Slasher (2016) s01e04 Episode Script

Previously on "Slasher".
No! I can't stay here.
All right, that's it.
Let's hit the road.
- Can I talk to you for a second? - You're not coming.
This is my fault.
Grandma, what did you do? So I waited on that bridge.
And when they drove by, I You could have died out there.
No! Please! Stop! He could have killed me multiple times, but he didn't.
I'm safe.
I'm not a target.
You awake? Yeah.
I love that photo.
She had such a green thumb.
She could make anything grow.
I think that's where I'll scatter her ashes in her garden.
She'd like that.
I should have been there.
There's nothing you could do.
There was no stopping him.
I'm so sorry.
- I'll get it.
- No, no, let me.
Dylan, it's the police! Well, the truck was found abandoned.
Not too far from where your grandmother was forced off the road.
Who does it belong to? Trent McBride.
Verna McBride's nephew.
Her nephew? There's no way that's a coincidence.
So you're saying he's The Executioner? Well, Trent inherited Verna McBride's entire estate.
And he did have a falling out with Justin Faysal over his property.
But my grandmother? We're working on that.
We will bring Trent in and we will question him.
This nightmare might finally come to an end.
Aw, come on! What the hell, asshole? You didn't see me, right? Confirm your target before you take a shot.
That buck's mine! This is done! You hear me?! Done! I'm not movin', and I Oh, no, shit.
Oh, shit.
Hey, help help me.
Help me, please.
Hey! Oh, God! What do you want!? What's that? Oh, no! What are you? What are you doing? No! No, no, no.
No! No, no, no.
Don't! Don't! No! Side door we're going in.
Come on.
Come on.
Trent McBride, if you're in here, come out! Hands where we can see 'em! Trent? Clear! McBride residence, clear.
- Let's sweep the area.
- Copy that.
Get the dog.
Whoa.
Hold up.
Hold up.
Trent McBride! This is Officer Cam Henry, Waterbury Police.
I am armed, so stand down.
God damn it! All right, so here's the update.
We traced the truck back to Trent McBride, but when my guys got there to question him they found him dead.
That's a pit of snakes.
Brought in a herpetologist.
She identified a bunch of different species.
Four of them venomous.
The others just common snakes, like garter snakes.
There's a nasty little thing called a Blue Racer.
Then there's this guy.
The eastern brown snake.
All the way from Australia.
Second deadliest snake in the world, right behind the inland taipan.
My expert believes it is the snake responsible for the bite that killed Trent McBride.
I don't get it.
Why snakes? - With sloth, you're thrown in - Because the pit is punishment.
Goes back to the seven deadly sins.
Punishment for sloth is being thrown into a pit of vipers.
Did I get that right, Sarah? So Trent's not The Executioner? And he's a victim.
Looks that way.
With sloth It doesn't make sense.
Trent McBride is the last person I'd call lazy.
I mean, he was June's partner for years.
He was a paramedic, he He competed in a bunch of Iron Mans.
That's why we gotta look into this guy's past.
See if he's got any skeletons hanging in his closet.
So you're back to square one.
- How many times is that now? - Look, I get it, Sarah.
You don't like me.
You think I suck at my job.
Well, lucky for me I don't give a shit.
You have yourself a nice day now.
Okay, come on.
Now I hate him.
He is ineffectual, incompetent, rude.
Yeah, well, he's a cop, love.
That's how they are.
Cam's not.
Cam is not in charge.
Vaughn is.
So what's the use of butting heads with him, you know? Y'know, Tom Winston's made more breaks in this case than Chief Vaughn.
Maybe it's time for Tom to speak to the residents of Waterbury directly? Okay, right, Dylan.
I need you to be my husband right now, not a journalist.
I'm speaking to you as your husband.
Are you kidding? That be like giving Charles Manson his own talk show.
Then, you take it.
Seriously, let me interview you.
Somebody's going to do the story on you eventually, right? - So why not you? - Your husband.
Someone you trust.
- And I can talk about anything? - Anything.
No holds barred.
You ready? Your parents were murdered by Tom Winston nearly 30 years ago.
And recently your grandmother succumbed to the same fate.
If you could look The Executioner in his eye No, no, I think you mean if I could look him in the mask.
He's too much of a coward to show his face.
What would you say? I would say I would say that Brenda Merritt did a terrible thing, and my grandmother deserved to be punished.
But you took the law into your own hands and on whose authority? And I I think he'd probably say, "God's authority.
" Wow, I'm not really religious, but I think the Bible's pretty clear, "Thou shalt not kill.
" - You're angry? - Yeah.
Of course, I'm angry.
And I'm sad.
And I'm upset.
But I'm not afraid.
No? When something like this happens You know, at first, you're numb.
Hmm.
And then when you start to be able to wrap your mind around it, your imagination can take you to some pretty dark places.
You think about what your loved ones went through before they died.
About how terrified they were.
About how much they suffered.
And then you find the pain.
And the rage.
And you want revenge.
I despise The Executioner's actions, but I don't hate him.
Because hate is just fear, and I am not afraid.
The Executioner is afraid.
He's a coward.
Him, Tom Winston, anyone who's ever taken the life of another person.
Cowards.
I'm a coward.
I'm a coward? I'm a coward! Tom Winston is a coward?! How dare you! How dare you! Damn you! How dare you talk to me?! You don't fucking tell me! Ah, you felt pain?! You felt pain?! I'm the coward?! So let's, uh, bury the water symposium story as far back in the paper as possible.
It's an important issue up here.
Psycho killer's stalking our town's citizens Shoreline water erosion.
We have a little bit of a toss up, right? Okay, there is a hole in page 5.
The A-frame pulled their one-quarter vertical.
We can put the water story there.
And that's tomorrow's paper.
Thank you, everyone.
Not enough tourists ordering the onion and liver poutine, are they, eh? Oh, less business for them means less business for us.
Thank God, we're selling like hotcakes right now.
All this talk of breakfast is making me hungry.
Forget breakfast.
What are you doing for dinner? No plans.
Why? Because you're gonna have dinner with me tonight.
Me and Lisa-Ann Follows.
- The Lisa-Ann Follows? - Mm-hm.
She's flying up from New York to cover the murders and some local experts.
And dinner is our audition.
You should maybe wear something tighter.
Tight.
I I can do tight.
Yeah, no, tight's good.
Hello? Sarah Bennett, you have a call from Tom Winston.
Press one to accept.
Hello, Sarah.
What do you want to tell me? I read your article in The Bulletin.
Okay.
Yeah.
Is that what you really think? About The Executioner? He's a coward? I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.
The Executioner doesn't think like you do.
You can't shame him.
You can't reason with him.
All you can do is fuel him and his obsession.
Yeah, you'd know this how, huh? I was obsessed with your parents.
I know you think he can't hurt you, but the last thing you wanna do is make that a challenge for him.
Okay, I'm hearing you.
Good.
Tom? Yes? You wouldn't ever consider talking to my husband, would you, for The Bulletin? Is this something you want me to do? Simple yes or no.
On one condition.
Well, he can't pay you.
I'd like a memento.
What kind of memento? A lock of your hair.
Forget I asked.
You know, if Trent was The Executioner, that would make sense.
That boy was seriously disturbed.
Norman Bates meets the "Unabomber.
" I still figure it could be Heather Peterson.
Yeah, but if it wasn't so, who could it be? In this town? I think we'll be here till next week.
Well, let's start with who it isn't.
You, me, obviously.
Anyone who was at your party the night Verna McBride was killed.
Well, it's not my little guardian angel who saved my life.
It's obviously not Dylan.
He was with you the night Verna got sliced and diced.
No, no, he wasn't actually.
He he had to go back into work.
This is your husband we're talking about? And he's not even from here.
His only tie to Waterbury is you.
Is there a motive? Chief Vaughn.
Well, he's either a complete idiot or a suspect.
So I'm gonna say both.
- Cam? - No.
No, Cam is innocent.
I mean, I don't have any proof, but So he could go either way? Like me in university.
Uh June? She was Trent's partner.
You really think June would come up with something this complicated? Rawr.
Enough, okay.
That wasn't very nice.
- I like June, I do.
- I know.
- She's pretty.
- She's pretty.
She's sweet and I'm not making this any better, am I? - Okay, I'm gonna stop.
- Okay.
- Moving on.
- Yeah.
Tom Winston.
Well, he's crazy enough, but he's behind bars.
So what? Serial killers have groupies.
What if Tom is the brains, and he's got someone on the outside being the brawn? Yeah, but he doesn't see anyone.
I mean, except for me.
Yes, he does.
Alan Henry.
- Alan's his religious counselor? - Uh-huh.
And these are religious murders, right? No, wait, that doesn't make sense.
No, Tom tried to kill Alan.
No, he actually didn't.
Tom spared him.
He told me.
Oh, shit.
Tell me about your relationship with Trent McBride.
We were co-workers.
How long did you work together for? A few years.
Three years and a bit.
Did he have any romantic relationships that you knew about? I I don't know.
I haven't talked to Trent for a while.
What about back then? He liked women.
I don't know any specifics beyond that.
Did Trent have a temper, June? Trent's bark was worse than his bite.
He was a good guy.
Great worker, always on time I'm not looking for a job reference here.
I wanna know what this guy's interests were, what his hobbies were, what he did with his free time.
He liked to hunt and go camping.
You know all this.
Did you know about his interest in taxidermy? - Sewing up dead animals.
- I know what taxidermy is.
No.
Did he ever mention or talk about The Executioner? No.
I feel like you're trying to get me to say something about Trent that wasn't true.
Trent was a stand-up guy.
He didn't deserve to die.
June, we're asking everyone who knew Trent McBride these questions.
He was hunted down and killed.
Okay.
Now, when he left, did he leave on good terms or bad terms? Any employees, were they enemies? Any family members or patients that might've had a grudge? - Is everything okay? - Deputy Henry! Yeah, I'm fine.
All right, why don't you head home? I'll see you in a bit.
Beautiful day, huh? Right, say it was Alan Henry.
I mean, why'd he go around killing people? His son's a cop, he doesn't even have to call 911.
Have you ever read the Old Testament? God is one angry father.
Commanding His followers to spill oceans of nonbeliever blood.
Trust me, Sunday school was darkside as shit.
You can't cut me off.
I'll tell you when I've had enough! Asshole! Hey! June! Maybe, wait up a sec, huh? June? Hey, hey, June.
Um, honey? Sweetie.
Sweetie.
Hey! - Hi! - Hey! Oh, what are you guys doing here? It is so good to see you.
You're you're not going home already, are you? Well, I don't want to, but those bastards in there I mean, all I wanted to do was have a drink in honor of Trent.
Hey, why don't you hang out with us tonight? Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah.
- You guys need a drink? They've got a new tequila.
I'll keep these keys here.
June, that's a little too close to the water.
Whoa! June! June! - What? No - June, be careful.
Be care - Oh! June what are you doing? - June! Going for a swim.
You should come.
I forgot my Speedo at home, babe.
Uh You don't need a bathing suit.
- Oh! - You wanna Oh, wow! Come on, Robin.
It's not like I haven't seen you naked before.
Remember? Ken Simon's pool? Okay.
We all went skinny dipping.
- You keep an eye on her.
- At her parents' hot tub.
Yeah, she'll be fine.
She's got built-in life preservers.
Okay, come on, sweetie.
Let's get out of there.
Come on! Cam.
Hey, um, it's Sarah.
Yeah, I'm at the A-frame, and June June's gonna be right home.
I was living in L.
A.
when the "Grim Sleeper" was killing black women.
I've had mass murderers, wife killers, terrorists, kidnappers, you name it, dregs of society on my show.
Takes a lot to shake me.
These killings scare the shit out of me.
I know exactly what you're saying.
When the original murders took place Your wife's parents were the victims? - Yeah, yeah they were.
- I can't even imagine.
Oh, it was terrible.
Actually, I can, because you did such an incredible job, telling Sarah's story, all of these stories, bringing them to life.
Thank you.
Uh, you know, with material like this, it kind of writes itself.
Okay Dylan.
If this is gonna work, you need to drop all of that, "Gee golly, aw shucks" polite crap.
I'll eat you up and spit you out like a bad piece of sushi.
You want that? You don't want that.
These murders have terrorized this community.
The Executioner has acted like judge, jury, and hangman.
If we don't give a voice to these people, who will? We owe it to them.
Kinda like that or is that too much? What do you think? Do that tomorrow, and you're gold.
Now, this original Executioner, the one rotting in jail, have you met him? I No, I have not.
I think you should try to book him.
- Yeah? - It's ratings dynamite.
Robin, get in here! I know you like dudes, but I promise I won't bite.
If you loved me, you'd swim with me.
Hey, I can't get my arms wet.
Now, you're just making up excuses.
- Shit! Why is he here? - Hey! Come on.
That's a good girl.
Cam Listen, don't be upset.
She's just taking Trent's murder really hard, okay? - June, come on, it's time to go home.
- Here.
I'll hold this.
What are you doing here? Cam's just come to take you home, you know? You can get there, you can have a hot shower and - Home and warm, and have a - Enough with you.
You're telling me what my husband's gonna do? What? You speak for him now? - Just calm down.
- No, I'm sick of it! Ever since she came here, she's been like, like a stalker.
Going for walks together, having private conversations.
Hugging each other! June, Cam and I are just friends.
You want Cam, and you always have! June, I'm married, so That didn't stop your slut of a mom.
Hey, June, that's enough.
I'm so sorry.
I'm attracted to this story for a bunch of reasons.
One, it's great drama.
Who doesn't love a series of murders in a small town? Two, it's got an incredible back story.
And it's happening in real time.
Three, it's not on the radar.
Not yet.
That's why I wanted to be here first.
Trust me, I'm not in Waterbury for the fine-dining.
Right.
Well, Lisa-Ann, I speak for Dylan, but we are thrilled.
Yeah, and we're print journalists, so - the opportunity.
- I started as a lawyer.
And you got a face for T.
V.
Oh, no, no, no.
I'll get that.
No, no, please.
You are our guest.
Now, I will go settle the bill.
And then, um, we'll take you back to your B&B.
Which is very exciting to say.
Isn't it? Um, we'll, uh, meet you outside.
You're in the majors now, rookie.
You ready? Ready as I can be, I guess.
Well, here's the thing, Dylan.
Every story, one as big as this, has a finite lifespan.
So what are you gonna do when The Executioner gets eclipsed by the next young mom who drowns her eight kids, or a cosmetic surgeon who murders his wife with Botox? Hmm? Well, I guess I really haven't thought about You should.
Yeah, well, I guess that's a conversation you, Alison, and I can have.
Hmm, when might that be? Well, then, let's talk.
I thought writing was your thing.
It is my thing, darling, but it's a dying thing.
You don't want me to do it? No, I'm just surprised, you know.
It's T.
V.
It's a big shift.
Yeah, but it's still journalism.
You don't have to watch if it's gonna make you weird.
Of course, I'm gonna watch, and Do you have to wear makeup? - You'd like that, wouldn't you? - Mm-hm.
So I spoke to Tom Winston.
And what did he have to say? He said he'd do it.
- Huh.
- For a lock of my hair.
- That's creepy.
- Yeah.
Wow.
For what? I don't know, and I don't wanna know.
God.
I'm sorry I even asked you to do that.
You know, I'm gonna make some coffee.
- You want one? - No, I'm good.
I'm good.
Thanks anyway.
What about some breakfast? You want cereal? No, I'm fine, honey.
Thank you.
Hi.
Can we talk? Yeah.
I only remember snippets.
I get like that when I drink hard alcohol.
So I stick to wine or cider.
Not that I'm trying to find an excuse.
'Cause I really am sorry, Sarah.
And I'm I'm sorry about Trent.
You two worked together? Yeah.
We were partners.
Drove the same ambulance.
A lot of late nights, like one of those things, you get pretty close.
God, what is wrong with me? No, it's okay, June.
Anyway, I came here to apologize.
I was a crazy woman last night.
That wasn't me.
I should go.
June.
Was Trent more than just a friend from work? No.
Okay.
I'm upset because he was murdered.
That's normal.
It is.
You're right.
I'm sorry.
Does Cam know? We ended it years ago.
I mean, Trent And I love Cam.
We went to counseling and worked it all out.
Trent even quit because of all of it.
But But you still cared for him.
Oh, June, it's okay.
No, I can't mourn.
I can't act sad because then Cam might think that we were still but we were honest.
- I mean, you can't tell anyone.
- No.
No, I promise I won't.
June, I'm sure Cam has told you, but this killer is targeting his victims.
Is there anything in Trent's past? Something he might have done? People will hate him.
That can't hurt him now.
But if you know something, you've gotta speak up.
It was five years ago.
The night Ariel Peterson went missing.
Me and Trent, we worked an 18-hour shift.
It was a long, brutal day.
I was wiped, so Trent dropped me off at home.
He said he'd take the ambulance back and sign us both out.
He told me he drove past Ariel on the way to the hospital.
She was drunk.
She's been sick, and he knew if he picked her up, his 18 hour shift would turn into 22 by the time they processed her in the hospital.
So he made sure she was okay and left her to walk home.
Ask any paramedic, when you come across a kid who's been drinking but who can still make it home, you You turn a blind eye.
- Trent never imagined that - What? Ariel wouldn't make it home? That she'd just disappear? No.
You've known this for five years, June.
Never thought to tell us? I wanted to.
But I I promised Trent.
This town would have never forgiven him if I told you what happened.
- So, that's it? - Hmm.
That's what you were worried about? Did Trent say where he saw Ariel last, what street was she on? Sheridan, I think.
Just outside of town, Sheridan and Market.
All right, I'm gonna go to the vaults, and I'm gonna pull all the closed-circuit TV footage that I filed for that night.
Anything on Sheridan Street, I'll go through with a fine-tooth comb again.
I'm sorry.
- You're sorry? - Cam Cam you're not helping.
- June, you're sorry? - Cam A 15-year-old girl went missing that night, June! And you protected the piece of shit who did that.
You did! Mr.
Winston, thank you for agreeing to meet with me.
As Sarah told you, I work for the Waterbury Bulletin, and I think you would provide invaluable insight to this story.
Okay, right.
Can I ask you why you want that? I must see Sarah now.
Sorry.
How much does Sarah know? About me being here? She gave me your conditions.
That's How much does Sarah know about you? Not sure I follow.
I'm the one here to interview you, not the other way around.
Sarah might've told you, I don't always read the letters that are sent to me.
But I did keep them.
And I got a great memory for names.
So again, Dylan.
How much does Sarah know? I told you I went through all this footage, and I didn't find anything.
Look, top left-hand corner.
There.
That's Trent's ambulance.
Now, watch closely.
She's still there.
Can you zoom in on this? Blow it up? No, not on this.
But that's the intersection.
Shit.
Yeah.
She got in the car.
Now, I don't have plates, but It's a start.
McBrides have always been a troubled family.
You know, I worked with Trent.
I was his youth group leader.
I tried and, to some extent, succeeded in putting him on the right path.
You're being sentimental.
Of course, I'm being sentimental.
For Christ's sake - Sometimes, Tom - What? Sometimes I forget you're a Christian.
Yeah.
"God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; The Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies.
" It's not about turning off your emotions, Alan.
Grieve for them.
Pray for them.
But let that bolster and strengthen your faith, rather than diminish it.
God's work is being done.
Open your Bible.
Which Scripture would you have me? Just open it.
Now you don't owe me anything.
But if you revere the truth, the way you claim to, you'll do this for me.
None of you are safe! Your secrets! And your lies! He sees them.
And He exposes them, and they lie there grunting in the sun, stinking to high heaven.
You repent now, or you will join them in Hell! Verna McBride! Can't walk.
Can't touch.
Justin Faysal, the rat.
In life and in death.
Okay, Heather, you need to stop, okay? Brenda Merritt, like Sisyphus! She just keeps rolling that rock.
Uphill, into the water.
Trent McBride, that snake! If there is a God, I pray you let that snake devour its own tail! And then start all over again! Until the end of time! Why? Why did you have to leave Ariel behind? It would have taken five minutes.
Five minutes.
All you had to stop and to pick up my baby! And then bring her home to me! You would be here with me instead! Oh, my God! If I could go back, I'd take her place.
I would.
What are you looking for exactly? No, Sheridan and Market are north of here.
So a vehicle would pass by here south heading towards the hospital, right? Probably.
It's the most direct route.
Why did you have CCTV installed outside the paper, anyway? You make more enemies than friends in this line of work.
Especially in a small town.
Shit.
What? That lying bitch was with Trent that night.
She was.
That means she's next.
You should know this will be in the paper tomorrow, and on our site, as soon as the story is written.
Look, Alison, I know that you have a business to run, but this is evidence.
Which I gave you.
Now I'd like my tablet back, please.
We're also talking about the wife of one of my officers here.
- He's got a point.
- No, actually, he doesn't.
Okay, start downtown, you find June Henry, you bring her back here, you put her in Interview 1.
Make sure she doesn't talk to anybody, and you stay with her until I get back.
What's goin' on? It's June.
What the hell's going on, Chief? She was in the ambulance that night with Trent McBride.
Her life is in danger, so I'm bringing her in.
But you've got her, right? She's comin' in? I've got our guys picking her up.
Listen, Cam, I'm gonna need you to sit this one out.
Hey, it's June.
Leave a message.
June, it's me.
Just call me when you get this message.
- Try her at work.
- It's her day off! All right, listen Cam.
Her not answering her phone doesn't mean anything.
Maybe she didn't hear the ringer, but I'll stop by your house and see if she's there.
Okay, yeah.
Well, I'm comin' with you.
No, you're not.
Just go for a coffee with Sarah or something.
Yeah, you know, absolut - I'm coming with you.
- No, you're not.
You're too close to this.
I need the keys to your house.
Give me the keys to your house, Cam.
All right, everyone, listen up.
I want every available officer to search downtown.
You find June Henry, and you bring her back here right away.
Cam, you leave your cell phone on, and I'll call you the minute I know anything.
Kelly, grab my gun belt! Let's go! Let's get coffee.
Thank God for you, Sarah.
If you hadn't, uh, looked for that footage You're so loyal, Cam, you know? It's one of the things I love most about you, but this keeps happening over and over.
That's Chief Vaughn, okay? He's just overwhelmed.
He's incompetent and dangerous.
June wasn't home.
If she was home, they would have called by now.
No.
That doesn't mean anything.
It's her day off.
She could be anywhere.
Uh, I just can't sit here and wait.
For once, Vaughn, he's right.
That is exactly what you need to do.
Could you do that, Sarah? Could you just sit here and wait if that was happening to Dylan? No, no.
Anyone can reach me.
But I gotta join the search.
June? June, are you here? June? June, it's Vaughn.
June? Put your hands up! Right now! This is Chief Vaughn.
I'm gonna need forensics over at the Henry household.
We got ourselves a crime scene now.
I'm gonna rejoin the search for June.
sending units now.
Son of a bitch.
Please, Lord, bring Ariel back to her mother, end their suffering for our mistake.
Please, God, I beg you.
I would do any I knew you'd come for me.
Where the hell have you been? You leave work, you don't tell me where you're going.
You don't answer your phone.
I was out hunting a story.
But if you prefer me sitting at my desk from 9 to 5, we can have that.
I'm asking for some common courtesy.
Yeah, and I'm asking for the same.
'Cause I don't really appreciate being made to feel like a teenager cutting class.
I met with Tom Winston.
Sarah didn't tell me.
You called Sarah? Are you kidding me? No, she came in.
With an actual lead on an actual story.
One that I wanted you to write, but instead I did my own shit job of it because you wouldn't answer your phone.
Okay, I'm here.
What is it? When I hired you, I took a chance.
Yeah, you'd written for some major publications.
But you have never run a paper.
Okay? I hope you don't forget that.
Send me what you got on it.
Get right on it.
Alan.
Hey.
I heard you found June's purse in your church.
Yes.
Any word on June herself? How's he doing? I don't know.
- Sarah, I should - Oh, yes, of course.
I'm sorry.
Can I sit? Why did you have to come back to Waterbury, Sarah? - I - No.
It's just this this darkness.
It follows you everywhere.
Your whole life.
Now, it's latched on to us.
Okay