I believe you now.
He just kept going on
about how pretty you are,
and I didn't believe him,
but now I do.
- Hi.
- Sorry, I'm Robin.
- Hi.
- Hi!
Hi. Hi! And you must be Jacob.
Yeah.
Oh, gosh.
Is that everybody?
No, it's a regular
Lafferty factory around here.
- I can't even keep up.
- Samuel.
You have a barbecue to mind.
Don't forget that.
Hey, Samuel?
I'll just be here
with the runt of the bunch
till you're all done
cooking my dinner.
(CHUCKLES)
AMMON: Are all Idaho girls like you?
BRENDA: Oh, no, sir. (CHUCKLES)
The rest are sweet, soft-spoken,
and properly pretty, sir.
Well, you are plenty pretty.
(CLEARS THROAT)
- Smell that? Smells like dinner.
- Hope you're hungry.
- Please, join us.
- Okay.
- Welcome.
Are you all just gonna stare at me
like I'm some kind of space alien?
- Yes.
- Yes? Okay.
Wait, how could you tell
that she was attracted to Ron?
Everybody was always
attracted to Ron.
BILL: Must have made you
jealous, though.
No.
I was used to it.
She and I, we didn't
have secrets back then.
But it wasn't just Ron
who couldn't keep his eyes off her.
Who else?
Well, there was my brother Dan.
- It was making a home in your hair.
- Oh, gosh. Sorry.
No, don't be sorry. They're good luck.
Thank you for bringing her
to us, Brenda.
I brought you lemonade.
Unless you don't like fancy lemonade.
- I didn't even ask you.
- No, no, no, I do.
This is my wife, Matilda.
- These are our girls.
- I'm Matilda. He's Dan.
These are our girls,
- well, our girls.
it was playful, innocuous.
He was just teasing me,
- Can I ask you a question?
- Oh, gosh.
- Oh, yeah. Sure.
the Word of Wisdom at BYU?
The reason I ask is 'cause
I've met a few BYU girls,
and I'm not so sure
that they were obedient
to Heavenly Father when
the professors weren't looking.
Oh, well, we don't smoke or drink coffee
or anything horrible like that.
- I'm sure that's all you mean.
- Oh, don't be so sure.
He's a right queerhawk.
- You pervert!
- I mean Pepsi-Cola.
I mean, the caffeine,
the sugar,
that'll kill a cute little
BYU thing very quickly.
What's important
this down to a juice, okay,
it is like drinking
Heavenly Father's love.
I can't tell if you're kidding.
Me neither.
But I drink it anyway, don't I?
It turns my pee green.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
DIANA: Oh. Hello.
Sister Lafferty.
They've come for me.
Please, will you help me?
Well, you know I don't actually live here.
NEIGHBOR: I need your family's help.
okay, just come in.
- What's that?
- I'm just a bad driver.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I'm so sorry.
I just let somebody in.
- It's really bad.
- It's okay. It's okay.
I'll take care of it.
Make sure they sit next to us.
Okay.
Hey, Brenda.
I got us good chairs.
Brenda, why don't you
we can sit together.
- We can get to know each other.
- No, Dan. Dan, no.
We split couples up sometimes
to sit together, Allen.
Brenda, I'm Dianna, Ron's wife.
We've saved two seats
for you over here.
You don't mind, do you, Dan?
Of course not.
- Of course not, Dianna.
- You want the chair?
- Yes, I'll have the chair.
- So nice to meet you!
- Have you met everyone?
- Gosh.
- I think so.
- It's impossible.
There's so many people,
and just when you think
you've got them all,
there's more.
- Let me get that.
Oh, sorry.
Welcome to Utah,
Miss Potato Head.
You're from Idaho, right?
- Are you poking fun?
- Here, take that for me.
Just a little bit, okay?
Well, you'd be surprised
how much math and science
goes into a good potato,
mister.
- Really? How much?
- I don't know.
'Cause for your information,
I'm not going into soil science
- like my very smart father.
- Okay.
- Yeah, I'm going into television.
- Wow.
By the way you look,
you must be an actress.
- Oh, gosh. No. No.
- No?
- How exciting.
- Well, I'd like to one day.
Till I start a family,
of course, and, you know,
then I'll take a little break.
Nothing wrong with having
it all, now, is there?
- Don't listen to him. He's just teasing.
- Gonna be busy.
- He's just in construction.
- No.
He started the best
construction company in Utah.
Of course. I'm sorry.
Actually, we saw your
new place on the way here.
- What'd you think?
- Yeah, it's great. Isn't it?
Oh, yeah.
Ron sits on the city council.
He's the first counselor
Keep going. You're making me
sound impressive.
Brenda's Potato Head dad is a bishop.
- Is that right?
- Oh, yeah, well,
he's not on any city council
How do you make time
for it all and family?
There's plenty of time later.
You know, eternity lasts forever.
Oh, my gosh.
You sound just like my dad.
be back in a minute.
- All right.
- Okay? Sorry.
He's cute, isn't he?
I have the oldest,
and you grab the youngest,
and then we can compare notes.
I hate it when I do that.
I hear you met
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- I met my Dan in church, too,
when he was on his mission
in Scotland.
I didn't think you're allowed
to marry your missionary.
I think I need some lemonade.
What?
What?
(MUTTERS)
But me and Dan did no such thing.
My girls have a different daddy,
and Dan gave me
a second shot at life,
saved me from all my shame.
No shame in divorce if you divorced
a Catholic, right, Matilda?
Well, Dan actually
fancied my sister first, not me.
He even gave her the holy dunk.
Who knows what else
he gave her?
No, no. Sorry, I shouldn't
have said that.
Who knows what they got up to?
Just prayers, lots of prayers.
- Yes.
DIANA: Don't worry.
You're the star here tonight.
Enjoy every moment.
Matilda just gets excited.
How are you?
Here's the roast.
Thank you.
It's ready.
- Suppertime.
- (ALL APPLAUD)
Everything okay?
Thank you.
AMMON: Don't you look a dream?
MALE VOICE: Yeah!
AMMON: And as much as we'd all
well, to make a late night
of it, we cannot.
We have been called to service
for our brother.
Now, yes, our old neighbor
and I have had our feuds,
earthly and spiritual.
With no family left
to call on,
he's come asking for
forgiveness and deliverance.
And I told him forgiveness
We are Laffertys.
And much of his land
remains filled with stones,
but he's been notified
it must be made suitable
for planting by Monday,
or the federal government will
take what is rightfully his
to build a highway.
Yes, the Lord's saints
may disagree with one another,
but when we are attacked
by outsiders,
do we allow our brothers
to be eaten alive?
Never.
FEMALE VOICE: Never.
The Lord's elect
must never allow anyone
to take
what is rightfully ours.
all the rest of his land.
No, Robin, one day.
As we do not labor on Sundays,
all of it tomorrow.
There's a reason
families 50 miles round
have heard the Lafferty name.
ALL: We can do anything.
Robin, you'll say the blessing.
Yes, sir.
(ROBIN SIGHS)
Our dear Heavenly Father,
we thank Thee.
We thank Thee
for this glorious day,
to serve our fellow man
in his hour of need.
you know, as faithful as they come.
And in Idaho,
If we put our faith
in each other and in Thee,
we ask Thee that Thou may be
with us with Thy Holy Spirit
and make our labor light.
ALLEN: It was my father
who caught it first.
You know, the fact that she
as unbending.
- He judged her for that.
- How would you have preferred her?
Hey, listen, listen.
did not get us here.
Why don't you tell me?
to serve their husband,
to obey.
And okay,
Brenda wasn't that.
Did that make her
deserving of this?
Allen.
Then you might not be
as good a Mormon as you think.
they like to think of
themselves as one big family,
that together,
we can do anything.
But aren't we also taught there can only
be one prophet,
one leader?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Come on, drink. Drink!
Come on, it's hot out here.
Drink!
All right, listen up.
"When the brethren
show a unity of purpose,
"our labor, our toil,
and anxiety are diminished.
Our yoke is made easy
and our burden light."
Listen, drink up.
Listen, everybody.
No one is allowed to pee until
we've cleared the entire field.
You hear me?
Not a soul.
- Not even you, little one.
- Oh, come on, now!
(GRUNTS)
Got all day. Come on!
Come on.
What is she doing?
I got one!
- BOY: Big one!
- All right!
Big one!
(SHUDDERS)
Allen, I just wanna say you did
a great job today driving the tractor.
What the heck? Dan!
(ALL LAUGH)
ALLEN: It's not funny.
f my family today.
Look at what you have done.
(ALL LAUGH)
Mm!
Yes.
Now I feel
I can share our news.
Your mother and I have
on a senior mission.
It is a great honor.
But we've never left you
or our business unattended,
let alone for two years.
can grow busy with weeds.
No matter how pretty
our property may be,
our property must be
vigilantly maintained.
And with challenging economic conditions,
it is not an ideal time.
Someone must stand in my shoes
while we're away.
I prayed for wisdom,
and the Holy Spirit answered.
Dan has never been
singularly focused on anything.
(ALL CHUCKLE)
But he's graduated
from chiropractic school now.
He is my eldest son
to follow in my footsteps.
I'm moved by that.
We will all put our faith
To head our family
and our family business in my absence.
Dan's right hand.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
I want to see
our home in better condition
than how I leave it.
You seem to have
your hands quite full.
Keep working on that.
Yes, sir.
Dan,
you say the prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I'd like to thank Thee
for having faith in me
and for choosing me.
for guidance
while our parents are away.
ALLEN: And I mean, as much
as they had their eyes on her,
she had hers on us.
Thank you.
DOREEN: It's you.
You're the fulfillment
That He would send
one mighty and strong
to set things in order.
I mean, he sent me
You're my one.
So don't let your father sway you
from that righteous calling.
It's yours.
- (KNOCK ON DOOR)
- Yeah.
Sir, your wife
gave me an address.
- JEB: Whose?
- DENNEY: Robin Lafferty's, sir.
I'll check it out.
May your Heavenly Father
be with him.
So when you stopped
going to church,
is that about the time you stopped seeing
your family and your brothers?
Yeah, that sounds about right.
You ever miss the church?
Yes.
Which parts?
The idea that we had
each other's backs.
are the days when I
still believed
our God was love.
"If any of you lack wisdom,
let him ask of God,
and it shall be given Him."
And when Joseph
JOSEPH: Two personages whose brightness
defy description stood above me.
which church is true?
ALLEN: Joseph Smith,
at only 15 years old,
set forth to create
his one true church.
Why?
What drove him?
It was love.
A light filled my room.
A messenger told me
God has a work for me,
that there's a book
buried in the ground
where the fullness of His Gospel
is written on golden plates.
And the Holy Spirit told him
to marry Emma,
that with her love,
God would share
His most sacred truths.
with you.
ALLEN: That is the church I miss.
(SMOKE ALARM BLARING)
ALLEN: But that's not where
our history ends, is it?
Mountain Meadows, 1859.
Do you know what Major Carlton
found there?
What was ordered done
to those innocent Gentiles
and their children
in the name of God?
(SMOKE ALARM BLARING)
- I asked you a question.
- That's enough.
You're just throwing up dust, Allen.
I don't need to hear any more stories.
he probably doesn't know either.
They've hidden our truth
with their secret combinations.
If you really still believe
your God is love,
then you don't know
our faith,
breeds dangerous men.
- (PHONE RINGS)
- (CLEARS THROAT)
- This is Jeb.
- BILL: (OVER PHONE) Yeah, just checking.
Well, good Mormons
don't leave for Disneyland
with a fire burning
in their backyard,
food left to rot
in the kitchen trash.
This is starting to feel bigger
than a domestic to me, Bill.
You know, that house is only
20 minutes away from Allen's.
No doubt the rest of his kin
are just as close.
Listen, don't complicate things
before we have hard evidence.
I'll dust for prints, see if your suspect
there was even in this house tonight.
- (SIGHS)
- You need to trust me on this.
I've walked this road before.
Good.
See you soon.
- MALE VOICE: (OVER PHONE) Hello?
- Mr. Wright?
Detective Taba
from East Rockwell, Utah.
I'm so sorry to notify you
of this, sir.
But we found your daughter
and her child
earlier this evening.
Hey, just got off the phone
with Kimberly, Idaho Police.
You notify the victim's father
without my go-ahead?
How many homicides
have you processed before?
I've seen more
than I can count.
And I thought it was high time
that we start following
a normal order of operations.
I was waiting till I had
every question at the ready
so I didn't have
to call him twice.
I asked you to knock on doors
and find me Laffertys and that's all.
There's ten new Laffertys
at every split
- of their damn family tree.
- Welcome to Mormondom!
You're not in Vegas anymore, pal,
and you are not in charge here.
Detective, I'm well aware my skin
is darker
than most in this valley.
- What?
- And I'm very well aware
that's not smiled upon
in a 99% LDS town.
- Oh, come on.
- But I know cases like this
a hell of a lot better
than you do.
Right now, we have four prints,
and we have one suspect in custody.
Four partial handprints.
I could make four partials
with my two hands,
- and so could your boy in there.
- And it's a lot easier with four hands.
Fair enough,
but we only have 18 officers,
and most of them have never
even seen a dead body.
So before I wasted
one more of your men
on wake-up calls in a town
that's asleep by 9:00,
I thought it was smart
to talk to one actual source.
And guess what.
You're welcome.
Your father-in-law just told us
that Brenda took her sister
out for ice cream
a few months back
and that she said
that she was afraid of you
beat on her.
So who am I supposed
to believe,
her bishop dad or you
and your tales of romance?
Well, I did not beat on her.
Of course you didn't.
So her father is lying?
That's not what I'm saying.
and I regret that.
But I can say that I'm not
the first man in history
to not be well-liked
by his father-in-law.
He was Emma's father.
He thought Joseph
was a con man.
Allen, what are you doing?
So when Joseph
EMMA: Tell me,
who is the higher power,
my father or God?
If Joseph had put
her father's words above God's,
would you have
your one true church?
No.
When I met my wife,
my testimony was strong.
So I refused to let
her father's opinion sway me.
That does not make me a killer.
Yeah, well, cutting the cord
off your vacuum cleaner
and tying it around your wife's neck
before you sliced her throat
and beheaded your own
15-month-old daughter
does, you fucking
piece of shit.
Hey. Hey.
In the few instances
we've had an innocent man,
an actual innocent man,
sat where you are,
they've been jumping
up and down.
They've been naming people.
Instead you sit there and you
tell us that you're concerned
about your brothers
who couldn't keep their eyes off of her,
and your father
thought she was no good.
And you know what?
I would rather find
that kind of family dead
rather than safe and sound.
Did you harm your brothers
tonight too, Allen?
No, I did not.
And I will say it
until you hear me.
Men with beards
corrupted my family.
And every second
you waste in here with me,
is out there
persuading more men of God
to spill more blood!
Sit down!
sir.
If you insist
on believing in a Mormon God, then go.
Go and pray to Him,
like Joseph taught you to.
Ask Him for wisdom.
- (KNOCK ON DOOR)
- (DOOR OPENS)
BILL: Oh, I'm sorry.
the APB out,
missing persons,
on Robin and his family.
Should I put one out
for bearded vagrants as well?
- Yeah.
- All right.
BILL: Autopsies are scheduled
for 9:00 a.m.
Blood and prints
should be ready by then too.
Keep pushing the kid or wait?
(CLEARS THROAT)
You know, out in Florida,
Henry Lee Lucas
claimed he killed 60 people
once he started
telling the truth,
all satanic ritual slaughter.
Savage.
Where'd you go on your mission?
Denver.
Well, maybe Denver
gets the stray satanist
- but not Salt Lake City suburbs.
Two years ago,
a man named Arthur Bishop,
he lures five boys
away from their families
right here in Utah.
And out
where my folks' farm is,
young girl was kidnapped.
Found her body in a stream,
and a week later,
someone had left black roses on her grave
with a letter with an inverted cross.
Devil worship, satanic panic,
whatever you wanna call it,
Allen has already admitted that
BILL: Well, if a lack of LDS faith
gets a man convicted,
whole lot of people
heading to Draper prison,
- me included.
- JEB: I'm not saying that.
I'm saying leaving the church,
that would have created
a lot of grief in his family.
They would have put a lot
to save themselves the humiliation
of a wayward son.
And the Laffertys, they're
kind of like Utah Kennedys.
(CHUCKLES) Good thing I voted for Nixon.
what if he cracked?
He cracked under all their pressure
and he killed his whole family,
he saved his wife and daughter for last,
and he walks across the street,
lets someone know
his deed was done?
They wanna be caught, right?
The credit, the attention,
Sociopath Handbook 101.
We deal in what is, not ifs.
Let's say you're right.
If we don't charge him
in the next 36 hours,
he can walk
just right out of here.
Well, the chief's not
due back from Yellowstone
Listen, things like this,
they don't stay under wraps
for very long.
If this kid's family
is as well-liked as you say,
when the chief, the DA,
or the press gets wind of it,
they're gonna demand answers
and a suspect.
And if you don't wanna look
like a couple of screwups,
you wanna keep panic
from ripping through this town,
we need a suspect.
It's eating you alive,
isn't it?
- What?
- All you gotta do is ask nice, Jeb.
"Can I have some fries, Bill?"
Bill, those things
are gonna kill you.
Well, let's die happy.
Mm!
It's our little secret.
You're a bad influence, Bill.
Thank you.
- (CHUCKLES)
- DENNEY: Detective?
Detective Taba.
MALE VOICE: I'm looking at him
now in my lot.
Oh, he fits the APB
I heard off my scanner.
- Does he have a beard?
- Yeah.
And black, like soot,
on his hands.
What's your location?
BILL: Sorry to disturb you.
Detective Taba
from East Rockwell Police.
Is it just you and your kids
alone here, ma'am?
- LYNN: Is there a problem?
- No husband?
We had an electrical problem
at home.
- Excuse me.
- Hey.
Come here. Come here, guys.
Together.
You're okay.
I got you.
Out the back. Go! Go, go!
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
Freeze!
Stop right there!
Hands on your head!
Put your hands
on your head right now!
(MUMBLING INDISTINCTLY)
JEB: Don't be stupid.
Put your hands on your head.
And show these men
that they are not in line with Thy Gospel.
Show these men that they are
the wickedness of the state.
Put your hands on your head,
or I will kick the shit out of you.
In Jesus Christ's name, we pray.
Amen.
BILL: State your name.
My name is Robin Lafferty.
Officer Denney,
escort our new friend to my car.
Detective.
You once went to church
with these boys.
They may know your face,
your family.
Go home.
Make sure they're safe.
I'll handle this from here.
All right.
- Jeb.
- Hey!
- (GASPS)
- (SIGHS)
Shoot.
- I'm so sorry.
- No.
Hi, Mom. Hi.
- Just wanted to be a nice surprise.
- It was a lovely surprise.
Oh, my sweetheart. (SMOOCHES)
Sit down. I'll get you some milk.
Sit down.
JOSIE: Sit down, he tells me.
Oh, nothing's right.
It's all so broken.
the broken things in life?
How they're all just tests
for the next?
Remember?
- Yes.
- You do?
Mm-hmm.
everything's gonna be perfect,
and our minds,
and we're gonna get to be
with our whole family
and with Dad,
all together for eternity.
Yes.
He's gone, isn't he?
Your dad?
Yeah, Mom.
I'm sorry.
He died ten years ago.
I wanna be with him,
where things are right.
- (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
- (SHOWER RUNNING)
JOSEPH: "For behold,
I have refined thee.
I have chosen thee."
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
What if it's not just a husband
whose heart turned against his wife?
JOSEPH: "I have chosen thee
in the furnace of affliction."
EMMA: "For behold,
I have refined thee.
I have chosen thee
in the furnace of affliction."
What if it's not some outside evil,
That's found its way here?
What if tonight is just the first edge
That's finally working its way
out of our own desert's floor?
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(MUSIC ENDS)