Murder in a Small Town (2024) s01e08 Episode Script

1
[TENSE MUSIC]
[GRUNTS]
[SCREAMING]
Our Jane Doe runs
through here, this way.
The assailant pursues?
She falls here.
[GRUNTS]
That's where he kills her.
Then he drags her over there.
Who are you?
♪
It's amazing.
It's almost as if she's
actually breathing.
Let's get it photographed
and circulated.
Television stations,
newspapers, social media.
On it, Chief.
You okay, Sid?
Yeah.
Some of them just hit you
more than the others, you know.
Life happens, you put it
behind you and you move on.
Yeah. You don't, though.
That's partly what makes
you such a good cop?
Big heart.
Not the steel trap mind.
Well, that's the other part.
Now, let's do the door to door again,
on that whole stretch of highway.
Yeah. Somebody had to
have seen something.
I'll be back in an hour.
Thank you for coming.
Excuse me, won't you?
Are you a little young
for a retrospective?
[CHUCKLES]
I didn't expect to see you here.
I wanted to say thank you.
The portrait is spectacular.
Oh, well, just doing my part, you know.
Of course, you could
always buy a painting.
I might just do that.
[ALBERG] You get around, don't you?
Yeah, I like to travel.
Can't paint what you
haven't seen yourself, right?
I mean, you could.
It wouldn't be very good, though.
Yeah. She's one of my favorites.
An eye for art runs in the family.
What's that?
Your mother was Shirley Alberg.
She was very good.
You're familiar with my mother's work?
Yeah, the gallery has a couple of hers.
She spent time here
on the Sunshine Coast,
as you know, of course.
I was nine years old.
Trying to picture that.
A nine-year-old you. [CHUCKLES]
"The Twins" by Millais.
Hey, very good. You
know your art history.
Yeah, it's my homage.
Are you a fan of the pre-Raphaelites?
Not of them, but Millais
Mr. Cummins, I'm so sorry.
I meant to come early to help set up.
No worries, Devon. Thank you for coming.
Hi, Mr. Alberg.
Hi Devon.
- Let me show you something?
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, there's, uh, just
something about him.
A real air of command.
[CASSANDRA] Okay, can you turn it up?
[SIGHS] Poor woman. It's just awful.
[ALBERG] And we're asking for your help
identifying the victim.
Anyone who's seen this woman,
please contact us immediately.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hey, tons of calls already.
- No ID.
- No, not yet.
Someone said they saw her
in Saltery Bay on Saturday morning.
Let's build a timeline.
But we've also got
sightings in Langdale,
Powell River, Earl's Cove,
most of them simultaneous.
Like Moby Dick.
Moby Dick was ubiquitous.
Moby Dick was a whale.
Chief, got someone
who says he knows her.
His name's Robert Cross,
calling from Los Angeles.
Sounds like he might be legit.
Okay.
She's uh was a
client of mine, a friend.
And you you're sure our
Jane Doe is Sally Dublin?
I'm sure. I saw the
picture, social media.
My God, somebody killed her.
The investigation's ongoing, Mr. Cross.
I'm afraid that's all I can tell you.
When did you last see Sally?
Six months ago. We had lunch together.
She's an actress? Was.
I'm a talent agent. I repped her.
She hadn't worked in a
while, but we stayed in touch.
She was just a good soul, Chief Alberg.
I mean, I know she had
her trouble with drugs,
but she put that all behind her.
That's the last time you
were in contact with her?
No, actually, she called
me about a week ago.
She was on the road, she said.
Sally loved to travel.
She'd just pick up and go.
Mr. Cross, do you know if
Sally was traveling alone?
She said she might look up a friend,
an old acquaintance
that lives part time
on the Sunshine Coast.
Did she give you a name?
Yeah. Roger Galbraith.
He was a client of mine too,
until I dropped him a couple months ago.
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
Roger, what the hell?
We're at the cafe, you disappeared.
I need help.
I swear, hadn't seen her
in years, Sally Dublin.
- The woman who was killed.
- But he's not gonna believe me.
Roger, where are you?
So if he asks you where I was,
just tell him I was with you, okay?
The night she died.
- [ROGER] Please.
- Rog, where are you?
[ROGER] Help me out, okay?
Come on, Cass, just be a good friend.
There are people that depend on me.
- [HANGS UP]
- Roger.
Not a bad night, huh?
An amazing night.
Uh whoa.
I'm so sorry. That was so inappropriate.
Um Mr. Cummins, I'm
just so proud of you.
Thank you, Devon.
You know, I think this one
this one might be my favorite.
Who is she?
That's a long story.
What's up? You okay?
I just had a phone call. Um, Roger.
What about him?
He said that you'd want to know
where he was two nights ago.
We've been looking for him.
Two nights ago, that was Saturday night.
- That was the night
- Sally Dublin was murdered.
He wants me to lie for him.
Where is he?
He wouldn't say.
Close your eyes.
What?
Just humor me. Close your eyes.
When he called you,
could you hear anything
in the background?
People, music, cars, anything?
No. No, I'm sorry.
You need to sit down.
Please. Don't worry about me, Karl.
You've got enough on your plate.
I worry about you all the time, okay?
The rest is me doing my job.
Well, I'm fine.
What's he done?
- Ready?
- Just a sec.
You want to know something?
The best portrait I ever painted
is not even in this show.
Oh, my God.
They identified her.
That's the one.
You're not serious. You did this?
Why?
Karl Chief Alberg asked me to help.
So you saw the body?
I did. And that was hard.
I said to myself,
Tommy, you're an artist.
Just paint what you see.
That's amazing.
[CHUCKLE]
Well, it turned out, didn't it?
I'm really proud of that.
I mean, the poor
woman, of course, but
the work itself.
Who else knows?
Just you.
And do me a favor,
let's keep it that way.
I just don't want people whispering
You're the best.
I'm totally not.
You are.
Devon, don't sell yourself short.
You have real talent.
Mr. Cummins, if I had a chance
to be half the artist you are,
I'd I'd die happy.
Come on, I'll give you a ride home.
This is all, Edwina.
The photo reminded me of something.
I couldn't figure it out until
She just got off the
phone with Seattle PD.
A murder, six years ago, unsolved.
Baton Rouge. Years before that.
Sally Dublin. Saturday night. Same guy.
Now, he's here.
[SOBBING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm on the way.
Yes, yes, I've got it.
I will be there, okay?
Just get off my back.
Oh!
[TENSE MUSIC]
Okay. No, you don't understand.
I can't find my daughter.
I don't think Devon
came home last night.
Her bed wasn't slept in.
If you hear from her,
please, just tell her to call me.
Morning.
Took a flyer and made
it a double-double.
Thanks.
Tell Karl to post guards
on houses that need it.
Everything okay?
My car, how long has it been like that?
Since I got here, like 2:00 a.m.
I didn't park it like that
and I sure as hell didn't do this!
Roger.
Calum, I really feel sick about this.
It must have been a truck
that hit him or something.
Six years.
Six years.
Classic pattern. These
guys go in cycles.
Pressure builds, something
triggers, boom he kills.
- Then what?
- He's probably calm.
You could almost think he's human.
Who says he only killed three people?
Could be any number.
You think that's likely, Chief?
We don't know what we
don't know until we do.
[PHONE RINGS]
We need to track Sally
Dublin's movements.
I got her phone number from the agent.
- Okay.
- Yen.
Where are we with Roger Galbraith?
Still looking. His sister
hasn't seen him since yesterday.
Chief, got someone reporting
a suspicious vehicle.
SUV, older model, dark green.
It was parked on the side of the road
past Wilson Creek, Saturday night,
right near where Sally
Dublin was murdered.
We have a license plate number?
I'll get on it.
Okay.
Hey, sleeping beauty. Way past time.
I hate mornings.
It's ah, probably not a great idea
if you're still around
when my dad gets back
considering he doesn't
know you slept here.
Yeah.
I mean, unless you're gonna
file a complaint or something.
So are you gonna file a complaint?
About what? Nothing happened.
You showed up at 2:00 in the morning.
I mean, you walked half the night.
Can we not do this right now.
Devon? What did he do?
He drove me home.
And
And I made a fool of myself, okay?
I was gushing over him,
telling him how much I admire him,
blithering over how bad
I want to be an artist.
And suddenly that's when it got weird.
He came on to you?
No. I came onto him.
He freaked out, and I panicked
so I bailed out of the car,
told him I needed to clear my head,
and I just started walking.
Dev, that is not nothing.
[EXHALES]
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
It's gonna be your mom again.
Can I have some orange juice?
She's probably freaking out.
Yeah, and that's why I'm not answering.
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
Don't!
Holly
Hello?
Yeah, she's right here.
Do you wanna talk to her?
Okay, one sec.
Way to be junior police.
Hey, Mom. I was just gonna call you.
[DEVON] It got late. Holly's was closer.
I have been halfway out of my mind.
I thought you trusted me.
Honey, there is someone killing
women and you just disappear.
No, I haven't seen him. I
have no idea where he is.
Except he helped himself to my car
when I was in bed asleep.
What?
Yeah, last night. It
had to have been him.
He brought it back,
but he dinged something.
This is getting seriously creepy.
I'll keep someone posted.
No, that's not what I'm asking.
[KNOCKS] Boss, visitor for you.
- Not now, Isabella.
- Roger Galbraith.
I have to call you back.
I understand you wanted to see me.
This is murder.
You were friends with Sally Dublin?
Sally was a beautiful soul.
Mm-hmm.
Did you know she was coming here?
- No.
- She didn't try to contact you?
I wish she had.
I hadn't seen Sally in years.
Uh I hadn't been in touch.
I was as shocked as anyone.
Did she know you were here?
I have no idea.
This is the part where
you flex the biceps
so I can feel the collar tighten.
You see that in the movies?
I've done that in the movies.
She didn't call.
Mm-hmm.
Mr. Galbraith, where were you May 2012?
May of 2012? Oh, let me see, uh
That was a dozen years ago,
so I don't actually
know if I can remember
where the hell I was in May of 2
Oh, Sioux Falls.
I was in Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, shooting the pilot
for a little show called
Braddock's Crossing,
which maybe you've heard of.
Where were you Saturday night?
I was at my sister's,
Gail. You can call her.
So why do you ask
Cassandra to lie for you?
You really want to go there?
Well, my sister is, you know, my sister.
And Cassandra is your girlfriend?
Well was. She and I are pretty close.
I don't think you really like that.
To put it mildly, I think you would
you would love to hang this on me.
Tell me about Sally
Dublin's drug addiction.
She put it behind her years ago.
What about yours?
Six weeks in rehab. 2016.
Been clicking on TMZ, haven't you?
Another month, 2020.
Your agent told me.
Well, I fired that agent.
He says it's the other way around.
He's an agent so he's a liar.
Why'd you steal Cassandra's car?
I don't What are you talking about?
I didn't steal it.
Somebody took it without her knowledge.
Hit something.
Hm.
Look at me, Roger.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
'Cause I can always tell
if somebody's lying to me.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Huh.
You had her check my story good.
- Yeah.
- I came in here in good faith.
So this is, you know,
this is police harassment
unless you actually have something
Galbraith, pretend
you're in a silent movie.
You thought what?
You come here and act your way through.
Over to you, Sergeant.
See if you can wade through the crap
'cause I don't have time for this.
First off, I want to thank the community
for their continued assistance.
The tips have been numerous
and we're following up on all of them.
Chief, do you know why
Sally Dublin was here in Gibsons?
Somebody does. And whoever you are,
we're asking you to please come forward.
But what reassurance can
you offer to women in this
We're working around the
clock on this, we're doing
Women are being stalked and killed.
And that's why I'm here,
pleading for your assistance
Chief Alberg, tell us something.
How many violent offenders,
paroled or otherwise,
are currently living
on the Sunshine Coast?
We're doing everything that we can
to assure the safety of people
Why the hell should we
trust you? Seriously.
What special credibility do you assert
as a middle-aged white male cop
standing on generations
of toxic settler orthodoxy?
That went well.
Toxic settler orthodoxy was a good one.
- Middle age was a cheap shot.
- Thanks, Isabella.
Hey, Galbraith wants his lawyer.
That's fine. He's not our guy.
He's a jackass and a poser,
but he didn't murder anyone.
Where are we with the dark green SUV?
Still trying to confirm, Chief.
I'll be on my phone.
Oh!
She was hot.
Mr. C.
Mr. C. Your fans want to know,
how did you feel when
you saw Sally Dublin
lying on the mortuary slab?
Where'd you hear that?
Was Sally Dublin naked?
Jesse, try not to be
so disgusting, okay?
I'm disgusting?
Get your hand off of me.
Trust me, kid,
you do not want to make this personal.
I see you.
Maybe you fool your art students,
but I see exactly what you are.
[CROWD] Whoa!
- [THUD]
- [CROWD GASPS]
He started it.
You saw that.
Mr. C, are you okay?
[CUMMINS] I'm fine,
girls. Thank you very much.
Any idea who might have?
Almost anyone, I suppose.
Some neighbors think he's the killer.
I'm sorry.
Why, is that your handwriting?
I need to see your husband.
About?
Saturday night, Calum here?
When we first met, he told me about it.
He was 17 years old when it happened,
and his girlfriend
was two years younger,
so statutory rape.
But he said to me, I did my time.
I left that boy behind.
I am not that man.
He is not that man, Chief Alberg.
This way.
Calum, we got a report that
a car was seen on the roadside
the night of the
murder, a dark green SUV.
Is there any chance that
you, that you saw it?
The only nice thing that happened today,
a local artist,
he just showed up half an hour ago.
It's as if Clyde's been
brought back to life.
The artist, what's his name?
Cummins, Tommy Cummins.
He didn't know us from Adam and Eve.
Just when you're ready to give up
on a whole damn human race.
[EXHALES]
[TENSE MUSIC]
Jesse hit him?
Boom. Total sucker punch.
Jesse was being a dick,
and then it just blew up.
He's expelled.
And Mr. Cummins?
He's okay, I think.
I mean, he was pretty shaken up.
Dude, you gotta show up
before the day's half over.
Where is he, Mr. Cummins?
Not sure.
He left, like, right after it happened.
I need to see him.
What do you figure the
odds are that this guy
waits another six years
if we don't get him.
I guess it depends on how stable he is.
Stable?
Just in general.
How much does it take to set him off?
Some of these cases gets you
more than others, you know.
Like this bastard.
Isabella told me about your sister.
She said you did everything you could.
As much as humanly possible
to help her get clean.
And yet she didn't.
Well, completely unsolicited opinion.
You can't look after everybody, Sarg.
But you can try.
Something here you
might want to look at.
Security footage.
- Gas station in Madeira Park.
- Mm-hmm.
Look. Saturday night, Madeira Park.
- What, hour away?
- Oh, not even.
That looks like Cassandra's car.
Does that look anything to you
like Roger Galbraith.
Oh, my God. So who's the woman?
Middle-aged settler back?
In his office.
Yeah, he isn't though, I just checked.
There's been a theft, huh.
Someone swiped your photos.
So talented, isn't he?
He's traveled all over. Family money.
How many portraits has he done?
Um, I have 11 on display.
Devon says there's dozens more.
Devon Travis, she's a
friend of my daughter's.
Yeah, she's practically his apprentice.
I think she has a crush.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hey, kiddo, don't panic.
Call me back as soon as you can, okay?
I'm assuming this is about Roger.
With luck we won't need
to keep the car for long.
Forensics just needs to comb through.
Okay. I'll take that as a yes.
Did Karl ask you to do this?
My call. He's off doing something else.
Roger borrowed it last night,
which means he has my spare key.
I can't prove it, but fill your boots.
Have you seen him since this morning?
Not since yesterday.
Any idea where he might have gone?
His sisters?
We're having a hard time
locating her as well.
I have known Roger since 9th grade,
and I'm starting to feel
like I don't know him at all.
Is this yours?
Would you own that?
Oh, my God.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Sarge!
[POLICE SIREN CHIRPS]
Hey.
Mr. Galbraith
I have a few more questions for you.
According to the cell phone provider,
Sally Dublin called your phone
at 4:18 p.m. last Tuesday.
They made a mistake.
Really?
Look, she called.
She was my friend.
Then why did you lie?
Because I've never answered, okay?
'Cause I should have, 'cause
I should have answered,
and I should have gone
right then to meet her.
And if I'd done that, then
she would still be alive.
Saturday night,
you were seen at a gas
station in Madeira Park
in Cassandra Lee's vehicle
with a female passenger.
Sarge.
What the hell's going on?
For God's sake,
just let's leave my sister
out of this please.
I wasn't even at school today,
and I didn't even say anything
to anyone about Sally Dublin.
Swear to God.
It wouldn't matter either way, Devon.
I'd still forgive you.
My God, your poor face.
I'll never forgive
Jesse for hitting you.
And I'm so sorry about last night.
Just glad you made it home safely.
[OPERA MUSIC PLAYING]
Where are we going now?
There's something I've
been wanting to show you
for months.
I didn't think I was that ticked off,
but once I got going
Ms. Travis.
You've got some nerve!
I need to speak to Devon?
She slept at your house last night.
You didn't have the decency to tell me.
I wasn't aware.
Where is she? I need to
speak to her, it's urgent.
She called a few minutes ago.
She's with her teacher, Mr. Cummins.
Where?
Yes, we drove to Madera
Park. I needed to score.
For yourself?
For both of us.
Look, I can't work.
My mom's a houseplant.
Hey, take him over there.
Go with her.
Go.
[SOBBING]
It's a really hard thing to
have on your back, I know.
My little sister, Annie
she didn't make it.
This is how you get ahold of me.
Twelve-step counseling,
whatever you need.
I can recommend people.
But you have to try. You
and your brother, okay?
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
Damn it. Sorry. Stay there.
Hey, boss. I'm just in
the middle of something.
[ALBERG] It's the art teacher, Cummins.
I'm on my way to his house now.
Yen! Gotta go!
This is my sanctum.
The tools of my trade.
You know, we could share this.
The two of us.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SIREN WAILING]
This is Alberg. I'm en
route to the Cummins house.
7719 Maskell Road.
All units, repeat, I need backup.
7719 Maskell Road.
[SIREN WAILS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SIREN WAILS]
[SCREAMING] Help! Help!!!
Help!!!
Help!!!
Help!!!
Help! Help!!
[SCREAMING]
Don't!
[SCREAMING]
Let her go.
Put the gun down, Chief.
It's over, Cummins.
Put!
The gun down.
Let the girl go.
Or what? Are you gonna put
me down like a rabid dog, huh?
Let her go!!!
You're wondering where your daughter is?
Put the gun down and maybe I
will give you a little hint.
Put it down!
We could have had everything.
[YELPS]
[SINGS OPERA]
Where's my daughter?!
What did you do to Holly?!!!
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
Dad, I don't have my
phone on all the time.
I'm with Cassandra.
You should talk to her, you know.
It's not my business, except it is.
Because I care about you guys.
Oh, honey, so good to hear your voice.
[SIRENS WAILING IN THE DISTANCE]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
Bring it in.
So nice to have you back at work.
Thanks Chief.
Ms. Travis
We're gonna need Devon
to stop by the station
next day or so and
make a formal statement.
Whenever she's ready.
Thank you.
Of course. You guys take care.
Chief Alberg
Thank you.
As far as toxic male settlers go, Chief,
you sure do rise to an occasion.
These three we know about.
How many others?
They all had loved ones.
Friends.
These too?
How many are out there?
Ten?
Thirty?
More?
Can I get a cup of coffee?
This won't make any
difference for your sentence.
I'm asking you as a human being.
Tell me.
You wanna know something crazy?
Clyde was still
alive when I found him.
That means somebody hit
him and just kept driving.
Can you believe that?
So I sat with him for a while.
His head in my lap.
I love dogs.
There is nothing more intimate, Karl.
More personal
than comforting some poor soul
as the light leaves their eyes.
It's magic.
[CUMMINS BEGINS TO HUM]
[DOOR SLAMS SHUT]
I
I would say I'm sorry, but
I don't suppose there's much point.
- The police.
- Yeah, I talked to them.
Your spare key.
Roger, take care of yourself. Gail, too.
Yeah, she'll be fine.
Both of us back to rehab.
Rebuild a career. One more mountain.
You're in love with him
aren't you, Chief Doright?
Excuse me?
Head over heels.
No, I am not, not that
it's any of your business.
Liar.
This is 12th grade all over again.
You and Conrad Milbers.
Except you didn't
really love ol' Conrad.
You just thought you did.
You'd be the expert, would you?
It's rare.
And precious, Cass, to
genuinely love someone.
I wouldn't screw it up.
I mean, I would screw it up being me,
but you shouldn't.
Last words from an old friend.
Need anything more from me?
No, I'm all good.
I'll catch up with
you at the restaurant.
Okay.
Isabella.
Lawyer goes swimming in
shark infested waters.
First shark turns to his
buddy and says, hey
'Night, Sarge.
[CHUCKLES]
How about you, Sarge?
Any big dreams?
Paying down my mortgage.
No, really?
Head of security for a
medical marijuana operation.
There's one just up the road.
They're looking for
security and they pay.
That, plus my full pension.
Of course, not till I retire.
Which is not happening
anytime soon, I hope.
Hey, Corporal.
This was all you.
The boss nailed the guy.
But you made that Seattle connection.
This is all you. I hope you know that.
Yeah.
I'm pretty damn good at this job.
[CHUCKLES]
People tell me you're a hero.
Just trying to stand 10 feet tall,
like us police chiefs do.
You ever gonna get yourself that boat?
I'm working my way up to it.
Right now I'm reading Moby Dick.
I've always loved this town.
That's why I moved back.
Yeah, it has a way, doesn't it?
My home too now.
I love living here.
And I want to live
without having to watch
and remember and worry constantly.
I just want to live my life.
I tell you Steph's coming to town?
Both daughters.
- Full house.
- I can't wait.
I'm going to run for town council.
- Seriously?
- [CASSANDRA CHUCKLES]
Council member Lee. I
like the sound of that.
Well, then you better vote, Alberg.
Arts and culture committee.
Yeah, that or police oversight.
It's a joke, right?
Probably.
You never know.
[LAUGHS]
You can be an exasperating
person, you know that.
That's what my daughters
keep telling me.
And I'm a cop.
- Yeah.
- Last "type" you ever wanted.
It's not just about you.
No, I get it, I do.
Wherever I go, whatever I do,
police chief, I bring him with me.
An angel on my windowsill ♪
One day you'll have to tell
me what happened in Sacramento.
But something clearly did.
It's not my business, but
I'm really sorry this didn't work out.
Don't be such a snowflake.
Excuse me?
[LAUGHS] Look, I'm I'm sorry, too.
So what do you want to do about it?
Well, I'd like to talk more sometimes.
- No. I've been thinking.
- I'm fallin' in love ♪
I think that might be
part of the problem.
We both think too much.
- What do you want?
- Maybe for the first time ♪
Baby, it's my mind ♪
You.
I know I'm not alone ♪
What do you want?
Ah, la, la, la, la, lo, lee, lo ♪
Ah, la, la, la, la, lo, lee, lo ♪
Ah, la, la, la, la, lo, lee, lo ♪
Oh ♪
♪
♪
♪